ERIC Number: EJ1144177
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Jun
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1476-718X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Observing and Assessing Young Children's Digital Play in the Early Years: Using the Digital Play Framework
Edwards, Susan; Bird, Jo
Journal of Early Childhood Research, v15 n2 p158-173 Jun 2017
Early childhood education settings are characterized by the use of play-based learning and the assessment of children's play by teachers to promote further learning. A problem with technology use in early childhood settings is that little is known about how children learn to use technologies through play. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult for teachers to observe and assess how young children in their settings are learning to use technologies. In this article, we report on the use of a new framework we have previously developed to help educators observe and assess young children's learning to use technologies through play. Known as the Digital Play Framework, the framework draws on Vygotsky's ideas about tool mediation to position technologies as tools that children learn to master according to Hutt's conceptualization of epistemic and ludic play. We suggest that the Digital Play Framework holds potential for supporting educators to identify children's learning to use technologies through play and therefore opportunities for extending the provision of play-based technology education in the early years.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Young Children, Play, Teaching Methods, Technology Uses in Education, Educational Technology, Case Studies, Foreign Countries, Photography, Video Technology, Observation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A