Reflection

As I have been reading through my fellow students work, my take on technology has begun to change. I first believed that children would not benefit from the use of technology in centres and that they could experience all they needed to learn by going outside and having hands on experiences. When I first began my journey with technology I didn’t think about the learning opportunities that could affect how they children grow and learn. I now believe that there can be a time and a place with the correct appropriateness where children can either be placed on their own or alongside others to develop their knowledge about technology which will benefit them in their future studies and how to solve problems.

If I were to do the experiences and activities again, I would allow the children more time with the objects and give the children the opportunity to explore their world freely. From the feedback by my peers I would like to plan another experience where the children are able to have their own camera or device and go on an outdoor excursion. We could make a project from the experience and revisit the task a few times a week. Through this I think we would be able to introduce different technology in order to have the children explore a range of different devices. Technology can be used to help the children’s reading, writing, and aiding to find answers to the number of questions they ask throughout the day. To provide more one on one experiences I have thought about doing an activity with a small group of children. This way I will be able to document the children’s learning and to have better conversations with a child about how they are feeling, what they are learning, and what they would like to do next to extend on their experience.

Because there is no technology in my centre for the children to interact with, I wanted to be more careful when allowing the children to play and explore the teacher’s camera. Because of this, I was following the children around when they were running around outside with the camera and only allowing 2 minutes each. It was also because we had a lot of children waiting for their turn that I decided to have their names written down to allow turn taking. I also did not know how much time we would have for the experience because of our daily routine and the fact that I was in ratio and am required to perform certain tasks throughout the day. From the experiences I have been able to see the learning opportunities and the way that the children make connections to their world. I would like to speak to my centre manager and owner to discuss the possibility of introducing technology to the centre to further the children’s learning that will benefit their success in the future.

Through these blog entries I have been given the opportunity to move out of my comfort zone and explore something I had no idea about. By being able to read and have feedback from my peers, I am able to see what others think about technology and also gives me ideas of how I can better incorporate technology into the children’s everyday experiences and learning.

Sharlene entry four response - http://mitpeopleplacesthingsevents.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/entry-four.html?showComment=1442871090625#c9055515761664921147

Tegan entry five response - http://socialsciencesandearlychildhood.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/blog-project-entry-five.html?showComment=1442882143044#c3603703387338537428

Tiffney entry four response - http://technologicalsciencesbytiffneydaniels.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/entry-four.html

Entry Five

During the past few weeks the children in my centre have been learning about where they came from. This could be when they would visit their home country or a surrounding area that they live in today. One afternoon, Betty was playing outside in the sand pit with the buckets and spades. Play in the sandpit usually consists of making a range of different castles but today the teachers and I had provided buckets of different shapes “Digging and filling tools such as buckets, clear containers, funnels, scoops, and sieves are traditional sand implements, but children often come up with their own ideas of what to use in the sand” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2014). Betty filled a construction cone with sand and proceeded to tip it over and lift it off. Her response “It looks like the sky tower”. Betty and her family have been to the city and visited the sky tower and is now bringing these experiences into the centre (Ministry of Education, 1996). From this discovery, Betty began to use different buckets to create the surrounding buildings to make her own version of the city. To encourage her learning I printed off images of the sky tower and large and small buildings to inspire her. The interest in the buildings then changed into creating a river which later became a beach. Betty has been using her past experiences and surroundings to create in her learning environment and sharing with others. This is the first time that Betty has been involved in an activity where she has continued her exploration through her interests and included others on her journey.

To further Betty’s learning and understanding of the world around her we began to draw images of our own houses and the places that we liked to visit. Other children were observing the activities and decided to join the experience. As I had the camera with me taking photos, the children were able to look back to see what they had done and would then find other ways they could share their experiences with the toys around them. This activity links in with Bronfenbrenner’s theory as Betty Is making connections from her experiences, home and centre life (Berk, 2007). It is through these wider connections that she is developing her understanding of the world around her but what also affects what and how she does things.

From this experience, Betty has shared her stories about her family making trips to big houses and lots of people. “Attachments to parents, siblings usually last a life-time and serve as models for relationships in the wider world of neighborhood, school, and community” (Berk, 2007). Since this activity Betty has been telling me stories about what her family did in the city and would then change to what animals lived in her river/ beach. The topic then changed from building to sea animals as she searched through the sandpit container and found a seahorse and starfish molds. Throughout the activity children would come and go but Betty would not get distracted and only focus on what she was doing in the moment. To further her interest I would like to plan an excursion where she could visit these places with others from the centre.

