My Final Reflective Blog: A New Degree of Learning!

Forget for a moment that what proved to be a learning experience for children, was more so my own. Given the ICT component of this project, I must admit that originally I was nervous. An online blog? What is that? I’ve mastered the art of e-mails and not to mention, The eMIT web portal - but an online blog? Obviously, this was my first time to the world of internet journaling. I have since learned that millions all over the world engage, interact and share through this very medium. However, the questionings of uncertainty in my mind paints a picture of a learned journey that started out rocky at first. To begin with, I had to get through the myriad of technicalities that go into creating a blog.  It took a few attempts for me to become confident especially because I thought everybody seemed to be on track except me. It was a challenge at first, but perseverance upholds its worth when I finally succeeded for the third time. It surely was a time of trial and error and it was worth the discipline and patience put in. I can say I definitely came a long way with this piece of technology: from knowing nothing about its operation to now operating and working on blogging. Hurray! The computer technology is a real blessing and it’s a useful resource for young children and teachers (Tsantis, Bewick, Thouvenelle, 2003) to get familiar with.

Writing learning stories was one thing and a minor pressure but to have other students read and comment on my work added a different type of pressure that I was not used to. Usually, the lecturer or tutor is responsible for providing feedback on your work. This I am comfortable with, however knowing that another set of eyes, that being of my peers, would be on my work proved to be risky stuff! Of course this quickly wore off once we all became familiar with each other’s blogs and commented in like so manner. My thoughts on internet privacy have not always been positive. However, as a result of this project I now have a more informed view of the online environment and accept the fact that it will remain an ever growing issue. Now, I welcome and accept the internet as a very powerful medium when communicating globally. The internet is a wonderful source of information for personal interests and a cheaper means to communicate long distance with friends and family. Search engines like Google is where I turn to for help with grammar and many other points of information not readily accessible through other ways. Smorti (1999) emphasized  the need to broaden our understanding of technology so we can appropriately scaffold for children’s learning.

So much learning, so much to absorb. Online blogging has afforded me a creative and practical outlook on technology, and what this could mean for children especially if they are to be exposed to ICT increasingly. Additionally, my outlook on technology has broadened – what traditionally was thought of as technology can also apply to the humble work of woodworks. This is also a form of technology. And what about the communication technologies? I further challenged my thinking to classify pencils, crayons, whiteboard and marker – all classify as communication technologies.

Having different technological tools for the children’s play adds another dimension for their learning (Ministry of Education, 1996). For example, the children’s use of carpentry tools during a bird house project meant that they could mimic their elder counterparts who build big houses. Mini hammers, instead of plastic hammers gave the children a sense of reality, and also an air of importance. One such comment from my peers Hester and Emily also agreed with this, noting that real life tools build self-esteem and confidence in children as well as developing their gross motor skills and fine skills.

A number of comments on my blog resonate in agreement that an interactive learning and play environment for the children is afforded when technologies are made available to them. One in particular, mentioned that interaction between children, as seen in my woodwork technology blog, facilitates excellent practice of social skills as they work together. I refer also to how Raja reminds us that it’s not the final product that is important, but the process that the child goes through is all true to the engaging factor of technology. Mavis made a good point about children’s excitement with the camera. A highlight was seeing the children explore their world through the lens of technology – lots of laughs and giggles were enjoyed by all. Documenting experiences such as these through the online environment opens possibilities for ongoing creativity with ICT and provides an excellent medium through which teachers can engage and discuss their children’s progress in this field.

REFERENCES

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whᾱriki: He whᾱriki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Ᾱotearoa: Early childhood curriculum.  Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999, 5-10.

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.

