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Enhancing Preschool
Literacy Skills with
Software and Internet
Technologies
Julie Coiro
University of Connecticut
jcoiro@snet.net
Growing up in a digital world…
while learning how to participate
and contribute in literate ways.
The Current Climate
 In 2003, 67% of children in nursery school
and 80% in kindergarten used the computer
 Also, 1/4 (23%) of children in nursery
school and 1/3 (32%) in kindergarten used
the Internet
 By high school, nearly all students (97%)
used computers, and a majority (80%) used
the Internet.
-- (NCES, 2005)
The Current Climate
 "Computers …open new and unforeseen
avenues for learning” (Douglas Clements,
2001)
 “Computers are redefining how we interact
with others and how we gain knowledge
about the world around us…and they are
increasingly important in our daily lives.”
(Mark Ginsburg, Executive Director,
NAEYC, 2001).
The Current Climate
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 “Global calls are being made for
ICT to be understood as a
multifunctional tool for Early
Learning that is used to introduce
and support, but not replace, real
life experiences and physical
activities” (IBM Kidsmart, 2004).
The Current Research Climate
 There are many opinions but few recent facts
about the impact of technology use on
preschoolers (Skeele & Stefankiewicz, 2002).
 In an effort to review, replicate, and extend
National Reading Panel Subcommittee Report on
Technology, we found only 10 studies from 19862002 involving preschoolers and literacy that met
even our extended criteria. The real potential
depended upon the teacher’s ability to make
appropriate decisions about design, social
interaction, and individual differences (Coiro et
al., 2003).
The Current Research Climate
 Systematic, empirically grounded research that
focuses on new technologies and early literacy,
particularly outside the United States, is extremely
limited (Lankshear & Knobel, 2003).
 Research to determine the long-term
effects of computer use on young
children is desperately needed
(Future of Children, David & Lucille
Packard Foundation, 2001).
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What do we know from research?
 What is developmentally appropriate for
preschoolers?
 What are the benefits of preschool technology
use?
 How do these benefits map onto early language
and literacy development?
 How might the Internet impact early language and
literacy learning in a preschool classroom?
 Where should research be headed next?
 #1: What are developmentally
appropriate literacy practices for
preschoolers?
Five areas of children’s
development
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Physical well-being & fine/gross motor skills
Social and emotional development
Motivation and engagement
Language development
General knowledge and cognition
-- National Education Goals Panel
Young children learn through…
 Play and exploration
 Social interaction with adults and
other children
 A “need to know”
-- Northwest Educational
Technology Consortium
(2003)
Technology in children’s play
should enable children to …
 Discharge or restore personal energy while engaged in
something interesting
 Act out and explore roles and rules for adults
 Gain a sense of control
 Experience new learning in a relaxed atmosphere
 Develop sense of self and relations to others through
group work, collaboration, and competition
 Explore abstract or symbolic meanings
-- Verenikina, Harris, & Lysaght (2003)
Play, technology, and children’s development
Emergent Literacy Learning
Emergent Literacy is“the belief that preschoolers
must observe and be engaged in literacy-related
activities in which reading and writing is used to
accomplish real goals”
“Scribbling and invented spelling = real reading”
--- Teale & Sulzby, 1989
Reading and Writing
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Listening to stories
Playing rhyming games
Matching letters
Exploring print and its messages
Actively constructing their learning
-- International Reading Association (IRA)
and the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC),
1998
Good literacy instruction
provides opportunities for ...

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Creatively responding to texts or topics
Practice & reinforcement with important skills
Referencing multimedia sources of information
Applying literacy in authentic environments
Exploring new forms and purposes for reading
and writing
Good computer technologies should provide these too!
 #2: What are the benefits of preschool
technology use?
 #3: How do these map onto early
language and literacy development?
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Preschool Literacy Needs
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Oral language development
Concepts of print and phonological awareness
Vocabulary and background knowledge
Exploration and play
Logic, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving
Social Interaction with Others
Connecting Reading and Writing
Impact of computer use on oral
language development
 Computers can serve as catalysts for social interaction,
cooperation and conversations related to children’s work
(Clements, Nastasi, & Swaminathan, 1993; Nastasi, 1993).
 Computer play encourages longer, more complex speech
and the development of fluency (Davidson & Wright,
1994).
 Children tend to narrate what they are doing as they draw
pictures or more objects and characters on the screen
(Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1994).
 Computer use fosters greater language production
(increased number of spoken words a minute), number of
foreign language words learned, and amount of
communication to teach other students (Pierce, 1994).
Oral Language Development
Play with nursery
rhymes and songs
Good modeled
reading aloud for
enjoyment
Leap Into Nursery Rhymes (Leap into Learning)
Options to record your own voice and play back
Exploring the connections
between oral language and print
Encourage book
conversations,
dramatic play, and
personal responses
(paired with
drawing, taking
pictures, singing,
and storytelling)
Options to record your own voice and play back
KID PIX
STUDIO
Oral Language and
Creative Responding
(painting and
animation
tools, slide
show maker,
text tools,
stamps)
Research shows that…
Children talk, draw and write more
with a partner and open-ended software.
