Last week, in our children and technology class, we were introduced to the application HiMama. This week, were given a chance to learn about another documentation app called StoryPark.
What I really enjoyed hearing about this app is that it engages and involves families like never before. Along with recording and communicating learning as it happens, it creates an accessible ePortfolio that travels with the child from birth to school. This helps teachers and families become co-learners in their child’s development. Parents control access to their child’s profile. Meaning, that the ePortfolio can also be shared with other family members and specialists to see the child’s progression, any reoccurring trends in development, and unique interests.
One thing I found interesting about this app is that children are part of the planning process. This can be done by having a teacher authentically record their voice or write down what they are thinking, allowing them to share their learning. This app is also very accommodating to the familys’ needs, this includes having 2 separate profiles for one child if the parents are separated. This allows both parents to learn about their child’s interests and see what they are capable of doing while avoiding contact. This app is also constantly evolving and adding new features.
After attending both presentations about the apps, I can honestly say that StoryPark has a lot of engaging aspects to it and it seems more enhanced and inclusive than HiMama in regards to sharing and focusing on children’s learning. This is due to the app’s ability to capture the learning process as it happens and include the child in the planning. However, if asked to choose one of these applications to use in my current workplace, I would choose HiMama because it’s very user friendly and simple to navigate. Although StoryPark seems like the better choice when thinking about family involvement, truth be said, HiMama resembles an ordinary documentation book used in centres today. When making the transition from paper to technology, this is the more obvious choice because it is simple to use. (Word Count: 345).
All photos are taken directly from the StoryPark Website
Children and Technology 