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Several significant technologies (including digital technologies) have been incorporated into education over the last century. Each of them was anticipated to transform teaching and learning in some way. However, it is widely acknowledged that no substantial reorientations nor educational breakthroughs have occurred. While the use of technology has not culminated in a revolutionary over the previous 100 years, it has culminated in some significant gains and achievements in educational accessibility and equality.
Desktop computers became affordable enough for schools to purchase in the 1970s and early 1980s. Similar to pre-digital technologies, there was widespread public confidence in the positive learning effects of computer use that was mostly unsupported. Computers were expected to revolutionise education once more. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 provided funding for the use of technology in schools. As a result, students began to study programming languages such as BASIC, and PCs began to appear in some classrooms.

Technology has always been an important aspect of England's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Children should be able to recognize that a diversity of technologies used in settings such as homes and schools' and 'select and use technology for certain reasons' by the end of the Reception year, according to the expectations (DFE, 2017: p. 12).

As many of you are familiar, there will be a new statutory framework in place in September 2021 that will eliminate the technological strand. According to the government's own research response on the Early Years Foundation Stage reforms, "a central theme was a concern that technology is lacking" (DfE, 2020:9), and "a consistent perspective was that the elimination of technology as an ELG would be a bad step" (DfE, 2020:14). However, no reference of technologies is made in the revised paper. Others may be apprehensive that something is lacking. Practitioners are still unsure what to do with technology in the future.
Technology is currently, and will very certainly always be, an important part of children's life in some form or another (Caldwell, 2021). We can't turn back the clock and disregard the ubiquity of technology in society, whether we think it's a good thing or a terrible thing. It would seem necessary to assist children in understanding how technology is employed in both school and in their everyday life (Caldwell, 2021). We've progressed from treating technology as an isolated novelty to smoothly integrating a number of edtech tools into our lessons during the last fifty years (Caldwell, 2021).
Digital technology is all around today's children. This encompasses a wide range of novel paradigms that are as a result not fully understood. Educational academics have been striving to grasp the impact of these changes on children's development, but they've been surpassed by technology advancements. One technology is replaced by another by the time it is studied scientifically (Bennett et al, 2008).
What is clear, nevertheless, is that young children have a fluidity with digital technology that previous generations lack, and that this fluency indicates cognitive and behavioural development that is distinctive to this era (Palfrey and Gasser, 2013). Although the specific impact of digital media on development has yet to be discovered, the digital component is thus a very essential feature of child development (Zimmerman et al, 2007)

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Children learn abilities like as imagination and ingenuity, cooperation, and communicating through integrating technology. Most importantly, these interconnected and participatory educational technology activities empower individuals to seize charge of their learning and connect with the subject in each session (Christensen, 2019). Incorporating technology in the 21st-century classroom means giving children the option to be self-directed students both during and after their compulsory learning (Christensen, 2019). Through technology, the outside world impacts the education. By prioritising contact in your education, you may affect how that equipment is implemented (Christensen, 2019).  The practitioner's practise regarding the use of emerging technologies tools in the classroom would not be greatly altered. There are numerous educational aids in the classroom.

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The students in your classroom can't imagine a world without technology.

Computers have always been a part of their lives. Young learners have been immersed in technology since they could crawl, and they show little to no interest in giving it up. But is that such a bad thing? Perhaps not!

Many educators appreciate using technology, too. It's an integral part of curriculum mapping, classroom instruction, and assessment. We've certainly come a long way since the early days of educational technology - but maybe it's worth a history lesson to really put things into perspective.

A brief history of technology in the classroom

Over the span of fifty years, we've gone from treating technology as an isolated novelty to seamlessly integrating a variety of edtech tools into our lessons. How did this change occur?

Technology originally made its way into the U.S. education system as a necessity to prepare for an increasingly digital future and as part of its Cold War era competition. After witnessing the launch of Sputnik, the Soviet Union's first satellite, America shifted much of its attention in education to math and science while embracing technology in particular. The Vocational Education Act in 1963 funded technology use in schools. As a result, students learned programming languages like BASIC, and PCs gradually made their way into some classrooms.

Educators took two approaches when incorporating computers in classroom instruction.

The first was less common. Mathematician and professor Seymour Papert first introduced microcomputers in the classroom by teaching basic programming in the early 1980s. His Logo program taught students basic programming skills. The idea was to create student-centered learning activities that required hands-on exploration. Children learned the language commands that would create graphic shapes. Papert based his instructional program on a theory of constructivism that he termed "bricolage," which is a strategy in which students assemble the building blocks of learning themselves.

