Reflection Three: Children problem solving with nets

16 August, 2012

I was observing child A reaching for the wooden building blocks which were in the water trough, child B decided to help fish the blocks out by using the insect net. Child C was also interested however being so short was unable to reach to get the blocks out.  Being creative, I said to the children, we can pretend that the blocks are fish in a pond. At this point, child B used his problem solving skills by using the insect net again to fish out the blocks. The centre had purchased these insect nets for the children to catch butterflies. While child B was hoping to get the blocks out of the water trough by using the insect net as fishing net, I asked child A and C what else we can use to fish the blocks out?  I asked this open ended question to help them think further.

I would never think that an insect net is a technology and someone had invented it to help catch insects for research studies or other purposes. The children learn how to hold on to the net with their hands and control the arm movements to scoop out the blocks. They worked together and helped each other, while they were learning concepts of weight and why heavy objects sink and do not float on the water. “When people are working together effectively, the insights of each person became the insights of the whole group” (Fleer & Jane, 2011).

Inventors are creative people, they inventing tools to help us achieve our tasks. Some inventions end up very different to what was planned. For example, Dr. Spence sliver invented a type of glue that was not sticky enough, so he thought it was useless. However his co-worker Art Fry used it to stick bookmarks into his hymn book. The bookmarks wouldn’t fall out, but they could be moved around. That’s how sticky notes were born (Love & Smith, 2010).   I think in this scenario child B was being creative, having this idea of helping boy A get the blocks out of the water.

Provide more opportunity for children to explore on this experience. This can be done by making small fishing nets using cloth and branches from trees and attaching strings to the sticks. Another method can be using a colander or a container at the end of the string. Then we can test the things that we have made or found by assimilating different type’s fishing equipment. Then discover which types can catch the fish more easily. Through the Technological knowledge strand, students develop knowledge and understanding of how and why things work (Ministry of Education, 2007) The aim of the learning, working together, brainstorm, drawing, finding various resources, cutting, measuring and making the equipment are all part of technology learning.

There are many tools in our life that are invented to make things work better and more efficiently, things like electric kettle, microwave oven, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and so on. This electrical technology helps people solve the problem and make life easier (Smorti,1999).

References

Fleer, M., & Jane, B. (2011). Design and technology for children. Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Australia.

Love, C., & Smith, P. (2010). How things work encyclopedia (Ed.). London, UK: Dorling Kindersley Limited.

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.

Photo reference for reflection two: cartoon costumes /Google picture

Google images (2012). Cartoon character with different costumes. Retrieved from http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1517&bih=741&tbm=isch&tbnid=l6p86vCK2mXArM:&imgrefurl=http://www.prweb.com/releases/virtual-world-for-kids/for-sale/prweb4995884.htm&docid=GjSc3sAPxPGDFM&imgurl=http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2010/01/05/391833/Clothing.jpg&w=800&h=456&ei=RjE3UOzkEeW8iAeau4DADg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=164&vpy=162&dur=402&hovh=95&hovw=170&tx=182&ty=94&sig=114323197114482800402&page=1&tbnh=96&tbnw=170&start=0&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:70

Picture reference on reflection three: Fishing nets

Google images (2012). Fishing  nets. Retrieved from
http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?start=151&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1517&bih=741&tbm=isch&tbnid=3hulExCWN0dd2M:&imgrefurl=http://careers.guardian.co.uk/poll/2-1-shortlist-graduate-job-seekers&docid=9iNk8vpAMgpbmM&imgurl=http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2012/2/6/1328551389289/Colorful-kids-fishing-net-007.jpg&w=460&h=276&ei=Mi83UOGIDZGwiQemtoDADA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=963&vpy=310&dur=3&hovh=174&hovw=290&tx=131&ty=96&sig=114323197114482800402&page=7&tbnh=140&tbnw=235&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:151,i:268

Reflection Two: Digital camera that captures children’s learning / Fashion show.

3 August 2012

Recently children in our centre were interested in dress up and showing each other their costumes. The teachers organised a fashion show, we set up a stage and used a long piece of material laid on the mat area as a runway, then asked the children to showcase the costumes from different part of the world. We’d captured the fun learning experience on the centre’s digital camera. The children dressed up in Scottish, Spanish, Irish, Indian, Chinese and Tongan traditional costumes.    

                                                                     

Two older boys saw me using the digital camera taking photos, so they asked me if they can use the camera to take pictures also. I thought will this be a good idea? I was not so sure because the camera is for the teachers to use as a tool on recording children’s development. I asked my supervisor for advice. She said as long as I show the children how to use the camera properly, so they can respect our camera as a resource and make sure they take turns with it.

