Digital Play With Tangible Technologies in Australian and American Preschools

• In Event: 63.060 - Impact of Digital Technology on Young Children's Learning

Abstract

Through our international research collaboration, we are documenting and comparing across countries how young children develop computational thinking while coding tangible technologies or ‘robots’ in a play based emergent curriculum. Drawing on implementation data from preschools in Australia and the U.S., our findings reflect comparative cross-national perspectives on pedagogic approaches to promote children’s technological learning outcomes. The integration of digital play with tangible technologies in early childhood classrooms offers young learners access to resources to apply their developing academic knowledge and skills in authentic ways. The researchers highlight strategies that helped teachers demystify the process of engaging young learners with tangible technologies and showcase how the robotic manipulatives served as catalysts for peer collaboration, socio-emotional regulation, and creative problem solving.

Authors

• Ilene R. Berson, University of South Florida

• Michael J. Berson, University of South Florida

• Karen Murcia, Curtin University

• Wenwei Luo, University of South Florida

• Victoria Damjanovic, University of South Florida