The use of computers in education is by no means limited to older schoolchildren and students. In the municipality of Hämeenkyrö in Pirkanmaa , it was proven that Chromebooks are also well suited as teaching tools in early childhood education.
In the spring of 2021, a close-knit, approximately four-month pilot project in early childhood education was implemented in collaboration with Cloudpoint at the Heinijärvi and Sasi daycare centers in Hämeenkyrö, which introduced approximately one hundred children from the age of three to the use of Chromebooks during the spring.
Without functioning network connections, the digital leap would not be possible. To get the use of Chromebooks up to speed, the municipality of Hämeenkyrö built a fiber optic connection and a wireless network in both daycare centers.
Hämeenkyrö already had a Google environment in use in basic education, so from a system perspective, the project did not require major technical implementation efforts. The 22 new Acer Chromebooks purchased by the municipality were simply integrated into the existing environment.
“When Chromebooks came out, I just installed them. Maintaining the machines is easy,” says ICT support person and Google environment administrator Mira Seilonen .
In early February 2021, the pilot started with Cloudpoint's tailored training for early childhood educators . The training included training on basic Chromebook functions and the use of Drive files. In addition, early childhood educators learned how to use illustration and music tools, among other things.
The project also included two pedagogical workshops, where early childhood education expert Satu Nerg-Öhman from Espoo shared experiences and models on the use of information and communication technology with the people of Hämeenkyrö .
After attending Cloudpoint's training, the early childhood educators began to put into practice what they had learned in the training, each at their own pace.
“As soon as you start trying everything, that's when you learn best,” says early childhood education nurse Marika Tuiskula from Heinijärvi Daycare Center.
Tuiskula says that, for example, the children learned how to open a drawing program on the Chromebook, which they then used to draw themselves. The Chromebook was used to introduce them to letters and to write.
“Usually everyone wanted to write their own name,” Tuiskula recalls.
In addition, the children were allowed to add images, colors, and background colors from the internet to their work. In Heinijärvi, the children used Chromebooks throughout the spring to create space-themed work, which was perfectly suited to adding different colors, shapes, and background images.
“It was really versatile for the kids. They got to try it themselves, I didn't pick anything,” Tuiskula says.
Chromebooks were also used for storytelling . Tuiskula says that the children first made winter-themed paintings and then used the Chromebook's dictation program to tell a fairy tale about the picture they had made.
Tiia Kurikka from Sasin Daycare Center says that the use of Chromebooks was incorporated into everyday life in small pieces. For example, Sasin used the Music Lab program, tried out photo orienteering, and made a QR code course.
“When the spring party couldn't be held on site due to the coronavirus, we came up with a solution: make a spring party video for homes. Instead of the spring party, the family received a video of their child's group,” Kurikka describes. Of course, a Chromebook was used to make the videos.
According to Päivi Papinaho, director of Heinijärvi Daycare Center, even younger children benefit from using IT devices.
“This is not a game, as parents may think. This is a comprehensive use of Chromebooks in pedagogy. The devices have been used to learn colors and shapes, search for images online and attach them to different templates, and learn how to create music.”
Papinaho reminds us that children are naturally active in producing different materials from their own interests and experiences, for example through drawings, games and experiments, as well as exploring and expressing themselves in many different ways.
"It's easy to use a Chromebook for all of this, as well as to support and inspire your child to produce their own work and develop multi-literacy skills. The ability to use a stylus also adds a special touch to using a Chromebook. A child's life is full of fleeting, wonderful moments, so we strive to document them in many different ways in electronic form."
Papinaho also sees the perspective of sustainable development.
“We strive to create equal opportunities for children and to act as active seekers of knowledge, eager experimenters and creative learners in this rapidly developing world. As Green Flag daycare centers that promote sustainable development, we feel that Chromebooks also fit well with this ideology.”
In addition, early childhood educators in Hämeenkyrö have a longer time perspective when using information technology.
"We thought that there are all sorts of possibilities here. When a child starts kindergarten with us, this can be a continuum (of using the devices) all the way to high school. The device demonstrations aroused great enthusiasm about all the things that can be done," says Päivi Papinaho.
Tiia Kurikka reminds us that children have grown up in a completely different world than adults. “Their open-mindedness towards IT devices is completely different from ours. The threshold is much lower.”
Thanks to the early childhood educators in Hämeenkyrö's desire to learn, the children they taught were able to learn and try out many new things. But the teachers themselves learned too!
ICT support person Mira Seilonen remembers the teachers' initial enthusiasm for Chromebooks, because in Heinijärvi, for example, Chromebooks were new to all early childhood educators.
“When people used to Windows devices saw Chromebooks, they got excited: there was a rotating screen, a touchscreen, a stylus, and a front and rear camera on the device. That sparked enthusiasm and teachers started asking when the devices would be available,” Seilonen recalls.
Tiia Kurikka says that the teachers enjoyed learning. “The project found new ways and avenues to implement early childhood education in a new way, such as bringing something new to the music moment with the Music Lab. Different functions were found than what we are traditionally used to. With the Chromebook, you can interactively use many things at the same time. You get images and sound, which brings depth to your work,” says Kurikka.
Inno is also confirmed by Päivi Papinaho.
“It feels like this hit the right target group. The collaboration has worked brilliantly towards Cloudpoint and within the municipality.”
The very successful project has already spawned a sequel. Päivi Papinaho says that a joint digipeda team has now been created at the Heinijärvi and Sasi daycare centers, to make it easier for the daycare centers to build collaboration between early childhood educators related to digital learning.
“We made a Google Slides presentation with space pictures. The children were so happy to see their own picture somewhere on a rocket. The highlight has been seeing the children's joy at being so excited.” - Marika Tuiskula
“The children took pictures in the forest and brought them to the group. Even with small children, we were able to go back to those moments and share them with our parents.” - Tiia Kurikka
The images in this text are drawings made on Chromebooks by children from Hämeenkyrö Early Childhood Education.