Final reflection

 

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