Preschool Evolved : Communication With Preschool Through Mobile Services

Abstract: Technological advancements in the fields of communication and information sharing and usage are coming forth more and more rapidly. Information technologies are being introduced in fields that traditionally have been quite isolated in the technological sense. While previously not very distinguished by technological standards, the preschools are now in a process of evolution. A new information technology system for expanding communication possibilities between preschools and caregivers is being developed and tested in a pilot project in Stockholm, Sweden. This system, presently called the Preschool Portal, uses existing technologies like computers, mobile phones and the Internet with the aim of easing information access for both caregivers and preschool employees. The core of the system is an Internet portal where information related to participating preschools is stored. The portal provides both parts with functions to retrieve as well as share information and is online-based which means that it can be accessed from any Internet-connected computer. Using surveys and interviews as the main methods this thesis work strives to answer the question of how this previously non-technological workplace will handle the transition to this advanced and highly integrated information technology system. The preschools in focus in this project are used to work mainly with paper notes and lighter document handling on a computer, with information gathered from telephone and face-to-face conversations. It also looks at the relationship between the caregivers and the preschool employees partly to find out how the caregivers will use the system via their mobile phones, partly if and how that will change the way of work for the preschool employees. The results from the work are presented as a prototype for an iPhone application connecting to the Preschool Portal, and valuable knowledge about how non-technologically based workplaces are affected by the introduction of a system like the Preschool Portal.