MOBILE LEARNING COURSE DESIGN AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Most teacher education programs do not promote an understanding of how to incorporate mobile learning experiences into Early Childhood classrooms, despite increasing interest among American educators in such approaches to group learning as cooperative and project-based experiences. Digital technologies have opened new windows into complex classroom possibilities and their connection to the social nature of learning and family engagement. Extending these ideas into a University context affords opportunities for new understandings of practices that can support how individuals learn from and with each other. Thoughtful design of mobile learning coursework and professional development should focus on emotional connectedness, language development, and sensorimotor development, and must include multiple perspectives in order to engage all participants in the educational process.