ERIC Number: EJ823468
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1522-8185
EISSN: N/A
Teachers as Designers: Integrating Robotics in Early Childhood Education
Bers, Marina U.; Ponte, Iris; Juelich, Catherine; Viera, Alison; Schenker, Jonathan
Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, v2002 n1 p123-145 2002
This article presents a constructionist approach to introducing technology, in particular robotics, in the early childhood classroom. The authors demonstrate how this approach is well suited, since the four basic tenets of constructionism have a long-standing tradition in early childhood education: (a) learning by designing meaningful projects to share in the community, (b) using concrete objects to build and explore the world, (c) the identification of powerful ideas that are both personally and epistemologically significant, and (d) the importance of self-reflection as part of the learning process. This article introduces a methodology for teaching preservice teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. It also describes four different experiences in which preservice teachers designed and integrated robotic projects done with LEGO Mindstorms and "ROBOLAB" to engage their young students in exploring and learning new concepts and ways of thinking. (Contains 7 figures.)
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Robotics, Technology Integration, Constructivism (Learning), Teaching Methods, Preservice Teacher Education, Classroom Environment, Teacher Developed Materials, Course Descriptions, Learning Activities, Educational Experience, Science Projects, Design
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 1545, Chesapeake, VA 23327-1545. Tel: 757-366-5606; Fax: 703-997-8760; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: http://www.aace.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Higher Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A