Postcards
ChangeLabs at DataChildMap
An interventionist research in the province of Rovigo (Veneto Region, Italy)
Within our DataChildMap project, we conducted a series of workshops with educators and pedagogical coordinators, with the aim of reflecting on the problems of the post-digital in the context of early childhood (0-3). We asked ourselves (and we shared this question with three nests, visited during the months of February-April 2024): how is early educators' professionalism put into play and how can it be qualified in relation to pedagogical documentation mediated by data-based technologies or platforms?
We deemed this is a crucial area to effectively address the constantly evolving technological-digital challenges and to contribute to the proactive construction of an environment of professional growth, of dialogue with the families and the local communities, without ever losing sight of the centrality of the child and the child.
The research intervention was based on the “Change Labs” methodology developed by the University of Helsinki and widely implemented in the context of research of the socio-sanitary and educational professions (Sannino & Engestrom, 2017; Morselli, 2019). This methodology promotes a critical, reflective and oriented to real and improving changes, through sessions of activities in which experts accompany and do “reflection”, offering informative situations and support to the discussion of solutions/transformative changes generated from the laboratory.
Three workshops (two in attendance and one at a distance, namely, the DataChildMap ChangeLabs) were proposed in three nests in the province of Rovigo for different managing entities (nido comunale, nido FISM, nido di cooperativa). Within such a space, in addition to reflection and involvement, we expected to promote the generation of artifacts or the revision of situations, events, narratives, leading to rethinking educators' professional practice. In our case, we created a series of postcards, which through the use of metaphors and art, report the thoughts and proposals emerged in the context of the ChangeLabs.
The postcards are a result that can remain as a document to the participating institutions. But it also wants to be a product that helps other 0-6 institutions, and other educators and educators, to think in the context of post-digitality, operating between the space of the educational institution and the family.
As the reader will see, the content is both addressed to families/adults, as well as to educators. This ensures the media education approach (support to families in the development of a conscious digital competence), but also the professional development approach (of critical digital skills to act in educational and early education and care) .
Methodological notes
The postcards' development was based on the interpretation and synthesis of discourses and reflections emerged during three meetings with each educational structure. Below are the links to the summaries shared in the third meeting (as mirroring method triggering reflection and the imaginagion of future action/transformation).
On the basis of these materials, the UNIPD team (Juliana Raffaghelli & Emilia Restiglian) developed the texts; and then made a subsequent validation (Monica Gottardo & Paola Zoroaster) of the metaphors adopted as titles, as well as the texts. The material is currently being validated by the participating institutions.
Finally, it was involved an artist (@CasaLumaca) who illustrated the postcards. The illustrations did not take place as mere "delivery" but involved an artistic research path based on various evidence shared and discussed with the UNIPD team.
Citation
UNIPD DataChildMap team (2024) Postdigital Childhood(s): Reconnecting with the world and the relationships. Postcard Series Project DataChildMap. Accessibile Online: https://datachild.fisppa.it/results/postcards
The postcard series: "Post-digital Childhood(s)"
Reconnecting with the world and the relationships
For the Families
Disconnecting from our mobiles, reconnecting to the relationships
In an age dominated by technology, it's easy to get absorbed in the bright screens of our devices, distracting attention from precious moments with our children. Our transformative meetings led us to reflect on messages from the research that we want to share with you:
1- Research in developmental psychology highlights the importance of face-to-face interaction for the healthy emotional and cognitive development of children.
2- Studies on the interaction between technologies and people indicate that the presence of electronic devices can reduce the quality time spent between parents and children, limiting the opportunities for verbal and non-verbal interaction, essential for language learning and development socio-affective.
3- Educational research has already been saying this for almost a century: our very little ones learn best through play, conversation and exploration of the surrounding world, activities that require the attention and active participation of their parents.
Therefore, disconnecting from cell phones allows us to give priority to these fundamental interactions, promoting harmonious development and strengthening the emotional bond between parent and child. The attentive and involved presence of the parent transmits to the child a sense of security and belonging, milestones for balanced growth.
“Disconnecting from our mobiles, reconnecting to the relationships” is not just advice, but an investment in the emotional and intellectual future of our babies and toddlers.
Beyond the screen
This is an invitation to reflect on the impact of early and prolonged exposure to screens on children's neurocognitive and motor development. According to the scientific literature, in the early stages of life, the child's brain grows at a dizzying pace, forming new neural connections starting from sensory and motor experiences. Excessive exposure to screens, however, can limit this richness of stimulation, offering a passive sensory experience that does not promote motor activity or active discovery of the environment.
Studies have highlighted how time spent in front of screens can interfere with crucial developmental activities, such as physical play and direct interaction with objects and people, reducing children's opportunities to explore the world with their bodies and develop fundamental motor skills. Additionally, an overdose of visual and auditory stimuli from screens can overload the developing nervous system, negatively affecting attention, concentration, and even sleep – crucial to learning and healthy growth.
