If you’ve been searching for an innovative, interactive online learning journal, look no further…
The right online learning journal is a highly effective way to record and track individual wellbeing, learning journeys, milestones, experiences and developmental stages.
This is what Tapestry is all about. It’s a brilliant, glue stick-less tool that works with digital photos, videos and text. It takes the threads of what happens over the course of a day, so you can build a picture of what each child is doing, and stores everything in one place.
It’s easy to use, especially with a tablet, allowing you to get rid of those post-it notes and folders rammed with scrappy bits of paper. It’s also the perfect way for children to review their own learning.
At its simplest level, Tapestry involves adding setting details, children, staff and then observations. You then enable the assessment frameworks you want to use on your account and set up your assessment periods.
This is in-the-moment, real-time recording where you can add/edit notes and create PDFs of some or all of a child’s observations. It means you can add a wide range of evidence and upload as much as you want.
Features include an analysis section, which is brilliant because you can spot gaps in provision and areas where there is less coverage and help manage individuals and groups with laser-sharp insight.
Paper systems make this a huge task, but Tapestry means you can keep tabs on special needs mapped against development needs, get proper managerial overviews and plan with confidence.
This also helps managers readily see what their staff write and record, so it feeds into professional development, helping staff to improve their observations and planning.
There really is nothing better than having a dynamic tool like this because it makes you a more efficient practitioner, supports child development and massively eases your workload.
The system is engineered for better information sharing and improving provision because you can update journals instantly.
Of course, there’s plenty more to it than that, so there are lots of informative videos and webinars available to help you get started, plus over 170 tutorials featuring in-depth descriptions of how to use Tapestry’s various functions.
Thanks to the Tapestry app, it couldn’t be easier for parents to access either. They can look at their child’s password and PIN-protected journal, then explore their child’s day with their child at home – perfect for sharing, reliving and discussing.
Parents can read comments by key workers and reply with their own feedback.
Joining Tapestry means you also get to become a member of the EYFS Forum, an online community and support network for early years professionals.
To find out if it’s for you, you can request a free two-week trial (costs vary depending on the number of children you purchase it for; Tapestry for up to 40 children is £99 per year).
You are looking for a safe, integrated and interactive resource to drive up standards.
Reviewed by John Dabell
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