Since the 17th National Congress, the Party and the government have attached great importance to preschool education. The Outline of the National Medium-and Long-Term Education Reform and Development Plan (20 10-2020) promulgated in July 20/KLOC-0 proposed that preschool education should be basically popularized by 2020. The State Council's Opinions on the Current Development of Preschool Education, released on June 20 10, emphasizes that preschool education should be placed in a more important position, preschool education resources should be expanded in various forms, and the construction of preschool teachers should be strengthened in various ways.
The National Association for Early Childhood Education (NAEYC for short) once put forward a report-"Technology and Children Aged 3-8" in 1996, and expounded NAEYC's basic position on the application of information technology in early education. The report pointed out that "the proper use of computer technology in early education can promote children's cognitive and social development; And advocate the integration of appropriate computer technology into the regular learning environment, making it one of the many ways to support children's learning. " [4]
With the continuous penetration of modern information technology in family education, kindergarten and school education, children's use of information technology is becoming more and more common. "Whether in the United States, Britain, Australia, Indian, Singaporean, China, Hongkong and other countries and regions, information technology is immersed in the educational environment of children in full swing. Information technology provides children with ways and tools to express themselves, understand the world, play and communicate, explore the environment and solve problems. " [5] In the highly developed information society, "it is particularly important to cultivate children's critical awareness of media information, develop children's ability to distinguish between media truth and social truth, and guide children to rationally apply media technology". [6]
"When information research moves from cities to rural areas and from universities to primary and secondary schools, it covers almost all fields of educational practice, but the information construction of preschool education has received less attention." [7] Although China has also actively carried out the practice of pre-school education informatization and achieved certain results, few people have theoretically discussed the issue of pre-school education informatization, and no one has clearly defined the concept or connotation of "pre-school education informatization". In the process of consulting literature, it is found that the earlier paper concerning the informationization of preschool education is the article "The Application of Computer Technology in American Kindergarten Teaching Activities" written by Liu Tong of Hebei University in 2004. Then in 2006, the master thesis "The Influence of Information Technology on Preschool Education" directed by teacher Guo Liping of East China Normal University officially started the research of information technology in preschool education. In 2007, the term "pre-school education informatization" was officially used in academic papers (Liu: Investigation, analysis and countermeasures of pre-school education informatization in Zhejiang Province, Research on Audio-visual Education, No.8, 2007). So far, there are less than 20 articles on the theme of "informatization of preschool education", and most of the research areas are developed areas in the east. A correct understanding of the connotation of "pre-school education informatization" is helpful to the healthy and sustainable development of pre-school education informatization. Therefore, it is of great theoretical value and practical significance to explore the connotation of preschool education informatization.
First, the concept of pre-school education informatization
Pre-school education informatization is an important part of education informatization and one of the components of national informatization. To correctly understand the informatization of preschool education, we must start with national informatization and educational informatization.
National informatization
1the national informatization work conference held in April 1997 defined national informatization as: under the unified planning and organization of the state, applying modern information technology in agriculture, industry, science and technology and social life, deeply developing and widely utilizing information resources, and accelerating the process of realizing national modernization. [8]
In 2002, with the approval of the State Council, the Tenth Five-Year Plan for National Informatization, which was compiled by the former State Planning Commission in conjunction with relevant departments, put forward the connotation system of national informatization, pointing out that "informatization is a comprehensive system with the extensive application of information technology as the leading factor, information resources as the core, information network as the foundation, information industry as the support, information talents as the support and laws, policies and standards as the guarantee". [9] China's national informatization system includes six elements: information technology application, information resources, information network, information industry, information talents and informatization policies, regulations and standards. [ 10]
(B) Education informatization
With the advancement of national informatization, Chinese educational technology scholars have also put forward the concept of educational informatization and conducted in-depth discussions. According to statistics, there are as many as 17 concepts about educational informatization. [1 1] "The so-called educational informatization refers to the process of using modern information technology in education, developing educational resources and optimizing the educational process in order to cultivate and improve students' information literacy and promote educational modernization. " [ 12]
"Educational informatization refers to actively developing and fully applying information technology and information resources in all fields of education and teaching, and cultivating talents to meet the needs of the information society, thus promoting the process of educational modernization." [ 13]
"Educational informatization refers to the process of comprehensively and deeply applying modern information technology to promote educational reform and development in the field of education, and the result will inevitably form a brand-new educational form-information education." [ 14]
Judging from the above scholars' definition of educational informatization, educational informatization is a dynamic development process, a process in which modern information technology is widely used in the field of education, and a process in which information-based educational resources are developed and utilized, the education and teaching process is optimized, and finally the education reform and development are promoted, and innovative talents adapted to the requirements of the information society are cultivated.