References

Berk, L. E. (2007 (4th e.d.)). Development throught the lifespan . United States of America: Pearson Education Inc.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2014). Foundations of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse society (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

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

Entry Four

In my centre we do not have any pieces of technology available for the children to interact with. I went into my centre this week with an idea to give the children the teacher’s camera to explore. During mat time I discussed what we were going to be doing and arranged a list of names to ensure turn taking. As the children could recognise the names, they would prompt children when it was their turn. Each child was given two minutes each and I did not give any directions on how to use the camera but allowed the children to explore on their own.

When the first child was given the camera they looked at me as if they were asking for my permission. I explained that they could take photos of whatever they wanted whether it be inside or outside, photos of their friends or their toys. Children waiting for their turn were standing ready to pose for the photo. From the photos taken majority of the children took photos of their friends while other took pictures of the environment and of children busy in their play activities. When the children had finished their turn they gave the camera back and continued with their play. These children no longer posed for others or asked to use the camera for the remainder of the day. This is supported by Stephen & Plowman (2013) where children have been seen abandoning the technology because they lost interest or don’t understand the rules or how to work the piece of equipment. The children were given a time frame in which they could take photos but there were children that would take one photo and give it back to me because they were finished. This may be because they did not know how to work the camera or they were no longer interested. From observing these children I could see that the novelty wore off because they returned to their play and never looked back or wanted to revisit the experience.

The next day I sat down with the children that didn’t get a turn the previous day. These children were given advice by others and informed them to take photos of their friends and their favourite things in the centre. During a mat time I asked the children what they did, how they felt about the experience, and what and why they took these specific photos and if they had any meaning. Child one I asked about his photos. “Black and White” he replied. From this I could see his interest in the camera itself as he was exploring the other buttons and explaining the colour of the camera. When I asked child two what she did with the camera she said “I pushed the button really hard”. This was said because she observed others taking photos and looking at them afterwards but didn’t know why she couldn’t see her own. As other children had more experience with cameras outside of the centre, they told her what she needed to do. I asked child three what he took photos of and he replied “my cars because they are my favourite”.

By asking the children to share with others about what they experienced and learned about the camera, children are learning scaffolding. “The encouragement by the adult of children to orally report, evaluate, and hence, learn to reflect on what had happened as they solve their technological problems” (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009). By reporting, evaluating and reflecting at mat time with others, the children can discuss with others what pictures they took and also helping other to find out why their photos didn’t come out or turned out blurry than others. By revisiting this experience again with this group of children, they will be able to solve these problems and become more experienced with the camera (Ministry of Education, 1996).

References

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 Limited.

 Stephen, C. & Plowman, L. (2013). Digital technologies, play, and learning. Early Childhood Folio, 17(2), 3-8.  

Entry Three

“ICT is acknowledged as being a significant part of people’s lives, and for many young children it forms the backdrop to their lives” (Archard, 2013). This is a quote that I disagree with. In my centre we do not have any technological devices that the children get to interact with. We have a television that we use occasionally to watch a movie on a wet day and a radio to play music but these are teacher’s resources. I believe that what you can experience from an iPad, you can experience in real life. A child does not need to use an iPad to do a puzzle, colour in a picture or stack boxes on one another. Children have the opportunity to get away from the screen and experience these activities hands on. Using calculators when doing maths isn’t making a person find the problem themselves, the child isn’t doing their own thinking.

An issue that has now been found in many homes is the amount of time spend on technology. Television and iPads have become a babysitter. Children are finding it difficult to pay attention to tasks. Reading a book requires your attention, encourages you to use your imagination, and requires you to memorise what you have learnt (Taylor, 2012). Whereas when sitting in front of a television screen, there is no need to use your imagination and no need to memorise things. Technology is hindering their learning. Too much time exposed to technology is causing our children to become less prepared for what life throws at them. Children have been seen to throw tantrums when their technology has been taken from them. Technology has become an addiction. I will say personally that I find myself lost and not knowing what to do when the internet turns off. If I could change one thing about my life, it would be to have spent a lot less time in front of a television or computer screen and spent more time outside. It is because of this that I do not like young children playing with technology and if I were given a choice to introduce an iPad to the children for a week, I would decline.

Another issue surrounding technology and children is that children are not socialising. With time spent eating, sleeping, and going to school, it leaves very little time to interact with those around you when you have a screen in front of you. HeartMath Institute, 2015 explains that with the amount of time spent on technology and not socialising with others can affect how children relate to others and register others’ emotions. Children are not developing empathy for others. This may lead to the loss of relationships and difficulty to interact with peers face to face. I have seen in my experience where a child will invite their friends over to play but all they do is watch a movie and play on separate devices and never communicating at all.

Our world is becoming technologically dominant and I can see that by being exposed to devices at an early age will benefit them in the future, but I would like to see children running around playing sports, playing dress ups and role playing with their friends, and socialising without having a screen in their face.

