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| Baby steps towards technology - part 2
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By Fahim Khondaker
Co-founder of EYLF Apps |
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This article continues our discussion of an effective approach to implementing technology within the Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector. We propose that child care centres should consider implementing bite size pieces which address only one or two issues at a time. This approach ensures that all educators within a centre come along on the journey and before you know it, any reluctance will be replaced with enthusiasm.
This is exactly what happened within our centre when we developed a programming and documentation app for our educators. There was initial reluctance, then acceptance and finally excitement. We are now at a stage where our educators are constantly giving us new ideas on how to improve the app.
Over the next 6 months or so, I will be writing an article with each edition of this newsletter on a simple technological aspect you may wish to implement in your centre. I will cover solutions in the areas of Administration, Communication, and Education (ACE). Today's tip is set out below.
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| Parent Engagement Technologies (Part 1 of 2)
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| Overview & Implementation:
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The value of parent engagement comes from the conversation and engagement itself, let me be clear about this – technology is only an enabler in this instance.
A key facet of parent engagement through technology is consent and privacy.
It is important to communicate the importance of privacy with parents and to ensure that participating parents are comfortable with any solution implemented.
I have set out comments on a few options below:
Group SMS – Apps like Whatsapp and Viber are very popular and allow easy creation of groups of parents (e.g. by room). Educators can then upload photos of activities and update parents by sending a single message to the whole group (this works really well on excursions, as parents feel like part of the journey).
Social Media – Facebook allows users to create 'Groups' and 'Pages'. Pages are generally public while Groups offer 3 privacy settings – Public, Closed, and Secret. Depending on the nature of your centre, you could create Secret Groups for each room (with consent) and upload relevant content to the group periodically to encourage discussion.
Dropbox – Dropbox allows you to create folders for each room (with consent) which parents of children in that room can access at any time via a link provided by the child care centre. This option will be covered in depth in a future article.
Programming Software – There are a number of documentation and programming software programs out on the market. Some of them, such as our Lockets solution, have a Family/Parent Portal feature. This feature allows family members to securely login and view their own child's reports and other documentation.
Pro Tip: Use Pictures and Videos. They have been proven through countless surveys and data analysis to be significantly more engaging on digital platforms than words. |
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| Parent engagement is more than simply a compliance requirement, it adds a sense of vibrancy and community to a child care centre. Ultimately, the biggest benefactors of a well engaged child care centre are the most important people who attend it – the children.
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Group SMS
Effort: minimal (less than 1hr)
Cost: minimal
Social Media
Effort: minimal (less than 1hr)
Cost: minimal
Dropbox
Effort: minimal (1hr to 5 hours)
Cost: 2GB free, then approx. $100 p.a.
Programming Software
Effort: Medium (4hrs to 8hrs). Typically, either the service provider assists with set up or it's very easy to set up yourself.
Cost: Typically ranges between $80 to $125 per month
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If you have any queries in relation to the above, you can either comment below, contact us on The EYLF Page on Facebook where you can join over 14,000 other educators, or email me directly at fahim.khondaker@eylfapps.com.au. I look forward to hearing from you.
Read the first edition: Baby Steps - Part 1
About the Author:
Fahim is a Chartered Accountant by profession and is a Co-founder of EYLF Apps, a company which focuses on making software to assist childcare educators with their day to day tasks. Fahim is also part owner of a Brisbane based early childhood education centre. |
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