Final Reflection

I must admit that I am now aware that when I began the blogs I had such a narrow minded view of technology! I basically only thought of technology as electronic devices. I now realize that technology encompasses so much more, and is so integral to everything that we do with children. I think that within the early childhood setting technology is a learning area that tends to be overpowered other curriculum areas and is not seen as vital but this learning journey has encouraged me to acknowledge that technology is ingrained and connected to EVERYTHING that we do!

Firstly, I think that the best part about this blogging journey, has not only been becoming aware and recognizing my views and how they impact my teaching; but also reading the views and ideas of others. I feel these have extended my own learning so much more. There were so many ideas about how we can teach technology and it really made me realize that as educators we can never know it all, and that is why continual reflection and sharing of ideas between each other is so important for continual improvement of practice and to challenge our views. I felt that a perspective that helped explain this was Smorti’s (1999) view that if educators are to scaffold children’s learning we need to broaden our understanding of technology and aspire to extend our own knowledge (p.5). From the feed- back on my post I have learnt some different ways of how I can use resources, although I have not had the time to implement them yet, I know that the children will have a lot of fun. They will extend nicely on their previous learning experiences.

I had always known about blogging, but had never thought to use it with children for their learning. After this assignment and how fun it has been I believe that this could be an exciting experience for the children at my centre as well. I have been having discussions with my team about setting up a blog for the children at my centre. Some staff  have been reluctant but I have been advocating by using the netsafe website and resources to show how we can make it safer for children. I hope that once they see what learning it could encompass they will be on board as well. I think it could be a really good way of gaining parental involvement.

This assignment has inspired me to become and advocator for computers. Tsantis, Bedwick & Thouvenelle (2003) interestingly bring up the fact that technology is embraced enthusiastically by society, but is resisted within the classroom (p.1) and I have really experienced this in my context. Before this course our children’s computer sat neglected in a corner and did not work. I pushed, and pushed for them to get fixed and it took quite a while as some teachers do not value them as an important resource.  I feel that some teachers do not like the idea of computers at all, therefore, do not want to be involved with them. I do not think that this is fair on children, we should be providing them with as many opportunities as we possibly can to make connections with the wider world, and like it or not, computers are a major part of life and seem to be here to stay. So I feel me might as well embrace them. I think that hopefully by seeing me working alongside children they become empowered to use the computers as they see how much computers support children’s exploration.

I have heard lots of discussion to whether technology is bad or good. For me it was a case of weighing up the positives and negatives. This soon led me to realise that I felt very positively about technology, I think this is because I like to embrace anything that extends children’s thinking and can make connections for them. I feel that the key to success with any sort of electronic technology is moderation. Ellis & Van Scoter (2001) support this in saying “the critical factor is a balanced approach to technology in learning with thoughtful planning to provide for the important needs of childhood” (p5).  Instead of letting it take over other methods of teaching we should integrate it to support these. I recently watched a family member who is 2 ½ years of age using and I pad to learn how to write letters, I thought it was wonderful! I really do not see a problem as it is used as another way to learn her letters as well as using a pencil. Clements & Natasi (1993) express that technology should not replace human interaction and relationships, but they can serve as catalysts for social interactions and conversations related to children’s work (cited in Ellis & Van Scoter, 2001, p9).

This journey really has encouraged me to step back and allow children to explore, rather than leading the way. It has shown me how competent children are when given new opportunities and how quickly they pick up new skills. I walk into the centre and see our resources with a whole new perspective, and I find myself appreciating what we have a lot more. Technology really does have endless possibilities…

References:

Ellis, D., & Van Scoter, J. (2001) Technology in Early childhood Education: Finding the Balance.Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in Early childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999. 

Tsantis, L. A., Bedwick, C.J., & Thouvenelle, S. (2003). Examining some common myths about computer use in the early years. Young children. Vol 58 (1), pp. 1-9.

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Thank you so much ladies your reflections taught me so much, ka pai to all of you lovely ladies!

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Open- ended exploring using the Overhead Projector...

One of our parents recently brought in a second hand overhead projector for the children to explore.  Today I decided to set it up for the first time.  I initially thought about providing the children with pens and clear plastic so they could draw pictures and explore how the projector displays them on the wall, but on second thought I decided to plug it in and see how the children decided to use it.

