Entry Three: Digital Technology - iPad

iPad

 

 

One of the centres I went to for teaching practice was quite ICT orientated. They had a computer for the children to use and the children were allowed to use digital cameras, but the centre had recently acquired a new device – an iPad. Before this I had not seen an iPad used in an early childhood centre, nor had I used one, so I took the opportunity to observe how the children interacted with it.

 



Young girl and her
teacher using a literacy 'app'

The staff had a range of educational ‘apps’ or applications on the iPad that the children could access. They had an application where the children could make their own stories, an application that allowed children to create their own pictures, apps that aided in developing early literacy and numeracy skills, and they had a few games that featured some of their favourite cartoon characters e.g. Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine .

Child using a drawing 'app'

When the iPad was out, the children were supervised by a teacher and a list of names was made to ensure that those who wanted to use it had their own time to do so which I thought was a good way to let a number of children try out the iPad. Te Whāriki states that the early childhood setting should “provide opportunities for new learning to be fostered” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 9). There was a lot of conversation involved as the children talked about what they were doing on the iPad. They seemed to know their way around the menu and were able to access the applications that they wanted with ease.

 

The children were swiping and tapping away and I wondered what impact devices like iPads will have on a child’s learning and development. I thought to myself, will the ability to read a story on an iPad instead of a book render books invalid in the future? Will children spend so much time with their eyes on a screen that they miss out on all the wonders of the outdoors? After discussions within our class at MIT, I realised that I was not the only person who held these concerns. According to the Ministry of Education (2005) ICT should be viewed as “a tool that can be used in conjunction with many others to empower children to learn and grow. It will not replace the existing mechanisms of learning, such as books and the outdoor environment” (p. 2). This statement diminished my concerns somewhat, as it helped me realise that no, it was not going to replace those things but in fact can be used alongside other things as a learning tool.

Toddler using an iPad

Teacher using an iPad with a small group of children

We are in an age where technology rules the roost, as  Smorti (1999) says that we live in a world that has been created and changed by people through technology. The Ministry of Education (2005) points out that “people of all ages use ICT on a daily basis” and that “ICT is transforming our daily lives and the way we learn” (p. 2). An article I read on the internet suggested that “for families who do not have the use of computers and other technology at home, introducing ICT into kindergarten provides an introduction to resources that many people today take for granted” (Barback, 2012). Therefore, it is my understanding that as early childhood educators it is our job to ensure that children grow up to be competent, confident learners (Ministry of Education, 1996) which now includes being ICT-savvy. I feel that in order to be able to do this effectively, the educators need to have some knowledge of ICT and how to use these devices in our practice as Smorti (1999) suggests that “if educators in early childhood are to scaffold children’s learning in this area we need to broaden our understanding of technology and continue to extend our own knowledge and skill base” (p. 5).

As I mentioned earlier, I have not used an iPad myself and if you are like me and feel that perhaps a lack of knowledge on the subject may hinder your ability to facilitate this method of ICT learning effectively, I found a video on YouTube that may help.

 

 

 

 

References

 

Barback, J. (2012). iPads: Do they have a place in ece? Retrieved from      http://www.educationreview.co.nz/ict-and-procurement/november-2012/ipads-do-they-have-a-place-in-ece/

 

Ministry of Education. (1996).Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education (2005). Foundations for discovery: Supporting learning in early childhood education through information and communication technologies: A framework for development. Wellington: Ministry of Education
 

 

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.

 

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All images sourced using Google Image Search.

 

 

Videos

 

Zollotech. (2012). iPad user guide - the basics. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMht9_F3580

 

 

Entry Two: Non-Digital Technology - Magnetic Whiteboard

Magnetic Whiteboard

At my home centre, we don’t use much digital technology with the children. One non-digital technology product we use daily is a magnetic whiteboard. We have a lot of magnetic resources that we use regularly e.g. magnetic stories and visual aids, resources for numbers, colours, the alphabet, and most recently some visual aids for sign language. The teachers at my centre have also been able to create resources that can be used at mat times that are relevant to the current focus topic. The children have access to these magnetic resources so they are not limited to teacher-only use.

Example of what some magnetic teaching resources may look like.




Magnetic dress-up paper dolls

Smorti (1999) gives a simple definition of technology, stating that “technology is about helping people and solving problems” (p. 5) and goes on to say that technology is “aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments” (p. 5). The New Zealand Curriculum contains a similar perspective, discussing that technology is the use of “practical and intellectual resources that develop products and systems that expand human possibilities by addressing needs and realising opportunities” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 34). From this, I was able to understand that our magnetic whiteboard is in fact technology; it is a product that we use as a teaching tool to enhance learning opportunities for children, thus more effectively meeting the learning needs of the children in our care. I also think that because the magnetic board and our associated resources are available for children to use as they see fit, it also allows them to take charge of their own learning and provides opportunities for children to experiment with “technology and resources for mathematics, reading, and writing” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 78). 
 

A boy experimenting with magnets
 and a magnetic board.

It has also been brought to my attention that at times, technology can be linked with science, as Smorti (1999) explains that some of the principles of science are involved in many things related to technology (p. 6). I think that the magnetic whiteboard is an example of how science and technology have been used in conjunction to develop a product that can help people.

