Digital technology resources

Provide not just games, animations, videos etc. where children are consumers of technology, but also technology that encourages children to become authors and creators. Examples might include:

• audio and visual recording devices that children can use to record and reflect on their activities
• drawing software
• design software that enables children to create a design that can then be physically constructed off-screen
• programming toys that children can program to move from one point to another.

Remember that children should not be able to access the internet unsupervised. You can find more guidance about eSafety. Also, the use of digital tools in your setting should be carefully managed to ensure that there is a clear focus on teaching and learning. The use of any device should always aim to support the outcomes of the Cambridge Early Years Curriculum learning statements. Digital tools should not be used just because they are something that children enjoy or because the devices help to keep them occupied. A valuable lesson for all children is that digital devices should always be used in moderation.

As well as not exposing children to too much screen time, particularly to the detriment of other equally valuable play-based activities, anything that involves additional pressure or difficulty for practitioners should be avoided. This includes digital tasks that will involve extra training or that will create a distraction away from delivering the core aims of the programme.

Digital tools and activities that do allow practitioners and children to work in new, innovative and clear added-value ways are encouraged as these will support the digital literacy and technological competency attributes of the child. In so doing, you will be preparing the children to use the types of tool that are likely to play an important role in their later lives.

Types of digital technology

You should carefully plan for the types of activity that digital devices will be used for in your setting. For example, if you plan to listen to music, would it be equally effective to use a non-digital device which has a speaker attached? This will reduce the risk of children becoming distracted by the device when concentrating on the music. 

Digital technology that can be a useful tool will include that which enables children to be authors as well as consumers. This will include opportunities for them to use age appropriate:

• artistic software and technology that enables them to access existing works of art
• audio and visual recording devices that children can use to record their activities and to inform their reflections on an activity 
• technology that supports collaboration
• programming software which children can use to move an object from one point to another
• game software that supports the children in their achievement of curriculum learning statements, such as those that encourage them to count or to develop problem-solving skills.

Evaluating the role of technology in Early Years

Practitioners should feel empowered to consider the value of technology and to reflect on what a child’s experience with that technology should be during Early Years. This includes moderating the usage time and ensuring that this time is appropriate for each individual child. It may be helpful to speak to parents and carers to gather information about device use at home so that you can understand:

• the likely proficiency of each child with regard to related motor skills and recognition of common icons and navigation tools
• the risks that a child may be taking, which may increase once their use becomes more sophisticated
• whether the child understands that device use is a privilege and that devices need to be treated with physical care.

As a practitioner, you should also consider how digital technology can be integrated into play, problem solving, creativity, reflection and drama. This could be through using devices and software that children can use in creative ways, as part of role play or when they are recording their own experiences.

  

The most successful teaching and learning takes place where technology is used as a tool to support and enhance play and learning opportunities; it should never replace interaction with peers and adults.