Children learning to use technologies through play: A D igital P lay F ramework

Digital technologies are increasingly acknowledged as an important aspect of early childhood education. A significant problem for early childhood education has been how to understand the pedagogical use of technologies in a sector that values play‐based learning. This paper presents a new framework to understand how children learn to use technologies through play. The D igital P lay F ramework is based on the sociocultural concept of tool mediation and C orrine H utt's work regarding epistemic and ludic activity as basis for understanding play. The D igital P lay F ramework presents a series of indicators for how children learn to use technologies as cultural tools, first by exploring the functionality of technologies through epistemic activity, and second by generating new content through ludic activity.