TeChNoLoGy: March 2012

Monday, 19 March 2012

HyperLinks

Friday, 16 March 2012

Chocolate Flakes Cookies 12-03-2012

My idea about technology is something that has to do with electronic, for example, computers, cameras, phones, ipads, play station games and others. I have never thought those things I have done were technology, for example, cooking, helping others and solving problem. Smorti (1999, pg. 5) agrees and states that technology is a “creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs” and it is also “about helping people and solving problems”.

Our Cook left early this morning so we have to cook our own afternoon tea. In the afternoon mat time we gave the children two choices of food for the children to choose for our afternoon tea and they chose chocolate flakes cookies. We all discussed the cooking tools that we need for our baking including bowl to put the flour and sugar into it, a spoon to stir the mixture, measuring spoon and cup to measure. We also have a list of all the ingredients and to make sure that we won’t miss a recipe, we put all the ingredients on other table from where we will do our mixing and measuring.

Each child that gathered around the table had a turn on measuring and pouring the ingredients even stirring the mixture and for food hygiene; they all washed their hands before touching things. Their favourite part was when rolling the mixture into circle/oval shapes and laid them on the tray. The children were so excited when the cookies were ready for them to eat and they think that there baking is yummier than their mum’s baking. Children showed their responsibilities in every step they did through the whole process of baking. They felt sense of belonging because they were not only baking at home but they did it at child care which makes them felt like they are at home and the outcome of their baking makes them achieved the feeling of satisfaction gained from success (Ministry of Education, 1996). Introducing cooking to young children is a good experience because it involves languages and social skills when communicating with other, mathematics concepts including measuring, counting and weighing.

After knowing that technology is a thinking process and it’s purpose is produce or successful, I myself sat back and thought about all the activities and the things that I have done with the children in my centre, where most of them were technologies. In my previous reflection I mentioned how I felt sad that I missed introduced to technology at early age but knowing that technology is producing, I took that sad feeling back. It is because I have been brought up in a handy-craft environment where we used natural resource and made things like traditional Tongan necklace, fan, purse, bracelet and kafa(a string that tie the ta’ovala(mat) into Tongan people waist) and sell them out especially for tourist. It was not only that but the memories that I had kept, I remembered cooking since I was in pre-school and I still do now. I have grown with these experiences and I did called myself the best cook ever with magic hands and with all those experiences I will lend it to teachers and children by sharing them my knowledge and teaching them my skills whereas Friedman (2005) concurs social studies is studying other people’s skills.

Reference List

Friedman, S. (2005). Social studies in action. Young Children on the Web, November 2001, 1-9.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

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

Monday, 12 March 2012

Explore, Discover and Learn.

Computer (Laptop) 5/03/2012

After reading one of my class-mate's reflection and noticed how lucky their children are, because they access to computers at free-play time. I wanted the children at my centre to do not miss the stage of introducing computers to them at their early age, so I was thinking of taking my laptop with me to the centre. From my previous experience with the children, we used cameras but it was only for limited time because it's the centre's resources but with my laptop, I can allow children to access to it as much as they can.

I took my laptop and all its accessories including the mouse, speakers, and handy-printer and set them up on the table where all children can access to it. They gathered around the table and looking at each accessory and asked lots of questions about what are they called and how each accessory works.

I have not access to computer until third form at high school and it took me awhile to learn how to use it and once I was onto it, computer was like a buddy to me. Computer shows why it is important to teach young children about technology because I broadened my understanding of computer when answering children’s questions and my own knowledge and skills base were continued to extend (Smorti, 1999). It is vital to introduce computer to young children because they need to develop their own perception and ability to continue obtaining new knowledge and skills. Te Whāriki agrees that children will develop a perception of themselves as confident learners who ask questions and make discoveries when experiencing in an environment where they learn strategies for active exploration (Ministry of Education, 1996).

