Reflection 3

Reflection 3

I noticed at my centre that a group of children were always making mud cakes in the sandpit.  I approached them and asked them if they wanted to make a cake for afternoon tea.  They were excited at this thought and followed me into the dining area.  I read out the recipe to them and they were keen to get started.  I reminded them that we all needed to wash and dry our hands thoroughly before handling any food as this prevented the spread of germs which made us sick.  Together we went into the bathroom and I demonstrated how to wash and dry their hands properly.  I felt that this was a good opportunity of developing their knowledge about how to keep themselves healthy (Ministry of Education, 1996).  Once they had finished they returned to the dining area.  I placed all the ingredients and utensils we needed on the table.  I used picture cues with the instructions written under so that they could easily follow the steps.  With a bit of support from me, they were able to follow the instructions.  They were working together, helping each other figure out the next step and explaining what they were doing.  They were pleased with their finished product which was a tasty chocolate cake for afternoon tea.

One of my colleagues later asked me if I knew that baking was a technological activity.  I was struggling to understand how this experience which was not digital, modern or computer centric could be classified as technology but after reading Smorti’s article, my understanding changed.

“Technology is a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments.  Knowledge, skills and resources are combined to find solutions” (Smorti,1999, p.6).  Much to my amazement I’ve realised that the baking learning experience I provided for the children was a technological activity.  It was a creative process as the cake mixture looked very different when it was first poured into the baking tin and after it came out of the oven.  The activity had a purpose and that was to produce a cake for afternoon tea.  Children were getting an understanding about processes by following the recipe (picture cues) and problem solving as they tried to figure out the next step.  There was science involved as they saw the mixture transform from a runny mixture to a solid as the cake cooked, maths as they were measuring, literacy as they were reading the recipe and communicating with each other and problem solving as they were helping each other figure out the next step.  Their physical skills were being strengthened as they held the bowl and used the spoon to mix the ingredients.  The children were gaining essential practical skills as they developed their product (Ministry Of Education, 2007). They also had the opportunity to develop their social, emotional as well as their language skills as they interacted with others, took turns and spoke to each other about what they were doing.  The resources I provided which were the ingredients, utensils, cooking cue cards with instructions as well as myself were sources of information.

“Technology is intervention by design: the use of practical and intellectual resources to develop products and systems that expand human possibilities by addressing needs and realizing opportunities” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.32).  The cooking experience was creative, productive and gave children the opportunity gain new skills and knowledge, to problem solve and develop a new product.  It has given me a totally different view of what technology is.  I’ve realised whether it’s a stone-age tool, the simple crayon or the latest high-tech digital gadget, any form of technology is a tool for living, working, teaching and learning. “As part of a world revolution in communication, technology, work and leisure children will need to develop confidence in themselves and be able to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills” (Ministry of Education as cited in Smorti, 1999, p.8) The baking experience gave children an opportunity to explore technology acquired new skills and knowledge and view themselves as competent.

References

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2007).TheNew Zealand curriculum.Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, 19, 5-10.

Reflection 2

 I was holding the camera when child A approached me and asked me if he could use it.  I asked him if he knew how to use the camera and he indicated to me that he did not. I felt that this would be a good opportunity to develop his technological learning. Fleer and Jane (2011), state that teachers should incorporate technological literacy into their teaching practice so that children have opportunities to enhance their technological learning, independence and creativity. I then asked him to sit next to me so that I could show him how the camera worked.   I showed him how to turn on the camera and how the picture he was seeing on the screen would be the photograph he was taking.  I explained that he therefore needed to point the camera in the direction of his subject and make sure it was on the screen before taking the photograph.  I then showed him which button he needed to press if he wanted to take the photograph.  I also explained to him that the camera had a memory stick which saved all the photographs and showed him where it was located in the camera and what it looked like.  I spoke to him about how the camera was fragile and expensive and that he needed to be gentle when using it.  I told him that he had to make sure the lanyard was around his neck when using it as this would prevent it from falling to the ground if he accidentally dropped it.  I also told him that it was a good idea to get people's permission before taking their photograph as sometimes people didn’t want their photographs taken and that we had to respect their decision.    He then walked around the playground asking his friends if he could take their photographs and when they agreed he did.  After he had taken a few photographs, I asked him if he would like to print some of the photographs he had taken so that he could share them with his family.  He happily agreed.  I showed him how to remove the memory stick from the camera and how to download it onto the computer.  He was thrilled to see his photographs appear on the computer screen.  I then asked him which photographs he wanted to print and showed him how to select the photographs and which button he needed to press to print them.  He did this with a bit of scaffolding from me and waited patiently at the printer for his photographs.  He was delighted with his photographs and couldn’t wait to share them with his mum.  According to the Ministry of Education (2007), it is important to encourage children to use technology so that they develop foundational technological literacy and are therefore better equipped for technology-related jobs in the future.

Child A showed an interest in the camera and I responded to this by showing him how the camera worked and then giving him the opportunity to explore this technology.  Today digital technologies are becoming part of the way we work and play (Mishra, Koehler & Henriksen, 2011).  I therefore believe that teachers need to use opportunities that arise to allow children to explore and familiarise themselves with these technologies.  By allowing him to take the photographs, showing him how to download them and then how to print them, I gave him the opportunity to see the different stages involved in the process from start to finish.  I believe that this was a good learning experience as it was a way of introducing him to in-depth investigation. Engaging in in-depth study of a topic is better than studying a variety of brief topics as children gain a deeper understanding (Clark, 2007).  He showed an interest in the camera and by showing him and allowing him to use it and take photographs, I was letting him follow his interests. According to Gonzalez-Mena (2011),  when a teacher follows the interest of a child, the child’s learning is more meaningful as they are constructing their knowledge and finding meaning in their experience instead of just passively receiving the information from the teacher.