Education informatization is the informatization of education industry, which also includes six elements: information resources, information network, information technology application, information technology and industry, information talents and information policies, regulations and standards. [ 15]
At this stage, different levels of education have different responsibilities, the level of informatization development is also different, and the focus of informatization development will be different. The informatization of compulsory education emphasizes balanced development, narrows the digital divide, cultivates students' autonomous learning and lifelong learning ability, and improves information literacy. Therefore, it mainly includes "information facilities construction, information resources development and information technology education development" [16]. In the next decade, efforts should be made to promote the balanced development of compulsory education, and the construction, application and sharing of high-quality digital education resources should be used as a means to promote every school to enjoy high-quality digital education resources and improve the quality of education and teaching; Help all school-age children and adolescents to use information technology equally, effectively and healthily, and cultivate the ability of autonomous learning and lifelong learning. " [ 17]
Higher education shoulders three functions: talent cultivation, knowledge innovation and social service. Therefore, the main contents of higher education informatization construction include information infrastructure construction, information resources construction, information technology application, scientific research and management informatization, logistics support system informatization and so on. In the future development, it is necessary to "further strengthen the construction of infrastructure and information resources, focus on promoting the deep integration of information technology and higher education, promote the modernization of educational content, teaching means and methods, innovate talent training, scientific research organizations and social service models, promote cultural inheritance and innovation, and promote the overall improvement of higher education quality". [ 18]
Preschool education information
Preschool education is unique because of its unique physical and mental development characteristics and the particularity of preschool education. The main functions and tasks of preschool education are: to educate children in an all-round way, to prepare them for entering primary schools, and to lay a solid foundation for their lifelong development. [19] "Children's learning is based on direct experience and is carried out in games and daily life. We must cherish the unique value of children's lives and games, fully respect and protect their curiosity and interest in learning, create a rich educational environment, arrange their daily lives reasonably, and support and satisfy children's needs to gain experience through direct perception, practical operation and personal experience. " [20]
According to the characteristics of preschool education and the connotation of educational informatization, we think that preschool education informatization refers to the process of using information technology reasonably in preschool education, developing digital educational resources suitable for children's learning, optimizing preschool education teaching activities, cultivating children's information literacy and promoting children's learning and development. Among them, the proper application of information technology is the essential feature of preschool education informatization, developing high-quality digital educational resources suitable for children's learning is the foundation of preschool education informatization, and optimizing preschool education teaching activities is the core, with the fundamental purpose of cultivating children's information literacy and promoting their learning and healthy development.
Pre-school education informatization emphasizes "suitability", which is a remarkable feature different from primary and secondary education informatization. The concept of "suitability" is a set of values advocated by the National Association for Early Childhood Education (NAEYC) to promote children's development on the basis of respecting children. [2 1] Similarly, the development of pre-school education informatization can not completely apply the model of primary and secondary education informatization, which will lead to the "primary school" tendency of pre-school education informatization. The informationization of preschool education does not require every kindergarten to build a computer room, but to make a reasonable layout according to the strength of kindergartens to build an effective environment for children's learning and development; Not to let children master too much information technology knowledge and skills, but to enlighten them on information literacy; Preschool teachers don't necessarily have advanced educational technology knowledge and skills, but should be good at using all possible information resources according to the needs of the curriculum, seize the opportunity of children's learning and optimize the teaching process. Therefore, the informatization of preschool education is different from that of primary and secondary education, and it is more based on the physical and mental development needs of children.
Second, the content framework of preschool education informatization
In-depth analysis of the concept connotation of preschool education informatization shows that preschool education informatization mainly includes the following aspects.
(a) Equipped with an appropriate information infrastructure
The construction of information facilities is the basis and premise of realizing the informationization of preschool education, and the construction of information facilities should put children's physical and mental health in the first place. We should fully consider the age characteristics of children and take their all-round and healthy development as the basis. When building network facilities and carrying out information technology activities, low-radiation network information technology equipment should be adopted, and multimedia classrooms should be arranged in an environmentally friendly way to protect children's health.
