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British Association for Early Childhood Education
Editorial and Contents of Spring 2010 Journal
Editorial
Welcome to this spring edition, with its theme of technology. It seems many
years now since we first started to consider the role of ICT in early years
and now, for many people, it is an integral part of their practice and their
environment. Early Education has always been at the forefront of this work,
prompting a real debate about how best to use technology in all its guises
to support young children. Their partnership with IBM has seen many
computers go out into settings as part of the KidSmart initiative – and I
for one have seen what a wonderful catalyst this programme can be for
encouraging staff, parents and children to develop their use of ICT. It is
great that Early Education continues to prompt such discussion with this
collection of articles.
There are so many areas to consider when using ICT with young children and I
can’t stress enough how important it is that staff are trained in e-safety
and that there is sufficient regard for security and safe practice. Within
this context, however, we can see how enriching the use of ICT can be to
facilitate the learning process.
As Sue Harris reminds us, ICT is a wonderful way to support inclusion –
making a previously limited area a rich and attractive resource for
children, parents and staff through their sensory room project. So often we
see how ICT can enrich the environment and provide a new dimension to early
years practice, as is also evident in the ICT Early Years Project described
by Ileana Shirley-Smith. Building the use of ICT into provision is not about
just providing the resources that make up children’s everyday world. It is
also about how we use it to develop their knowledge, skills and
understanding, so beautifully described in the example about building a
model village and using technology to represent a map and understand the
principles of town planning.
Making the most of technology through a website to share with parents
highlights an excellent example of ICT as an enabler. Glen Hughes describes
how their Children’s Centre went about this, recognising that this is a
valuable bridge between home, school and the community – particularly for
those parents who lead busy lives and yet still want to feel involved in the
setting.
The work of Homerton Children’s Centre has shown how effectively ICT can
complement and extend more traditional ways of learning – and it is
certainly worth a visit to see ICT in action. Harriet Price, who works as an
ICT consultant at the Children’s Centre, shows us how important it is to
fully integrate the technology. Her website is well worth a visit.
John Siraj-Blatchford articulates the value of properly evaluating the
benefits of software for supporting children’s learning and the crucial role
that practitioners can play. I have already downloaded the Duck Builder
simulation game – I just need to find some children to play with me!
It is really encouraging to see that ICT is now such a commonplace item of
equipment in many settings (although not all) and I welcome the continued
debate about the place of technology. Alex Morgan shows us how important ICT
is in role play, and Helen Huleatt from Community Playthings rightly points
out that technology embraces a wide range of equipment and experiences that
have real value in children’s lives. We mustn’t forget this – and the common
feature of all these articles is their stress on the importance of ensuring
we continue to reflect on the use of technology and ensure it benefits
children as an integral part of the provision.
Ruth Pimentel, Business Development Executive, Serco Education &
Children’s Services
Features
A sense of inclusion - Sue Harris
Integrating electronic technologies into early years practice - Ileana
Shirley-Smith
Creating a Children’s Centre website - Glen Hughes
Creative use of ICT in the early years - Harriet Price
Adults and children playfully learning together with ICT - John
Siraj-Blatchford
Role play and ICT - Alex Morgan
Everyday technology - Helen Huleatt
Regulars
Editorial Ruth Pimentel
Diary dates
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