http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU97IXT8MIs
A digital explosion:
Young children birth
to three years
Digital Literacies in Early
Childhood at the Unley Town Hall
July 3 2013, Susan Hill
Open Day 2012:
Careers in Education
Susan.hill@unisa.edu.au
Babies and books- research questions
• What is the impact of a range of family literacy
programs on the reading and language practices
of families of young children aged birth to two
years?
• What are the changing reading practices (digital
and non-digital) of diverse families with children
from birth to five years?
• What may contribute to the sustainability of
family literacy programs for families of children
birth to five years?
Theoretical frameworks
• Socio-cultural (Vygotsky 1978; Heath
1983; Hill & Launder 2011).
• Cognition, brain and oral language
development (Hart & Risley 2003;
Dickenson et.al 2010).
• Semiotics-creating meaning from texts
(Kress 2003).
METHODOLOGY: ‘Babies and books'
• Babies and books’ longitudinal surveys
• Survey 1 (pre-birth – 6 months) approx 350 families –
closed Aug, ’12
• Survey 2 (6 – 12 months) approx 380 families – closed
May, ‘13
• Survey 3 (18 – 24 months) approx 175 families - closed
May, ’13
• Survey 4 (2 – 5 years) more than 50 families – still open
•Case studies of diverse families’ reading
practices over time (young mothers, parents where both
read to children, high and low SES according to Australian
Early Development Index)
•http://maps.aedi.org.au/IA/2011/region/45/atlas.html
Recruitment
LBBC web-site
Participants from regions
31%
21%
19%
16%
9%
5%
Adelaide
Hills
Eastern
Adelaide
Northern
Adelaide
Southern
Adelaide
Western Adelaide
Country
Your highest level of education?
90%
79.0%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
18.6%
20%
10%
2.4%
0%
Completed primary school
Completed secondary school
Completed a degree/diploma
What age to read to your baby?
45%
38.5%
40%
35%
31.5%
30%
25%
20%
16.1%
13.9%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Pre-birth
Birth -3 weeks
3 -6 weeks
After 6 weeks
Why read to your baby?
250
229
200
150
127
100
71
50
65
32
17
0
build
relationship,
bond
comfort, calm
entertainment,
play
learning,
development
love of books
other
Use of ebooks or ebook apps by children aged
birth – 6 months- not popular
Do you and your baby use e-books or e-book apps?
100%
89.9%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
10.1%
0%
Yes
No
Why not use e-books or apps
But, if your baby uses mobile devices
Birth – 6 months- which ones?
Findings: Survey 1: Pre-birth to 6 months Bubs family language and reading
practices: on-line survey
Most parents (99%) read to their babies from pre-birth to six months of age
and this was across all socio-economic areas. Singing and talking with babies
was also seen to be very important.
Parents commented about the importance of reading to babies for their
future academic learning.
Parents read to their babies from a large range of books including board
books and in some cases, adult fiction.
Families were aware of the importance of reading to young babies and by
the time babies were six months of age 70% of families had collected the
Little Big Book Club (LBBC) book pack.
‘Findings: Survey 2: 6 months to 12 months Tots family language and reading practices: on-line
survey.
1. An increase in reading as a routine for
‘entertainment and play’ rather than for future
academic learning.
2. Increased participation from grandparents, some
fathers, friends and child care educators.
3. Gender is an issue because the surveys (98%) were
completed by mothers. Further exploration is
required due to the limited participation of fathers
in the survey.
4. Parents did not generally use forms of digital
technology with their baby.
5. Sessions for families of young children, held at
local libraries, were generally not well attended
by respondents.
Parents commented on the time of sessions,
their work commitments, their inability to travel
to the library, and many saw the sessions as
catering for older children.
6. Survey 3 suggests there is an explosion in
children’s use of electronic devices by eighteen
months.
Sudden use of mobile devices by toddlers (18 months – 24
months)
What are parents’ beliefs about the use of
traditional or digital books with toddlers 18 – 24
months
Mobile devices used by toddlers
Time spent playing with mobile devices by toddlers
Use of e-books or e-book apps by children aged 18
months – 24 months
“The first thing my son says when I come
into his room in the morning is “iPad.” He’s
not quite 2 years old. He can’t dress
himself yet, except for his shoes, a pair of
Crocs, which are easiest for toddlers to put
on themselves. He’s a wiz with the iPad. At
first, I was impressed when he could simply
unlock the screen. Now he can navigate to
his favorite apps, open the photo album,
and even manage some pinch-to-zoom
gestures when he wants to see faces up
close. He can’t yet peddle a tricycle, but he
can already catapult an angry bird, though
he hasn’t yet killed any pigs. Any day now,
those pigs will pay.
Philip Berne, Blog - Dec 24th 2010
http://www.slashgear.com/tags/philipberne/page/6
Toddlers’ behaviours when using mobile devices
12-24 month old children’s use of ebook
or ebook apps alone or with others
Does your toddler use e-books or e-book apps alone or with
others?
120%
95.5%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
9.1%
0.0%
0%
on his or her own?
with an older child?
with you or another adult?
E-book What’s that noise?
How do children from birth to three years use
and engage with apps and other electronic
devices for learning and play?
•We videotaped parent child dyads with ebook and app as a method of data
collection
•Categories for analysing children’s learning with electronic devices (Plowman,
2010 )
Operational skills-touch screen, mouse, keyboards, settings, app design
Knowledge of the world-living things, places, vocabulary and language
development
Dispositions to learn- self esteem, persistence, sharing, managing emotions
Role of electronic literacy in everyday life-use communication devices:
phone, Skype, email, Facebook, with family and fiends; entertainment, ipad,
ipod television, dvd; employment and study, email, internet, software programs
for creating texts.
Reading (semiotic view) is creating meaning
from texts
Family literacy programs
LBBC
HIPPY
Let’s Read
Learning
Together
LAPSIT
Better
Beginnings
Shared book readingreading packs, storytelling
sessions






