Product Description: Mandates to implement practices that are antithetical to what we embrace as supportive of young children's literacy learning are pervasive. Teachers of young children are asked to teach-to-the test in ways that take away opportunities for holistic, thoughtful, play-oriented practices that allow children to construct knowledge through contextualized and purposeful experiences...read more

What do new technologies and new forms of communication mean for young children growing up in the 21st century? How are they shaping the mindsets, identities and practices which impact their lives at home and at school? This book explores the intersection of technology and critical literacy, specifically addressing what ICTs afford critical literacy work with young children between ages three to eight. Inviting readers to enter classrooms where both technology and critical literacies are woven into childhood curricula and teaching, it brings together literacy, social studies, and science in critical and integrated ways. Real-world stories show the sights and sounds of children engaged with technology in the classroom and beyond. Concise but comprehensive, the text provides strategies, theoretical frameworks, demonstrations of practice, and resources for teachers. Pedagogical features in each chapter engage readers in making connections to their own teaching situations. NCATE standards for including technology as an essential part of teacher education programs are addressed. While acknowledging how individual children employ ICT, the focus is on how new technologies can be positioned in early childhood learning communities as tools for engaging in more meaningful, authentic, and interesting learning.