2019
Heljakka, Katriina; Ihamäki, Pirita
Persuasive Toy Friends and Preschoolers: Playtesting IoToys Book Section
In: Mascheroni, Giovanna; Holloway, Donell (Ed.): The Internet of Toys: Practices, Affordances and the Political Economy of Children’s Smart Play, pp. 159-178, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, ISBN: 978-3030108977.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Character toys, Hybridity, IoToys, Play patterns, Preschool-children
@incollection{Heljakka2019d,
title = {Persuasive Toy Friends and Preschoolers: Playtesting IoToys},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and Pirita Ihamäki},
editor = {Giovanna Mascheroni and Donell Holloway},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-10898-4},
isbn = {978-3030108977},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-02-07},
booktitle = {The Internet of Toys: Practices, Affordances and the Political Economy of Children’s Smart Play},
pages = {159-178},
publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan},
abstract = {This chapter conducts an empirical study on the Internet of Toys (IoToys) with preschool-aged children in Finland, focusing on the strategies that contemporary character toymakers use to persuade players to nurture, connect and take part in social play. Four English-speaking IoToys were chosen based on their supposed innovativeness, popularity and availability on Amazon.com at the time of the research (September–October 2017) and were playtested with preschoolers who were 5–6 years of age. The study focuses on the variety of play affordances of the hybrid toys, which are both educational and entertaining, and investigates how these features are employed in play. By studying potential play patterns related to these toys, this study highlights preschoolers’ own responses to the affordances of the chosen IoToys.},
keywords = {Character toys, Hybridity, IoToys, Play patterns, Preschool-children},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
This chapter conducts an empirical study on the Internet of Toys (IoToys) with preschool-aged children in Finland, focusing on the strategies that contemporary character toymakers use to persuade players to nurture, connect and take part in social play. Four English-speaking IoToys were chosen based on their supposed innovativeness, popularity and availability on Amazon.com at the time of the research (September–October 2017) and were playtested with preschoolers who were 5–6 years of age. The study focuses on the variety of play affordances of the hybrid toys, which are both educational and entertaining, and investigates how these features are employed in play. By studying potential play patterns related to these toys, this study highlights preschoolers’ own responses to the affordances of the chosen IoToys.
2018
Heljakka, Katriina; Ihamäki, Pirita
Smart Toys for Game-based and Toy-based Learning: A Study of Toy Marketers', Preschool teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on Play Proceedings Article
In: CENTRIC 2018 : The Eleventh International Conference on Advances in Human-oriented and Personalized Mechanisms, Technologies, and Services, pp. 48–57, 2018, ISBN: 978-1-61208-670-5.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game-based learning, Internet of toys, Preschool-children, Smart toys, Toys
@inproceedings{Heljakka2018g,
title = {Smart Toys for Game-based and Toy-based Learning: A Study of Toy Marketers', Preschool teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on Play},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and Pirita Ihamäki},
url = {https://www.thinkmind.org/index.php?view=article&articleid=centric_2018_3_10_38001},
isbn = {978-1-61208-670-5},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-10-14},
urldate = {2018-10-14},
booktitle = {CENTRIC 2018 : The Eleventh International Conference on Advances in Human-oriented and Personalized Mechanisms, Technologies, and Services},
pages = {48–57},
abstract = {Over the next years smart Internet-connected toys are expected to grow significantly in numbers. Our study explores smart toys’ potential to deliver experiences related to playful learning. One key aspect of toys, such as the CogniToys Dino, Fisher-Price’s Smart Toy Bear and Wonder Workshop’s Dash Robot are their game-based and toy-based features and functions, which are suggested to have educational outcomes when used in play. Through a comparative investigation of toy marketers’, preschool teachers’ and the parents’ of preschoolaged children’s perspectives of smart toys potential—and a comparison to the actual play experiences of preschoolers discovered in earlier stages of research, we demonstrate how the educational potential of contemporary smart toys may be categorized into game-based and toy-based affordances that may be employed for specific educational goals in playful learning.},
keywords = {Game-based learning, Internet of toys, Preschool-children, Smart toys, Toys},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Over the next years smart Internet-connected toys are expected to grow significantly in numbers. Our study explores smart toys’ potential to deliver experiences related to playful learning. One key aspect of toys, such as the CogniToys Dino, Fisher-Price’s Smart Toy Bear and Wonder Workshop’s Dash Robot are their game-based and toy-based features and functions, which are suggested to have educational outcomes when used in play. Through a comparative investigation of toy marketers’, preschool teachers’ and the parents’ of preschoolaged children’s perspectives of smart toys potential—and a comparison to the actual play experiences of preschoolers discovered in earlier stages of research, we demonstrate how the educational potential of contemporary smart toys may be categorized into game-based and toy-based affordances that may be employed for specific educational goals in playful learning.
Heljakka, Katriina; Ihamäki, Pirita
Preschoolers Learning with the Internet of Toys: From Toy-Based Edutainment to Transmedia Literacy Journal Article
In: Seminar.net, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 85–102, 2018, ISSN: 1504-4831.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Early education, Edutainment, Preschool-children, Toy Literacy, Toy-based learning, Transmedia literacy
@article{Heljakka2018a,
title = {Preschoolers Learning with the Internet of Toys: From Toy-Based Edutainment to Transmedia Literacy},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and Pirita Ihamäki},
doi = {10.7577/seminar.2835},
issn = {1504-4831},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
urldate = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Seminar.net},
volume = {14},
number = {1},
pages = {85–102},
publisher = {Lillehammer University College},
abstract = {The Internet of Toys (IoToys) as an emerging type of edutainment presents a new research area, especially in the context of learning. This study investigates four connected toys played with in the preschool context. By turning to preschool-aged children and their educators observed and interviewed during and after a play test and group interview session, we study how the educational value of IoToys is actualized in a play situation in an early learning environment. In order for IoToys to work as tools in toy-based learning in the preschool context, we suggest that educators acknowledge the engagement with these toys as a form of transmedia play which demands transmedia literacy skills.},
keywords = {Early education, Edutainment, Preschool-children, Toy Literacy, Toy-based learning, Transmedia literacy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The Internet of Toys (IoToys) as an emerging type of edutainment presents a new research area, especially in the context of learning. This study investigates four connected toys played with in the preschool context. By turning to preschool-aged children and their educators observed and interviewed during and after a play test and group interview session, we study how the educational value of IoToys is actualized in a play situation in an early learning environment. In order for IoToys to work as tools in toy-based learning in the preschool context, we suggest that educators acknowledge the engagement with these toys as a form of transmedia play which demands transmedia literacy skills.