References

Archard, S. (2013). Democracy in early childhood education: How information and communication technology contributes to democratic pedagogy and practices. Early Childhood Folio, 17(2), 27-32. 

HeartMath Institute. (2015). Children ad technology: Should you be concerned? Retrieved from                 http://www.care2.com/greenliving/children-and-technology-should-you-be-concerned.html

Taylor, J. (2012). How technology is changing the way children think and focus. Retrieved from                 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-think-and-focus

Entry Two - Social Studies

Currently my centre has been developing our programming and planning wall in our preschool room directed towards becoming a diverse centre and educating the children on their own and different cultures in the centre. Parents are encouraged to come in to the centre to share knowledge about their culture during a mat time and prepare an activity that they children can engage in. By doing this the children are able to hear from the people they know and care about as to where they came from and their cultural background. The children are able to develop their individuality as well as find was as to relate and learn about the cultures of their peers. By linking the knowledge to the past the children are able to learn that New Zealand was once a diverse country and has now become a multicultural country and through that change I believe that the children would greatly benefit from this change.

The way that we support children’s understanding in the economic world is educating them about purchases. An activity that we do together is playing shop. The children are given a set amount of play money and they move around the centre collecting their products. When it is time to come to the checkout some children realise that they don’t have enough money and so they children must make the decision of what items are essential to them. This helps children relate to the real world because I think that it prepares them for situations that they will face when they are out in the community.

By getting the children out exploring the community is we take weekly to monthly trips around the community. Since I have started working in my centre we have been to the local park with other centres to attend a reading, the children have played on the equipment, we have been on a bus ride to the Papatoetoe library to learn about different cultures, and the children go on school visits every second week. We have also been visited by the police who came to speak with the children and had a fire truck come and park in the carpark. Our children are learning about the places and environment around them and have on numerous occasions had discussions with teachers and parents about what they experienced and their enthusiasm about wanting to do it again. The school visits are preparing them for their next step in life. At the schools they are able to learn the routine and the placement of materials in the classroom.

By educating the children about the past we have done science experiences with volcanoes and explained what processes were happening and what became of these events. On Anzac day the children made poppies and were given a brief explanation by the teachers as to why this day was celebrated. The children were also given the opportunity to make Anzac biscuits which they shared with others and their parents. Through these experiences as they were done with other children, the children are able to learn together and how to work positively as a team.

In relation to the well-being of a child (Ministry of Education, 1996), the impact that social studies has on the children’s learning is being able to respect others and work as a team. Understanding that their own culture is being respected and included give children the sense of belonging. Children know where they fit in in society and what role they need to play when interacting with others shows their contribution in the centre and in society. Children are able to communicate positively with their peers. Exploration is the child’s way of finding out how things work and the impact that they have in order to keep things working in the environment and in the relationships that they share with others.

Entry One - People, Places, Things and Events

When I think about an event that had a big impact in my life, the first thing that comes to mind in the birth of my niece. I was eight years old when she was born and she became my first constant interaction with a young child. It was from this event that inspired me to become an early childhood teacher. It is because of my niece and my love of children that influences the choices that I make towards my future.

I believe that people, places, things and events and affect everything you do and every choice you make. People could be family members, friends or strangers that you walk past or make a comment. The first thing that I think of when I am asked to think of a place I imagine home because my family and all of the closeness and events that have taken place has made me who I am today. Things to a child may be their favourite blanket or toy that gives them comfort or reassurance. I imagine a thing as being something significant and came to be because of your past or what could be a part of your future. An event could be positive or negative.  A birth or death, a successful job interview or a disaster, making a new friend or not being able to see your family because they are stuck in another country.

“In early childhood, children are developing more elaborate and useful working theories about themselves and about the people, places, and things in their lives. These working theories contain a combination of knowledge about the world, skills and strategies, attitudes, and expectations” (Ministry of Education, 1996).

A situation that a child is facing in my centre is that her sister moved to India and didn’t come back. Since the move she has been telling me that she gets to see her sister on the computer and draws pictures for her at day care. When I ask her if she will see her again she will say that no she won’t because she won’t be coming back. This was evident when her aunty came to visit because the child would ask her not to leave because she was afraid that she wouldn’t see her again. I think this is because a big event in her life was the loss of her family either by death or leaving her and not coming back.

I have not yet meet a child that was affected by the earthquakes in Christchurch but I can imagine that moving anywhere else at a young age would impact on how aware they are in their environment. Being paced in an unfamiliar environment filled with strangers and the constant fear that something could go wrong I how I feel the child would be reacting. The most important people in their live would be the family they are with and how safe they would feel with the people that they know and have been in their situation before. This is their people, place, thing and event. It is because of the event that happened in Christchurch involving the people that the child was with that lead the child to where they are now and the choices that they will make in the future.