This part of my blog assignment is my personal reflection of technology in general and what I have learnt from this assignment as a whole. To begin with I have always associated technology before as something tangible like a gadget big or small. After this assignment my whole perception of technology changed.
Technologies have been here for ages, let’s not forget our ways of locomotion such as car, motorcycle, train, and airplane, and have facilitated our lives. Centuries ago, the main way to travel a long distance was the ship, or the horse. Today, the airplane is the most useful way to make fast travels, which gives to us more time.
Technology has greatly improved as time is passing; Scientists are continually working in order to develop useful products, in which facilitate our lives. Even though some people say that technology has lessened our lives’ quality, I think that it has made the world a better place to live. Technology provides to us a better knowledge, faster ways of locomotion and communication.
I regard computer as one important feature from technology, which is use by many people in order to increase their knowledge. Books are no longer the main way to improve the understanding of a specific matter. Universities are acquiring more and more computers to facilitate the student's life, and to provide faster information. Students are using a lot more of the Internet, which gives to them the right information without the need of going to a library.
I am convinced that technology is a massive help to the human race, but somehow I worry about the impact of it in the thinking faculty of the humankind, like my own experience, I had become overly dependent on machined and technology to-do my work, as such I rely on the machines than using my thinking faculty. Further online, I get impatient if it takes more than a second or two to get a response from a site hundreds of miles away, thus my behavioural stability also affected. These are some of the negative effect technology has on me.
I learned that this assignment which is about learning technology that is distributed or “stretched” over People, Places, Things and Events; evolves the use of technology without realising. The educator/family whanau/caregivers being (People) the Place are (centre/home)Things are (tools/resources/technology) and Events (learning/what is actually occurring everyday) and how we as an early childhood educators facilitates and integrate technology in our curriculum (Ministry of education, 1996).
I learned not to just look at the impact of a particular technology rather than at the technological environment as whole. Some regard technology as advancing intellectual development. Others worry that technology may over stimulate and actually impair brain functioning. The technology reality is extraordinarily rich and complex. Yet children are still children in many respects. At a deeper level, our young children still very much want and need the love, support and guidance of their parents/whanau/caregivers (Elkind, 2007).
Summing up all the contributions I had received from my peers, it is a consensus judgement that technology with a proper integration in the early childhood environment can enhance children’s learning if we listen attentively through a technology lens to what children are saying because then we can apply to any tool that assists us…to work…to learn…to play (Haugland, 1999).
Knowledge and skills are useful in a holistic, meaning making context. This is about noticing, recognizing, and using the culture’s symbol system for making meaning. Making meaning includes understanding or breaking the codes – recognizing and using the fundamental units, symbol, patterns, and conventions of literacy, mathematics, the arts, and ICT (Ministry of Education, 1996).
References
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Elkind, D. (1998). Computers for infants and young children. Child Care Information Exchange. 123, 44-46.
Haugland, S. W. (2000). Early childhood classrooms in the 21st century: Using computers to maximize learning. Young Children, 55 (1), 12-18.
Ministry of Education (2009). Symbol Systems and Technologies for making meaning. Kei tua o te pae: Assessment for learning: Early childhood exemplars (16). Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media
Ministry of Education (2009). Symbol Systems and Technologies for making meaning. Kei tua o te pae: Assessment for learning: Early childhood exemplars (16). Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media
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