Getting started with Playground's Programming and Planning doesn't require a comprehensive knowledge of every single feature available on the platform!
Many Centres will start with Posts on the app first, before selecting Canvas or Tables or Documents to learn next.
Using the features in bite-sized steps makes learning to use Playground manageable, and before you know it, you'll be creating your own masterpieces in every Feature.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Step 1 - Posts
Posts are a great way to get started with Programming and Planning in Playground.
Available in the App and Web-based versions, Posts have the same template every time and is designed to be quick and simple to use.
Posts can be used in a variety of ways, including Learning Stories, Daily Journals, or as a quick way to send photos and updates to families.
App
The advantage of using Posts in the App version of Playground is that drafts can be created quickly for later, whilst you are in the room with Children.
1. Log in to a room in Playground App and navigate to the Learning tab.
2. Click + New Post
3. A new Post template will open for you to populate with text and content.
4. Adding a Title and Room is mandatory in order to publish your Post.
5. There is a 15,000 character limit when writing a description and a 75 character limit for your title.
6. Once completed, select Save or Preview.
Web
The web based version of Posts looks exactly the same as the app based version, and will import Posts created from your Tablets, which can be further edited.
1. Log in to the Web-Based version of Playground and select 'Posts' from the left-side menu.
2. Click + New Post
3. A new Post template will open for you to populate with text and content.
4. Adding a Title and Room is mandatory in order to save your Post as a draft.
5. There is a 15,000 character limit when writing a Description and a 75 character limit for your Title.
6. Once completed, select Save or Preview.
Step 2 - Canvas, Tables and Documents
Now you've created a Post, you can link this work into the other features in Playground Web.
Canvas, Tables and Documents offer different ways of documenting Learning, and there is no one correct way to use each feature.
For example, you may use Tables to create a weekly plan, drawing in a Post you made that sparked an idea for a new experience for the children, or create a Child Portfolio in Canvas, where you can link a Post that was made after writing a Learning Story for a particular child.
You can find instructions for each of these features below:
Tables
Below is an example of a weekly plan created in Tables.
Posts have been linked in to the sections in Afternoon Tea and Gardening to show how Teachers have used Learning Stories to inform their planning.
This Weekly Plan can be shared with families ahead of time by tagging children.
Once the week is over, the Table can be updated to include photos, Posts (or other relevant Tables, Canvases or Documents) and reflections you have created throughout the week.
Canvas
Canvas is a wonderful tool for creating a visual representation of Learning.
It offers a great deal of creative freedom and can be used a multitude of different ways.
Below is an example of a Child Portfolio that has been created and shared with the Child's family. Key Learning Stories that have been made in Posts have been dragged and dropped in to showcase the Child's development and milestones.
As all work created in Playground is living, this portfolio could be updated throughout the Child's entire time in the centre.
This close-up shows how Posts can be dragged and dropped in to shapes.
Clicking on this shape will open the Post for the Parent/Guardian to view in more detail.
Documents
The Documents tool is useful when you're looking to write a lot of text.
If you would like a more structured layout than what can be created in Posts, Documents can be a space to create headings, subheadings, lists, dot-points etc.
Below is an example of a Learning Story created with Sub-Headings and a Collage.
Similarly to Canvas, Tables and Posts, any work you have created can be linked in to your Document to provide context or further information.
As Posts are always the same template, they will appear in your Document as below:
Step 3 - Creating Folders
In each section of Programming and Planning (including Posts on the App), folders can be created to quickly organise work for future reference.
Folders can be categorised in whichever way best suits the centre, for example:
- Term 1 Plans - Honeybees Room
- Safety Checklists
- Key Learning Stories
- Portfolios
It is not recommended to create a folder for each child, as these will quickly take up a lot of room, when the Children tab in the left side menu can be used to see any and all work a child has been tagged in.
Please note: Each feature has it's own Folders section, so Tables cannot appear in a Canvas folder and vice versa.
Creating Folders
1. Navigate to Posts, Canvas, Tables or Documents.
2. Click on 'Folders' on the right-hand side of the top menu.
3. Click '+ New Folder'.
4. Type in a name for the folder and select a location.
5. Click 'Create'.
Using Folders
1. Navigate to the Post/Canvas/Document/Table you would like to file.
2. Click the 3-dot menu underneath.
3. Click 'Move to Folder'.
4. Search for, or scroll to the relevant folder.
5. Click the folder name.
Accessing Work filed in Folders
1. Navigate to Posts, Canvas, Tables or Documents.
2. Click 'Folders'
3. Click the Folder where the relevant work is filed.
Please note: Any work that has been filed in a Folder will still be visible in All Files, Drafts and Published and will show up when using the Search bar,
You can find inspiration for all the features in Playground on our Pinterest Account!
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