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.