Course Information
SemesterCourse Unit CodeCourse Unit TitleT+P+LCreditNumber of ECTS CreditsLast Updated Date
8EEC071Digital Trends in Early Childhood0+0+03414.10.2026
Course Details
Language of Instruction Turkish
Level of Course Unit Bachelor's Degree
Department / Program Pre-School Teaching
Type of Program Formal Education
Type of Course Unit Elective
Course Delivery Method Face To Face
Objectives of the Course It involves prospective teachers critically interpreting the impact of digitalization on early childhood; implementing practices related to modern learning solutions, healthy learning through making and design, STEM/STEAM, computational thinking, AI literacy, and planning within the framework of children ` s rights; and evaluating children ` s learning processes and their own pedagogical decisions by developing digital documentation and development tools.
Course Content Dear prospective teacher, in your third-year course on Technology-Supported Education in Early Childhood, you examined the role of technology in learning, evaluated tools, theoretical approaches, and developmental appropriateness, and observed real classrooms through the lens of a researcher. In this course, you will take a step further: you will design learning environments that incorporate technology and focus on learning *about* technology, implement them with children, document the processes, and refine them based on evidence. For the child, technology should not merely be a tool for watching and practicing; it should offer opportunities for inquiry, design, creation, expression, and collaborative thinking.
Course Methods and Techniques The course maintains the Du-TE-based practice approach defined in the previous syllabus: concrete experience, reflection, activity design, peer sharing/feedback, and real classroom experience. Each practice cycle follows the "design › implement › document › evaluate › improve" workflow. The course ` s three-hour weekly sessions integrate conceptual discussion, case analysis, design workshops, and feedback on practice.
• Each student conducts individual practice and documentation tailored to the context of their specific internship classroom; design, collaborative tool development, and cross-class comparisons are carried out in groups of 3–4 students.
• Direct classroom implementation is conducted only with the approval of the institution and the supervising teacher. If permission is not granted, simulations or peer-based practice are documented separately; they cannot be presented as practice conducted with children.
• Anonymized observation notes, product drawings, and teacher-verified evidence may be used instead of digital recordings. Images of children that reveal faces or identities are not shared in class presentations or shared files.
• A child ` s self-assessment does not involve grading or peer ranking; rather, it entails expressing their experiences, moments of difficulty, preferences, and ideas for next steps in age-appropriate ways.
Prerequisites and co-requisities None
Course Coordinator Prof.Dr. Şermin Metin https://profil.hku.edu.tr/akademik/sermin-metin/ sermin.metin@hku.edu.tr
Name of Lecturers Prof.Dr. Şermin Metin https://profil.hku.edu.tr/akademik/sermin-metin/ sermin.metin@hku.edu.tr
Assistants None
Work Placement(s) No

Recommended or Required Reading
Resources • Additional readings: recent peer-reviewed studies on data/AI literacy, coding, STEM, digital documentation, and child participation; announced on the course platform on a weekly basis.
Course Notes -

Course Category
Field %100

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities are given in detail in the section of "Assessment Methods and Criteria" and "Workload Calculation"

Assessment Methods and Criteria
In-Term Studies Quantity Percentage
Mid-terms 1 % 40
Final examination 1 % 60
Total
2
% 100

 
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration Total Work Load
Course Duration 14 3 42
Hours for off-the-c.r.stud 14 2 28
Assignments 4 6 24
Presentation 1 8 8
Final examination 1 18 18
Total Work Load   Number of ECTS Credits 4 120

 
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
NoLearning Outcomes
1 It critically discusses the effects of digitalization on childhood, the learning environment, and the role of the teacher.
2 It integrates active, experiential, inquiry-based, project-based, and production-oriented learning approaches with technology.
3 Organizes an open-ended production/discovery environment suited to the conditions of the internship classroom and the characteristics of the children.
4 Plans, implements, and revises—based on evidence—activities within the design process and an integrated STEM/STEAM framework.
5 Develops digital observation, documentation, and portfolio tools; supports developmentally appropriate child self-assessment.
6 It addresses the observable processes of computational thinking through unplugged, robotics, and block-based activities.
7 It addresses the fundamental logic of artificial intelligence using examples appropriate for the preschool level and critically evaluates the production of AI-supported materials for teachers.
8 It compares the usability of digital games, AR/VR, and emerging technologies in early childhood in terms of evidence and developmental appropriateness.
9 It makes ethical decisions regarding children ` s data, privacy, algorithmic bias, accessibility, and teachers ` professional judgment.
10 It creates an individual professional development portfolio using application data, children ` s products, and reflection records.

