Children and Adults: Playing Together in the Digital World

Our 2025 Conference takes place at Aston University, Birmingham on Saturday 15th November.

Fiona Joines:

Fi started her career working in a variety of early years settings, before moving to teaching roles in FE/HE. With an MA in Education and Technology she now works as a trainer, designing and delivering workshops and is the author of Embracing Technology in the Early Years: A Practitioners Guide.

Fi will explore the importance and value of us entering the child's digital world, learning and playing together to develop the crucial characteristics of effective learning for the child (and the practitioner). She’ll reflect on how the building of technology skills can lead us to engage in the world safely.

Richard Waite:

Richard Waite brings 38 years of Early Years Care & Education expertise, specializing in Early Years Technology and STEM education. As founder of Waite.EYTS consultancy, he delivers training and creates resources focusing on Early Childhood Technology, Online Safety, and advocating for Men in Childcare, while supporting nurseries across the UK.

Richard Waite explores the dynamic intersection of adult-child relationships in today's digital landscape, examining how technology can enhance rather than hinder collaborative play experiences. Drawing from extensive early years expertise, he investigates practical strategies for educators and parents to meaningfully engage with children through digital tools while maintaining authentic human connections and play-based learning opportunities.

Dr Lorna Arnott:

Dr Arnott is a Reader in Social and Cultural Early Childhood Studies at Strathclyde Institute of Education at the University of Strathclyde.  For over a decade, her work has specialised in researching early childhood lived experiences, particularly around digital play, creativity, social interactions and participatory child-centred methodologies.

Lorna will present data from an ESRC funded project about under 3s digital experiences in family homes across the UK.  Drawing on data from a multi-phase methodology including in-depth case studies, she will present key examples of the ways in which technologies can facilitate learning experiences in the first years of life.

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