The "besTech" Technology Practice Framework for Early Childhood Education.

Effective development of children's computational thinking (CT) skills necessitates their exposure to experiences that require the application of CT to build technological solutions. However, the integration of technology into early childhood education is often challenging due to concerns about potential harm to young children. This paper presents a best-practices technology framework constructed from the contributions of early childhood professional organizations and experts. The framework consists of nine elements (Child, Pedagogy, Context, Content, Facilitators, Environment, Evaluation, Tools & Innovations, and Screen Time) that must be understood in the context of technology usage to intentionally extend and complement early childhood learning while minimizing its harm. In addition, the paper proposes a holistic view of technological classification, age groups around technology usage, and input-device literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]