Early Childhood Education
Documentation can be described as a transmissible document that provides official communication or evidence that may serve as a record. In early childhood education, documentation usually comprises examples of the child’s work at various completion stages. In addition, documentation in early childhood education includes comments written by the adult working with the child or the teacher; photographs showing the child’s work progress; records of the child’s comments, explanations, and discussions about the activity’s intention; and the parent’s comment. In the digital world, many education centers are moving from paper-based to digital documentation. However, despite its numerous advantages, digital documentation bears limitations that may hinder early childhood education.
Digital documentation in early childhood education aids in the provision of easy access to information. When the teacher wants to show the parents their children’s progress, it is crucial to have quick, efficient, and easy access to all the data and information needed. A digital documentation approach facilitates easy and quick retrieval of the required information. Teachers do not have to leave their desks in the file rooms to look for particular needed information. They can easily search and find their required documents from desktops or any other computer device. In digital documentation, files can be indexed using sources such as barcodes, metadata, and the document content. Also, digital documentation enables the ECD teachers and other adults taking care of the kids to modify their filling structures (Seitz, 2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers). The teacher may prioritize any document or information vital to them and need regular access. All the documents in digital filing remain sorted, and the teacher can easily find the knowledge and information from the indexed content. Therefore, digital documentation leads to innovative and better decision-making and minimizes time wastage when searching a file.
Similarly, digital documentation significantly enhances data sharing. With the access of computer devices, information sharing has been significantly made easier. The teacher can easily share digitized information with the parents, guardians, and other people who may need the information (“Guidelines for documenting…”, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service. Custom Essay Services Cheap). Thus, parents don’t need to visit their children’s schools to get the information they need. The parent will not have to move from their workplaces to find specific information from their children’s teachers. They will quickly receive all the information at the comfort of their homes and workplaces. Also, when the parent wants to change a teacher for their kids, they will quickly send the documents showing their kids’ progress to the new teacher, thus saving much time. Therefore, digital documentation greatly enhances file searching, which improves the child’s performance and development in schools.
Additionally, digital documentation significantly facilitates virtual learning. The cloud file management system allows teachers to gain access to the file off-site. Digital documentation removes the need to carry data physically. Therefore, teachers can teach their pupils in the comfort of their homes (Flewitt & Cowan, 2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers). Digital documentation has been necessary during Covid-19 when physical learning was discouraged by the Australian government to minimize the spreading risk of the disease. Due to digital documentation, the teacher did not have to go to the school to get the required teaching material. Instead, they could quickly get them online using E-library and other platforms. Therefore, digital filling significantly reduces the need for physical learning and file transfer.
Besides, digital documentation reduces space wastage in learning facilities. Paper-based documentation involves the use of bulk papers and files. The files for all the children may require a lot of space for storage (“Belonging, Being, and Becoming…”, 2009). The files may require shelves and even extra room for storage. The building of shelves and storage rooms is costly, which increases the learning cost. On the other hand, digital files only require a storage device such as a hard disk, USB, and discs for storage. These storage devices occupy a little space minimizing space wastage. Therefore, digital filing reduces extra costs for building storage rooms and shelves.
Furthermore, digital documentation improves security, enhances compliance and data backup. For all the business, the primary concern is always the security of the documents. The digital documentation systems always have security techniques and measures such as encrypted texts, passwords, and many others (Sparrman & Lindgren, 2010 – Essay Writing Service: Write My Essay by Top-Notch Writer). By use of these techniques, information access is restricted to individual roles and responsibilities. Digital document filing also provides the capabilities for auditing, which allows the system users to keep track of individuals who have accessed and edited any of the stored files. Unlike paper-based documentation, digitally stored files cannot be destroyed by disasters such as floods, fire, and others. Also, cloud-based documentation systems provide an automatic backup for all the stored documents and files. A technician can quickly restore the files in case of accidental delete of essential documents.
Despite many advantages posed by digital document filing systems, it has some potential disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that it enhances hacking which leads to the stealing of valuable information. Files in the paper-based documentation approach are always locked in a cabinet (Flewitt & Cowan, 2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers). Therefore, an individual will have to access the place to steal information physically. While in digital documentation, hackers can quickly access the computer device to steal valuable information concerning a child and even the school. Besides, computer devices will have to be updated (data protection and software) for better performance. As a result, a hacker may install spyware to hijack or steal the stored information. Therefore, digital document filing gives a possibility of potential hacking.
Additionally, digital documentation may result in software and hardware issue, which may lead to data loss. When all the data and information are stored in a digital file, there is a possibility that the system may fail/crash, leading to the loss of valuable data (Flewitt & Cowan, 2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers). Digital documentation requires regular data backing to ease the recovery process in case of data loss. Nonetheless, backing up may still create service interruption just the same way internet server or power outage issue may pause operations in the school. Therefore, digital documentation systems require the user to have other contingency and backup plans in the failure of digital data accessibility. These plans sometimes may be costly to the school and parents.
In a nutshell, people are transforming from paper-based to digital documentation in the modern world. Digital document filing is essential when it comes to efficiency and ease in accessing the stored data. As a result, time wastage is significantly reduced in digital documentation systems. Also, the systems enhance data security, compliance, and data backup. The system also reduces space storage space wastage as they need little space for storage. However, digital filing bears some disadvantages despite having several benefits. For example, the system enhances hacking resulting in the stealing of valuable data.
References
Australian children’s education and care quality authority. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service. Custom Essay Services Cheap). Guidelines for documenting children’s learning.
Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace. (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming. The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia
Flewitt, R., & Cowan, K. (2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers). Valuing young children’s signs of learning: Observation and digital documentation of play in early year’s classrooms.
Seitz, H. (2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers). The power of documentation in the early childhood classroom. YC Young Children, 63(2), 88.
Sparrman, A., & Lindgren, A. L. (2010 – Essay Writing Service: Write My Essay by Top-Notch Writer). Visual documentation as a normalizing practice: A new discourse of visibility in preschool. Surveillance & Society, 7(3/4), 248-261.
