Isabel B: August 2012

Friday, 31 August 2012

My personal comments to reflections

Final Reflection

31/08/12

Technology – The process and the tool.

It was a challenge for me to think what could be technology outside ICT. It really provoked thought and investigation for me around this topic. The challenge that I was having was separating technology from other curriculums such as science, maths, numeracy, creativity, and exploration. However I found out through this course that these ‘other’ curriculums are actually intertwined with technology and that technology is not a curriculum that stands on its own.

Technology is associated with the transformation of energy, information, and materials. Technological areas include structural, control, food, and information and communications technology and biotechnology. Relevant contexts can be as varied as computer game software, food products, worm farming, security systems, costumes and stage props, signage, and taonga.

(Ministry of Education (nd) New Zealand Curriculum. Technology : retrieved from: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Learning-areas/Technology).

So with having this realisation I was able to see technology in a number of things such as the magnifying glass. When the children were investigating on their own, they were limited to what could be seen. The use of the magnifying glass facilitated in their learning and it furthered their investigation and gave answers to the questions that the children were asking. This experience has sparked curiosity amongst the children so now they want to use the magnifying glass outside just about every day, which is great but for me it is now using this tool with different lenses on and facilitating children by “providing strategies and ideas to extend their thinking and reasoning” (Dunkin & Hanna, 2001, p.15), through the use of the magnifying glass.

Technology is definitely a word I will use within my centre when using other materials, to familiarise children with this term and to encourage children to look beyond ICT. However ICT has its place, which I found out when using my laptop with a boy with autism. I see children as capable and competent and I know for some children, it is easily seen by how they portray themselves and their knowledge for their age however not all children come across with this confidence or competence because of one reason or another. We see that “Children develop an enhanced sense of self-worth, identity, confidence, and enjoyment as they reach the goals of well-being in a responsive, stable, safe environment which supports the development of self-control and self-esteem” (Ministry of Education 1996, p.46).

I am a firm believer of “ensuring that all children have the same outcomes. This could mean using different approaches and teaching methods” (Hayselden, 2007, p.11). One example is by using the laptop with this child and allowing room for the same opportunity for learning through those different methods. I will definitely take on board the comments that have been made and will look into seeing what sort of experiences D has had at home and make it more meaningful for him while at the centre by perhaps using the digital photo frame.

Being in this course has helped me to think beyond what I already know and look and investigate past what has been my comfort zone of knowledge about technology. Since doing our assignments I have come to realise that technology does involve “thinking about the process, practical inventions, designs, searches for solutions, problem solving, helping people, and researching for practical purposes” which all can be seen in whatever is used in everyday life. Although we see different aspects in using technology “Adaptation and innovation are at the heart of technological practice. Quality outcomes result from thinking and practices that are informed, critical, and creative” (Ministry of Education (nd) New Zealand Curriculum. Technology: retrieved from: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Learning-areas/Technology).

I am looking forward to using technology in my centre in the future and I am excited about facilitating children’s learning through the technological tools such as a magnifying glass, laptop, a paint brush, a pencil, cooking, and a camera, just to name a few, Knowing that this provokes questions, curiosity, problem solving and wonderment.

Thursday, 23 August 2012

To see or not to see

Reflection 3

20/08/2012

To See or Not To See

It was a lovely day and the children were outside engaged in different activities around the centre. I noticed a group of children gathering around the tree stumps (we have several all in one place). There was quite in depth discussions happening around one of the tree stumps with one particular group of four pre-schoolers. I got myself closer and observed for a little while and I noticed that this group was doing an observation of their own. As I got closer I noticed they were looking at the small bugs that were crawling up and down the trunk , crawling in and out of the grass, but because the bugs were so small there was a bit of pushing and shoving for space to get a look at where and what these bugs were doing. I asked the children if they could think of something that could help them to see the bugs some suggested glasses, some suggested to pick them up. I asked them what they thought about using the four magnifying glasses that we have inside. “Adults need to know how to support and extend children’s play without interrupting or dominating the activity and should avoid unnecessary intervention” (Ministry of Education, 196, p.83). The children were excited about that thought and after much discussion amongst themselves, they decided two of them would go inside and get them and the other two would stay and look after the bugs so no one else would get them.

The children came back with the magnifying glasses and all four created such excitement and enthusiasm that it caused interest from the other children, so more children came over. The first four children had their magnifying glasses and started to look at the bugs on the tree stump, but to their amazement they started to see a lot more than just the bugs “Children develop abilities to question locate, and test ideas and solutions as they explore and make sense of their world”( Ministry of Education, 1996, p.98). I had asked the children what they can see now. Their response was, I can see its mummy and daddy, or I can see some more bugs. C was amazed when she noticed what was happening as she lifted up and down her magnifying glass. C started to tell her friends of what happens when she lifts her magnifying glass up everything becomes bigger and when she brings her magnifying glass closer to the ground things get smaller. C was thinking about the processes that happen when she does certain movements with the magnifying glass and sharing the process with her friends “The act of creating an analogy activates prior knowledge, produces new knowledge, and enhances the ability to communicate knowledge to others” May, Hammer, & Roy (2006); Heid ( 2008) as cited in( Cowan & Cipriani 2009).

Through this type of technological experience, I believe that children relate and comprehend different experiences when they are real. C shared her knowledge with her other friends and they started to do exactly the same thing. At first they were laughing about what they could see but then as the children started to really focus on the details they started to have their own hypothesis about what they were discovering. Bronowski (1993; 1998) suggests that “visual intelligence is a key element in the thought processes of the most capable and creative among us (as cited in Cowan and Cipriani 2009).

