Technology in Pre-K: Fostering a Community of Digital Participants

• In Event: Blurring the Boundaries Between Formal and Informal Learning Spaces Through Technology

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how young children (3-5 yrs) and their teachers use screen technology in play-based participatory ways in a Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) classroom. Early childhood classrooms can build upon and extend playful experiences by incorporating technology and digital tools in social ways (NAEYC, 2009). By facilitating these interactions with technology, caregivers can lower barriers that might otherwise hinder individual expression and contributions to a community.

Theoretical framework
Participatory culture (Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton, and Robison 2009), Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) (NAEYC, 2009), and digital play provide the concepts and theories that frame this study. Developing a participatory digital culture among young children (and surrounding adults) requires that they engage with digital tools in ways similar to the broader society. Lessons, classroom materials, resources, and the environment are developmentally appropriate when the teacher has considered and planned around the age and development of the child, the child as an individual, and the context and culture in which the child lives. Teachers using DAP use play as a “vehicle” (2009, p.14) for learning as children interact with others and practice skills. Teachers who have the resources and support to integrate technology consider how technology can assist in creation and inquiry, as well as aide in experimentation, problem solving, and expression—in short, how technology can be integrated into the play of their young students.

Methods
This Participatory Action Research (PAR) case study describes the introduction of five iPad minis into a University Pre-K classroom in the Southeastern US to explore the following questions: (1) What does DAP look like in a Pre-K classroom during iPad integration? (2) How does DAP contribute to play-based participatory practices?

Data Collection & Analysis
Data collection was triangulated via (1) observational field notes; (2) notes from meetings with the teacher; and (3) digital content created by the children. Data analysis took place in three phases: on-going reflection and discussions with the teacher to inform instructional practice; using NVivo to organize the “codable moments” (Boyatzis, 1998, p. 64) from observations (35) and meetings (14) to find themes and subthemes; and conceptualizing the relationship between the teacher’s DAP and the children’s play-based participatory practices.

Results
From the data, a pedagogical model emerged that I call play-based participatory pedagogy (PPP). This new model describes our digital tool integration that was guided by DAP and cultivated play-based participatory practices. The description of the model and pedagogy relies on the themes that emerged from the data to explain 1) how the adults intentionally demonstrated and fostered practices and 2) the observed activities of the students.

Significance
This research study adds to the literature by (a) demonstrating how one teacher considers DAP in relation to technology integration, and (b) positioning young children as digital participants. Early childhood spaces are poised to lead the way and lay a foundation of play-based participatory practices for children to engage throughout formal and informal learning spaces.

Author

• Meghan McCarthy Welch, Georgia State University