Qualitative research, Pre-primary education, Teaching process, Kindergarte teacher, Preschool child, Interactive whiteboard, Robotic toys

Children use digital technologies from an early age; for a child, they are a source of knowledge, communication, expression, and development of their logical thinking. Kindergarten children are Generation Z, whose thinking is shaped from an early age by the use of technology in such a way that they do not perceive its presence at all and their thought processes are influenced to such extent that they are naturally able to immediately identify the most suitable way to deploy technology to solve any problem. The latest phenomenon that children are interested in is robot toys that they encounter also in their home environment. Therefore, we deemed it appropriate to combine the interactive whiteboard and robot toys in a socio-cognitive teaching model. In the paper, we inform of the possibilities to combine the interactive whiteboard and robot toys to achieve educational goals in preprimary education. We present a pilot qualitative research in pre-primary education settings concerning the use of digital technologies. We highlight the need to change the thinking of kindergarten teachers when creating new contexts in educational activities, with emphasis on the use of the interactive whiteboard and robot toys. We conducted the pilot qualitative research at a state kindergarten in Bratislava. Our research subjects were preschool children and kindergarten teachers. The research tool used was a focus group.”

Children use digital technologies from an early age; for a child, they are a source of knowledge, communication, expression, and development of their logical thinking. Kindergarten children are Generation Z, whose thinking is shaped from an early age by the use of technology in such a way that they do not perceive its presence at all and their thought processes are influenced to such extent that they are naturally able to immediately identify the most suitable way to deploy technology to solve any problem. The latest phenomenon that children are interested in is robot toys that they encounter also in their home environment. Therefore, we deemed it appropriate to combine the interactive whiteboard and robot toys in a socio-cognitive teaching model. In the paper, we inform of the possibilities to combine the interactive whiteboard and robot toys to achieve educational goals in preprimary education. We present a pilot qualitative research in pre-primary education settings concerning the use of digital technologies. We highlight the need to change the thinking of kindergarten teachers when creating new contexts in educational activities, with emphasis on the use of the interactive whiteboard and robot toys. We conducted the pilot qualitative research at a state kindergarten in Bratislava. Our research subjects were preschool children and kindergarten teachers. The research tool used was a focus group.”