Contemporary literacy
practices of early
learners (Preps)
A synthesis of research findings from 20 Victorian
schools (Preps)
Page 1 of 39
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Contemporary (digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
Table of Contents
1.
2.
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Contemporary (digital) literacy.......................................................................................................... 4
2.1 What is contemporary (digital) literacy ........................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Contemporary (digital) literacy skills ............................................................................................................... 4
3.
4.
Benefits associated with the use of digital technologies in learning .................................................... 6
The Contemporary (digital) Literacy Project ....................................................................................... 7
4.1 Why the project? ............................................................................................................................................. 8
4.2 Project methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 Safe and responsible use of technologies ........................................................................................................ 9
5.
Project results................................................................................................................................. 11
5.1 Teacher perceptions/skills with contemporary literacy ................................................................................. 11
5.2 Parents’ perceptions of the use of technology by Preps ................................................................................ 13
5.3 Early learner’ capabilities with digital technologies (pre and post skills of Preps) ......................................... 18
5.4 Acquiring contemporary literacy in the early years (activities) ...................................................................... 20
5.5 Teacher reflection reports ............................................................................................................................. 20
5.6 Project quotes ............................................................................................................................................... 24
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Contemporary (digital) literacy e-book ............................................................................................ 26
Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 27
Key findings and conclusions ........................................................................................................... 28
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 30
References...................................................................................................................................... 31
Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... 32
11.1 Appendix 1 - Pre teacher survey ................................................................................................................. 32
11.2 Appendix 2 - Parent survey ......................................................................................................................... 34
11.3 Appendix 3 - Pre and post skills of children ................................................................................................. 35
11.4 Appendix 4 - Activity observation sheets..................................................................................................... 37
11.5 Appendix 5 - Teacher reflection report ........................................................................................................ 38
11.6 Appendix 6 - Storyboard.............................................................................................................................. 39
Page 2 of 39
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
1. Introduction
Globalisation and technology are continually altering the views of education, and offer
new opportunities for learning and engagement in life.
Both the Victoria as a learning community (Victorian Minister for Education, 2011)
and the Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians (Ministerial
Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008) articulate the
Government’s goal of improving student outcomes and empowering our children and
young people to thrive throughout their lives.
The Department’s Victorian Early Learning and Development Framework (2009) for
children aged 0-8 years also supports the use of technology in the early years to assist
children to have a strong sense of identity, be connected to their world, possess a
strong sense of wellbeing, become confident and involved learners, and more
effective communicators.
Technology such as web conferencing, the Ultranet, blogs/wikis, virtual worlds, online
gaming, and mobile devices such as iPads, mobile phones, digital cameras and voice
recorders are changing the way teachers teach, and the way students learn.
Technology enables learning to extend beyond the classroom walls and facilitates
better access to learning resources. It also supports the creation of partnerships with
the wider school community, and equips learners with contemporary (digital) skills
necessary for successful participation in life.
This report intends to inform teacher practice as schools explore new ways to engage
learners and improve learning outcomes with the use of technology. The
Contemporary literacy practices of Preps e-book developed as part of this project
showcases 63 activities teachers can do with readily available technologies to help
Preps improve their contemporary (digital) literacy skills today. The e-book can be
found at https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/?KY8WDK
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
2. Contemporary (digital) literacy
2.1
What is contemporary (digital) literacy?
Contemporary (digital) literacy refers to new forms of literacy made possible by
digital technologies and is often used synonymously with terms including 21st
century literacies, internet literacies, new media literacies, multi-literacies, and
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) literacies.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2011) defines
contemporary (digital) literacy as the ability of individuals to use ICT appropriately to
access, manage and evaluate information, develop new understandings, and
communicate with others in order to participate effectively in society.
Contemporary (digital) literacy is acquired through such practices as: a) participating
in social networking spaces, b) creating/contributing to blogs and wikis, c) podcasting
and vodcasting, d) web conferencing, e) instant messaging/participating in online
chats, f) online gaming (including the use of virtual worlds), g) conducting internet
searches, h) digital storytelling, i) creating and sharing music / videos, j) image
manipulation and photo sharing, k) emailing, l) developing/maintaining websites, and
m) creating and sharing digital mashups, etc.
2.2
Contemporary (digital) literacy skills
There has been much debate on what skills should be included in the definition and
consequently acquisition of contemporary (digital) literacy. There is no doubt that
this debate will continue to evolve as new technologies emerge with new
opportunities and skill sets to consider.
For the purpose of this project the FutureLab (2010) definition of contemporary
(digital) literacy was selected to enable teachers to develop specific activities for a set
of skills that collectively contributed to contemporary literacy capability across the 20
participating schools. FutureLab includes the following skills in its definition:
1. Safe, responsible and ethical use of digital technologies – Child can understand
how to use technologies in a safe and responsible manner and any consequences
of their actions.
2. Functional skills - Child knows how to use a range of different technologies.
3. Creativity - Child can create outputs/ represent knowledge in different formats
using technologies e.g. computer drawings, digital stories, video recordings, audio
recordings etc.
4. Critical thinking and evaluation - Child can use technologies to question, analyse,
evaluate to gain understanding/new knowledge
5. Cultural and social understanding - Child can recognise different social, cultural
and historical influences in/using digital media
6. Collaboration - Child can use technologies to work collaboratively and develop
team work skills
7. Finding and selecting information - Child can engage with different technologies
to find information
8. Effective communication - Child can use different modes (visual, audio, textual
etc.) to represent meaning and express ideas.
Earlier attempts to define contemporary (digital) literacy skills are also worth a
mention. The skills defined by Eshet-Alkalai (2004) were pioneering and suggested
that contemporary (digital) literacy comprises: a) photo-visual skills (reading
instructions from graphical displays), b) reproduction skills (utilising digital
reproduction to create new meaningful materials from pre-existing ones), c)
branching skills (constructing knowledge from non-linear, hypertextual navigation),
d) information skills (evaluating the quality and validity of information) and e) socio-
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
emotional skills (understanding the "rules" that prevail in cyberspace and applying
this understanding in online communication).
The Canadian Media Network (2010) defined contemporary (digital) literacy skills in
terms of a continuum that can be closely matched to a child’s cognitive development
(Figure 1).
Figure 1. From inclusion to transformation- A model for digital literacy (Canadian
Media Network, 2010)
Although it can be argued that some of these contemporary skills do not necessarily
require the use of technologies in their acquisition, the benefits of technologies in
education are increasingly being reported as the next section shows.
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
3. Benefits associated with the use of digital
technologies in learning
The following is a summary of the benefits identified from over 300 Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development school action-based research projects
using technologies in teaching and learning (Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development, 2010).
