What’s it all about?
The world is much different from when we were children; believe it or not, 5 years ago we didn’t have iPads! Yet today, everyone including children, toddlers and sometimes even babies seem to be using touch screen tablets for gaming, education and communicating via video chat. But children experience the world differently to adults: what effects, good and bad, is it having?
Come along to hear about what we know so far about the pros and cons of touch screen tablets, video chatting and other technology use by children, and what we still need to research.
What will we cover?
In this class we’ll discuss how our lives have dramatically changed with the use of touch screens, video communication and other recent technologies and we’ll delve into the most up-to-date research on the use of technology use by our youngest generation.
We will debate and discuss
- Similarities and differences between physical toys/games and the app versions of these, and their perspective benefits,
- Whether children can apply what they learn on apps to the ‘real world’,
- How young children experience virtual presence (e.g. Skype or iChat),
- Ways to enhance the advantages for children,
- Benefits and disadvantages of interactive vs. non-interactive screen time,
- The potential loss of alternative activities resulting from tech use.
Who will be teaching?
Jo Tarasuik is a developmental researcher who is particularly interested in the role of technology in the lives of young children. She completed her PhD at the Swinburne Babylab, examining the experience of video chat (e.g. Skype) on children from 18 months of age, and with the Babylab team is now trying researching touch screen use by children, and how they could enhance the learning experience of children.