Click, think, play? Digital and early years
A new digital literacy for early years research project, Shiny Object Syndrome, social media and teens, Miro plus AI, and much more ...
What’s been happening
Sarah’s on the advisory board for a research project – Early years digital media literacy review – which met this week. Led by Parent Zone and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the project is exploring how digital literacy interventions can be improved for families of under-fives and early years educators in the UK. It takes its starting point from a rapid review of research and academic literature in this area and findings will be published in due course as the research progresses.
But, a few reflections for now:
Definitions of media/digital and information literacy can be complex and offputting for parents and educators.
Much of the research and guidance in this area for younger children focuses on harms, bans or highly restrictive screen time without addressing the realities of family life, and the benefits and variety of digital experiences.
It's a broad area. Digital media literacy includes everything from parents and children sitting down to watch films and TV programmes to finding out information together, asking voice assistants to play songs, sending voice notes and engaging in interactive apps.
Families and educators welcome practical guidance and real examples of, for example, how to talk to young children at different stages of development about digital media
The advisory group had an interesting discussion about the simplification of tech messaging in early years and over reliance on developmentally inappropriate metaphors and anthropomorphisation. We’ll come back to that theme in this newsletter.
In previous editions of the newsletter we've explored the trend of Scandinavian governments rowing back on digitalisation in schools, especially with young children. For example, we have seen the initial attempt of the Swedish government to ban all use of digital technology in early childhood settings, before coming to a more measured view.
For Sarah, as a grandparent, former early years teacher and a digital learning consultant, it's a project and theme that brings a range of interests and experiences together. In recent years those experiences have included having the opportunity to undertake close-up observations not only of young children in schools and early years settings (find out more about the Co-Make project on computational thinking in preschools in this Hello World magazine article) but also in the family setting.
At home it’s involved supporting a three year old to programme with Scratch Junior, making animations with a four year old, and having conversations about weather systems, cities, human senses and hairdressing using Tiny Bop and Toca Boca apps, along with listening to a child ask an AI chatbot to “explain to a five year old, why the stars look like tiny dots, who made the world, why do mosquito bites itch and why do flies eat poo”…and yes… sometimes handing over the phone to get a few more minutes sleep.
AI roundup
The EU AI act comes into force at the beginning of August, banning certain uses of AI tools and putting transparency requirements on developers.
Are you prone to Shiny Object Syndrome? Jason Gulya warns about the risk of skills creep when teachers use AI, which is when we change our objectives to fit AI, and not the other way around, and it becomes AI-first, not student-first.
Helen Beetham’s latest newsletter covers what she thinks Labour may do on AI. However, some of her speculation is heavily based on the views of the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), which may or may not translate into steps the actual government might take. In fact, according to Rachel Coldicutt’s interesting and amusing blogpost on last week’s TBI AI conference,
“My conclusion from yesterday is that TBI’s approach to technology is happening at a remove from the reality of modern politics and the inconvenience of delivery; that its techno-optimism is out of step with the managed caution of the new government.”
But press on with the Beetham newsletter and there’s excellent caution about over-optimism around use of AI in schools and the risk of regulatory capture of the government by Big Tech.
Professor Rose Luckin’s AI Readiness Online Course is on sale at £10 during July and August
Quick links
Computer science GCSE is too hard and standards should be changed, says this new government report
Watch out, there’s a curriculum review coming soon, which may provoke either optimism or dread among teachers.
Tate’s Electric Dreams exhibition opens in November and will trace the long relationship between artists and technology, a symbiosis that is sure to continue with AI.
You know we always like a Prof Miles Berry slide deck. This one from the Computing at School conference is about creativity and curiosity.
Is it more important how a tech company reaches net zero than how fast they get there (looking at you, Google, and your 13% increase in carbon emissions)? The MIT Technology Review thinks so, putting the case that “a new school of thought is emerging that moves beyond the net-zero model of corporate climate action, arguing that companies should focus on achieving broader climate impacts rather than trying to balance out every ton of carbon dioxide they emit.”
What does good legislation look like when it comes to devising laws to protect children from social media harms? The LSE’s Parenting for a Digital Future blog has some ideas.
Having followed the twists and turns of vocational qualifications over the years, and working recently with schools putting the technology in place to support the media, broadcast and production T level, we’re inclined to agree with Gordon Brown on this one…
We’re reading, watching, listening to…
We've been following the social media, teens and anxiety stories this school year. In this BBC programme academics report that changes in cohort mental health can be attributed to social media by just 10%. Delayed adult milestones for the current generation are significant factors.
Give it a try
Miro Intelligent Canvas
We’ve been big fans of the free version of Miro for team collaboration and online CPD for a while. Miro Intelligent Canvas will bring together advanced AI capabilities. Why not give it a try for your next team day?
Connected Learning is by Sarah Horrocks and Michelle Pauli
