3 Ways to Evaluate Digital Resources Made for Preschoolers
Photo by Rohit Farmer on Unsplash
The November 15, 2022, Edutopia newsletter offers three suggestions from preschool teachers on how to evaluate digital resources made for preschoolers based on the quality and cultural responsiveness of the content.
The article, written by Deborah Rosenfeld, accepts that “educational technology and media are here to stay”. Amongst the overwhelming mass of devices, tools, and resources (with over half a million currently listed as educational), how are parents to choose? The newsletter points out that there are no universal standards for what makes an app “educational”, little evidence of effectiveness, and a paucity of research to guide decision-making on what, why or when to use digital supports.
The suggested criteria for evaluating digital tools for preschoolers are:
Appropriate content that reflects learning goals and what is being learned or practised.
Does the digital resource support learning goals in a way not possible/more difficult offscreen?
Does the skill level required to engage with the digital resource match the abilities of the children?
Sound pedagogy, including audio and/or video features that support written text, characters that speak directly to children and/or respond to their specific actions, opportunities for problem-solving strategies such as trial and error, multiple ways to engage with content, prompts to connect the content to off-screen learning, and opportunities to play along with others.
Does the digital resource integrate with typical routines and further learning opportunities rather than replacing or interrupting them?
Can the resource be used collaboratively (with other students or to connect home and school learning environments)?
Cultural responsiveness, representing the students and their real-life experience, and language options aligned to languages spoken in the classroom where the material is being accessed.
Does the technology bridge the space between school and home?
Can children’s work be shared in ways that families can easily access, understand, and respond to?
Can support for continuing learning at home be offered in ways that align with the resources and expectations around learning within families?
The article provides an example of use of digital resources that would meet the criteria, where video clips were used to introduce target concepts, digital games were used to apply and practise the concepts, and a hands-on activity was used to connect learning at school to the home. In the example, the selected resources were free, available in multiple languages, and represented varied people and cultures.
The article argues that “selecting and using digital resources is no different than selecting and using any other educational tool or activity with a child. The adult making the selection is attending to the child or children in front of them, noticing their budding skills and interests in relation to specified learning goals, as well as finding ways to engage them in appropriate learning that also builds connection and extends learning across settings.”