My biggest fear in using technology
with children is that it takes them from their hands-on exploration of the
world. When sitting in front of the screen, children cannot feel the wind,
smell the flowers or touch the grass. Their senses miss out on many experiences
(Shah & Godiyal, 2009). On the other hand, if this technology is used
thoughtfully, it can actually enhance children’s knowledge and offer them
invaluable learning opportunities (Hatherly, 2009). I guess the secret is in achieving
balance between these two worlds. Moreover, Smorti (1999) argues that
technology is not only ICT. It can be all objects in which “knowledge, skills
and resources are combined to find solutions” (pp. 5-6). Therefore technology
could be everyday objects that have been used for hundreds of years - like a
wheel for example. This would mean that we all grew up surrounded by
technology; the only difference being that nowadays technology can be also digital.
At my centre technology is used
sparingly but one piece that we employ all the time is our digital camera. However,
giving the camera to a young toddler was an anxious experience. I was glad to learn
that my peers felt with me and actually congratulated me on the action. They advised
me not to doubt the skills of young children and offer them these opportunities
more often. This led me to an idea to make our old camera readily available. I’ll
discuss this with the manager first but this practice would empower the children’s
communication and creative expression visibly (Ministry of Education, 1996),
especially if we created photo books from their photos.
Technological appliances used every
day are our washer and dryer. After reading the feedback on my post I realised
that there are many ways to extend both my and the children’s learning further.
Next time we will sort the cloths by colours when folding them and count how many
of each colour we have. We can compare and contrast and learn about shapes too.
If pretend play helps children to play out real-life experiences
(Gonzalez-Mena, 2008), we should set up an area in which the children can do
this chore even when real washing doesn’t need to be done.
Reading the reactions to the worm farm
post opened my eyes to new possibilities. I wasn’t aware that I wasn’t giving
the children as much as I could. Children find it interesting to put the food
scraps in but they want to know the whys and hows of the process; they want to develop
skills and abilities they can use in their further life (Ministry of Education,
2007). That’s where I can help. I will set it as my goal to learn together with
the children how we can support our planet. We will become the protectors – the
kaitiaki – of our Papatūānuku (Clark & Grey, 2010).
Writing my reflections, researching literature
and learning from my peers have changed my view on the use of technology in
centres. I now believe that there is a place for digital devices and that children
need to become knowledgeable about them if they want to succeed (Ministry of
Education, 1996). It is up to their teachers to reveal the magical and unique
world these objects present; it is up to me to do the same.
References:
Clark, B., & Grey, A. (Eds.). (2010). Āta kitea te pea - Scanning the horizon:
Perspectives on early childhood education. North Shore, New Zealand:
Pearson.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Foundations of early childhood education:
Teaching children in a diverse society (4th ed.). Boston, MA:
McGraw-Hill.
Hatherly, A. (2009). ICT and the greatest
technology: A teacher’s mind. Early
Childhood Folio, 13, 7-11.
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: For
English-medium teaching and learning in years 1-13. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents
Shah, A., & Godiyal, S. (2009). ICT in
the early years: Balancing the risks and benefits. E-journal of All India
Association for Educational Research (EJAIAER), 21(2).
Retrieved from http://www.ejournal.aiaer.net/ARCHIVES2009.htm
Smorti, S. (1999).
Technology in early childhood. Early
Education, 19,
3-10.
