Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Play And Technology:A Study Of Icts In Play Activities Of Irish Children (4-8 And 8-12), Brian O'Neill, Noirin Hayes, Stella Downey

Conference Papers

Defined in the Ireland’s national play policy as ‘freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated behaviour that actively engages the child’ (NCO, 2004, p.10), play now more often than not is a technologically-mediated activity. This paper focuses on the role of technology in play and explores the impact of technological change on children’s play activities. Drawing on our study commissioned by Ireland’s National Children’s Office, we present a detailed exploration of the play activities of Irish children, identifying the range of technologies accessed by children and how they are used in their daily play patterns. The project provided children with an …