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Augmented Reality in Early Childhood Education: Accessing Complex Concepts Within Imaginative Play Worlds

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Embedding STEAM in Early Childhood Education and Care

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Abstract

In this chapter, the focus is on the T in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). Technology uses different materials to make work easier. Where engineering draws on creativity and innovation to design tools and systems, technology focuses on the tools and systems themselves. Within this chapter, we focus specifically on one type of digital technology: augmented reality (AR). We explore what AR is by interpreting previously collected data. Then, we describe the contemporary development of a Digital Play Framework (Bird & Edwards, 2015) while applying it to case studies that show how children learn to use an AR Sandbox through two forms of play: epistemic (exploratory) and ludic (imaginary).

The research presented as a case study in this chapter was completed in partial fulfilment of requirements for a Master of Education degree from The University of Western Australia under the supervision of Associate Professor Christine Howitt and Associate Professor Grace Oakley.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Grimm, B. (2015). Goodnight Lad | Exploring hidden worlds in books. Retrieved from https://www.goodnightlad.com

  2. 2.

    StoryToys Entertainment Ltd. (2018). My Very Hungry Caterpillar AR. Retrieved from https://storytoys.com/app/my-very-hungry-caterpillar/

  3. 3.

    Lecocq, M. (2016). Rox’s Secret Code. Retrieved from https://www.yoursecretcode.com/?fbclid=IwAR0D4AV5WeiM3-dHcGnIuyz-eRGH9rAzKRUUt5nS1Zpo5qMiTtEzK1RXNTw#/game

  4. 4.

    MERGE, (2020). MERGE CUBE, the power to hold the digital world. Retrieved from: https://mergeedu.com/merge-cube

  5. 5.

    Budge Studios, (2017). Thomas & Friends Minis. Retrieved from: https://budgestudios.com/en/apps/detail/thomas-and-friends-minis/

  6. 6.

    QuiverVision, (2016). Quiver Education. Retrieved from: http://www.quivervision.com/apps/quiver-education/

  7. 7.

    Alive Studios Zoo, (2017). Math Alive. Retrieved from: https://alivestudiosco.com/math-alive-kit/

  8. 8.

    Alive Studios Zoo, (2017). Letters Alive. Retrieved from: https://alivestudiosco.com/letters-alive-zoo-keeper-edition/

  9. 9.

    IVANOVICH GAMES, (2017). FishingGO AR. Retrieved from: http://www.ivanovichgames.com/web/catalog/games/zfishinggo/

  10. 10.

    University of California, (2016). Augmented Reality Sandbox. Retrieved from: https://arsandbox.ucdavis.edu

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bold Park Community School, Wembley, WA, Australia

    Rhys George & Parian Madanipour

Authors
  1. Rhys George
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  2. Parian Madanipour
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Caroline Cohrssen

  2. Department of Education, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia

    Susanne Garvis

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George, R., Madanipour, P. (2021). Augmented Reality in Early Childhood Education: Accessing Complex Concepts Within Imaginative Play Worlds. In: Cohrssen, C., Garvis, S. (eds) Embedding STEAM in Early Childhood Education and Care. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65624-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65624-9_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-65623-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-65624-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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