The data for Integrating Technology in Early Literacy (InTEL) 2016 were collected from December 2014 through mid-March 2016 through the use of Google Survey. In InTEL 2018, the data were collected from September 2017 through January 2018, using SurveyMonkey. New America and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop used social media, newsletters, and emails to promote the completion of each survey. Both data visualization projects were designed to provide a snapshot during a period of rapid innovation in communities across the country.
Programs appear on the map according to parameters that we established at the beginning of each collection process. Products—such as websites, curated collections, subscription-based online libraries, apps, or e-books—are not included in the InTEL project. Our intention was to capture information on how educators and community leaders are integrating technology into pilot and ongoing programs. If a product was or is integrated into a program conducted by a community-based organization or school, the product name is included in our program profiles. Programs under way in individual classrooms were not included, unless they were connected to a center- or school-wide initiative or a broader program.
We sorted programs by their evidence of impact, type, languages, ages served, number of children served, and technological tools used. In InTEL 2018, the tools were organized into two categories: device and software.
