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Lagergren, A. & Jonasson, K. (2023). Barns berättelser i rörelse och förflyttning: Actionkameror i förskolans undervisning. Utbildning och lärande, 17(4), 68-86
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Barns berättelser i rörelse och förflyttning: Actionkameror i förskolans undervisning
2023 (Swedish)In: Utbildning och lärande, ISSN 1653-0594, Vol. 17, no 4, p. 68-86Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Digital tools in preschool teaching are often presented as something threatening in the public debate, often in relation to health risks, such as sedentary behaviour. This article finds new ways to discuss this through an investigation of what conditions the use of mobile documentation technology in relation to both storytelling and movement in preschool education. We discuss how the physical and the digital can relate to each other in preschool teaching. With a particular focus on bodily aspects and storytelling, we explore new ways of approaching children’s perspectives with a point of departure in mobile digital documentation. Based on data material consisting of children's documentation of their immediate environment with the help of action cameras (that is, small digital film cameras that are applied to the body with the help of a helmet or harness). The bodily, pedagogical, and ethical consequences of combining the physical and the digital in preschool education are discussed. The data is analyzed with inspiration from a social anthropological perspective with a focus on the epistemological couplet emic/etic. The analyzes are characterized by what could be called an "epic" approach to the child filming and to each other during their movements in the surroundings of the preschool. The study offers an example of how movement can be staged in preschool education. To this end, the combination of physical and digital elements is deemed to be meritorious.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Falun: Högskolan Dalarna, 2023
Keywords
Preschool, digital tools, storytelling, movement, action-camera, outdoors
National Category
Educational Sciences Pedagogy
Research subject
Smart Cities and Communities, LEADS
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-52107 (URN)10.58714/ul.v17i4.18262 (DOI)
Available from: 2023-11-24 Created: 2023-11-24 Last updated: 2023-11-24Bibliographically approved
Jonasson, K. & Lagergren, A. (2022). Barns berättande och språkutveckling i digitala fysiska aktiviteter (DigiFys). In: Högström, Per (Ed.), Praktiknära, skolbaserade och samverkansdrivna forskningsprojekt: Samlade erfarenheter från ULF försöksverksamhet 2020-2021 (pp. 38-52). Halmstad: Högskolan i Halmstad
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Barns berättande och språkutveckling i digitala fysiska aktiviteter (DigiFys)
2022 (Swedish)In: Praktiknära, skolbaserade och samverkansdrivna forskningsprojekt: Samlade erfarenheter från ULF försöksverksamhet 2020-2021 / [ed] Högström, Per, Halmstad: Högskolan i Halmstad , 2022, p. 38-52Chapter in book (Other academic)
Abstract [sv]

Samverkansprojektet DigiFys (Barns berättande och språkutveckling i digitala fysiska aktiviteter) syftar till att bidra till utvecklingen av digital dokumentationsteknik som ett kvalitetsarbetesinstrument i förskolan. Projektåret har kontinuerligt förlupit i och genom möten, diskussioner, konferenser, workshops, såväl fysiskt som digitalt. Kommunikationen under, inför och mellan sådana möten är projektets viktigaste beståndsdel. Ett speciellt empiriskt nedslag i projektet är samtal kring och reflektioner över teknologin som ett gränssnitt mellan olika instanser såsom förskolebarn, pedagoger, IT-ansvariga, specialpedagoger, rektorer, föräldrar och forskare. Anpassning av projektet i förhållande till externa omständigheter såsom rådande pandemi gjordes efterhand och ledde till att projektet kom att handla mer om själva samverkansmodellen än om de enskilda aktiviteterna i förskolorna som det initialt syftade till att härbärgera. Detta ledde i sig till att projektaktiviteter följde en ad hoc- struktur där validering av metoder och insikter gjordes löpande i angränsande samverkansarenor (såsom vetenskapliga seminarier, dialoger med företrädare för övningsförskolor, internationella videokonferenser, examinationsutveckling och näringslivskontakter).

Projektets nav är den utbildning som erbjuds av förskolorna i Fyllinge skolområde under ledning av rektorerna Ann-Charlotte Jönsson och Hanna Thorsell. Det var också i nära samråd med dessa ledare som projektet kom att stöpas om baserat på överläggningar, överenskommelser och beslut under tidig höst 2021. De fem förskolorna har under året deltagit i projektet som ägt rum i form av möten via videokonferens och på plats i Fyllinge i olika konstellationer. Under hösten gjordes ett antal fokusgruppsdiskussioner med framåtsyftning mot ett intensifierat reflektions- och analysarbete. Dessa dialoger fördes på åtta avdelningar på fyra olika förskolor i Fyllinge (Halmstad kommun) med 3–4 deltagande förskollärare per gång.

