Touching the screen: issues related to the use of touchscreen technology in early childhood education

This paper reports on a research project that investigated the use of touchscreens by children in early childhood and junior primary settings by introducing touchscreens in five classrooms in Melbourne. Several methods to obtain information about how children interacted with the touchscreens were used including observation, journals and field notes, and interviews. The research identified five key themes, relating to developmental issues, input device preference, technical issues, individual differences in children’s use of the touchscreen and issues of collaboration. Touching the screen: issues related to the use of touchscreen technology in early childhood education Geoff Romeo, Suzy Edwards, Sue McNamara, Ian Walker and Christopher Ziguras Dr Geoff Romeo is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. His research interests include the use of ICT in education (from Early Childhood to Tertiary Education) to improve teaching and learning, online teaching and learning, the development of curriculum, and action research. Dr Romeo is president of ICT in Education Victoria and a member of the board of the Australian Council for Computers in Education. Address for correspondence: Faculty of Education, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia. Email: [email protected] Ms Suzy Edwards is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Her research interest is concerned with the relationship between early childhood educators’ conceptions of curriculum and their use of information technologies in the classroom. Address for correspondence: Faculty of Education, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia. Email: [email protected] Dr Sue McNamara is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Her research interests are located in the fields of educational technology, leaning design and management. Address for correspondence: Faculty of Education, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia. Email: [email protected] Dr Ian Walker is an associate professor in education at Zayed University. His research interests are located in primary and early childhood education, including literacy and computer use. Address for correspondence: College of Education, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi PO Box 4783 Abu Dhabi. Email: [email protected] Dr Christopher Ziguras is a research fellow in the Globalism Institute within RMIT’s Faculty of Education, Language and Community Services. His research interests include: use of technology in transnational higher education, cultural diversity and educational technology, international education policy, and the production and consumption of health advice. Address for correspondence: Faculty of Education, Language and Community Services, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne 3001, Australia. Email: [email protected] © British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2003. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 34 No 3 2003 329–339