chantel's blog: March 2012

Friday, 30 March 2012

Final refelction

Final Reflection.

First off all I didn’t know how much non digital technology experiences are around us in the centre or at home in Smori (1999) they states the following examples. 1. Which joining technology to use in the collage (stapes/glue/cello tape etc.). 2. How to add wheels to a carpentry constriction. 3. Using ramps or levels to shift heavy sandpit toys. 4. Redesigning the family corner. 5. Making homes for insect. 6. Growing plants.

During the last few weeks I gained so much more knowledge about technology in children’s everyday life, I never really notice non digital technology until recently when I were focus just on technology, I saw so much more than before, and after reading all the others reflections I got so much more ideas to do with the children and how to incorporate digital and non digital technology into children’s experiences. Since I started writing these blogs, I find so much technology in children’s activities every day after reading readings about technology and learning about technology in children’s life I noticed more learning dispositions. In the last couple weeks I have been focus on technology and find it so easy to see the technology part in activities, non digital and digital technology. Through the comments I got a lot of questions from other students that made me think deeper into certain things, or even just made me think what I found difficult and some questions I can ask the children. Some of the question they asked me I haven’t even think of and it really made me revisited the experience while reading this question as well as thinking off other similar opportunities I can provide for the children.

I have found a good you tube clip, for my last blog, about students being 21^st century learners and how much digital technology they use. This was a real eye opener for me, although I was use to digital technology form a young age, it was interesting to see how much technology are taking over the world, there is so much children in primary school that uses computers now a days.

I think having technology opportunities for preschoolers are important, it give them the change to explore and gets them ready for school and the real life. In Te Whariki it states children should use a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore the world. Children should gain experience in using communication technologies such as crayons, book and computers. Technology also helps children solve problems, build self confidence and recognise that different technologies may be used in various places and settings. (Ministry of Education, 1996).

I think having the technology resources for children available in the centre is good, and they learn so much from exploring it, but only short periods of time, I still think children this young age should be running outside and be active, but I will defiantly encourage children to explore technology in short periods of time, as they will be using throughout their lives. Through technology children learn fine motor skills, hand and eye coordination and there are so many different software children can learn form, like sorting, matching and counting.

Technology is also 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; there may be more than one solution to the problem. Technology is influenced by the culture or the society in which it occurs. (Smori, 1999).

References

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

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

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

skype

Recently our cook left us to moved to Australia , he was the only male in our centre and really good with the children. The children loved him and couldn’t leave him alone. It has only been a week and a half and the children are still asking for him. This is quite sad for them and as he isn’t close by to pop in from time to time I decided to contact him and see if he would like to Skype the children. He agreed, and loved the idea. We do not have Skype at work so I brought in my own laptop with Skype installed on it. Between him and I we organised a time. At mat time we told the children that we will be able to talk to * on Skype. We also told them to think of something they want to tell them or draw a picture is they want to show him the picture. I used our technology/project room for this. The children all brought a chair into the room and sat in little groups. We switched Skype on. I manage the children and only had little groups at a time, as the laptop screen is quite small. Skyped worked really well and the children and I enjoyed it very much.

In Te Whaariki it states children should be encourage to be solving practical problems contributes to self confidence and well being through technology. Children using many materials for different purpose enable children to recognise that different technologies may be used in various places and settings. Through technology children gain experience in using communication technologies such as crayons, pencils, books and computers.(Ministry of Education, 1996).

By using this type of technology the children were able to revisit their past experiences. Some of the children were very excited to see him on the screen moving and talking to them. It was quite funny for me to wash as they try and high 5 him on the screen and then searching for the camera. Some children found themselves more interesting on the screen itself. In the New Zealand curriculum it states the importance of technology in preschool as many of them will be using digital technology in their school age years. (Ministry of Education, 1993).

Technology plays a big part in everyday life. Most children now experience a range of technologies as part of everyday life in Arthur & Beecher they state there have been a major social, economic and technological changes in the late twenty and early twenty-first centuries in many parts of the world, resulting in changing experiences of childhoods.(Arthur & Beecher, 2007) here is a amazing you tube clip about 21^st century learners. MUST SEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8

I thought this activity was a really good way to incorporate technology into our centre. We have lovely teacher – child relationships and when someone leaves they always says they will come and visit but never do, and this is just the perfect way of keeping in touch, we just had a little boy how left for holiday for 2 months, when he come back we had to settle him again and took so long for him again to rebuild those relationships. I wonder if we skyped him while he was on holiday if that would have made his settling in period smoother?

