Technology for Early Childhood Educators

I'm going into the field of Early Childhood Education and I never really thought much about technology in my future classrooms, until recently. Technology is all around us and there are so many uses for it in education. Young children and their educators can benefit from using technology too. In the article, Technology Literate Early Childhood Educators, they talk about the many uses of technology for early childhood educators. One of the things I found interesting was the use of digital camera's in the classroom. Take for instance a parent has dropped off a crying three year old, the parent leaves and like all parents, worries about their child. As a teacher using technology we could take a digital picture of the child smiling and playing with other children and send it to the parent. How relieving and comforting for that parent, to know their child is enjoying themselves.

Think about the many artwork pieces early childhood students have. As teachers we could scan and create electronic portfolio's for each student. This would be ideal; great for assessments and conferences. Teachers can also use technology to access classrooms around the nation and even around the world, go on virtual field trips and create student books. There are endless opportunities when it comes to technology and education.

I think technology and early childhood education go hand in hand. I will be using technology in my future classroom, however I am aware of how careful educators have to be when selecting which technology to use.

Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield and FreeDigitalPhotos.net