Excessive exposure to screens at an early age has also been associated with language delays, difficulties in emotion regulation and social behaviors, as it reduces time spent on face-to-face conversations and rich, complex social interactions. "Screens? No, thanks!" therefore urges us to favor activities that promote the cognitive, linguistic and motor development of children, such as reading stories, playing outdoors, drawing and building, activities that stimulate creativity, imagination and social skills, foundations for a future of success.
We must remember: Being a caring adult (more than a caregiver) implies being present (not distracted, even ourselves, with cell phones). By adopting this approach, we will be amply rewarded by the satisfaction of the interaction, the smiles, the affection and complicity that is created in these profound exchanges.
Life in the crystal house
This metaphor evokes the image of a life exposed in a transparent house, where every moment is visible and subject to public judgment. The title suggests a critical reflection on the loss of privacy and the long-term implications of such exposure for children. But it also highlights the fragility of this house as a shelter for a child.
Scientific literature in the psychological and digital fields highlights the risks associated with sharenting , i.e. the parental sharing of images associated with moments in the life of the boy or girl (from the English parenting + sharenting) . In this move the parent "appropriates" a piece of life because in telling about himself (mother) or himself (father) including "my son/daughter", he actually shows a part of the life of this new person, who has the right to a digital identity of his own. Sharing personal details and life moments widely can create a digital archive that your child may not appreciate in the future, limiting their ability to self-determine online. Furthermore, early and intensive exposure to social media can teach children that personal worth is intrinsically linked to external approval and the number of "likes", negatively influencing self-esteem and self-perception.
From a security perspective, sharing personal information increases the risks of identity theft and unwanted attention. Digital security experts warn that seemingly innocuous details, such as date of birth, where they attended school or hobbies, can be exploited for fraudulent purposes or to physically locate an individual.
"Life in the crystal house" invites us adults to ponder the effects of our online presence and to protect the privacy of our children, promoting a culture of respect and digital awareness.
We believe that as adults, we are the first example of media consumption. Therefore, we will educate through our practices and discourses. We should hence go in the direction of a conscious use of digital media, encouraging safe sharing practices that respect the autonomy and future of the little ones.
The snail-paced education
This metaphor proposes a thoughtful and gradual approach to the introduction of technology into children's lives, emphasizing the importance of exploration based on direct contact with the physical world before moving on to screens. We want to underline the need to slow down in an era characterized by rapid technological progress, reminding us that children's development and learning follow natural rhythms that should be respected and not forced.
Building on "the pedagogy of the snail" (by Gianfranco Zavalloni), the snail-paced education means that technology enters on tiptoe. As we already acknowledged, modern pedagogy and studies on child development highlight that the first learning experiences should be anchored in sensorial play and the physical manipulation of objects. Through interaction with concrete materials, children learn the fundamental rules of physics, develop fine motor skills and gain an intuitive understanding of basic mathematical concepts. These activities promote not only spatial intelligence and creativity, but also problem-solving skills that are essential in the digital age.
Furthermore, with the "snail's pace" we propose to consider how children's innate curiosity about nature and their interest in how things work in the real world can be the foundation for a deeper and more conscious understanding of technology. Instead of introducing children early to screens, which offer abstract simulations of reality, it is important to provide them with the foundation for understanding mechanics and physical science through active, playful exploration.
This thoughtful approach not only prepares children to interact with technology more informed and critically in the future, but also helps them develop a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world and human interactions, which are key to their emotional and social well-being.
Education at the snails pace is therefore an invitation to recognize the value of experiential learning, in nature, and of relationships and not to be in a hurry to replace these vital experiences with the information overexposure and cognitive training that apps often promote.
Travelling (together) to the never-never land
Let's now contemplate the uniqueness and briefness of the period of childhood: it could be considered the never-never land. But if we apply the speed of the digital world and the constant need for approval through social media sharing, then that image of the island disappears. And this speed, in which adults are immersed, distracts adults from the importance of living fully these fundamental years. We are, as adults, immersed in "onlife" (we borrow this term from the Italian philosopher Luciano Floridi), which describes a reality in which online and offline experiences merge, deeply influencing our way of perceiving time and relationships. Although in this context, childhood, this island of slow time in a sea of digital speed, is still a period in which growth and learning should be nurtured with care and care. But not only.
In the age of digital immediacy, slowing down and dedicating with presence and awareness to children can be an opportunity for learning and rethinking the self in the adult world. Childhood is a precious and unrepeatable time during which the foundations of the identity, values and future competences of the person are laid. This process involves moments of intense relationship, loads of meaning and affection. The adult presence (being present = paying attention reflectively) in every time spent together, every game, conversation or activity shared is an opportunity to teach, learn and grow together.