•
Better learning - Technologies can offer greater options for personalisation
and/or scaffolding and put students in control of their own learning. Learners are
able to vary their pace of learning, drawing on as few or as many resources as
necessary, choosing tasks/resources that are best suited to their learning styles
and level of prior knowledge. Technologies can also offer feedback on progress to
learners, whilst activities incorporating digital storytelling, animation, game
design, and student-created podcasts provide learners with opportunities to
explore deeper concepts, reflect and recount.
•
Learning beyond the classroom walls - Technologies are continually evolving,
becoming more mobile, more compact, equipped with more (multiple)
functionality, with many tools enabling collaboration. Technologies allow learners
to engage in or capture learning outside the traditional classroom walls and
school hours, such as out in the community, and in their homes. In doing so,
learners gain greater perspectives, share/validate their learnings with others and
draw on their personal networks and experiences.
•
Technologies can give students a voice - By empowering students to act as
technology leaders, coaches and mentors, the skill base of both students and
teachers increases. Learning with technologies allows students to shine in
competencies other than the traditional literacies (as leaders, ICT technical
experts, cultural experts, resource managers, and negotiators).
•
Technologies increase engagement - Learners quickly adapt to new technologies
and are generally respectful of the devices. The enticing nature of, and often
familiarity with the device increases engagement. Using technologies, learners
can seamlessly engage with independent and collaborative learning approaches.
•
Opportunities for connected learning - Technologies help students to engage with
experts, peers and the wider community, locally and globally. Technologies such
as virtual classrooms, video conferencing, virtual worlds/online games and
blogs/wikis are especially popular in connecting learners. Learners often
produce more considered work when it is likely to be shared or viewed by others.
•
Technology ‘levels’ the playing field - Technologies can help mitigate
disadvantage created by:
• rural isolation (e.g. internet, Voice Over IP)
• socio-economic disparity (e.g. internet access)
• disability (e.g. assistive devices), and
• disengagement (e.g. gaming, iPods).
•
Technological ‘products’ are easy to share - Technology products are appealing
and easy to share. For instance, posts made to blogs and wikis can attract peer
reviews and a global audience. Vodcasts/ podcasts can be downloaded onto
individual devices and watched/listened to by many, or emailed and shared on
websites.
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
•
A wealth of resources at one’s fingertips - Learners can benefit from the wider
and more instantaneous access to resources ranging from digital objects,
podcasts, written texts, e-books, videos, images and searchable repositories
(databases/online search engines) to experts, especially when accessed through
internet enabled mobile devices such as mobile phones, iPods and tablets.
•
The acquisition of new literacies - Technologies introduce, refine, encourage and
amplify new literacy skills such as intercultural understanding (global
citizenship), cybersafety awareness, ICT mentoring and peer coaching.
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
4. The contemporary (digital) Literacy
project
4.1
Why the project?
The Contemporary (digital) literacy project was conducted for the purpose of:
Showcasing the capabilities of Preps in learning with technologies and how and
what is appropriate for their developmental stage.
Encouraging and empowering Prep educators to incorporate more technology in
their teaching practices to support increased collaboration, better learning and
effective communication in and beyond the school
Gauging parental perceptions of the use of technologies in the Prep classroom and
for their children at home
Supporting the achievement of the Department’s Early Years Learning and
Development Framework (EYLDF) objectives with exemplar digital literacy
activities at Prep level, data and teacher professional development opportunities.
•
•
•
•
4.2
Project methodology
Twenty Victorian government primary schools were selected from each of the nine
school regions and invited to participate in the research. The names of the schools are
provided below:
Bacchus Marsh PS (Grampians)
Broadford PS (Hume)
Livingstone PS (EMR)
Manor Lakes P-12 (WMR)
Cranbourne East PS (SMR)
Mansfield PS (Hume)
Croydon Special Developmental School (EMR)
Rangeview PS (EMR)
Frankston Heights PS (SMR)
Reservoir West PS (NMR)
Grasmere PS (BSW)
Romsey PS (LMR)
Greenhills PS (NMR)
Templestowe Heights PS (EMR)
Grovedale West PS (BSW)
Watsonia Heights PS (NMR)
Heidelberg PS (NMR)
Woodend PS (LMR)
Leongatha PS (Gippsland)
Woodville PS (WMR)
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
Teachers in this project were asked to collect the following data:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Brainstorm considerations and behaviours of safe, ethical and responsible use of
technologies - as part of the induction session (Section 4.3)
Pre-project teacher survey (Appendix 1)– The survey asked questions about the
teachers’ current experiences and use of technologies, their attitudes to the use of
digital technologies in the early years, their own professional development in the
area of digital literacy, etc. (section 5.1)
Parent survey (Appendix 2) – The survey asked parents about which technologies
they provide to their children at home, how much time the children are allowed to
engage with devices, concerns and their attitudes to technologies being used for
learning in the classroom, and about their own use of technologies. (Section 5.2)
Pre-project and post-project skills of children (Appendix 3) – Each learner was
individually assessed by the teacher against each of the eight contemporary
literacy skills (Section 2.2) prior to and upon completion of the project in order to
determine whether capability was achieved in that particular skill. Six skill
qualifiers described each of the eight contemporary literacy skills (Table 2).
These qualifiers were collectively determined by the teachers at the induction.
The students may have already demonstrated capability in that skill prior to the
project, they may have learnt the skill as a result of activities undertaken as part
of the project, or did not achieve capability upon completion of the project
(Section 5.3)
Activity observation sheets (Appendix 4) – Teachers were asked to plan activities
around each of the eight contemporary literacy skills and note what they
saw/heard/felt as each activity was implemented (Section 5.4)
Teacher reflection report (Appendix 5) – Each teacher was asked to reflect on the
entire project and report on what surprised them, what he/she found worked
well or otherwise (Section 5.5)
Storyboard – Each teacher was asked to select one activity that worked well with
their Preps and document the journey of that activity in a storyboard format
(Appendix 6). Some teachers chose to undertake digital story professional
development and create a digital representation of their projects.
4.3
Safe and responsible use of technologies
The Contemporary (digital) literacy practices of Preps project had a strong focus on
educating students in the safe and responsible use of technologies and in equipping
young learners with the skills to competently use digital technologies in their play and
learning.
The topic of safe and responsible use of technologies was introduced in the teacher
induction day preceding the research. The teachers spent time at the induction
articulating their own understanding of the topic and what their students should
know to safely engage with technology. Their responses are collated below.
