1) The document discusses the importance of technology and media for young children, but emphasizes that it must be used intentionally and appropriately. 2) When choosing digital media, the content, context, and individual child's needs should be considered based on guidelines from organizations like NAEYC. 3) Relationships are very important for children's learning and development, so technology use should support interactions between children and caring adults.

1.
Technology
in
the
Early
Years:
What
do
we
know
and
why
does
it
ma0er
to
children’s
librarians?
Chip
Donohue,
PhD
Dean
of
Distance
Learning
and
Con<nuing
Educa<on
Director,
TEC
Center
Senior
Fellow,
Fred
Rogers
Center
@liBleelit
#alaac14
@chipdono
@TEC_Center

2. Follow
Fred’s
lead…
We
have
to
help
give
children
tools,
building
blocks
for
ac=ve
play.
And
the
computer
is
one
of
those
building
blocks.
No
computer
will
ever
take
the
place
of
wooden
toys
or
building
blocks.
But
that
doesn’t
mean
they
have
to
be
mutually
exclusive.
…use
tech
“with”
rather
than
“instead
of”

3. We
are
the
Jetsons…
The
need
for
media
literacy
in
2014
Media
literacy
is
about
helping
children
develop
the
life
skills
they
need
to
become
thinkers
and
makers
in
the
mul=media
environment
that
is
their
reality…
It
is
precisely
because
our
culture
surrounds
us
with
media
that
we
need
to
model
healthy
and
produc=ve
ways
to
integrate
digital
media
technologies
into
our
lives.
Faith
Rogow

4. A
joint
posi<on
statement
of
the
Na<onal
Associa<on
for
the
Educa<on
of
Young
Children
and
the
Fred
Rogers
Center
for
Early
Learning
and
Children’s
Media
at
Saint
Vincent
College
Technology
and
Interac<ve
Media
as
Tools
in
Early
Childhood
Programs
Serving
Children
from
Birth
through
Age
8

5. • Tools
• Inten<onal
• Appropriate
• Integrated
• Balanced
• Interac<ve
• Quality
content
• Joint
engagement
• Access
&
Equity
• Professional
development
• Select,
Use,
Integrate,
Evaluate
=
Librarians
as
curators
and
mentors
When
used
inten=onally
and
appropriately,
technology
and
interac=ve
media
are
effec=ve
tools
to
support
learning
and
development.

6. The
3Cs
for
choosing
digital
media
• CONTENT
How
does
this
help
children
engage,
express,
imagine,
or
explore?
• CONTEXT
How
does
it
complement,
and
not
interrupt,
children’s
natural
play?
• The
Unique
CHILD:
How
do
we
choose
the
right
tech
tools
and
experiences
for
each
child’s
needs,
abili<es,
interests
and
development
stage?

7. Rela<onships
maBer
• Young
children
learn
best
in
the
context
of
interac<ons
and
rela<onships
with
aBen<ve,
responsive,
caring
adults
• Co-­‐viewing
<
joint
engagement
with
media
–
using
media
together
leads
to
more
learning
• Media
use
in
the
context
of
the
adult/child
rela<onship
• Media
use
to
encourage
pro-­‐social
behaviors
and
encourage
social/emo<onal
development
• Technology
as
a
tool
to
strengthen
rela<onships
with
adults
and
peers

8. Context
maBers
• Children
learn
best
in
ac<ve
environments
when
they
are
engaged
in
meaningful,
interac<ve
and
social
contexts
• Providing
access
to
quality
media
requires
engaging
parents
and
children:
– at
home
– in
early
childhood
programs
and
schools
– In
informal
“third
spaces”
–
libraries,
museums,
zoos,
nature
centers,
out-­‐of-­‐school
<me
programs,
community
centers
and
more

9. Crea<ng
media
maBers
• Young
children
are
capable
of
crea<ng
their
own
messages
and
expressing
themselves
through
media
• Give
children
(and
their
adults)
control
over
what
use
and
how
they
use
it
–
open
ended
tools
for
explora<on
• Consuming
media
>
Meaning-­‐making
>
Crea<ng
media

10. Digital
media
literacy
maBers
• Altudes
• Knowledge
• Experience
• Competencies
• Leading
to
fluency
Digital
Media
Literacy
ma0ers
for
early
childhood
educators,
librarians
and
parents
who
are
media
role
models
and
mentors
for
young
children

11. The
4Ms
for
digital
age
librarians
1. Manager
2. Mediator
3. Mentor
4. Maker

12. Becoming
a
mindful
media
mentor
• Be
a
posi<ve
digital
media
role
model
and
enthusias<c
tour
guide
• Be
inten<onal
–
use
DAP
and
guidelines
to
select,
use,
integrate,
and
evaluate
technology
tools
• Emphasize
technology
tools
that
encourage
pro-­‐social
behaviors,
interac<ons,
rela<onships,
and
joint
engagement
• Follow
the
children’s
lead
–
give
them
choices
and
control
• Limit
media
<me,
plan
for
fun
offline,
connect
real
and
virtual
play
• Help
children
progress
from
media
consumers
to
creators
• Promote
digital
media
literacy
(yours
and
theirs)
Carpe
diem!
Join
the
tech
in
the
early
years
conversa=on

13. What
is
essen=al
is
invisible
to
the
eye
For
Mindful
Media
Use
…Let’s
not
get
so
fascinated
by
what
the
technology
can
do
that
we
forget
what
it
can’t
do…It’s
through
rela=onships
that
we
grow
best
and
learn
best.
Fred
Rogers