Abstract:

Children live in a complex world where technology plays different roles and influences several spheres of their existence. Research about the presence and educational impact of technology in childhood reveals several challenges. Portuguese studies report that technology is strongly involved in the day-to-day of families, with leisure and “baby-sitting” uses more than creative or educational ones. The historical discourses around children and technologies suggest that a critical-optimistic approach, in conjunction with attention to discourses about childhoods in contemporaneity, is needed to address the risks and opportunities at stake. A particular challenge is connected to the need for a high-quality pedagogy regarding technology in Early Childhood Education. This paper contributes to that discussion from a Portuguese perspective. The pedagogical and curricular framework for Early Childhood Education in Portugal supports a significant use of technology in the daily practice and in children’s play. In this context, the paper explores three main axes to understand a high-quality pedagogy for using technology with children in educational contexts: technology presented as a tool with socially authentic practices; technology as supporting multiple languages that are relevant for children to understand the world around them; and technology as an arena for children’s participation. Each axis is supported by a theoretical literature review, followed by the analysis of specific projects developed locally at the School of Education. The projects were selected for highlighting tenets of each axis. Each axis is also connected to the three content areas of the Portuguese Curricular Guidelines and to dimensions of a sociocultural Pedagogy for Early Childhood Education.

Keywords:

Early childhood education, technology, participation, play, pedagogy.