Safe
•
•
•
•
Digital health/wellbeing – Minimise screen time, keep good posture, watch for
electrical cords, secure batteries in devices, keep devices away from water,
handle technologies with clean hands, and don’t run with devices
Secure content/environments – Keep passwords a secret, only work on
computers secured by firewalls/with virus protection, use secure educational
websites (such as the Ultranet), don’t click on inappropriate ads/pop-ups, only
access age appropriate content/apps
Your digital footprint- Be aware that anything posted online remains there even
after being ‘deleted’
Stranger danger- Don’t share personal information (name, where you live,
photos) with strangers, know that not everyone on the internet is who they say
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
•
they are, know who you are talking to, use avatars instead of photos in
blogs/virtual worlds, know to ask for help when something doesn’t feel right
Adult supervision - Always use devices in full view of adults.
Ethical
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Appropriate language- Always use appropriate language when commenting on
blogs/wikis or posting content online
Appropriate content –Respect intellectual property (always acknowledge other
people’s work) including copyright (pay copyright fees), use images you have
taken yourself or source images from copyright free sites
Appropriate behaviours - Don’t partake in online bullying, report online bullying,
respect others online, don’t yell when using recording devices, share/take turns
Appropriate permissions – Get permission from parents before using
technologies/publishing work/photos online, understand that some sites have
age restrictions (especially social networking sites such as Facebook)
Privacy - Respect the privacy of others by not sharing images/files of someone
else without their permission, log on to devices with your own password
Use technology for its intended purpose
Social and cultural understanding – Strive to understand other cultures/beliefs
and have global awareness (e.g. time differences, awareness of other languages)
when using (communication) technologies.
Responsible
•
•
•
•
•
Respect devices - Care for/handle technology with respect, follow
adult/manufacturer’s instructions
Practise digital etiquette – Speak clearly, don’t use CAP LOCKS when typing,
respect others’ opinions/work even if you don’t agree with it
Post information with a context/purpose e.g. on blogs/social networking
sites/Twitter
Protect young learners - report inappropriate websites/stranger approaches
Report bullying so it can be addressed
(For additional information on Cyber safety please refer to the DEECD Cyber Teach
Toolkit http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/lol/resources/cyberteach/default.ht
m)
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
5. Project results
5.1
Teacher perceptions/skills with contemporary literacy
This section communicates the findings from the teacher surveys completed prior to
the project commencing. The survey explored teachers’ current use, experiences with
and perceptions of the use of technologies in the Prep classroom.
Teacher demographics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
22 participating teachers from 20 schools state-wide, with two teachers
team-teaching
Teaching experience: 45% of the teachers had been teaching for less than 5
years; 30% 6-10 years and 25% for 16 years+; with 85% teaching Preps for
less than 5 years.
There were 2 male teachers (of the 22) in this study
The most common technologies used by teachers at home were:
Computers/internet (100%); digital cameras (95%); mobile phones (90%)
and iPods/iPads (80%)
The most common technologies that teachers had access to in the classrooms
were: Computers/internet (100%), digital cameras (100%), educational
software (95%), and video recording devices (65%).
Half the teachers described themselves as moderate users of technologies,
and 15% as novices
Most teachers (85%) taught themselves to use technologies, just over half
(55%) had access to some school-provided professional development in the
use of ICT.
Existing Prep classroom technology practices
Approximately half (55%)of the teachers used technologies in their classrooms for 23 hours per week, 20% used technologies for more than 3 hours per week and the
remainder used them 2 hours or less per week. The main purpose for using
technologies in the classroom (with the students) prior to this project was for creative
tasks, finding and selecting information, and for developing effective communication
skills. Technologies were less often used for collaboration and encouraging cultural
and social understanding.
Teachers mainly used technologies for curriculum development, improving their own
technology skills and assessment and less so for classroom management and
communication with parents.
Pre-project current use of technology in the Prep classrooms included:
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
Teachers using the interactive whiteboard for literacy (e.g. shared reading) and
numeracy (e.g. software such as Rainforest maths) as well as for whole class
demonstrations, introducing new concepts/ for shared writing tasks, displaying
videos/songs, interactive games, and reflection activities
Students using digital cameras to create e-books/class books
Students using literacy (phonics) and numeracy apps, and for recording their
own reading on the iPods/iPads
Students using computers/internet for independent learning i.e. educational
software such as ABC Reading Eggs/Mathletics/Maths Made Easy, word games,
interactive books, creative software (Tuxpaint), Google maps, and blog/wikis
Teachers using webcams/Skype for communication with other local schools
Students using digital cameras to capture images for writing projects, to sequence
a story or to record their work
Teachers using video footage/photos to showcase student work to parents/future
students, and for assessment
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
−
−
−
−
−
Students using voice recorders to share and publish their own narratives
Students using flip cameras to record (and later reflect on) their own learning
goals or capture role play
Students using the internet to research and find pictures to support individual
projects /create books
Teachers using the Ultranet to design curriculum
Teachers making movies with student audio and illustrations.
Self-identified teacher perceptions on technology use in the early learning
classroom (ranked responses from the 22 surveys)
It is important to provide young learners with the skills for today/future
21
Technology is great for motivating/ engaging young learners
12
Technology can be used to enhance learning/improve outcomes
6
Technology can help teachers to work smarter
3
Technology should complement explicit teaching/good pedagogy is
essential
3
Technology is not currently used enough in the Prep classroom, and
learners already come to school having used technologies
3
Technologies support collaboration (Year 6 buddies, global, parental)
2
Having technology at school bridges the technology divide for those
children who don’t have technologies at home
1
There is a need to teach children to use technology safely
1
Technologies allow learners to be in control of their own learning
1
*The number of teachers contributing the same response (of 22 surveys)
Issues or barriers with using technologies in the Prep classroom (ranked):
Safe and responsible use
14
Lack of knowledge on/professional development in how to make the best
use of technologies to enhance student outcomes
15
Not having regular access to technologies/learning resources and sharing
equipment with other classrooms
10
Technologies not working / lack of technical support / charging devices
8
Not enough time (planning, exploring potential of devices, identifying
appropriate software/apps)
9
Other people’s negative perceptions of the use of technologies-supported
learning/thinking children are wasting their time
6
Teacher confidence in using technologies/teacher ICT skills
Being ‘blocked’ out of internet sites/network breakdowns
Balancing learning with technologies with other more traditional ways of
learning
Students lacking motor skills/reading readiness to use certain programs
Demands on teacher because of the need for regular adult supervision and
trouble-shooting when young learners are using technology
5
4
4
4
3
Prior to the project commencing, 30% of teachers were confident in integrating digital
literacy into their teaching, 45% somewhat confident and 25% apprehensive or
terrified.
Information that teachers identified (pre-project) that would assist them in better
integrating technologies into the Prep curriculum included:
− Information about technologies specific for the Preps/early years
− Examples from other schools of successful use of technologies with Preps
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
−
−
5.2
More information on using DEECD supported resources e.g. Ultranet, EduStar
especially those that cater for the early years
More information on designing a curriculum to maximise opportunities from
existing technologies.
Parents’ perceptions of the use of technology by Preps
The parent survey sent home with every child asked parents about which
technologies they provide to their children at home, how much time their children
were allowed to spend engaging with technologies per week, parental concerns
associated with Preps using technology, and parental attitudes to technologies being
used for learning in the classroom.
Two hundred and seventy eight parents completed the survey from 17 schools. The
children’s ages at the start of the project varied from 5 years to 7 years and 8 months,
a range of 32 months and a mean of 6.5 years. N.B the parent survey was completed
in Term 2 of 2011, and the children were from either Prep only (85%) or Prep/1
combined (15%) classes.
Parent demographics
Parents were asked a small number of questions about themselves and their use of
digital technologies. Parents’ ages ranged from under 30 (11%) through to over 50
(2%), with 64% falling into the 31-40 age bracket, and 20% into the 41-50 year old
bracket.
Parental perceptions/attitudes to the use of technologies in the Prep classroom
Parents were asked about their general attitude towards the use of technology in the
Prep classroom. Here are some of their direct responses (parent quotes):
• Digital technologies are a part of most people’s everyday lives so teaching
children at a young age should be of benefit to them
• I think it is a fun way of engaging the children in learning
• I think it's great to expose children to technology in a fun and safe environment
• It is good for children to experience the technologies and to learn
boundaries/rules in using them.
• The earlier they learn the less afraid of technology they'll be
• We were wondering why they hadn't started yet! Our son would be much more
interested in learning with technology
• Technology puts a wider variety of information at their disposal which gives
them more knowledge
Parental use of technology in the home
Parents were asked about their own use of technologies. Parents could nominate
several devices as part of their response (Figure 2). Mobile phones, computers,
internet and digital cameras were used by over 88% of all parents. For most
technology, parental use was higher than children’s use (Figure 2 and Figure 3). Most
parents described themselves as moderate users of technology (50%), with
expert/regular users making up 29% of the parents surveyed, and the remainder
(21%), describing themselves as low users of technology.
14
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
90
88
90 89
60
57
47
46
40
40
32
29
28
22
18
13
10
12
3
3
Digital cameras
Video cameras
Mobile Phones
e-book readers
GPS
Computer/laptop
Internet
Microphones
Robots
Web Cameras
iPods
iPads
Mp3 Player
Scanners
Skype/Messenger
Facebook
Educational Software
Digital Microscopes
Games - Consoles
Games - Virtual Worlds
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Figure 2. Percentage of parents using a range of digital technology devices
Children’s use of technology in the home
Parents were asked from a list of technology devices which ones their child used at
home. Parents could nominate several devices in their response (Figure 3).
88
75
69
64
51
48
35
13
11
1
Games - Virtual Worlds
Games - Consoles
0
Digital Microscopes
Skype/Messenger
Scanners
Mp3 Player
iPads
iPods
Robots
Web Cameras
Microphones
Internet
GPS
15 17
14
1
Computer/Laptop
e-book readers
Mobile Phones
Video cameras
4 4
10
Educational Software
15
Facebook
15
Digital cameras
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Figure 3. Percentage of children using a range of digital technology devices at
home
The technologies most widely used by the children in the home were
computers/laptops, digital cameras and games consoles. Very few of the children
used scanners, Facebook*, e-book readers or GPS devices in their home. On average,
15
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
children had access to around six technology devices in their homes. (*Note:
Facebook should not be accessed by children under 13 years of age).
How many hours per week children used technology in the home and for what
purpose
The number of hours that children used technologies in their home ranged from 2 - 25
hours/week, with the average usage being slightly over 4 hours a week.
Parents were asked to select from a list of technology activities (Figure 4) those that
their child participated in and again parents could nominate more than one activity.
The most common activity children engaged in was playing games (92%), followed by
education/looking for information tasks (69%) and listening to music or stories
(60%). ‘Other uses’ included taking photos, and watching videos online (such as
YouTube).
92
69
60
52
30
Other uses
Create e.g. Art/craft
Communicate with
others
Play games
Listen to
music/stories
17
Education/Look for
info
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Figure 4. Percentage of children that engage in a range of activities using
technology
Parents were asked to elaborate on the kinds of learning activities their child
performed with the aid of technology at home, and how these activities contributed to
their learning and development. Below are some of their responses:
• Types on the computer (coordination, letter recognition)
• Learns literacy and numeracy using educational software(Mathletics, Smart
Kiddies, ABC Reading Eggs)
• Speaks with relatives via Skype (oral expression)
• Improves coordination, fine motor development and learns to follow
instructions through gaming
• Uses the video camera to make videos for her dad as he is away (creativity)
• Sends e-mails to family who are interstate (typing, writing and reading)
• Uses the mobile phone to speak to family members (oral expression, social
skills)
• Writes stories on a computer (written expression)
• Takes pictures with the digital camera and makes stories with photos
(memory/creative expression)
• Listens to audio books (listening, comprehension)
• Uses the Wii for exercise/dancing (motor skills, coordination)
• Sings along to songs (on the mp3)/computer (creativity)
• Creates their own Lego digital design (design skills)
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Paints/draws using a computer program (creativity)
Uses the iPad to learn/reinforce his alphabet, words, numbers with various
apps and to draw (literacy, creativity)
Likes to look at aerial maps on Google earth (spatial understanding)
Reads digital stories on iPad/computer (reading skills)
Uses the iPad for therapy related to speech and Occupational Therapy
Researches on the internet (reading, typing, comprehension)
Writes diary entries in 'Notes' on the iPod (writing skills)
Plays 'Smurfs' where he builds a village, plants, crops, earns money and spends
in shops. In some games he learns physics principles in action. (e.g. AngryBirds,
PaperGlido, Cut the Rope) He is learning how these devices work, what buttons
to press, what they are capable of, and improving certain motor skills
Uses computers to draw colourful pictures and uses editing programs to edit his
created drawings (creativity)
Parental supervision of children using technologies
Parents were asked if they supervised their child’s use of technology. Parents could
select from more than one option (Figure 5). The most favoured response was for
children to use the technology on their own but with the parent providing supervision
(77%).
