MyPad as a reflection of multimodal action in elementary school children’s foreign language learning

Abstract

A My pad as a teaching aid can be a bridge or a border in children's learning of expression and communication, depending on how and why it is used. Onto genetic and phylogenetic aspects are among the most important in a child's development, i. e. teaching children to talk. Multimodality refers to communication and integration using various channels. The term "multimodal" refers to expressing a reflective attitude using combinations of words and symbols, pictures, sounds, and all different aspects of a child's communication development. It is why this paper aims to examine how children use My Pads in special circumstances and tasks while concluding their use of linguistic forms and media competencies; the paper aims to answer whether the My Pad contributes to the development of linguistic and digital competencies in kids, as well as how such multimodal content is designed in the My Pad. The target group of respondents will be elementary school children 4 and 5 in the Municipality of Okrug Gornji Petar Berislavić, who will be allocated My Pads of elementary school children in learning a foreign language. The research the instrument will be a questionnaire, while the multimodal content will comprise four modio systems: pictures, sounds, video, and text. The planned activity survey is from 1 June to 15 June 2019. Expected results will aim to answer the stated questions and point towards the necessity of multimodality as an antipode of the development of linguistic and digital competencies in preschoolers.