The aim of this two-day workshop series is to share an educational philosophy, the Reggio Emilia Approach. Participants are invited to attend one or both days of the series, which offers new pathways to engage with teaching and learning, characterized by a journey of observation, thinking, and action alongside children. Both workshops will propose not only digital tools, but a pedagogical perspective: how to support children’s creativity, thinking, and doing, valuing their point of view and the process of discovery. Participants will learn how technology does not replace direct contact with the world, but becomes a complementary language that expands possibilities for expression, documentation, and meaning-making.

This workshop series is designed for early childhood educators, elementary teachers, school leaders, and students preparing to become teachers who are interested in integrating digital languages into their teaching practice. It is suitable for educators across various subjects who want to explore how digital tools can support children’s inquiry, creativity, and documentation within the Reggio Emilia Approach. Participants will explore both theoretical insights and hands-on experiences, gaining practical ideas for integrating digital tools as complementary languages that enrich children’s learning and expression.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

Participants will be able to:

Understand the role of digital languages within the Reggio Emilia Approach. - Recognize how digital tools become expressive and investigative languages when connected to a subject of inquiry.
Use digital tools such as digital microscopes, graphic tablets, cameras, computers, mobile devices, and digital projectors in educational activities.
Design and implement digital experiences that support children’s research, creativity, and documentation.
Reflect on and document children’s learning processes using digital media.
Integrate digital tools into daily teaching practices while maintaining the Reggio Emilia philosophy of child-centered learning.

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Friday, April 3: Introduction to Digital Languages – Exploration and Possibilities

Primary Objectives for Day 1:

Introduce digital languages as tools for exploration and expression.
Show how digital tools can expand opportunities to observe, document, and represent children’s experiences.
Provide participants with hands-on experiences using a variety of digital tools.

8:30 – 9:00 | Welcome and Pedagogical Introduction

Introduction to the facilitators and their backgrounds.
Brief overview of the Reggio Emilia Approach and its philosophy.
Discussion: What does it mean to “conduct research” in Reggio Emilia contexts?
Reflection on the role of digital tools as exploratory possibilities, without a predefined research focus.

9:00 – 10:00 | Presentation: Digital Languages in Children’s Learning

Showcase of children’s projects and experiences using digital tools.
Discussion on how digital media serve as complementary languages to direct experience.

10:00 – 10:15 | Break

10:15 – 12:00 | Hands-On Atelier: Exploring Digital Languages

Participants rotate through multiple digital stations.
Tools include: digital microscopes, graphic tablets, cameras, computers, mobile devices, and digital projectors.
Open-ended exploration: participants familiarize themselves with digital media as expressive and investigative languages.

12:00 – 12:30 | Reflection and Closing

Group discussion and sharing of insights from the atelier.
Final reflections and Q&A.

Saturday, April 4: Continuity – Nature Research and Digital Languages

Primary Objectives for Day 2:

Deepen understanding of educational research in Reggio Emilia contexts.
Understand what constitutes a “research” process with children and the role of generative questions.
Experiment with digital tools to observe, document, and represent natural phenomena.
Design and conduct a small educational inquiry using the garden as the research subject.
Use digital media as complementary languages to support observation, reflection, and creativity.
Integrate digital experiences into daily teaching practice while maintaining a child-centered approach.

8:30 – 9:30 | Continuity Session: Understanding Research in Reggio Emilia Contexts

Introduction to the concept of research with children.
Discussion on generative questions and inquiry-based learning.
Reflection on observation, documentation, and reflection as key components of the research process.

9:30 – 10:00 | Engagement Activity: “Nature Detectives”

Participants explore the garden and select a natural element (leaf, flower, bark, insect, light/shadow) that sparks curiosity.
Formulate open-ended questions and initial hypotheses about the chosen element.
Tools: digital microscopes, tablets, cameras.

10:00 – 11:30 | Hands-On Atelier: Garden Research with Digital Tools

Participants rotate through digital stations to observe and document their chosen subject.
Tools include: digital microscopes, cameras, tablets, drawing apps.
Focus on capturing and representing discoveries through multiple digital languages (photos, videos, drawings, audio recordings).

11:30 – 12:15 | Reflection and Sharing

Group discussion and sharing of digital documentation.
Reflection on strategies, insights, and the role of digital tools in supporting children’s research and storytelling.

12:15 – 12:45 | Closing Pedagogical Synthesis and Q&A

Summarize key learnings from both days.
Discuss how to integrate digital tools into everyday teaching while keeping the child’s perspective central.
Open Q&A session for participants to ask questions, share insights, and discuss practical applications.

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS

Federica Gallone was born and raised in Italy. After completing her studies, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Scenography from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lecce and then moved to Milan to specialize in Product Design at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. She continued her education at the University of Bologna, graduating in 2017 in Drama, Art, and Music Studies. Before moving to the United States, she had the privilege of working at the Centro Internazionale Loris Malaguzzi in Reggio Emilia and at a private school in Milan following the Reggio Children pedagogical project. These experiences allowed her to intertwine theory and practice, deepen her pedagogical perspective, and collaborate closely with outstanding educators and atelierists.

She currently lives and works in San Francisco, where she serves as an Atelierista specializing in the Reggio Emilia Approach at La Scuola International School with strong ties to Italian language and culture. In this role, she guides preschool children through creative research projects using the languages of art, science, and technology, with particular attention to light, sound, digital media, and material exploration. She also provides educator training and pedagogical consulting, always emphasizing the aesthetics of learning and the quality of educational environments.

Federica Lentini was born in Torino, Italy and spent her first 25 years there before moving to the United States. She is in her eleventh year in educational leadership, and draws upon roles in the classroom as head teacher and running music programs that engage children with caregivers, as well as at the administrative level as an early childhood and K3 Director. She received a masters degree in Clinical Psychology from “Universita’ di Torino” in 2005, is a licensed Psychologist, and has engaged in university-level research with children with special needs, as well as children and adults with “Internet Addiction” and attachment disorders.

As the Assistant Head of School for Teaching & Learning at La Scuola International School and Director of the California International Reggio Center, Lentini is able to focus on her passion for early childhood education. She is an accredited Site Supervisor/ Program Director, which allows her to work in collaboration with teachers and administrative staff to design, implement and evaluate a developmentally appropriate Reggio-inspired and IB PYP program. She feels honored to lead a school with such persevering students, an extremely dedicated staff, and a supportive school community.

Simona Correnti was born in Sicily, in a small town in the center of the island. From a young age, she was attracted to the world of art, inspired by watching her grandfather paint. She enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo and then decided to continue her studies in Milan, at the European Institute of Design, where she explored the digital world of graphic design, and at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, where she specialized in painting and visual arts. After working as a designer in publishing, she discovered the Reggio Approach and began working in Milan at a school that collaborates with Reggio Children, allowing her to deepen her understanding of this pedagogical approach. Correnti currently serves as Atierista at La Scuola International School in Silicon Valley, CA.

THIS WORKSHOP IS DESIGNED FOR

This workshop series is designed for early childhood educators, elementary teachers, school leaders, and students preparing to become teachers who are interested in integrating digital languages into their teaching practice. It is suitable for educators across various subjects who want to explore how digital tools can support children’s inquiry, creativity, and documentation within the Reggio Emilia Approach.

Digital Landscapes: The Languages of Technology in the Reggio Emilia Approach

©Hanahau‘oli School 2025