Digital animation: New conditions for children's development in play‐based setting

Abstract

There is increasing recognition of digital childhoods [Danby, S., Fleer, M., Davidson, C., & Hatzigianni, M. (Eds.). (2018). Digital childhood. Amsterdam: Springer] and a corresponding body of research into young child's engagement with digital devices across a broad range of contexts [Marsh, J. A., Plowman, L., Yamada‐Rice, D., Bishop, J., & Scott, F. (2016). Digital play: a new classification. Early Years, 36, 242–253. doi:10.1080/09575146.20161167675]. What is missing from the literature is an understanding of if and how these devices, when used with animation apps in play‐based programs, change pre‐school practices and the developmental conditions of children's play. In drawing upon Vygotsky's [(). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Voprosy Psikhologii, 12, 62–76] conception of play as the leading motive of pre‐school‐aged children, the naturalistic study reported in this paper seeks to address this gap. Video observations of children (3.3–5.8 years) and teachers digitally engaged across five sites during free‐play time (413.8 h of video observations) were studied using a cultural–historical conception of play [Vygotsky, L. S. (2005). Appendix: from the notes of L.S Vygotsky for lectures on the psychology of preschool children. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 43, 90–97]. The findings show that digital animation in a free‐play program where role‐play is featured can enrich the play opportunities of children which in turn promote play complexity and increase social and cognitive demands on children, which together can be theorized as a positive force for children's development. These developmental conditions emerged as a profile of five interrelated key digital practices and psychological characteristics, adding to our understandings of digital play.

Children’s Engineering Design Thinking Processes: The Magic of the ROBOTS and the Power of BLOCKS (Electronics)

“…Accordingly, EC educational research has seen considerable effort invested in understanding how STEMfocused interdisciplinary approaches can nurture 21st century learners' creativity, critical thinking and problem solving characteristics (Fleer, 2018;McDonald, & Howell, 2012;Peppler et al, 2018;. As part of this necessity to indulge children in STEM learning experiences underpinning developmentally appropriate pedagogies, the current study utilizes littleBits as electronic building blocks that serves as a STEM solution (out of the emerging) for children's hands-on learning of science concepts.…”

“…The recent shift to a greater societal reliance on technology has mandated that young children's educators emphasize the integration of technology as a play-based manipulative to tune into children's learning and cognitive engagement (Arnott, Palaiologou, & Gray, 2018;Fleer, 2018;Kewalramani & Havu-nuutinen, 2019;. It has been predicted that, due to our rapidly changing technological society, 65 % of the children entering our schools today may have jobs as adults that do not yet exist (Davidson, 2011;Education Council, 2014).…”

Experience, represent, apply (ERA): A heuristic for digital engagement in the early years

“…As we indicated earlier, in our view, digital technology has an important place in early years, play‐based, learning contexts (see also Arnott, ; Edwards & Bird, 2017; Fleer, ), and ERA is the hub via which we deliver STEM Practices (Lowrie et al ., ) in a play‐based, intentional way. In this conception, unlike programs utilising apps (eg, Early Learning Languages Australia, ), the tablet is not the hub around which all activities revolve.…”

“…Rather, digital technologies are part of the larger set of resources (blocks, bundles of sticks, dress up clothes, etc.) available for children to use as they play (Fleer, ; Yelland & Gilbert, ). A range of anecdotal feedback from educators provides us with a high degree of confidence that the ERA heuristic is a powerful mechanism for encouraging play‐based STEM learning in ways that incorporate children's digital and non‐digital experiences in authentic ways.…”

Technology-integrated pedagogical practices: a look into evidence-based teaching and coherent learning for young children

“…Although past research (Arnott, Palaiologou, and Gray 2019;Fleer 2018Fleer , 2019; Mascheroni and Holloway 2019) describe the pros and cons related to the integration of technology in early childhood education and the subsequent influences on children's cognitive learning and affective engagement with their everyday world, early childhood settings need more guidance in relation to what high-quality pedagogies with technologies may look like. This guidance needs to align closely with the founding principles of early childhood educationlinked to play and child-centrednessto ensure technologies become complementary resources, rather than competing artefacts which, some consider, may threaten early childhood ways of being.…”