STEAM Conference, by Dr. Dale McManis

1. Roadmap to a Successful
Educational Technology Program:
Why Start with Early Learners?
Let’s Apply!
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math:
Full STEAM Ahead! Conference
September 2012
Lilla Dale McManis, PhD

2. If you don’t
know where
you’re
going, any
road will get
you there.
----Lewis
Carroll

3. Tips & Strategies
To Bring Together the Four Big Ideas
1) Research Findings
2) Program Philosophy
3) Best Practices
4) Local Evaluation

4. How do I find reputable research?
How a Research Study is Born and Evolves to Fruition

5. Attend to Conclusions & Discussion
• A good study will support generalization
so that the findings can be applied beyond
just the sample.
• Limitations of the study should be mentioned.
• The discussion and conclusions should be consistent
with the study’s results.
• It’s a red flag when the results that are not in keeping
with the researcher’s expectations are ignored or
dismissed out of hand.

6. Check out the Author(s) & Sources
• Knowing who carried out the research and
where it is published are indicators of quality.
Look for:
– Peer-reviewed journals
– Books
– Reputable Organizations
• When the study was conducted is also important. An
accepted rule of thumb is to stick with the last 10 years
unless it’s a groundbreaking work that is still relevant
/sets the stage.

7. A less than reputable source…

8. A reputable source….

9. Tips for Searching for Research
• Literature Reviews & Meta Analyses = one stop shopping
• Google Scholar = published work
• Include search terms such as:
– Journal articles
– Research studies
– Peer-reviewed articles
– Published articles/studies
• Remember to observe on your journey:
“I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired
by looking up something and finding something else on the
way.” Franklin P. Adams, US journalist (1881 - 1960)

10. How do I stay true to
my program’s philosophy?
• Start with the mission statement and really think and
talk about it w/colleagues.
• How does it or can it include technology
or other elements of STEM?
• If it’s great, celebrate and work to implement.
• If not, be brave and speak up….
• AND volunteer to be on an improvement committee
Let’s look at some examples….

11. Lots of words, but where’s the child?
The [ABC] University Campus Child Center is a
necessary service offered within the Student Life
division. Therefore, the mission of the Center
concurs with the mission of Student Life, which is to
contribute to an institutional climate conducive to
student development. It also provides equal
educational opportunity for all persons. The mission
of the Campus Child Center is to serve the needs of
the University community, which includes
students, staff, faculty, alumni, and their children
of diverse backgrounds.

12. Not much to go on…
We are an international leader in child education and
family solutions, which impact and inspire lifelong
learning.

13. Here you can see the child represented…
focus is on ‘achievement’
Our mission is to support our students in reaching
their highest developmental, social and academic
potential. We will create and maintain a
developmentally appropriate environment for
learning while empowering families to participate in
and enhance their children’s education. By
monitoring their progress, we will make data driven
decisions that aid in each student’s achievements
and provide comprehensive supports.

14. Lots about the child…
focus is on social-emotional
The mission of the [ABC] Early Childhood Education
Program is to provide a safe, child-centered […]
environment where each child will explore their
world through discovery of self, community and the
environment. They will develop trusting and
respectful relationships with their peers and teachers
as they learn through play in a nurturing
atmosphere. Each child will be encouraged to create
their own experiences at an individual
developmental level through self-directed and
teacher-facilitated activities and interactions.

15. None mention technology…
• Competency w/ or learning w/Technology
• Digital citizenship
• 21st Century learning

16. Key Principles of 21st C Learning…
• Learning is active vs. passive
• Outcome-based vs. time-based
• What children know, can do vs.
memorization of disjointed facts
• Student-centered vs. teacher-centered
• Integrated interdisciplinary curriculum vs.
fragmented curriculum
For Activity Time Coming Up-Write an ECE program
mission statement sentence that focuses on one of
these elements

17. How do I know I’m engaging
in best practices?
• Let’s first look more
thoroughly at the
NAEYC & Fred Rogers
position statement’s
key messages….

18. When used intentionally and
appropriately, technology and interactive media
are effective tools to support learning and
development.
• active, hands-on, engaging, and empowering;
• give the child control;
• provide adaptive scaffolds to help children progress in
skills development at their individual rates; and
• are used as one of many options to
support children’s learning.
• technology and interactive media should expand
children’s access to new content and new skills.

19. Intentional use requires early childhood
teachers and administrators to have
information and resources regarding the
nature of these tools and the implications of
their use with children.
• to better meet the needs of individual children;
• supporting enhanced communication
with families; and
• providing children new opportunities for
exploration and mastery.
• cost and maintenance must also be considered.

20. Limitations on the use of technology and media are
important. Special considerations must be given to
the use of technology with infants and toddlers.
• When used appropriately, and keeping screen time
recommendations in mind, technology and interactive
media have the potential to enhance, without
replacing, creative play, exploration, physical
activity, outdoor experiences, conversation, and social
interactions.
• Any uses of technology and interactive media in
programs for children younger than 2 years of age should
be limited to those that appropriately support responsive
interactions between caregivers and children
and strengthen adult-child relationships.

21. Attention to digital citizenship and equitable
access is essential.
• teachers and administrators in early childhood
programs have a responsibility to protect and
empower children by helping them learn to ask
questions and think critically about the technologies
and media they use.
• digital citizenship also means working to assure
equitable access to technology and interactive media
experiences.