Concepts of Print and
Phonological Awareness
 Opportunity to explore print in many forms
and begin to notice functions and patterns
when interacting with print
 Awareness of title, author, direction, print tells
story, individual words and letters
 Explore auditory skill awareness of words,
rhymes, syllables, and individual letter
sounds.
Impact of preschool computer use
on concepts of print, phonological
awareness, and phonics
 Research in this area is not as rich or current and many
studies show no difference compared to control group or
suggest that teachers make the difference rather than one
program or another (Coiro et al., 2003).
 Specific reading skills, particularly school language and
rhyming, can be taught using drill and practice software
(Gore, Morris, Mass, & Anderson, 1989).
 Computer use positively impacted early literacy skills such
as letter naming, beginning word recognition, and
interpreting symbols, letters, and words (Pierce, 1994).
Impact of preschool computer use
on concepts of print, phonological
awareness, and phonics
 Preschoolers in Holland increased blending skills and carried
over their skills to foster decoding proficiency in Grade 1
(Reitsma & Wesseling, 1998).
 Autistic preschoolers in the U.S. increased time on task and
ability to read and match words compared to those in control
group (Williams, Writing, Callaghan, & Coughlan, 2002).
 Special education preschoolers in Israel increased skills in
phonological awareness, letter naming, and word recognition
(Mioduser, Tur-Kaspa, & Leitner, 2000).
Concepts of Print and
Phonological Awareness
Level 2
LEAP INTO
NURSERY
RHYMES
by Leap
Into
Learning
Hearing
syllables
Level 3
Hearing
sounds
Concepts of Print
Living Books, Little Monster Goes to School, by Broderbund
Concepts of Print and
Phonological Awareness
BAILEY’S BOOK
HOUSE
by Edmark
Impact of computer use on
preschooler’s vocabulary and
background knowledge
 Another area with less amount of work done
- possibly due to other priorities.
 3 and 4 year olds who used computers with
supporting activities had significantly
greater gains in intelligence, verbal skills,
structural knowledge, long-term memory,
and conceptual skills (Haughland, 1992).
Vocabulary and
Background Knowledge
LET’S
EXPLORE
THE
JUNGLE
by Humongous
Entertainment
Vocabulary and
Background Knowledge
Let’s Explore The Jungle, by Humongous Entertainment
Vocabulary and
Background Knowledge
Let’s Explore The Jungle, by Humongous Entertainment
Vocabulary and
Background Knowledge
TRAVEL
THE
WORLD
WITH
TIMMY,
DELUXE
by Edmark
Impact of preschool computer
use on exploration and play
 Computers provide a private place for children to practice
without fear of public failure (Bredekamp & Rosegrant,
1994).
 Computers allow young children to represent, manipulate,
and act on variables not possible in the physical world
(Clements, 1998; Seng, 1998).
 Computers provide a different source of “multisensory /
multimedia experiences” that can enhance, extend, and
augment a child’s learning experience (Thovenelle &
Bewick, 2003).
 The teacher’s role is to create an environment that fosters
awareness and exploration and then support as appropriate
(Davidson & Wright, 1994).
Tools for authentic exploration of
pictures, letters, words and sounds
STANLEY’S
STORY
STICKERS
by Edmark
Also THEME
WEAVERS
for Animals by
Edmark
Exploring and responding
with personal creativity tools
KID PIX
STUDIO
Logic, Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
 Opportunities to solve problems in
authentic contexts that are safe,
supportive, and challenging.
 Explore environments with little or no
text to practice and build other strategies.
Pajama Sam
I Spy, Jr.
Maze Madness
Impact of Computer Use on
Logic, Critical Thinking, and
Problem Solving
 Technology offers multiple ways to solve a
problem and multiple paths to a goal (Clements,
1999).
 Computer use helped children to…
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move from concrete to symbolic representational
thought (Pierce, 1994);
to show more sophistication in classification and logical
thinking (Clements & Nastasi, 1993) and;
Improve their spatial problem solving, logical problem
solving, concentration, and memory (Haughland, 1992).
Logic, Critical Thinking, and
Problem Solving
I SPY Jr.
by Scholastic
New Media
Form new
lists, sort
pictures
Logic, Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Putt-Putt,
Pajama Sam
and
Freddi Fish
by Humongous
Entertainment
Logic, Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Freddi Fish’
Maze
Madness
by Humongous
Entertainment
Create your own
mazes and then
play in them!
Logic, Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Logical
Journey of
the
Zoombinis
by Broderbund
logic and pattern
recognition
Logic, Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Thinkin’
Things I, II,
and III
by Edmark
patterns in music,
art, and space
Impact of Preschool Computer
Use on Social Interaction
 Computers contribute to social development
(NAEYC, 1996) as children share leadership roles
and initiate interactions more frequently
(Clements, 1994; Haughland & Wright, 1997)
 Compared to more traditional activities, such as
puzzle assembly or block building, the computer
elicits more social interaction and different types
of interaction (Clements, Nastasi, & Swaminathan,
1993).