5 Contributions to other students' blogs and 2 to the course blogs.

http://mavis-littlebubbles.blogspot.com/2011/04/earthquakes-in-christchurch.html

http://multiplyland.blogspot.com/2011/04/which-toy-do-you-prefer-for-your-child.html#comments

http://hestersmitspot.blogspot.com/2011/04/buttons-buttons-everywhere.html

http://3mi1yngmh.blogspot.com/2011/03/ring-ringhelloclick-click.html#comments

http://raziadeanece.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-2.html#comments

http://tamarwk.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-blogging-for-people-place.html?showComment=1302902889526#c7180299673656560470

 http://tamarwk.blogspot.com/2011/03/martin-robot-man.html

Photo Taking Technology

Children are brimming with curiosity, creativity, and unlimited possibilities when it comes to using a camera. There’s something intriguing about taking photos with the added feature of looking at the images instantly. It’s this feature of a digital camera that seems to grab a child’s attention most. What started off with one child’s interest turned out to be a group affair.  Out of her curiosity, one of the group brought a camera to me, asking me to show her which button to use. It was obvious she wanted to take photos. What a great idea, as I knew this would allow the children to experience exploration through play with the use of technology. Also, the ability to document the children’s play would result in these photos being produced. It became apparent that these children were no strangers to digital camera technology. Having briefed the children on how to operate a camera, they were seemingly comfortable with its use. Other children joined in wanting to know how to use the camera as well. I observed as one child demonstrated their newfound expertise with another. As a precaution I ensured each of the three children were competent with the camera by giving a short lesson. 

As was evident throughout this activity, the camera opens up a whole new world to the inquiring mind and gives satisfaction to the curious eyes of a child. A childhood experience with photography can promote creativity and provide a wonderful tool for learning (Articlebase, 2007, para.1). Using the special eye of the camera, the child can play around and explore the environment. This starts an imaginary project by encouraging their photo taking activities to foster learning and create a photo collection (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2001) or creating a poster, a collage of family photos. This may prove to be a worthwhile activity to do with the children in future, whereby they can share their posters with their families. Other learning that the children benefited from using technology of the camera involved interaction with each other and adults. I recall a time when the children engaged in photo taking, during which a parent was present which lead the children to tell a story about the photos they had taken. This seemed to interest the parent immensely, as they were able to share in a child’s own work through the use of technology.  Capturing photos induces different facial expressions on the children. These expressions can stimulate creative communication and imaginative ideas that can inspire story telling (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2001).  This furthers the creativity process of exploration play where children express their feelings and document these feelings with the use of a camera. Hence we see that technology has the power to enhance children’s play.

Taking pictures is a thrilling activity for children, however given their due excitement in the use of a camera, it is wise to also teach them the responsibilities that come with using the technology. For example, children need to learn to keep a camera away from sand or other harmful elements as it may cause the camera to malfunction. A neck or wrist strap must always be worn when using the camera in order to keep the camera attached safely to the child. Teaching the children about camera use shouldn’t be too hard, as you will find the children fully engaged when they are introduced to this activity. One such girl ably demonstrated her own learning with confidence and contentment after she was taught how to use a camera. She particularly enjoyed pressing the photo taking button and positioning the camera for that perfect shot. 

As the children become learned in the use of camera technology, we are setting them up to become competent (Ministry of Education, 1996) in other technology, such as the computer where photos are stored and displayed for all to see. And that’s not the end of it. The children not only want to see their photos on screen – they want to be able to have tangible evidence of their efforts. The printer comes in handy for producing the children’s photographs and they are able to take these home. Finally, we ended up having a show and tell session at mat time. All this was made possible with the use of technologies.

“There is an increasing awareness of the technological world that we live in: a world that people have created and changed through technology” (Smorti, 1999, p.5). Gone are the days when we had to buy film and wait hours for processing our photographs. Today’s technology means that children can engage in meaningful play whereby the results are instant. Nowadays photos are at the touch of a button. The children take to this technology naturally and it is a joy to watch.

 

References

Articlebase. (2007). Using the camera for learning and creativity with children. Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/using-the-camera-for-learning-and-creativity-with-childdren-108563.html

Isenberg,J. & Jalongo, M.R. (2006). Understanding children’s creativce thought and expression. In Creative thinking and arts-based learning: Preschool through fourth grade (4^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, Nj: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall (pp.3-37).

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whᾱriki: He whᾱriki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Ᾱotearoa: Early childhood curriculum.  Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999, 5-10.

