Associate Professor Jo Bird
Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education - Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education; School of Education
Biography
I am an Associate Professor and researcher at the University of New England and the Higher Degree Research Coordinator for the School of Education. I have worked for over 20 years in a variety of early childhood settings, and before my move to academia. My research focuses on digital technologies within the early childhood sector, both in children's play and through scaffolding educators’ skills to implement devices in their programs and streamline documentation. My research has recently focused on introducing robots to preschoolers, using STEM to build resilience, using digital technologies in nature play, and supporting the learning of 21st century skills. I am skilled in delivering professional learning around my research interests and have been repeatedly invited to present at conferences and professional learning sessions.
Qualifications
PhD
Master of Philosophy
Diploma of Community Services (Child Care)
Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies (BECSt)
Awards
2022 Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) award for Distinctive Work for 2022. Rogers, M., Bird, J., Harrington, I., Baker, P., & Johnson, A. Early Childhood Defence Programs.
2013 - 2015 Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) Scholarship.
Research Interests
Children’s use of digital technologies.
Play and play-based learning.
The digital technology nature play dichotomy.
Using digital technologies to enhance educator’s program planning and observation recording.
Early childhood leadership.
Jo is interested in supervising doctoral and masters students in the areas of early childhood technology use, play and early years of primary school.
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publications
England, A., Bird, J., Elliott, S., & Rogers, M. (2024). Between nature kindergartens and Forest School: Forging pathways for nature play in Australia’s ECE sector. Issues in Educational Research, 34(3), 953-973.
Frances, L., Quinn, F., Elliott, S., & Bird, J. (2024). Outdoor learning across the early years in Australia: Inconsistencies, challenges, and recommendations. The Australian Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-023-00685-x
Cohrssen, C., Fielding, J., & Bird, J. (2024). Informal Assessment of Preschool Children’s Concepts of Zero. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01634-8
Rogers, M., Bible, V., Johnson, A., Bird, J., Harrington, I., & Baker, P. (2022). International Programs and Resources to Support Children from Military Families: A Review. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 14(2), 119-133. https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/1756
Rogers, M., Johnson, A., Bird, J., Serow, P., Harrington, I., & Bible, V. (2021). Stakeholder engagement in an online community education project via diverse media engagements. Issues in Educational Research, 31(2), 626-643. https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/30853 The Ian Potter Foundation and the University of New England.
Rogers, M., Bible, V., Johnson, A., Bird, J., Harrington, I., & Baker, P. (2021). International Programs and Resources to Support Children from Military Families: A review. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 14(2), 119-133. https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2022.233 The Ian Potter Foundation, the University of New England and the Foundation of Graduates of Early Childhood Studies.
Rogers, M., & Bird, J. (2020). Children's agency: Developing a digital app to voice family narratives. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 129-137 https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0022 School of Education, University of New England.
Rogers, M., Sims, M., Bird, J., & Elliott, S. (2020). Organisational narratives vs the lived neoliberal reality: Tales from a regional university. Australian Universities' Review, 62(1), 26-40. https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28087
Bird, J., & Charteris, J. (2020). Teacher performance assessments in the early childhood sector: wicked problems of regulation. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2020.1843596
Bird, J. (2019). “You need a phone and camera in your bag before you go out!”: Children’s play with imaginative technologies. British Journal of Educational Technology. doi:10.1111/bjet.12791
Bird, J., Grono, S., & Schmude, M. (2018). ARTefacts: Managing children’s art portfolios. International Art in Early Childhood Research Journal, 2018(1), 1-13.
Edwards, S., Nolan, A., Henderson, M., Skouteris, H., Mantilla, A., Lambert, P., & Bird, J. (2016). Developing a measure to understand young children’s Internet cognition and cyber-safety awareness: a pilot test. Early Years, 1-14. doi:10.1080/09575146.2016.1193723
Edwards, S., & Bird, J. (2015). Observing and assessing young children’s digital play in the early years: Using the Digital Play Framework. Journal of Early Childhood Research. doi:10.1177/1476718x15579746
Bird, J., & Edwards, S. (2014). Children learning to use technologies through play: A Digital Play Framework. British Journal of Educational Technology, doi: 10.1111/bjet.12191
Bird, J., Colliver, Y., & Edwards, S. (2014). The camera is not a methodology: towards a framework for understanding young children's use of video cameras. Early Child Development and Care, 184(11-12), 1741-1756. doi: 10.1080/03004430.2013.878711
Lee, S., McDonough, A., & Bird, J. (2014). Investigating 8 to 9 year-olds’ self-regulatory self-talk in the context of their classroom tasks. Early Childhood Development and Care, 184(11-12).
Book Chapters
Bird, J., & Pearson, M. (2024). Harnessing children’s interest in digital technologies for sustainability learning: Catalyst for conversation. In J. Davis & S. Elliott (Eds.), Young Children and the Environment (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Nel, C., Marais, E., & Bird, J. (2021). Learning about Technology through Play. In J. Van Heerden & A. Veldsman (Eds.), Rethinking Learning Though Play. Van Schaik Publishers.
Bird, J., & Mok, A. (2020). Leading practice in early childhood education. In A. Kilderry & B. Raban (Eds.), Strong foundations: Evidence informing practice in early childhood education and care (pp. 296-309). ACER Press.
Bird, J. (2019). How Children Engage with Provided Technologies in Early Childhood Settings Digitising Early Childhood (pp. 156-172). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Scott, F., & Bird, J. (2019). Adults Researching Pre-Schoolers in More-Than-Human Contexts: Rethinking Ethnographer Roles in the Age of the Anthropocene Educational Research in the Age of Anthropocene (pp. 110-143). IGI Global.
Bird, J. (2017). Children’s Responses to Working and Non-Working Technologies. In L. Arnott (Ed.), Digital Technologies and Learning in the Early Years (pp. 101-113). SAGE Publications.
Practitioner Articles
Bird, J. (2020). Technologies and pretend play. Every Child, 26(1), 16-17. https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28738
Bird, J. (2015). When technology dominates. Teacher Learning Network Journal, 22(1), 25-26.
Edwards, S., & Bird, J. (2014). The Digital Play Framework: Helping Early Childhood Educators Integrate Technologies with Play-Based Learning. The Journal of Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria, 1(2), 54-56.
Bird, J. (2013). A world of digital possibilities. Every Child, 19(4), 14-15.
Bird, J. (2012). Digital technology, early childhood and feedback. Teacher Learning Network Journal, 19(3), 26-27.
Bird, J. (2011). The rabbit is eating the grass. Teacher Learning Network Journal, 18(1), 38-39.
NTROs
Raphael, R., Rogers, M., Donald, T., & Bird, J. (2018). Waiting for Daddy: Rose’s story (version 1.1) [Mobile Application Software]. Retrieved from Apple Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roses-story/id1439753804?ls=1&mt=8
Theses
Bird, J. (2018). “This is pretend. We are just playing.” Exploring young children’s imaginative play with, and educators’ provision of, digital technologies in play-based settings. (Doctor of Philosophy), University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
Bird, J. (2012). The rabbit ate the grass! Exploring children's activities on digital technologies in an early childhood classroom. (Master of Philosophy), Australian Catholic University, Melbourne.
Memberships
Early Childhood Australia
International Play Association
Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE)
Play Australia