Presented at EETC 2013.

1. WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING
WITH TECHNOLOGY IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION?
Voices from the Field:
2012 National Early Childhood Technology Today Survey
Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. Fran Simon, M.Ed.
Salt Lake City, UT April 2013
Copyright 2013 by ECTC. All rights reserved.

2. • The Early Childhood Technology Collaborative (ECTC) is
a group of three early childhood technologists with lots
of questions:
• Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. from Hatch Early Learning,
• Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. and
• Fran Simon, M.Ed. from Early Childhood Technology
Network
EARLY CHILDHOOD TECHNOLOGY
COLLABORATIVE (ECTC)

3. • How technology is used in early childhood education
classrooms not well understood (Prek-3rd grade)
• Current surveys often about home use of technology with
young children or mix passive with interactive technologies
• There is a need to hear directly from educators about how
they are using interactive information processing
technologies with children in the classroom
RATIONALE FOR STUDY

4. • Many current surveys focus on home use
– Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America
– Digital Childhood: Electronic Media and Technology Use Among Infants,
Toddlers, and Preschoolers
• Just a handful included or focused on early childhood
– Digitally Inclined
– Deepening Connections
– Tech in the Lives of Teachers
• Those with ECE educators asked questions about passive &
interactive technologies simultaneously
• Additionally, questions very global-rarely moving beyond “do
you have”
SURVEYS TO DATE

5. • Online Survey series
– Survey I: Teachers & Administrators
– Survey II: Teachers
• Spring/summer 2012
• Open to anyone in the world
• Active = “Information Processing” Technologies such as
Desk/laptops, IWBs, Tablets, Smartphones, Other
Handhelds versus
• Passive = “Simple” Technologies such as Televisions, CD
Players, Digital Cameras
METHODOLOGY

6. • These results are based on the 485 U.S. respondents
• There were 116 Administrator respondents
• There were 369 Teacher respondents
• The demographics are comparable from Survey I and
Survey II were similar and are combined
WHO RESPONDED?

7. The main demographics are:
• Serve Pre-K (2-5 year olds) and/or School Age (K-3rd grade)
• Public School, Head Start, Childcare, Private School
• Urban, Rural, Suburban
• Serve more children of poverty (50% or more), Serve fewer
children of poverty (less than 50%)
• New educator (less than 5 yrs), Experienced educator (more
than 5 years)
• Degreed (4 yr or higher), Non-degreed
DEMOGRAPHICS OF RESPONDENTS

8. ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS
Community Type Poverty Children Served

9. ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS
Program Type Ages Children Served

10. ABOUT THE RESPONDENTS
Degreed (4 yr & up) Years Experience

11. Our first area of interest was around the reasons that early
childhood educators use technology with the children in
their program classrooms…..
WHY ECE EDUCATORS USE TECHNOLOGY?

12. MAIN REASONS FOR USING

13. MOST IMPORTANT USES

14. Our next area of interest was in knowing which of the active
technologies are being used in the classrooms with early
learners….
WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS USED?

15. TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY IN USE

16. WHAT EDUCATORS DON’T HAVE
BUT WOULD LIKE FOR CHILDREN

17. Next we explored how much time active technologies are
used in the classroom with the children….
HOW MUCH TIME IS TECH USED?

18. HOW MANY DAYS OF THE WEEK

19. DESK/LAPTOPS
Feel Appropriate Actually Spend

20. IWBS
Feel Appropriate Actually Spend

21. TABLETS
Feel Appropriate Actually Spend

22. • Used regularly but not excessively
• Used because children enjoy it & it helps meet goals of
program
• More a support than for direct instruction
• What’s used follows availability
• Differences between beliefs and practices for amount of
time with tech
TRENDS

23. We turned our attention next to the types of learning
activities in which the children engage…
WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF ACTIVITIES?

24. HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Language/Literacy Mathematics

25. HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Science Social Studies

26. HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Logic/Problem Solving Approaches to Learning

27. HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Art Music

28. HOW OFTEN TECH IS USED
Social-Emotional

29. OBSTACLES/WEAKNESS OF CONTENT

30. We wanted to know more about the setting in which the
use of technology by the children takes place….
WHAT IS THE SETTING LIKE?

31. WHO IS GUIDING ACTIVITIES

32. WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

33. WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

34. WHO IS GUIDING DEVICES

35. • Used more for traditional content areas
• Rarely used to support social-emotional goals
• Educators “drive” some kinds of tech more than others
• But give children lots of opportunities to “drive” too
• They do ensure balance between teacher-guided and child-
initiated for learning activities themselves
TRENDS

36. We queried about how technology is used to determine
the extent children are meeting the learning goals of their
program….
HOW ARE GOALS MONITORED?

37. DETERMINING LEARNING

38. We wondered about technology being used with children
who need extra support such as Dual/English Language
Learners (DLL/ELL) and children with special needs….
FOR CHILDREN
NEEDING EXTRA SUPPORT?

39. DLL/ELL LEARNERS

40. TECH WITH DLL/ELL LEARNERS
Chosen specifically to meet
needs of ELL children
In every language spoken
in your group now

41. SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS

42. SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERS
Devices used
with special
needs children

43. We were interested in the professional development
experiences of educators on using technology with early
learners….
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

44. TYPES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

45. COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN
1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY
Desk/laptops IWBs

46. COMFORT LEVEL USING W/ CHILDREN
1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = COMPLETELY
Tablets Multi-touch Tables

47. • Technology is being used to monitor progress
• Seems available but low implementation for DLL/ELL children
and special needs children
• Many different kinds of PD available and most have received
• More comfortable with more established tech
TRENDS

48. We’re going to close with findings that to us sums it all up….
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?

49. BEST SUPPORT FOR USING TECH

50. Suggested readings
• Simon, F. & Nemeth, K. (2012). “Digital Decisions: Choosing the Right
Technology Tools for Early Childhood Education.” Lewisville, NC: Gryphon
House
http://www.gryphonhouse.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?BookID=10
023
• McManis, L.D. & Gunnewig, S. (2012). “Finding the education in educational
technology with early learners.” Young Children, 67(3), 14-25.
http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201205/McManis_YC0512.pdf
Acknowledgement
• The Early Childhood Technology Collaborative would like to thank Perry
McManis, M.A. Economics, for statistical analyses of the survey data.
Q & A

51. • LinkedIn: Early Childhood Technology Network
• Twitter: #ecetechchat Every Other Weds. @ 9pm ET
• http://www.ecetech.net/
• NAEYC Technology & Young Children Interest Forum
• ISTE SIG ELT
LEARN MORE-STAY CONNECTED