Investigating key principles for the design of virtual interactions for children that can support the development of oral language through play

It is well established in Australian research and policy literature that children attending schools in regional, rural, and remote locations will benefit from access not only to experiences and interactions offered in their own communities but also to the sorts of experiences available to those in more populated areas of Australia as well. Virtual interactions afforded by technology are an obvious solution to achieving this access by enabling Australian classrooms to be increasingly connected. However, with the plethora on offer and little oversight of their quality, literacy educators are left to sift and sort through volumes of virtual interactions and to make decisions regarding their capacity to promote the development of oral language through play. Using a design-based research approach, this study aimed to identify in research literature key principles for the design of virtual interactions for children that can support the development of oral language through play and test them against those currently on offer. The study confirmed the value of virtual interactions as rich sources for learning that offered shared experiences built on language interactions between creators and users and giving access to new information where learning is scaffolded and understandings can be transferred from virtual to real contexts. The study also identified personal advantages that access to new physical geographies within virtual interactions can offer to those in regional, rural, and remote communities.