Article Preview
TopIntroduction
At the root of every culture is a language that binds them. Literacy is a command of the language that signifies citizenship within a specific culture (Clay, 1991). Information and communication technology (ICT) is inherently woven into the fabric of modern day societies, has its own language, and an advantaged citizenry that the existing early childhood education (ECE) pedagogy does not reflect in literacy instruction (Cope & Kalantis, 2000). This paper presents two positions that support the cultivation of young children into this elite citizenry:
- 1.
Learner-centered, socially-constructed approaches to teaching in home and school contexts are the optimal method to developing emergent and digital literacies (multi-literacies), congruently.
- 2.
The working e-portfolio is an ideal multi-literacy assessment tool in a democratic early learning environment.
TopTheoretical Framework
The social-constructivist theory in conjunction with the learner-centered approach are recognized in ECE as instrumental in developing emergent literacy, using traditional methods (Dixon-Krauss, 1996; Gee, 2002; Vygotsky, 1978). What have not been formally implemented in ECE curricula are the pragmatic applications of this approach using ICT to support digital literacy (Yelland, 2011). Concerned that new technological advances are not supported in theory or practiced over time, many educators believe innovation to be a threat to previously successful systems. Teachers are essentially missing the boat on the efficacy of technology to assist their instruction and assessment (Parette, Quesenburry & Blum, 2010). The pull of traditional instruction with the push of new technologies has created a chasm in ECE that has not been universally resolved. Simply adding technology to curricula is a superficial recognition of ICT’s relevance within the digital culture and undermines its full potential to enhance learning (Labbo, 2006; Masek, 2016b). Instead, an actual shift in ECE pedagogy that incorporates ICT must take place, manifested by teachers who develop a new perspective of its value based on pedagogical soundness of the platforms they use for various learning goals and objectives (Hemmeter, Maxwell, Ault & Schuster, 2001; Yelland, 2007).