Over the last two years, we have become increasingly aware of how technology can benefit children’s hybrid learning experience. Technology was already part of the traditional classroom because it’s an integral learning tool, but virtual and hybrid learning was not the norm. Therefore, many school systems had to move quickly to update their infrastructure to accommodate continued learning at every education level—even daycare.
Research shows that helping preschool-aged children get familiar with digital devices builds foundational skills for life and later school years, which can be especially important for confidence and comfort in a hybrid learning environment. Fostering these critical skills is exactly what Kleine Strolche, a non-profit, parent-owned daycare center in Selm, Germany, aimed to do in partnership with Poly.
The center prides itself on its next generation approach to child development, where technology is already considered essential to learning. When collaborating with Poly, it was important to the Kleine Strolche’s team that all smart devices have a plug-and-play functionality that deliver the familiar, seamless Microsoft Teams experience they expect. Ease-of-use was another key criterion. Kleine Strolche, like most educational institutions of its size, does not have an IT department, so their new tech needed to be very intuitive.
Together, Poly and Kleine Strolche implemented new tech and processes throughout the daycare center to keep admin and parents connected all while empowering children with digital tools to learn and explore.
Innovative Technology
Kleine Strolche selected the Poly Studio USB video bar, Poly Studio P5 personal webcam, Poly Sync 40 speakerphone and the Poly Voyager Focus 2 ANC Bluetooth headset to update their center’s technology. The intelligent, plug-and-play devices ensure that the daycare’s management team, the parents’ council, and the parents themselves remain in touch. Implementing this technology allowed everyone to maintain those connections and smoothly run the day-to-day operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and after.
“Thanks to Poly’s solutions, we can now maintain operational continuity at all times. Our headsets’ noise-cancelling function allows us to make phone calls even when it’s noisy in the nursery. We regularly use the Poly Sync 40 as a speakerphone for the children and, when necessary, video conferencing technology to broadcast childrens’ events,” said, Mandy Sieradzki, Manager of Kleine Strolche Selm e.V.
It’s Child’s Play
When technology is intuitive, even children can learn to use it quickly. Children at the Kleine Strolche daycare center listened to their favorite audio books via the Poly Sync 40 and got acquainted with the device’s how-to during storytime. When children were separated from each other due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Poly Studio P5 webcam was used to connect children and their teachers for conferences and creative engagement, including live events and puppet shows to continue children’s learning, even from miles away.
What did this extraordinary project teach us? Digital education and new media literacy are not rocket science if you have the right equipment, which is easy to implement and use. Make the technology as easy as a child’s play, and see creativity abound in everyday life.
Read more about this excellent initiative here.