Final Blog Reflection on technology

8 Contributions to students blog and 2 Contributions to Course blog

http://tamarwk.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-blogging-for-people-place.html?showComment=1302902889526#c7180299673656560470

http://tamarwk.blogspot.com/2011/03/martin-robot-man.html#comments

http://prakashvandhana.blogspot.com/2011/04/snap-look-at-my-photo-by-vandhana.html#comments

http://leannecouper.blogspot.com/2011/04/toys-that-are-forms-of-technology.html#comments

http://rainmit.blogspot.com/2011/04/whats-with-sicssors.html#comments

http://elizaswork.blogspot.com/2011/04/something-is-wrong-with-computer.html#comments

http://vanillayf.blogspot.com/2011/04/1st-reflective-blog.html#comments

http://3mi1yngmh.blogspot.com/2011/03/ring-ringhelloclick-click.html#comments

http://kidzsavvy.blogspot.com/2011/04/literacy-and-writing-technology.html#comments

http://mindycc.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-one-say-cheese-click.html#comments

Do the Pros out weight the Cons in technology?

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

Digital microscope

Insects have been our tamarikis focus of interest these past few weeks. So far they have collected bees, grasshopper, ladybug and butterflies which they have put in little jar and place in our science corner.

This afternoon the children were discussing about a snail that they have found in the tyre behind a tree. Child W was wondering why snail crawl so slow into which child T replies that maybe the snail has no eyes as such she cannot see where she was going. Child D and J didn’t agree and wanted to prove to their friends that the snail has eyes but only tiny. After placing the snail in the jar, they went and ask for help.

 I told the children  that we could find out the answer through books, or search from google. Child D and J say that we didn’t need to do that. They all replied to just use our digital microscope, which I had totally forgotten as I had been away from the centre  last three weeks.

I set up the digital microscope and let the children investigate their object. I was amazed by how focused they were on it. Digital microscope is essential for children to learn about small living thing.   This is affirming TeWharaki exploration goal 1 children experience an enviroment where they develop working theroies for making sense of the natural, social, physical, and material world (Ministry of Education, 1996).
                                                          

                                               

This is our digital microscope, the children were taught  how to plugged this in to the computer, but  supervision is needed in assembling the digital microscope tool.  In these photos the children placed the snail in the digital microscope, which is then transmitted to the wide screen.

Document cameras (digital overheads, sometimes called “docucams”) and digital microscopes magnify three-dimensional objects, facilitating more detailed exploration and easier collaborative viewing (Beyond the Journal, 2008). 

By facilitating the digital microscope, the children develop the ability to enquire, research, explore, generate, and modify their own working theories about natural, social, physical, and material worlds, and respect and developing sense of responsibility for well-being of both the living and the non-living enviroment.(Ministry of Education, 1996).

                                       
In these photos I was showing T and D the proper way to assemble the digital microscope

Children use the tools to view objects from multiple perspectives, angles, and magnifications.  This helps facilitate their scientific investigations as well as develop perspective-taking ability and spatial awareness. Images or video from both devices can be captured and stored for printing, sharing, or exporting (Beyond the Journal, 2008).               

        

                                                       

There are endless possibilities for technology integration in the early childhood classroom. Wonder what technology they can develop next.

References:    

   Beyond the Journal, Young Children on the Web, (2008). Retrieved 14 of April 2011 from https//www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp.

    
 

Ministry of Education. (1996) Te whāriki, he whāriki mātauranga mō ngā

    Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New

     Zealand: Learning Media.

  

Which toy would you prefer for your child?
As technology changed and civilization progressed, toys also changed. The materials that toys are made from have changed, what toys can do has changed, but the fact that children play with toys has not changed (Wikipedia, 2011). And so comes the debate about how safe, or unsafe, the plastics used in baby bottles and children toys are to our children. The traditional setting for children’s play has undergone major change in recent years as a result of the rapid diffusion of technology through all areas of social life.
The impact of new technologies on children’s play activities — whether in terms of toys that are derived from developments in technology or the leisure activities associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs) — has created a multimedia environment, full of rich opportunities and sometimes dangerous threats (Buckingham, 2000).
Electronic objects resultants with the arrival of latest technology have changed the very idea of life, for every household object is now operated through batteries. With ease and relief in life, batteries have given us extra time in executing ordinary tasks of life. Several other electronic gadgets and machines powered by batteries have made a mark on our lives. Even our entertainment depends on durable batteries.

In my centre I have seen the effect of battery operated toys to our children, it makes them feel independent because they feel as if they are in total control of something that is completely theirs. Battery-operated toys with all their lights, noises and movement capture children’s attention, and wonderment but soon as the novelty wears out, the children goes back playing our conventional toys.  
                                               

                                                 

        

                                                               

                                                                                                                                                              

In this photos the children take turns with the battery operated spinning ball with a tail, then child B shows how to open it to check the battery when it stops.

But let’s take a look at some of the potential – and established – hazards of plastic and/or battery-operated toys, and explore some of the alternatives.

