Assessment Rationale In our increasingly digital world, early childhood professionals must thoughtfully navigate the complexities of technology in children’s lives. This requires a capacity to critical

EDEC2010 Digital Childhoods & Pedagogical Partnerships

Assessment 2: Digital Issues Portfolio

Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this task, you will demonstrate your ability to:

• ULO3: Critically evaluate the impact of contemporary digital issues on children, families, and communities, and analyse their relationship with social and educational policies.
• ULO4: Analyse media and academic representations of digital childhoods to deconstruct how they shape professional practice and family partnerships.

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Assessment Rationale

In our increasingly digital world, early childhood professionals must thoughtfully navigate the complexities of technology in children’s lives. This requires a capacity to critically analyse media narratives about “digital childhoods,” communicate effectively with families who hold diverse views on technology, and ground their pedagogical practices in current research and policy. This portfolio provides an opportunity to develop these essential professional skills.

Assessment Description

For this assessment, you will demonstrate your understanding of the contemporary issues surrounding technology and young children. Drawing on content from Modules 4-6, you will write three distinct but connected responses of approximately 500 words each.

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Part 1: Critical Media Analysis (approx. 500 words)

1. Select a recent media article (published in 2024 or 2025) that discusses a specific issue related to young children and digital technology. This could involve topics like AI in learning, screen time, digital play, online safety, or the role of tablets in education.
   • Useful sources include The Conversation (Education), The Guardian (Parenting), ABC Education, or Early Childhood Australia’s publications.
   • You must include a working link to your chosen article in your reference list.
2. Write a summary, critical analysis, and evaluation of the article. In your response, you must address:
   • Summary: What is the main argument or focus of the article?
   • Critical Analysis: How does the article construct the image of the “digital child” (e.g., as vulnerable, as a ‘digital native’, as a passive consumer)? How does it represent the role of families and educators?
   • Evaluation: Why is this issue significant for the early childhood sector in Australia? Connect your analysis to key academic concepts from the unit regarding the social construction of childhood (e.g., Edwards, 2021; Plowman, 2016).

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Part 2: Communication for Families (approx. 500 words)

Imagine you are an educator at an early learning centre. Write a post for the centre’s official blog to communicate with families about the issue you analysed in Part 1.

Your blog post should:

• Be written in professional, accessible, and non-judgmental language.
• Provide a balanced overview of the issue, acknowledging both the opportunities and challenges technology presents.
• Demonstrate an understanding of family and community diversity, recognising that families have different values, resources, and perspectives on technology use (referencing concepts from sources like Farbes & Smith, 2022).
• Reassure families of the centre’s thoughtful approach to digital pedagogy, without making definitive “rules” or recommendations. The goal is to open a dialogue, not issue a directive.

Part 3: Links to Policy and Practice (approx. 500 words)

Using the same issue, discuss how it connects to Australian early childhood policy and is reflected in pedagogical practice.

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Your response should address the following questions:

• Policy Alignment: How do national frameworks like the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) V2.0 and the National Quality Standard (NQS) guide educators’ use of technology? (e.g., consider EYLF Principles & Practices; NQS Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice).
• Examples in Practice: What would this look like in an early childhood setting? Provide specific, practical examples (e.g., using tablets for co-researching with children, digital storytelling, documenting learning, teaching digital citizenship skills).
• Effective Partnerships: How can an early childhood service work in partnership with families to navigate the complexities of digital technology? Suggest concrete strategies for building these partnerships.

Assessment Instructions

• Formatting: Use APA 7th edition formatting. Your submission should include a title page, be typed in a 12-point font (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial), use 1.5 or double-line spacing, and include page numbers.
• Referencing: A minimum of 10 academic references is required, in addition to policy documents and your chosen media article. These must be cited in-text and included in a single reference list at the end of your document.
• Generative AI: You may use Generative AI for brainstorming or editing, but not to generate final text. You must include a declaration at the end of your reference list acknowledging how you used any AI tools (e.g., “I acknowledge the use of Google Bard to summarise key academic concepts as a starting point for my research.”).