Playful Learning 2026 Programme

Unplugged: Using Object‑Orientated Learning to Develop Digital Literacy

Lead Author: Catherine Elkin

Additional authors:

Timetable: Friday Session 10: 9:30-10:15, Gallery Room 2

Description:

As higher education continues to foreground the importance of digital literacy, the assumption persists that digital skills must be taught through direct engagement with digital tools. The field of digital education has also become increasingly skills based, emphasising tool proficiency and measurable competencies. While such skills are undeniably important, they represent only part of what it means to be digitally effective. Stepping away from screens can create space for reflective thinking and playful experimentation, particularly for students who experience disengagement when confronted with complex digital interfaces. This workshop invites participants to explore object orientated learning for digital skills development.
Object orientated learning positions material objects as catalysts for reflection and conceptual transfer. When applied to digital skills, they can offer tactile route into understanding behaviours and interpretive challenges that later manifest in digital environments. In this session, the theme of digital communication will be explored, as the ability to communicate confidently and authentically within digital spaces is an underrepresented, yet vital aspect of digital literacy. Playful activities, such as drawing exercises and the manipulation of puppets, can be unpacked through a digital lens by revealing how meaning can be distorted and reconstructed. Additionally, when framed within the context of low-stakes playful learning, students are given space to build confidence in their own competence and are encouraged to take risks rather than focus on finding the correct answer.
The session will begin by situating this approach within wider discussions of play and experiential learning. Participants will be encouraged to consider why objects can be especially effective for developing confidence and conceptual clarity before students transition to applied practice in authentic digital environments. The workshop then offers a hands-on demonstration of such activities. The practical challenges of this approach in facilitating digital skills development will also be examined, including questions around scalability, learner expectations, and potential resistance from those who perceive digital skills as necessarily screen based. Discussion will also consider how object-orientated methods can be balanced within curriculums that prioritise and necessitate the use of technology, and how playful techniques can complement, rather than replace digital practice. Ultimately, by stepping away from the screen students can actually create more meaningful digital learning, by reducing pressure, supporting reflection, and enabling learners to engage with the human dimensions behind digital literacy.

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