                                                                      

I was surprised by boy 1 who knew how to operate the camera; showed me how to use the function button on the camera to view the photo’s that he’d just taken. I was unfamiliar with the brand of the camera so he said ‘Wendy you push this button to make people look bigger and then you push it back and the people will be smaller’. He is implying the zoom function on the digital camera. “When technology is used effectively, it creates an active interaction between learner and content. The complexity of these interactions increases with the level of student talent” (Schunk, 2000, p.18). They were laughing and taking photos, boy1 he is very capable of using digital camera, but I noticed boy 2 was upset and sobbing because boy 1 was not sharing the camera with him. I had asked him twice to share the camera with his friend, yet in the end I had to take away the device from him. I felt by doing so I am teaching boy 1 to considering other’s needs.

Even though technology is playing an important part of our everyday life, teachers need to know how to channel children’s technology curiosity and use this technology to help them grow intellectually, socially and emotionally (Serriere, 2010).  

I wonder what else boy 1 knows about the digital technology? Using scanner and upload their work to create a power point presentations perhaps? The children incorporated a wide range of technological knowledge and understandings in their collaborative play; they also brought knowledge from out-of-centre experiences into centre life (Mawson,2000).These elements are; Technology practice strand, Technology knowledge strand and Nature of technology strand, described in terms of the strands of the New Zealand Technology Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007).From observing children closely to understand their technological knowledge, this knowledge provides insight into the content knowledge needed by the teachers, in order to offer some possible area of interest that could be explored within extended learning experience.

References

 Mawson, B. (2011). Technological funds of knowledge in children's play:

        Implications for early childhood educators. Australasian Journal Of Early

        Childhood,36(1), 30-35.

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

Schunk, D. H. (2000). Learning theories: An educational perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Serriere, S. C. (2010). "Carpet-Time Democracy: Digital Photography and

        Social Consciousness in the Early Childhood Classroom." Social Studies

        101(2): 60-68.Children in our centre  

Reflection One: Laptop

2 August, 2012

Teacher S. and I recorded the science experience we did on the digital camera. On Monday we show the recorded footage to the children using the centre’s laptop. The children watched themselves in the video, this has helped them recall the learning experience that we had last week. They were able to retell the story with excitement. Video helps children to remember the events that have happened previously (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009).  Our centre’s children enjoy the use of the laptop with the teachers for audio stories and online programmes. They especially enjoyed watching themselves in the video on the laptop, wanting us to play it over and over again.

In our centre teachers have access to a computer and laptop for recording children’s development and their learning stories. We do not have computer or laptop as part of our resources in our centre specify for children at this stage. I wonder if computers are an essential tool for an early childhood centre in order to educating the children? What is the teacher’s role when it comes to teaching children information technology?

Personally I think digital technology is fantastic. Many children have experienced this kind of technology before, firstly in their home environment. For example, digital toys like a talking doll or action figures. They also learn how to switch on and off the T.V, computer, video game and navigate websites.

I believe digital technology (Computers) has many positive sides to support the development of early literacy and numeracy or information gathering, but I also feel pro-long usage of the computer might also distract the social interaction with parents, peers and teachers. Parents commonly observe that their child's attention is easily drawn to the television, computer and ipad for extended periods of time, despite other activities being available. Unfortunately my personal experienced with family and friends using digital technology as form of baby sitter.

Teacher’s perspective that laptops, computer applications and educational programmes are tools to help them develop strategies to motivate and individualize, assess and plan, stimulate family involvement, and even link homes with schools, like newsletters through emails and blogs. However it is the teacher’s knowledge and skills about how to use the technology that makes the difference, not the technology itself (Tsantis, Bewick & Thouvenelle,  2003).

A study has been done by Wheatley, which observed preschool children with and without a computer, found there were no immediate differences between the user and non user at preschool level. However the data also shows positive difference on young children who start using computers in early childhood centres enhance better confidence on information technology in primary school (Wheatley, 2003, cited in Tsantis, Bewick & Thouvenelle, 2003).

Before taking this course I thought technology only involved electronics/digital things that are in our daily life. I have learnt from our classes that technology is all around us and is not just restricted to digital technology.  New Zealand curriculum and Te Whāriki suggested that technology gives opportunities for students to develop their independence, sustaining attention, building confidence gained from accomplishment. Students become aware of their responsibilities, able to make decisions, evaluate their own choices and finding ways of addressing real problems (Ministry of Education, 1996; ministry of Education, 2007).  Technology changes the way how people live their lives by addressing needs and realising opportunities and make things safer, easier, faster or cheaper to help people solve problems (Smorti, 1999). 

References

MacNaughton, G., & 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: He whāriki 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.

Smori, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, 19, 5-10.

Tsantis, L., Bewick, C., & Thornton, S. (2003). Examining some common myths about computers in the early years. Young Children on the Web, November 2003, 1-9.