Throughout doing these blogs on technology. I feel I
have learned a lot about my own personal teaching and philosophy, as well as
the different forms of technology both digital and non-digital and the impacts
they have on children.
Through
doing these blogs I have been able to reflect on my on teaching style, the way
in which we incorporate technology in our centre and also at the same time
think more in depth about the learning children can get with the different
modes of technology that are in and around our centre. I have reflected a lot o
what I believe in relation to technology. I feel I am a lot more open minded
about technology in early childhood and hope to incorporate these changes into
my actual practice.
The
comments I have received from others in my group have been positive and
interesting to read and reflect on. It has been an interesting experience to
hear about how they feel about technology and how in some ways I have opened up
their minds more to the technology I have discussed. Through their comments I
have been able to gage a deeper understanding of technology and the affects it
has on children and us as teachers. “Early childhood education is a dynamic
field to work in, and you need to reflect on practice to incorporate change.”
(O’Connor & Diggins, 2002. p.13).
Reading the
comments on each of my blogs I was able to see that what I had to say had an
impact on those in my group both from gaining new knowledge from my blogs but
also extending on what they already knew about these technologies, I found the
comments insightful and really informative. I liked each of the girl’s personal
take on the selected technology. It allowed me to then think further about what
I had already previously written and reflect more on this to benefit my own learning
experiences.
Technology in our early childhood centres allows us as
teachers to extend and develop our curriculum. If we use technology in the
right way, we can expand on children’s learning. By looking at the children and
making sure the program and curriculum allows for individual learning as well
as group learning. Te Whāriki
states that it is important children are able to develop “confidence in using a
variety of strategies for exploring and making sense of the world” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.
88)
Technology in early childhood should incorporate
children’s wellbeing, it should be developmentally appropriate for children to
use and interact with. As well as being appropriate the technology we choose to
have in our early childhood centres should be also suited to individual
children, not all children learn in the same way. Cultural aspects should also
be taken into consideration.
Using technology in early childhood allows children to
express themselves, they learn about what they are able to achieve through
trying new experiences and technologies to help further their understanding of
the wider world. “As
teachers we should help children nurture their creativity, to help them express
their individuality, to support and scaffold them through this process of
discovering what they are capable of” (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009).
Technology enables children to be able to extend their
knowledge about the wider world and experience things that they may not
otherwise experience at home for example. It broadens their horizons and opens
up their imaginations to something more in this world. Smorti (1999) talks
about the fact that as educators we need to be able to broaden our
understanding of technology and extend out knowledge and skill base. With this
knowledge and skill base we are then able to talk about what we know and have
learned and apply it to our teaching of children.
Technology is a fun way for children to be able to
learn. There are so many different ways in which children can learn through the
use of technology. They are constantly being challenged to expand their
knowledge and thirst for life. Smorti states that it is important children have
opportunities to develop their confidence in technology as this then allows
them to gain more knowledge and skills. Giving them a greater understanding of
how fun it can be working with technology. (Smorti, 1999)
If you take into consideration children’s interests in
the centre, learning
experiences for children can be an exciting. MacNaughton & Williams, talks
about teachers facilitating learning by creating a learning environment and
offering learning experiences that are relevant and interesting to children.
(Spodek & Saracho, 1994, as cited in McNaughton & Williams, 2004, p 87)
Through learning with technology children are able to
develop their social skills further they are able to interact with one another
on different levels and work together in a way that benefits them all. Santrock
talks about the fact that Vygotsky and Bronfenbrenner believe that children
learn better when they are learning together amongst and with their peers.
(Santrock, 2009). Which I truly believe in.
The word technology can mean so many things, the
automatic assumption is to think of digital technology such as computers,
cameras etc when in fact it is so much more. Through doing this course it has
allowed me to reflect on what technology actually is and the different ways it
is shown throughout our centres.
Going into my centre now I am constantly thinking
about the higher meaning behind the resources we use. I am more open minded in
respect to technology and the benefits it has for not only the children in my
centre but also myself as a teacher. According to Smorti (1999) technology is a
range of different activities that serve to have a greater purpose; they have
meaning and a cause.
Reference List.
MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G.
(2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and
practice. New South Wales,
Australia: Pearson Prentice Media.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te
Whāriki, he Whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood
curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
O’Connor, A, & Diggins, K.
(2002). On reflection: Reflective practice for early childhood educators. Lower
Hutt. Open Mind Publishing.
Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early
Education, 19, 5-10.
Santrock,
J. W. (2009) Lifespan development: international student ed. (12th
Ed.). Boston, Ma: McGraw Hill
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