Self Portraiture Technologies

It remains common amongst children to have that tendency, or even urge, to scribble on anything and everything (think the walls of your home!). In the learning environment, this child tendency is always facilitated through art. For example, crayon on paper, paint brush on canvas and so forth. Of course with new technology, the creative exercise of drawing can take on a new meaning. In my day it was the traditional use of writing implements and paper that allowed children to express their artistic flair. These are all good and relevant tools by which children use to either relive an experience or unfold their creative thoughts (Brownlee, 2004, 2007). However, when we add modern day technology to the mix, the creative exercise takes on a new dimension. Teachers and children in most early childhood centres are fortunate to have access to a variety of such technologies. This has truly extended play whereby we can take a different approach for children to draw (Dalli, Cherrington, Oldridge & Greene, 2009). 

Introducing the projector, the laptop, and the projector screen. With these tools and materials, our purpose of creating self-portraits would be realised. This activity was highly anticipated given the interesting set-up. What could possibly evolve? The children were happy and excited to partake in the project. It was expected to bring a lot of fun indeed.

I assisted a 2 year-old girl who wanted to draw an outline of her photo on the screen. We decided to use her photo which was previously taken on camera. After attaching all the necessary cords, the camera was connected to the laptop, and lastly, through the aid of the projector was translated onto the big screen. Piaget’s theory of assimilation and accommodation could be applied here as she observed and processed the new skills associated with transferring the image from the data projector onto paper (Gonzela-Mena & Widmeyer Eyer, 2001).  After an initial period of assimilation (taking in new information and processing it) she was able to engage in the guided activity whereby she completed her drawing by tracing the projected outline. Here, we see a child engaging more in eye co-ordination and use of fine motor skills than through creativity.

Two year old child J, was gaining experience through the use of a variety of technologies for different purposes to explore her world (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.97). She was given the opportunity to try out new technologies, expanding her limitations from just writing with simple technological tools like pencils and colored pens. She wasn’t able to express herself clearly in tracing her faces with the ordinary writing tools but with the ICT provided she could utilize a precise picture of her portrait. She was able to point at her sketching and showed me her eyes as it appeared on screen. Even though it didn’t record every detail, a simple yet clear interpretation of her eyes was obvious (Nysevander, 2004).

What is more exciting than being able to reproduce a photograph portrait? Whilst young children are seen to create simple paintings, the aid of technology increases their drawing ability quite significantly. It also adds to their self esteem. Self portraiture through the use of technologies enables children to portray a true likeness of themselves. Even more exciting is the fact that these drawings become instantly recognisable by the children, their peers and parents.

According to Beneke (2010), this type of play reflects the fact that electronics are part of young children’s everyday world. Given their experiences, it seems logical that they would be interested and comfortable in learning about technology through play.

It took a few attempts to encourage J, the youngest of the lot, to become competent in using the tools. I took particular attention in J despite her young age, she displayed a keen curiosity for use of the technological tools. Their complexity did not deter her from wanting to explore. She achieved the first part of the project (pictured) by tracing her portrait. I encouraged her to paint her portrait following the examples of the others but she didn’t want to do it there and then. J was distracted when her friends who played dress up called her. I allowed her to wander away as she wished but will keep an eye out for when she will be attracted to the table to do something with her portrait. J also likes painting on the easel. This might be a good chance to encourage her to paint her portrait on the easel. Most of the children paint theirs on the table and this is probably not the place where J wanted to paint her portrait.

A 4 year-old child's finished work

 

REFERENCES

Beneke, S. (2010). Exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the early childhood classroom. Illinois early learning project. Retrieved from http://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert/beneke/trans.htm

Brownlee, P. (2004). Magic places: Young children’s creative artwork. Auckland, New Zealand: Brebner Print.

Brownlee, P. (2007). Magic places: The adults’ guide to young children’s creative art work. Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Playcentre Federation.

Dalli, C., Cherrington, S., Oldridge, L. & Greene, V. (2009). Evaluation of the early childhood education information and communication technology professional learning programme. Jessie Hetherington Centre for Educational Research. Victoria University of Wellington.

Gonzalez-Mena, J., & Eyer, D.W. (2001). Infants, toddlers and caregivers: A curriculum of respectful, responsive care and education (5^th ed.). New York, United States of America: McGraw-Hill.

