Learning with iPads in Early Childhood Education

This chapter describes the design-­thinking underpinning a theoretical framework created as part of an action research project conducted in a South Australian childcare centre to investigate the integration of iPads into the curriculum using a play-­based learning approach. iPads have become popular in early childhood education because they are simple to use and the applications (apps) that are available are inexpensive and plentiful. The development of this new technology and its presence in early childhood educational settings is increasing rapidly, and interactive touchscreens have changed the way children engage and play with technology (McManis & Gunnewig, 2012, p. 15).