Through my readings
about technology, I have learnt that technology can be not only digital devices
but simple everyday objects that make life easier. Last week I was helping my
AT set up the outdoor environment. In our outdoor area we have a deck where we
set up our dramatic play and family corner. I had two children helping me set
it up; when I asked them what they wanted me to set up in this area they
suggested a café. This was no surprise to me as this had been their interest
for the past two weeks. On our visit to the resource cupboard I was amazed at
what resources they chose to use for their café. As you can see by the photos we had key
boards, cordless eftpos machines so customers could pay by eftpos or visa, as well
as a cordless telephone to take orders from. This was all fairly new digital
equipment. Other resources included a microwave
along the back wall, an oven, a washing machine and some cupboards, all of
which were made out of wood. As I observed the children role playing cafes I
noticed that they all knew how to use the different types of technology that
was in the environment without teachers having to teach or role play to them. An
“ITC practice includes watching adults and other children using ICT for a range
of purposes” (Ministry of Education, 2004, .p.5). In one of my photos there is a piece of card that
represents an eftpos card ready to be swiped. They knew how to use these items
because they were born into this generation of technology, and had also
observed other adults and children using these items. I could see a number of
aspects of development unfolding as I observed the children playing and acting
out their views on how a café should run. Fine and gross motor skills,
expressing their creativity, for example using milk bottle tops as food and
language development, however, the thing that stood out to me the most was the
skills of socializing with each other and using the correct language
terminology while role playing with the different types of technology, for
example ‘the phone is ringing can you answer it’. “Children use a variety of
technologies for different purposes as they explore their world” (Ministry of
Education, 1996, p.98). These
children were exploring café worlds and one particular child was particularly
familiar to this scene as her parents own a café therefore that was a big part
of her world, and she was exploring it through dramatic play at the centre. Additionally
it was great to see that she was also demonstrating to others how and when to
use an eftpos machine, children were learning through their peers.
It is important that
teachers include technology in their dramatic play area so that children can
learn more about it and how it works and explore how to communicate through it.
The New Zealand Curriculum states that children must “confidently use ICT to
assess and provide information and to communicate with others” (Ministry of
Education, 2007, .p12). If, in fact that
is what is required of children when they reach primary school, an early
childhood teacher must then be responsible for furthering their own knowledge
on digital technology and introducing different forms of technology in child friendly,
play environment where they are able to developing those skills of
communicating and developing further knowledge about it how technology works in
the right context.
 |
| Photos of the cafe |
References
Ministry of Education.
(2004). Kei tua o te pae assessment for
learning: Early childhood exemplars. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning
Media.
Ministry of Education.
(2007). The New Zealand curriculum.
Wellington, New Zealand:
Learning Media
Ministry of Education.
(1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga
mō ngā mokopuna o
Aotearoa : Early childhood
curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media
Hi, Catherine...
ReplyDeleteI think the children in your centre are usually brimming with good ideas. It was great that you sat up the café world for children and combined the real ICT and authentic learning together. Children all knew how to use these technologies while they were role playing and exploring the ‘café world’. And I like all your examples as they are familiar to everybody and very felicitous.
“Constructivists value ‘authentic’ or ‘situated’ learning, where learners take part in activities that are directly relevant to the application if learning, and that take place within a culture similar to the applied setting. These authentic tasks enable learners to experience problem solving in real-world contexts” (McLellan, 1996).
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteWell done for the reflection with attractive photos . Very appealing reflection and had shown mostly the significant main points with your written. I enjoyed reading your reflection about on how you set up the family corner area for children to explore their ideas. In your reflection you have made links to the literature about technology. It was great to read that your centre have opportunities to the children’s interest which was the digital device. are very vital for the early childhood centres and I have experienced that this digital technology device is a growing experience in children’s problem solving. Children develop an understanding of how these technologies helps them and others in the today’s world (Ministry of Education, 1996). In you reflection you have mention about how children were confident of using the card that represents an eftpos card ready to be swiped. They knew how to use these items because they were born into this generation of technology, and had also observed other adults.
I enjoyed how you reflected on the process of children’s interest and how this is linked to technology. My centre dosnt have an eftpos machine but from your reflection I found it so amazing for children’s learning that I would like to recommend in to my centre manager. Children currently play with computer keyboards and pretend to swipe a eftpos card on the keyboard so I think an eftpos machine will be such a great resource for my centre.
ReplyDeleteThe way you described their social learning and different types of technology use like the phone ringing, it got me thinking about children’s technology in the centre that don’t get acknowledged like the noise of a cell phone or home phone and how children react to these noises because that is technology and that is what they are familiar with. I enjoyed reading how children were interacting with social play and modeling how their parents are in cafes. This is linked to “Interaction provides a rich social world for children to make sense of and gives opportunities for them to learn by trying out their ideas with adults and other children” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.43).
Hi Catherine, I was so glad to see you how to respect children. You gave their opportunity to choose what resource they want to use for their cafe. I believe that you built a good relationship with children. Through your reflection I found that technology is everywhere. Children get in touch with technology from their life experience. I believe that children learnt how to use the technology stuff very fast in our real life, rather than only teaching them how to use it. From this activity, children use their imagination to set different roles of the dramatic play. And they share the experience about using the technology stuff. Te Whariki Strand 4, Goal 4 said that,”children discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive, children develop familiarity with a variety of types of music, art, dance, and drama as expressions of feeling, mood, situation occasion, and culture” (Ministry of Education, 1996).
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice that you provided children an attractive environment for their dramatic and sociodramatic play. In this dramatic and sociodramatic play, children experienced the feelings, thoughts, and behaviours of the actors (customers and waiters). They just constructed their own understanding of how the real world works by stepping into the shoes of another person (Jalongo & Isenberg, 2006). Te Whariki emphasises on the importance of the environment where children learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, reasoning (Ministry of Education, 1996). I can see that you create an attractive physical setting, provide children ICT props to imitate the real life. What a successful and purposeful activity you did. The most important you involve children in planning through encouraging them to suggest ideas for themes and choose the necessary props. I agree with you that early childhood educators need enhance their technological knowledge in the right context, thus influence their learning throughout life. Te Whariki states “children have developed some initial strategies of active exploration in the wider context of the biological, physical, and technological worlds” when they move from early childhood centres to the school (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 82).
ReplyDelete