Inclusive Technology Use in Early Childhood Education

Introduction

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Sir Ken Robinson (2006) contends that we are "in the midst of an education revolution" where we are beginning to break through Industrial Revolution's efficiency baggage to reveal a system that is dynamic and values divergent thinking and creativity as much as literacy. All of this change, he argues, begins in the early childhood setting before the current system can "squash" creativity (Robinson, 2006). The ideas presented about creativity can be related back to 21st century learners and the skills they need, which are vastly different from those needed in the past. On the road to exposing creative intelligence, technological savvy is often cited as a top priority. Technology is a powerful means of expression because of its ubiquitous nature, accessibility, and affordability. Furthermore, children at increasingly young ages are engaged with the most current trends in gaming, social networking, and self-expression via technology.

In this project, several considerations will be discussed with regard to the meaningful integration of technology into early childhood education (ECE). Throughout the sections, two assumptions will be made: first, technology should be embraced in education generally, and second, young children learn best through play.  These are big assumptions indeed, however they are strongly supported in the literature at this time (see Prensky (2001), Paley (2005), Stables (1997), Clements & Sarama (2003), and Van Hoorn et al. (2007)). The aim of this review is to discover rich, inclusive teaching practices pertaining to technology use while addressing creativity, gender discrepancies and diverse learners. Additionally, gaming will be emphasized as a primary means of technological integration in ECE in reference to the current trend toward educational gaming and its relationship to play. Differentiating between types of games, namely mini and complex, will be of considerable focus. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) will be used to examine the value of technology in inclusive lesson designs. Finally, resources will be listed for practical use in the ECE classroom.