Education Special Section
to ensure that quality care is provided to
preschool-aged students at all facilities.
But some educational daycares are
working to “up the ante” on the level of
education students receive.
According to the National
Association for the Education of Young
Children, there are a variety of ways to
implement effective classroom practices
involving technology and interactive
media. As preschoolers are immersed in
the use of technology at home—with
their parents on their phones, siblings
on their tablets, and watching others
use the computer—they are curious
about the technologies around them.
From a young age, they are encouraged
to communicate using a variety of
expressions; whether it is through
coloring, painting, creative movement,
singing or talking, children look to the
world of possibilities to be creative.
Digital technology is another outlet
for learning and creativity, and with
its inherent use throughout homes
in the U.S., children are learning to
explore touchscreens and other forms of
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interactive media. Educational daycares
are utilizing digital technologies to
explore e-books, watch educational
videos, and explore places and things
that children may not see within their
own environment (videos about
visiting a factory, or pictures of people
and places that are foreign to them).
Programs that allow students to freely
explore these types of digital media are
designed to facilitate active and creative
use and are encouraged to be done with
other children and adults as a form of
social engagement.
Use of technologies is only one of
the variety of options that figure into
the aspects of choosing a classroom
that is right for a young learner. Parents
are playing a larger role in shaping
their early learners with the choice of
play-based learning programs versus
academic learning programs. Play-
based or child-centered programs
focus on the current interests of
the child. Classrooms are set up in
different sections, such as a kitchen,
home, science area, reading nook, or
icmags.com
water area, for kids to engage in social
interactions with others and learn
valuable skills based from play. Academic
or didactic, teacher-directed programs are
structured with a curriculum involving
planned activities guided by teachers
and designed to prepare students for a
kindergarten-type setting. Either method
for learning prepares young children for
their future interactions, both socially and
educationally. Finding the learning style
that best suits your own child’s needs will
set him/her up for success.
K-12 Education
It is early in education that
students start to become
competent in utilizing the tools needed in
our society. Reading, writing, math and
language skills are all core competencies
that need to be mastered at a young
age and are critical for a student’s
success. Education is being shaped by
incorporating different styles of teaching,
accessing new technologies to enhance
learning, and ensuring that students leave
high school with a sense of confidence