Reflection Two:

Technology with Blocks

I was in the block area and I noticed C designing a building with the big blocks and he informed me that he was making a house with a garage for the cars. C then said now he can put the cars in the garage, but D said there is no door. C then went and got the blocks in the shape of a ramp and put them on the side of the garage and lined the cars up and one by one drove them up the ramp into the garage he made.

C is” using a process approach to technology (similar to our current approach to the creative arts in early childhood), it is the ‘doing’ that is important, rather than the product”. Children will be encouraged to design, make appraise (DMA) their work”. (Smorti, 1999, p.6).C is taking risks by using problem solving skills and his recalling skills from out in the community to design how the house with a garage looks and how he can get the cars inside the garage. “As students express and interpret ideas within creative, aesthetic, and technological frameworks, their confidence to take risks is increased” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.20).

I feel C was very confident in designing his project and gave it get thought when it came to getting the cars inside the garage. “Knowledge, skills and resources are combined to find solutions; and there may be more than one solution to the problem. Technology is influenced by the culture of the society in which it occurs” (Smorti, 1999, p.6). C listened to D advice about there being no door and solved the problem. C was proud of his building and shared it with other children and communicated to them how the ramps where to be used. “Children develop familiarity with the properties and character of the materials and technology used in the creative and expressive arts” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.80).

As I observed and listened to C, I feel he had a lot of fun making his house and garage and he achieved what he had planned to make in his mind by problem solving. Listening and observing C make his building was very important as C was exploring and expressing his own ideas of how the house and garage should be constructed. “Encourage children to share a thought or an experience. It is important for staff to listen so the children learn that what they say is important to others. They need to know that their thoughts and comments on the world matter” (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009, p.75).

When I was young I didn’t think of a child building with blocks was using technology, it was a child putting blocks on top of each other and making a pattern. I thought technology was a computer,

 camera , phone digital items.   My view on building with blocks has now changed, and relies that all manmade tools are technology.  Teachers need to learn more about technology so they can teach and pass on their knowledge to the children.”Technology is about helping people and solving problems” (Smorti, 1999, p.5).

Letting the children problem solve by using their recalling skills from their community helps them to be creative when using tools.”Technology is also a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments” (Smorti, 1999, p.5).

To extend on children’s creativity learning in technology I would add in more accessories to the block area. This will let the children develop further in construction and take photos so the children can look back on what they have made. This will help the children to re-construct and improve on what they have made.

Reference List

MacNaughton & 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 mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aoteraroa:
     Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning
      Media.

Smorti,s. (1999). Technology in early childhood.Early Education, 1, 5-10.

Group Blog. Part one

Reflection One:

Monday 7^th March, 2012

I observed C and T deep in conversation, walking around exploring in the centre’s garden. Then T said this one, pointing to pansy flowers in the garden, and C held up the centre’s digital camera and took a photo of the pansy flowers. Then they both kept on walking until they reached the vegetable garden, where C took photos of the lettuce and tomato plants.

I asked C and T, why they were taking photos of the plants in the Garden? They both replied” they wanted to keep the plants, inside”. I asked C and T, how are we going to keep the plants? According to Leekeenan and Nimmo (1994),” found that involving the children in taking the photographs was important to gain a sense of the children’s perspective on the world” as citied in (MacNaugton & Williams, 2009, p303).  C said by putting the photos on the computer. We went inside and C and T looked at the photos they took on the camera and they choose which photos they wanted to save on the computer. (This is recording C and T own learning).  T said can we print them out and I said yes, but first I asked them if they could tell me about their photos, and together we can write a story about their pictures off the different plants. We then printed out the photos and hang them up on the wall in the science area.  “Children develop, the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.88).

C and T are using their, imaginations, and are using their communications skills recalling skills, problem solving skills, science and technology skills.” There are many learning outcomes that focus on problem solving and social science areas that are part of the process of technology” ( Smorti, 1999, p8). C and T are also using their communication skills and been able to work with others. “As children’s abilities to communicate develop, they are able to form good relationships with others and participate constructively in a range of social and cultural settings” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.97).

The teaching I used was to listen, observe, encourage the children, ask the children open ended questions and gave them the opportunity to use technology. I was scaffolding the children in the direction of technology as we made a learning story on the computer with the children’s photos and their voice.” Information and communication technology (ICT) has a major impact on the world in which young people live”

 (Ministry of Education, 2007. p.36).

C and T where very pleased with the photos they took with the digital camera of the plants.  I extended on their learning and development on what they could do with the photos they took of the plants.  I let C and T think independently, as they told their own story of their photos which gave them more confidence in writing their learning story on the computer.

“As part of a world revolution in communication, technology, work and leisure, children will need to develop confidence in themselves and be able to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills” (Smorti, 1999, p.8).

When I was a child we did not have digital cameras and computers that we could use in the classroom or in our everyday life. I feel that having this technology, the children are learning more hands on with their visual learning. The children are able to extend on their own learning with the support of their teacher. I feel I need to extend my own learning on technology, especially computers as I find them challenging sometimes. This will help me to scaffold and support children in their learning. When I was a child the teacher would instruct the children on the direction of the learning.

I would give the children more opportunities to extend on their learning in the use of the computer and digital cameras. I would get the children to take photos of what interests them in the centre. Encouraging the children to tell their own story of the photos, then put their learning g story into their portfolios. The learning stories can also be e mailed to the children’s parents. This allows the children, parents of the children; family and teachers re visit the children’s work.

Reference List:

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children:
      Choices in theory and practice (3^rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson
       Prentice Hall.

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

Ministry of Education. (2007).The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand:
       Learning Media:

Smort, S. (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early education, 1, 5-10).