Establishing a research agenda for digital literacy practices of young children: a white paper for COST action IS1410

The ability to negotiate digital forms of literacy carries high stakes for life destinations but in early childhood education, literacy still tends to be approached as predominantly print-based. The technologies through which children now engage with all forms of knowledge are constantly changing with the widespread use of an array of digital, interactive, converged and personalised devices. These are transforming the skills and literacies needed by even the youngest children to be competent actors in the world while, at the same time, challenging the efforts of parents and teachers to support their learning. The development of relevant skills and knowledge for reading and writing contemporary texts is crucial for educational, economic, social and cultural progress in Europe. The proposed Action will create an interdisciplinary network to examine how young children