Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of the Digital World for Early Childhood Services with Vulnerable Children

Abstract

Potentially addictive behaviours supported by the internet and mobile phones raise concerns in education services for early childhood. Although there is evidence that screen media can distract the attention of young children, there was a massive uptake of digital devices by early childhood centres (ECCs). We investigated practices of families (n = 85) and of six ECCs serving vulnerable children in New Zealand, many of whom are emergent bilinguals. Descriptions of the limited and exemplary choice of screen media of the ECCs include digital portfolios containing children’s learning stories in multiple languages illustrated with digital photos. This was facilitated by increasing partnership with the families and the inclusion of their languages in the physical and digital landscapes of the ECCs. However, these families and the ECCs are seeking additional guidance to face the complex challenges of the digital world. These early findings from our national research programme, A Better Start, E Tipu E Rea, already informed significant changes in the ECCs; we also identified the potential for young children to act as agents of change.

Professional ecologies shaping technology adoption in early childhood education with multilingual children

“…The ecosystems documented in this study showed an increasing presence of Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, and of the additional home languages of the young children who inhabited them (Harris, Davis et al , ). There was indirect evidence from teacher interviews that a few multilingual families thought it was best for their children to focus on English, until advised otherwise.…”

“…Families within the wider project’s survey reported that 6.8% of children did not engage with any digital media while 32% engaged with digital media for more than 5 hours per week (Harris, Davis et al , ); the teachers were concerned about excessive screen time. The bilingual parent interviewed described her management of the digital world (DW) in her home ecosystem showing that as a parent she was acting as the keystone species.…”

“…Many adults are unaware that lifelong benefits accrue for children who retain their multilingualism and of the international recognition of their rights to speak their home language(s) and have access to the digital world (Cunningham, in press). This is challenging for parents and educators of young children aged 4–6 years old, particularly those caring for vulnerable children (Harris, Davis et al , ). Therefore, it behoves ECE teachers and leaders to promote quality experiences involving the digital world that incorporate all their children’s languages and to do this in collaboration with the children’s families and communities.…”

“…The challenges for emergent bilinguals informed our study of the linguistic landscapes of ECE (Harris, Cunningham, & Davis, ; Harris, Davis et al , ). This paper updates that literature and presents an additional layer of analysis to map the learning ecosystem of young children in an ECC within the world globally.…”

A domesticação de ecrãs na infância: usos e mediação parental em meios citadino e rural

“…Ponte et al (2017) estabeleceram uma relação com o nível socioeconómico das famílias, e viram que o consumo televisivo das crianças é maior nos lares com baixos rendimentos, enquanto aquelas que pertencem a um estrato económico superior possuem mais acesso à internet nos vários dispositivos existentes no espaço doméstico. A este propósito, Harris et al (2018) verificaram que as crianças economicamente desprovidas, sobretudo quando pertencem a minorias étnicas, tendem a apresentar um défice de "literacia digital", por falta de acesso a dispositivos e a conteúdos conectados à internet.…”