By the mid-1980s, Apple computers had also gained a foothold in classrooms, and a more common approach to technology integration gained popularity. Teachers used edtech software solutions: Drilling students with electronic programs. Teachers routinely assigned students to computer tasks, where learners answered an endless series of questions based on knowledge and recall.

A mere decade later, the Internet connected computers worldwide. The dramatic growth of the World Wide Web introduced email, video, and a variety of digital media. More importantly, it enabled two-way communication between anyone, anywhere, and anytime.

That connectedness revolutionized not only business and interpersonal relationships but also education. Beginning in the early 2000s, there was a greater emphasis on a new form of education: STEM, short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Computers and technology are the future - we may as well embrace them for all the benefits they bring to the classroom.

Technology in education today

Because learners need digital skills, educational technology today has taken on a vibrant role in many classrooms. The focus is less on drilling concepts into students' minds and more on teaching them important computer literacy skills.

Educators and policymakers have arrived at a nexus of thought about what technology integration looks like in the classroom. "The ISTE Standards for Students" now includes creative innovation, the development of communication skills and collaborative work projects, engaging in the kind of critical thinking that results in solving problems and decision-making, and acquiring 21 st-century digital citizenship skills. This is in addition to learning how to operate computer hardware and software.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills lays out a similar vision for integrating technology in the classroom. Information, media, and technology skills are a vital component of empowering students in all communities. The organization partners with schools and communities to ensure that students everywhere develop the mindset and skills necessary for living and learning in a rapidly changing environment.

Most teachers support these technology standards. They want to see their students taking technology initiatives and utilizing digital tools for their own learning purposes.

Students should be using handheld devices to engage with content in meaningful ways like:

Creating digital video and graphic media design to support concepts

Engaging in live vlogging about a topic of study

Using classroom polling to hear different perspectives on issues

Developing collaborative projects among diverse teams

Gathering and interpreting data from a variety of online sources

Experiencing virtual simulations that assist in exploring otherwise inaccessible material

Technology in education is now more about integration rather than isolation.

No longer a subject addressed by routine "seat time," educational technology integration today is interactive and ongoing. Using personal computers, students learn concepts, assess their progress, and continue to add to their knowledge and skill base. In a sense, learners are assembling and building knowledge, like in a modern-day version of bricolage.

The future of technology in your classroom

Unfortunately, not all classrooms are at the same level of educational technology integration. Adopting state-of-the-art technology can be expensive, and ever-tightening budgets determine what type of tech integration is possible.

It would be wonderful to gleefully issue each student a tablet and tell them to work with the device. But that's not feasible, nor would it even be effective - students need guidance when it comes to unfamiliar technology. And the need for guidance means teachers themselves must be taught how to navigate edtech.

If you're in a classroom or school with limited options for technology integration, consider starting with small steps like these:

Take a trip - virtually. Attend a theater preview, explore a cave, or visit a university. By doing so, you'll broaden your student's horizons.

Integrate digital media into your lessons. Play podcasts, show short explanatory videos from educational YouTube channels, incorporate interactive charts and graphs, and so on. Showing is often more effective than telling, especially when explaining abstract concepts like graphing algebraic equations with multiple variables or understanding biology.

Bring your own device. Ask your school to consider implementing a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy as an alternative to funding the purchase of new devices. This can make technology more accessible and could allow you to allocate a technology budget for students who cannot afford to purchase those devices themselves.

Make the most of the internet. Launch a website, a class media page, or other interactive platforms where your students can curate content and practice their communication skills.

Use freely available edtech tools. There are plenty of apps that encourage collaborative learning in the classroom by allowing students to edit documents or other media with each other in real time. You can use those alongside activities like mind mapping, commenting, and providing feedback. You can also manage a digital calendar of events for your classroom, such as for assignment due dates or upcoming school events.

This certainly isn't an exhaustive list, but if you look closely at it, one thing should stand out: The activities are less about the kind of technology you're using in the classroom and more about what students can do with the technology that's available.

Use technology effectively

Technology integration teaches students the skills they will need, including creativity and innovation, collaboration, and communication. Most of all, these integrated and interactive educational technology activities encourage students to take the initiative and engage with the content in every class they take.

Embedding technology in the 21 st-century classroom is about creating an opportunity for students to be self-directed learners, now and beyond their formal education.

The world influences the classroom through technology. You can influence how that technology will be used in your classroom by making interaction a priority.