The basic information equipment configuration requirements in Shanghai Kindergarten Information Teaching Environment Construction (Shanghai Education Commission [2011] No.88) are: each kindergarten should realize broadband/private line access and access the Internet in class. Demonstration park and county informatization experimental park can realize internal wireless network coverage according to needs. Every kindergarten is required to be equipped with at least 1 multifunctional activity room, and demonstration parks and information experimental parks in all districts and counties can be equipped with electronic whiteboards and video conference systems as required. Demonstration parks and information experimental parks in all districts and counties can be equipped with multimedia resource rooms as needed, and computers with access to the Internet, district education networks and internal resources in the parks can be provided for teachers, children and parents to access relevant multimedia resources. [22]
In China, preschool education does not belong to the category of compulsory education. Compared with the informatization of compulsory education, the input of preschool education informatization is very limited, which needs the support of kindergartens or social forces, which is also one of the important factors restricting the development of preschool education informatization at present. The informatization of preschool education needs certain informatization facilities and equipment, which can not only play the role of informatization, but also ensure the greatest protection for the healthy development of children's body and mind and reflect humanistic care.
(B) the construction of appropriate information resources
The construction of information resources is an important content of preschool education informatization. To ensure the smooth progress of preschool education informatization, we must provide high-quality information resources for children, kindergarten teachers, parents and managers of children. In the field of preschool education, the development of digital educational resources suitable for children's learning mainly includes educational game software, special learning websites and entertainment websites. Digital educational resources suitable for children's learning can enable children to play creatively, absorb knowledge, solve problems and interact, which can not only help children consolidate their existing knowledge and experience, but also inspire them to explore the unknown world and meet new challenges. [23] Although kindergartens with conditions have set up homepage of websites, the functions of websites are only focused on kindergarten publicity, sharing teaching information among teachers, and interaction between teachers and parents. [24] Compared with developed countries, the level of co-construction and sharing of educational information resources in China is low, and regional development is unbalanced. The key to future development lies in improving the level and building and sharing. The biggest advantage of informatization is that it can realize the co-construction and sharing of resources with the help of the network and promote the balanced development of education. The co-construction and sharing of high-quality resources will also contribute to the balanced development of preschool education, break through the time and space constraints and realize the high-speed flow of information. The government should make use of the informationization of preschool education, vigorously promote the exchange, interaction and resource sharing among kindergartens in the region, vigorously improve the availability of high-quality educational resources in kindergartens in rural areas, economically underdeveloped areas, ethnic minority areas and border areas, and give play to the effectiveness of cross-regional and cross-park interaction. [25] At present, the existing forms of pre-school education information resources mainly include pre-school education resource database (to meet the needs of kindergarten teaching), special learning websites, teachers' blogs, and courseware production material databases in various parks. However, there are few network resources dedicated to children's learning, and the software development technology and concept suitable for children's learning and development are still immature in China. In contrast, foreign children's education and social networking sites have developed more maturely. In terms of quantity, American children's websites are about 10 times that of China's children's websites. [26] Moreover, the classification of foreign children's websites is more reasonable and the degree of refinement is high. Foreign children's websites are divided into three categories: education, entertainment and adults (teachers and parents). Among them, education is divided into six categories: animals, art, mathematics, music, science and space, and entertainment is subdivided into seven categories: activities, coloring, comic books, handicrafts, girls' paradise, online games and stories. In foreign countries, there are also search engines specially developed for children. Search engines for children users can help children find the information they need faster, and at the same time, they can also avoid children from contacting bad information to some extent. [27] Britain and the United States and other countries have accumulated rich experience in the research of children's search engines, and there are relatively successful cases, which are quite distinctive in database construction, page design, search function and so on. , such as KidRex (Google search engine customized for children, http://www.kidrex.org/). We can learn from these experiences to design and develop information resources suitable for children, teachers and parents in China.
(c) Training kindergarten teachers with high information literacy.
To make good use of information infrastructure and resources, we must have a team of preschool teachers with high information literacy. Kindergarten teachers with high information literacy can properly integrate information technology with activity courses and guide children to master information technology in activities and games at an appropriate time. Therefore, the information literacy of kindergarten teachers has become the key to realize the informationization of preschool education.
The improvement of preschool teachers' information literacy needs the joint efforts of pre-service education and post-service training. At present and for a long time to come, on-the-job training will dominate. The requirement of information education ability for teachers and leaders in the information age requires us to improve the information technology ability and literacy of relevant teaching staff and managers in preschool education from now on. Education and training at all levels should play a targeted role, not only pay attention to teachers' mastery of modern technology at the purely technical level, but more importantly, let teachers know the basic relationship between technology and children's development and education, and which ones are suitable for children. It is necessary to provide ideas, strategies and typical examples of the integration of information technology and curriculum, so that teachers can freely and appropriately apply information technology in early education situations. [28] "Professional Standards for Kindergarten Teachers (Trial)" takes "having certain knowledge of modern information technology" as the basic requirement of kindergarten teachers' "general knowledge". However, this requirement is rough, not easy to operate and has no clear explanation. In recent years, teachers' information technology ability has been regarded as an important measure in the norms of information construction of preschool education or kindergarten grade evaluation index issued by some cities, requiring preschool teachers to participate in information technology-related training and pass a certain computer grade examination.
