The Validity of Technologies in Education: A Survey of Early Childhood Education Developmental Tools

Technology has proven to be effective and efficient in many aspects of life and learning. However, technology has also proven to inhibit the enhancement of developmental growth in certain circumstances with some audiences. This paper approaches the various applications of technologies in educational settings and reviews their effectiveness as learning tools in the area of early childhood – birth through age eight. Education developmental tools include: adaptive and assistive technologies, tablets, smartphone applications, computer software, robotic toys, and educational videos. Surveys and studies of technology in early childhood required observing tools used in the broad areas of educational settings, which include the classroom and home environments. Analyzing these observations, along with previous studies and techniques, help indicate the difference between educational tools which were developmentally appropriate and based on research, versus those that were not. Final reviews of each system will be given on which forms of technologies are helpful or harmful, and effective or ineffective to specific audiences. We conclude with recommendations for studies investigating engineering for developing educational tools that are cognitively appropriate.