Mobile Digital Devices and Preschoolers’ Home Multiliteracy Practices

Abstract

The increased use of digital devices such as touchscreen tablets in the home for work, communication, entertainment, and information searching makes them naturally attractive to toddlers and preschoolers who learn to communicate by observing and interacting with parents and older siblings. This paper presents one of the major findings from a study in Canada and Australia that examined preschoolers’ (ages 3 to 5) home multiliteracy practices. By focusing on data from one of the participants in this study, this paper discusses how the use of iPad engages children in multimodal literacy practices, motivates literacy learning and provides opportunities for independent exploration and creation. This study is informed by complexity science and the data collected were analyzed using Green’s (1988, 2012) three-dimensional model of literacy. The findings shed light on technology’s evolving influence on society and contribute to insights in preschoolers’ home literacy practices.

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