Open design pedagogy: Revealing openness in early childhood education with digital technology

Abstract

Today, more than any other period in time, digital fluency is regarded as a necessary life skill for both children and adults. The potential of digital tools in early childhood learning has been recognized as helping to reinforce academic skills, as a way to communicate ideas and develop social skills, to support children to learn at their own pace, to learn how to learn and to make learning fun. This article contributes to the current research by conducting a participatory study in a kindergarten in Finland over the course of one year. The empirical data are analysed to (1) identify the characteristics of educational activities that make use of digital technology in early childhood education and (2) reveal the pedagogical approaches behind these activities. The findings of this study show that pedagogical activities entailing playful interaction with technology and the production of tangible artefacts, accompanied by visual documentation and reflection, support the effective use of technology in early childhood education. The educators’ open approach towards the use of technology also played a significant part in the positive outcomes experienced by teachers and students. We call this approach open design pedagogy and propose it as a model for using digital technologies in early childhood education.