Mosaic Educator

Mosaic Educator has a mobile application that supports the computer-based platform. For this review, we will focus on the mobile application’s features and functions.

The application opens promptly with a delightful splash screen, notifications prompt and a log in option. Once the user has logged in they are shown a Home screen displaying the following:

Daily Records – This section contains a range of daily records including an Attendance Record, Daily Care Log and Sleep Check. Each child can be seen under the description.

Storybooks – This section contains the children’s Leabhair Sceaita (storybooks) and includes all the learning story templates that an educator needs to build each child’s individual portrait of learning. Each child can be seen under the description.

Notifications – This is the inbox where all messages have been received from the Service Manager.

Administration – This enables the Educator to send communications to parents, create event invites, to access practice tools and compliance documents. This section includes messages, Terms and conditions, Good practice and Compliance details, communications and much more.

The application also displays a selection of menus along the bottom of the screen. These are similar to those displayed above but when selected display further details of the children.

Selecting the Daily Records icon at the bottom displays the children currently in the class. Each child is identified by a picture. Children can be displayed as a whole class or as individuals. Selected a child will display further information such as check-in and out time, nominated point of contact, notes and the educator's initials. An attendance register of the child can be taken here using the simple tick icons along with the child’s Daily Care log which includes information on Food, Drinks, Nappies and sleep patterns. All of this vital information can be added and sent to the parents when complete. The application also displays the child’s sleep Log in the Sleep Check menu. This is information for the parent is priceless as it logs the child’s sleep patterns that can have an impact on the rest of the day and night-time sleeping patterns.

The storybook section of the application provides an insight into the Child’s profile which includes the following:

People in my Family, a nominated Person, the Child’s Friends, Likes and dislikes, favourite things, what they are good at, what they may need help with, what to do if they get upset, parental contact and room location. The Learning Story menu provides an insight into pending stories such as reading books, picture stories, Voice Stories and a snapshot Review. The ‘Transition’ icon enables the Educator to add an individual child report regarding well-being, Identifying and Belonging, Communication, Exploring and Thinking, Summer activities for progression and 5 things for the next teacher to know. This is an excellent feature that will help with a smooth transition of the child between classes, teachers and years. 

Is the Mosaic Educator app easy to use?

Mosaic Educator is a versatile application with menu systems and features that are very easy to navigate. The application has a clean look to the interface and the graphics are excellent, at no point does the screen look cluttered. The interface has lots of high-quality content and menus that are easy to negotiate. The fonts, graphics and scrolling screens make the application a pleasure to use. The mobile application is a perfect companion to the Educator's Computer-based dashboard and is ideal for those who would use the app on a mobile or tablet device, syncing between the two platforms. 

How will parents benefit?

This application could be used as everyday feedback for their child whether they are at nursery or with a childminder. The parent can receive notifications from the app’s user enabling them to review their child’s progress throughout the day prior to pick up. This app will also recognise patterns in behaviours such as eating, nappy usage and sleep patterns. The dashboard is easy for parents to understand and provides high-quality feedback. It is noted that the application uses the Aistear principles of curriculum learning. Aistear is the early childhood curriculum framework for all children from birth to 6 years in Ireland. The framework uses four interconnected themes to describe children's learning and development: Well-being; Identity and Belonging; Communicating; and Exploring and Thinking.

How will teachers benefit?

Teachers can use the application to track and monitor children in their classes. Suitable more for early years rather than older children the application can be used in conjunction with the teacher’s online computer dashboard. 

How will the user benefit?

Keeping track of a child’s records within an educational setting is a real challenge. Mosaic Educator is a one-stop-shop for all educational data needed for a progressing child on a daily basis. The user will find the application a pleasure to use.

What we love about the Mosaic Educator app

This application delivers on many levels and we particularly enjoyed the following: 

The application has a clean and uncluttered layout. The application is simple and easy to navigate.

With so many children in a creche or Kindergarten, this application is a wonderful way of keeping track of each child’s individual needs and learning. We particularly like the Daily Care log.

We particularly like the fact that parents are notified of the Daily Care Log information prior to the child’s collection thus saving valuable time at pick up. 

The mobile application is a perfect companion to the computer-based platform. 

The Transition information is priceless and a great feature within the application that will really support the child moving forward.

What the Mosaic Educator app could improve on

There may need to be some kind of notification or warning regarding the use of the child’s photo within the application. Does this need parental consent? Some children are often not allowed to be photographed in an educational setting.

The developers might also want to store a password that is used by parents and relatives when a child is picked up by someone new. This password can be used when the child is picked up by an unfamiliar person. 

The developers may want to consider adding a section for Allergies within the Daily Care Log.

The application provides a large amount of information about the child, their progress and preferences. We thought that the application could be simplified as there is sometimes there is too much information that may not be essential.

We thought that the child’s profile should be included in the Daily Records rather than the Storybook menu.

The developers may also want to consider adding the following to the child’s profile: Special Needs such as dyslexia, glasses, ADHD etc, Medical needs such as Asthma, Eczema etc.

The developers may want to consider particular countries the application may be used in. For instance, the recording of Early learning records in the UK is significantly different to that in other European Countries. Does the app follow Government guidelines?

The developers may consider other means of assessing children rather than just the Aistear early childhood curriculum framework. This section could be editable.

The description on the Appstore does not really do the App justice. It is far more than the basic description given.

How much does the Mosaic Educator app cost?

Mosaic Educator is an application available on the iOS and Android platforms and provides three package options. These are Basic, Family and Family Pro. The initial download is free. The application also provides a Service Storybook package available in different storybook quantities from packages of 5 up to 100. 

Is Mosaic Educator safe to use?

Yes, the application is safe to use. Terms and conditions are displayed within the app’s settings.

Overall Rating of the application

Mosaic Educator is an excellent application which provides a practical tracking solution for childcare providers, Parents and External Compliance organisations. The Mosaic Educator application comes highly recommended by The Educational App Store.