Author: Angela M. Rios Zuluaga
Lamar University – M.Ed. in Applied Digital Learning
This article was developed as my final publication for the course EDLD 5317 – Creating Digital Environments. It reflects my classroom innovation, Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten, designed to foster independence and engagement through QR codes and digital centers. This publication represents my authentic voice as a digital learning leader who seeks to connect theory and practice in early childhood education.
Creating Digital Environments in Kindergarten: Tech Time, QR Codes, and Student Independence
EDLD 5317 – Publication Final Draft
Creating Digital Environments (Lamar University – M.Ed. in Applied Digital Learning)
Abstract
This article presents Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten, an innovation designed to foster independence among young learners through the purposeful use of QR codes and iPads. The project emerged from a common challenge in early childhood classrooms: sustaining student engagement during small-group instruction. By introducing a weekly QR code system that connected students to carefully selected math and literacy resources, children developed routines that allowed them to practice skills autonomously while I worked with targeted groups. This approach illustrates how a purposeful digital environment can support self-directed learning, collaboration, and digital citizenship in early childhood settings.
Introduction: Digital Environments as a Support for Learning
Technology should never be the focus of instruction; instead, it should serve as a bridge that supports meaningful learning. In early childhood, this balance is especially important because young learners thrive through play, exploration, and social interaction. Thought leaders such as Dewey (1938), Piaget (1970), Vygotsky (1978), Papert (1980), and Bruner (1960) remind us that learning is active, social, and constructed from experience. More recently, Schank (2011) has argued for invisible learning, where technology fades into the background and the learner’s experience takes center stage. My innovation, Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten, reflects this perspective by using QR codes and iPads to build a digital environment that helps children practice skills independently while I guide small groups.
My Voice: Creating Tech Time in Kindergarten
The inspiration for Tech Time came from a common challenge in kindergarten: keeping students engaged while small-group instruction is happening. I wanted a way for my students to take ownership of their learning without relying on me for every step. By creating a weekly QR code system that linked to curated math and literacy resources, my students gained independence. They could scan a code, access an activity, and practice on their own.
Students quickly learned routines and even helped classmates who struggled with scanning or logging in, showing how teamwork naturally developed. Technical challenges, such as low iPad batteries or children occasionally clicking away from assigned apps, also emerged. These issues reminded me of the need to teach digital citizenship and assign responsibilities, such as a “tech helper” role, to encourage accountability.
Conceptual and Analytic Processes in Action
Several conceptual and analytic processes shaped this innovation:
- Prediction: Students predicted which QR code resource would help them practice a skill they needed, reinforcing self-direction.
- Experimentation: Children experimented with math games and literacy apps, discovering strategies through trial and error.
- Evaluation: At the end of each session, students reflected using sentence stems such as “I learned ___” or “Next time I will ___.”
- Planning: From the teacher’s perspective, creating a weekly QR code library required careful planning to ensure activities matched TEKS standards.
These processes not only strengthened engagement but also aligned with ISTE Standards such as the Empowered Learner and Knowledge Constructor. By integrating digital tools with intentional routines, young children learned to navigate technology with increasing confidence and independence.
The Invisible Technology Approach
One of the most powerful lessons I learned is that when technology is used purposefully, it becomes invisible. During Tech Time, my students are not focused on the iPads themselves but on the stories they are reading, the math games they are solving, or the challenges they are working through. This reflects Schank’s (2011) model of experiential learning: doing, reflecting, and trying again. A strong digital environment ensures that technology fades into the background, highlighting collaboration and learning outcomes.
Social Processes: Collaboration and Influence
Although Tech Time emphasizes independence, social processes are at the heart of its success. Students often influence one another by sharing how to scan a QR code or by showing a peer how to solve a game problem. Teamwork develops naturally as children collaborate and troubleshoot. These early experiences contribute to 21st-century skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Beyond the classroom, sharing results with parents and colleagues also helps influence attitudes about technology in early childhood. Instead of viewing devices as distractions, families begin to see them as meaningful tools for growth.
Reflections and Recommendations
This experience has shown me that technology can empower even our youngest learners when it is used with intention. For other educators or instructional leaders considering similar innovations, I recommend:
- Start with learning outcomes: Let objectives drive the choice of technology.
- Provide voice and choice: Allow students to select resources or reflect in their own words.
- Design clear routines: Independence grows when expectations are consistent and simple to follow.
- Use feedback as feedforward: Guide students to reflect on what they will do differently next time.
By designing digital environments with these principles, teachers can empower children to thrive as self-directed learners.
Conclusion: Learning First, Always
Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten has reinforced my belief that technology should quietly support learning, not overshadow it. By embedding QR codes into daily practice, students learn to predict, experiment, and evaluate their own progress, while also building teamwork and independence. When educators create intentional digital environments, even the youngest children can flourish as empowered learners in a digital age.
References
Bruner, J. S. (1960). The process of education. Harvard University Press.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2024). ISTE Standards for students. https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. Basic Books.
Piaget, J. (1970). Science of education and the psychology of the child. Orion Press.
Schank, R. C. (2011). Teaching minds: How cognitive science can save our schools. Teachers College Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
This publication incorporates the feedback provided by my instructor, Dr. Bellard, and my peers during the Publication Rough Draft stage. Their thoughtful suggestions guided me to refine my writing and strengthen my arguments.
Dr. Bellard recommended including student outcome data to deepen my claims. Since the implementation of my innovation began only last week, my students were still developing classroom routines and completing the initial i-Ready diagnostic assessments, which are essential for establishing structure. This year, several of my students entered Kindergarten without prior Pre-K experience, which slowed our initial progress toward independence. However, by the end of the week, I observed encouraging results students demonstrated increasing familiarity with QR codes, and two of them even helped classmates log in to their iPads. These early outcomes show positive growth in engagement, collaboration, and autonomy, confirming that we are moving in the right direction.
My peers also provided valuable insights that helped me refine the organization of my article and improve transitions between theory and classroom examples. They encouraged me to emphasize how digital routines connect to cognitive processes such as prediction, evaluation, and modeling. Their feedback inspired me to make my ideas more cohesive and to highlight the authentic connection between technology and meaningful learning experiences in early childhood education.
Overall, the feedback process allowed me to see my publication from multiple perspectives and make intentional revisions that strengthened my academic writing and deepened the impact of my message as a digital learning leader.