Introduction

Early childhood education is a vital stepping stone in a child’s learning journey in any subject or context. However, for this to be effective educators need to know the child well through a strong relationship that nurtures a child’s feeling of security and of being valued. Knowing this in detail helps to lay the foundations for learning as educators can use this for future planning. Assessment is also linked to future planning as the evidence it provides of a child’s progress is crucial.

The use of digital technologies or ICTs in society has become widespread and synonymous with our daily lives. Children are continually being exposed to new developments as they grow and it is not common for many of them to more tech-savvy than their predecessors. We now live in a Knowledge Society – a place where information flows freely from digital technologies.

It is therefore, vital that educators in early childhood learn to establish a starting point for a child’s ICT capability journey and then give them directions that will enable the child to plot a course. As planning, monitoring, assessment, record keeping and reporting are so closely related, this article will deliver practical and immediately actionable advice on the best practices to do so. However, it will important for you to first learn what ICT capability is and how students

In the Australian Curriculum, the integration of digital technologies in key learning areas is what is known as ICT capability. It enables students with the opportunity to “learn and apply ICT knowledge and skills across a broad range of domains” (Albion, Campbell, & Jobling, 2018, p. 261). The Early Years Learning Framework (2018) emphasises the use of ICT as a way for children to communicate and educators are encouraged to promote learning with ICT through access, integration, collaboration and the teaching of skills.

There are five components that together constitute ICT capability – routines, ICT techniques, processes, concepts and higher order skills. A child may know a various ICT technique, but is not deemed to be ICT capable unless they have the disposition to construct ICT solutions to problems that are appropriate to the context and based on the knowledge of the opportunities and limitations available (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, Developing ICT capability, 2000).

How children learn with ICT

In order for you to effectively integrate digital technologies and develop ICT capability in the learning environment, it is essential to understand the key elements of learning theories that underpin the ICT supports learning. These include:

• Behaviourism; • Constructivism; • Social constructivism; • Situativity; • Brain-based ideas; • Metacognition and; • Affective aspects.

Theorist such as Kennewell (2004) suggests that there are three types of knowledge – knowing that, knowing how and knowing why. Whereas ‘knowing that’ refers to factual knowledge, ‘knowing how’ refers to skills and the last one concerns the element of understanding of which there is high emphasis on. He points out that all are essential and that all school curricula is based on them. As a result, as a teacher

Behaviourism is based on the idea that people learn from experience through the mechanisms of stimulus-response. It is through applying the activity frequently and providing positive feedback where the learning process occurs. A good example of this in practice in today’s use of ICT is in the use of literacy and numeracy software or other integrated learning systems. This type of use is fantastic if you specifically want to focus on the learning of these skills, but has little to no impact on the development of child ICT capability. We will discuss this later on.

Constructivism theories were developed at the same time as behaviourism by such theorist like Jean Piaget. However, though similar the key ideas revolved around the concept that the “development of schematic structures in the mind which constituted understanding” (Kennewell, 2004, p. 90). A key part of this theory is part that emphasises the importance of children learning while reflecting on experiences. Reflection plays a significant role in the learning of ICT capability for without it is unlikely that experiences will have any effect on mental structures. For this reason, it is important that you provide opportunities for children to reflect on their experiences at different stages of their work. This will involve you to continually plan and monitor their actions carried out during tasks.

Social constructivism focuses mainly on the individual mind and therefore has a tremendous amount to do with cognitive development. This type of theory encompasses key concepts such as you as the teacher considering the learning environment in addition to discussing how collaboration is paramount to learning. Collaboration of children on ICT tasks has a powerful role to play which is why it forms the basis for of many approaches to using ICT in the classroom today.

Higher order skill development is a significant component of what constitutes as ICT capability. The skills which it encompasses includes monitoring, evaluating, selection and the control over processes – all of which are metacognitive in nature. For ICT capability within children to occur they need to:

techniques and processes; • Be aware of the opportunities and limitations offered by the possible use of ICT techniques and processes and; • Have the ability to regulate their own actions in the application of that knowledge.