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2004). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forrest NSW: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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

Nysevander. M. (2004). Discovering your spiritual portrait: Uncover the DNA of your spiritual life. Kent, England: Hodder & Stoughton.

Woodwork Technology

These two 4 year olds are showing their enthused interest in technology. Pictured are children using tools such as the hammer, drill, nails, saw and measuring tape. Utilising wood materials, their job of building creations becomes a rewarding and exciting project – certainly appropriate for their active minds! Hands-on experiences is a perfect way to support the development of children’s creativity capabilities. In this project, child L was being assisted by his cousin to build a bird house which they saw at their grandpa’s place. The idea that they could create something which they had previously seen represents a powerful way in which technology enables children to imagine and then create. Beneke (2010) offers quality advice for teachers, emphasizing the importance of using simple and easy projects that are significant and meaningful to children when teaching practical technology.

L and his cousin were provided with all the tools necessary to accomplish their creation. Their attitudes reflected an air of confidence as well as display of impressive competency with the tools. It became evident that a teamwork environment was highly conducive to the project’s success. Their working and experiencing together to solve problems helped develop in them understanding of how technological tools work. 

Initially, L asked his cousin T if she would like to help him build the bird house. T was not sure but L insisted that she help. As a teacher, I believe sometimes it helps to prod a project along by asking open ended questions. Whilst L and T continued to discuss their dilemma of who was going to perform the project, I encouraged them to think about the importance of team work and why they should work together. This obviously got the children thinking and L broke his silence and said, “well, when T visited grandpa’s place, my little sister and I were there too, we all played with the little bird house that grandpa made for me. I took it home afterwards, and I want to make one just like it.” I thought this rather interesting. Whilst teachers’ can facilitate a learning environment of inclusiveness, I realized children are just as capable of exercising these qualities too.

It was a joy to observe the children work together with lots of planning and problem solving. Fine motor skills are produced through coordination of small muscle movements as well as gross motor skills in a variety of ways (Home Grown Kids, n.d.).

As a result of mastering different tools, hand-eye coordination capabilities are dramatically improved. Of course this came as a result of practice. T who was reluctant at first became familiar with the tools – once the children overcame the initial learning barrier of new tools and technology they were right into the activity with ease. I asked L if he saw his grandpa build the bird cage to which he didn’t. However, L believed it would be a great idea that he brought the bird house in to show his friends. Knowing that T wanted one of her own, I suggested she ask her grandpa to make one for her and this time she help him given the new knowledge of technology skills she had gained.

L took the first piece of wood and measured it using the measuring tape. I assumed he must have seen his grandpa make it, to which he finally said “yes”. He also recalled watching a man using the tape measure to measure wood for building a house next door to him. I didn’t even need to explain to L how to go about with the wood or help him to measure but I was prepared to do so if he needed it and asked. The carpentry tools, such as a saw, c-clamp, and hand drill were very useful for the project. Letting children use real wood, hammers, nails, saws allows them to use ‘real world’ materials instead of plastic imitations, giving them valuable lessons in using materials that are common around the environment (Walker, 2011). 

Whilst the project was not finished to full completion it remained a success. The children displayed their fine coordination skills with the many different tools and materials made available. Additionally, they learnt the importance of teamwork and problem solving when using new technologies. They enjoyed measuring, sawing the wood and hammering the nails onto wood cut outs. By working together, the children were able to mimic each other’s actions. T had the advantage of learning from L who was more familiar with certain tools. I plan to scope the internet for pictures of various kinds of bird houses or even create a bird’s nest out of natural materials. Another idea is to craft shops for readymade kits necessary for assembling a small bird house.

