Volume 38 Number 3 September 2013 17 Self-authored e-books: Expanding young children’s literacy experiences and skills Mary-Jane Shuker Lisa Terreni Victoria University of Wellington THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE ROLE of self-authored e-books as a vehicle for helping early childhood professionals to engage young children in new literacy and language experiences. The rationale for using information and communication technology (ICT) in the early years is examined along with the changes that have occurred in written texts and textual practices. It is our opinion, as New Zealand early childhood teacher educators working in the area of multi-literacies, that self-authored books present an opportunity for early childhood professionals to develop a partnership between ICT and reading. The common software application PowerPoint is ideal for helping young children to make basic self-authored e-books. By helping children self-author and produce e-books, early childhood professionals can make the use of computers more interactive and personal. The potential ethical issues, cautions and constraints that need to be taken into consideration when developing self-authored e-books are examined. Introduction The provision of language and literacy experiences is essential in all early childhood education learning environments. Increasingly, information and communication technology (ICT) is being viewed as another tool for early childhood professionals and children to use in this domain of learning in a way that can complement the more traditional provision of literacy experiences (Hills, 2010; Parett, Quesenberry & Blum, 2010; Marks, 2007; Siraj-Blatchford & Siraj-Blatchford, 2003). Young children are more and more exposed to multiple information modalities (Luke, 1999). ICT can play a vital role in developing children’s oral language and literacy and has the potential to provide new and exciting possibilities for teaching and learning in this domain (Makin, Jones Diaz & McLachlan, 2007; Zevenbergen, 2007). ICT and the early years In New Zealand the government is committed to digital literacy. The Ministry of Economic Development (2008) asserts that connecting New Zealanders to each other and the wider world, and making available new and emerging digital technologies, is vital to our ability to be successful in this transformative future. New Zealand, like Australia, is investing funds in computer literacy, and connecting schools to the internet as the government perceives the advantages in positioning itself favorably within an increasingly global economy (Hill, 2007; Jewitt, 2006; Lloyd, 2005; Ward, Robinson & Parr, 2005). There is a strong social and economic rationale for nations to use ICT in the compulsory education system. As Brown and Murray (2006) put it, children need to be able to use ICT so that they are adequately prepared for the future, and the prospective wealth of New Zealand’s economy is dependent on embedding digital technologies in our education system. This trend has permeated down to the non-compulsory early childhood sector. In a government-sponsored literature review on the role and potential of ICT in early childhood settings, Bolstad (2004) argues that ICT use should foster a view of ICT as a tool for enriching the teaching and learning environment for young children. To support the improved use of ICT in early childhood education, the New Zealand Ministry of Education consequently launched the strategic plan Foundations for Discovery (Ministry of Education, 2005), with the implementation of targeted professional development. In a recent report on the impact of a three-year professional development project aimed at increasing early childhood professionals’ capability using ICT to support children’s learning, Hatherly, Ham and Evans (2010) maintain that an added