Maria Dardanou

This book examines innovative recent developments in curricula and pedagogical discourses around early childhood professionals’ digital competence development via professional development avenues. By expanding the notion of digital technologies integration, teaching perspectives, and educators’ practices in early childhood education, the authors not only conceptualise a professional development model, but also apply the model to bring together research across cultural contexts. Presenting findings from four cases, it offers research-informed tangible examples of teacher-centric professional development – one that inspires early childhood professionals, teacher educators, and pre-service teachers to use a variety of multimodal technologies within their repertoire of play-based practices (e.g., STEM-focused play for and with young children, teaching computational thinking). Case studies in this book are evidence of how practitioners can come together to build communities of practice to support their digital competence development as critical pedagogues and integrate a variety of evolving technology-based play (e.g., AI platforms), while engaging in paradigmatic debates. Readers will better appreciate the growth in pragmatic applications of technologies, together with theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. This will be a valuable resource for any academic or practitioner, whether beginning or expert, in understanding how digital competence development occurs through cultural learnings, is inclusive, not discipline-based, is holistic. In reframing early childhood professionals’ digital competence development as a naturalistic process, it will inspire educators to integrate a range of digital and multimodal technologies in their everyday practices.

This book offers a fresh look at recent developments in policy, curricula and pedagogical discourse around children’s play with Internet of Toys (IoToys). By expanding the notion of digital and smart play perspectives in early childhood education, the authors critique and develop the broader subject area of IoToys play to better serve its end users. The book brings together research from across three different countries: Australia, Norway and England. It offers tangible examples of how one can use IoToys to build children’s social skills, emotional intelligence, sense of achievement, collaboration and aspects of STEM and design play thinking processes. The learning stories of children’s IoToys play will deliver a comprehensive review of how practitioners and parents can come together to build communities of practice for (re)enhancing children’s learning and growth using evolving technology-based play and engage in paradigmatic debates. Readers as a result will better appreciate the growth in pragmatic applications of technologies together with theoretical perspectives. The book will be a valuable resource for any academic or practitioner just beginning to understand the complexities and success stories of integrating IoToys for children’s playful learning.

This book offers a fresh look at recent developments in policy, curricula and pedagogical discourse around children’s play with Internet of Toys (IoToys). By expanding the notion of digital and smart play perspectives in early childhood education, the authors critique and develop the broader subject area of IoToys play to better serve its end users. The book brings together research from across three different countries: Australia, Norway and England. It offers tangible examples of how one can use IoToys to build children’s social skills, emotional intelligence, sense of achievement, collaboration and aspects of STEM and design play thinking processes. The learning stories of children’s IoToys play will deliver a comprehensive review of how practitioners and parents can come together to build communities of practice for (re)enhancing children’s learning and growth using evolving technology-based play and engage in paradigmatic debates. Readers as a result will better appreciate the growth in pragmatic applications of technologies together with theoretical perspectives. The book will be a valuable resource for any academic or practitioner just beginning to understand the complexities and success stories of integrating IoToys for children’s playful learning.

Barnehagens digitale praksis skal ha en naturlig plass i det pedagogiske arbeidet. En barnehagelærer må alltid vurdere hvilke digitale verktøy som er mest hensiktsmessig å velge for å gi barna mulighet til å leke, lære, utforske og skape med digital teknologi. Med forankring i pedagogiske læringsteorier og perspektiver presenterer forfatterne begrepet profesjonsfaglig digital kompetanse. «Barnehagens digitale arenaer» viser hvordan barnehagefaglige aktiviteter og prosjekter i en barnehage enkelt kan deles med andre barnehager. Aktivitetene og prosjektene som beskrives, er nært knyttet til praksisfeltet med både analoge og digitale utgangspunkt. Eksemplene i boka er basert på aktiviteter og et stort prosjekt som bygger på STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) og framtidens kompetanser (kreativitet, kritisk tenkning, medborgerskap, kommunikasjon og samarbeid). Boka er skrevet for studenter og praktikere innenfor barnehagefeltet. Den retter seg primært inn mot kunnskapsområdet Barns utvikling, lek og læring, men tar også for seg tematikk som er aktuell innenfor alle kunnskapsområdene i barnehagelærerutdanningen. I tillegg til forfatterne Maria Dardanou, Elin Dybdal Simensen og Maria Solberg Mossin bidrar Maria Hatzigianni med et kapittel i boka.