When the dinosaurs came to kindy
About this resource
This video presentation explores how early childhood educators can connect with children’s interests using digital technologies.
Age range for this resource
For educators, parents, and carers of young children aged 3 to 5 years.
Goal of this resource
To engage young children in hands-on, interactive activities using a range of digital technologies.
To extend young children’s learning about their interests using digital technologies.
How might educators use this resource?
Watch this video presentation and reflect on how the educator describes her initial reluctance to use technologies with young learners. Notice how the educator connected with the children’s interests in dinosaurs and used augmented reality as an opportunity for expanding their access to information about dinosaurs through play. This video presentation could be used with colleagues as a conversation starter for shared professional learning.
How might families use this resource?
Watch this video presentation and think about how the children responded to using augmented reality in their play. What seemed to excite or energise the children in learning about dinosaurs through augmented reality? How do you think your own child/ren would respond to augmented reality if they could play with it at home?
How might organisations use this resource?
Provide a link to this video presentation in your communication with families. Explain how learning with digital technologies is part of Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). Highlight how the technology used in this example involves children using both traditional materials (e.g., toy dinosaurs) and technologies (e.g., augmented reality), as well as moving their bodies, talking to each other, and exploring ideas.
What learning might we see?
Educators, parents, and carers understanding how to use technologies in ways that connect with young children’s learning interests and support hands-on play-based learning.
Young children using digital technologies to explore their interests.
Young children using technologies for meaningful and purposeful play activities with peers.
Practice
Integrating
Children and adults integrate digital technologies with non-digital media and/or experiences.
Area
Play and Pedagogy
Young children have opportunities for play and pedagogy in digital contexts. Play and pedagogy involve children using a range of digital devices for exploration, meaning-making, collaboration, and problem solving. Educators engage in active decision making about the use and non-use of digital technologies for learning.
Connection to relevant standards
Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022)
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Children develop knowledgeable, confident self-identities and a positive sense of self-worth (e.g., Children share with others how they have learned to use digital technologies).
Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy, and respect (e.g., Children co-use and collaborate with others when using digital technologies).
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens (e.g., Children use digital technologies, with assistance, to explore solutions or assistance to community issues; Educators use digital technologies and the internet with children to explore solutions or assistance to community issues).
Children respond to diversity with respect (e.g., Educators use digital technologies to find answers to questions and document discoveries).
Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment (e.g., Educators investigate with children environmental challenges and explore solutions to problems using digital technologies and the internet).
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children become strong in their social, emotional, and mental wellbeing (e.g., Educators discuss and model appropriate use of digital technologies and discuss how to keep children safe online with children and families).
Children are aware of and develop strategies to support their own mental and physical health and personal safety (e.g., Educators learn about e-safety for children and embed and model safe digital practices).
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity (e.g., Educators model inquiry processes, including wonder, curiosity, and imagination, try new ideas, and take on challenges).
Children develop a range of learning and thinking skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching, and investigating (e.g., Children explore their environment through asking questions, experimenting, investigating, and using digital technologies; Children use a range of strategies and digital tools to organise and represent mathematical and scientific thinking; Children use a range of media to express their ideas through the arts, e.g., clay, drawing, paint, digital technologies).
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies, and natural and processed materials (e.g., Children explore the purpose and function of a range of tools, media, sounds, and graphics; Children use digital technologies and media to investigate and problem solve; Children express and respond to ideas and feelings using a range of creative media including photography and digital technologies; Educators select and introduce appropriate tools, technologies, and media and provide the skills, knowledge, and techniques to enhance children’s learning; Educators develop their skills and knowledge with digital technologies and media in their curriculum to use them confidently with children).
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts (e.g., Children engage in pretend play that draws on the use of digital technologies).
Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media (e.g., Children experiment with ways of expressing ideas and meaning using a range of media; Children display literacy behaviours by incorporating reading and writing approximations and viewing in their play, including digital technologies).
Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas, and represent their thinking (e.g., Children incorporate real or imaginary technologies as features of their play; Children develop simple skills to operate digital devices, such as turning on and taking a photo with a tablet; Children use digital technologies and media for creative expression, e.g., designing, drawing, composing; Educators encourage collaborative learning about and through technologies between children, and children and educators; Educators teach skills and techniques and encourage children to use technologies to explore new information and represent their ideas; Educators have opportunities to develop their own knowledge and understanding of appropriate digital technology use and safety with children and families).
National Quality Standard (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, 2019)
Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice (e.g., Each child’s current knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities, and interests are the foundation of the program; Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions; Educators respond to children’s ideas and play and extend children’s learning through open-ended questions, interactions, and feedback; Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence events and their world).
Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety (e.g., At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard)
Quality Area 3: Physical Environment (e.g., Resources, materials, and equipment allow for multiple uses, are sufficient in number, and enable every child to engage in play-based learning).
Quality Area 5: Relationships with children (e.g., Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident, and included; The dignity and rights of every child are maintained; Children are supported to collaborate, learn from, and help each other).
National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018)
Principle 8: Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Explore More
If these ideas are new to you, explore these related resources:
Everyday learning to build young children’s digital technology skills
This webinar explores how early childhood professionals can support children’s conceptual understandings of, and skill development with, digital technologies.
Unpacking imagination in action with Bluey
This video presentation explores how educators, parents, and carers can use technologies (e.g., popular television programs) to support children’s participation in imaginative play.
For more ideas, explore these related resources:
Supporting children’s play and learning using technologies
This infographic explores how educators, parents, and carers can use digital technologies in various ways to support children’s play and learning.
This tip sheet explores how parents, carers, and educators can support children to transition from viewing media on screens to engaging in play opportunities based on their viewing interests.
If you would like to read some research, explore these related resources:
Edwards, S., Mantilla, A., Grieshaber, S., Nuttall, J., & Wood, E. (2020). Converged play characteristics for early childhood education: Multimodal, global-local, and traditional-digital. Oxford Review of Education, 46(5), 637–660. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1750358
Grieshaber, S., Nuttall, J., & Edwards, S. (2021). Multimodal play: A threshold concept for early childhood curriculum? British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(6), 2118– 2129. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13127