CBeebies Website - For Pre-Schoolers

CBeebies is part of the British Broadcasting Corporation website. From a UK IP address it is free to access and contains no advertisements. The content has been developed from the CBeebies television channel and is aimed primarily at pre-school children. The website design reflects this. Navigation is simple and uncluttered. There are lots of colourful pictures while written text is minimal and in large childish font. A voice reader has been incorporated into the site so it is accessible to non-readers and those with visual impairments. Within the site children can design their own picture, read or be read an interactive story, play games involving matching patterns, as well as sing-a-long to their favourite songs. There is also a "Grown-ups" section explaining the educational goals behind the activities. 

CBeebies is an excellent illustration of how technology can be utilised to promote the development of young children. Graphics, audio and video technology have been used to promote social growth and cooperation (Brown, Winsor & Blake, 2012, p. 124). For example, The Veggietones song promotes healthy eating while the Coats of Leaves story encourages children to appreciate their natural environment.

The wide variety of activities in different media formats is also helpful for children who struggle with traditional teaching methods (Brown et al., 2012, p. 112). Constructionist educational theories argue all children learn best when they are “in charge” of their own learning (Spatariu, Peach, & Bell, 2012, p. 36). Technology used on the CBeebies site such as designing your own book allows the child to express their individual creativity. 

Early fears that the use of technology by young children would lead to their isolation and lack of cooperation have largely been disproved (Brown et al., 2012, p. 122). The “grown up” section of this site provides advice on how to use the resources with children. This will encourage social interaction between carer and child.

It is important for librarians to consult external websites such CBeebies to keep up to date on how technology is being used in early years education. This is helpful for getting design ideas for library resources and it gave me an appreciation of the considerable competition libraries face in the digital world.  This research can be extended by attending conferences and looking at the Association of Advancement of Computing in Education website (Spatariu et al., 2012, p. 39).

Public libraries could also look to incorporate some of the CBeebies resources in their own programming such as using the interactive songs in toddler sessions. Many of these sessions still use traditional content (McKenzie & Stooke, 2012, p. 48) which may soon become outdated for the youngest digital native patrons.

However, at least 20% of the UK  population do not have digital technology at home so will not be able to use websites such as CBeebies (Sieghart, 2014, p. 6). These children are at a considerable educational and social disadvantage (Eynon, & Malmberg, 2011, p. 592). Public libraries can have a pivotal role redressing this digital divide by providing access to resources such as CBeebies (Spatariu et al., p. 30).

References

Brown, J., Winsor, D. L., & Blake, S. (2012). Technology and social-emotional development in the early childhood environments. In (Ed.), Child Development and the Use of Technology: Perspectives, Applications and Experiences, 112-128.  doi:10.4018/978-1-61350-317-1.ch006.

CBeebies. (2014, February 25). CBeebies: Something special friends song. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jysq3gdODJY

Eynon, R., & Malmberg, L. (2011). A typology of young people’s internet use: Implications for education. Computers & Education, 56(3), 585–595. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.09.020

McKenzie, P.J., & Stooke, R.K. (2012). Making a difference: The important of purpose in early learning programs. Children & Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To Children, 10(2), 47-52.

Sieghart, W. (2014). Department for culture media & sport: Independent library report for England. Retrieved from UK government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/388989/Independent_Library_Report-_18_December.pdf

Spatariu, A., Peach, A., & Bell, S. (2012). Enculturation of young children and technology. In S. Blake, D.L. Winsor, & L. Allen (Eds.), Technology and Young Children: Bridging the Communication-Generation Gap, (pp. 24-48). doi:10.4018/978-1-61350-059-0.ch002.