Proponents of plastic toys often argue that they are so much more affordable. Such toys may cost fewer dollars at the checkout counter, but what about the less-visible cost to our health and environment? In a culture of immediacy, we tend to see anything that looks good and costs less as a good deal and the right choice. But it’s important to stop and think for a moment about the long-reaching effects of our consumer decisions.
Although there’s not any finding of adverse effect in children using battery or microchip in toys, parents, teachers and caregivers should be aware of the hazards and danger of battery operated toys to children specially the under two’s, for instance swallowing button batteries can be fatal or cause serious harm, and research suggests that severe injuries in children, though relatively scarce, are on the rise.
Button batteries are widely used in dozens of household products including toys, games, remote controls, musical greeting cards, cell phones, watches and lighted shoes. Batteries pose a special swallowing risk; even if they don't completely block the throat, they can trigger a chemical process when they lodge there that can burn through tissue within just a few hours.

What are some good alternatives to plastic or battery operated toys? Non-battery operated toys such as wooden building blocks or play sets allows the child to build a play situation themselves. There is little to no predisposed influence that the child may rely upon therefore their imagination and ability to create their own style of play must be used. The child will create scenarios and substitute objects as props in their make believe world. The rules that govern the play from the child's perspective are flexible and roles or perspectives can change at a moment's notice to fit the child's needs. This stimulates cognitive skills and emotional stability as the child learns how to cope with different scenarios in their young life (Christakis DA, Zimmerman FJ, and Garrison MM. 2007).                                                                                             

                                                                     

                                                                                                                           

In these photos our children have an endless possibilities in the block corner, in here they are building a castle         

Creating fantasy worlds and playing with non-battery operated toys has benefits beyond mental and emotional development. The basic game of placing wooden shapes in specific shaped holes on a box helps a child to develop memory skills as well as basic and fine motor skills. As a child begins to master one toy it is beneficial for a parent to introduce another toy to continually stimulate their child's problem solving skills (Caldera YM, Culp AM, O'Brien M, Truglio RT, Alvarez M, and Huston AC. 1999).

Forms of play that can benefit the development in the early years of a child's life are limitless. Allowing the child adequate time to play and providing them an environment conducive to imaginative play is one of the most important things a parent can do to influence the mental, motor skills and emotional development of their child. Toys are a large part of how a parent can enrich this environment and care should be taken to ensure that what a child plays with is safe as well as enriching. Wooden toys are a simple way in which a parent can ensure that several of these goals are met (Caldera YM, Culp AM, O'Brien M, Truglio RT, Alvarez M, and Huston AC. 1999). There you go parents, whanau, educators and caregivers you know best you decide.
            

References:

Buckingham, D. (2000) after the death of childhood: Growing up in the age of    electronic media. Oxford: Polity Press.

Caldera YM, Culp AM, O'Brien M, Truglio RT, Alvarez M, and Huston A (1999).  Children's Play Preferences, Construction Play with Blocks, and Visual-spatial Skills: Are they related? International Journal of Behavioral Development; 23 (4): 855-872.

Christakis DA, Zimmerman FJ, and Garrison MM  (2007). Effect of block play on language acquisition and attention in toddlers: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 161(10):967-71.

Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. (2007).Toys. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, retrieved 08 April 2011 from: htt://Wikipedia.org./wiki/toys.

DVD/CD EXERCISE N SING ALONG

I have noticed the lack of energy and motivation in our children in the morning when they were dropped off by parents/whanau. Although they look well, it somehow bothers me as I believe that children should start their day feeling energetic.

While I cannot say that their inactivity may cause health problems right now, I can say that it is going to lead to serious problems later in life, such as diabetes or even coronary heart disease.

In order to be healthy kids must get plenty of daily exercise, but sometimes, parents aren't sure just how much activity their children need for optimal health and fitness. Recommendations vary by age, but kids should never remain inactive for long, children should be encouraged to keep moving for most of their waking hours.

The question is how can we motivate our children to do exercise?

I was apprehensive to admit it at first but this is where technology is coming. I was referring to dvd and cd exercises for children.

Although I question technology’s impact on children, the aspect of using a dvd or cd became appealing to me when I saw the children respond to it with anticipation and stamina moving their body to the beat and singing.

 

                                                               
                                                                                                                                         

In our centre  T a   special need child dances in wonderment everytime he hears the wiggles cd. I have taught him how to turn the cd on so he can dance and do some movements everyday.

Dvd and cd became my weapon for children who do not like exercising. Sounds crazy but it works wonder even to a timid child. So now I do not have to try harder in the morning to do exercise with the children in the centre, I just play on the cd or dvd and children start their own regime. It’s fun and it promotes learning and development which is important in helping children regulate their emotion and so aid their learning as suggested by the Neuroscience study (Preedy, P., Wolinski, R., & O'Donovan, C. 2004).

Through giving children exercise regularly I am affirming Te Whariki strand one that state children’s emotional well-being is nurtured.

Too often I associate “technology” with electronic media only, yet…technology is a term that can apply to any tool that assists us…to work…to learn…to play (Haugland, 1999).