Photo credit: João Silas/unsplash.com

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The history of the emergence of technology in education - Classcraft Blog

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The students in your classroom can't imagine a world without technology. Computers have always been a part of their lives. Young learners have been immersed in technology since they could crawl, and they show little to no interest in giving it up. But is that such a bad thing? Perhaps not!

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Colored pencils, markers, and chalk do not need to be defined in our educational material for us to recognise their importance. Technology gives extremely beneficial instruments, long before they can read or write, a camera may help children capture an experience and convey a concept (Caldwell, 2021) Audio capturing equipment can be utilised to document a topic or thought for subsequent review (Caldwell, 2021). These instruments, like the pencil, can empower youngsters and allow them to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible for them (Caldwell, 2021). They allow youngsters to leave their stamp on the world and hence appear to the practitioner to be essential educational materials (Caldwell, 2021). As a result the practitioner would make them permanent and visible to the children as part of the setting's ongoing offering. Screen-based technologies has a purpose as well. As a practitioner, they was aware of the importance of striking an equilibrium for children, and they didn't want them to spend all of their time glued to a computer, any more than they wanted them to spend all of their time Colouring. they  will tap into the curiosity of children who spent too much time focusing on one material to inspire children to extend their child-initiated education. Some screen-based technological applications appear to be more valuable to the researcher than alternatives.

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Life in modern civilization has grown increasingly technologized from birth to adulthood (Plowmen et al., 2010). The rapid pace of technical advancements, as well as the pervasiveness of these elements in societies and children's life, has sparked a large politicised controversy in research literature and the media today. Some parents and researchers are still apprehensive about the consequences of too much technology for developing children, according to Palamer (2015), while others have argued for the advantages of integrating technologies into children's life from an early stage. (Saracho and Spodek 2008; Marsh et al 2005). Children in a cognitive economy and technological society, according to academic literature, need to be well to use technology because they will likely absorb a substantial portion of their professional and leisure lives. (Siraj-Blatchford and Siraj-Blatchford 2006).

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It is, nevertheless, problematic to determine the significance and use of technologies in early childhood education in children's play experiences (Arnott, 2017). Academics and professionals define technological theories differently, widening the gap between research and practice (Arnott, 2017). While some academics are beginning to adopt different conceptualizations of technologies to include more things, such as early childhood development equipment, others are still using precise classifications (Bers and Horn, 2010). Practitioners continue to rely heavily on tablet computers, webcams, and interactive whiteboards. We must first understand how we recognise technology in both foundations and implementation before we can collectively create techniques and activities around technologies for play-based childhood (Arnott, 2017).

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In today's debates about digital childhood, a variety of sophisticated terminology are used to characterise the resources that children use in their daily lives and learning, involving but not limited to technology (Arnott, 2017). Information and communication technologies, smart toys, screen-based media, and digital media are all examples of digital technologies. Definitions become misleading as core competencies evolve at such a rapid pace (Arnott, 2017). Through exploration and discovery of the desktop computer, Haugland (1992), to electronically enchnaced objects, clever robotics, (Bergen, 2008), and smart toys, Plowmen (2004), to screen based media, Neumann and Neumann (2014), and on to internet enabled resources, research in relation to technologies has evolved (Palaiologou, 2016). These classifications are changing, and there are already calls for further research into future technologies, as reported by (Livingstone et al, 2015).
In the researchers setting the children have a few interactive toys for technology based devices such as old laptops and cameras, but the technology is mainly used by adults. As the building the nursery is in used to be a seaside museum a few of the aspects still remain one of these being a cinema room, where there is a big screen that is linked to a projected which is then linked up with a laptop. On here the children can watch videos on YouTube such as nursery rhymes or educational videos to help with their learning. For example the researcher has doing a topic about bigger and smaller and the children was not fully understand the difference so the researcher found a video on YouTube to explain it better after the children have watched this the now understood better what the researcher was talking about. Other activities that they doing with the screen include dough disco, yoga and songs that have dance moves to them so they can copy them.
The researcher believes that technology such be used freely and be widely available and accessible to children as in previous setting children have been allowed to use tablets or have time on a laptop for a short amount of time. But the children were more interested in these devices then the other toys in the setting so they would be arguments over whose turn it was.  But in turn this means that the are losing out on valuable learning time through hands on activities or outdoor play. However the researcher feels like there does need to be a level of technology available to children to learn and develop an understanding of how it works.

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Integrating Technology into a Preschool Classroom

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Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

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Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates.