Preliminära resultat visar på förtjänsterna med att arbeta övergripande och gränsöver- skridande mellan akademi och skolhuvudman, framförallt face-to-face med en avdelning i taget, eftersom varje enskild avdelning och förskolas sammansättning medför variationer, utmaningar och möjligheter som gör det svårt att verka i enlighet med centrala bestämmelser om sådant som teknik och dokumentation. Att arbeta med systematiskt kvalitetsarbete via film är utmanande för många pedagoger och mötet med forskare ger inspiration i form av hur dokumentations- och analysarbete kan iscensättas på vetenskaplig grund.

Utmaningen med att arbeta i heterogena grupper, sett till de olika roller och hierarkier de är inlemmade i, är att orientera mellan teori och praktik på ett sömlöst och omsorgsfullt sätt utan att någon av de närvarande yrkesgrupperna känner sig ifrågasatta i sin profession. Riskerna är: för forskare att framstå som obegripliga och orimliga; för rektorer att framstå som dominanta; för förskollärare att framstå som inkompetenta tjänstemän och som några som sviker barnen.

För att skapa ett samtalsklimat där utbyte kan ske, ett där teori och praktik flyter samman, måste diskussioner emellertid röra sig nära dessa ”farliga” positioner. Kommunikationen och den enskilda dialogen är alltså central och vad vi avser demonstrera i denna rapport är hur den kan färdas på intrikata sätt mellan olika instanser, roller och nivåer. Ett sätt att förstå detta är att spåra hur nätverk upprättas i långa linjer där varje ny punkt som information flyttas över till också innebär en transformation (Latour, 2005). Samverkan blir från detta perspektiv något som kan beskrivas fullödigt först i efterhand. Detta illustrerar vi fortlöpande, men framförallt i en handfull narrativa analyser – d.v.s. vittnesbörd om just den specifika samverkan som präglade föreliggande projekt. I rapporten förekommer begreppen modell och ekologi vilket är andra sätt att beskriva samverkan. Tillsammans syftar dessa till att omfatta den odelbara komplexiteten i kunskapsanspråk av det slag som detta projekt tillhör.

Den vetenskapliga delen av projektet är förankrad i idén om samverkan som ett ”wicked problem” (Rittel & Webber, 1973), det vill säga ”lurigt” fenomen. Ett lurigt problem är inte synonymt med komplext, med den distinktionen att de senare kan delas upp i komponenter, vilket de förra är resistenta mot. De narrativa kursiveringarna är ett sätt att hantera denna resistens. Luriga problem uppstår när professioner mångfaldigas och genom sitt ständiga sökande att etableras, och de påföljande legitimitetsanspråk som krävs för detta, riskerar att ”förråda” de ”klienter” bland ”lekmän” som de erbjuder tjänster till.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Halmstad: Högskolan i Halmstad, 2022
Keywords
Lärande, praktiknära, praktikutvecklande, samverkan, förskola, digitalisering, bildhantering, dokumentation
National Category
Educational Sciences
Research subject
Smart Cities and Communities, LeaDS - Learning in a Digitalised Society
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-46616 (URN)
Available from: 2022-04-08 Created: 2022-04-08 Last updated: 2022-12-02Bibliographically approved
Sjödén, B., Lagergren, A. & Jonasson, K. (2021). Digital Innovations on Demand: Developing and Practicing a Pedagogy with Swedish preschool teacher students for improving play-&-learn apps. In: 30th EECERA Annual Conference: Democratic Early Childhood Pedagogies: Online Festival 1st – 17th September 2021: Abstract Book. Paper presented at 30th EECERA Annual Conference, Online, 1st – 17th September, 2021.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Digital Innovations on Demand: Developing and Practicing a Pedagogy with Swedish preschool teacher students for improving play-&-learn apps
2021 (English)In: 30th EECERA Annual Conference: Democratic Early Childhood Pedagogies: Online Festival 1st – 17th September 2021: Abstract Book, 2021Conference paper, Poster (with or without abstract) (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

We aimed to develop and practice an inclusive and democratic pedagogy for involving preschool teacher students in the design of play-&-learn apps that meet the educational objectives of the Swedish preschool curriculum. Previous research has highlighted that many alleged “educational apps” fail to meet basic criteria for promoting children’s learning (Ginsburg, Jamalian & Creighan, 2013; Hirsh-Pasek et al, 2015). Recent reviews suggest that common apps treat children as passive recipients of information (Tärning, 2018), whereas evidence from learning science (e.g. National Academy of Sciences, 2018) show that children’s active learning is promoted by their own efforts, control and exploration. From a sociocultural perspective on the performative nature of learning (Säljö, 2010) we employed the Double Diamond design process model (British Design Council, 2005) for organizing and conducting a researcher-led workshop for facilitating mutual exchange between students and professional app designers. Our approach combined perspectives on situated learning and joint participation (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) in which the three parties effectively formed a “community of practice” over one day. Students were introduced to the Double Diamond model, then worked in groups for developing prototypes for play-&-learn apps starring a popular children’s book figure. A consent form and information sheet was provided to the participating students, whose prototypes became the objects of analysis. The results provided concrete and visible examples of what preschool teacher students considered important for children’s learning activities with digital tools. This has important implications for developing students’ and teachers’ acquisition competence and for novel educational interventions.

Keywords
collaborative design, educational apps, innovation, design-based research, digital tools
National Category
Pedagogy
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-46230 (URN)
Conference
30th EECERA Annual Conference, Online, 1st – 17th September, 2021
Available from: 2022-01-21 Created: 2022-01-21 Last updated: 2022-01-26Bibliographically approved
Jonasson, K., Lagergren, A. & Stenberg, J. (2021). Närmiljö som lärmiljö: digitala fysiska aktiviteter i förskolan. In: Pernilla Nilsson (Ed.), Framtidens Digitala Lärande i Skolan (FDLIS): Ett unikt samverkansprojekt (pp. 93-137). Halmstad: Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Närmiljö som lärmiljö: digitala fysiska aktiviteter i förskolan
2021 (Swedish)In: Framtidens Digitala Lärande i Skolan (FDLIS): Ett unikt samverkansprojekt / [ed] Pernilla Nilsson, Halmstad: Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle , 2021, p. 93-137Chapter in book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
Abstract [sv]

Den här rapporten handlar om hur några förskolor arbetat med digital teknik i rörelse och förflyttning i förskolans närområde. Syftet med projektet var att undersöka vilket lärande, meningsskapande och kulturellt identitetsskapande som kan uppstå i digitala fysiska aktiviteter i förskolans verksamhet och närmiljö. Det underlag i form av filmmaterial och samtal som ligger till grund för projektets resultat har producerats av barn, förskollärare, IKT-utvecklare samt av oss forskare. Resultaten från projektet Närmiljö som lärmiljö visar exempel på hur det didaktiska arbetet med digital teknologi i förskoleverksamhet kan bedrivas där barns välmående, kommunikations- och lärandemöjligheter tas tillvara utan att göra avkall på leken.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Halmstad: Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle, 2021
Keywords
Förskola, Digitalisering, Rörelse, Barns perspektiv, GoPro
National Category
Pedagogy
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-44174 (URN)978-91-519-8240-3 (ISBN)978-91-519-8241-0 (ISBN)
Available from: 2021-04-19 Created: 2021-04-19 Last updated: 2021-05-07Bibliographically approved
Lagergren, A. & Jonasson, K. (2019). Children as knowledge-producing citizens in action - Digital recording of and by physical activity as a methodological approaching ECE research and practice. In: 29th EECERA ANNUAL CONFERENCE: Early Years: Making it Count: Thessaloniki, Greece, 20th - 23rd August 2019: Abstract Book. Paper presented at 29th EECERA Conference, Early Years: Making it Count, Thessaloniki, Greece, August 20-23, 2019 (pp. 146-146). Birmingham: European Early Childhood Education Research Association
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Children as knowledge-producing citizens in action - Digital recording of and by physical activity as a methodological approaching ECE research and practice
2019 (English)In: 29th EECERA ANNUAL CONFERENCE: Early Years: Making it Count: Thessaloniki, Greece, 20th - 23rd August 2019: Abstract Book, Birmingham: European Early Childhood Education Research Association , 2019, p. 146-146Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

The aim is to study children's physical/digital activities simultaneously. The contemporary literature on physical activity comprises two strands, focusing on either development (Helander, 2012) or expression (Lind, 2005). An emergent approach is to regard physical activity as a knowledge asset (Olsson, 2014).

Insights from the literature based on a post-humanist conception of the world (Taguchi, Palmer & Gustafsson, 2016) point to the importance of non-human agency, such as of digital technology. This is combined with the agency of children, as conceptualized in socio-cultural theory (Wertsch, 1998). Both forms of agency are activated in the study by utilizing physical activity as a methodological asset.  

The empirical visual data was collected in collaboration with children age 3-5 year old and preschool teachers in three different Swedish preschools. Taking the intersection of post-humanist and sociocultural theory as a point of departure, the study has a broad methodological approach. This enables a stance in which children's bodies are central for production of knowledge and ethics, but without focusing them as loci of health, risk and measures. Ethical standards were assured through written informed consent by parents and personnel, and oral consent from participating children.

Preliminary results show that new possibilities of action and agency are unlocked when young children get to access digital technologies, such as, for instance, cameras.  When combined, physical activity and digital technology inform each other as both drivers and describers of change, and as something connecting children to the places and areas in which they live. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Birmingham: European Early Childhood Education Research Association, 2019
Series
European Early Childhood Education Research Association Annual Conference
Keywords
children, agency, knowledge-producers, physical activity, digital technology
National Category
Educational Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-50217 (URN)
Conference
29th EECERA Conference, Early Years: Making it Count, Thessaloniki, Greece, August 20-23, 2019
Available from: 2023-03-24 Created: 2023-03-24 Last updated: 2023-07-06Bibliographically approved
Lagergren, A. & Holmberg, K. (2017). Learning in new perspectives – entanglement of children, teachers and digital technology. In: 27th EECERA Annual Conference: Social Justice, Solidarity and Children’s Rights’, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September 2017: Abstract Book. Paper presented at EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research) 2017, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September, 2017 (pp. 230-230).
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Learning in new perspectives – entanglement of children, teachers and digital technology
2017 (English)In: 27th EECERA Annual Conference: Social Justice, Solidarity and Children’s Rights’, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September 2017: Abstract Book, 2017, p. 230-230Conference paper, Poster (with or without abstract) (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

This paper is based on preliminary results of an on-going study. The aim is to investigate entanglements of children, teachers and digital technology, where humans as well as materiality are considered as actors. Learning is a main concept in the research field of didactics and preschool practice. Research is also highly dominated by a deterministic and dialectic approach. Instead, this study investigates the becoming of an entangled child, where the child continuously is in intra-actions with other humans and digital technology. In this setting Barads (2007) agential realism becomes a way to problematise widespread beliefs about the learning child. In this study, the concept intra-action (Barad, 2007) is used to analyse the becoming of the digital child. Preschool children 4-5 years old, preschool teachers and preschool teacher students participated. They explored a digital App (Toontastic 3D) and created a story with sound and moving images in a Digital Laboratory Centre (DLC). Field notes and video registrations were used for documentation. Ethical standards were assured through written informed content by all parents and personnel, and oral consent from the participating children. Results show that children together with digital technology are strongly bound to each other during the activities. In these entangled becoming actions is reliant both of the children and the technology. Also, the spectrum of action possibilities increases during the process. It is interesting to further discuss the concept of learning in an agential realism perspective as learning emerges without any involvement of teacher students or preschool teachers.

Keywords
preschool children, digital technology, intra-actions, Agential realism, learning
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-36473 (URN)
Conference
EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research) 2017, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September, 2017
Note

Poster title in conference abstract book: Alternative perspectives on learning - entanglements of children, teachers and digital technology

Available from: 2018-03-20 Created: 2018-03-20 Last updated: 2018-06-12Bibliographically approved
Lagergren, A. & Holmberg, K. (2017). Learning “Theory and Methodology of Science” in Professional Education – A Case Study. In: L. Gómez Chova, A. López Martínez & I. Candel Torres (Ed.), INTED2017 Proceedings: 11th International Technology, Education and Development Conference: March 6th-8th, 2017 — Valencia, Spain: Conference Proceedings. Paper presented at INTED2017 (11th annual Technology, Education and Development Conference), Valencia, Spain, 6th-8th March, 2017 (pp. 6924-6929). IATED
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Learning “Theory and Methodology of Science” in Professional Education – A Case Study
2017 (English)In: INTED2017 Proceedings: 11th International Technology, Education and Development Conference: March 6th-8th, 2017 — Valencia, Spain: Conference Proceedings / [ed] L. Gómez Chova, A. López Martínez & I. Candel Torres, IATED , 2017, p. 6924-6929Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

The aim of the project is to study students’ learning in a transformed course in Theory and Methodology of Science (TMS), a compulsory course in all teacher education programs in Sweden.

The students perceive the course TMS as difficult and abstract. At the same time it offers an important foundation for their continued education such as their final thesis and other research-related courses. Hereby it’s important for students to successfully pass, not only for the course itself, but also for subsequent courses. In a wider perspective, it is also sigificant for the development of the educational field, and to the students’ future workplaces. Our students should be able to understand and apply research for years to come. Heavy courses can also be problematic for economic reasons. Since few students are passing, they do not generate as much money as courses that many students pass. There are also examples where teachers are asked by the management to lower the requirements to increase the pass rate.

As teachers we have put a lot of effort into the course to support and help students learning. Despite this, only 35% passed the exam in spring 2016, which gave rise to the learning experiment we designed and studied this fall. The pedagogical idea is based on a problem-oriented learning, participatory learning and self-organized learning. This means that the students themselves are largely responsible for the organization of their learning. Teachers work with lectures and seminars, as well as coaching and scaffolding. The course is designed as an authentic empirical research project where both quantitative and qualitative data is used as a starting point. Students work in teams. They organize their work in the project by them selves and write a common research rapport. Through the reformed course, learning is combined with a great student responsibility, where students meaning making, socialization and co-learning are central. Hence, the most important research group work takes place is the project-office-rooms where the students’ main course work is performed. The organization of the course involves that students themselves designates project managers and that they take responsibility for their joint work, week by week. They can also request extra support from the teachers, if necessary.

The result of the study shows that 86% of the students received a passing grade. The aspects that matter most to the success are: 1) common spaces, the project office, which creates opportunities to exchange knowledge and experience IRL, 2) problem-oriented learning, participatory learning and self-organized learning, increasing participation and motivation, 3) Collective responsibility for knowledge formation during the project period, and 4) Authentic approach of the course, which by its design as closely as possible should simulate real research projects.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
IATED, 2017
Keywords
professional education, teacher education, course design, participatory learning, problemoriented learning, self-organized learning, democracy
National Category
Learning
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-34074 (URN)10.21125/inted.2017.1605 (DOI)978-84-617-8491-2 (ISBN)
Conference
INTED2017 (11th annual Technology, Education and Development Conference), Valencia, Spain, 6th-8th March, 2017
Available from: 2017-06-12 Created: 2017-06-12 Last updated: 2018-03-23Bibliographically approved
Sjöberg, J., Lagergren, A. & Holmberg, K. (2017). Seen but not heard?! Children's participation in research about digital technology in preschool. In: 27th EECERA Annual Conference: Social Justice, Solidarity and Children’s Rights’, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September 2017: Abstract Book. Paper presented at EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research) 2017, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September, 2017 (pp. 45-45).
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Seen but not heard?! Children's participation in research about digital technology in preschool
2017 (English)In: 27th EECERA Annual Conference: Social Justice, Solidarity and Children’s Rights’, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September 2017: Abstract Book, 2017, p. 45-45Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

The aim of this study is to investigate norms and constructions of children in previous research concerning preschool children and digital technology. Digital technology is an important part of preschool activities. The number of children and preschool teachers who have access to computer tablets and clever boards in their everyday practice has increased in recent years (e.g. Couse & Chen, 2010, Edwards, 2013). This development has led to the need of extended knowledge concerning the critical contextual factors of digital technology use in preschool context (e.g. Lindahl & Folkesson, 2012). In the analysis of the material, social constructionism and discursive psychology (Wheterell & Potter, 1992, Potter, 1996) were used. This paper is based on a critical integrative literature review (Torraco, 2005) regarding research on preschool children and digital technology. The review draws from a number of scholarly research articles conducted between 2000-2015. Ethical considerations were met by showing respect and responsiveness to other researchers work (e.g. codex.vr.se). Preliminary results indicate that children often are marginalised in research and focus is more likely to be on an adult's point of view (such as the teacher or the parent). In this sense, children have a weak "voice" in research regarding digital technology use in preschool, therefore, the lack of the child's perspective is evident. The results, we argue, have important implications for researchers, preschool teachers and teacher educators in further discussions of how, when and for what purposes digital technology should be used in preschool children's activities.