We might think of technology as providing digital manipulative for children ….tools that serves the same purpose as Froebel’s gifts or the Montessori materials…or any of the other materials that we provide for young children in our programs. Technology provides us with digital tools for learning. We should be asking: What can children learn from these tools? What can they DO with these tools? (Elkind, 1998).

As we think about these tools of the future, we might consider how children use technology. ECE professionals could begin to think of technology/electronics/screens in the same way that we think about blocks/ paint/manipulatives/ books  (Haugland, 1999).

If we think of technology as providing children with opportunities to interact with digital tools….we must consider the most appropriate way to introduce and use these materials with young children. Just as we introduce other learning materials in the context of play, we should introduce digital tools in a playful context. Using Erikson’s developmental framework (or Vygotsky’s, etc.) provides a useful way of thinking about how children at various ages might use or be introduced to technology (Haugland  2000).


                                                      

From these to these                                      
                                                         
                                                                                  

                                                    

References:

      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.

Haugland, S. W. (1999). What role should technology play in young children’s    learning?     Young     Children, 54 (9), 26- 30). 

         Preedy, P., Wolinski, R., & O'Donovan, C. (2004 Exercise for Learning.)

 

 

Exposing children to technology is it good/bad?

We are always looking for the magic wand, something that will solve all our problems instantly, kinda remind me of that ANZ ad that says we live in your world. Today this magic wand  for education is technology. It will solve a lot of problems! It will increase academic skills, maybe reduce dropout rates, or in this case increase children's roll in the centre, eliminate the racial division in academic performance, most importantly it will make the lives of teachers easier. Well, it may not accomplish all of these goals, but educational technology does have a place in early childhood. Right? Of course it will all  depends on an early childhood program’s overall program goals/objectives, and the program’s goals and objectives for individual child.

Additionally it depends on how computers are incorporated into the early childhood curriculum (Haugland, 2000). Te Whariki believe that children develop familiarity with properties and character of the materials and technology used in the creative and expressive arts (Ministry of Education, 1996).  As an early childhood educator, I believe that children should be  expose in creative activity such as painting, music, drawing or collage as their way of expressing themselves. Documenting children's work with a nice photo done by a digital camera is so easy that the children can take turn taking photo of themselves.

Most experts believe computers are not developmentally appropriate for children under the age of three (Elkind, 1998; Haugland, 1999; NAEYC, 1996). However, these same experts believe children three years old and older can begin to effectively explore and use computers. Surely, many of the factors that make computers developmentally inappropriate for children under age three are also present in older children: active learners busily manipulating a wide variety of objects…and in the process of learning about themselves and their environment” (Haugland, 1999, p. 26).
Te Whariki affirms that children develop spatial understandings, including an awareness of how two-and three dimentional objects can be fitted together and moved in space and ways in which spatial information can be represented, such as in maps, diagrams,photographs and drawings (Ministry of Education, 1996).

To evaluate whether computers are developmentally appropriate for children over age three, we need to determine the developmental needs of these children. Children this age are developmentally within Piaget’s preoperational stage. This means they are concrete learners who are very interested in using newly learned symbolic representation - speaking, writing, drawing (including maps and geometric figures) and using numbers. Further, children this age are extremely active and movable. They often have difficulty sitting still; they need frequent changes in learning modalities; and they want a variety of physical experiences involving dance, physical play, climbing and sports.

Preoperational children are also are continuing their mastery of language, and exploring various facets of social behavior.Howard Gardner has shown that young children exhibit a diversity of learning styles, and that the optimum way for many children to learn is not the traditional teacher-directed, verbal approach (Gardner, 1987). We must be sensitive to these different learning approaches, especially as we serve an ever larger diversity of children.

Clearly many of these developmental needs match up well with appropriate use of technology in the centre, especially exploration, manipulation of symbolic representation, matching alternative learning styles, and quickly changing learning modalities that individual children can control and pace to meet their individual needs. It is also a very powerful tool for children with specific learning disabilities.

If a goal of the literacy curricula for a certain age child is to learn to write personal journals, then the computer can naturally support that through writing software, digital cameras, and other methods.

If computers are not fully integrated into the overall curriculum, they can actually negatively impact children’s creativity (Haugland, 1997). To integrate computers effectively, these steps must occur: 

select developmentally appropriate software; select developmentally appropriate websites and Integrate computer resources in the centre.

So there, technology is here to stay its changing fast and theres nothing we can do about it, but to welcome  and learn it......... FAST

                   

References:

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.

Haugland, S. W. (1999). What role should technology play in young children’s learning? Young Children, 54 (9), 26- 30)..  

Ministry of Education. (1996) Te whāriki, he whāriki mātauranga mō ngā  Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

NAEYC (1996). Position statement on technology and young children - ages three through eight. Young Children, 51 (6), 11-16.

Haugland, S. W. (1997). The developmental scale of software. Cape Girardeau, MO: K.I.D.S. & Computers.

Gardner, H. (1987). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic.