Tablet technologies such as the Apple iPad (iPad) have been garnering interest and increasingly adopted as a potential learning tool and resource to engage children’s learning. Despite a growing literature on the ways educators have attempted to use iPads in their teaching across the compulsory schooling and tertiary sectors, there is a scarcity of studies in the early childhood education (ECE) context. This exploratory qualitative research project, the iPads and opportunities for teaching and learning for young children (iPads n Kids), is intended to inform the current debate on young children’s iPad use. It aimed to better understand the iPad use for educational purposes from the perspective of teachers, young children and their parents/caregivers. It recognises that young children are increasingly exposed to (and to an extent expected to make use of) digital and mobile technologies as members of a digital generation. Teachers and caregivers are further expected to take advantage ...

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2014

In this paper, we discuss how iPads offer innovative opportunities for early literacy learning but also present challenges for teachers and children. We lent iPads to a Children's Centre nursery (3-to 4-year-olds), a primary school reception class (4-to 5-year-olds) and a Special School (7-to 13-year-olds), discussed their potential uses with staff in pre-and post-interviews and observed how they were integrated into practice over a two-month period. We found variability in the ways iPads were used across the settings, but a commonality was that well-planned; iPad-based literacy activities stimulated children's motivation and concentration. They also offered rich opportunities for communication, collaborative interaction, independent learning, and for children to achieve high levels of accomplishment. In some cases, this led teachers favourably to re-evaluate the children's literacy competence, and enabled children to construct positive images of themselves in the literacy classroom. Practitioners particularly valued the opportunities iPads afforded to deliver curriculum guidelines in new ways, and to familiarise all students with touch-screen technologies.

This 17pp report provides a summary of findings and then discusses the implications for professionals working in preschool settings with children 0 to 5. This includes how to provide guidance for parents as well as a discussion of using tablets in classrooms and pre-school settings, including examples of apps seen in use. More information at www.techandplay.org. Citation for the report: Marsh, J., Plowman, L., Yamada-Rice, D., Bishop, J., Davenport, A., Davis, S., Robinson, P. and Piras, M. (2015) Exploring Play and Creativity in Pre-Schoolers' Use of Apps: A report for early years practitioners. Sheffield: University of Sheffield.

This thesis presents a case study of technology acceptance of iPad as a classroom tool. The study spans an eleven months period within the context of a rural Norwegian elementary school. Six iPads were introduced in to classroom information ecology of a fourth grade class.Through ethnography-based observations, workshops, questionnaires and interviews , changes in the classroom information ecology are documented. In cooperation with the teacher, some parts of the curriculum have been adapted to this new platform. Observations were made around the use of iPad both in the classroom setting as well as at home for the purposes of learning, entertainment and socialization.

This report evaluates the implementation of iPads in six primary schools with varied catchment areas across Cardiff. The main focus of the study was to explore how the iPads were introduced and implemented, as well as assess the impact they had on the attitudes and motivations of teachers, parents and pupils. Data was collected via surveys and interviews. Online surveys were completed by 52 parents from four schools and 70 teachers from five of the schools. In addition, small group interviews were conducted with 120 pupils from years 1, 3, 5 and 6 and 23 teachers from all six schools. Data was analysed to identify several key themes including: the importance of both informal and formal methods of iPad training; high levels of teacher, pupil and parent enthusiasm and motivation; ease of use; ¬¬¬¬¬enhancement of pupil independence; and how the iPad supports various methods of assessment. In addition, all teachers reacted positively to the pupils assisting them with the iPads and in many cases encouraged them to support other pupils in the class as well. Conclusions and recommendations are offered to enhance teaching and learning with the iPad as well as provide the Local Authority with evidence to support the strategic development of ICT use in Cardiff schools.

2014

The last 5 years have been marked by an explosion of tablet and smartphone applications designed for young children and several calls to encourage educational researchers to engage in children's app research. This paper presents a novel prospect for educational researchers: to collaboratively research, implement and produce iPad apps for educational purposes. Based on the author's own research as well as that of others, an original framework “Research, Practice and Design framework” (iRPD) for guiding such collaborative efforts is provided, along with five key principles: triple collaboration, shared epistemology, awareness of affordances and interconnected social factors, and child-centred pedagogy. The novel affordances of collaboratively produced iPad apps for educational design-based research are outlined, along with several examples of how such an engagement might enrich educational research and the app landscape.

2012

Apple's iPad has attracted a lot of attention since its release in 2010 and one area in which it has been adopted is the education sector. The iPad's large multi-touch screen, sleek profile and the ability to easily download and purchase a huge variety of educational applications make it attractive to educators.