How to connect digital play to Learning and Development goals with ease

By Michael Hilkemeijer

 

 

 

 

A Clear Path to Growth: How the Membership Helps Early Childhood Educators Reach Their Professional Goals

Using a Step-by-Step System to Achieve Technology Integration Goals in ECE

Setting professional goals as an early childhood educator is easy to do—but much harder to see through, especially when it comes to integrating technology into your teaching practice in meaningful ways.

 

The ICT in Education Teacher Academy bridges that gap with a clear success path—a series of milestones that reflect realistic, progressive, and achievable outcomes. These milestones are more than checkpoints—they are examples of professional goals for early childhood educators seeking to build confidence, competence, and leadership with ICT in early years settings.

 

Whether you’re a preschool teacher beginning your digital teaching journey or a more experienced educator looking to lead innovation, this membership provides the structure and support to help you move forward.

 

Here’s a look at the membership’s structured goals (milestones)—and the actions that help you achieve them.

 

 

Use ICT Tools with Purpose

Educators begin by setting a goal to use at least two forms of digital technology confidently in their classroom. This initial step is about building familiarity and seeing what works with your group.

Action steps include:

• Completing an audit of ICT tools available in your setting

• Choosing two digital tools (e.g., drawing programs, Bee-Bots, or photo apps)

• Downloading a done-for-you lesson plan and implementing it

• Observing student engagement and documenting outcomes

• Using the workbook reflection tools to assess the experience

This foundational stage supports professional goals for preschool teachers who are just beginning to explore how technology can expand curriculum opportunities.

 

 

Apply Teaching Strategies That Support All Learners

The next goal is to incorporate ICT strategies that enhance student engagement, critical thinking, and creativity—while also meeting diverse learning needs.

Action steps include:

• Watching strategy-based workshop videos in the membership

• Modifying a lesson plan to include interactive or multimodal ICT elements

• Delivering the lesson and tracking how children respond differently

• Sharing outcomes with peers in the membership community

• Using the reflection prompts to improve future practice

This aligns with professional development goals for preschool teachers focused on improving inclusive, differentiated instruction with the help of digital tools.

 

 

Build Your Personal ICT Resource Library

Here, the goal is to curate and organise digital tools, apps, templates, and lesson plans that support your evolving teaching style.

Action steps include:

• Browsing and saving ideas from the Members’ Library and Wisdom Tool

• Categorising resources by learning area, age group, or purpose

• Testing out new tools and collecting feedback from children

• Documenting your top tools and sharing your curated list with others

• Reflecting on how each resource fits your curriculum goals

This goal is ideal for educators building practical, classroom-ready collections that support both their short-term lesson needs and their long-term vision.

 

 

Teach and Model Safe, Responsible ICT Use

Digital literacy includes teaching children how to use technology ethically and responsibly. This goal ensures that digital citizenship becomes part of everyday learning.

Action steps include:

• Planning and delivering a simple digital safety lesson

• Incorporating age-appropriate discussion on digital responsibility

• Using role-play or games to teach respectful tech behaviour

• Documenting children’s understanding through observation

• Sharing insights with families and colleagues

This is a critical focus area for educators committed to embedding digital ethics into their pedagogy—and an important step for meeting curriculum standards.

 

 

Reflect, Collaborate, and Support Colleagues

As educators grow in confidence, they begin to reflect more deeply on their practice and seek collaboration with others. This goal supports peer learning and community building.

Action steps include:

• Joining forum discussions to share classroom experiences

• Offering feedback on other members’ lesson adaptations

• Using the Wisdom Tool to explore solutions to specific challenges

• Mentoring a colleague or co-developing a plan

• Reflecting on how collaboration enhances your teaching

For many members, this milestone helps turn isolated efforts into shared success. It directly supports ECE goals around collegial engagement and community learning.

 

 

Adapt Lessons to Suit Children’s Interests and Needs

Here, the goal is to confidently adjust ICT-based lesson plans to suit the unique context of your setting—moving from following to customising.

Action steps include:

• Choosing a lesson plan and modifying it based on observed interests

• Trying new formats (e.g., outdoor digital play, child-led investigations)

• Using the workbook to map out adaptations and evaluate results

• Sharing modified plans with the community for feedback

• Tracking improvements in child engagement and learning outcomes

This goal reflects real professional goals for early childhood educators: planning with flexibility, responding to children's needs, and making curriculum decisions with confidence.

Lead and Share Best Practice

This stage shifts your focus toward leading others in your centre or local network by modelling what effective ICT integration looks like.

