Young children’s perceptions of ubiquitous computing and the Internet of Things

Abstract

Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) and the Internet of things (IoT) are turning into everyday household technology at an ever‐increasing pace, for example, in the form of connected toys. However, while ubicomp and IoT are changing and shaping children’s digital and technological landscape, not much is known about how children perceive these omnipresent and concealed forms of digital technology. This qualitatively oriented paper explores 3‐ to 6‐year‐old Finnish children’s perceptions of ubicomp and IoT via interviews and a design task. Initially, the children were skeptical toward the idea that tangible objects, such as toys, could be computer and/or Internet enabled. However, these perceptions were subject to change when children were introduced to a scientific conception of what computers and the Internet are and asked to apply their knowledge to a technological design task. Implications for early years digital literacy education are discussed in the paper.

Smart Living: An Interactive Control System for Household Appliances

“…A face is detected if the Y ,Cb, and Cr values are within the specified ranges where Y is the value range for luma component; Cb represents the value range for the blue-difference component; Cr stands for the value range for the red-difference component. These steps are efficient enough to distinguish an arm from a face or other subject using the threshold values in Equation (6).…”

“…In particular, the recognition of hand gestures utilizing camera-enabled devices would allow for a more intuitive interaction than traditional interfaces do. The application of embedded and ubiquitous computing in household environments should allow the human-computer interaction to be more natural, convenient, and efficient [6]. Hand gesture based interfaces can decrease the complexity of interaction between humans and computers [7], [8].…”

Play in the digital world: beyond the binary logic

“…Additionally, the proliferation of Internet-connected household devices and toys are increasing rapidly (Statista, 2019), bringing ubiquitous computing and Internet of Things (IoT) as a part of children's everyday lives. However, for children, it is far from clear whether artefacts, such as toys, can be connected to the Internet (Mertala, 2020a). This uncertainty applies to the Internet in general-instead of a network of connected devices, children tend to conceptualise the Internet as a feature of the device they use (Mertala, 2019a(Mertala, , 2020a.…”

“…However, for children, it is far from clear whether artefacts, such as toys, can be connected to the Internet (Mertala, 2020a). This uncertainty applies to the Internet in general-instead of a network of connected devices, children tend to conceptualise the Internet as a feature of the device they use (Mertala, 2019a(Mertala, , 2020a. Some of the contemporary speech-controlled connected toys, such as Mattel's Hello Barbie ©, record and analyse what children say to them while other toys collect location data.…”

“…For example, let's examine the previously discussed IoT. There is empirical evidence indicating that young children can become aware of the existence of the IoT by reading purposefully selected non-fictional books and via simple electronic crafting (Mertala, 2020a). Additionally, research suggests that open-ended and game-themed drawing tasks can be utilised in engaging children in pedagogical discussions about the basic mechanics of digital game design (Mertala & Meriläinen, 2019).…”