ICT links with parents / families / whānau
Communication with children and their families is essential in early childhood education. The development of information and communication technology (ICT) has opened up new opportunities to share information with families/whanau in different and exciting ways.
Children's learning and development is fostered when communication with parents and family/whānau is actively maintained (Ka Hikitia, 2008). The inclusion of 'Family and Community' as one of the four principles of the early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, reflects the prominence given to fostering these links as part of maintaining high quality services.
The importance of face-to-face communication
Digital technologies are best understood as complementing face-to-face interactions. They work most effectively in contexts where strong relationships between the early childhood setting and family/whanau already exist.
Many of the opportunities afforded through these technologies have come about because of developments in the function of the world wide web.
From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0
The world wide web was initially established as place to store information that others could then access. This period in the evolution of the web is now commonly referred to as Web 1.0 or the 'read-only web'.
More recently, a second-generation web emerged (Web 2.0). This describes the web as we know it today: a place where users can contribute to content and interact with other users. The potential for sharing and communicating in real time of this 'read-write' web makes it ideal for early childhood services.
Most Web 2.0 communication tools are available free online. However, for them to function effectively, users require broadband rather than the slower 'dial up' Internet.
How does ICT support communication with families?
ICT increases the options available for communicating with families. In today's globalised world, it is not unusual for children to have family members living far away. Digital technologies can be used to link these family members with early childhood services.
New technologies are developing rapidly. The range of ways in which services can communicate is growing and changing with each year that passes.
ICT works because it is visual
Digital technologies incorporate a range of graphic and multimedia functions that appeal to children and adults alike. Images and photos can cross language barriers. They can also communicate information to a family about their child that the child may not be able to convey.
Imagine the reassurance a parent would feel when, after leaving their child for the first time, they arrive at work to find a photo sent via email showing their child relaxed and engaged with other children.
Communication using ICT is convenient for families
New technologies offer 'any time, any place' access for families. For example, pictures can be sent by email or posted on a blog just minutes after they are taken. They can be viewed anywhere the Internet is available and family members can respond at a time that is convenient to them.
The speed with which you can create and share using technology facilitates communication. For example, pictures can be downloaded and made into a slideshow at the time of an event when it is more likely to prompt comments from parents/whanau.
Families are using new technologies to keep connected already
The use of the Internet for communication is continually expanding in homes. Increasingly, families using your early childhood service will be familiar with technologies such as email, Skype, and social networking sites such as Facebook. These are the 'cultural tools' (Rogoff 2003) used to keep in touch with extended family and friends. Adding ICT to your communication 'toolkit' is another way of valuing the experiences children bring from home.
View the Using ICT to Communicate video here.
Cybersafety
ICT is effective and safe provided appropriate steps have been taken to minimise risks. All ECE centres have been provided with a NetSafe kit, which guides centres through the process of setting up safe practice with ICTs. Further information can be found on the NetSafe website.
Reflective questions
"Families have the greatest influence on young children's learning, and ICT can enable parents, families and communities to be included in their children's early learning in new ways"
(Foundations for Discovery, 2005, p. 10).
With this statement in mind, consider these questions:
- What considerations will you need to ensure children's rights and privacy are maintained?
- What opportunities exist for ICTs to increase family/whanau communication in your centre?
- What communication technologies do families/whanau use at home?
- What strategies do you use to keep abreast with changes to communication technology?
"All ICT developments within early childhood education need to empower the child to learn and grow, support the holistic way children learn, support the wider world of family and community, and provide for reciprocal relationships between people, places and things."
Foundations for Discovery
Ministry of Education (2005) p. 17
References
- Ministry of Education (2005). Foundations for Discovery: Supporting learning in early Childhood education through information and communication technologies: A framework for development. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education (2008). Ka Hikitia. Managing for success: Maori Education Strategy 2008-2012. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whariki: He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
- Rogoff, B. (2003). The Cultural Nature of Human Development. New York: Oxford University Press.