St Mary's Episcopal Nursery uses ICT on a daily basis

Fiona Andrew visited St Mary's Episcopal Nursery and and saw examples of the use of ICT for structured activities and role play situations.

During my visit, a staff member called Kate O’Neil took me around and introduced me to the children before taking me through the various uses of ICT in their nursery. The following types of ICT are used daily by the children in the nursery through structured activities or role play situations:

• laptop
• digital camera
• two desktop computers
• digital video camera
• CD players
• tape recorders
• mobile phones
• programmable or electronic toys.

There were also numerous digital photographs and examples of children’s learning displayed across the classroom walls. I noticed a high level of interaction between children at the computer as they negotiated turns, assisted each other in playing the games and generally engaged in conversation related to what they were doing. The children were using Beep by Q & D Multimedia which contains activities to encourage creative thinking and discussion through:

Staff development

The staff at St Mary’s Nursery appear very confident in the use of ICT. One member of staff attended ICT training through Stirling Council, which allowed them to develop their use of ICT in the nursery.

As part of the services provided by the council I got the opportunity to visit this nursery with Joe Shaw, an ICT Curriculum Officer. Joe took the staff through a range of ideas and solutions for using ICT in the nursery. He introduced new software, programmable toys such as the Bee-Bot and answered a whole host of questions whilst troubleshooting their other ICT issues.

The staff find these scheduled visits and the ongoing support from the authority very beneficial to furthering their use of ICT in an effective and appropriate way.

Using the technology

All the equipment is on view in the nursery and the children are allowed to use and explore all different types of technologies. Children are naturally curious about things so it is important to let them discover how various technologies work.

The children made it seem effortless as they took pictures of one another and assisted each other in using different software on the computer. There was no fear factor when the children were using the equipment and no signs of them being intimidated or scared of the technology. Staff were confident enough in letting the children learn about ICT through play.

Capturing learning through video

The digital video camera is being used in a variety of ways in the nursery and the children are given the opportunity to film things they find interesting. For example, a video camera was set up outside and one child was filming another using the building materials made available to them, an activity that relates to their context for learning, ‘The Three Little Pigs’.   

The camera was brought inside and other children viewed the footage and discussed what was happening. More children soon began to take an interest in the camera and three boys started to explore the boundaries of what the camera could do. Some of the children appeared in dressing up clothes during their imaginary play to take part in the performance in front of the camera. The group were left to carry on with this impromptu activity, allowing them to build their confidence in using this technology and learn from each other.

For a more organised task the staff of the nursery produced a 'settling in' DVD for parents. This included information and scenes from the daily tasks/routine of the nursery to inform and reassure parents of what learning is taking place. They also capture events and festivals that take place and offer the DVD to parents and carers who were unable to attend.

Communicating beyond the nursery

The internet provides and ideal opportunity for children to broaden their learning experiences beyond the confinements of the nursery. The staff and children use the internet for research and to extend pupils’ learning experiences. When one of their fellow pupils moved to Canada it provided a perfect problem-solving activity on how they were going to keep in contact with her. This is where the technology provided a means of allowing the children to communicate and collaborate with one another. The children were able to engage in discussions about how they could contact her in another country. The children suggested using the following communication methods:

• a walkie talkie
• a telephone
• we can talk to her on the computer
• keep sending her postcards.

The children decided on sending her an email.  In preparation for this they used the internet to carry out some research into the place where she was staying in Canada ,which opened up a whole new path for gaining knowledge about the world around them.

Providing such an in-depth learning opportunity encouraged the children to develop other interests. One child found out that there was a volcano near to the place in Canada they were investigating and decided to look for more pictures and information on other volcanoes which became a mini project for him to work independently on. Evidence of all this work was documented and displayed on the walls.

The internet and other forms of ICT are also used by the staff as part of a holistic approach to educating and caring for each child. Information for parents on certain topics or research into areas that will help the staff in their day-to-day work is sourced through CDs and the internet.

Documenting learning

Stirling Council has taken the approach to document children's learning experiences in a way that shows their work is respected and valued. The nursery shows evidence that they use the digital camera on a regular basis as part of the documentation process. Some examples of this were in the use of the planning book, a record of pupils' learning that has taken place in the nursery. It contains photographs, drawings and information to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of children’s learning. Key workers use this approach to initiate individual and group discussions.  

This is a great way to allow parents and guardians of the children to see what their child has been doing and build stronger links with the home and nursery. Other documentation is carried out with the use of PowerPoint, which they can then share with the school and the rest of the community.

Another instance of images being used was for inclusive purposes. One child with learning difficulties used digital photos to communicate with other children and staff in the nursery. Staff took photos or used images that would convey the same information as the text. Pictures accompanied the titles of certain activities so he could take part in the selection process and staff produced a catalogue showing the books available in the library by taking pictures of all the front covers so children could identify the books by the pictures rather the title, which is a simple use of graphics but an effective one. The staff commented that ICT is embedded right across the curriculum so much that they did not realise just how much they utilised it.

Curriculum for Excellence links

The previous context for learning in the nursery was based around the film 'Happy Feet' and Antarctica. They documented their learning, showing evidence of the links to Curriculum for Excellence. Children were provided with a range of activities and tasks that covered various aspects of life in the Antarctic, opening up a whole host of learning experiences.

The nursery’s laptop was set up to show a DVD on Antarctica. Children used this technology to learn about life in the Antarctic and it proved very popular with children in the nursery, who returned to it on a regular basis. Using the internet, they were able to research the different animals that lived there and investigate ways in which they could help to protect the environment.  

This helped children become confident individuals in developing and communicating their view of the world to staff, parents and their peers. Through the use of these technologies, pupils were able to extend their learning and develop a knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

The project encouraged active learning and creative activities, such as making penguins out of clay and taking part in games and music lessons relating to their theme. They were able to use the technology for learning and work in individual and group situations. A wall display was created, documenting what the children had said and learned throughout this topic, to demonstrate their enthusiasm and motivation.