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There have been ideologies that influence how academics understand the learning experience since there have been academics striving to teach pupils. These learning philosophies represent our viewpoints on the theory of science and how people develop. Learning theories have been the subject of debate for generations, and even today, scientists, psychologists, and educators have differing perspectives on learning. Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, constructionism, and connectivism are some of the primary learning theories that drive modern discussions about technology integration. Since there have been educators attempting to adequately educate, there have been conceptions that regulate how teachers perceive the learning environment. These pedagogies embody our beliefs about the structure of information and how an individual comprehends. Some of the key learning theories that drive modern debates about incorporating digital technology are behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism and connectivism.

In behaviourism, education is viewed as a response to a stimulus. Humans and other animals have been taught to react to certain signals in specific ways, for as drooling when the dinner bell sounds (Skinner) or reciting a memorised line to receive a reward. Teaching and learning, then, is a method of improving individuals' ability to respond appropriately to stimuli, and technology can help with this instruction by providing educational motivation, such as games or other rewards, or by providing appropriate mitigation to effectively establish stimulus-response conditioning, such as drill-and-kill practises. Positive and negative reinforcement have a correlation between behaviourism, instructional methodologies, and technological technologies. According to Berkeley Graduate Division (2017), "the transmission of information from teacher to student is fundamentally the transmission of the proper reaction to a certain stimuli" from a behaviourist perspective (Berkeley Graduate Division, 2017). Constant repetition of material, little incremental tasks, and ongoing reinforcement make up an effective reinforcement plan (Berkeley Graduate Division, 2017).

This concept combines behaviourist theory with efficient teaching methods. Students' learning is supported by strategies and technology tools that prepare them for their next learning experience (Flippen, n.d.). Technology has changed to support student learning throughout the twenty-first century. Dr. Michael Orey addresses the usage of technology and how it connects to behaviourism tactics after listening to him (Flippen, n.d.). Students could, for example, take part in an online lesson that provides small chunks of material followed by a guided question (behaviour), quick feedback, and ongoing reinforcement (Flippen, n.d.). By representing content and reinforcing it, this type of technology is linked to behaviourist theory. Direct instruction, lecture, behavioural target as classroom management, behavioural reward system, positive reinforcement, and individualised instruction, among other conceptions, were all developed as a result of behaviourism as an educational learning theory (Flippen, n.d.).

The website BrainPop is an example of behaviourism in a purer sense in Educational Technology. This educational website features films that explain a range of educational topics and are immediately followed by a brief quiz, which allows students to assess their own understanding of the video and content material based on the results (Flippen, n.d.). The results are displayed shortly after completion and provide brief explanations to assist students in understanding. Following the reinforcement of higher scores, students will be more willing to put up greater effort (and thus, positive results) (Flippen, n.d.). The key is immediate feedback and grades, which can serve as a source of praise or criticism, both of which are important variables in student achievement (Flippen, n.d.)

.By viewing humans as thinking machines rather than animals to be educated, cognitivism for teaching and learning focuses on assisting people in developing successful education and learning approaches that would enable their brains to make substantial application of supplied knowledge (Flippen, n.d.). In this light, technology can assist the mind in storing and recalling information by providing informational and research tools such as mnemonic devices or a variety of modalities (Flippen, n.d.). The cognitive approach is overly mechanical; it compares humans and computers by comparing their processes (Flippen, n.d.). This is a flaw because humans are more complex than computers; emotions, for example, can influence a human's output (Flippen, n.d.)

Asking questions to help students develop their thinking and realise where they may be mistaken is the ideal way for a teacher to approach practising cognitivism in the classroom. You want to approach themes that they may believe they already know about and give a new angle that will cause them to reconsider something (Flippen, n.d.). Alternatively, before challenging current beliefs (schema) and creating learning toward enlargement or modification of those conceptual frameworks, you should draw on additional info for wholly innovative subjects (Flippen, n.d.). Online games and reinforcement activities, such as sorting games, puzzles, and flashcards, are outstanding instances of Cognitivism in educational technology. These games frequently offer past knowledge schema in a novel way, resulting in imbalance and the need to adjust and learn new concepts in order to progress (Flippen, n.d.)

According to constructivism, students generate their own learning based on their prior situations, dispositions, and opinions. This means that, in order for education to take place, new learning experiences must consider these human factors and facilitate the individual in assimilating new information into their prior conceptual structures (Flippen n.d). By rooting complicated conceptions and statistics in human experiences and cultures, as well as allowing individual learners' educational surroundings to be altered, technology can enhance the constructivist learning process (Flippen, n.d.). Technology can help students and teachers design and construct external models that represent internal mind models using resources and opportunities not available in the real world (Flippen, n.d.). Students can, for example, use a simulation to build any structure or machine without the use of expensive materials, or they can use a simulation to learn about supply and demand economic principles by creating a simulated community that allows them to influence supply chains in ways that would not be possible in the real world (Flippen, n.d.).