Computer is one of the technologies that are very important for children’s learning and it is not only for them but for teachers too, including me. Even though I looked for how will children learn while experiencing with computer and its accessories but I have noticed that I have learn from it too. It demonstrates the term “tuakana-teina” which it means that children and teachers are learning from each other (Bishop and Glynn, 200). Their questions were challenging my thinking and all the answers that I have to respond to them had to have an example of something that has to do with their learning. For example, “the keyboard is where we type in our words or the alphabets and it will shows on the display or the screen”. Talking with children while they are at the computer and explaining what is happening helps them to understand how things work for example, "If you move the mouse, the arrow on the screen will move like this." Computer does not only help with children’s academic learning but it also helps them with their eye-hand coordination skills when using keyboard and the mouse (Tsantis, Bewick and Thornton, (2003).

I am glad that I have done introduced computer and its accessories to the children because I have never access to computer at my early age but I did it for them. At the same I am aware of the disadvantages of using the computer and I have to make sure that children will not spend more of their time on it. I believe that I can do more than what I have already done with these children by downloading some alphabets and musical software that could support children with their learning and development.

Reference List

Bishop, R. and Glynn, T. (2000). “Kaupapa Māori messages for the mainstream”. Set Research Information for Teachers, no1. pp.4-7Atkinson, T., & Claxton, G. (Eds.) (2000). The intuitive practitioner: On the value of not always knowing what one is doing. Buckingham: Open University.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, 19, 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.

Monday, 5 March 2012

Invitation

Dear my SMART-A***** group

Leave a comment if you have found me ! okey !!

Friday, 2 March 2012

Our Story Book

Digital Cameras 27-02-2012

We had three new cameras so teachers and children can both access to it but children will be under teacher’s supervision. I introduced our new cameras to the children and discussed with them the rules of how to look after our camera. The children were very excited and they cannot wait to have a turn with the camera to take pictures of things they like. I had a group of three children who loved to use the camera, so I have an idea to put all the pictures of the things that they will take and make a book out of it. Before the children get started, we talked about what we were going to do so they had to choose wisely the things that they wanted to capture, so each child took pictures of three things of their own choice. We downloaded the pictures to the computer by using the memory card and each child had a turn viewing their own pictures on the display screen. I explained and at the same time showing the children how to use the mouse and where to click. They also had to print out their own pictures and get it out of the printer. We sat down and talked about our pictures then I asked them question about their pictures and why did they took them. They told me their stories and I wrote them down beside each picture and we bind them all together. I had a chance to read the book to them and the rest of the children in the afternoon mat time.

Scaffolding children throughout this whole process has been a great experience for me. MacNaughton and Williams (2008) states, that scaffolding is “providing temporary guidance and support to children moving from one level of competence to another” (pg. 370). I have always loved to guide children in every activity that they are keen to do. Telling children about things to do is one way of providing them with the information that teachers want them to have (MacNaughton & Williams, 2008). I loved seeing them working together which it helps them to develop their social skills because they are working alongside other where older children guide or show the younger children how to use the camera. Bronfrenbenner and Vygostsky believed that children learn better when they learn together with their peers (Santrock, 2009). Throughout the whole process, children talked things through and telling their stories helped with their language development. Allowing children to choose their own things to take challenged their thoughts because there were lot of things to capture but there’s only limited amount of this for them to capture. This helps children with decision making by choosing things wisely. The children were very excited to see and hear something that they have made which gives they gain sense of belonging. Te Whāriki concurs that children should experience in an environment where they know they have a place (Ministry of Education, 1996).

I believe that I can do better than the activity that I have done with the children. Instead of limiting children’s time, I can give them more time with the camera and take many things that interest them and it will help them learn how to hold and use the camera when they have more using the camera. I bind all their story pictures into one book instead, I could make one book for each one of them with only their own pictures. Overall, we all enjoyed taking pictures, telling stories and sharing it with other children has been a great journey for both children and myself.

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Reference List

MacNaughton, Go, & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children choices in theory and practice. Frenchs Forrest NSW: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Santrock, J. W. (2009) Lifespan development: international student ed. (12^th Ed.). Boston, Ma: McGraw Hill