Children’s experiences with digital technologies

Introduction

Welcome to this free course, Children’s experiences with digital technologies. This course is an introduction to how children use digital technologies and what they learn from these experiences.

The course will discuss debates around the effects of digital technologies, such as mobile applications and video games, on children and their wellbeing, and debunk some popular myths often promoted by the media. The content and activities emphasise the importance of research evidence, that is, what studies show about the relationships between technology and children. This evidence can help us reflect on our perceptions of how digital technologies influence children’s development and inform as to how best to support children when interacting with them.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course E232 Exploring childhood and youth [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . It has been designed by Dr Christothea Herodotou, a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) for the Institute of Educational Technology at The Open University. Christothea has studied children and mobile technologies in several projects funded by the British Academy and the British Educational Research Association, and she has a doctorate in game-based learning and psychology. Being a mum, she has had the opportunity to observe her own child and their interactions with technologies that informed the rationale for this course.