Preschool technology abundantly fills more classrooms ever since a desktop became a favorite household item. Preschoolers interact with technology from home to school more than parents. Anywhere from digital devices to help them start the day to parents using tools to get to school on time, preschoolers experience plenty of technology.
By the time preschoolers enter school, technology is part of everyday life for young learners. Even infants and children younger than two years old encounter some tech devices to learn. Since all this technology for young children is all around them, a plan for preschool technology is crucial for understanding how these tools help them learn.
How to Use
Preschool Technology
in Spanish Class
Developing a Preschool Technology Plan
As part of any preschool technology plan, you need to develop ways to incorporate technology effectively and safely. While computers wire preschoolers to pay attention to a screen, having a method to act when situations are not adequate is essential. One of the main aspects of setting up a technology plan in a preschool classroom is to form a technology team.
This tech team can be responsible for current updates and software upgrades. Besides having a tech team with experience in education programs, develop guidelines for Internet safety. Perhaps, your school already has block software to prevent specific sites from appearing on school computers. However, make sure to update and evaluate what type of sites are useful in the classroom.
On an everyday basis, preschool children already interact with sites that don't necessarily enhance learning. As a result, discuss with the technology team on ways to keep current with Internet safety, software, and upgrades. Once a preschool technology plan sets the guidelines for usage in your school, post easy to read instructions in your classroom. For many preschoolers, anchor charts or posters are the best options.
For instance, you can use smiley faces with one or two words indicating a sequence of how to use a computer. In most cases, schools with low budgets or few resources have to use computer labs. In those cases, use simple reminders in the classroom before going to another room for computer use.
Implementing Preschool Technology Ideas in Spanish Class
Many education experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest implementing technology as a source to supplement learning. Aside from the numerous amount of education for preschoolers software available, realize that technology cannot replace direct instruction. In that way, preschoolers learn best from human interaction with teachers and classmates.
Regardless, technology can help students learn about certain concepts otherwise difficult to understand. For example, you can use technology in the Spanish preschool class to learn about polar bears or prehistoric times of dinosaurs.
The following checklist might help you implement technology in positive ways in your Spanish preschool class:
- Use websites designed for young learners with different sections of vocabulary and printing exercises.
- Seek sites that can integrate grade levels like PBS Learning Media, BrainPop, or DiscoveryEducation.
- Find videos that are short between three to four minutes to allow for group discussion.
- For education videos, use closed captions for audiences with learning disabilities.
- In many instances, closed captions help ELL learners develop new vocabulary.
- Look for videos that use phrases or key vocabulary you use in the classroom.
- Adjust the volume of videos or interactive activities for sensitive listeners.
- If possible, use headphones at each computer station.
- Encourage preschoolers to use headphones appropriately.
- Use a color-coded keyboard with bright colors and symbols for easy to follow instructions.
- Look for keyboards with large numbers, Spanish characters, and letters to ease in selecting words and numbers.
- Find a computer mouse with ergonomic capabilities for small hands and left-handed students.
- Use the desktop mouse to learn to move from one screen to another using large, colorful arrows on the screen.
- Encourage preschoolers to sit on the chair properly and to avoid slouching or leaning on the keyboard.
- Motivate young tech users to have fun while learning.
Integration of Preschool Technology with a Curriculum
Preschool technology integration requires a well-thought-out process. Hence, explore how to use it with a bilingual curriculum. After developing a plan for technology and implementing it in the classroom, consider the possibilities with a Spanish and English curriculum. A successful bilingual curriculum cannot rely on workbooks and textbooks for teaching.
Of course, you design ways to use themes in your preschool class. However, you might also want to add technology time in lesson planning. A valuable way to incorporate preschool technology is to look for theme lessons that would require additional support for preschoolers to understand.
Ask yourself. Would a lesson in seasons, plants, or animals need the supplement of technology? Generally, science concepts are challenging to grasp for young learners. For example, the ideas of how plants grow from seeds, how trees change during seasons, or how animals grow are often difficult to comprehend. So, you can use interactive games or videos to develop that concept.
Also, consider students with learning disabilities in your integration of preschool technology. Likewise, adjust your lesson planning to accommodate students that need extra support with instructions, reading materials, and writing. By preparing earlier on, preschool technology helps you to organize your teaching materials and supplement the learning in Spanish class.
Supporting Parents with Preschool Technology At Home
Preschool technology usage does not stop at school. Probably, young learners continue to use tablets, phones, and computers at home. Consequently, talk with parents often how to effectively use technology with their preschoolers. While a checklist is an excellent way to communicate items to avoid with technology, encourage parents to limit technology at home.
Parents should avoid technology use for children younger than two years old. While older siblings set an example for younger ones, providing home guidelines is essential for using tech devices. Besides, motivate parents to spend more time with their children than screen time.
Preschoolers and infants learn more from human interactions and develop language skills when they form bonds with their family. Although there is no definitive study about the detrimental effects of technology in young children, parents should limit how much time preschoolers spend on computers. In some cases, education experts believe excessive use of technology at home produces language development delays, poor sleep habits, less social interactions, and lack of movement.
In summary, using preschool technology in the Spanish class establishes a way to educate young learners, unlike previous years. So, you often want to use computer time in your classroom to implement the latest video or interactive game. However, before deciding on the current video or game, think how the activity helps preschoolers learn more about the topic.