The Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Early Childhood Development
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives of the study
The main objective of the study is to examine the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in early childhood development.
Specifically, this Study sought to:
- Determine the roles of the teachers in implementing and integrating ICT within the early childhood context.
- Identify the ICT materials that are needed for effective teaching and learning in early childhood education.
- Identify the roles of ICT in the teaching and learning environment in early childhood education.
- Identify the challenges of ICT in early childhood education.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This section reviews literature related to the study on ICT integration in the teaching and learning process in secondary school education. The review is divided into the following: the concept of ICT integration in education; internet connectivity and ICT equipment in schools; teacher professional development in ICT; digital curriculum and content for schools and policy framework for ICT integration in education. The section ends with the discussion on theoretical framework and conceptual framework upon which the study was based.
Concept of ICT Integration in Education
Information Communication Technology (ICT) is basically a tool; it can be a hardware, a software or both. Jackson (2002) advises that teachers should not replace what they teach, but see ICT as a tool just like a calculator, a pen or chalkboard that help them to teach and students to learn. Hodgkison (2006) and Duplessis (2010) note three types of ICT integration present in schools; the first being, learning about computers without any link to classroom practice. The second is full integration with traditional goals whereby computer is just used as a transmitter of knowledge resulting to just learning “from” the computer and the third is full integration with constructivist learning space and context, implying that computers are taken as mediational or transformational tools resulting to learning “with” or “through” using computers. An analysis of South African Institute of Distance Education (SAIDE) (2003) suggests that the generative mode integration is not the norm in most Sub-Saharan African schools.
Muchiri (2008) (citing Poole 1998) indicate that educators in United States of America (USA) are able to put computers to good use in preparing teaching and learning materials. They are able to produce syllabi, schedules and classroom materials professionally and more efficiently using computers. By use of productivity tools such as word processors, database management software, communication systems and graphic tools educators are able to duplicate excellence in managing the process of teaching and learning. Generally, educators have found ICT to be a crucial tool for supporting drills and practice in previously taught skills and concepts in class. Also opportunities for networking and collaborative learning indicate that several principles and theories which promote learner centered constructivist learning can be more easily integrated in teaching. Furthermore, the internet connectivity makes it possible for educational resources to be accessed and exchanged with relative ease.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
A research design is the structure of research. It holds all the elements in a research project together. It shows how all the major parts of the research project work together to try to address the central research question Kombo and Tromp, (2006). This study is a descriptive survey that was carried out in five Nursery Schools in Nsukka education zone of Enugu State.
Sources of Data
The data for this study were generated from two main sources; Primary sources and secondary sources. The primary sources include questionnaire, interviews and observation. The secondary sources include journals, bulletins, textbooks and the internet.
Population and sampling of the study
A study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest.
A study sample is simply a systematic selected part of a population that infers its result on the population. In essence, it is that part of a whole that represents the whole and its members share characteristics in like similitude (Prince Udoyen: 2019).
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results
The results are presented in the order of the research questions.
The data presented in Table 4.1 above revealed that all the 5 items on the roles of the teachers in implementing and integrating ICT within the early childhood education have their mean scores ranging from 3.30 to 3.70 which indicated that the respondents agreed to items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 as the roles of the teachers in implementing and integrating ICT within the early childhood context.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusion
This study was carried out on the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in early childhood development. The findings from this study identified many benefits of using ICT by teachers for enhancing inspiring pupils and increasing the provisional satisfaction. The teachers involved in this study considered that ICT in ECE offered valuable opportunities to make children’s learning visible and contributed to developing and enhancing relationships with children, families and teachers when integrated in meaningful and purposeful ways within the early childhood teaching and learning community.
It is important that teacher’s beliefs, roles and experiences are considered, if changes are to be made to foster and optimize opportunities for young children’s learning, and how these beliefs, roles and experiences influence and shape the ways in which teachers implement and integrate ICT within the early childhood context.
Recommendation
The following recommendations were made, based on the findings of the study
- Researchers and educators should encourage ICT in ECE from the perspectives of children and families. This will help in exploring how early childhood teachers notice, recognize and respond to the impact of ICT on young children, through a series of case
- Further researchers should examine early childhood teacher education to incorporate adequate ICT
- Government should give teachers opportunities to actively engage in dialogue to explore and articulate their pedagogical approach, to ICT in
- Teachers should help to create opportunities for young children to understand and appreciate the benefits of visual images and graphics in knowledge which are part of their everyday
The teachers should be involved in decision making surrounding the purchasing, implementing and application of ICT and sometimes improvise when necessary rather than being randomly supplied with resources to use.
REFERENCES
- Alliance for Childhood, (2000). Fool’s gold: A critical look at computers in childhood. Retrieved April 29 2009.
- Boardman, M. (2007). ‘I know how much this child has learned. I have proof!’ Employing digital technologies for documentation processes in kindergarten. Australia Journal of Early Childhood 3(3), 59-66.
- Colbert, J. (2006). Storytelling: Keeping it complex, keeping it connected. Computers in New Zealand Schools, 18(1), 1 7-22.
- Dale, R., Robertson, S., and Shortis, T. (2002) “You can’t not go with the technological flow, can you? Constructing ‘ICT’ and ‘teaching and learning.” Journal of computer assisted learning 20 456-470
- Edwards, S. (2005). The reasoning behind the scene: Why do early childhood educators use computers in their classrooms? Australian Journal of Early childhood, 30(4), 25-33.
- Erb, W. (2008). ICT in the early years. Tukutuku Korero New Zealand Education Gazette, 87(4), 4-8.
- Federal Ministry of Education, (2009). Kei tua o te pae assessment for learning: Early childhood exemplars. Wellington: Learning Media.