The relationship between adult and child described as an experience of reciprocity reveals a profound truth: While children require time, attention and care, adults, in turn, are given the unique opportunity to reflect on their own lives, the meaning of being educators, and the inherent beauty of contributing to the development of another person. This exchange is not only beneficial to the child, but it is also an enriching and transformative experience for the adult, offering new perspectives on life and priorities.
"Travel together to the never-never land" reminds us that, despite the pressure of an increasingly fast and image-oriented world, we need to make room for cultivating meaningful relationships with children, as a slow journey, in search of adventures. It is an invitation to periodically disconnect from the unceasing flow of information and digital interactions to reconnect with authentic human experiences, celebrating and protecting the precious and fugitive time of childhood.
For the Educators
(Art)work in progress!
We are working on the illustrations, but texts are ready to share!
Early Education Services: Tech or No-tech?
That's the question...
We, professional educators, do not simply choose between adopting or rejecting technology, but rather how, when and why to integrate digital tools into the educational curriculum so that they serve the child's holistic development.
The "tech" movement advocates the use of technologies as powerful tools to enrich the educational experience, offering unique opportunities for interactive learning, access to different resources and personalization of education based on children's individual needs. Through educational applications, interactive games and digital platforms, children can explore concepts, develop digital skills essential for the future and learn in ways that go beyond traditional methods.
However, the "no-tech" trend highlights the potential pitfalls of non-critical integration of technology, highlighting how excessive exposure to screens can interfere with neurological development, limit social interactions and reduce time spent playing physical and direct exploration of the environment. This perspective emphasizes the importance of sensory and motor experiences, free play, and creativity unmediated by technology as the foundation of childhood development.
For us educators, the challenge is therefore to adopt a balanced approach, which recognizes the added value of technologies in enriching learning, while maintaining the importance of human relationships, direct interaction and practical experiences at the centre. . This requires critical reflection on the use of technology in educational services, considering factors such as the age of the children, the pedagogical objectives and the social and cultural context in which our service operates.
Thus we are called to become active mediators in the use of technology, choosing tools and contents that support educational objectives, promote inclusiveness and respect the rhythms of children's development. We are sure that it is essential to promote moments of reflection and discussion on the use of technology, involving children, families and educational communities in a constructive dialogue.
A first aspect concerns the need to dismantle technological "anxiety". Discovering our own paths to technology, within our service and our community takes time, and continuous experimentation. For example, we must decide together whether and how to use the cloud with podcasts or videos, or whether physical media such as external hard drives and sticks are more secure. We need to understand if that platform that offers itself with so much "glitter" does not track the data which will then be used for commercial interests.
Our technological choices will be weighed, measured, reflective. Dear family, when you arrive, there will be a reason for all our "tech" and "non-tech" choices.
There is no free and easy technology
Technology, according to our explorations as early childhood services, is neither free nor easy. On the one hand, technology offers us tools that apparently make everything much easier and faster, but on the other hand it requires the development of skills, the study of work organization, the analysis of results. We want to make clear the cost, not only economic but also pedagogical, of technological integration, and the intrinsic complexity in adopting educational approaches that effectively respond to the challenges posed by the digital society.
Although apps and platform services such as social media or online office suites such as Google Drive or Microsoft's OneDrive are offered to us for free, our reorganization of collaboration starting from discarding or maintaining tools that we adopt immediately (such as the educators' logbook); and our time to experiment and fine-tune the correct use of tools (such as apps) requires time and effort: our hours have a cost!
Furthermore, the business methods of many free platforms mean that our and our children's data is the currency of exchange. If we do not want "interventions" (such as the use of Whatsapp metadata), perhaps the most appropriate approach is to... purchase the licenses/services of the software we will adopt.
We also want to make it known that with technology not everything is easier. We, educators, must acquire various digital skills, from editing digital content such as videos or creating playlists, to developing a deep understanding of how technology affects child development, to understanding the terms and conditions of use of the numerous apps and platforms that are proposed in education. We must "test" these tools and reflect together on how much technologies help us to improve learning, to share the results of the educational path with families, to evaluate what we do from a quality perspective.
"It's not free, it's not easy" means, for us educators, that technological integration is not an end but a tool at the service of education. That we must adopt (and inform/involve families in these choices) a holistic approach that values critical reflection and responsible innovation.
Capturing the time of childhood, a professional challenge
Pedagogical observation and documentation, to put it simply, are a sort of register that we educators carry forward in a sustained, rigorous way. This is an activity that has a long history in the culture of early childhood services.
Observation is our fundamental tool for evaluating participation, maturation and learning 0-3: our "students" do not complete written tests! For example, it is not easy for us to record learning outcomes digitally, although videos and photos have become easier to generate and share within our professional group.
