Early Learning in the Digital Age

Digital practices are forging ahead in leaps and bounds.

Examining digital practices in early childhood education, this book seeks to inform the discussion on how digital technologies are best integrated into play-based pedagogy, and demonstrates effective practices that enhance children’s learning and development. With a range of international contributors, perspectives, and case studies, the fusion of play and portable technology is explored through contemporary research.

Dr Colette Gray is a Chartered Developmental Psychologist at Stranmillis University College, a College of The Queen’s University of Belfast. She is a Principal Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies, was until very recently the Head of Research Development and a Visiting Professor (Child Development & Education) to the University of St Marks & St John’s Plymouth. She has studied and taught a range of undergraduate and post graduate degree modules to students for more than 20 years. Editor of the International Journal of Early Years Education, she continues to develop her research interests in the field of participatory research which children and marginalised groups, the impact of special needs on children’s learning, and the ethical implications of research involving vulnerable groups. Married for 40 years, she is the proud grandmother of three pre-schoolers Jacob (3 yrs 6mths), Isabelle (20 months) and Isaac (15 mths). 

Ioanna Palaiologou is Professor of Cognitive and Developmental Psychology in the School of Education (Psychology in Education) at the University of Bristol. She is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, specialising in child development, learning theories and educational psychology. Her research explores the intersection of ethics, child development, digital technologies and education, with a particular focus on their implications for pedagogy, children′s rights and wellbeing. Through her work she examines how emerging technologies shape learning experiences and educational practice, advocating for ethically informed and rights-based approaches that support children′s development, participation and inclusion in contemporary educational settings.