'Going outside': discussing the connection between pedagogical practices with digital tools and outdoor learning in early childhood and primary education

摘要

Technology has an important role in children's lives and education. Based on several projectsdeveloped with ICT, both in Early Childhood Education (3-6 years old) and Primary Education (6-10years old), since 1997, the authors argue that research and educational practices need to "gooutside", addressing ways to connect technology with outdoor education.The experience with the projects and initiatives developed supported a conceptual framework,developed and discussed with several partners throughout the years and theoretically informed. Threemain principles or axis have emerged: strengthening Children's Participation, promoting CriticalCitizenship and establishing strong Connections to Pedagogy and Curriculum. In this paper, thoseaxis will be presented and discussed in relation to the challenge posed by Outdoor Education to theway ICT in Early Childhood and Primary Education is understood, promoted and researched.The paper is exploratory, attempting to connect theoretical and conceptual contributions from EarlyChildhood Pedagogy with contributions from ICT in Education. The research-based knowledgeavailable is still scarce, mostly based on studies developed with other purposes. The paper, therefore,focus the connections and interpellations between concepts established through the theoreticalframework and draws on the almost 20 years of experience with large and small scale action-researchprojects of ICT in schools. The more recent one is already testing the conceptual framework bysupporting children in non-formal contexts to explore vineyards and the cycle of wine production withseveral ICT tools.Approaching Outdoor Education as an arena where pedagogical and cultural dimensions influencedecisions and practices, the paper tries to argue that the three axis are relevant in supporting astronger connection between technology and the outdoor.