Title: Digital manipulatives: tools to transform early learning experiences

Authors: Andrew Manches

Addresses: London Knowledge Lab, Institute of Education, 24-29 Emerald Street, London, WC1 3QS, UK

Abstract: Children's learning is shaped by the materials we provide to explore certain ideas. This paper argues that digital manipulatives (digitally augmented physical objects) present opportunities to transform young children's learning by bridging their pre-school concrete experiences with more formal, abstract, concepts. The potential of digital manipulatives is articulated through a descriptive framework that considers the perceptual and manipulative properties of learning materials. The framework provides a simple lens with which to compare the properties of physical, virtual and digital manipulatives and draws upon the author's research into children's interactions using physical materials to support numerical development, as well as more recent work looking at the design of digital materials using devices such as tablet computers (iPad).

Keywords: digital manipulatives; virtual manipulatives; physicality; tangible technologies; early years; children; early learning; learning experiences; ideas; digitally augmented objects; physical objects; pre-school experiences; formal concepts; abstract concepts; perceptual properties; manipulative properties; learning materials; interactions; physical materials; numerical development; materials design; tablets; mobile computers; iPad; Apple; e-book readers; electronic books; tablet computers; digital books; ground-breaking ideas; technology enhanced learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTEL.2011.045451

International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 2011 Vol.3 No.6, pp.608 - 626

Received: 05 May 2011
Accepted: 21 Oct 2011

Published online: 26 Feb 2015 *

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