Keywords
digital technology, discourses, integrative literature review, preschool, preschool children
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-36474 (URN)
Conference
EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research) 2017, Bologna, Italy, 29th August – 1st September, 2017
Available from: 2018-03-20 Created: 2018-03-20 Last updated: 2018-03-22Bibliographically approved
Sjödén, B., Lagergren, A. & Sjöberg, J. (2016). Struggling to Learn or Learning to Struggle: Children's use of iPad apps as constraints or scaffolds for social interaction in Swedish preschool. In: 26th EECERA Annual Conference 2016: “Happiness, Relationships, Emotion & Deep Level Learning”: Abstract Book. Paper presented at 26th EECERA Annual Conference 2016: “Happiness, Relationships, Emotion & Deep Level Learning”, 31st August – 3rd September 2016, Dublin, Ireland (pp. 76-76).
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Struggling to Learn or Learning to Struggle: Children's use of iPad apps as constraints or scaffolds for social interaction in Swedish preschool
2016 (English)In: 26th EECERA Annual Conference 2016: “Happiness, Relationships, Emotion & Deep Level Learning”: Abstract Book, 2016, p. 76-76Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

We aimed to investigate how young children's interactions with computer tablets (iPads) in preschool may constrain or scaffold collaborative and individualistic behaviour. Drawing from a contextual perspective on play (Edwards, 2013), our study combined perspectives on joint participation (Lave & Wenger, 1991, Wenger, 1998) and content analysis of apps based on learning science (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015) in order to analyse how certain app characteristics (e.g. 'playful' vs 'learning' apps, apps supporting 'social interaction' vs 'minds-on activity') related to children's peer interactions. In our view, apps differ from other tools and toys primarily by providing 'pre-packaged activities', such as mathematical tasks, puzzle-solving or rule-based games, which constrain and direct meaningful actions through interactive functions and feedback. Two Swedish preschools (35 children, 3- 5 years old) participated. We openly filmed children's tablet use during free play sessions, totalling 19h of film. Ethical standards were assured through written informed consent by parents and personnel, and oral consent from participating children. Preliminary results indicate that children's activities were constrained and influenced not only by the use of tablets generally, but specifically by different types of apps. For example, apps with 'creative' learning goals, such as Gangnam Style, afforded collaboration, whereas more performance- oriented apps such as Hungry Fish afforded individualistic play and struggles for ownership of the tablet. Our results have important implications for how 'play time' with tablets is assigned in preschool and call for greater attention to varieties in app content for how children engage in social and cognitive activities.

Keywords
Collaboration, Ownership, Learning, Play, Computer tablets
National Category
Pedagogy
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-34075 (URN)
Conference
26th EECERA Annual Conference 2016: “Happiness, Relationships, Emotion & Deep Level Learning”, 31st August – 3rd September 2016, Dublin, Ireland
Available from: 2017-06-12 Created: 2017-06-12 Last updated: 2021-05-20Bibliographically approved
Lagergren, A. & Sjöberg, J. (2015). Children’s actorship in activities with digital media in preschool settings – play or learning?. In: 25th EECERA Annual Conference "Innovation, Experimentation and Adventure in Early Childhood": Abstract Book. Paper presented at EECERA 2015, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain 7th - 10th September 2015 (pp. 291-291).
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Children’s actorship in activities with digital media in preschool settings – play or learning?
2015 (English)In: 25th EECERA Annual Conference "Innovation, Experimentation and Adventure in Early Childhood": Abstract Book, 2015, p. 291-291Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

The aim is to highlight what kind of play and learning is constituted in situations where preschool children are involved in activities with digital media. This paper presents the results from a research project of children encountering computer tablets in preschool settings. The study is located in a contextual perspective on play (Edwards, 2013), building on earlier studies of digital play and learning (Plowman, McPake & Stephen, 2008) and of digital media and popular culture (Gutnick, Robb, Takeuchi & Kotler, 2011). The theoretical framework for this study draws upon a sociocultural perspective on play and learning (Vygotsky, 1933; Wertsch, 1998), as well as the perspective on participation as a process where both activity and to join in a social practice are components (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). Two Swedish preschools with a total of 35 children aged 3- 5 years old participated. The material consists of video recordings followed by interaction analysis. Ethical standards were assured through written informed content by all parents and personnel, and oral consent from the participating children. Main findings show that within this specific context both play and learning takes place in parallel in relation to closeness and distance: on one hand in form of joint activities and mutual enjoyment, and on the other in form of struggle of power and strategies for cheating. Finally, in the children's activities with digital media, popular culture is abundantly present as a facilitator for play and learning, hence should be taken into account in the didactical practice.

Keywords
actorship, computer tablets, learning, play, preschoo
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-34072 (URN)
Conference
EECERA 2015, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain 7th - 10th September 2015
Available from: 2017-06-12 Created: 2017-06-12 Last updated: 2017-06-22Bibliographically approved
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-9722-2763

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