AN INVESTIGATION OF THE DIGITAL MEDIA PROGRAM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Abstract

Our world is becoming more digital, interactive, and online, and digital media is becoming more common in our daily lives. As a result, countries aim towards new training strategies to address this development appropriately. The goal of this study is to examine the “Digital Media in Early Childhood Education Program” developed and implemented as a result of a two-year model project in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The document analysis method was used to examine the program and obtained data was reported using the content analysis method. The program was translated from German to Turkish by the researchers. The Digital Media in Early Childhood Education Program generally consists of four main sections, followed by study materials and sample applications. Digital media education is about addressing children's interests and needs, rather than creating as perfect media content as possible. If digital media education is understood as “we have to teach children how to use digital media”, then the reservations of education professionals can be entirely understandable. Because this understanding incorporates a problematic reduction of education to the use of the media and contradicts basic pedagogical requirements such as the relevance to a specific situation and context, the significance for implemented pedagogical concepts, and the individual child's needs. Therefore, the “Digital Media in Early Childhood Education” program is focusing on educating educators for the reflective placement of media education in everyday life to overcome this misunderstanding. The goal of the model project and program is to develop and test the structural and content-related conditions for the age-appropriate and pedagogically sensitive use of digital media in preschool education institutions. The program with the included materials and sample applications, which consist of comprehensive information about digital media education in early childhood, is a guide to institutions, teachers, and researchers. Keywords: Digital media, early childhood education, preschool education, educational program