Digital technologies and learning in the early years

The value of using digital technologies for learning amongst young children is the focus of this book, through evidence-based research from early childhood education experts from Scotland, Australia, England and Canada. With the increase of digital technology use amongst young children at home and in early childhood services (Livingstone et al., 2014), this book is pertinent to changes in curricula and technologies. In order to guide the reader in the discussion of the changes in curricula and the rapidly changing technology, the book is divided into three parts: a literature review of technology use in early childhood education, details of children’s experiences with technology, and ways to support the use of technology through play. In each chapter, the contributors detail their own research regarding the different goals and themes presented in the introduction. At the beginning of each chapter, a brief overview guides the reader on how the material is connected to the three thematic parts. This sufficiently binds everything together well.

The first part of the book is an up-to-date literature review of the topic. Chapter 1 provides the framework for young children’s learning using digital technology. Chapter 2 discusses the latest developments in technology and their application to different pedagogies such as situated learning, participatory learning, transformational play, experiential learning and play-based, game-based learning. The chapter also explains why Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural learning and Dewey’s (1907, 1915) active learning are still applicable in the present technological age. Evidence-based research is presented in chapter 3, using three case studies to illustrate creative and artistic play, self-reflection and documentation, and story creation. These concrete examples support the theories and frameworks in chapters 1 and 2, completing the theme for Part 1. Here, useful websites are mentioned, which I thought was a practical way to extend the reader’s knowledge by referencing additional theoretical and practical resources online. These websites give readers an insight into practitioners’ and experts’ early childhood education milieu. Including website references provides readers with up-to-date information and resources that are beneficial for supporting children’s learning in an environment of rapid technological change.

Part 2 splits children’s technological experiences into three learning areas: creative and dramatic play, outdoor play, and literacy and numeracy learning. Chapter 4 discusses creative and dramatic play involving technologies through case studies such as storytelling, pretend play, using motorised construction resources, using transforming toys and objects, and documenting and observing with technology. Chapter 5 covers outdoor play and follows a similar approach to the previous chapter, presenting case studies such as using a digital microscope, using phone apps to pursue a child’s interest, and using technology to research children’s specific interests. One thing to look for is the discussion on the false dichotomy that technology use is ‘structured’ and separate from ‘free’ play outdoors. The only case study in chapter 6 focuses mainly on a numeracy app, which highlights the importance of child-appropriate software development. Finally, chapter 7 presents parents’ perspectives, drawing on a survey on the use of technology amongst under threes. Of interest is the table on developmental milestones, which shows how touch-screen technology applies to children’s learning from birth to six months, at twelve months, at eighteen months, at the age of two and at the age of three–all in parallel to the typical developmental milestones for each age. This table can serve as a guide for parents and practitioners who plan to use touch-screen technology with very young children.

The third part presents ways on how children’s use of technology for learning can be supported by practitioners and parents using case studies. Chapter 8 continues with case studies focusing on children’s responses to working and non-working technologies. Chapter 9 discusses three extensive case studies on how practitioners used an iPad to support learning based on themes from three well-known fairy tales. Chapter 10 nicely rounds up the third part, and arguably the entire book, by presenting children’s rights as research participants and how parents and practitioners contribute to this using technology. More so, the chapter discusses parents and practitioners as the primary gatekeepers in safeguarding children’s rights and ensuring their cybersecurity.

Across the book, the different contributors thoroughly address the current literature. This adds to the value of the book as a holistic, go-to resource for early childhood education practitioners, researchers and parents of young children who are interested in the zeitgeist of technology use in the early years. In chapter 6, entitled ‘Young children developing literacy and numeracy skills with technology’, the contributors only discuss their case study on a numeracy app. The literacy discussion is not supported with a case study on a literacy app, so I felt that this did not entirely reflect the chapter’s title. Chapter 7 clearly states that the online survey was limited to middle-class parents in their 30s. This sample was not representative of the diversity amongst families in the UK, but the survey results and its discussion are interestingly current and compelling. The survey results abound in detail. Of the 226 parents of under threes who responded to the survey, 66% reported that their children often use a smartphone or a tablet computer, 72% reported that touch screens were used for learning new skills, and 61.5% were concerned about their children’s use of touch screens.

This book considers the concerns of parents and early childhood education practitioners about technology use amongst young children. Readers will find this book extremely useful, as it provides better understanding of the appropriate use of digital technology for learning in this age of changing curricula in response to rapid changes in technologies.

Now, how should this book be read? I suggest reading the introduction first, as it foreshadows the groundwork of each part and their chapters. The editor and contributor biographies are particularly useful in understanding their backgrounds and the context of the research they undertook. It is especially important to know that this book is a collaboration of researchers from different countries and research contexts when choosing to read the specific chapters. There are overviews and summaries in each chapter, which serve as a quick reference for readers who aim to read selected chapters.