Web based support

Transition to school
support




Face to face program with
support and involvement
of parents
In libraries
story time
sessions





Govt. funding /
partnerships with govt.
agencies




Singing, dancing, nursery
rhymes






Case studies
12 families
with interrupted schooling
Case studies
Case studies of twelve young unemployed mothers with interrupted schooling
High aspirations and were completing schooling
Transport difficulties
Literacy levels
Few or no books in home
Viewed education as the key to providing a better future for their baby or
toddler.
Staff: high educational expectations no ‘victim mentality’ from the students
Most worked part time to improve their weekly income
Clear goals for the future as well as solid financial objectives
Reading practices
Read a few times a week
Chose to read traditional books rather than e-books
‘My case worker gave me lots of books. They’re up on the top cupboard until
he’s older and can appreciate them.’
Strong views on the amount of television and particular videos that were
suitable or not for their children.
Rarely allowed their children to use their mobile phones
I have the DVD “Your baby can read” and
that’s all Tex is allowed to watch. He enjoys
that.
I don’t like Playschool or other children’s TV
shows. Teletubbies is silly – they don’t even
talk – how can you learn anything from
that?
I will start to allow him to watch Disney
movies like “the Lion King” when he is older.
For now, I want to teach him everything.’
Findings
1. Gender-Mothers completed surveys,
however fathers and other family
members engage in home reading
activities ..particularly digital reading
2. Diversity in homes-there is no generic
one-size-fits-all approach to family
literacy. A diversity of approaches is
required.
3. Concept of reading and writing- needs to
broaden to a semiotic view where all
forms of text can be used to make
meaning
Reading now…. In a digital world
7 myths about young children and technology (Plowman & McPake
(2013)
1. Childhood and technology shouldn’t mix-no need a
balance
2. Young children are ‘digital natives’ –no, parents,
educators and siblings teach them
3. Technology hinders social interaction-no, it can enhance
social interaction
4. Technology dominates children’s lives, no, parents report
that family activities are varied
5. Play =learning ..no, technology can extend play
possibilities
6. If it’s interactive it must be educational-no, educators,
adults are central to learning.
7. Children need to get tech savvy for the future, no,
knowledge and skills are important.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 2006b. 2039.0-Information Paper: An Introduction to Socio-Economic Indexes
for Areas (SEIFA), Retrieved from
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2039.0Main%20Features12006?opendocument&tabna
me=Summary&prodno=2039.0&issue=2006&num=&view=
Dickinson, D, Golinkoff, R & Hirsh-Pasek, K 2010, ‘Speaking out for language: Why language is central to reading
development’, Educational Researcher, 39 (4), pp. 305–310.
Hart, B & Risley, T 2003, ‘The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age3’, [electronic version] The
American Educator, vol. 27, no. 1.
Heath, S. B. 1983. Ways with words: Language, life, and work in communities and classrooms. New York and
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kress, G. 2003, Literacy in the new media age. London: Routledge.
Hill, S & Diamond, A 2013, Family literacy in response to local contexts, Australian Journal of Language and
Literacy, vol 36, no 1, 48-55.
Hill, S Ward, C & Forster J. 2013 Babies and books longitudinal study: Interim report. University of South Australia.
Hill, S & Launder, N 2010, Oral language and beginning to read, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol.
33, no. 3, 240-254.
Plowman, L., & McPake, J. 2013, Seven myths about young children and technology, Childhood Education, 89(1),
27–33.
Dr Susan Nichols
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/staff/Homepage.asp?Name=sue.
nichols
Research publications
RECENT AND FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS
Hill, S & Nichols S 2013, Early literacy: towards a semiotic approach. In Handbook of research on the
education of young children (147-156), B Spodek & O Saracho (eds), Routledge, London.
Nichols, S., Rowsell, J., Rainbird, S. & Nixon, H. (2012 in press) Resourcing Early Learners: New networks,
new players. London: Routledge.
Nichols, S. (2012) Young children and sustainable consumption: An early childhood education agenda. In S.
Lehmann & R. Crocker (Eds) Consumption, Zero Waste and Sustainable Design. Earthscan Publishers.
Nichols, S. & Nixon, H. (2012 in press) Space, place and early childhood literacy. In J. Marsh & N. Hall (Eds)
Handbook of Early Childhood Literacy. London: Sage.
Nichols, S. & Rainbird, S. (2012 in press) The mall, the library and the church: Inquiring into the resourcing
of early learning through new spaces and networks. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in
Education, accepted 4/08/2011.
Nichols, S. (2011) Young children’s literacy in the activity space of the library: A geo-semiotic investigation.
Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 11(2) 164 - 189.
Bullen, E. & Nichols, S. (2011) Picture books, pedagogy and the dual audience. Children's Literature in
Education.42(2) Online first, 26 May 2011
Connellan, K. & Nichols, S. (2011) Personal objects in institutional spaces. Studies in Material Thinking Vol.
5 (Dec) 1 – 13 http://www.materialthinking.org/sites/default/files/papers/Personal%20objects.pdf
Nichols, S. (2011) Girls and boys, work and play: Gendered meanings and participation in early childhood
education. In B. Irby (Ed) Gender and Early Learning Environments. Information Age Publishing.
Nichols, S. (2010)Perspectives on inclusivity and support in organised and informal activities for parents of
preschool children. New Zealand Research in Early Childhood Education. Vol 13 pp 29-41