52
48
With the parent
With their
siblings/friends
77
On their own
(Supervised)
32
On their own
(unsupervised)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Figure 5. Percentage of children working on their own or with supervision
17
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
How did their children acquire technology skills?
Parents were asked how their child had learnt to operate the technologies they used
(Figure 6). Parents were able to select more than one option in their response.
Parents reported that they were largely (73%) responsible for teaching their children
digital technology skills, with 54% of children working it out on their own and 42%
learning from older siblings. Five per cent of parents suggested their children learnt
to use digital technologies by other means than those listed. This included 2% who
thought school had assisted their children with developing their digital technology
skills.
80
73
70
60
54
50
42
40
30
20
5
10
0
I taught them
They worked it They learnt by
out on their own watching older
siblings
Other
Figure 6. How children learnt to use digital technology devices
Should children use technology in the Prep classroom?
Parents were overwhelmingly supportive of, and saw educative value in the use of
technology in the Prep classroom (82%). Even though 18% had concerns with the use
of technology in the Prep classroom, they did not preclude the use of technology as
long as their concerns were being addressed. Five per cent of these parents
specifically articulated their concerns as shown below:
• As long as internet use is fully supervised, i.e. inappropriate websites, predatory
behaviour, advertising, access to age-inappropriate material or access to social
media is monitored
• So long as it is not used exclusively
• So long as learners understand the requirement for privacy for themselves and
others
• As long as the activity is equivalent in value to the one that would ‘traditionally’
happen in the classroom
• As long as the most important aspect is still literacy (i.e. students can still write)
• My concern relates to the exposure of children to environmental
electromagnetic radiation, the dangers of which are poorly understood.
• So long as reading, writing and numeracy do not suffer e.g. young people who
can't write, rely on spellchecker, can't add up without a calculator etc.
• As long as more traditional skills, such as handwriting are not compromised
• As part of a balanced program including social interaction.
18
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
5.3
Early learners’ capabilities with digital technologies (pre- and postskills of Preps)
Eighteen of the twenty schools participating in the research submitted their student
assessments, with a total of 351 individual student responses received (of a total of
378).
Each of the eight contemporary (digital) literacy skills was assessed. For each skill, six
qualifiers helped articulate what knowledge was expected to achieve that skill. Each
student was assessed prior to and on completion of the project against each of the
eight skills (and 48 qualifiers)(Table 2).
Of the eight skills assessed (refer to Section 2.2), the Preps participating in this project
were most competent in the skills of functional skills, and safe and responsible use
prior to the project commencing (Table 1, Column A). The technology-supported
learning activities conducted as part of this research project helped Preps make the
greatest gains in the areas of collaboration, effective communication and functional
skills (Table 1, Column B). The learners mostly struggled with the acquisition of
cultural and social understanding and finding and selecting information skill sets
(Table 1, Column C). By the end of the project, Preps achieved capability (over 66%
equivalent to 4 of the 6 qualifiers achieved, Column A+B) in all contemporary skills
barring cultural and social understanding (51%), finding and selecting information
(61%) and critical thinking and evaluation (65%).
Table 1. Table showing the contemporary literacy skills and percentage (average)
of students that either A=already had these skills at the start of the project, B=
acquired capability in these skills as part of the project, C= did not achieve
capability even after completing the project, and A+B = achieved capability in this
skill following the project.
Contemporary (digital) literacy skills
Safe and responsible use
Effective communication
Critical thinking and evaluation
Creativity
Find and select information
Cultural and social understanding
Collaboration
Functional skills
A
57%
54%
55%
51%
45%
43%
45%
58%
B
28%
31%
10%
23%
15%
8%
38%
30%
C
15%
14%
35%
26%
39%
49%
17%
12%
A+B
85%
86%
65%
74%
61%
51%
83%
88%
The qualifiers that Preps particularly struggled with included: independently
planning a task, identifying alternative solutions to problems, collecting and
presenting data, and depicting a culture (Table 2).
Table 2. Table showing the contemporary literacy skills (and qualifiers) and the
percentage of students that either A=already had these skills at the start of the
project, B= acquired capability in these qualifiers/skills as part of the project and
C= did not achieve capability even after completing the project.
Safe and responsible use
Knows about passwords and not to share them
Respects devices and handles them appropriately
Understands basic ICT safety e.g. cord, screen time
Knows not to take pictures of others if they say not to
Knows to ask for help when using ICT ‘doesn’t feel right’
A
B
C
10%
66%
45%
6%
24%
82%
32%
42%
70%
51%
8%
3%
13%
23%
25%
19
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
Uses appropriate language when communicating with ICTs
17%
64%
19%
62%
52%
6%
17%
17%
33%
36%
44%
68%
70%
66%
44%
2%
4%
26%
13%
18%
24%
3%
20%
28%
3%
5%
4%
50%
60%
62%
64%
53%
40%
47%
19%
10%
33%
43%
56%
69%
25%
12%
4%
7%
21%
20%
45%
62%
66%
44%
68%
11%
30%
26%
30%
48%
12%
50%
6%
9%
5%
17%
6%
44%
54%
43%
58%
39%
33%
6%
39%
48%
38%
44%
61%
5%
10%
9%
11%
9%
5%
21%
46%
49%
37%
54%
48%
75%
44%
42%
52%
38%
46%
74%
38%
30%
33%
25%
27%
24%
55%
50%
51%
42%
47%
2%
7%
20%
15%
34%
26%
51%
32%
46%
64%
3%
5%
Effective communication
Demonstrates attentive listening to an ICT product
Can follow instructions to operate an ICT device
Can adjust speaking to different ICT audiences/purposes
Can convey messages using ICTs
Uses appropriate volume and clarity when engaging in ICT
Can communicate by typing
Critical thinking and evaluation
Can collect data and present using ICT devices
Generates ideas during ICT tasks
Can comment/ reflect on any ICT-based activity
Can plan their role in an ICT task (with support)
Can evaluate the effective use of an ICT device
Can identify alternative solutions to problems with an ICT device
Creativity
Uses ICTs to create simple drawings/images
Can manipulate an ICT product e.g. images
Can create a multimedia product e.g. story/poster
Reflects on their creative ICT products e.g. can it be better
Uses ICT to plan a creative task
Uses ICT to express ideas or imagination
Find and select information
Knows what the internet is
Can find information about/from others using ICTs
Can select and sort ICT products e.g. images/files
Can suggest which ICTs best suit a set task
Can use a search engine
Can name 3 places to locate information using ICTs
Cultural and social understanding
Uses ICT to depict a culture
Uses ICT to learn about arts/ music/ dance/drama
Begins to recognise human diversity in digital images
Shares own identity in ICT products
Can understand that ICTs can change over time
Uses ICTs to understand rules
Collaboration
Knows to share and take turns when using ICTs
Contributes to making an ICT product/discussion
Rewards the efforts of others during ICT tasks
Respects other people’s opinions during ICT tasks
Seeks to form collaboration during ICT tasks
Is able to teach others during ICT tasks
Functional skills
Can use some ICT terms correctly
Can use more than 2-3 devices
20
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
Knows that ICT products/programs come with instructions
With prompting can identify 5 or more ICTs in everyday life
Understands different ICT tools have different purposes
Understands basic computer functions e.g. saving/printing
5.4
13%
16%
30%
38%
73%
60%
61%
44%
13%
25%
9%
17%
Acquiring contemporary literacy in the early years (activities)
The 20 participating schools completed an activity for each of the eight skills assessed.