When I was at Primary School, the teachers taught with a blackboard and chalk; whiteboards were predominately used as a screen for overhead projectors! It wasn’t until I was older did all classrooms even have a whiteboard, but by the time I was at High School whiteboards were the only things used. I came across a blog on the internet that examines the use of magnetic boards. The writer explains that “magnetic boards have revolutionised the way in which information is relayed in offices, schools, and even at home. They have been well embraced for the replacement of old chalk boards” and goes on to explain that “magnetic boards were first used in classrooms when they replaced chalk boards and are used by tutors for teaching purposes” and are “popular for their ease of use, re-usability, and durability” (Elmakui, 2013).

All of this has greatly impacted on my previous idea of what technology is. Before this I believed that technology was only relative to electronic devices, but now I feel I am able to recognise how even something as simple as a magnetic whiteboard is in fact technology and that we incorporate a lot more technology in our day to day lives than we realise.

If you are interested in trying to make your own magnetic board, here is a video I found on YouTube that demonstrates how you can make your own magnetic board and magnets.







References

Elmakui. (2013). What are the uses of a magnet board?  Retrieved from http://en.over-blog.com/What_are_the_uses_of_a_magnet_board-1228321766-art312384.html

Ministry of Education. (1996).Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

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.



All images used were sourced from Google Image Search.


Videos

Anneorshine. (2013). DIY projects: Magnet board and how to make starfish and cupcake magnets. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjoNQcltbp4

Entry One: Digital Technology - Digital Cameras

Digital Cameras

Young girl experimenting with a digital camera.
 Look at her face!

During one of my teaching practices, I observed an instance where one of the teachers introduced children to using a digital camera.

The two children that were involved had noticed this teacher photographing children and they asked if they could take some pictures. The teacher came back with a camera for each of the children, and explained to them how it works. She demonstrated how to hold it, which button to press to take a picture, and that you can look at the screen to see what you want to take a picture of. She explained to the children that the camera lens is like the camera’s eye; it’s what helps the camera see and that you wouldn’t put your finger into your own eye so do not put fingers in the camera’s eye. The teacher suggested they take pictures of the things that they like at Kindergarten and things that they like to do. The teacher walked around with the two children while they snapped photos – the two children were comparing images, ‘Look what I took a picture of!’ They were very excited and it was quite interesting for me to be able to observe this in practice as it was something that I had not seen before in a centre, most of the time the children aren’t even allowed to touch the real cameras in case they became damaged in some way. I think that this is a view that, from my experiences, most teachers in early childhood have and without realising it we are creating a barrier based on our own personal opinions. I read by Tsantis, Bewick, and Thouvenelle (2003) who suggest that in fact teachers are the key to effectively providing educational use of technology (p. 4). Te Whārikidiscusses that children should be able to use a variety of technologies for a variety of purposes to help them explore the world around them (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 98).

My understanding is that as early childhood educators, it is our role to recognise the importance that using technology holds for children’s learning and development and not to let our own personal opinions or feelings about technology become a barrier preventing us from doing so. Tsantis et. al (2003) also suggests that as teachers find out more about technology and become comfortable using it themselves they will find it easier to include in their practice.

This was somewhat of an eye-opening experience for me as I had not previously considered what impact the use of a digital camera has on a child’s learning and development. Under the Exploration strand, Te Whārikistates that children develop “the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technologies associated with them”(Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 88). I understood this more after watching a video in class where a centre had been through a similar discovery process with their children, and I realised that there was a lot more behind the children’s use of photography than simply just taking pictures. The video discussed how using digital cameras allowed the children to explore with zoom functions, frame settings, experiment with light and shadows, brightness and contrast, and capture design aspects (The University of Auckland, 2011). The video also said that it enables children to actively seek out what is interesting to them and what could be interesting to others (The University of Auckland, 2011). Smorti (1999) suggests that technology is purposeful and creative, emphasises creative and productive aspects of solving problems, and states that “it is the ‘doing’that is important, rather than the ‘product’”. Andrews (2008) talks about some of the benefits that using digital photography can have, stating that “digital photography can also boots a child’s self-esteem, celebrate children’s interests, cultures, beliefs, challenge their thinking and help provide personalised resources”.



An example of photographs used as a personalised resource in a centre.

All of this has led me to wonder about how I could begin to introduce children’s use of digital cameras in my own centre. I found a video on YouTube that a teacher had posted about introducing the children at his centre to Flip Video Cameras – although they focus more on making videos with these, I feel that the way he initiated the use of them can also be applied to regular digital cameras.

References

Andrews, C. (2008). The benefits of introducing young children to ict. Retrieved from http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/the-benefits-of-introducing-young-children-to-ict-3072

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.

The University of Auckland. (2011). Visual arts inspirations:  People, places, things.Auckland: New Zealand. 

Tsantis, L.A., Bewick, C.J., & Thouvenelle, S. (2003). Examining some common myths about computer use in the early ears. Young Children, 58(1), 1-9.

 

Images sourced using Google Image Search.

 

Video

Jansen, T. (2010). Introducing the flip video cameras to our preschool. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k61vup36res