Future Of ICT In Early Childhood: What Does Research Say?

Based on the research “Role and potential of ICT in early childhood education: A review of New Zealand and International Literature” by Rachel Bolstad there a good reviews of the research. ICT have a great value in everyday life including in ECE because as we all aware, ICT is a platform or any form of technology that is being used for gaining and sharing information; ICT’s values in ECE are depends on the tools selected and on how yet when they are being used. The literature suggests that it is for the practitioners or teachers to know about the way of using ICT and on contemporary theories about learning and teaching that related to the ICT use.

From this journal, we found out about the literature that suggesting about ICT uses in ECE and we are focusing on the role and potential of ICT to support teaching and learning. In the literature review about role and potential of ICT in early childhood, Rachel Bolstad (2004) found that studies suggest ICT's can provide a useful context for co-operation and collaboration between children and also between the children and adults. However, she makes the point that educators "must be conscious of the kinds of learning interactions they would like to occur in the context of ICT used”.

Besides, the researcher suggests that ICT should be used to initiate an understanding of the practices, purposes and social context of ECE as ICT can support children’s learning such as in language development and mathematical thinking.

Teacher can used ICT for:

1. Document and assess children’s learning and activities.
2. Reflecting on children’s and educator’s conversations and interactions.
3. Construct learning experiences from children’s interest; ideas and experiences.
4. Strengthen support family involvement in children’s learning.

ICT can build up the environment of learning for children because the value of ICT itself makes the young children’s learning environment become more fun and meaningful but it depends on the choices of teacher on choosing which tools to be used in the teaching learning. Based on the case studies, teacher believe that ICT support on the directly or indirectly support children’s development and learning.

Aside from that, teachers are expanding on using ICT with children or on their own as a tool to support and scaffold children's early childhood education experiences. On a brighter side, case studies have shown that the uses of ICT in early childhood education settings are becoming more and more common each day because one of the reasons are it is often written by early childhood education practitioners and they provide recommendations, suggestions or guidelines for other practitioners based on what they have learned in their own centres to the other teachers.

In a nutshell, the future of ICT in ECE would increase rapidly as it has been a priority in everyday life and it includes children’s too because they are having a positive learning experiences.