Surprisingly for the first ten minutes the children did not even see the projection on the wall as they were having so much fun using the cellophane to explore colours. I think that if I had not been specifically thinking about allowing the children to discover it for themselves I could have easily found myself saying “wow, look at the wall, where is that pattern coming from?”  Eventually the children spotted the projection and there were shrieks of laughter. It made me so glad that I had allowed them to notice it themselves. Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer (2008) similarly discuss the benefits of having the view that children are competent users of technology who are active agents in their own learning (p. 13).

The exploration then soon quickly turned from being centred around the light to what shapes they could make on the walls. I was amazed at how resourceful the children were in finding things to make shapes on the wall, they knew exactly where to find the resources that they wanted around the centre. This included things such as stencils, wooden shapes and natural materials. 

Another child arrived at the centre and walked over to the plug and turned it off. None of the other children saw this and were soon faced with the dilemma, why did the projector turn off?  The children used their previous knowledge and communication skills and came to the conclusion that the plug had been turned off.  “Why does it need to be plugged into the wall?” I asked.  One child answered “to get the petrol”; they were quickly corrected by another child who said “No! The power comes through their and goes up to the power lines that the men come and fix because trees fall on them”.  Through this experience children were enabled to contribute their own ideas and theories about power. This is outlined in Te Whāriki , which states children should develop growing experience in solving problems together which develops children’s understanding of how technologies can help them and other (in this case how electricity provides them with the opportunity to have this experience)” (MOE, 1996, p96).  I wanted to see if this would lead onto the children discussing how the projector works but they did not. I decided to let them carry on exploring what they wanted rather than interrupting their thoughts.

This whole experience provided me with an opportunity to reflect on how important I feel it is to let children openly explore resources in their own way. I realised the importance of letting children explore using their previous knowledge to help them problem solve. I believe that it is important to provide children with the opportunities to explore technology, but to also stand back and allow them to explore it in their own way. '

This is an interesting link that provides ideas for teachers who want to explore light with their tamariki, take a look...
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/childdev/lightsout.htm

References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.).  Victoria, Australia: CENGAGE Learning

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa .Wellington: Learning Media.

Lets use Video cameras to extend our learning...

Date: Friday 26^th August

Lately the children have shown a large interest in taking photos of each other and then flicking back through them and recalling what was happening in the pictures.  I have noticed that sometimes when they are discussing the photo they are forgetting what conversations were happening and I thought that if I provided children with an opportunity to video each other they would be able to recall and relate to what was happening much easier. Forman (2007) discusses how a child’s recalling skills shift from telling us about the product to explaining the process that they are using through the use of video cameras.  I must admit that at first I was very apprehensive about taking my video camera into the centre as I was worried that it would get damaged.  But as I thought more about all the learning opportunities that were going to be provided for the children I soon realised that the positives outweighed the negatives immensely; and how are children to learn respect for and how to use a camera in the first place if they are not provided with the opportunity to learn?

Initially I thought that the camera would be a great tool to support the children as they developed recalling skills. Little did I know I was about to discover many more ways that video camera’s can enhance children’s learning!  When we first started using the camera there were many questions about how the camera worked. Such as “how does the picture get in there”, “what does this button do?”  This allowed lots of peer scaffolding to happen, as some children who had video cameras at home shared their expertise with their peers. This is supported by Ellis & Van Scoter (2001) who explain that studies highlight the opportunities for language use and interaction that technology offers children” (p.9).   I also felt it was really important for children to see the whole process of how you get your recording onto the computer so I brought in my laptop and the children had turns at removing the memory card, sliding it into the laptop and scrolling to find their movie.  I believe that by taking the time to allow each child to experience this provided children with the opportunity to learn and master a new technological tool to add to the array that they already use to explore, create and communicate (Ellis & Van Scoter, 2001).

Another area that the video camera promoted was dramatic play.  As children quickly discovered what the video camera was for and how to use it; they were soon asking if I could record dancing shows, plays, and even their very own episode of ben10 and bob the builder!  We then set up a special screening in which parents were invited along to see the all the hard work and fun that their tamariki had been having.  This led me to my next realisation that video camera’s can be a really useful and meaningful way for documenting children’s learning to display for parents. For example, lately I have been hearing lots of sighs and moaning about the bags full of washing that parents are taking home after the children have been participating in water and messy play. I had tried to explain the benefits for children’s learning and they enjoyment that they derive from it but some parents did not seem to be very convinced at all. Then… after recording the children having water play and muddy play in our sandpit, and setting up a video for parents to watch as they came into the centre, I had so many comments about the wonderful time that the children were having and how much excitement they could hear and see them having . This really proved to me that we should be thinking about how technology can contribute to getting parents involved within centre events. Book 20 from  Kei tua o te pae assessment for learning: Early childhood exemplars states that “digital video cameras used in conjunction with computers have been pivotal in providing easier access to documentation and the curriculum, especially for children and their families” (MOE, 2004,p3).

