‘i’Babies: Infants’ and toddlers’ emergent language and literacy in a digital culture of iDevices

Abstract

Children today are growing up in a digital world that is changing and advancing at an unprecedented rate. While some adults may struggle to keep up with new technological gadgets, we find our very young may be quite at ease with the use of digital technologies, even before learning to speak. This study builds on a foundation of family literacy studies that looks at the literacies children are exposed to within their home environments. Given the influx of technology in children's home environments, it is important to understand children's digital literacy developments from a family literacy perspective. Studying two very young children and their families interacting with these new devices provides a deep and detailed look into how digital technologies might be influencing young children's language and literacy development in first and second languages. Findings from this study can inform parents and educators of what, why and how young children interact and learn with digital devices.

Growing up with Google: How children's understanding and use of internet‐based devices relates to cognitive development

“…Parent surveys and case studies have documented that exposure to caregivers using mobile internet‐based devices begins in infancy (e.g., Harrison & McTavish, ; Kildare & Middlemis, ) and that an estimated 98% of American children ages 0–8 live in homes with devices that can access the internet (Rideout, ). Moreover, on average, American children spend over an hour a day using computers or mobile devices (Rideout, ).…”

Play and creativity in young children's use of apps

“…There are close links between play and creativity, as noted by Vygotsky (:11), who suggested that play was crucial to cognitive development and that it was a “leading activity,” as it leads children on to the acquisition of new skills, knowledge and understanding. Studies of young children's creative uses of technologies in homes have offered some insights into how tablets have been used by children to take photographs or draw (Harrison & McTavish, ; Verenikina & Kervin, ), but there is a need to identify the range of creativity that apps can promote. Given the relationship between creativity and creative thinking (Csikszentmihalyi, ), this study also considered the types of creative thinking promoted by apps.…”

“…A number of studies include observations of children using technology in home contexts. These studies (Chaudron et al ., ; Geist, ; Harrison & McTavish, ) indicate that interactions with tablets are embedded in family relationships and often take place with parental involvement. The researchers note the fluidity with which children engage with the technical aspects of using tablets, in addition to the playful nature of use.…”

Digital competences of parents in the matter of electronic threats

“…Ability to participate intentionally in new media space requires taking advantage of the positive aspects of digital media, and protection against both, popular and less visible e-threats, such as: cyberbullying, [3]. Internet addiction and various forms of pathologic use of it, [15], sexting [7], self-control and self-evaluation in terms of using electronic media [1], protection of online image [4] or legal consequences of Internet abuse, [21]. These threats are only typical and the most common, negative results of SHS Web of Conferences 48, 01004 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184801004 ERPA 2018 omnipresence of electronic media.…”