Rate My Professor Jo Bird

Associate Professor Jo Bird is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education and Higher Degree Research Coordinator for the School of Education at the University of New England, within the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education. She possesses a PhD, Master of Philosophy, Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies (BECSt), and Diploma of Community Services (Child Care). Prior to her academic appointment, Bird accumulated over 20 years of professional experience across various early childhood settings. Her expertise extends to teaching, research supervision for doctoral and masters students, and delivering professional learning sessions.

Bird's research specializations center on digital technologies in the early childhood sector, including children's engagement with digital devices in play, enhancing educators' capabilities to integrate technologies into programs and documentation, introducing robots to preschoolers, leveraging STEM to foster resilience, incorporating digital technologies into nature play, and cultivating 21st-century skills. Key publications include peer-reviewed articles such as "Play for learning project: Shifting from teacher-directed to student-focused pedagogies in the early years of school" (Bird, Elliott, & Paterson-O'Kane, 2025, Education 3-13), "‘It makes me a better teacher’: The benefits of outdoor learning for teachers" (Frances, Quinn, Elliott, & Bird, 2025, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning), "Between nature kindergartens and Forest School: Forging pathways for nature play in Australia’s ECE sector" (England, Bird, Elliott, & Rogers, 2024, Issues in Educational Research), "Children’s play with imaginative technologies" (Bird, 2019, British Journal of Educational Technology), and foundational works on the Digital Play Framework (Bird & Edwards, 2014-2015, British Journal of Educational Technology and Journal of Early Childhood Research). She has also contributed book chapters, including "Harnessing children’s interest in digital technologies for sustainability learning: Catalyst for conversation" (Bird & Pearson, 2024). Bird regularly presents at conferences and professional learning events on her research interests.