However, the problem (almost a drama!) of organizing, selecting and using these abundant materials remains. And at this point, an organizational choice becomes necessary (who does it? how is it done? what is selected and what is discarded? how is it shared with parents? how is it "saved" and even more complicated, how is it preserve” this treasure?
Some decisions concern the organization of the working group. Not all of us find it easy to take notes or make notes on the observation of our boys and girls via a padlet. Not all of us would like to use several hours of our creative work to organize evaluation forms via word processing or with the use of electronic forms, rather than to create materials or games that we will then adopt with our sections.
Not all of us would like to edit digital content (such as photos or videos) to return to families.
Capturing the time of childhood is impossible, of course!
But with our decision as a work team, built together with families, we should arrive at forms of observation and documentation mediated by technologies that are feasible, socially ecological, and that promote a culture of conscious digital and media consumption: our approaches to the presentation of information about our children, and how we summarize it in order to provide data on the quality of our service, hinges on each of our digital transformation choices.
Technology: I (educator) have a choice
“I (educator) have choice” is a powerful statement that vindicates the autonomy and freedom of educators in navigating the educational technology landscape. This metaphor expresses our resistance to the pressure to conform to external trends or expectations in the adoption of digital tools, whether they come from families or the pressure of a growing educational technology market. Here we underline, once again, the importance of critical reflection and conscious decision on what actually enriches the learning environment.
In the age of constant innovation, we, educators, are often faced with the vastness of technological options, with an almost omnipresent pressure to incorporate the latest “fashionable” app or platform to stay “up to date.” We do not indulge the hunger for image and visibility of social media, nor the idea that cognitive or motor training with apps forms "super-boys/girls". Finally, we do not believe that introducing forms, forms, graphics and the continuous use of the tablet during the hours spent carrying out our work will make it more "smart". With "I have choice" we want to remind you that the essence of education lies in the ability to discern which tools truly serve the well-being and development of children. Not every technology is suitable for every educational context, and the choice to adopt it or not should be guided by pedagogical considerations, rather than by a rush to adopt new things for fear of being left behind.
The conscious approach to the use of technology implies the understanding that the quality of education is not measured by the quantity or modernity of the digital tools used, but by the impact they have on children's learning and development. This requires teamwork, where educators, pedagogical coordination and families collaborate to evaluate technologies based on well-defined criteria, such as pedagogical relevance, ease of use, safety and inclusiveness.
"I (educator) have choice" also highlights the importance of our professional training and digital skills development as a progressive and peaceful process. Instead of passively chasing the latest trends, we educators must actively participate in discussion and study sessions, communities of practice and timely courses.
In conclusion, we want to reaffirm our professional and pedagogical control in the technological context, reminding all our colleagues that we have the power and responsibility to choose tools that promote authentic learning and support the integral development of boys and girls; that educate families to become a space where they can grow with? digital without trauma or excess; which fully reflect our "childhood culture" and its values.
Travelling (together) to the never-never land
With this short message, we want to invite educators to reflect on the uniqueness and brevity of the childhood period, highlighting how the acceleration of the digital world and the search for approval through sharing on social media can distance us from the importance of living with fullness these crucial years for the development of children. As education professionals, we are immersed in an "onlife", a term coined by the Italian philosopher Luciano Floridi to describe a reality in which online and offline experiences intertwine, profoundly influencing the way we perceive time and relationships. In this scenario, childhood presents itself as an oasis of slowed down time in an ocean of digital speed, an era in which children's growth and learning need to be nurtured with attention and care.
This message underlines the importance, in the era of digital immediacy, of dismantling educational anxieties (rushing towards technological innovation, including the visibility of results and the immediacy of information as requested by families). For us, educators, every moment spent with children, every game, conversation or shared activity represents a unique opportunity to teach, learn and grow together. Although it is essential to maintain relationships with families and make them participate in our educational work, our moments in the classroom, our relationship with children is something that takes time, and cannot always be made "visible" via messaging or social media. . The slowness of this ephemeral time (even if it seems like a contradiction!) requires patience!
Instead, we want to remind ourselves that the relationship between educator and child is certainly an experience of reciprocity: while children require time, attention and dedication, we have the opportunity to reflect on our professionalism, on the meaning of being educators and on our ethical responsibility not only in the development of our boys and girls, but of the impact that early childhood education can have on future opportunities for social, cultural and economic integration. This exchange is not only beneficial for the child, but also represents an enriching and transformative experience for the adult, offering new perspectives on life and one's professional priorities.
"Travelling together to the never-never land" invites us to become aware that, despite the pressure of a world increasingly focused on image and speed, we must find the space to cultivate intimate, direct and slow relationships with children, which respect their privacy. It is a call to educators not to feel anxiety about the necessary periodic disconnection from the incessant flow of digital information and interactions. It is an urgent call to reconnect with authentically human experiences, celebrating and protecting the precious, intense, but fleeting time of childhood.