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 […]
The news this week has many people worried about children’s ‘screen time’. Are babies overexposed to smartphones, tablets and laptops? As DR KATE HIGHFIELD writes, Early Childhood Australia finds that ‘banning’ these technologies doesn’t work. Instead we need to look at how children use technology, focusing on the idea of using it well and carefully and sharing children’s experiences. We […]
Australian talent and early childhood expertise come together in nominations for a prestigious international award— The 2019 Webby Awards—recognising the best on the internet. This is a chance to find the positives behind the risks and ‘things that have gone wrong’ stories about the internet. Find out what good practice and innovation can do for […]
We consent to and ask permission about many things every day, writes DEANNE CARSON, yet consent remains controversial. In this blog Carson explores what an understanding of each other’s rights, and of consent, can bring to daily interactions with young children. Carson attracted worldwide attention earlier this year when interviewed about young children’s capacity to […]
Teaching children what we know starts with the presumption that we already have the knowledge that they will need in the future. But what if the skills they will need are for jobs that we haven’t even thought of yet? Do today’s children need new skills and do we have what it takes to help […]
Why is guidance on young children and digital technology needed now? As a Discussion Paper is released—Towards a Statement on young children and digital technology—co-chairs of ECA’s Digital Policy Group (DPG), Professor Susan Edwards and Professor Leon Straker, address this question and reveal some of the findings from work so far. You may have heard or […]
Do you take away your teenager’s phone to manage their behaviour? Maybe when they arrive home late from a party or receive a bad report card? Confiscating, time-limiting or permitting additional access to technology has become a popular parenting strategy. Surveys show that 65% of American parents with teenagers confiscate phones or remove internet privileges as a […]
As an educator and a people watcher I have such mixed emotions about technology. I love that I have so much information at my fingertips and I love that I can capture a quick photo, or see what is happening in my social and professional networks any time I need. However, I also wonder about […]
When I run professional development workshops for early childhood professionals, the first task I do is to get us to use a practice from Stanford Design School called, ‘I like, I wish, I wonder’. Participants share with each other what they like, what they wish and what they wonder when it comes to children and […]