 Before letting him start using the camera, I spoke to him about why and how we needed to take care of it.  I did this because I believe it is important for children to respect equipment and take care of it so they develop an appreciation.  I also spoke to him about asking people for permission before taking their photographs and printing them as some people may not want him to take their photographs.  According to The Ministry of Education (2009), children’s photographs should not be taken and published without the consent of the child and the parent.  I felt it was important to educate him on the correct protocol when he was taking photographs. The importance of this was brought to my attention during a talk from a Net Safe expert in class and I felt it necessary to impart with the child so that he would start developing good cyber safety habits. “Technology is centre stage in our lives and interaction” (Mishra, Koehler & Henriksen, 2011, p.22).  I therefore feel it is important for teachers to embrace it and teach children not only how to use it but also about the responsibility that goes with using it.

References

Clark, A. (2007). Changing classroom practice to include the project approach. ERCP, 8 (2), 1-10.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2011). Foundations of early childhood education: Teaching children in a        diverse society (5^th ed.). Boston, Ma: McGraw Hill.

Ministry of Education: (2009). Requirements for ICT security in ECE services. Retrieved from:

            http://www.lead.ece.govt.nz/ManagementInformation/ICTInfrastructure/SecurityAndCybersafety/RequirementsForICTSecurityInECEServices.aspx

Ministry of Education. (2007).TheNew Zealand curriculum.Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Mishra, P., Koehler, M.J., & Henriksen, D. (2011). The seven trans-disciplinary habits of mind: extendingthe tpack framework towards 21^st century learning. Educational Technology, 11(2), 22-28.

Reflection 1

I was showing a small group of children some photographs of our end of year party on our recently acquired computer at the centre.  We all took turns pressing the “enter” key to move to the next photograph.  Child A who was usually very shy asked me if we could use the computer to write our names.  I explained to her that we could but that we needed to use a different programme to do that and it was called Kid-Pix.  I then switched to Kid-Pix and each child had a turn to try typing their name.  Child A accidentally typed four A’s in her name and she recognised that she had made a mistake.  She pointed to the screen and told me that her name was incorrect and that she didn’t know how to fix it so I showed her where the delete key was and how to delete the letters she did not want.  She then corrected her mistake by deleting the extra A’s she had added.  Next child D attempted typing his name and he accidentally put in three D’s in his name.  Child A remembered how to delete the letters and she showed child D what to do to correct his name.  Child A who was usually quiet and lacked confidence was communicating with Child D and appeared confident.  I was under the impression that computers promoted antisocial behaviour however I realised this was not true.  According to research for many children, the computer is a catalyst for information sharing, language development and decision making (Davidson & Wright as cited in Tsantis, Bewick & Thouvenelle, 2003).  Child A who usually lacked confidence had learnt how to do something new on the computer was confident and able to use this knowledge to help child D when it was his turn. One of the aspirations of Te Whāriki is for children to grow up as competent and confident learners (Ministry of Education, 1996). This experience gave child A an opportunity to view herself as competent thus boosting her self esteem.

According to Te Whāriki in order for children to participate in this world, they need to continue gaining new knowledge and skills (Ministry of Education, 1996).  The Ministry of Education states that it is important to incorporate technology education in the curriculum as this equips children for jobs in their future (Ministry of Education, 2007). The experience the children had with the computer gave them the opportunity to learn how to use the computer.  They were introduced to the different components of the computer ie. the keyboard, the screen, the mouse as well as the photography and Kid-Pix programmes thus familiarizing themselves with the computer and computer jargon. The aim of technology in schools is for students to develop a broad technological literacy so that they are equipped to participate in society as informed citizens (Ministry of Education, 2007).  Children had the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills.  Te Whāriki states that children should have opportunities to develop knowledge that trying things out are important and valued ways of learning (Ministry of Education, 1996).  The computer served as another mode of communication literacy and children were exploring this technology and developing their skills with this new communication tool.

By exposing children to the keyboard, they were not only recognizing the letters of their names but were also gaining confidence in using the keyboard.  They were also shown how to use the delete key. This was a way of familiarizing them with the keyboard. One of the outcomes in the communication strand in Te Whāriki states that children should develop experience with some of the technology and resources for mathematics, reading and writing” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.78).  This experience gave them the opportunity to develop their literacy skills ie. recognising letters, using the keyboard to type out their names and then reading their names on the computer.

Today society has enthusiastically embraced technology (Tsantis, Bewick & Thouvenelle, 2003).   As I reflect on the experience, I believe that the opportunity the children had to use the computer was a stepping stone for them to gain more confidence using this communication tool.  I will endeavour to provide more opportunities for the children to strengthen their computer skills as computers play a huge part in their lives today.

References

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2007).TheNew Zealand curriculum.Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Tsantis, L., Bewick, C., & Thornton, S. (2003). Examining some common myths about computers in the early years. Young Children on the Web, November 2003, 1-9.