As an educator and carer, I see digital documentation from the perspectives of both the sender and the receiver. In my work with children, I observe them, document their learning and share it with their families online. On weekends I often care for my nieces Zoe and Chloe and catch up with their mother, my […]
Knowing you, knowing me: How educators and children at a preschool maintained relationships during lockdown After an enviable COVID-free stretch, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was suddenly plunged into lockdown. Overnight, Hughes Preschool was off-limits to children and families, except those deemed essential workers, and learning from home began. The educator team created physical resources, […]
Hello from the dark side! With all the talk of using digital platforms in documenting our early learning programs, I feel the need to fly the flag for those with another point of view; those who can’t quite cross over; those who wrestle with the ethics of digital documentation of children; those who wonder about […]
ECA recently launched a new series of Learning Hub modules on Digital Documentation and Technology in collaboration with Storypark. We note here that there is no requirement to use digital documentation and if settings choose to engage in digital documentation ECA encourages thoughtful reflection as they chose the appropriate platform for their setting, staff, families […]
Meaningful photos in early childhood documentation As early childhood educators seek strategies for managing and creating meaningful documentation, KEETA WILLIAMS questions how photographs can be improved. Karen Hope recently discussed being pressured to produce a high volume of photographs, that may not always demonstrate learning. Keeta continues this topic by exploring how educators can improve […]
KAREN HOPE shares her perspective on another hot topic in the early childhood sector, delving into the pressure that educators face to photograph children in their care, to document learning. Do photos of children engaged with another child or an educational activity properly demonstrate what they learn? And is it time to re-evaluate the content […]
KAREN HOPE shares some key discussion points after facilitating a group of educators, who were delving into re-thinking ways to document learning and development for educators and children. Karen asked the group ‘what current documentation practices might they leave behind?’—This opened up ideas to what changes could be implemented to create documentation to improve ideas, […]
The age old debate in children’s services about the time available for the completion of documentation versus time spent with children has been long standing in our sector. This often divides the sector as some view that you must either choose to document learning or spend time with children. The alternative to this is when […]
In the children’s literature classic Alice in Wonderland there is the following exchange between the curious, brave and intelligent Alice and the mysterious and devious Cheshire cat. “Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? The Cheshire Cat : That depends a good deal on where you want to […]
Over-attention to documentation continues, often seemingly with more emphasis on quantity than on quality. It would be heartening to hear of a service where practices were rated as outstanding in every respect and at every level, but the National Quality Standards rating was diminished because there wasn’t enough documentation! Many documented observations of children appear […]
