‘I wish I was small enough to go inside the house!’ (Audrey, age 4) Statements like this open the door to think differently about how children engage with technology. Why couldn’t they shrink and jump into or out of an imaginary world they may have thoughtfully constructed from blocks or boxes? Why can’t they insert […]
Category Archives: Technology
Tinker play with unplugged tech
Tinkering with non-working digital technologies, writes Honor Mackley, a Brisbane-based primary teacher and ECEC researcher at Australian Catholic University, increases children’s wellbeing, boosts active learning and interest in technologies, and lays the groundwork for play-based learning with functional technology. What is tinkering? What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘tinkering’? People often associate […]
‘Stay and Play’ at the QUT Children’s Technology Centre during Live Wires
During the 2023 Live Wires Digital Technology Forum, we invite you to take part in one of our ‘Stay and Play’ sessions at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Children’s Technology Centre on the fourth floor of the Education Building at the Kelvin Grove campus. We are excited to have you join us at the […]
Think differently: a Live Wires approach
As many readers will know, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) has been committed to supporting educators in the digital space for many years. While in many ways our children are living in a digital age, ECA entered into this space cautiously, and as an academic and researcher (and ECA member) I support this approach. ECA has […]
Can robots support development?
Using robots to support children’s social and emotional development: A five-step framework In an early learning centre, George (3 years and 8 months old) and Theo (4 years and 2 months old) are playing with a LEGO BOOST robot that is coded via a tablet. Their educator is guiding their play, as this is a […]
A call for voices: What do you think of young children’s use of touchscreen devices?
Touchscreen devices are becoming more prevalent in everyday life. They feature as a key tool for daily tasks and entertainment for most adults and children. They are especially easy for young children to use, resulting in increased engagement and broader scope for digital play (Lowrie & Larkin, 2020). In fact, it is common for children […]
A different view of digital documentation
Hello from the dark side! With all the talk of using digital platforms in documenting our early learning programs, I feel the need to fly the flag for those with another point of view; those who can’t quite cross over; those who wrestle with the ethics of digital documentation of children; those who wonder about […]
Documentation: Do you document too much, too little or too late?
ECA recently launched a new series of Learning Hub modules on Digital Documentation and Technology in collaboration with Storypark. We note here that there is no requirement to use digital documentation and if settings choose to engage in digital documentation ECA encourages thoughtful reflection as they chose the appropriate platform for their setting, staff, families […]
Pre-service teacher placement in the time of COVID-19
Pre-service teacher placement in the time of COVID-19: The Remote Placement in Early Childhood at Victoria University (RPEC@VU) model DR CAROLINE SCOTT is an early childhood lecturer at Victoria University (VU) and shares how the development of a unique remote placement model has supported VU students to continue their studies, and connect with early childhood services and families during […]
ECA’s top reads this year
It can be hard to keep up with new ideas and early childhood developments during the year, so to help you catch up or for inspiration to start the year on a strong footing, we’ve put together a list of ECA’s top reads from across the last year (2019). It’s a mix of favourites and […]
