Ενσωμάτωση του ηλεκτρονικού υπολογιστή στην προσχολική τάξη : απόψεις νηπιαγωγών και γονέων

Abstract

Computers are now an important part of modern everyday life, not only as automatic objects that help to facilitate work, but also as educational tools (Prensky, 2001). The introduction of the computer into the kindergarten aims to familiarize the child with simple basic computer functions and to come into contact with his various uses, as a means of teaching as a tool for discovery, creation and expression in the context of daily activities (DEPPS, 2003). The purpose of this research is to investigate the contribution of computer use to improving the pre-school education process. More specifically, the views, knowledge and perceptions of pre-school teachers and preschool children on the subject are examined. The present research is implemented through a mixed methodological approach, as both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to explore the issue on a multi-faceted basis. More specifically, a combination of questionnaire (Christodoulou-Gliou & Gourgioatou, 2009) was carried out in 45 teachers and a semi-structured interview with 15 parents of preschool children. The results obtained through the questionnaire and the semi-structured interview, show that the integration of the computer in the pre-school class is beneficial not only to the development of children but also to the content of the educational process itself. However, it is particularly important that many of the participants claim that they are unable to support the use of computers in preschool classes. The results of our research lead us to the conclusion that the theoretical training for computer integration in the preschool class is imperative.