Connecting pedagogy, technology, and content in virtual early childhood

Abstract

Connecting pedagogical practices with content by using the various technological devices has consistently been a challenge for teachers (Chai et al., 2013; Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Mecoli, 2013). But what happens when the platform changes from brick-and-mortar to virtual? The COVID-19 Pandemic forced teachers across the globe to leave in-person learning and go virtual (Garcia & Weiss, 2020; United Nations, 2020). Considering this rapid shift in instructional presentation, early childhood education (ECE) teachers were left with many challenges. This collection of three manuscripts uses the voice of brick-and-mortar ECE teachers who pivoted to virtual instruction at a moment’s notice. Through using the technological pedagogical and content knowledge framework (TPACK; Koehler et al., 2013; Mishra & Koehler, 2009) and National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC, 2020) developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) guidelines, insight is gained in the first manuscript qualitatively about what challenges ECE virtual teachers faced while implementing pedagogy, technology, and content knowledge with young students. Manuscript I also asks if the strategies used by ECE teachers are considered DAP? The second manuscript used a mixed methods to answer quantitatively how ECE virtual teachers implemented TPACK and qualitatively how did ECE virtual teachers assess student learning? The final manuscript shares directly from a PreK teacher and a 1st grade teacher, who collectively have 29 years of teaching experience and hold master’s degrees, their strategies used while teaching virtually and align these strategies with NAEYC’s DAP guidelines (2020).