Development of receptive and expressive language skills is an important foundational skill in early childhood education. Recently, early childhood education professionals have begun using Web-based technology to assist in developing these skills. One Web-based technology that holds potential to support children's learning is VoiceThread which has unique features that support Universal Design for Learning. This paper provides practical recommendations for use of VoiceThread in meaningful learning activities that can easily be implemented. A stepby-step guide is presented to create and use VoiceThread.Keywords VoiceThread Á Technology Á Early childhood education Á Universal design for learning Á Language An important contributing factor to the failure of many young children not becoming skillful readers and writers is lack of emergent literacy skill development early in life (Easterbrooks et al. 2010;Johnson and Goswami 2010;Justice et al. 2009). Early childhood education professionals may be responsible for identifying unique technology tools that may be used to target language and emergent literacy skills among children in early childhood education settings. The use of an array of approaches (e.g., visual and auditory) used in conjunction with current and emerging technology tools can support development of language and emergent literacy skills necessary for gaining general knowledge, communicating effectively, and functioning as literate members of society. Role of Technology in Twenty-First Century Early Childhood SettingsTechnology is being integrated into twenty-first century early childhood settings with increasing frequency. Recognition of the role of technology as a developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is unfolding (Parette et al. 2010;Wang et al. 2010), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2011) is currently revising its position statement on technology and DAP. Numerous hardware and software products are readily available in early childhood education educational settings. Recent research has indicated that more than 90 % of educational settings provide children access to computers with broadband connections to the Internet (Overbaugh and Lu 2008). Classrooms increasingly are equipped with SMART products, such as interactive whiteboards, displays, and learning centers. Also, the iPad is being used to develop integrative lessons and study aids.The expansive array of available technology has advanced the efficacy of learning for children. Now more than ever, early childhood education professionals are recognizing the potential for technology to enhance children's acquisition of knowledge. The use of technology has a profoundly positive impact on higher order thinking, selfconcept, motivation, and independence (Hew and Brush 2007). Although early childhood education professionals are aware of the valuable contributions of technology on
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