This poster summarizes Pat Townshend's project on learning to thrive and survive in a digital environment. The project examines digital literacy skills frameworks and surveys learners in an early years staff training program to understand barriers to technology adoption. It invites attendees to an online conference on February 13, 2017 to explore evidence on digital skills development and the use of technology in early childhood education.

1. Learning to thrive and
survive in a digital
environment
Pat Townshend H818 J16
See also in this poster:
• A video invitation
• The video script
• Notes on how to get the
most from this poster
• Accessibility Statement
• Reference list
Do frameworks
help
understanding?Do metaphors
over-simplify
or do they help
understanding?
Residents and
visitors
See White and
Le Cornu 2011
Do iPads
have a place
in the
playroom?
See some are in favour.
Others have doubts.
Try the JISC framework
Mon 13 Feb 21.00 GMT
When?
Join the
conference
here
For childcare
learners…

2. A video invitation
This video plays when in slide show mode
Click here
for video
script
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3. Video script
1. This is your invitation to my project presentation about learning to thrive and survive
in a digital environment.
2. I’m Pat Townshend. I’m a student on OU’s H 818 course – the Networked Practitioner.
I manage an early years staff training programme. Most learners in the programme
are aged over 25.
3. Digital communications have become vital to teaching, learning and assessment. But
some learners are reluctant to use technology. They claim that `you can’t teach an old
dog new tricks’. I think that the reasons may be much more complicated.
4. Some early years settings make no use of digital technology in their teaching. Why is
this the case? Pedagogy? Adult skills? Resources? Fears?
5. Do today’s digital literacy frameworks give us an insight into the learners’ skills?
6. In this project I will be looking for evidence using amended skills frameworks and
surveys and from discussions with learners’ and their tutor.
7. I will refer to research materials on digital skills development and on the use of digital
technology in the early years sector.
8. So come and explore with me this busy intersection of skills, knowledge and attitudes.
9. Where will this happen? Online at www.cloudworks.ac.uk When? On Monday 13th
February 2017. See you then.
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4. Getting more out of this poster
a. The presentation’s video works best in slide show mode. Click on the screen
icon at the right hand foot of the screen
d. To open a hyperlink, with the presentation in slide show mode, point the
mouse to hyperlinks and press ctrl + left click. This will open the relevant
document in your internet browser.
b. The video has an audio track that starts automatically.
c. The script of the video is included on the second slide.
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5. Accessibility statement
This poster has been designed to be as accessible as possible
in a range of ways
1. The text is a sans serif verdana font of at least point 14.
2. Text is left justified.
3. In larger bodies of text lines of text have been confined to
under 85 characters
4. A script of the video is provided in text form
5. There are audio recording available. Click where you see
a speaker sign
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6. Flewitt, R., Messer, D., Kucirkova, N. (2014) `New directions for early literacy in a
digital age: The iPad’. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. SAGE Publications doi:
10.1177/1468798414533560. Available at
http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/3365/1/Flewitt_Messer_Kucirkova_2014_new_directions_f
or_early_literacy_the_iPad.pdf (last accessed 30 Dec 2016)
Joint Information Systems Committee (2014) `Building digital capability: the six
elements defined’. Available at
http://repository.jisc.ac.uk/6239/1/Digital_capabilities_six_elements.pdf (last
accessed 30 Dec 2016)
Palaiologou, I. (2016) Teachers’ dispositions towards the role of digital devices in
play-based pedagogy in early childhood education. Early Years. Volume 36, 2016 -
Issue 3. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2016.1174816 (last
accessed 30 Dec 2016)
White, D.S. Le Cornu, A. (2011) `Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online
engagement.’ First Monday.(2011) Available at:
http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3171/3049 (last accessed: 30
Dec 2016) doi:10.5210/fm.v16i9.3171.
All images used have Creative Commons licenses.
References
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