ABSTRACT
Since the 1990s, children’s immediate spheres of home, school, and community have been stretched to other virtual worlds through internet connections. Uses of technologies have impacted formal and informal learning and will be part of their future life and work. A bioecological perspective provides a practical framework for contextualization of children’s technology uses and for studying proximal processes (Process, Person, Context, Time) to understand developmental changes in learning. Because of the experiential nature of learning young children require, uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that may be perceived as less engaging have been met with some resistance. Research studying the interactive effects of proximal processes on children’s learning and development is limited but does inform several important position papers on developmentally appropriate technologies for young children. This chapter serves as a guide for families, teachers, and community agencies to provide intentional and interactive technology experiences that do not replace, but supplement play and learning with real-world objects and people.