22. Ongoing research and professional development
are needed.
• Ongoing research is needed to better understand how
young children use and learn with technology and
interactive media and to better understand any short-
and long-term effects.
• Teachers and administrators need to stay current
regarding the rapid changes in technology and the
implications for their use in programs.
• Preservice and professional development should
include in-depth, hands-on technology
experiences, ongoing support, and access to the latest
technology and interactive media.

23. Open, accessible, evolving resources…
• NAEYC Technology and Young Children Interest
Forum http://www.techandyoungchildren.org/
• ELE: Fred Rogers Center Early Learning Environment
http://ele.fredrogerscenter.org/
• TEC: Technology in Early Childhood Center at Erikson
Institute http://www.teccenter.erikson.edu/
• ECETech.Net http://www.ecetech.net/
• Engaging Learners Using Traditional and Innovative
Tools. Young Children • September 2010.
http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201009/ClusterRes
ources0910.pdf
• Linked In Groups: Early Childhood Technology
Network and International Society for Technology in
Education

24. How do I know
the technology
and content are
appropriate?

25. Learning Goals & Learners First…
Then….
• Educational value
• Engagement to enhance learning
• Child-friendliness
• Interactivity
• Monitoring of progress
Where to get it:
http://www.hatchearlychildhood.com/pages/evaluating-technology-for-early-learners

26. …And Check in w/the Kiddos!
• “I play games on it like for school and that like helps you. It helps my
brother do his work. My mum is opening a hair salon and it’s helping
her too.”
• “I write, play games and it has a fish on it – when I fish it I can’t
find no fish in the sea. It’s a game. Writing is easy. Fishing is hard.”
• “When I was working on that computer [she points to the school
one] I didn’t know how to work on it because I didn’t know how to
work on it. On mine I put these games in. There are colourful
pictures already there. I think and think ‘what shall I do?’ in my
mind and I get scared. I want someone to help me.”
• “Computers are clever because look at that [clicks on the screen to
start an animation sequence] the people who make it are clever –
they make so many games.”
(Hayes 2006)

27. Checking it out: Apps & Games
For Activity Time: Evaluate two provided
examples using the Toolkit…

28. Local Evaluation
• This is where the rubber meets the road!
• Research, usability studies, efficacy studies, etc. are
very important in making decisions
• But they are only part of the story.
• What matters is does the educational technology
program you have designed and implemented do
what you needed and intended it to do?

29. What you might evaluate…
• Attitudes
• Beliefs
• Behaviors
• Skills
• Children
• Teachers
• Administrators
• Parents
• Community Members

30. How to get started…
• Keep the evaluation
– Manageable
– Focused
– Measurable
– Outcomes-based
– Collaborative among the team
• Let’s look at an example around child learning…

31. 1) Get clear
• Decide on the goals/outcomes for the children
and how you will know if they have been met…
• You might use:
– rubrics
– percents
– yes/no mastery
– etc.

32. 2) Take an inventory
• Think about the technology you have to use
for taking performance-based indicators…
• Examples might be:
– computer software with progress monitoring
– digital portfolios
– on-line or computer assisted assessment
– teacher created spreadsheets
– etc.

33. 3) Be focused and systematic
• Think about the data you need and want for each
child and how you will gather it…
• For example, will you use the embedded progress
monitoring tools and information within
technology-based educational programs for the
children?
• Will you take a photo or a scan of a sample
of every child writing his/her name
when they entered your program
and then throughout the year?

34. 4) Set up a calendar
• Determine when the measurements toward learning
goals will be monitored.
• Monthly or quarterly is standard.
• However, if a child is struggling you will want to
consider doing the monitoring more often.

35. 5) Put info in easy-to-use format
• You might make a digital portfolio for each child on a
computer and have an accompanying spreadsheet
where you can indicate:
– what measures taken
– when
– the performance levels
– how instruction changed
– where the original data is/are located

36. 6) Analyze the information
• Best practice recommends establishing a level of
progress and then comparing how a child is matching
with that
• Are they performing
– above
– at or
– below expectation?

37. 7) Let data inform instruction
• Use the information to continually inform instruction.
• It will allow you to
reflect on the strengths
and needs of individual
children as well as
forming small groups
of children for focused
instruction.

38. 8) Write up & Share w/Recommendations
• Write a report with the following elements
– Background and purpose
– Methods
– Findings
– Conclusions
– Recommendations
* Remember you may have different versions for
different audiences…the way you will write for your
school/advisory board will be different than for your
parents.

39. Let’s see where we’ve come…
In integrating educational technology into your
early childhood education:
• Use relevant & reliable research to inform and guide
• Think critically & collaboratively about its fit with your
program’s philosophy
• Draw from many credible sources about DAP
(developmentally appropriate practice) w/ technology
• Know you have an active role in DAP and a responsibility
to evaluate the use of technology w/ young children
• Have fun and encourage the children to
enjoy the experience!

40. Mission Statement Sentence Activity
Write an ECE program mission statement
sentence that focuses on one of these elements
from the 21st C Learner Paradigm...
• Learning is active vs. passive
• Outcome-based vs. time-based
• What children know, can do vs.
memorization of disjointed facts
• Student-centered vs. teacher-centered
• Integrated interdisciplinary curriculum vs.
fragmented curriculum

41. App Evaluation Activity

42. App Evaluation Activity

43. Let’s Stay Connected!
• LinkedIn: Early Childhood Technology Network
• Twitter: #ecetechchat Every Weds. night @ 9 EST
• LinkedIn: Lilla Dale McManis
• Twitter @DrLDMcmanis
• Blog @ http://blog.hatchearlychildhood.com/