Abstract
This case study, part of a larger qualitative research project, involved 24 kindergarteners and their teacher in the design, development, and evaluation of a research project built around the I-LEARN model (Neuman, Learning in information-rich environments: I-LEARN and the construction of knowledge in the 21st Century. Springer, New York, 2011b). I-LEARN is a six-step learning model (Identify, Locate, Evaluate, Apply, Reflect and kNow) designed to guide research for twenty first-century learning. The objectives of the study were both to improve the digital and information literacies of the participants and to validate the I-LEARN model for use in an early childhood classroom. The findings have implications for information literacy, digital literacy, and developmentally appropriate practices.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology (1998). Information power: Building partnerships for learning. Chicago: ALA Editions.
American Library Association. (1989). Presidential committee on information literacy: Final report. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential.
Bawden, D. (2008). Origins and concepts of digital literacy. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel (Eds.), Digital literacies: Concepts, policies and practices (pp. 17–32). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (Eds.). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd edn.). Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Burnett, C. (2010). Technology and literacy in early childhood educational settings: A review of research. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10(3), 247–270. doi:10.1177/1468798410372154.
Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2008). Professional development: Getting clear about developmentally appropriate practice. Young Children, 63(1), 54–55.
Davis, L. (2012). 5 things every teacher should be doing to meet the common core state standards. Larchmont, NY: Eye in Education.
Gillen, J., & Barton, D. (2010). Digital literacies: A research briefing by the technology enhanced learning phase of the teaching and learning research programme. London: London Knowledge Lab Institute of Education.
Gullo, D. F., & Hughes, K. (2011). Reclaiming kindergarten: Part I. Questions about theory and practice. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(5), 323–328.
Hsin, C. T., Li, M. C., & Chin-Chung, T. (2014). The influence of young children’s use of technology on their learning: A review. Educational Technology & Society, 17(4), 85–99.
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2005). Alexandria proclamation on information literacy and lifelong learning. international federation of library associations and institutions, Netherlands. Retrieved from http://www.ifla.org/publications/alexandria-manifesto-on-libraries-the-information-society-in action.
International Reading Association. (2009). New literacies and 21st-century technologies: A position statement of the International Reading Association. Newark, DE: International Reading Association
Little Bird Tales. (2014). Retrieved June 4, 2104, Retrieved from https://littlebirdtales.com/about/default/.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. (Position Statement). Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2014). DAP with Kindergarteners. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/dap/kindergarteners.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.).12 Principles of child development and learning that inform practice. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/dap/12-principles-of-child-development.
National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College. (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PS_technology_WEB2.pdf.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common core state standards. Washington, DC: Authors.
Neuman, D. (2008, January). I-LEARN: A model for creating knowledge in the information age. In 37th annual conference of the International Association of School Librarianship, Berkeley, CA.
Neuman, D. (2011a, August). Constructing knowledge in the twenty-first century: I-LEARN and using information as a tool for learning. School Library Research, 14. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol14/SL ConstructingKnowledge_V14.pdf.
Neuman, D. (2011b). Learning in information-rich environments: I-LEARN and the construction of knowledge in the 21st Century. New York: Springer.
Neuman, S. B., & Celano, D. C. (2012). Worlds apart: One city, two libraries, and ten years of watching inequality grow. American Educator, 36(3), 13–23.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2004). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework.
Purcell, K., Rainie, L., Heaps, A., Buchanan, J., Friedrich, Jacklin, A., Zickuhr, K. (2010). How Teens Do Research in the Digital World. Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/11/01/part-iv-teaching-research-skills-in-todays-digital-environment/.
Ritzhaupt, A. D., Liu, F., Dawson, K., & Barron, A. E. (2013). Differences in student information and communication technology literacy based on socio-economic status, ethnicity, and gender: Evidence of a digital divide in Florida schools. Journal of Research on Technology in Education (International Society for Technology in Education), 45(4), 291–307.
Tomlinson, H. B. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in the kindergarten year–ages 5–6: An overview. In C. Copple & S. Bredekamp (Eds.), Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd edn., pp. 187–216). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Yin, R. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd edn.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publishing.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by a Drexel University School of Education grant. We are grateful to the leadership, teachers, and students from Fairmount School who participated in the project.
Funding
This study was supported by an unnumbered Drexel University School of Education grant.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
The Drexel University Institutional Review Board approved this research. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tecce DeCarlo, M.J., Grant, A., Lee, V.J. et al. Information and Digital Literacies in a Kindergarten Classroom: An I-LEARN Case Study. Early Childhood Educ J 46, 265–275 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0857-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0857-7