New Technologies in the Home of a Young Child - Educational Tool or Distraction? 00-0F-NTH
The module will cover the following topics:
• early technology experiences; old and new technologies in the life of a young child; key concepts in the literature (e.g., screen time; digital literacy); access and usage; type of activities;
• General risks and opportunities of using new technologies by young children
• Potential and limitations of new technologies in the development of the following areas:
o Language and communication skills
o Social skills
o STEM skills
o Executive functions (attention, memory, planning, inhibitory control)
o Creativity
• Parental mediation
Aims of the module:
• Familiarising the students with the current research on new technologies in the lives of young children (0-6 years)
• Developing students’ scientific language competencies within the topics discussed in the module
• Developing students’ communicative abilities in English, including:
o Effective comprehension of scientific texts
o Effective communication of information – both in writing (e.g., writing a popular science magazine article based on a research paper from a journal article) and in speaking (group oral presentation, pair and group discussion, sharing of experiences, reflections and views)
• Extending students’ research skills including searching and utilising foreign language scientific literature concerned with new technologies and the development of various skills and competencies in young children
• Developing students’ organisational skills (e.g., effective cooperation and project preparation in a group, preparation and organisation of an interview with a parent/ caregiver of a young child).
Type of course
Course coordinators
Assessment criteria
Three assignmnets, methods and criteria of their assessment.
1) Weekly or fortnightly tasks (e.g., reading a selected text assigned by the tutor, assessment of a group presentation). The knowledge of a selected article will be checked in a quiz (MS Forms). To assess their peers' group presentation, students will need to fill in an online feedback form to provide ratings, constructive comments and a “take home” message. The points earned for these tasks will contribute 20% of the final mark. Independent work.
2) Written assignment: the aim of this task is to find an article in a scientific journal in English about the impact of new technologies on young children’s learning and development and to write a text (700 words) in a popular science magazine style. The text is to familiarise the reader with the topic, provide a brief description of the study from the article and to present its findings in a clear and concise way. The points earned for this task will contribute 40% of the final mark. Independent work.
3) Oral presentation:
Students choose ONE of the tasks below.
• Oral assignment: record or find a video clip in which a young child interacts with new technology (e.g., a tablet application, augmented reality toy/book, etc.), describe the interaction and critically assess how it can promote or limit the child’s development (e.g., creativity, literacy, STEM skills). Present your findings to the group. The points earned for this task will contribute 40% of the final mark. Pair or group work.
• OR
• Oral assignment: Record an interview with a parent of a young child, prepare interview questions in advance, record the interview, analyse the responses, and present the findings to the class. The points earned for this task will contribute 40% of the final mark. Pair or group work.
Marking scale
• 51% – 60% – satisfactory (3)
• 61% – 70% – more than satisfactory (3+)
• 71% – 80% – good (4)
• 81% – 90% – more than good + (4+)
• 91% – 100% – very good (5)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: