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Embracing Technology as a Permanent Shift in The Future of Learning
Sintija Jākobsone, Preschool Teacher at “CreaKids”
Compared to children who grew up several decades ago, today’s children grow, learn, and develop in a technological environment. This means they not only are accustomed to using digital tools but also adapt to the digital world from an early age. Their skills and knowledge not only reflect their everyday lives but also provide the opportunity to take on the role of leaders of the digital generation. By helping children understand how to use technology meaningfully and safely, we can help them develop digital competencies and become competitive.
Technology Can Foster the Development of Personal Potential
Despite the omnipresence of technology in all areas of our lives, many still view it cautiously, perceiving it as a threat. However, technology is here to stay; the only thing we can influence is how meaningfully we can use it. A decade ago, children needed school lessons to learn how to use smart devices. Now, they learn it independently, often well before starting school. Children can easily adapt to new technologies and quickly acquire new skills. They are active and creative in the digital environment, able to create, share, and innovate. What we can help them learn is how to use digital tools meaningfully, adding value to their activities.
In the future, these skills will be useful not only in personal but also professional life. Thus, by preventing children from using digital tools, we essentially hinder their potential. Teaching them to use digital tools meaningfully can foster creativity and other competencies. In preschools, schools, and other educational stages, it is important to recognize the potential of this generation and create an appropriate learning process. Today’s children will have much to offer others in the future – both their peers and other generations, as they have experienced the presence of technology from an early age.
Harnessing Technology: Enhancing the Learning Experience
How to create a learning process that is both effective and interesting? This question is relevant to both educators and parents, especially in today’s digital world where the presence of technology is inevitable. Can digital technologies become a part of the daily learning process, making it both exciting and diverse? In fact, this has already happened. The key is to integrate technology into the learning process, combining it with various other activities. Educators, as professionals, can choose appropriate digital learning materials to include and use in the learning process. The main thing is that the tasks are purposeful and thoughtfully designed to develop and enhance preschool skills.
This does not mean simply giving a child a tablet and hoping they will learn something. How is technology practically used in the preschool curriculum? For example, when learning about Australia, we connected via video call with a family living there, giving children a real sense of life on a distant continent and showing how technology can help communicate and make friends regardless of location. The family we connected with remotely shared about life in Australia and showed their surroundings. What an experience it was for the children! Even the adults felt like they had taken a small trip.
During the learning process, we often play a YouTube video, which has many valuable and educational materials. We also learn to scan and use QR codes, a skill useful in everyday adult life. For example, the day’s leader in the group has the opportunity to scan a QR code and play their chosen song, which is then used for a movement activity. QR codes are encountered in many places – public transport, cafes, during travels, etc. – if children learn to use this tool in preschool and know how to handle it, they will feel much more confident when traveling or visiting a cafe with their parents. Another digital tool we successfully incorporate into the preschool learning process is the website www.bouncyballs.org, where balls bounce according to the surrounding noise level. This allows children to visually and interestingly see when they are being too loud and learn that there are places and situations where it is not appropriate to be noisy, or conversely – sometimes it is okay to be loud, laugh, and sing.
Digital Bees – Learning Through Play
In preschool, the best way to acquire new skills and knowledge is through play. Therefore, in the daily routine at “CreaKids,” we have introduced another educational tool – digital bees. These small, friendly robots have become an integral part of the daily learning tools. Digital bees not only provide children with an exciting and interactive experience but also develop many important skills and competencies. Children are required to complete various tasks where they program the digital bees to move along a specific path on the floor. This activity not only develops their logical thinking and problem-solving skills but also promotes collaboration and teamwork, as tasks are completed in groups. Working with the bees, children learn both reading and counting, as well as directions such as “right” and “left.” This learning format brings great joy and interest, and helps better retain new information.
There are fewer and fewer preschools that still only use chalk and a blackboard. Various digital solutions are actively entering all stages of education. Technology is an integral part of our daily lives, and in the learning process, it can be used as an aid to make it both effective and interesting. By integrating technology into the learning process, we not only promote children’s growth and development but also ensure they can fully utilize the potential offered by the digital world.