Each activity was supported with a reflection task to confirm student learning. Of a
total of 160 activities submitted, 63 were chosen and documented in the Prep e-book
(Section 6). A selection from these activities was chosen for inclusion in the e-book
across the eight skills, and which included technologies most readily available in a
Prep classroom.
5.5
Teacher reflection reports
The following is a summary of the teachers’ responses after all projects were
completed.
What did you learn?
The teachers mostly learnt how to incorporate technologies into the curriculum to
enhance and supplement current practice (by scaffolding and personalising); to trust
Preps with devices; and to develop their own ICT skills and confidence.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How to incorporate devices into the curriculum to enhance and supplement current
practice
To trust Preps with expensive devices and allow then to use the devices
independently
The technology allowed for a differentiated curriculum.
The children’s recordings (visual and oral) are evidence of what they have achieved.
The videos make it easier to share with parents
The ICT are fantastic tools not only for classroom use but for excursions, transition,
kinder visits, for involving parents and for encouraging peer collaboration
How to use a blog and I am beginning to understand the benefits of Twitter as a way
of collaborating and creating links beyond the classroom walls
That letting Preps play allows them the opportunity to learn and make connections
in ways that were meaningful to them
That the same technology (Bee Bots) can be used for a variety of lessons
Early years students have more knowledge and are more competent in their use of
technology than most adults give them credit for
21
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
•
•
•
•
•
•
I noted an improvement in student engagement due to the fact that students were
able to guide their own learning and hone in on their interests
The Preps are adventurous, confident and inquiring students who embrace the
learning opportunities ICTs present. The level of engagement was evident
That technology can be used to enhance, represent and reinforce learning
Technologies can assist Preps to develop oral language and reading skills
That technology can help make links with learning outside of the classroom
It is never too early for students to use technology.
What surprised you?
Teachers were most surprised by how quickly Preps were able to develop ICT skills,
the level of engagement offered by such devices, the impact on student learning e.g.
writing outcomes, and that the free or inexpensive technology often had the greatest
impact (e.g. Talking Tins, blogs).
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
I was surprised at how quickly children picked up how to use the technology
I was surprised at how the technology assisted children who were not ‘thriving’, the
technology engaged them and made them stay on task
I was surprised at how the technology allowed me to present information many
times in slightly different ways
I was surprised at how much the students already knew about using the iPods/iPads
Overall, the implementation and daily use of the technology in the classroom was
not as daunting as I expected
I am surprised by how responsible the children are with the technology... they
monitor each other’s behaviours and insist on the rules they have developed in class.
Their rules are far stricter than mine would have been.
I thought that Prep students would need explicit teaching on how to use the
technologies but there was always an expert in my class who independently showed
their peers what to do
I was surprised that the cheapest piece of technology (Talking Tins) perhaps had the
biggest impact on student learning
I was really surprised at how quickly some of the students became involved in the
blog and the quality of their writing
I loved how the students were able to problem solve and work out apps for
themselves
It also surprised me how easily ICT can be integrated into a lot of different lessons
The collaboration and support that students demonstrated whilst using technology
in their learning was outstanding.
22
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
What went well?
Teachers relayed what went well for them in the project. This included: higher
student engagement, better personalisation offered by the devices, greater
communication with parents (offered through the blog or the use of the Ultranet), the
devices often introduced or helped to refine more than one skill, the collegiality
between children was apparent and the impact on learning obvious.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The children were more engaged and focused on the task (when incorporating
technology)
The use of technology in the literacy rotation/independent learning was successful
The children’s enthusiasm was high and they produced some excellent work
I loved watching the communication between the kids and the collaborative use of
the devices
The devices helped the children adapt their learning to suit their needs
The biggest success was the Prep blog. The children couldn’t wait to write on it and
the parents’ response was outstanding as well as the response from other areas in
the school.
The interactive websites we used to present and share information were also
popular. Websites like www.buildyourwildself.com and www.voki.com allowed
students to express their creativity in different ways to their peers. For higher
achieving students websites like http://www.storybird.com/ provided the
opportunity for expanding on current writing skills and presenting a professional
looking text.
The children are definitely more aware of cybersafety and the importance of looking
after the equipment.
Students loved practising their comprehension skills by doing interviews
The process involved in writing and creating a script and film gave our students
purpose for their learning and we saw huge gains in their writing abilities
Getting students to take photos/videos of each other’s learning led to good
discussions about learning
The Google earth project led to amazing conversations about a range of topics
Learning activities which related to their personal and everyday lives were
successful e.g. finding their homes on Google maps
What didn’t go so well?
The things that didn’t go well for teachers included technical issues, time for planning,
and convincing sceptics of the benefits of technology for learning in the Prep
classroom.
•
I had to do the hard sell to people sceptical about the use of iPods as learning tools
for young children
23
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Finding appropriate apps that had a learning intention (some apps are not free/not
educational/have bugs) was time consuming.
Using search engines to find information was quite tricky for Preps... as 5 and 6 year
olds’ capabilities in making meaning from a lot of text is not yet developed.
Compatibility across systems (Apple/Microsoft platforms) was an issue
My biggest failure was not allowing the students more freedom with the use of the
devices
Running out of time (i.e. access to the computer lab)
My expectations of children were too high during the first internet search lesson,
they needed more direction and support
Registering parents to the Ultranet caused delays
There were times that I wasn’t sure how to fix technical issues straight away and
had to ask for assistance.
Where to from here?
All teachers communicated their intentions to continue integrating technologies into
their classroom practice. Most were hoping to extend the practice to other areas of
the school and beyond.
