2023 Live Wires Digital Technology Forum

Big ideas, best practices & innovative directions for early childhood

Discover the transformative power of digital technology in early childhood education: smart tools and devices, artificial intelligence, apps, and interactive media is here and in the hands of very young children, transforming their experiences at home and in early education settings.

Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is pleased to announce the 2023 Live Wires Digital Technology Forum, to be held in Brisbane on 24 November. This event will be run in partnership with the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child to explore the latest research, theories, and emerging trends in early childhood digital literacy.

Join us for a one-day immersive forum that combines informative sessions, hands-on workshops, and engaging discussions designed for early childhood educators, educational leaders, and developers and researchers of young children’s digital learning experiences.

This is your opportunity to collaborate and share best practices with like-minded professionals committed to children’s digital well-being and gain valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance your pedagogy and practice in the digital age. The forum will explore the latest research, theories, and emerging trends in early childhood digital literacy.

We invite you to join sector colleagues from across Australia in this forum that brings together early childhood educators, leaders and contemporary technology practice.

You will discover:

keynote speakers on new directions and what they mean for children’s play experiences and learning, now and into the future
Australian early education and technology experts
presentations, practice tips, and hands-on technology sessions
a panel of experts and a Q&A forum
a ‘tech play room’ where you can explore the future of early childhood education with digital tools, AI, apps, and interactive media
network with decision-makers, educators, and policymakers in the early childhood education and care sector.

The 2023 Live Wires Digital Technology Forum has everything you need to know about young children, child development and interactive technology.

Video resources for parents, carers and educators

Join Dr Fiona Scott as she highlights her top tips and tricks to empower parents and carers to actively participate in digital play and understand their children’s digital lives. This series of short video clips offers practical guidance for families in navigating the digital age and educators collaborating with parents to foster positive digital engagement.

Tip #1 – Developing a mixed diet of digital play and media

Tip #2 – The role of digital play in children’s wellbeing

Tip #3 – Soft Surveillance

Tip #4 – Supporting your child to be a producer and consumer of digital technology

Tip #5 – The 3 forms of Digital Literacies – Operational, Cultural & Critical

Tip #6 – Controlled Exposure

Dates, location and registration

Date	Location	Venue	Registration
24 November 2023	Brisbane, Queensland	QUT Kelvin Grove	Registration has closed.

Address:
Education Building (E Block)
QUT Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, QLD, 4059

Registration rates

Category	Rate	Registration
ECA member	$320.00	Registration has closed.
Non-member	$375.00	Registration has closed.

Please note: all registration fees are inclusive of GST.

To receive updates regarding the 2023 Live Wires Digital Technology Forum, subscribe to ECA Events newsletters.

Program

Please note: changes to the program can be made at any point at the discretion of the forum organisers.

Speakers

Dr Fiona Scott	Dr Fiona Scott is a Lecturer in Digital Literacies in The School of Education at The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, where she is Director of the Literacies and Language Research Cluster. She specialises in research and teaching focused on the digital lives of children. Fiona’s research focuses on children’s engagements with digital technologies and digital texts, particularly in the context of families and communities. She has collaborated with a range of external partners in research, including LEGO and CBeebies. She is an Editor of the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. She also frequently shares expertise through invited media appearances, including national and regional television and radio (BBC News Channel, BBC Radio 5 Live) and articles aimed at public engagement, such as her recent piece in The Conversation. Dr Fiona Scott’s participation is sponsored by The Creswick Foundation.
Kate Highfield	MC – Associate Professor Kate Highfield is an experienced teacher and researcher from University of Canberra. Her research explores STEM and STEAM with an interest in the careful use of technology to extend learning and engagement. This includes exploring opportunities for learning and play through engagement with technology and media.
Renee Mitchell	Renee Mitchell is a career centre director dedicated to keeping her feet on the ground at a service. Renee started at Goodstart Red Hill in 2003, and leads a dedicated team of inspired professionals who are passionate about providing the highest level of care and education to all children. Renee uses her voice as a storyteller of best practice, workplace culture and advocacy for play-based learning through the centre’s Facebook page, which has over 6,000 followers. She also has a presence on LinkedIn. Renee aims to showcase the work of her team to influence and inspire other early learning professionals.
Amanda Levido	Dr Amanda Levido is a Research Fellow at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. She investigates how children use digital media technologies for learning across a range of contexts, including educational settings and in homes. She has a background as a media teacher and is interested in the pedagogical approaches used by teachers and educators when implementing media literacy and media arts in school and early years settings. Additionally, Amanda has worked with educators and teachers to implement curriculum and digital programs in classrooms and early learning settings, with an emphasis on educator professional learning.
Aleesha Rodriguez	Dr Aleesha Rodriguez is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, researching public imaginaries of future digital media technologies. Aleesha is a digital media communication and Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar, and co-leads the project ‘Speculating about my digital future: Children and practitioners (co)creating design fiction’, which advocates for children’s perspectives to be included in the design of the technologies they use. Aleesha is also an Affiliated Investigator at the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), where they examine public communication on digital platforms, such as TikTok and Reddit, to explore the ways in which people and technology—mutually and dynamically—shape each other. Aleesha’s research has featured in TEDx, The Conversation, ABC Radio, and has been discussed at national cultural events such as the Woodford Folk Festival.
Laure Hislop	Laure Hislop is a Practice Facilitator with KU Children’s Services. She has a special interest in STEM and enjoys working alongside educators to carefully use technology to make children’s thinking visible.
Ziying (Bei Bei) Liu	Ziying (Bei Bei) Liu is a preschool educator at KU Bradfield Park in NSW. She is inspired by Ann Pelo’s “Thinking Lens”, which sparks passion in inquiry based learning as Pedagogical Practice. She believes in promoting children’s capacity to integrate their big questions and ideas through critical and imaginative reflection.
Professor Lennie Barblett AM	Professor Lennie Barblett AM has research interests in quality early childhood curriculum and practices, learning through play, effective environments and children’s wellbeing. She has been invited to contribute to the work of numerous state and national committees and working parties focusing on curriculum reform, ethics, teaching standards and learning frameworks.
Jo Bird	Dr Jo Bird is a senior lecturer in early childhood at the University of New England. Researching technology in children’s play and educators’ use of technologies in their teaching role, she has published many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She was an invited keynote speaker at the national EduTech conference and conducts educator technology workshops.
Susan Edwards	Professor Susan Edwards is Director of the Early Childhood Futures research program in the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University. Her group investigates the role of play-based learning in the early childhood curriculum for the 21st century. Susan has completed work as a Chief Investigator on four projects funded by ARC Discovery Grants concerning research into play-based learning. Most recently, she was chosen to lead a major ARC Linkage Project to develop an online tool to guide the use of digital technology in early childhood education and care services.
Lisa Kervin	Lisa Kervin is a Professor in Education in the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Wollongong (UOW), where she is also Director of Early Start Research. She graduated with a PhD in Education in 2004. Lisa is a founding Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, where she co-leads the national ‘Educated Child’ research program, and is academic lead for the UOW Children’s Technology Play Space. In 2016 she received the Australian Literacy Educator’s Association medal for services to literacy locally, nationally and internationally, and in 2022 she received an Australia Day Innovation Achievement Award.

Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities

The 2023 Live Wires Digital Technology Forum is an exciting opportunity for your organisation to show support for the early childhood education and care sector, promote your services, and be part of a leading event on technology in early education.

We have a range of sponsorship and exhibition opportunities for a variety of budget sizes and needs. If you are interested in sponsoring the forum, please email events@earlychildhood.org.au.