The Use of AI Robotic Toys (IoToys) to Support Learning and Play

This study examines what is the role of children’s play with multimodal technologies on children’s language, cultural awareness, and identity construction. Building on Bakhtinian ideas of heteroglossia and multi-voicedness, we investigate how children’s engagement with multimodal technologies gives opportunities for the use of any language available and suitable for children’s play. Data were collected with participant observations of children (age 3–7 years) when interacting with multimodal technologies such as AI robotic toys and the Internet of Toys (IoToys) in home-based and Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings (Norway = 12, Australia = 16, and England = 13). Thematic analysis of the observations shows that children’s play with IoToys offers a polyphonic platform for the use of all languages, where multi-voicedness occurs in the relationships and interactions that take place in digital and non-digital play contexts. This study shows that play contexts with AI robotic toys and IoToys provide a platform for children’s evolution to broader socio-cultural contexts and suggest a more dialogical understanding of both the pedagogical approaches in ECE and home, when children engage in play with multimodal technologies. Implications lie with ECE professionals to develop children’s language, cultural awareness, and identity through intentional pedagogical integration of multimodal technologies such as IoToys into their play contexts.