Action steps include:

• Hosting a mini PD session or sharing insights in a staff meeting

• Recording and uploading a lesson demonstration

• Creating a downloadable resource pack based on your best practices

• Engaging others in your centre in joint ICT initiatives

• Using reflection prompts to evaluate your leadership growth

This is where members begin realising their potential as leaders in early childhood digital integration—turning their goals into impact beyond their own classroom.

Inspire Change Across Your Setting

The final milestone is about leading transformational change—not just teaching with ICT, but inspiring others to integrate it meaningfully and sustainably.

Action steps include:

• Designing a centre-wide ICT project or showcase

• Collaborating across teams to embed ICT in planning and practice

• Advocating for policy improvements related to digital learning

• Presenting your journey at a conference or external PD

• Mentoring others on their path to technology integration

These long-term outcomes are powerful examples of professional development goals for preschool teachers who want to not only grow their own capacity—but influence and elevate the practice of others.

Why This Pathway Works

Each milestone in the membership represents a structured, realistic goal that preschool and early years educators can work toward. Whether your goal is to improve your confidence, plan more effectively, integrate digital tools intentionally, or lead your colleagues, this path supports real growth.

The ICT in Education Teacher Academy gives you:

• A clear map of what to aim for

• A library of ready-to-use lesson plans

• A workbook to track progress and reflect

• A community to collaborate and grow with

It’s a complete solution for achieving your professional goals as an early childhood educator—especially in today’s tech-rich learning environments.

 

Ready to move forward with goals that lead to real change in your teaching?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning with Digital Tools for ECE Success

Using Technology-Integrated Planning to Achieve Professional Growth and Curriculum Outcomes

Every early childhood educator understands the importance of planning. But in today’s digital learning environment, planning isn’t just about routines—it’s about ensuring that children enjoy a curriculum that’s broad, balanced, and connected to their developmental needs.

 

This article explores how the ECE lesson plans in the ICT in Education Teacher Academy membership support both short-term and long-term goals, while also helping educators achieve their own professional development goals in meaningful ways.

 

 

Planning That Supports Daily Intentions

Short-term goals give direction to your day-to-day teaching practice. These are the goals you set weekly—or even daily—to respond to the immediate learning needs of children.

As Bright Kids Centre explains, short-term goals help educators structure activities that target developmental milestones in a manageable way. These goals often emerge from observations and inform intentional teaching decisions.

 

Examples of short-term goals for childcare educators include:

• Introduce a drawing program (e.g. Paint 3D) to encourage fine motor development and digital literacy

• Use a Bee-Bot to support early numeracy by exploring directional language (forward, back, turn)

• Facilitate a digital storytelling session using Book Creator to support language development

• Observe children’s ability to take photos during a nature walk and discuss patterns and textures

• Help children work in pairs using a digital game to practice turn-taking and social collaboration

 

The ECE lesson plans in the membership are designed to support these exact types of short-term goals. Each one includes:

• Links to EYLF learning outcomes

• A step-by-step activity framework

• Observation and assessment guidance

• ICT levels of differentiation to meet individual needs

 

These short-term plans help educators apply technology in developmentally appropriate ways—making digital play both intentional and achievable.

 

 

Extending Planning Over Time

Long-term goals shape your broader educational vision. They help you map out how children will experience a wide range of learning opportunities over weeks, months, and across the year.

As Wonderschool notes, long-term goals for early childhood education ensure that children make developmental progress across all domains—while maintaining continuity, building on previous knowledge, and following curriculum frameworks such as the EYLF or EYFS.

 

Examples of long-term goals in ECE include:

• Support children to confidently use multiple forms of technology (e.g. camera, tablet, programmable toys) across learning areas by the end of the year

• Design a year-long digital documentation system that captures learning progress through photos, audio, and student-created content

• Plan a thematic unit each term that uses ICT to explore science, storytelling, maths, or creative arts

• Ensure children experience all five EYLF learning outcomes through technology-rich, play-based activities over each semester

• Build a progressive approach to developing digital citizenship, starting with safe device handling and growing into responsible digital communication

 

The ECE lesson plans in the membership can be sequenced or grouped by topic, learning area, or developmental focus, making them ideal for integrating into long-term planning. Educators can map out entire terms or semesters, adapting each plan to fit the emerging needs and interests of their group.

 

 

 

Why It Matters for Technology Integration

The purpose of planning—especially when integrating digital technology—is to ensure every child experiences engaging, developmentally appropriate, and inclusive learning.

 

When we talk about why play-based learning is important, it’s because play helps children explore, create, and understand the world. When you embed ICT tools like digital cameras, story-making apps, or programmable toys into those experiences, you're extending learning—not replacing play, but enhancing it.

