I
have thoroughly enjoyed making this blog, reflecting on my interactions with
technology in my centre and also the feedback from the ladies in my group. I
have learnt so much from these activities I was involved with, things that I
never would have thought connected with technology. I always thought technology
was electrical things that you plugged into a wall but the readings and the
other blogs I have read showed me how technology is all around us – digital and
non digital.
I particularly liked that a recurring theme
throughout the blogs was the tuakana teina relationships at work, where
children worked together and helped each other out. I believe this links to the
contribution strand in Te Whariki stating that “children experience an
environment where they are encouraged to learn with and alongside others” (Ministry
of Education, 1996, p. 70).
Talay & Ongan (2005) suggests that “technology
has gained acceptance in education for young children as being a tool, a medium
for providing possibilities and opportunities for children and is viewed as a
resource for encouraging children to make meaning and to engage in
life-enhancing relationships” ( p.226). I agree with this statement as I saw
throughout my experiences that each piece of technology provided different
aspects of learning. Also through my new and growing understanding of
technology I’m conscious that I can help bring awareness of how awesome it can
be for children to learn about things in life through technology.
I
enjoyed all three activities but I especially loved being part of the clock
experience. It wasn’t until after I had been involved and looked back and reflected
on it I realized how much technology was involved in the experience. From the
clock to the carpentry tools to the digital camera, there were quite a few
aspects of technology in this activity that was at work. Smorti (1999) agrees
with this stating that teachers often are already using the tools and providing
opportunities of technology. The feedback I got from this was really good and
gave me ideas of how to extend on this activity by showing other methods of
telling the time such as a digital clock, stop watches and egg timer etc.
The
video was a really awesome activity to do as I loved to see the concentration
on the children’s faces while they discovered something new. I also loved this
as I felt it was an empowering activity for the children to make discoveries
for themselves and to try to fix problems they encountered. Ministry of
Education (1996) states that children are supported in an environment where
their problem solving skills are encouraged and developed. The feedback from my experience has inspired me
to find more unused equipment for children to dismantle and investigate the
workings of them. Then possibly research it further through books and the
internet if the children were inspired to take it further.
The
cash register was interesting as it brought up memories of my childhood and how
I always wanted to play with a cash register and Marisa mentioned the same
thing. Therefore I think it is so awesome that the children now can have hands
on experience with technology like this at a young age. Not only was it an
activity that children could relate this technology to their world in the
community but it also helped to further their mathematical skills by counting
and recognizing the numbers on the machine.
I
have such a better understanding about technology now and have learnt that through
technology it can help children to visualize difficult-to-understand concepts (Van
Scoter, Ellis & Railsback, 2001). Therefore it is a great learning and
teaching tool for me, my centre and the children involved.
References
Ministry
of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o
Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning
Media.
Smorti, S.
(1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early
Education, 19, 5-10.
Talay-Ongan, A., & Ap, E. A.
(Eds.). (2005). Child development and
teaching young children. Southbank, Victoria, Australia: Thompson Social
Science Press.
Van Scoter, J., Ellis, D., &
Railsback, J. (2001). Technology in Early Childhood Education: Finding the
balance. Oregon: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/byrequest.pdf
