Using Technologies for Documentation and Communication

Using Technologies for Documentation and Communication

With advances in user-friendly technologies, teachers now have at their disposal many options for creating documentation (Berson & Berson, 2010). Many tools are currently available that can serve to streamline the process and help families feel a part of the daily learning experiences of their children.

Certainly the digital camera and cell phone have revolutionized the way in which teachers capture the essence of classroom activities. The ability to take, store, edit, print, and insert images in a variety of applications suggests many possibilities for sharing the curriculum with families. Teachers can also scan children’s two-dimensional work.

But pictures alone don’t tell the whole story. Consider Figure 5.1. The image depicts a block structure built by children. Without a description, it could be interpreted in any number of ways. When the teacher adds a simple printed description to the figure (label A), more information is conveyed. Further expanding the label to include a short reflective statement about what the image represents (label B) connects the activity with the curriculum in a way that is meaningful. Label C fully describes the learning represented in the photo as well as the skills and knowledge the children used.

Figure 5.1: Labeling
Labels A, B, and C represent three increasingly informative levels of description that complement the visual depiction of a classroom activity.

Figure: Image of a large block tower with small animal and people figurines is shown at left and is described in three different ways on the right. Label A reads "Children in the 4/5K class worked in the block center this morning."Label B reads "This 4 story block tower represents a zoo. It was constructed during the work cycle period over two days by three kindergarten children."Label C reads "Three kindergarteners who have been developing their skills in the block center all year demonstrate their knowledge of balance, symmetry and classification in this 4 story construction. There are major math concepts included in the kindergarten math standards. They solved several structural problems as they worked over two days to complete the tower. The decision to add animals and people was made after the 4 levels were complete, but before the enclosing pieces were placed. At one point, they posted a sign that said, 'wrk n prgrs.' After they decided to add animals, they carefully counted out pairs of identical animals, sorting them by size and type, putting animals from like habitats together."

By posting captioned photographs, teachers can give families a glimpse into the everyday lives of their young children at school or in child care. Extended documentation of children’s work and play over time goes even further, showing how the curriculum supports children’s interests, development, and holistic learning. Feature Box 5.1 tells the story of how two teachers used a blog to document a curriculum study with a group of 5- and 6-year-olds.

Blogging

Two teachers, Mary and Jane, embarked on a month-long field-based investigation of the city parks in their community. The parks were all within walking distance of the child development center and easily accessible via public transportation. Family members were invited to participate in the planned excursions, but the teachers realized that not everyone would be able to do so.

Jane and Mary wanted all parents to feel that they were involved with this project, so they used a free online service to set up a password-protected classroom blog. For parents without computer access, daily pages were printed and kept in a notebook at the classroom sign-in area. Parents could review them as desired at dropoff or pickup times. The teachers posted photographs and daily entries dictated by the children. They scanned and uploaded children’s drawings and excerpts from their journals to the blog.

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