 

That’s why every lesson in the membership supports learning through play. Technology isn’t treated as an add-on—it’s woven into intentional, child-led exploration.

 

Well-planned activities offer variety and focus across early learning goals, and educators can highlight specific goals for each child depending on their needs. For example, one group might focus on language development during a storytelling activity, while another uses the same tool to build collaboration skills.

 

 

 

Supporting Educator Growth Through Practical Application

Setting goals isn’t only for children. Educators also benefit from reflective, measurable progress. And for many, one of the most significant challenges is knowing how to align day-to-day activities with their professional development goals as early childhood educators.

The ICT in Education Teacher Academy is built to support this growth journey.

Educators can:

• Track their teaching practice using the structured workbook tools

• Reflect on what works, what needs adapting, and why

• Use lesson plans as both a short-term guide and a long-term framework

• Collect documentation and feedback aligned with the EYLF and APST standards

• Participate in community conversations to discuss strategies and receive support

 

These supports help educators work toward real, practical professional development goals, such as improving their confidence with technology, becoming intentional in their planning, and developing a deeper understanding of how ICT can support curriculum learning.

 

 

What It All Leads To

When short-term plans are connected to long-term vision, and both are aligned with curriculum goals and play-based practices, teaching becomes more intentional—and more rewarding.

The ECE lesson plans in the membership give educators a structured yet flexible way to move from planning a single activity to designing an entire learning journey. Whether you’re working on a daily routine or building toward a broader curriculum vision, these plans make it easier to achieve the goals that matter most.

 

Are you ready to use digital lesson plans to strengthen your short-term teaching and long-term vision?
Click below to express your interest in the ICT in Education Teacher Academy and be the first to know when enrolments reopen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connecting Digital Play to Early Learning Outcomes

As early childhood educators, we set clear goals—to nurture development, support learning, and grow as professionals. But with the rise of digital tools in early learning, many educators are asking:

“How do I connect digital play to early childhood education goals without losing sight of developmentally appropriate practice?”

This blog answers that by showing how digital play supports both curriculum goals for early childhood education and your own professional goals. We’ll explore how each domain of development can be enhanced with digital tools, while aligning with EYLF outcomes, learning goals in childcare, and your ongoing professional journey.

Curriculum Goals Meet Digital Play

Digital technology should never be an add-on—it should enhance what you already do.
Whether you’re working toward short-term goals for childcare educators or setting long-term professional goals in early childhood education, planning for digital play means:

• Using EYLF outcomes as your foundation

• Seeing ICT as a type of digital technology

• Viewing technology as a tool to support learning and development

 

Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, members use the workbook to map each lesson to curriculum goals and assess outcomes—turning planning into progress.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Digital experiences offer meaningful ways for children to develop social and emotional skills:

• Use interactive storybooks or digital stories to explore characters’ feelings

• Role-play with programmable toys like Bee-Bots to promote cooperation and turn-taking

• Discuss home technology (e.g., mobile phones, digital assistants) to build connections

EYLF Links:

• 1.4: Children learn to interact in relation to others

• 3.2: Children take increasing responsibility for their health and wellbeing

 

 

Professional Goals in Focus:
Fosters emotional regulation, collaboration, and respect—essential goals for early childhood teachers.

Inside the Membership:
Members use the Observation Guide to track children’s social interaction and persistence during tech-based group tasks.

Creative Development

Creativity flourishes when children are free to explore digital tools:

• Design colourful laptop covers using Paint 3D

• Use digital microscopes to study textures and recreate them with glitter or paint

• Make digital drawings and patterns with drawing software

• Turn Bee-Bots into painting robots for abstract art experiencesProblem solving activit…

EYLF Links:

• 4.5: Children engage in creative expression through digital tools

• 5.3: Children express ideas and make meaning using digital media

 

Career Goals in Focus:
Supports creativity and innovation—key goals for ECE teachers and leaders looking to integrate arts and digital technologies.

Inside the Membership:
Use the Lesson Planning Template to intentionally embed creative tech use into your weekly programming.

Understanding the World

From AR apps to QR codes, digital play helps children explore and understand their environment:

• Use Seek by iNaturalist to identify plants or insects in real timeAugmented Reality outdo…

• Scan QR codes on nature walks to unlock videos or factsQR code nature hunt

• Explore non-working ICT equipment to understand how technology worksProblem solving activit…

EYLF Links:

• 2.4: Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

• 4.2: Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity and problem-solving

• 5.5: Children use ICT to access information and share findings

 

 

Curriculum Goals in Focus:
Perfect for program goals for early childhood education that aim to promote inquiry-based learning and science outcomes.