‘Knowing what you know’ is important because “knowing how well they are likely to perform in a situation will affect the way students approach a task and how successfully they are likely to be” (Kennewell, 2004, p. 93). This feeling of self-efficacy will enable them to choose to do something and to take the risk of being wrong. Additionally, it will help them make realistic assessments about what they can learn.

Problem solving skills are dependent on metacognitive knowledge as it calls on what you know. These skills are essential for inquiry based lessons that are based on authentic (real world) problems. We need children to become the problem solvers of the future.

The third part of the above focuses on “when, why and how children explore, plan, monitor, regulate and evaluate progress” (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000, p. 47). It too is influenced by metacognitive knowledge.

Situativity refers to the theory that learning is of our participation in activities in various social settings where the knowledge gained is situated in the setting and therefore, a change in the setting means new learning.

Brain-based ideas is based on the claim that while we might use visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activity in learning, we each have a preference for which one is best for us to use. This has two main issues for you as teacher:

• How to accelerate learning by exploiting the full range of individual learners’ strength and; • How to help learners improve their abilities in strategies that are naturally weak? (Kennewell, 2004, p. 93)

ICT can help accelerate learning through the use of multimedia presentations that comes with images, sound and animation which is more effective than only oral/verbal exposition.

Finally, affective aspects refers to the degree that children are motivated by the activity that they are engaged in. This has a lot to do with their self-esteem which is improved in the technology-rich learning environment. Even the disaffected children may find an incentive to use ICT as it provides them with the potential and structure for action that they need on a continual basis (Kennewell, 2004) in addition to the fact that they do not realise that they are investing effort in learning. As Kennewell (2004) states “if disaffected children can gain success when ICT is used, an immediate positive assessment of their subject learning (not just their ICT capability) combined with appropriate praise may them encouragement to continue their effort” (p. 94).

The Importance of Assessment

Assessment is closely linked to forward planning and so if you intend to plan for the progression of ICT capability with students, it is vital that you have an appreciation of where the children are, where they ought to be and where they might be heading next.

In order to help your students develop their ICT capability begin by determining their starting point followed by accurate directions that will enable them to plot a course for success.

The assessment of ICT capability is vital as it will allow you to track progress and to plan appropriately for students to achieve their capabilities. Proper assessment will provide you with real evidence and knowledge of where the students are up to. Without it any planning conducted would be worthless.

The Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (2017) principles of assessment include the following:

• The main purpose assessment is to inform teaching and improve learning; • Assessment is underpinned by equity principles. It takes account of the diverse needs of students and contexts of education; • Assessment is aligned with curriculum, pedagogy and reporting. Quality assessment has curricular and instructional validity – what is taught informs what is assessed, and what is assessed informs what is reported;

• Assessment alignment with curriculum, pedagogy and reporting includes assessment of deep knowledge of core concepts within and across the disciplines, problem-solving, collaboration, analysis, synthesis and critical thinking; • Assessment involves collecting evidence of expected learning as the basis of judgements about the achieved quality of that learning. Quality is judged with reference to fixed standards and is based on evidence; • Assessment evidence may come from a range of assessment activities. The assessment activity is selected because of its relevance to the knowledge, skills and understanding to be assessed, and the purpose of the assessment; • Information collected through assessment activities is sufficient and suitable to enable defensible judgements to be made. To show the depth and breadth of the student learning, evidence of the student learning is compiled over time. Standards are reviewed periodically and adjusted according to evidence to facilitate continuous improvement; • Approaches to assessment are consistent with and responsive to local and jurisdictional policies, priorities and contexts. It is important that schools have the freedom and support to develop quality assessment practices and programs that suit their particular circumstances and those of the students they are assessing; • Assessment practices and reporting are transparent. It is important that there is professional and public confidence in the processes used, the information obtained and decisions made.

Expected level of capability in the EYLF

At this level of learning children are expected to learn and develop basic ICT capability that they will use for much of their schooling and adult life. It is for this reason that they need to develop an understanding of ICT in its broadest form and become positive users of it.

The two basic skills that they need to develop at this stage is for them to be able to interact with the computer through the use of the keyboard and the mouse. It is important for you to understand the set of techniques involved in each of these capabilities in order to help children build on them.