Nursery World - Opinion: Editor's view - ICT is moving into nursery practice in surprising ways

New technology often gets a bad press. It ends up being blamed for many of society's ills, from young children becoming obese through inactivity because they are glued to the screen, to violence incited by video games and falling literacy levels caused by the prevalence of mobile phone texting.

Indeed, educational philosophies including Steiner do not use ICT such as computers with young children. However, the potential and possibilities of ICT in the Early Years Foundation Stage are hugely exciting when used in appropriate ways. Just look at our feature on blogging ('21st century literacy', pages 14-15). The nursery children at Sharrow Primary School in Sheffield blogged about the adventures of two teddy bears that they took home in turns.

The project was brilliant at fostering oral skills as the children related their stories to be scribed to the blog, and it developed their use of digital cameras. These aspects of learning could, of course, be nurtured without any high-tech tools. Where the blog really enhanced their experiences was in sharing their project with the wider community and making it accessible to them in a way that could not be replicated by handing out newsletters at the nursery door.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included