Inside the Membership:
Activities are matched with learning goals—and members can share outcomes in the community for feedback and new ideas.

Physical Development

Digital technology also supports physical skills, especially fine motor development:

• Use child-friendly computer mice or touchscreens to develop hand-eye coordination

• Draw shapes on the IWB or Paint 3D with styluses

• Incorporate movement games with digital timers, QR scavenger hunts, or Bee-Bot obstacle races

EYLF Links:

• 3.2: Children develop fine and gross motor skills

• 4.4: Children learn through movement and active play

 

 

Professional Development Goals in Focus:
Supports short-term goals for early childhood education focused on physical wellbeing and ICT tool access.

Inside the Membership:
The Differentiation section of each lesson helps educators plan for various motor skill levels and needs.

Literacy Development

Digital storytelling and text-based play support early literacy development:

• Use digital cameras to capture environmental print

• Record children’s voices telling stories with apps like Book Creator

• Create talking books using PowerPoint or iMovieOutdoor digital storyte…

• Encourage name writing with MS Word using different fonts and colours

EYLF Links:

• 5.2: Children engage with a range of texts

• 5.3: Children express themselves through language

• 5.5: Children use ICT to communicate and represent their ideas

 

 

Preschool Teacher Goals in Focus:
Supports professional development goals for early childhood educators wanting to enhance communication skills through digital media.

Inside the Membership:
Downloadable lessons include literacy-aligned tech activities—plus the workbook helps you reflect on children’s literacy milestones.

Numeracy Development

Digital play makes early maths exciting and meaningful:

• Use Bee-Bots to count steps, explore directions, and solve spatial problems

• Create digital number collages with photos of real-world quantities

• Use interactive whiteboard games to explore shapes, patterns, and measurements

• Record and compare outdoor temperatures using digital thermometers

 

EYLF Links:

• 5.4: Children begin to understand mathematical concepts

• 4.2: Children use trial and error to solve problems

 

ECE Goals in Focus:
Supports both daily educator goals in childcare and long-term goals for early childhood education involving STEM foundations.

 

Inside the Membership:
Math-based ICT activities come with printable mats and differentiated steps. Members use the Workbook’s Planning Tools to connect maths, technology, and inquiry learning.

Professional Growth Through Membership

Every example above is more than a fun idea—it’s a done-for-you lesson plan inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy membership.

Members don’t just download activities. They follow a structured professional learning journey using:

• A Success Path mapped to the Technology Integration Matrix

• The TPACK radar chart to track growth

• Tools to adapt, implement, and reflect on every activity

• Supportive community feedback and collaborative planning

You’ll go from asking, “What’s a good tech activity for literacy?” to confidently planning, teaching, and improving it through feedback and structured reflection.

Conclusion: Ready to Align Digital Play with Your Goals?

Whether your focus is on:

• Goals for preschool teachers

• Professional development goals for early childhood educators

• Or even curriculum goals in early childhood education

Digital play can help you get there—when it’s aligned with clear learning outcomes and professional planning tools.

 

 

📘 Best-Suited Workbook Tools:

• Lesson Planning Template (pg. 114)

• Observation Guide (pg. 101)

• Community Reflection Prompts (pg. 182)

Step-by-Step as a Member:

1. Identify your EYLF or professional development goals

2. Use the membership workbook to plan and match goals with a digital play activity

3. Apply the activity in your classroom with built-in differentiation support

4. Record children’s responses using the Observation Guide

5. Reflect on your teaching with workbook prompts

6. Join the community conversation to share what worked and discover what others are doing

7. Revisit and refine your goals—because transformation is a journey

 

 

You’re not just using digital tools—you’re building toward professional excellence.
Start that journey today in the ICT in Education Teacher Academy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From One Goal to Transformation: How One Teacher Turned Digital Play into Lasting Change

Connecting Professional Goals to Technology Integration in Early Childhood Education

When Alana set her professional goals for the year, they were grounded in her values as an early childhood educator.

She wanted to:

• Bring more creativity into her programming

• Better align her activities with the EYLF learning outcomes

• Build confidence using technology—not just as a tool, but as a meaningful part of learning

• Create learning environments where children could explore, question, and express themselves in modern, relevant ways

Her goals weren’t unusual. They were, in fact, the same aspirations many early childhood teachers set when reflecting on how to improve their teaching in a digital society.

But like many educators, Alana faced the same familiar frustrations.

