Technology for a Global Early Childhood Education

"Our world is becoming both increasingly diverse and increasingly connected, which means that children will need new skill sets in order to communicate and collaborate and to work and play together."

This website was created as a resource for early childhood educators working with children ages 2-8 who would like to learn more about using technology to create "global learning experiences" in their classrooms. Such experiences are defined here as any classroom activities which expose young children to new ways of thinking about the world, their own and others' cultures, world languages, communities, and families. Early childhood classrooms in the United States (US) today often have children who speak many different languages and who are part of numerous different cultures.

The resource is based on the belief that technology has the power to break down geographical, economical, language, and time-zone barriers. For example, technology allows children to gather around a screen in a small town and connect with a classroom in Russia. In this way, one can have an exchange and receive information back in return about cultural practices, customs, and communities other children experience around the world.

The tabs at the top of the website are designed to help users navigate the various resources and tools available:

• The Why Globalize ECE? tab discusses some of the current equity issues at play in early childhood education and the ways that using technology to create global learning experiences can help address some of these issues.
• The Related References tab provides background research, books, and websites that explore the topics of early childhood, global education, and educational technology.
• The Global Tools tab provides a page with tech tools to create global learning experiences students and a page with teacher tools to help educators connect with other educators around the globe.
• The Current Projects tab provides numerous examples and stories of other early childhood educators who are engaging in global projects and connecting with other children around the world.
• The Ideas to Action tab has a page with some getting started tips and resources to help educators create global learning experiences using technology for young children.
• The Blog tab includes posts about the intersections of early childhood education, technology, and global education.