Integrated Information Technology and Early Childhood Education - Research Paper Example

An important finding from the study is that integrated information technology can have both negative as well as positive impacts on the above-mentioned factors, therefore, the tools need to be used with the right balance. Additionally, empirical and quantitative studies related to the impact of integrated information technology on early childhood and factors such as education, family atmosphere, parenting style, and the relationship between the parents and children are still in their nascent stages.

It is often said that children of today belong to the 'Technology Generation' (Jukes and Dosaj, 2006) or the digital natives (Presnsky, 2005). Information technology becomes a part of their life even when they are very young and has a deep influence during the growth years. Over the past decade, the use of integrated information technology continues to increase in early childhood education. During the initial years, both parents, as well as teachers, were concerned whether using instruments of integrated information technology would be beneficial or harmful to the children (Prensky, 2005).

However, the advantages offered by Information technology in education are immense and cannot be ignored.Traditionally, using information technology meant just the use of computers. However, with further advancement in technology, the use of the Internet, mobile applications, and other associated technology products have enhanced the scope of learning drastically. In fact, it has expanded beyond the traditional idea of education, and nowadays, it is used widely by parents to aid in enhancing character development and enhancing parent-child relationships (Donald, et al, 2012).

In doing so, the study looks at how the instruments of integrated information technology co-related with early childhood education, parenting styles, effectiveness on children's learning, character development, parent-children relationship, and family atmosphere.With advancements in information technology, several instruments are used to aid learning in children, even those who are in pre-school and kindergarten stages (Donald, et al,  2012).