Because learners are now consistently affiliated to information publications and other resources through their electronic devices, such as smartphones or laptops, connectivism claims that the method and aspirations of learning in a digitally transformed and connected world differ from learning in a predigital world (Kimmons 2018). Learning does not have to be limited to the mind, according to the connectivist perspective, but becoming a knowledgeable and capable citizen in a digital society necessitates learners becoming tied to one another in such a way that they can use the infrastructure as an augmentation of their own mind and body (Kimmons 2018). Thus, the purpose of education, from a connectivist perspective, is to more fully and efficiently connect learners with one another and with information resources in a durable manner, so that learners can continue to use the network to solve problems (Kimmons 2018).. Technology, in this view, can be utilised to improve learning experiences by more fully linking students with one another and with information resources in a consistent manner (Kimmons 2018). Critics like Verhagen, who wrote Connectivism: A New Learning Theory? in his paper. Connectivism, rather than being a learning theory, is argued to be a pedagogical technique. Connectivism is still being defined if a Connectivist learning network is decentralised and learners choose their own learning route. As a result, the idea can appear hazy, and it's unclear how instructors who construct education around it would handle the existing standardised testing system's content-specific criteria (Kimmons 2018).

Even with these conflicting theories, some people argued that learning experiences and processes in the real world were not properly represented, which is especially true given that we live in a culture that is heavily networked and connected through electronic and social media. All traditional views of learning had deposited understanding and learning squarely in the student's mind or body, but modern technologies, in particular, have led us to wonder if all memory, information processing, and other aspects of learning that have traditionally been ascribed to the mind could not also be dispersed through external devices.

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Arnott, L., (2017). Digital technologies and learning in the early years. 1st ed. London: Sage.

Bergan, D. (2008) New technologies in early childhood: partners in play? In O.N. Saracho and B. Spodek (eds) Contempary Perspectives On science and technology in early childhood education. Charlotte, NJ: Information Age Publishing.

Bers, M.U and Horn M.S. (2010) Tangible programining in early childhood. In: I.R. Berson, and M.J Berson (eds). High Tec Tots: Childhood in a digital world. Charlotte, N.J:Information age publishing.

Burnett, C. (2010). Technology and literacy in early childhood educational settings: A review of research. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10(3),

Caldwell, H., (2021). Technology in the Early Years Foundation Stage? – TPEA. [online] Tpea.ac.uk. Available at: https://tpea.ac.uk/technology-in-the-early-year-foundation-stage/  [Accessed 15 May 2022].

Christensen, D., (2019). The history of the emergence of technology in education. [Blog] A brief history of technology in the classroom, Available at: https://www.classcraft.com/blog/the-history-of-the-emergence-of-technology-in-education/  [Accessed 15 May 2022].

Flewitt, R., Messer, D., & Kucirkova, N. (2015). New directions for early literacy in a digital age: The iPad. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 15(3

Haugland, S.W. (1992) The effect of computer software on pre school childrens developmental gains. Journal of computering in childhood education 3(1)

Marsh J, Brooks G, Hughes J, et al. (2005) Digital Beginnings: Young Children’s Use of Popular Culture,Media and New Technologies. Sheffield: University of Sheffield. Available at: www.dgitalbeginnings.shef.ac.uk (Accessed 15 May 2022)

Neumann, M.M and Neumann, D.L (2014) Touch screen tablets and emergent literacy. Early Childhood Education Journal 42(4)

Palaiologou, I. (2016) Children under five and digital technologies: Implications for early years pedogogy. European early childhood educational research journal 24(1)

Palaiologou, I. (2016) teachers dispositions towards the role of digital devices in play-based pedagogy in early childhood education. Early years 36(3)

Palmer, S. (2015) Toxic childhood: How the moden world is damaging our children and what we can do about it. London: Orion

Plowman L, Stephen C., McPake, J. (2010). Growing Up with Technology: Young children learning in a digital world. London: Routledge

Plowman, L (2004) hey hey hey it time to play: Exploring and napping childrens interactions with smart toys. In: J. Goldstein, D. Buckingham and G. Brougere (eds) Toys, games and media. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

Plowman, L., McPake, J. and Stephen, C., (2012). Extending opportunities for learning: The role of digital media in early education.