•
•
•
•
I will continue to use a wide range of technology within my classroom
I can’t wait to run these lessons again next year now that I have more confidence
I would like to try out other technologies in my classroom
I will continue advancing my skills and theirs (the Preps)
•
I will invest in some more Talking Tins, they were fantastic for procedural writing
for science experiments (reporting about chickens that hatched)
I will continue using the technology to provide a differentiated curriculum and
complement existing classroom practice.
We have decided to create a blog for every area of the school to encourage parents
to subscribe to provide greater transparency and give students the opportunity to
use literacy skills in a real life environment
We plan to increase the number of devices in Preps to make class sets for all four
Prep classes.
We plan to purchase more devices to support oral language development
I would like to connect to classrooms around the world and involve other Prep
teachers who are less comfortable with technologies
I plan to now use this as a platform to create a Prep curriculum where technology is
really integrated into our daily learning
The students now have the skills to work more independently and I can now
challenge students to think in a more complex manner
I am keen to seek out more ICT professional development as I now have the passion
for implementing the richest, most engaging curriculum I possibly can
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
24
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
•
I want to develop a technology inquiry unit for next year based on the contemporary
literacy elements
•
•
•
I feel that my students next year will be the ones who will benefit from this
I feel a lot more confident about incorporating ICT into my lessons
We aim to incorporate ‘collaborating beyond the classroom walls’ into our program
planning for next year.
5.6
Project quotes
Teacher quotes
•
This has been a steep learning curve for me but I loved every moment of exploring
the devices and the creative ways they can be used in our classroom
•
The children loved listening to stories on their iPods and sat on the bean bags, I
didn’t hear from them the whole session they were so engaged
•
I am thrilled with the writing outcomes and believe the technology (Talking Tins)
lifted expectations to speak clearly and form sentences carefully.
•
The children were helping each other with their Bee Bot journeys... it was very
collaborative
•
Using the collaborative space on the Ultranet was a huge learning curve and I can’t
wait to get feedback from parents
•
The parents remarked on how great the children’s photos were and how there was
such variety of subject matter
•
Many students use technology at home every day and I took that for granted.
Student quotes:
•
I can’t get my computer to work when I click it (student tapping on computer
screen)
•
Technology is like when stuff has power and cords
•
Technology is when something has lights on it but they have to flash
•
They (iPads) help us learn things like sounds and reading
•
I love using the Bee Bots. It goes where I tell it to
•
I think that I can’t do anymore today, my brain is working too fast
•
It is important we are careful because they cost a lot of money
•
Talking Tins helped you remember stuff to say. I press the button and it copies me,
then I write what I said
•
When do we get to make one of our own? Can we make it at home? (student
referring to an e-book making website)
•
We should not click on the Justin Bieber popup
•
Can we pleeeeeease use the Bee Bots again?
•
Are we going to do our morning tweet?
25
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
•
•
•
That was my voice? (student using a recording device)
Come and sit with me and I will show you how to find your photos
My mum always watches me when I use the laptop to make sure I am safe.
Parent quotes:
•
Are you seriously going to let them use that by themselves? (referring to iPads)
•
I have put some of the apps on my phone for my daughter to use now that I’ve seen
what they have been doing with them in class
•
I wish we had this when I went to school
•
Look how confident they are using the technology
•
My kids love coming to school because they want to use the iPads
•
Excellent work, I hope to see more of this great work in the near future (parent
commenting on a blog)
•
In relation to the blog, I cannot praise it enough... the ability to keep up (or catch
up) when I feel like it and the new skills the whole family have learnt has been
fantastic. I hope this program continues
•
The introduction of the blog has given us a great insight into our children’s
learning, instead of getting a vague response from a tired Prep on how their day
was we could focus on specific questions from the day’s teachings and evoke a
greater depth of conversation. .. it allows us to feel more a part of our daughter’s
education
•
The microphones are great for children to hear what they are actually saying
•
I didn’t think my son could do that, it’s amazing
•
I think it is really important that kids know about technology.
Other teaching/support staff quotes:
•
The students’ thinking is evident in the reflections on the flip cameras. It’s also a
wonderful way to authenticate and share their learnings. The connections to
literacy are clear and powerful (Ultranet coach)
•
We can’t wait for you to share with us what you have been doing with your class. It
all sounds very innovative and engaging (Colleague)
Principal quotes:
•
The literacy project allowed us to look at our current practices in the Prep area
and how we could enhance them, consolidate innovative ideas and embed it and
the professional development into next year’s program
•
The project has raised the bar for us in terms of our approach to contemporary
literacy teaching.
26
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
6. Contemporary (digital) literacy e-book
A Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps e-book was developed as part of
the project to showcase the range of learning opportunities possible when digital
technologies become an integral part of children’s learning and development. The
activities were selected from the participating schools.
The e-book is also a testament to the amazing capabilities of young learners to acquire
the necessary digital literacy skills necessary for participation in life.
The e-book highlights how technologies can help support sharing, collaboration and
communication in and beyond the classroom using technologies already present in
most schools. It can be found at https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/?KY8WDK
Figure 7. The front page of the Contemporary (digital) literacy practices of Preps
e-book.
Figure 8. Activity 1 from the Contemporary (digital) literacy practices of Preps ebook.
This resource has a strong focus on educating students in the safe and responsible use
of technologies and in equipping young learners with the skills to competently use
digital technologies in their play and learning.
27
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
7. Recommendations
The following recommendations were suggested by teachers participating in the
research.
•
•
•
•
Children in the early years need just as much access to technology as older
children. They are more than capable of making good use of these devices for
learning
Technology needs to be integrated in the learning rather than be taught as
something separate
We need children to develop the skills to think for themselves and make
choices on how to use the technology to support their learning and to
collaborate with others.
Schools should be encouraged to maintain class blogs (P-12) as good teaching
practice, and for making connections with parents. The blogs also provide an
authentic audience for the students’ work, and allow students to reflect on
their own and others’ responses.
28
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
8. Key findings and conclusions
Objective 1: Showcasing Prep capabilities
As this research has shown, Prep students’ capabilities with technologies begin at
home as they spend on average 4 hours a week playing games, using educational
programs, and listening to music/stories.
Prep students embraced new learnings and were not scared to use technologies in
their classroom. Most technologies proved beneficial to their learning especially
devices that encouraged oral expression (voice recorders such as Talking Tins),
writing (blogs/wikis), collaboration (Ultranet and Skype) and creativity (digital
cameras and creative websites such as www.buildyourwildself.com ).
The skills students most struggled to attain even after the project was completed
were cultural and social understanding, and finding and selecting information. The
latter is possibly related to Preps’ developmental stages and their capacity to read
text-heavy websites and follow complex instructions.