Reference:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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

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

Photo reference:

Skype logo: retrieve from Goolge 21/03/2012
geek.com

Skype laptop: retrieve from Goole 21/03/2012
mariaeves.com

Children skyping: retrieve from Google 21/03/2012
blog.ps119amersfort.com

You tube clip retrieve 05/03/2012

Monday, 19 March 2012

Hyperlinks

Laptops

The last couple days I was looking for ways to incorporate digital technology into the children’s play. They are used to playing with cameras but I wanted to do something different. Since the children explore another box, made it into a fire truck, I had the fire truck come to visit our centre and wanted to incorporate digital technology into their experience. While the children were sleeping one afternoon I took the laptop to write some learning stories. A child woke up and come to sit with me. Instantly hit me, since I didn’t know a fire truck song, I quickly you tube one, I look through it and it was appropriate for the children to watch. After a while there were more children awake, I laid down on my tummy with the children on the floor, the laptop in front of us and we look and listen to a fire truck sing along book on you tube. This was a great experience for me and the children, at the same time we learnt a great fire truck song. You tube clip of the fire truck song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emv-Yn6g1r4

The song ended, the children wanted to it again, I showed one boy how were really interested in the laptop which button to push to replay this clip. He were so excited, after a while he pointed to a button, ready to push it and looked at me, I realised he wanted to push some buttons, minimising the song I opened up a empty work document. The children now had the opportunity to push buttons. They took turns; I encouraged them to look up onto the screen after they pushed a button.
Wow this is amazing I thought to myself, if I think a laptop is awesome, what are the children thinking right now, every time they pushed a button they go crazy and get really excited.

I thought this is such a great opportunity for the children to start recognizing letters and numbers, developing their early literature skills. This was also a great opportunity to extend on their hand and eye coordination and they are exploring technology. Experience with some of the technology and resources for mathematics, reading, and writing. (Ministry of Education, 1996).

Having these technology opportunities for children at preschool age will be benefiting in school years were they mainly use computers now. (Arthur & Beecher, 2007).

In McNaughton and Williams it states preschoolers gain increasing competence in using their fine motor skills by doing a wide range of activities such as drawing, pasting, sewing, cutting and using the computer keyboard. In the preschool years children need many of these skills to complete tasks and solve problems. Gaining new technical skills can enhance children work on particular project and as children become older there is a wider range of techniques they can use to express their meanings to each other.(McNaughton & Williams, 2009).

I do have an old non working laptop, key board, mobile phone, phone and more for the children on the shelve. I revisited that area and move a table into the area, place some photos of digital technology onto the wall and made it into a little technology area for the children. Now the children keep bringing the laptop up to me telling me it is not working. They want the real deal now. I will certainly keep providing the children with technology opportunities. We are developing a technology room in our centre at the moment, which I think the children will really enjoy even my little 2-3 year olds.

References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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

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

Photo references:

Girl lying on the floor with the laptop.
hmi.ewi.utwente.nl

Women and two children.
123rf.com

Girl sitting at the table with the laptop.
cartinafinland.fi

Saturday, 17 March 2012

Priceless

Ever though that a ball pen, brick, ice block, box and more is technology?
The simples definition of “technology” I found was that technology is everywhere, it’s about solving problems, helping others, and each of the above it technology, non digital technology.
Technology is also 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. (Smori, 1999).

Last week I order some more toys for the children, nice big trucks, colourful cars and dinosaurs. I opened the box, took all the toys out to tick it off the list. I placed the toys on the floor, ready or the children to start exploring. About 1 min later a child come closer, took

the empty box where the toys were in dragged it backwards and started playing in the box. It was priceless to see how much the children were enjoying this box. Soon there were two children in one box, the children pretended the box were a fire truck. Forget about all these brand new, nice, colourful, expenses toy, the children chosen a brown, un attractive box, which I was just about the throw out. I watched the children play for quite a while, they were in and out the box, moving it around and lifting it up, they used a lot for gross motor skills by doing all these. A lot of pretend play was happening at the same time, pretending there is a steering weal, the girls played “doggie doggie” in it. It was amazing to see them playing with minimal resources, something we all have around home, centres and in the community. The children’s imagination just went sky high. They are extending on their creative skills, by using the box for different things.

In Te Whaariki it states “Children should experience an environment where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking and reasoning” (Ministry of Education, 1996 p. 82). The New Zealand curriculum and Te Whaariki states: Children should develop the confidence to choose and experiment with materials, to play around with ideas, and to explore activity with all the sense. (Ministry of Education, 1996. & Ministry of Education, 1993).

Every day in the centre or at home we do or provide children with resources, toys, books and lots more, but by providing them a box to explore work just as well, the children were using their imagination they were actively exploring. The ideas that come out what they can use the box for were incredible.
Non digital technology helps children understand technology easier, Bruce and Meggitt (2006) states how important non-digital technology are, simple things around the house, egg whisk, waterwheels, weaving, scissors, boxes, and how important it is to encourage children to use wooden blocks and constructions kits.

In Te Whaariki it states under technology: using materials for different purposes enables children to recognise that different non digital technologies may be used in various places and setting. (Ministry of Education, 1996).

I found this you tube clip that was so interesting, it is about a few children playing in boxes and having so much fun, they have obviously been focus for quite some time and enjoying themselves. These children were exploring non digital technology, playing with the boxes, painting, imaginative play and heaps more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5ztv-E5Vho

I will defiantly provide and encourage children to actively explore more non digital

technology. Reading more about non digital technology opened my eyes, everywhere you look you will find non digital technology, which all somehow develops into digital technology.

Monday, 12 March 2012

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