Pound, L., (2006). How Children Learn. London: Practical Pre-School Books Abingdon: Routledge

Saracho, O.N. and Spodek, B. (2008) Contemporary Perspectivies on Science and Technology in Early Childhood Education. Charlotte, NJ: IAP-Information Age Publishing.

Siraj-Blatchford, I and Siraj-Blatchford, J (2006) A Guide to Developing ICT Curriculum for Early Childhood Education. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books Ltd.

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Constructivist learning theory operates based on the principle that students build knowledge based upon prior knowledge. Constructivism theory states that there is no knowledge independent of the knower, only the knowledge that they create for themselves based on the information that they obtain from the world around them. Instead of having a finite answer, constructivism teaches that the learner creates the answer as they see it.

Since students begin with existing knowledge as the starting point, teachers are less like dispensers of information and more like learning guides that allow students to make their own conclusions. This method of teaching tends to be more tolerant of different cultures and encourages diversity rather than other theories.
In Practice:
Constructivism avoids direct instruction. Instead, the teacher guides students in discovering knowledge on their own. In constructivism,

students are actively involved, rather than passively absorbing information;

the learning environment is democratic, the teacher is not seen as an authority figure as much as a learning guide;

the activities are interactive and student-centered instead of being lesson-centered;

a teacher facilitates activities in which students are responsible for their own learning and are autonomous from one another.

Roles of the Teacher
According to David Jonassen, Distinguished Professor of Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri, there are three roles for teachers who use the constructivist learning theory in their class.

Modeling

Coaching

Scaffolding-to provide sufficient support to promote learning when new concepts are introduced.

Constructivist learning environments, according to Jonassen, should have specific learning goals, where teachers make activities interesting and engaging, but not overly structured. Examples of how teachers could approach learning goals would be having the students answer a specific, open-ended question or a broad issue, examine a case study, undertake a long-term project or examine a problem with multiple projects or cases integrated together.

Benefits

Constructivist teaching places more emphasis on sensory input, something that has long been overlooked by many traditional educators. In the days of old, students were expected to sit through lectures, take notes and take tests. While some of that still occurs in classrooms, more and more educators are learning that students need to be fully involved in the learning process, using all of their senses, not just their eyes and ears. Learners aren't just passive participants in the classroom; they need to be actively involved in "the bigger picture" of the world around them.

The constructivist teaching method has been used in special education settings for some time. It is quite effective for those students who have special needs like sensory processing disorder or those on the Autistic spectrum. Some of these students have brilliant minds, but simply can't be reached through traditional methods. Rather than simply doling out information, a teacher is more of a guide for a learning journey and actively participates in the learning process with the students as well as encouraging them to challenge ideas.

Problems with Contructivism

The biggest disadvantage is its lack of structure. Some students require highly structured environments in order to be able to excel.

Constructivism calls for the teacher to discard standardized curriculum in favor or a more personalized course of study based on what the student already knows. This could lead some students to fall behind of others.

It also removes grading in the traditional way and instead places more value on students evaluating their own progress, which may lead to students falling behind but without standardized grading and evaluations teachers may not know that the student is struggling. Since there is no evaluation in the traditional sense, the student may not be creating knowledge as the theory asserts, but just be copying what other students are doing.

Another disadvantage is that it can actually lead students to be confused and frustrated because they may not have the ability to form relationships and abstracts between the knowledge they already have and the knowledge they are learning for themselves.

Constructivism can have its place in the learning system, but as an absolute learning system it has some flaws. Students may benefit with some constructivism principles integrated into the classroom setting, however, most students need more structure and evaluation to succeed.

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The Pros and Cons of Constructivist Learning Theory

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There are pros and cons to everything and constructivist learning theory is no exception. Constructivist learning theory places the student at the center of the learning experience with teacher's acting as learning guides. There are some benefits from this teaching method you may want to employ in your classroom, however, there are significant disadvantages as well.

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Zimmerman, F.J., Christakis, D.A. and Meltzoff, A.N., 2007. Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. The Journal of pediatrics, 151(4)

