Introduction
Teachers in the early childhood education system often ignore digital technologies, relying on traditional and practical approaches to playful learning for young children. However, the fourth technological revolution challenges teachers to nurture future digital leaders. I advocate the introduction of digital technologies in early childhood education. The knowledge gained early will help children master the sciences in areas with growing influence, such as coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
Proposal for Modifying Current Policy
Children receive the first knowledge and skills about digital technologies in the family. Studies show that children know more about technology than the curriculum suggests (Marsh et al., 2019). For example, students aged 4-6 successfully cope with creative tasks in animation and photography and are ready to share knowledge with their peers. Most curricula in early childhood education do not use this potential.
One of the reasons is the rapid development of digital technologies. Teachers do not have time to master new digital technologies and programs (Marsh et al., 2019). Given the heavy workload, they prefer to use time-tested learning approaches. In a society where the demand for digital specialists and leaders is growing, teachers must change their practices to education starting from early childhood education.
The Suggestion of New Strategies
The introduction of new technologies in education will contribute to the development of new skills in children. I propose to introduce ScratchJr coding into the education program (Bers, 2018). As noted by Bers (2018), this program fosters skills, including logical and abstract reasoning, problem-solving, and engaging in the creative design process. The application interface allows students to implement individual projects and work in teams.
Another helpful approach can be the constant support of online communication with children and parents. The COVID-19 pandemic has become a rich experience for children, parents, and teachers in early childhood education. The teacher could not effectively monitor the children’s emotional state in the classroom and conduct games, and additional limitations were the lack of writing and reading skills in young children (Kim, 2020).
Ultimately, teachers found effective approaches to early childhood online education. Such approaches included the implementation of projects in groups of 3-4 people and the support of communication with parents through online tools (Kim, 2020). I propose to implement these methods in offline education.
Many parents and community members fear that children spend too much time on gadgets at home and that digital technology, along with education, can cause additional damage. However, studies show that the number of hours a child spends in front of a screen depends on two factors: the socioeconomic status of the family and the time parents spend on gadgets (Konca, 2022). Thus, the child’s digital safety can be ensured if the teacher and parents jointly indicate the purpose for which the child will use devices.
Conclusion
Digital technologies have become integral to modern society, and digital specialists are in the most demand in the labor market. The challenge for the current education system is to prepare a generation of people who can quickly analyze digital data and become new digital leaders. Introducing technology in early childhood education will allow children to learn how to apply fundamental knowledge in a digital environment, choose safe digital content, and master critical thinking skills.
Bibliography
Bers, M. U. (2018). Coding and computational thinking in early childhood: The impact of ScratchJr in Europe. European Journal of STEM Education, 3(3), 8. Web.
According to this study, programming has a positive impact on the growth of early childhood skills like problem-solving, logical and abstract thought, and creative design. Using the example of ScratchJr, it is described how children under eight master the skills of coding and creating their own projects (Bers, 2018). The study notes that ScratchJr has disadvantages in teaching tasks that require group work. The DevTech Research Group has provided a solution to this problem by developing the “ScratchJr Collaborative Project Guide” that allows children to interact with the app and with each other in new, creative ways.
Kim, J. (2020). Learning and teaching online during Covid-19: Experiences of student teachers in an early childhood education practicum. International Journal of Early Childhood, 52(2), 145–158.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought the discussion about the introduction of technology into education to a new level. According to the study, online learning methods for younger children have several significant problems (Kim, 2020). For instance, young children may not have the technical skills required for online learning tasks, such as typing answers into a chat screen or sharing files with written information. Despite this, such methods as game-based learning in groups of four occurred effectively and can be introduced into offline education.
Konca, A. S. (2022). Digital technology usage of young children: Screen time and families. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50(7), 1097–1108. Web.
Despite the benefits of introducing digital technologies into the educational process, many parents and community members believe using digital devices can be dangerous for children. The study showed that in recent years, children have spent more time in front of smartphones, computers, and TV screens (Konca, 2022). However, the digital safety of a child largely depends on the digital habits in the family. The researchers concluded that effective young children’s education with digital technologies should occur with close interaction between teachers and parents.
Marsh, J., Wood, E., Chesworth, L., Nisha, B., Nutbrown, B., & Olney, B. (2019). Makerspaces in early childhood education: Principles of pedagogy and practice. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 26(3), 221–233. Web.
Studies state that in early childhood education (ECE), digital play practices outpace teachers’ adaptation of the curriculum and pedagogical approaches (Marsh et al., 2019). In the study’s course, it turned out that young children know more about digital technologies than the educational program offers them. They quickly grasped the process associated with digital creativity, like animation or photography. Moreover, the children readily participated in the learning process of their peers. Teaching digital skills at an early age will become increasingly important when areas such as digital manufacturing, robotics, and AI become the key to economic success and the development of society.