Taking it outside: Engaging in active, creative, outdoor play with digital technology
The use of iPads by kindergarten children accompanied and added to their active and creative outdoor play, while also promoting nature connectedness
The use of digital technology (DT) and the value of outdoor play for early learning have been investigated separately. This study focused on the intersection of these two different avenues of learning.
Twenty-seven educators in 14 kindergarten classrooms in Canada participated in this study over the course of three school years. The educators participated in interviews and completed surveys at the beginning and end of each school year. They also participated in focus groups and workshops on emerging issues near the end of each year. Samples of the kindergarten students’ digital slideshows created on iPads were additional sources of data. The slideshows incorporated children’s photos, video, drawings, and audio recordings depicting their physical and creative activities outdoors. The slideshows also depicted the children’s connections to nature.
Each classroom was given three iPads for the children to use during outdoor play. Responses during the pre-implementation interviews indicated that many of the educators were concerned about the children being too sedentary and solitary if the devices were readily available during outdoor time. They were also concerned about the safety of both the children and the devices with children using DT outdoors. Early in the study, while the children were still becoming familiar with the apps on the iPads, they were more likely to be sedentary. Once they learned how to use the apps, however, they became more physically active and engaged with the world around them – including the world of nature — in more creative ways while using the iPads.
Three themes emerged from an analysis of children’s use of DT outdoors. First, the use of DT added value to children’s physical play. Children focused on practicing and enhancing their physical skills. DT accompanied and enhanced physical activity rather than replaced it. Second, the use of DT outdoors inspired creativity during child-led play. Children used the apps’ photo and video capabilities to record a wide range of creative activities, such as dance and gymnastic routines. Third, the use of DT outdoors promoted connections to nature. Children used the apps to document different aspects of the natural environment, to capture their personal interests in nature, and to express their feelings about nature.
Overall findings illustrated that children used the tablets outdoors safely and that the use of open-ended apps gave them the opportunity to attend to, document, and review their outdoor interests and activities. Their indoor learning experiences were also enriched by their use of the digital documentation created outdoors. Additionally, the digital documentation allowed educators to gain insights into their students’ knowledge and interests, which could help them in planning further learning experiences which are engaging and effective.
Citation
McGlynn-Stewart, M., Maguire, N., Mogyorodi, E., (2020). Taking it outside: Engaging in active, creative, outdoor play with digital technology. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 23(2),
