The role and use of digital technologies with, for and by children

This event is part of the Digital Child’s 2022 Children’s Week celebrations.

Please note that this event is being held in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).

While much of the rhetoric around children and technology for the last 10 years has been all about “screen time”, researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child are now investigating children’s digital experiences, to best support children growing up in a rapidly changing digital world.

Join us as we host a panel of experts to explore the changing role of ‘digital’ in Australian children’s lives. We take a look at the responsibilities of digital producers, as well as the children themselves and their adults, in creating and consuming digital experiences which enhance child development.

Panelists

Professor Susan Edwards, Associate Investigator – ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (Australian Catholic University)
Ant Frank, indigital
Laura Stone and Linda Harrison, ABC Kids Early Education
Facilitated by Professor Lisa Kervin, Chief Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (University of Wollongong)

The Early Childhood Australia Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies was launched in 2018. The four guiding principles – relationships, health and wellbeing, citizenship, play and pedagogy – provide advice for the “digital contexts within which young children, their families and educators play, live and work”. Professor Susan Edwards, a leading author of this publication will examine citizenship in digital contexts with focus on the regulations or codes to protect children while at the same time advancing their rights during their digital childhoods.

ABC Kids Early Education is an integrated part of the ABC Kids production family that creates world class video and audio content such as “Play School”, “Imagine This” and “Little Yarns”. ABC Kids Early Education recognises the potential for high-quality digital children’s content. Central to their philosophy is that digital technology use in early learning settings needs to support and promote the best interests of young children.

indigital specialises in the development and delivery of digital skills training platforms and programs through an Indigenous cultural lens with the aim of providing a meaningful pathway for Indigenous peoples into the digital economy. Engaging children in experiences focused on artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed realities and geospatial technologies is their speciality.

Members of the panel will examine:

• The role of the ‘digital’ in the lives of Australian Children
• Responsibilities for producers, children and their adults
• Meaningful pathways for use of digital technologies

Professor Susan Edwards
Professor Susan Edwards is an expert in digital play and cyber-safety education in the early years. As Co-Chair of the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Digital Policy Group, she helped lead publication of the ECA Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies. Susan is Director of the Early Childhood Futures research program in the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University. As an investigator in the Australian Centre for the Digital Child she focuses on the role and use of digital play in early childhood education settings, with the aim to generate new insights and pedagogical examples to support educators in providing digital play opportunities for young children.

Ant Frank – Indigital
Ant Frank is a business professional with over 15 years of experience in sales for renowned companies such as Apple and Microsoft. Ant has a natural passion for cutting-edge technologies and how they can be used to improve the world around us. In his role as Program Lead at Indigital, Ant strives to bring people and technology together to create lasting relationships. Ant is also a father of two, which has given him valuable insight into the importance of family and community. Ant uses his experience and knowledge to help others achieve their goals, whether it be in business or in life. Ant Frank is a passionate individual who is dedicated to making a positive impact on the world around him.

Linda Harrison – ABC Kids Early Education Consultant
As an Early Education Consultant, Linda develops play-based teaching resources emerging from ABC Kids video and audio programs aligned with priorities in early years pedagogy. She works to support educators in implementing a contextually relevant curriculum in-light of contemporary childhood experiences, acknowledging the vital role quality digital content and technology play in responsive early education.

Laura Stone – ABC Kids Early Childhood Education Producer
Laura Stone is the Early Childhood Education Producer at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). She leads ABC Kids Early Education and creates opportunities for early learning and educator engagement through world class ABC media and digital resources.