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Technology is a tool that can help children learn new things and expand their knowledge. Computers can be used in beneficial ways for children, or they can be misinterpreted, just like blocks or any other material. And, just as pencils do not replace crayons but rather provide additional ways to express oneself, computers, cameras, and other forms of technology do not replace other resources but rather expand the range of resources available to youngsters to seek, produce, and interact. When used correctly by qualified teachers, technology may enhance educational opportunities for students by supporting and extending learning. Finding the right balance between the aspects of a healthy upbringing and the unique possibilities of technology is the key. Preschool teachers provide a wealth of experience working with children, as well as an understanding of the constraints imposed by curriculum frameworks and the flow of life in kindergartens. They must also master a variety of skills and be aware of the value of preschool technology experiences in eventual school growth. They must also be flexible learners. Early on, the topic of technology can be divisive. Children are now born into a digital environment and are steeped in technology from the moment they are born. Children are becoming digital gurus at an early age because of mobile phones, apps, video sharing sites, television, and video calling. Because of their household exposure to technology, many children enter early childhood settings as confident users. As practitioners, we must acknowledge these skills and abilities as a natural component of a child's early development. However, we must keep in mind that not all children have had the same level of exposure to technology. Technology resources and equipment can be used to assist play and development. Children can be exposed to rich learning opportunities when they are surrounded by competent, confident people who can help them explore, discover, and understand concepts like shape, colour, size, and number. Children develop abilities that they can subsequently transfer to use resources independently through continual provision and modelling to others through these encounters with an adult. Children learn to serve and return conversation through these reciprocal connections, which is crucial for their growth.

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The researcher would like to implement the use of digital scales into the nursery that they work at, the children are interested in the wooden set that is in the maths area that these use different size blocks to weight each side so that they balance, so that one side is higher then the other. The researcher thinks that the children would really enjoy the idea of having an digital set of scales within the nursery for them to play with and use for different activities. For example, baking and seeing the numbers or dial go up and down and the scales, as this is also going to introduce maths and literacy at the same time as the technology aspect.

Practitioners should direct children's attention to the technology that is employed in the world around them, from mobile phones to pedestrian crossings, as they are developing their awareness of these technologies. Practitioners should also serve as positive role models for children by demonstrating how adults utilise technology for their own reasons and discussing the value they place on it with them. Children will witness technology used for actual purposes in this way, and they will learn that technologies are tools to be used when they are needed, not just for the sake of using them. They will acquire a favourable attitude toward technology and a desire to employ it in the present and future.

Young children are naturally intrigued about measurement, but they must first grasp the fundamental ideas before using them to achieve predictable results. Children show a strong interest in measuring from an early age. In role play, they frequently use equipment like tape measures, scales, and timers without fully understanding their purpose. Early childhood educators must expand on this early awareness during the Foundation Stage to help children comprehend the main measures they will learn about in school and use later in life, including weight (or mass), length, volume and capacity, and time.

It is important for youngsters to understand how technology works. Whether it's operating a light box, turning a CD player control, or studying a torch. It might be utilising magnification glasses or understanding how to turn light switches on and off. We can fall into the trap of believing that we need computers, iPads, and digital tables to complete a task on the curriculum. Scales are a fantastic piece of technology for determining the weight of an object. As the item is inserted into the bowl, the dial changes. To identify the weight, see the bowl lower and the dial swing. Technology is about funding how things operate, as well as cause and effect. This is also a good one for arithmetic concepts like weight, form, and measure. Number recognition and counting.

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Pedagogy and theories of learning that underpin

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Pedagogy and theories of learning that underpin

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Learning with and through digital technology brings up a world of creative possibilities. Realizing the goal demonstrates that creativity is about much more than the expressive arts; it is also about the ability to wonder about things and see or apply them in new ways, which is an important aspect of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). Steiner schools teach technology to children when they approach early adolescence, believing that children who learn technology later in life are more mature and proficient than those who study it earlier in their schooling. "Toys" encourage an anti-'slow-learning' ideology of instantaneity, actively campaigning against real-world educational interactions that are essential for young children as part of their neurodevelopment comprehension of the physicality and causation sequences that make up real-world experience," says Dr. Richard House of the Critical Institute, a chartered psychologist and childhood campaigner.

Children are increasingly immersed in contexts where digital technology provide new learning and development opportunities (McKenney and Voogt, 2010). We've learned a lot about children's experiences (Sackes et al., 2011) and teacher views (Hinostroza et al., 2013) in regards to innovative techniques for facilitating children's engagement with digital devices (Wohlwnd, 2015). This growing collection of research provides a foundation for understanding how teachers and children use digital devices. However, little is known about the type of pedagogy required to support children's early years play and learning with digital devices. Using a cultural-historical understanding of research (Vygotsky, 1997).