As managers and directors who focus on preschool education in various cities, they should also have certain information awareness. To some extent, kindergarten managers and leaders have certain information awareness. While attaching importance to the informatization construction of preschool education, we should fundamentally promote the informatization of kindergarten administration, ensure the smooth progress of preschool education informatization from the system, and provide more opportunities for preschool teachers to participate in information technology training.
(D) the use of information technology to optimize the process of preschool education and teaching activities
The core of pre-school education informatization is to optimize the process of teaching activities by using information technology, that is, teachers use modern information technology to create digital learning environment for children, create active learning scenes, support children's learning and cognition, and promote children's development.
Information technology is like a link or bridge, which integrates the five fields of kindergarten curriculum, such as health, language, science, society and art, and permeates each other to realize the integration of the five fields of kindergarten curriculum. At the same time, information technology will be integrated into various activities of kindergartens, especially games and educational activities, making it a part of children's learning environment and an organic part of children's learning and games, so as to realize the integration of information technology and kindergarten curriculum. Through integration, children can be helped to establish perceptual knowledge of computers, make them understand the application of computers in daily life, and cultivate their interest and awareness in learning and using information technology. [28] In practice, many front-line teachers have applied information technology to various thematic teaching activities in kindergartens, such as science education, English learning, reading training, artistic aesthetic education and emotional education. Some researchers summarize the modes and links of the integration of information technology and kindergarten curriculum as: "storytelling, encouragement, group discussion, drills, games, guidance, portfolio making and evaluation." [30]
(five) to formulate policies, regulations and standards for the informatization of preschool education.
The formulation of informatization policies, regulations and standards is a necessary means to ensure the healthy development of preschool education informatization.
According to the differences between China's current educational development level and regional economic level, the informationization of preschool education in China cannot be achieved overnight. Different regions should establish the informationization construction standards consistent with the local economic level and promote the informationization of preschool education step by step and in a planned way. The informatization construction of pre-school education in developed areas has been at the forefront of the country, and the formulation of pre-school education informatization policy standards in the central and western regions has also achieved initial results. In 2008, Beijing formulated the Beijing Pre-school Education Informatization Action Plan (2008-20 10). The main goal of the action plan is to improve the quality of kindergarten education, improve the level of teachers' informatization, enhance educational ability by means of informatization, and guide parents to master scientific parenting knowledge. [3 1] 2011issued the "Shanghai kindergarten information teaching environment construction configuration requirements", which put forward specific requirements from kindergarten network environment configuration, kindergarten basic configuration to class information equipment configuration: kindergartens are equipped with1multi-functional activity rooms, demonstration parks and district and county information experimental parks can be equipped with electronic whiteboards and video conferencing systems as needed. Demonstration parks and information experimental parks in all districts and counties can be equipped with multimedia resource rooms as required, and computers with access to the Internet, district education networks and internal resources in the parks can be provided for teachers, children and parents to access relevant multimedia resources; It is suggested that each park should be equipped with a certain number of laptops for teachers' mobile office and study and training. 201212 February, the Henan provincial department of education issued the "basic standards for running kindergartens in Henan province (for trial implementation)" (No.Ban [20 12] 169), in which modern information technology products such as televisions, DVDs and recording equipment are regarded as necessary equipment for kindergartens. The whole country and all regions should vigorously strengthen the research on this link to provide guarantee for the smooth progress of the informatization construction of preschool education in China.
(six) the development of pre-school education information industry.
Educational informatization industry is one of the elements of educational informatization. China's preschool education informatization is in its infancy, and the difficulties or obstacles it faces are not only investment and technology itself, but also the serious shortage of professional talents, professional content and professional products and services. [33] Electronic whiteboard and digital TV have been used in a few kindergartens with good conditions, but their functions are limited; The specialization level of children's learning tools design and development based on information technology and other high technologies is not high.
At present, the development of information facilities that meet the characteristics of preschool education and are suitable for kindergartens has not been specialized and industrialized, and most information facilities are still built according to the standards of primary and secondary schools, high schools and even colleges and universities. If we want to develop the information industry of preschool education, we must produce equipment and resources suitable for preschool children.
