Submitted Assignment from the year 2018 in the subject Education - Educational Tests & Measurements, University of Education (Early childhood Education), course: Contempoary issues in early childhood education, language: English, abstract: Contemporary issues are events, ideas, opinions or topics in a given subject area that are relevant to the present day. In the area of early childhood education, contemporary issues are issues that have come to light recently and are relevant to the present day. ICT is becoming a ubiquitous component of the physical and social worlds occupied by young children. It is an important part of the private and work lives of most people, including those who support young children’s learning and development, whether as parents, family members, caregivers, or early childhood educators. It is often argued in the literature that children’s early childhood education experiences should reflect and connect with their experiences in the wider world. Therefore, ICT matters in early childhood education, because it already has an effect on the people and the environments that surround young children’s learning and well-being. There is strong consensus across the literature that, it is timely for the role and potential of ICT for the early childhood education sector to be critically examined, to guide future development and decision-making in this area. Since the inception of early childhood education program in 2004, there have several subjects of concern to ensure the effectiveness of the program and since the modern world is fast-paced and dynamic, these issues keeps coming into light and as early childhood stakeholders we cannot forgo these issues without discussing its relevance and effectiveness in advancing early childhood education in Ghana.

Mark O'Hara demonstrates how ICT can be used to motivate, excite and enthuse young children in their learning, while at the same time addressing the more common concerns voiced by early years practitioners. This book provides guidance on all aspects of teaching using ICT.

Impelled by a demand for increasing American strength in the new global economy, many educators, public officials, business leaders, and parents argue that school computers and Internet access will improve academic learning and prepare students for an information-based workplace. But just how valid is this argument? In Oversold and Underused, one of the most respected voices in American education argues that when teachers are not given a say in how the technology might reshape schools, computers are merely souped-up typewriters and classrooms continue to run much as they did a generation ago. In his studies of early childhood, high school, and university classrooms in Silicon Valley, Larry Cuban found that students and teachers use the new technologies far less in the classroom than they do at home, and that teachers who use computers for instruction do so infrequently and unimaginatively. Cuban points out that historical and organizational economic contexts influence how teachers use technical innovations. Computers can be useful when teachers sufficiently understand the technology themselves, believe it will enhance learning, and have the power to shape their own curricula. But these conditions can't be met without a broader and deeper commitment to public education beyond preparing workers. More attention, Cuban says, needs to be paid to the civic and social goals of schooling, goals that make the question of how many computers are in classrooms trivial.

"This book presents the view that beliefs, history, research, and policy are essential to changing the educational system with technology"--Provided by publisher.

Information and Communication Technologies in Real-Life Learning presents the results of an International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) working conference held December 2004 in Melbourne, Australia. The working conference was organized by IFIP Working Group 3.2 (Informatics and ICT in Higher Education) and IFIP Working Group 3.4 (Professional and Vocational Education in Information Technology). The papers in this book present a cross-section of issues in real-life learning in which Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays an important role. Some of the issues covered include: education models for real-life learning enabled by ICT; effective organization of a real-life learning environment; the changing role of the student; the changing role of educational institutions and their relationship with business and industry; the changing role of teachers and their use of ICT; and managment of ICT-rich education change.

Young children are coming of age surrounded by information and communication technology (ICT). ICT is a prominent force in their lives, and working with ICT can stimulate students intellectually, incite their creativity, and challenge them to apply developmentally appropriate inquiry approaches that enhance their learning experiences. Digital technologies also allow children to expand their physical space and access many online social environments that transcend time and space. However, any focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of technology applications in the early childhood years cannot overlook the potential consequences of technological development on children with regard to their social functioning, interpersonal interactions, and global understanding. In addition to evaluating technology as a tool of instruction, we must focus on educational implications and ethical issues associated with their use. This book is the fifth in the Research in Global Child Advocacy Series. The volume examines theoretical assumptions as well as the application of innovative strategies that optimize the interface between young children and ICT from a global perspective. Despite divergent perspectives, the chapter authors share a commitment to explore the immersion of ICT into the lives of young children and consider the educational value of these tools as well as the developmental appropriateness of technological affordances. This volume brings together scholars and policymakers whose rich discourse delves into questions such as: How do communication technologies benefit young children’s social and cognitive development? What standards and technical specifications are needed to effectively safeguard young children engaged with ICT? How are young children introduced to ICT? What are the challenges and risks for young children online? What programs are effective in mediating risk? What are the educational applications for ICT in early childhood? Is social networking the new "online playground” for young children? How can young children become competent users of digital technology and media? How can early childhood educators and families encourage positive usage and discourage negative social consequences associated with today’s technology? How can ICT enhance teaching and learning for young children? What ICT activities are developmentally appropriate for young children? In the book there are three primary areas of emphasis: (a) ICT as a teaching and learning tool across cultures and countries to promote the social and cognitive development of young children; (b) research on developmentally appropriate education on cybersafety and cybercitizenship; and (c) studies on the influence of digital technologies on young children, including exposure to inappropriate content and participation in online social networks. This resource offers readers a glimpse into the experience of children and the expertise of researchers and professionals who diligently work toward crafting a framework for action that reflects intercultural and cross-national initiatives. Given the role that electronic media plays in the lives of children as both an educational and entertainment tool, understanding the physical and social contexts, as well as the developmental issues, is critical to programs aiming to optimize the full potential of digital tools that support and enhance the experiences of young children.

Over the years, educational scholars have proposed different conceptions of the curriculum. It is as if each scholar, researcher, university educator, and practitioner has developed her or his own personal definition. Unfortunately, there is no one single definition that everybody has agreed upon. Table 1 presents a sample of these definitions. A universal definition for curriculum may continue to be elusive and may even change through the years to address changes in the social forces and changes in related school goals. Nonetheless, the approach in curriculum development is consistent. Curriculum developers establish goals, develop experiences, designate content, and evaluate experiences and outcomes. Most curriculum developers consistently use such terms as curriculum planning, curriculum development, curriculum implementation, and curriculum evaluation, and many others to describe curriculum related activities. Unfortunately, without a consistent definition of curriculum, it is difficult for the curriculum developers to identify what it is that needs to be planned, developed, implemented, or evaluated. If curriculum developers rely on the curriculum experts’ definitions, they will find that their definitions identify a product, a program, determine goals and objectives, and learner experiences. However, its heterogeneity may be inspiring if curriculum developers rely on the components of each definition that depict the richness of the field, which in turn, can provide a foundation for contemporary content, concepts, and creativity. A curriculum is an anthology of learning experiences, conceived and arranged based on a program’s educational goals and the community’s social forces. Each curriculum manifests an image of what children "ought to be and become" (Biber, 1984, p. 303) grounded on the awareness of social values and a system that interprets those values into experiences for learners. The concept of curriculum, as a distinctive domain of study within education, arose from the demand to arrange, organize, and translate such awareness into educational programs of study. It integrates the historical study of the goals and content of schooling, analyses of curriculum documents, and analyses of the children’s experiences in school. The first formal curriculum text was published in 1918 (Bobbit, 1918), although in the United States contemporary curriculum study goes back to the early 1890's, when lead committees challenged the form and structure of public schooling. Presently curriculum development is fundamental at all educational levels.