I actually did not realise that a magnifying glass can be seen as technology until Smorti (1999) brought out the definition that “Technology is about helping people and solving problems and that it is the doing that is more important rather than the product”. I found through this course that not only does exploration encourage the use of technology it intertwines numeracy, literacy, art, science, and language.

Friday, 17 August 2012

Laptop Experience

Reflection Two 16/08/2012
Laptop Experience

I was using my laptop in the centre and I noticed D becoming curious about what I was doing. D came to me and started pointing to the screen and showing excitement at what he saw. I let D know that he was pointing to the screen. I had a photo of my grandson on my screen who D knows. D stood by me while I worked on my computer and every now and then He would push one of the keys down, showing me that he was intrigued with the computer. He would go away and then he would come back again a short time later and just stand and watch me. He would poke my screen, or just go to the opposite end of the table and just look at me on my computer. I saw this as a teachable moment. I asked one of the teachers if I could use the memory card that had photos of D on them to encourage this interest that D was showing.

I asked D would he like to have a turn on my computer and he was excited about having a turn. I asked D if he would like to see a photo of himself on the computer and D showed me that he did by nodding yes and pointing to the screen. I had asked D if he would like to put the memory card into the computer, again he showed excitement by nodding his head and a big smile on his face. I showed him how and where to put the memory card, then I took it out again and I let him have a go at putting in the memory card. The photos from the memory card started to come up on the screen and D got so excited and was trying to tell the children that were passing by but because of his rough way of approaching his friends they pulled away from him. “At the heart of providing good quality learning and teaching experiences for young children are warm, sensitive, and responsive relationships, as it is through such interactions that children learn about themselves, their world and the process of learning” (Talay-Ongan & Ap 2005, p.248).

D just stayed with me and was engaged in the photos of him and his friends from the centre, pointing to the photos and then pointing to them in the centre if they were around. He would also try to say their name as best as he could and then I would say what I think he was trying to say and he would clap his hands and smile. I believe that D was feeling empowered as he was developing an enhanced sense of self-worth, identity, confidence, and enjoyment using and being involved with technology (Ministry of Education, 1996). D let me know he wanted to see another photo by using his initiative and pushing his whole hand on the keys. I said to D I would show him how to see the next photo. I showed him how to change it to the next photo on the screen by using the enter key but when he tried to do it he would use his whole hand. I said to D “ You only need one finger (holding up one finger) to push the enter key, but because D is a child with autism, I found he had a short tension span when engaged in different activities, however, I believe that because he was so interested in using the computer and seeing the photos on the screen, he stayed engaged and was willing to take instruction “Activities will be age appropriate and developmentally appropriate and will enable children with special needs to be actively engaged in learning” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.11).

I found this challenging for me as I am not use to working one on one with an autistic child however D’s excitement, energy and eagerness to see and be given the opportunity to use the computer exceeded the difficulty I had found in myself. Through learning how important technology is through our course people, places and things, to all children’s learning and development I can feel a little more relaxed about the process. “A teacher’s computer proficiency can have a direct impact on how effectively children’s learning needs are met through technology” (Tsantis, Bewick, & Thouvenelle 2003).

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

The Staple Gun

The Staple Gun

I was in the centre trying to hang up some of the children’s art work on the wall. While I was sorting through the different art work several children were asking me what I was doing, some stayed and wanted to help by handing me the art work they thought should go up on the wall. I needed to use the staple gun to hang the art work up but when I looked back at the place I thought I had left it, it was missing. After looking around for it I noticed a toddler with it at the table next to the one we were working on. My first reaction was to ask for it back as I knew that this could be a dangerous piece of equipment for this toddler to have but after waiting and observing for a little while I realised that this toddler was quite engaged with the staple gun.

During this observation I noticed this toddler trying to push the stapler down on the table, turning it upside down, banging it down on the table, pushing different parts of the stapler and just simply looking at it. After thinking about the children that had come to the table while I was hanging up the art work, I remember seeing this toddler with this group. I was quite surprised how long this toddler was engaged with the staple gun. It wasn’t until the toddler heard a pre-schooler asking if she could use the staple gun that she actually became aware of her surroundings.

As I said before I was a little anxious about a toddler handling the staple gun as it is a powerful piece of technology, but I did not want to stop the learning that was happening. I asked this toddler to sit by me at the table to which she did and I started to scaffold her learning through showing her different parts of the staple gun. A pre-schooler then asked “How do I get her art work to stay on the wall”? How does the stapler work Isabel? I found this to be quite thought provoking as I have not been asked about the stapler before.

I started to show step by step how the stapler worked. I started off with showing them which was the handle and how to hold the staple gun. They all wanted to have a turn at holding the stapler, so under supervision I let them hold the staple gun. Most had struggled to hold it properly as their hands were too small. A pre-schooler then asked “How do you get my picture to stay on the wall Isabel? I showed them the small U shape metal pieces in the container beside me and I let them know that it is these U shape metal pieces which are called staples that keep their art work stuck to the wall.

I turned the staple gun upside down and pulled out the slide where the staples go and showed them where and how the staples go. “How do they get out of the stapler? So I asked one of the children to pass me a piece of art work. I held the picture up on the wall and then I showed them what would happen if I pushed the handle down and let it come back up again. Technology is about solving problems; it’s about the thinking process and searches for solutions according to Smorti (1999)

I remember the heavy staplers back in my school days and they were not gadgets that were freely accessible to us as children, so it was mainly through observing teachers or adults on how to use it and fill it. I grew up in an era to where you did not ask a lot of questions, so the way one found out about technology, or what technology was, was through observing. Staplers were as far as I can remember were not spoken of as technology but these days children are encouraged to ask questions and teachers are encouraged to answer these questions.

Isabel B