I now feel that using a video camera regularly as part of my practice will enable me to provide richer learning opportunities for  tamariki and their whanau, and will help to lay the foundations for exploration and learning together through shared understanding.

References:

Ellis, D., & Van Scoter, J. (2001) Technology in Early childhood Education: Finding the Balance. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

Ministry of Education. (2004). Kei tua o te pae assessment for learning: Early childhood exemplars.

Blocks as a tool for technology???

Date:  Thursday 18^th August 2011

Over the past month there has been a large interest in block construction. E (a four year old boy) has been particularly involved in this. Over the past few weeks I have been watching him using the different range of blocks to make various structures. These have developed from being quite simple to very complex.  This morning E decided that he wanted to build one of the buildings that were on the side of the block container. I noticed that at a point he was starting to get frustrated as his was not quite matching this picture.  Initially I thought about sitting down to help him but after noticing some other children working with the blocks I decided to encourage them to help E.  At first E did not mind having some friends there to help, but, as soon as they started to try and move the blocks he started to get very agitated and said “I didn’t even want your help, go away!”  After hearing E say this I was quite disappointed in myself as I realised that E. should have had the opportunity to problem- solve by trial- and- error, using the blocks as his tool (Williams & Kamii, 1986 cited in Wellhousen Tunks, 2009, p3).

This incident made me start to think about my view of block construction and I soon realised that I have not been seeing blocks as a technological tool.  Fleer & Jane (2011) discuss how the view that a teacher holds about technology directly impacts on the way that they teach it, therefore, if I do not broaden my perspective and strive to improve my practice it is not fair for the children I am teaching. Furthermore Rogers & Russo (2003) explain that block play is an open ended resource that offers endless possibilities in design, problem solving, and logical thinking.  Upon reflecting on this one situation it has made me think about numerous times that I have not been taking the children’s needs into consideration. Such as when it is ‘tidy- up time’ and I insist that the children pack away their blocks; how am I supporting children’s learning when I do this? I have now realised that I need to think of other ways to support children’s technological skills. One of the ways I have thought about this is to allow the child to take photos of what they have constructed before they put it away. Do you think this is a good idea?  Do you know any other strategies that I could use?

I have also found upon observation and reflection that blocks are a resource at our centre that we are not linking with other aspects of the curriculum and I have been thinking about ways that I can do this. I feel that to do this I will need to start seeing blocks as a tool for technology and learning to support interests.  For example, today the children set up a tent and they wanted to construct a campfire, as we did not have any wood immediately on hand I suggested that the children could use the blocks.  This supported their learning and allowed them to continue exploring through dramatic play. In support of this the New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki states that “using many different materials for different purposes enables children to recognise that different technologies may be used in various places and settings (Ministry of Education (1996), p95).

Overall I have found that my view deeply impacts how technology and resources are portrayed to children. Writing this post has allowed me to discover and see blocks from a whole different perspective and as a valuable technological tool for children’s learning.

References:

Fleer, M., & Jane, B. (2011). Design and technology for children. Frenchs Forest,

               N.S.W: Pearson Australia

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa .Wellington: Learning Media.

Rogers, A. & Russo, S. (2003). Blocks: A commonly encountered play activity in the Early years, or a key in facilitating skills in science, maths and technology? Investigating:   Australian Primary and Junior Science Journal. 19(1) 17. Retrieved August3, 2011 from Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre database.

Talay-Ongan, A., & Ap, E. A. (Eds.). (2005). Child development and teaching young children.        Southbank, Victoria: Thompson Social Science Press.

Tunks, K. W. (2009). Block play: Practical suggestions for common dilemma’s. Dimensions of      Early childhood. 37(1) 3- 8. . Retrieved August 3, 2011 from Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre database.

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 Thought I would experiment adding a picture, this is my daughter helping her daddy on the laptop at just a few months of age!