The project was able to significantly improve Preps’ understanding of the safe and
responsible use of technologies, and encouraged more critical thinking and
evaluation, especially through the use of the associated reflection tasks.
Teachers (and parents) often underestimated the Preps’ capabilities and their ability
to handle devices safely.
Objective 2: Encourage and empower Prep educators
All teachers who had participated in the project overwhelmingly appreciated the
opportunity to learn and apply their knowledge to improve pedagogy and enhance
their young learners’ contemporary (digital) literacy skills. The eight activities
completed by each teacher are a testament to their persistence and capability to
incorporate ICT into their current (and future) practice. From the reflection reports,
it would seem that the project will have lasting effects as teachers attempt to spread
the benefits of their new knowledge to colleagues, the whole school and beyond.
Objective 3: Gauge parental perceptions of the use of technologies by Preps
Parents were unanimously supportive of (and valued the use of) technologies for
learning in the Prep classroom, so long as it was not at the expense of some traditional
skills e.g. handwriting, and that their children were kept safe (minimise screen time,
educate kids in cybersafety).
It was interesting that some parents still believed that technologies can be at the
‘expense’ of socialisation when many current technologies encourage more
collaboration and socialisation as students share resources, co-create content, offer
peer review and assistance and create connections across geographical boundaries
and between the home and the school.
Collaboration with parents was a key success factor for this project in supporting and
connecting them to their children’s learning by having greater transparency of what
happens in the classroom, as well as in providing feedback to teachers on the success
of learning beyond the classroom walls.
Objective 4: Support the achievement of the Department’s Early Years Learning
and Development Framework objectives
The project clearly demonstrates that the use of technology in learning and the
contemporary skills that it encourages enables all five outcomes of the Framework to
be developed in young learners.
Some teachers who had participated in this project have already made changes locally
29
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
at their schools by sharing their experiences with fellow teachers and encouraging
changes to their future programs. One teacher delivered professional development to
40 teachers in his region to enable them to do similar projects (capitalize on the
learning opportunities technology affords) at their home schools.
The e-book (https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/?KY8WDK) promotes 63 activities that
can be easily implemented in schools today and is available from the Department’s
FUSE knowledge repository. In its first two month of being live on the web, the ebook was viewed 2502 times.
Conclusions:
Some technologies have already reached ‘ubiquitous’ status in the Prep classroom.
Interactive Whiteboards and digital cameras were common place and often did not
feature as a technology per se but were definitely part of many of the activities
undertaken. This is a testament to the previous investment in these resources by
schools and associated teacher professional development programs or initiatives.
When technologies are seamlessly integrated into practice the focus will always
remain on literacy and not on the device, its shortcomings or technical support.
The safe, ethical and responsible use of technology is a critical early skill to be learnt
and one that should reduce numbers of cyberbullying incidents, better protect privacy
and ensure the proper acknowledgement of student work.
There were several (sub)skills that were not assessed as part of this project but
emerged as beneficial assets to the students’ ability to participate effectively in
society. These included student voice/leadership (such as students acting as
mentors); students’ resourcefulness to access resources, knowledge and experts;
students understanding rules and cause/effect; and students reviewing/giving
constructive feedback to others.
The eight contemporary (digital) literacy skills assessed as part of this project are all
useful skills for the future of these young learners. Teachers play a critical role in
assisting young learners to acquire these skills by implementing innovative teaching
approaches assisted by technologies.
Parental involvement in their children’s learning (afforded through greater
transparency of classroom practice) and good pedagogy are critical in children
acquiring contemporary/life skills.
30
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
9. Acknowledgements
Thanks to the twenty Victorian government primary schools representing each of the
nine school regions that participated in the 2011 Contemporary Literacy Practices of
Preps project. We acknowledge the tremendous work of the teachers involved.
Bacchus Marsh PS – Grampians – Jane Lamont
Broadford PS – Hume – Margaret Taylor
Cranbourne East PS – SMR – Chanel Herring
Croydon SDS – EMR – Trudy Tice / Matt Harris
Frankston Heights PS – SMR – Tricia Hawkesworth
Grasmere PS – BSW – Amy Ferguson
Greenhills PS – NMR – Tara Binger
Grovedale West PS – BSW – James Ramage
Heidelberg PS – NMR – Stefanie Galvin
Leongatha PS – Gippsland – Cherie Hobbs
Livingstone PS – EMR – Larissa Synon
Manor Lakes P-12 – WMR – Sam Irwin
Mansfield PS – Hume - Bonnie Leighton
Rangeview PS – EMR – Melissa Dann
Reservoir West PS – NMR – Melinda Vangelista
Romsey PS – LMR – Casey McGuffie
Templestowe Heights PS – EMR – Dianne Williams
Watsonia Heights PS – NMR – Jennifer Humberstone
Woodend PS – LMR – Zoe Hall and Zoe Senior
Woodville PS – WMR – Katie Laird
The project was sponsored by the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat of the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
The project was conducted by the Innovation and Next Practice Division of the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
10. References
•
Australian Curriculum and Assessment and Reporting Authority (2011) National
assessment program – information for school brochure
http://www.nap.edu.au/_Documents/PDF/NAP%20ICTL_2011_Schools_Brochure.pdf
•
Canadian Media Network (2010) ‘From inclusion to transformation’ - A model
for digital literacy – Retrieved March 2012, - http://www.mediaawareness.ca/english/corporate/media_kit/digital_literacy_paper_pdf/digitallite
racypaper.pdf
•
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2009) Victorian
Early Years Learning and Development Framework: Birth to 8 years.
http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/earlychildhood/learning/veyl
dframework.pdf
•
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2010) Teaching and
learning with Web 2.0 technologies.
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/innovation/tech
nology/web2report.pdf
•
Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival
skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13 (1):
93-106
•
FutureLab (2010) Digital Literacy across the curriculum.
http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy
.pdf
•
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (2008)
Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, MCEETYA,
Australia.
http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Ed
ucational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf
•
Victorian Minister for Education (2011) Victoria as a Learning Community –
Extended special lecture – Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Melbourne.
November 2011.
http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/commrel/about/learningcom
muityspeech29NOV.pdf
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
11. Appendices
11.1 Appendix 1 – Pre-project teacher survey
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Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
34
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
11.2 Appendix 2 - Parent survey
35
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
36
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
11.3 Appendix 3 - Pre and post skills of children
37
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
11.4 Appendix 4 - Activity observation sheets
38
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
11.5 Appendix 5 - Teacher reflection report
39
Contemporary (Digital) Literacy Practices of Preps
11.6 Appendix 6 – Storyboard