Connectivism is a relatively recent learning theory that proposes that students link their ideas, theories, and general knowledge in a productive way (Western Governors University 2021).It recognises that technology is an important element of the learning process and that our constant connectivity allows us to make decisions about our education. It also encourages group cooperation and discussion, allowing for multiple perspectives and viewpoints when making decisions, solving problems, and making sense of data (Western Governors University 2021). Connectivism encourages learning outside of the classroom, such as through social media, online networks, blogs, and information databases. George Siemens and Stephen Downes, two thinkers, originally presented connectivism in 2005. In 2004, Siemens published Connectivism: Learning as Network Creation online, and Downes published An Introduction to Connective Knowledge the following year (Western Governors University 2021). The papers discuss how technology plays a significant role in the learning process and how the digital age has accelerated students' access to information. Siemens and Downes have continued to write and lecture on the subject since then. Each, however, has slightly different perspectives (Western Governors University 2021). Downes focuses on non-human appliances and machine-based learning, whereas Siemens focuses on the social components of connectivism (Western Governors University 2021). Learning, according to connectivism, is more than our own internal knowledge production. Rather, we can learn from what we can access through our external networks. Two terms nodes and links have become widely used to describe how humans acquire and connect information in a network based on this principle. Students are viewed as nodes in a network under connectivism (Western Governors University 2021). Any object that can be connected to another object, such as a book, webpage, or person, is referred to as a node. Connectivism is founded on the idea that humans learn by making connections, or links, between various nodes of information, and that we continue to build and maintain these connections in order to form knowledge (Western Governors University 2021).
With its revolutionary methods of generating images of how our brains function, neuroscience is now giving a new source of insight into human behaviour. These approaches and visuals are essential tools for understanding ourselves and our interactions with technology, but they can also be a cause of public misunderstanding. For example, headlines claiming that the internet is rewiring our brains may appear worrisome, implying that the internet is altering the connectivity of our otherwise hard-wired brains. However, according to neuroscience, even the adult brain has some plasticity, meaning that a wide range of daily experiences can alter its connectivity, function, and even structure. Any encounter that leaves a memory must have altered our brain since memories must have a biological substrate. As a result, observable alterations in the brain may not necessarily suggest permanent effects. Instead, they serve as a source of evidence to be used in conjunction with psychological and behavioural data to answer specific issues. When all of these kinds of information 'align,' we can be more confident in the conclusions and recommendations that they individually and collectively contribute to.

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How does it support development and well being 

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How does it support development and well being 

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Scales and weighing items provide a plethora of chances for young children to learn abilities connected to Understanding the World. To get kids interested in scales, find out what they already know about them. Have they seen any scales before, What are the functions of scales, Have they weighed anything before, Bring in a variety of scales to demonstrate to the kids, including bathroom scales, kitchen digital scales, kitchen spring scales, and a pan balance. Inquire about which scales are best for weighing various objects, such as a person, comparing the weight of two pebbles, or weighing wheat for baking a cake. Before using scales, have children examine the weights of various objects by carrying them in their hands. 'Moon rocks' are needed (assorted objects covered with silver foil). Request that the children sort them by size. Which do they believe will be the most or least heavy? As a catalyst for active learning, provide new vocabulary. Use phrases like weigh, measure, scales, enough, more, less, too much, too many, too few, the same as, nearly, just over, just under, close to while communicating with children. Ask open-ended questions to direct children's thinking and maintain their concentration. These kind of questions will inspire students to compare and contrast objects. Allow students to make decisions by selecting the appropriate scales for the task at hand. It is critical that youngsters have the opportunity to experiment with scales and springs for themselves. This allows children to understand the equipment and draw connections between cause and effect. Children can solve problems and make connections through free play, such as at a supermarket role play area or by playing with springs and spring balances. Observe their progress so that you may create opportunity for them to expand on their interests. All of the experiments, craft ideas, and role play recommendations need children to communicate with one another, negotiate, and share understanding, particularly with regard to comprehending 'how' and 'why' inquiries and developing subject vocabulary. Following and reading recipes with an adult reinforces and introduces toddlers to the language of instructions. As youngsters read numbers, compare, and organise objects for a purpose, weighing objects brings mathematics to life. Weighing gives kids a visual grasp of math, which helps them create a strong basis for later math ideas.

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The role of technology in early childhood education, from birth to age eight, is debatable. Parents and educators are worried about the potential benefits and harms to young children. Technology in schools, according to critics, wastes time, money, and childhood itself by speeding up the pace and reducing crucial learning processes (Cordes & Miller, 2000; Healy, 1998). Supporters argue that youngsters should have access to the advantages that contemporary technology may provide. Considered observers are concerned that, while exciting and possibly important things are happening with children and computers, we may not be using these tools to their full potential or achieving the results we hope (Healy, 1998; Kleiman, 2000). The researcher did not get to implement this into the setting but because of how much the children like the wooden set they think that the children will get much more enjoyment out

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