Osmo: Learning Beyond the Screen

An OSMO reference document hosted on edCircuit with permission from Osmo.

Learning Beyond the Screen: Assessing the Impact of Reflective Artificial Intelligence Technology on the Development of Emergent Literacy Skills. Play, as a teaching tool, has long been associated with early childhood development.

Critical thinking, exploration, and creativity are at a natural, all-time high in play-based settings, creating an ideal environment for the development of language, social, and motor skills. Despite the overwhelmingly positive effects of “traditional” play (e.g., dramatic play, building blocks, etc.) on the development of children, increased screen time and ubiquitous technology is redefining the traditional notions of what constitutes play (e.g., video games, augmented reality, etc.).

Abstract: Play, as a teaching tool, has long been associated with the development of language, social, and motor skills in children. Despite the overwhelmingly positive effects of play on early development, increased screen time and ubiquitous technology is redefining the traditional notions of what constitutes play. A new genre of app that uses reflective artificial intelligence technology (RAIT) bridges the gap between traditional play and modern technology. This mixed-methods study explored Osmo’s RAIT app Words as an intervention tool, which uses an iPad’s built-in camera to integrate physical manipulatives into an onscreen app,
ostensibly shifting the focus away from the iPad’s screen and back into the physical environment, as compared to traditional, play-based intervention facilitated by a pre service teacher. Twenty-three kindergarteners participated in the study and were randomly placed into RAIT intervention or traditional, play-based intervention groups in either an individual or group learning context. As part of the study, participants engaged in three, 15-minute sessions of their respective intervention type, and completed a pre- and post-assessment. Based on the results of this study, participants
either improved or remained the same in their knowledge of emergent literacy skills. However, the type of intervention did not affect the amount of learning that occurred, meaning RAIT interventions and traditional, play-based interventions and individual and group interventions fostered emergent literacy skills at approximately the same rate. These findings are valuable for early childhood practitioners, as they provide evidence of the positive impact of devoting time to emergent literacy interventions, as well as the possibilities of using Osmo’s Words app as a supplemental instructional tool.

Keywords: reflective artificial intelligence technology, emergent literacy,
play-based interventions

Introduction
Play, as a teaching tool, has long been associated with early childhood development. Critical thinking, exploration, and creativity are at a natural, all-time high in play-based settings, creating an ideal environment for the development of language, social, and motor skills. Despite the overwhelmingly positive effects of “traditional” play (e.g., dramatic play, building blocks, etc.) on the development of children, increased screen time and ubiquitous technology is redefining the traditional notions of what constitutes play (e.g., video games, augmented reality, etc.). A new genre of educational technology known as reflective artificial intelligence technology (RAIT) merges play-based and technological interventions into a single tablet app. RAIT takes a traditional onscreen app to the next level by adding physical manipulatives into the mix, which allows the user’s primary focus to shift from the tablet screen to the hands-on interaction with the manipulatives. With RAIT, digital play and learning are redefined, which may allow early childhood education professionals to leverage this new type of technology in the development of essential skills such as emergent literacy. As digital learners become younger
and technology’s reach grows further each day, early childhood education faculty, practitioners, and professionals are faced with a fundamental question: When used in developmentally appropriate ways, are these new technologies beneficial for the intellectual growth and development of young children? Specifically, can a new genre of app that uses reflective artificial intelligence technology (RAIT) bridge the gap between play-based pedagogy and modern instructional technology to better assist early childhood professionals in providing developmentally appropriate interventions for emerging readers, including alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness? Ultimately, this study sought to contribute to the knowledge base on play-based literacy interventions, and push this research into a new paradigm by defining the potential for RAIT as a means for developing emergent literacy skills.

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