Positive Development through Technology (PTD) engagement checklist: children/children and environments/facilitators

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical reflection on the contribution that the application of the Engagement Checklist: Children/Child and Environments/Facilitators (Strawhacker & Bers, 2018) may have for the promotion of learning experiences with technology that promote positive child development (Bers, 2018). Based on a model of "positive development through technology" (PTD) grounded in the principles of child development (Ramos, 2016), this instrument was developed and validated within the work developed by Marina Bers (2008, 2012, 2018). The translation provided here was carried out within the scope of the KML II project - Laboratory of Technologies and Learning Programming for Pre-school and Primary School in Portugal, with respect to the corresponding authoring rights.

From a learning processes constructionist perspective (Papert, 1999; Resnick, 2017; Bers, 2018), this paper explores how this checklist can contribute to a greater understanding of several dimensions of analysis of contexts promoting positive development through technology. In this way, it aims to stimulate the construction of learning environments that are rich in technology and promote positive child development, paying particular attention to the centrality of interpersonal relationships and the quality of the environments where these activities occur. Throughout the text, the characteristics of this checklist will be presented, namely the six types of positive behaviours in the use of technologies considered and their distribution by domains and dimensions of analysis. The reflection on the analysis of the relationship of dynamics between children and contexts, as well as the understanding of how technology can be designed and used to promote positive behaviours, may allow education professionals to analyse the progress in the development of technological competences and the promotion of the cognitive, social and moral development of all children.

We believe that the possibility to translate and use this analysis tool will bring an important contribution to the analysis of children's interactions with technologies, in their educational contexts. We hope, in this way, to enable a better knowledge of how digital technologies may promote children's positive development, namely within the scope of the research developed by the KML2 project, whose results (Amante et al, 2019; Monteiro et al, 2021; Souza et al, 2020) may, thus, be discussed in a worldwide educational framework.