ERIC Number: EJ1155941
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0816-9020
EISSN: N/A
Programmable Toys and Free Play in Early Childhood Classrooms
Newhouse, Christopher Paul; Cooper, Martin; Cordery, Zina
Australian Educational Computing, v32 n1 2017
This paper reports on a study that investigated the ways that young children interact with discrete programmable digital toys in a free play setting. One intention was to see whether this interaction would address some of the requirements of the Digital Technologies subject in the Australian Curriculum. The study was implemented in two phases in consecutive years involving teachers and students from two early childhood classes. Researchers worked with the teachers to provide the children with opportunities to use two types of digital toys--the Sphero and the Beebot. The children were observed as they interacted with these toys and their interactions analysed using a checklist of behaviours. It was found that without some explicit scaffolding the children did not tend to demonstrate any actions that could be associated with an understanding of "algorithms". However, they did demonstrate motivation, engagement, and increased proficiency and recognition with using the hardware and software of these digital systems.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Early Childhood Education, Information Technology, Toys, Play, Robotics, Check Lists, Student Motivation, Learner Engagement, National Curriculum, Young Children, Technology Uses in Education, Interaction, Constructivism (Learning), Skill Development, Mathematics, Transfer of Training, Handheld Devices, Child Behavior, Data Analysis, Problem Solving, Sequential Learning
Australian Council for Computers in Education. P.O. Box 1255, Belconnen, ACT 2616, Australia. Tel: +61-3-9349-3733; Fax: +61-3-9349-5356; Web site: http://www.acce.edu.au
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