Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/tools-of-engagement/5019916/
We’ve got the whole world in our handsIn recent years, a tidal wave of mobile digital devices and applications (apps) has found its way into the daily lives of early childhood professionals everywhere. It is safe to say that the speed at which new digital devices and apps get into our hands will not slow down.
Our digital life is here to stay.
Most of us don’t give a second thought to using ATM machines, digital cameras, Flip videocams, cell phones, smartphones, and WiFi connections to the Internet. But it appears that early childhood educators are slower to adopt iPads and other tablets with multi-touch screens, e-book readers, MP3 players, and gaming devices. Free Web 2.0 tools for communication and collaboration like Google Docs and Skype, and social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have also been slowly adopted even though these digital devices and apps have become ubiquitous in the personal and professional lives of millions of users around the world. In fact, a 2011 annual technology study for PBS (Grunwald, 2011) reports good news and bad �" that Pre-K Teachers “trail K�"12 teachers in their use of digital media and technology, but many see the benefits of age-appropriate digital ...