REFERENCES

Beneke, S. (2010). Exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the early childhood classroom. Illinois early learning project. Retrieved from http://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert/beneke/trans.htm

Home Grown Kids. (n.d.). Backyard Play Ideas. Retrieved from http://www.homegrownkids.co.nz/site/homegrownkids/files/Backyard%20Play%20Ideas.pdf

Walker, J. (2011). Developing fine motor skills in children with crafts. Early childhood development. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/developing-fine-motor-skills-in-children-with-crafts-a348399#ixzz1IKe7GH5Z

Literacy and Writing Technology

We all know and understand that the “early years of any child are recognized as key years for the development of communicative competence” (Helm & Katz, 2001, p.7).  In other words, the early years represent a time where kids tend to be most impressionable – what they learn during their first years will prove to be a significant foundation for their ongoing learning and development. So what comes to mind when the word ‘technology’ is mentioned? Definitions of technology relate meaning in the traditional sense – technology being “technical” for example, computers and gadgets. But there is another form of technology and this is evident in ‘processes’. Methodologies show how things are done and this forms another branch of ‘technology’. For example, in our centre the children upon arriving first thing in the morning are drawn to the white board to write their names.  They know that if they have some news to tell everyone at mat time, this is the protocol to follow. This is an important method that ensures children do not miss out on their turn at mat time. Without these methodologies, the teacher would have to ask them who would have news to tell, and then of course they will have to raise their hands up and for the teacher to take a pick.  

But here we see a child exercising his own  confidence in self-learning and controlling of his own environment by being proactive with the use of communication technologies like the 

 
white board with the marking pen (Ministry of Education, 1996).  With the use of the two technological tools, the child communicates to the teacher that he wish to participate in mat time. The teacher also through this medium receives the message from the child and all the other children who write their names on the board. What tremendous help we obtain with these technological tools. This process enhances communication between teacher and child, as well as among the children. 

As well as the 4 year old boy who wrote his name in green was a 2 year old girl who attempted writing her name in red.  The effort for younger children to turn spoken languages into writing is “not an easy, quickly learned, or ‘natural’ activity” (Hamer & Adams, 2003, p.109). With this in mind, it was important to allow the young girl to scribble instead of intervening as this formed an important process in the girl’s learning development. That every child has to go through this phase is inevitable, and then the next level is the forming of letters (Hamer & Adams, 2003).

I often observe parents who drop off their children in the morning. Most parents take time to watch their child carefully and slowly inscribe their name on the board. I also observe them being encouraged. These are very inspirational moments for the parents and for the teachers also as we witness a child’s progression. The 4 year old child who wrote his name on the board obviously had been practicing his name since commencing kindergarten as a 2 year old. With the use of the pen and paper to scribble on it progressed to this point that after a year or so with teacher/parent help, he was able to write his name all by himself. The use of these simple writing technologies trained in him a familiarity with the writing instruments and coordination of their use. The point I am making here is this, the technologies in this case allowed the children to practice writing letters in their own time and at their own volition and at their own discretion. The child is his/her own creator (Brownlee, 2004) with the help of technology. 

Then there are technological tools like the duster that the children enjoy using to wipe clean the whiteboard. Not only does this instill in them responsibility, it shows how they are learning every day the use of different items as they play around with literacy and writing technologies.

 

Finally, children also use technological tools like the traditional pen and paper to write their names. Introducing “paper and pen activities are relevant (Helm & Katz, 2001, p.7) for they acquire the fine motor skills to write letters and words or just to scribble with. Supporting  young children’s emerging literacy recognizes activities that involve identifying print, recognizing letters, and writing. Whitmore and Goodman (1995) as cited in (Helm & Katz, 2001, p.7) emphasizes the importance of having a “literacy-rich environment in kindergarten as well as preschool classes”.  Literacy begins by immersing children in literacy-rich environments and fostering a love of language and reading. These emergent skills will give the child a solid foundation throughout their informative years as they begin to learn the reading process during the first year of school.

 

REFERENCES

Brownlee, P. (2004). Magic places: Young children’s creative artwork. Auckland, New Zealand: Brebner Print.

Hamer, J. & Adams, P. (2003). The New Zealand early childhood literacy handbook: Practical literacy ideas for early childhood centres. Northshore, New Zealand: China Translation & Printing Services.

Helm, J. & Katz, L. (2001). Young investigators: The project approach in the early years. Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whᾱriki: He whᾱriki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Ᾱotearoa: Early childhood curriculum.  Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.