Impact of Preschool Computer
Use on Social Interaction
 Computers are more effective when used in classrooms
and connected to authentic daily learning activities
compared to computer lab (Davis & Shade, 1999).
 A well-designed computer center can promote almost as
much social interaction as dramatic play and for some
children it offers a unique medium that taps their ability to
creatively collaborate with their peers (Anderson, Hilton,
& Wouden-Miller, in press)
 For many children, the computer is a catalyst for
information sharing, language development, and decision
making (Wright, 1994; Sarama & Clements, 2001; Fischer
& Gillespie, 2003).
Interacting With Others
Let’s Explore the Jungle
Pajama Sam; Putt-Putt
Social interaction with peers and
multi-age groups…
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…social interactions with
teachers and parents.
Impact of Preschool Computer
Use on Connecting
Reading and Writing
 Word processing encourages writing and
motivation to improve writing skills (Clements &
Nastasi, 1993).
 A word processor provides scaffolding (Clements
& Nastasi, 1993); allows children to compose and
revise text without being distracted by the fine
motor aspects of letter formation (Davis & Shade,
1994);
Connecting Reading and Writing
 Respect that some children consider
drawings to be actual writing & others will
respond with a clear message or story
 Practice writing with real, authentic and
age-appropriate print-related experiences
 Need time to observe, explore and
experiment with writing)
Kid Works Deluxe
Kid Pix Studio
Digital Cameras
Connecting Reading and Writing
KID
WORKS
DELUXE
(text to speech,
book maker,
painting tools,
text tools,
stamps)
Connecting Reading and Writing
KID PIX
STUDIO
Create
patterns, label
with beginning
letters, or
write a
sentence.
Using
Digital
Cameras to
Connect
Reading and
Writing
Other Handy Tools
Scanner
Kiddy Mouse
Color printer
Trackball?
Alphasmart 3000
Drawing Tablet
Children’s
keyboard?
 #4: How might the Internet impact early
language and literacy learning in a
preschool classroom?
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Explore new Internet literacies
What is a hyperlink?
Click on D
Read a
daffodil
rhyme
Make a
Father’s
Day card
Color-bynumber
daisies
Http://www.enchantedlearning.com
Explore new Internet literacies:
Interactivity
Concentration Games
Online puzzles
Hear
new
sounds
Individualized
guidance
Read-Aloud Stories
See a
movie
Design and send an e-card to a relative
Internet
Workshop
Activities
Import a digital
photo and play on
online puzzle with it
www.jigzone.com
Draw a question
from the
Internet
Inquiry Basket
Join an
Internet
Project
We Know Why
Alexander Wanted to
Move to Australia!!!
Alex’s Scribbles
Internet Writing
Click here
So where do we go from here??
Expanding programs of research:
Preschoolers and ICT
 IBM Kidsmart Early Learning Program
(1998-current) 117+ settings, 7 countries
[France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, UK, and U.S.]
As long as there is appropriate software, teachers
with a positive attitude, an environment which
facilitates social interaction, accessibility, and
equal opportunity, computers can have a positive
impact on the learning environment in an early
childhood centre.
Expanding programs of research:
Preschoolers and ICT
 Children of the New Millennium Project (Susan
Hill, 2004) focuses on new and print-based
literacies. The curriculum is inquiry based, childinitiated, social, collaborative, and connected
between home and school.
 “The learning in these projects comes from
questions, puzzles, or the interests of young
children….Teachers were bowled over by what
they found about preschool children’s new
learning [with the Internet]”.
Expanding programs of research:
Preschoolers and ICT
 Young Children and Learning Technologies
International Federation for Information
Processing Working Group 3.5 Open Conference.
Sydney, Australia, July 2003 (Wright, McDougall,
Nurnane, & Lowe)
 Over 40 research projects with preschool children
and their teachers as they explore new information
and communication technologies (ICT).
 http://crpit.com/Vol34.html
Expanding programs of research:
Preschoolers and ICT
 Early Years ICT in Scotland (2003)
 They note the scarcity of quality research findings
and their work generated many more questions
than answers -- “There are generalized claims
about the positive impact of ICT without any
evidence of measured impact being offered”.
 The impact of preschool use of ICT depends on
how teachers use ICT and interact with children to
maximize the opportunities available.
Research Into Practice
 Please refer to your handouts for ideas about…
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Research highlights and references
Matching software to preschool literacy needs
NETS PreK-2 Technology Performance Indicators
Ten tips for previewing educational software
Ideas for using digital photographs in the classroom
Thematic applications of Kid Pix Drawing Tools
Classroom Management Ideas
Internet Project, Internet Inquiry, and Internet Resources
Thank you!
Julie Coiro (jcoiro@snet.net)