When my daughter was about a year old, she would pretend to talk on the phone. She held up a banana or a plastic toy to her ear and carried on an animated conversation—mostly babbling, with some real words and phrases mixed in. Now, at age 3, her pretend play has become more intricate and complex. It involves a rotating cast of...
Read MoreWhen studying media for early learning, researchers must keep equity at the forefront, says Shelley Pasnik. Pasnik, director of the Center for Children and Technology, was one of a group of media creators, scholars, and educators who met in Pittsburgh in early June for the 2014 Fred Forward Conference. Experts discussed how to help children build consistent, positive, and meaningful connections...
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In Melissa Butler’s kindergarten classroom at Pittsburgh Allegheny, an elementary school on the city’s north side, 5-year-olds are learning about simple circuits and electricity. The children examine the circuit parts, take them apart carefully, and notice each component. They sketch the technology from different angles. They discuss what they see with their teachers and their friends. This classroom is part of a...
Read MoreThe Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College contributed a chapter to the new book, Technology and Digital Media in the Early Years: Tools for Teaching and Learning, by Routledge Publishers and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Fred Rogers Center director of education and research, Dr. Michael Robb, authored a chapter in conjunction with Dr....
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My 5-year-old spent the summer getting very messy. When I picked her up at preschool one day in July, she was barefoot, shirtless, and covered in mud from head to toe. She and three friends had been building a mountain in their school’s play yard. Their materials: rocks, gold paint, feathers, and lots of good old-fashioned mud. That was one of...
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