A Researcher Goes to School: Using Technology in the Kindergarten Literacy Curriculum

Abstract

This study was prompted by a concern that early literacy classroom activities reflected varying practices and differing perceptions of technology, literacy and how they are related. Furthermore there seemed to be a strong resistance to the use of technology in most early literacy classrooms. These factors it seemed could only lead to greater inequity. While the initial focus question for the research began as, ‘how are teachers of young children incorporating technology into their early literacy programs?’ it soon changed to ‘why do teachers of early literacy find it difficult to implement technology into their literacy curriculum?’ Findings highlighted that implementation of technology was hindered by lack of time and expertise to explore and understand available software, teachers’ narrow definition of literacy as including only paper-based texts, and lack of understanding of and confidence in the potential of the use of technology in the early years.