I write this as a parent of a 4 and 6-year old, just at the heels of my daughter’s first year of Kindergarten. As someone whose livelihood is dependent on promoting technology in education, it’s ironic, but true, that I struggle with its place in the lives of my own young children. As a teacher, my time in the classroom was spent in an urban middle school, so I claim to be no expert on early childhood education.

Essentially, my children are tech-deprived. Ok, maybe not deprived, because technology is inherently part of their lives due to their parents’ livelihoods and interests. While they have sat on my lap when I’ve been on my computer, Skyped with their grandparents in California, viewed YouTube videos, browsed flickr pictures, and “sent” email, they have never used computers on their own, for something intentionally aimed at kids. Mind you, they are quite adept at tapping an i-phone touchpad and photographing with a digital camera, however, screen time (be it TV or computer) has been limited for them. Thankfully, Barney has never been a household word.

My daughter’s school does not have a technology lab so the only computer in her K/1 blended classroom is the teacher’s laptop. Thus, her school experience so far has also not included computer use. She is learning to write with a pencil, read from paper books, draw with crayons, problem-solve with her peers, and interact with the world in a face-to-face environment. While this seems old fashioned, I wonder if I would want it another way.

When I visited Kindergarten classrooms last year, I frequently asked how technology is used in the kindergarten classroom. Responses ranged from the kids sliding their lunch cards through a scanner to using early learning software to help children learn ABC’s and how to read.

I am certainly not bemoaning the use of computers in kindergarten or preschool classrooms, but I am curious how early childhood educators are using them. Do your students have their own blogs? Do they use art software to create masterpieces? Are their reading skills improving from digital books? How have computers brought academic, social, or creative value to your classroom?