 
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
WeekTopicsStudy MaterialsMaterials
1 Digitalization and the child of the digital age — Societal digital transformation; critique of the “digital native” discourse; digital childhood; algorithmic recommendation systems and the child’s experience; recalling 3rd-grade knowledge. You should come to class having done the reading. Course syllabus
2 New trends in learning approaches — Active, experiential, inquiry-based, and project-based learning; their intersections with technology; child participation, play, and creation. You should come to class having done the reading. Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. Basic Books.
3 Değişen öğrenme ortamları — Maker alanı, atölye, teknoloji/keşif merkezi; açık uçlu materyaller; somut-dijital hibrit ortam ve erişilebilirlik. You should come to class having done the reading. • NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center. (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.
4 Data and AI literacy — The new layer of data literacy; AI awareness; the guiding power of algorithms; conceptual boundaries in preschool education. You should come to class having done the reading. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. (2021). General Comment No. 25: Children’s rights in relation to the digital environment.
5 Learning by making, maker culture, and design — Constructionism; problem–imagining–planning–creating–testing–developing; iteration; play and production. You should come to class having done the reading. • NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center. (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.
6 STEM and STEAM approaches — Siloed, embedded, and integrated disciplinary integration; the design-STEM relationship; the function of art; evidence of the process. You should come to class having done the reading. Kol, S. (2021). Technology use in early childhood. Pegem Akademi.
7 Development of digital documentation and assessment tools — Facilitates the use of anecdotal records, process observation, rubrics, and observable criteria, as well as digital portfolios and the tracking of development over time. You should come to class having done the reading. Kol, S. (2021). Technology use in early childhood. Pegem Akademi.
8 Child self- and peer assessment, data ethics — Visual/symbolic self-assessment; child voice and participation; peer feedback; data collection, access, storage, and deletion. You should come to class having done the reading. • NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center. (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.
9 Computational thinking and unplugged coding — Decomposition, patterns, sequencing/algorithms, debugging; age-appropriate interpretation of abstraction; unplugged experiences through games and stories. You should come to class having done the reading. • Ministry of National Education. (2024). Century of Türkiye Education Model – Preschool Education Program.
10 Robotic coding — Instructions, testing, and debugging; collaborative robotics experiences; equivalent tangible alternatives (in the absence of the actual tools) and their limitations. You should come to class having done the reading. • NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center. (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.
11 Block-based and hybrid integration — open-standard authoring environments like ScratchJr; bridging physical objects and the screen; embedded product and process assessment. You should come to class having done the reading. • Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054.
12 Artificial intelligence: logic and children ` s understanding — Data–pattern–prediction; examples for observation/teaching; the human-machine distinction; children ` s perception of AI and attribution of lifelikeness. You should come to class having done the reading. • Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054.
13 Teachers ` use of artificial intelligence — Plans, stories, visuals, materials, and differentiation; design of objectives; files, bias, copyright, data concerning children, and professional judgment. You should come to class having done the reading. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. (2021). General Comment No. 25: Children’s rights in relation to the digital environment.
14 AR/VR, emerging technologies, digital gaming — Augmented reality, age restrictions for virtual reality, 3D production; the distinction between digital game-based learning and gamification; intrinsic motivation. You should come to class having done the reading. Kol, S. (2021). Technology use in early childhood. Pegem Akademi.
15 Ethical and critical synthesis; portfolio presentation — Distinguishing between evidence and trends; EdTech market; algorithmic bias, inequality; professional judgment. You should come to class having done the reading. Kol, S. (2021). Technology use in early childhood. Pegem Akademi.
16 Final / practical portfolio — A synthesis of the semester ` s practical work and assessment evidence. You should come to class having done the reading. -

 
Sustainable Development Goals
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12 P13 P14
C1 2 1 2 2
C2 3 3 3 3 2
C3 3 3 5 4 4 3 2
C4 3 4 3 5 5 4 4 4 3
C5 3 5 4 5 5 4
C6 3 4 4 3 5 3
C7 3 4 5 3 4 5 3 3
C8 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 3
C9 4 3 3 4 4 2 5
C10 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 3

  Contribution: 1: Very Slight 2:Slight 3:Moderate 4:Significant 5:Very Significant