 

 

Trying to Achieve Big Goals Without the Right Support

Alana was already experimenting with technology—projecting storybooks onto the wall, using YouTube for music and movement, and sometimes borrowing a tablet to take photos for learning stories. But it always felt fragmented. Despite her best intentions, her digital efforts felt more like additions than integrated parts of her curriculum.

 

She downloaded free activity ideas, read articles about ICT in early childhood, and even sat through a few generic PD workshops. But none of it connected to her daily reality.

How could she bring digital technology into her classroom in a way that was intentional, educational, and achievable—without overwhelming herself or losing sight of child-led learning?

 

When Alana landed on a blog article titled "How to Connect Digital Play to Learning and Development Goals with Ease", it immediately spoke to what she was searching for:

• “How do I use digital tools meaningfully—not just to tick a box?”

• “How can I meet EYLF outcomes through digital play?”

• “What are other educators doing that’s working?”

 

The blog didn’t just answer her questions—it gave her something even more valuable: hope and direction.

 

 

Choosing One Goal to Start

Alana didn’t join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy on a whim. She joined because the blog showed her that professional development could be different. It wasn’t about adding more to her plate—it was about simplifying the path to achieving the goals she already cared about.

 

She decided to trial a single done-for-you lesson plan from the membership library—a digital nature walk that combined photography, observation, and storytelling. Her first goal was simple: integrate digital technology into one meaningful learning experience.

 

 

New Goals, New Confidence

Encouraged by the success of her first activity, Alana set a new goal: use digital technology to support creativity and problem-solving. She adapted another lesson—this time a programmable toy art activity—and used the Critical Reflection Prompts to assess its impact.

 

The children’s engagement was powerful. They collaborated, tested commands, made abstract patterns, and reflected on what worked. It wasn’t just fun—it was purposeful learning.

 

This wasn’t about technology for technology’s sake. It was about amplifying what mattered most in early childhood education.

 

 

 

Stepping Into Leadership Without Realising It

Over the next few months, Alana:

• Created and shared a new resource pack based on her modified lesson

• Mentored a colleague who wanted to try programmable toys

• Shared outcomes from her activity in the membership forum

• Participated in a community reflection thread on modelling digital citizenship

Before she realised it, Alana had become the person she once looked for: a confident, reflective educator integrating digital technology with clarity and intention.

 

 

The Transformation: Leading Change in Her Centre

Eventually, Alana led a school-wide initiative to introduce digital storytelling as a regular practice across all rooms. She ran a mini workshop, shared her documentation, and even helped others reflect on their own ICT integration practices using the workbook tools.

She wasn’t just achieving her goals anymore—she was helping others define and achieve theirs. That’s the power of transformation.

What This Story Shows Us

Alana’s journey began with one goal: trial one meaningful digital lesson plan.

Through action, reflection, collaboration, and support, that single step became the foundation for something greater—professional growth, curriculum alignment, student empowerment, and leadership.

This is what achieving goals in early childhood education looks like in a digital society. It’s not instant. It’s not overwhelming. It’s step-by-step, guided, and purposeful.

 

Are you ready to move from experimenting with digital play to integrating it with intention?

 

 

 

 

Your Professional Goals as an Early Childhood Educator Deserve a Clear Path

When it comes to technology integration in early childhood education, many educators are left wondering:

• Where do I start?

• How do I grow my skills with digital tools?

• How can I turn my day-to-day activities into long-term professional progress?

The truth is, it’s not about doing more. It’s about having a clear, structured path that helps you work toward goals you already care about—like improving your teaching, engaging children with ICT, and planning more effectively.

That’s exactly what the ICT in Education Teacher Academy offers.

What You’ll Achieve Inside the Membership

As a member, you’ll follow a step-by-step journey built around real examples of professional development goals for preschool teachers, including:

• Using ICT tools with confidence

• Teaching in ways that support all learners

• Creating a digital resource library you can rely on

• Embedding digital citizenship into your teaching

• Collaborating and reflecting with a supportive educator community

• Adapting lesson plans to suit your classroom

• Leading and inspiring change within your centre

Each of these milestones is backed by practical action steps, helping you turn short-term teaching goals into long-term impact.

Why It Works

This isn’t just another PD workshop. It’s a structured professional learning journey built for early childhood educators who want to:

• Improve technology integration

• Align lesson plans with EYLF outcomes

• Achieve professional goals without adding stress

• Grow as a reflective, intentional educator

With done-for-you lesson plans, a professional membership workbook, and access to a community of peers, the membership gives you the tools to apply what you learn immediately—and grow over time.

Join the Membership Today

If you're ready to align your teaching with real, measurable goals in technology integration, now’s the time to take action.

👉 Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy for $20/month or save by paying $200/year and get 2 months free.