(seven) the use of information technology to promote cooperation between kindergartens, families and communities.
Family co-education, cooperation between kindergarten and community, and cooperation between family and community are a major feature and an important part of preschool education. Using information technology to promote cooperation among kindergartens, families and communities is an important feature of preschool education informatization. The informatization of preschool education is not only the informatization of kindergartens, but also the informatization of cooperation and communication among kindergartens, parents and communities. The Guiding Outline of Kindergarten Education (Trial) clearly points out: "Family is an important partner of kindergarten. We must strive for the understanding, support and active participation of parents in the principle of respect, equality and cooperation, and actively support and help parents improve their educational ability. " "Kindergartens should work closely with families and communities, make comprehensive use of various educational resources and jointly create favorable conditions for the development of young children. "With the help of modern information technology, we can improve the traditional family cooperative education mode, broaden the contact and communication channels between kindergartens, parents and communities, integrate various preschool education resources, and create a good environment for children's all-round development.
At present, various family contact webpages, parenting forums, class blogs and [34]QQ groups have appeared, providing new ways to promote cooperation among kindergartens, families and communities.
Third, the problems that should be paid attention to in the information construction of preschool education
The object of preschool education informatization is preschool education, and the object of preschool education is preschool children, who have unique physiological and psychological characteristics. Therefore, we should pay attention to the following problems in the information construction of preschool education.
(A) We must bear in mind that the fundamental purpose of pre-school education informatization is to promote the all-round development of children.
The informationization of preschool education serves preschool education. No matter how the technology changes and the environment changes, the ultimate goal of preschool education informatization is to promote children's all-round development. Only the informationization of preschool education emphasizes the support of modern information technology for children's learning and cognition in the information age. Therefore, we should bear in mind that children's healthy and happy learning is the basis of preschool education informatization. In order to let children play and learn happily and spontaneously in the information environment, teachers should properly guide children to master certain information technologies, rather than mechanical skill training and blind knowledge transfer. We can't informatization for the sake of informatization, thus discarding the foundation of preschool education development.
(B) the use of information technology must be "appropriate."
At present, many people are still skeptical about the popularization of computers and the Internet in kindergartens, and think that it is unnecessary for kindergartens to carry out computer education and online education. Computer and information technology are only convenient tools for kindergarten teachers or leaders to assist in teaching, obtain educational and teaching resources and release information. Many scholars believe that computers will make children over-mature and deprive them of meaningful social activities, and will replace traditional children's activities, such as painting and reading. Although the above-mentioned position report of the National Association for Early Childhood Education holds that the correct use of computer technology can promote children's cognitive and social development. However, the age range of children targeted in this report is 3-8 years old. Like other organizations (such as the American Academy of Pediatrics) or independent researchers, the National Preschool Education Association does not advocate the use of computers by children under 3 years old. According to Haugland and Wright( 1997), whether children under 3 can use computers does not match the learning style of children of this age. Children under 3 years old learn mainly through the five senses. They see with their eyes, listen with their ears, taste with their mouths, and exercise and operate with their hands and feet. It is these repetitive movements, constant attention to change and adjustment, cordial communication with people around them, so that children have mastered the skills of climbing, walking, talking and making friends. Computers are not a good choice for these basic skills that must be developed in the initial stage of life. So far, there is no evidence that learning computer before the age of 3 is helpful to their future development, on the contrary, it may be potentially harmful (Cordes and Miller, 2000). [35]
Therefore, information technology must be used carefully and appropriately in kindergartens, and only children aged 3 and above can access computers, and the use time should be strictly limited, generally 15 ~ 20 minutes is appropriate. Teachers should give necessary guidance and support to children in the process of using information technology to promote their cognitive and social development.
(C) offering information technology courses must be "appropriate"
Although research in recent years has proved that children's use of computers is beneficial in all aspects, it is also necessary to learn information technology among children. For example, the famous American preschool educator Spodike and others also put forward that "preschool children live in the computer age, and they should not only learn from computers, but also learn from computers." [36] But we can't completely follow the example of primary and secondary schools or high schools and offer independent information technology education courses. Because in preschool education, the main task is not to impart knowledge or skills, but to explore and discover knowledge independently in activities and games. In other words, kindergartens can offer information technology-related courses, but in order to adopt appropriate forms and contents, they must be combined with other activity courses instead of learning and mastering information technology knowledge and skills in isolation.
In 19 10 year.
Sitting alone in the pond is like a tiger sitting in the shade to recuperate.
If I don't speak first in spring, which bug dares to speak?