Blogs i have commented on

Andrew

http://andrewmoose.blogspot.com/2011/08/bucket-technology-masterpiece.html?showComment=1316131327812#c8222119521925698394

http://andrewmoose.blogspot.com/2011/08/shoot-me-shoot-me-our-obsession-with.html?showComment=1315295854391#c2889649440425395878

Nicola

http://nicolastechnologycorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/computers-children-know-how-to-use-them.html?showComment=1315297008227#c4192883939102315845

http://nicolastechnologycorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/we-can-learn-lots-from-cooking.html?showComment=1317270763586#c5933517761732787089

Shabnam

http://shabnamsinnovation-shabnam.blogspot.com/2011/09/dealing-with-technology-playstation-3.html?showComment=1316505692424#c5859821319571357357

Clare

http://claresharpe.blogspot.com/2011/08/light-table-fun.html?showComment=1316458999695#c5826114971474268987

http://claresharpe.blogspot.com/2011/08/technology-within-playdough.html?showComment=1317271253282#c3970747346595639032

Steph

http://steph-about-tech.blogspot.com/2011/09/early-exploration-of-technology-digital.html?showComment=1316459310266#c603080977353962126

http://steph-about-tech.blogspot.com/2011/09/it-is-all-around-world-filled-with.html?showComment=1317271711254#c5298595655304790948

FINAL REFLECTION

FINAL REFLECTION

“Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function” (Wikipedia, 2011).

Before taking this class I thought I was a technology genius, I still think I am but a digital technology genius and I can’t stress enough how much I love my “digital technology”. I admit that I was a fat head and thought “Arh this will be too easy for me I know everything when it comes to technology” but I was wrong. My attitude towards this blog at the beginning of this course was very different to the attitude I have now. In the beginning I stalled a little and shrugged it off a bit and told myself “it’s okay you’ll be fine, blogs are easy” and they are but what I discovered along the way which I value whole heartedly now is that technology is more than an ipad, a ps3 or a computer.

I can’t help but laugh because when I think about the world we live in and all the technology that surrounds us its funny to think how much we actually don’t realise what technology is. I know that technology is more than computers and electronic or digital devices but I sometimes forget to show my appreciation for the other types of technology we use every day.

From the moment I wake up I am using technology. Checking my phone for the time, switching on a light so I can see, turning on the heater to warm up our room, using the toilet, turning on the shower, putting on my clothes, brushing my hair, blow drying my hair, straightening my hair, turning the kettle on so I can have a cuppa, using the toaster and microwave and oven to make breakfast, driving my car to get to work or tech, waiting at the traffic lights and waiting for the light to turn green and so on.

I was reminded of how simple technology can be while observing two boys at my centre play with some beyblades. Now a beyblade is a type of toy disc that you need to connect to a trigger device which then needs to be fired using a rip cord. These two boys spent quite some time trying to get the rip cord into the hand held trigger (If that’s what it’s called) but once they got that sussed they pulled the rip cord as fast as they could and away the beyblade went spinning around and around the toy arena. These two boys had to concentrate hard at getting the rip cord through the trigger device and had to pull it fast enough to get the beyblade spinning. But once they had done it they knew they had accomplished something great and put their problem solving skills to practice. I must admit it was like watching monkeys put a stick through a hole in a branch to get some bugs to eat but it was oh so cute and the looks on their faces showed that they were satisfied. Now I could have easily stepped in and offered to help and do it for them but by allowing them to figure it out for themselves provided them with the opportunity to explore and make discoveries and solve a problem (Ministry of education, 1996). Now I don’t mean to offend anyone by calling them monkeys but you know what I mean they were just so gorgeous to watch and the way they were trying to put the cord into the tiny hole reminded me and I really enjoyed being a part of this experience even though I was just observing which is what we need to be able to do sometimes, we can’t always be directly involved in their learning but we can watch the learning happen (Dunkin and Hannah, 2001).

In my previous reflections I talked about some of the electronic devices I own and the types of technology I use in my centre and I admit that I was so focused on this type of technology I ignored the many other wonderful aspects that TECHNOLOGY  brings. Looking at the devices I own and use every day it is clear to see that they may not necessarily solve problems but they do make my life more enjoyable and easier. I love the feedback I received from my group members and I admire their honesty as some really good points were made.

Looking back on my reflections and the feedback I received from my group I can see now that everyone has their own view on what technology is and the many uses for it. We are all different and have every right to our opinions and beliefs but that’s what makes each of us so special and great teachers. We all have our strengths and bring uniqueness to our practice. No matter how we each view technology and the importance of its use in centres, together we have a combined strength and knowledge to help us move forward into the future and you could say that is technology in itself.

Whether it be with a bucket, a camera, play dough a ps3 an ipad, a magnet or a wooden peg, being able to identify the many types of technology and the uses for them and understanding how they can benefit the children in our centre only makes it easier to accept the many changes our world is going through (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett and Farmer, 2008). Even if we were to start again right from scratch, because of all the knowledge we have obtained over the decades, technology will live on forever. For technology to truly become extinct the human race would have to perish too. In saying that it can suggest that without the other neither can exist.

I have to say that I did enjoy this assessment and what a great way to share our thoughts. Technology is wonderful especially the digital devices and I cant wait to see what is bought out next, what will be the next big hype? Oooh imagine if all our assessments were done this way, at least wed be saving our trees!

REFERENCES

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Dockett, S., Farmer, S., & Death, E. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed). Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning

Dunkin, D., & Hanna, P. (2001). Thinking together: Quality adult child interactions. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology

ALL IN ONE

All in one

I have a little something which I like to call my all in one. It tells me the time; it plays music takes pictures, records videos, keeps appointments and takes notes and most of all it keeps me in touch with people I love. This little all in one device is my trusty cell phone and yes I take it to work with me and yes I keep it in my pocket.

Oh no…I can only imagine what some of you are thinking!!!

But don’t worry, my phone is always on silent and I don’t answer any calls or txt msgs unless I am on my break, non-contact time or in a place where I am able to do so. Like the toilet…eeewwwhhhh! Again don’t worry it is after I have finished my business and washed my hands, I just stand in the toilet for an extra 30 seconds so I am able to reply quickly to a text. SShhhhh!

Why I love this little device is so obvious to see, it fits into my pocket and whenever I am in need of capturing that amazing moment out comes the all in one and snap, I have a picture.

Cameras are fine cameras are great but you don’t always have it on you and sometimes you can’t leave your designated area to go get it and by the time you’ve called out to someone to either relieve you so you can go get the camera or ask someone to bring it to you…the moments gone! Forever!

So that is one of the many great things of the cell phone.

Another wonderful trait is being able to play music. The children love it, they choose a song press play and they begin to dance no matter where it is they are standing even though the volume isn’t very loud.  Just like my ipad this is another device I trust the children with, if they want to listen to some music and if they ask nicely I will let them turn some music on and it doesn’t surprise me the way they are able to find their way to the right place on my cell phone. They probably know how to work it better than me.

Almost everybody has a cell phone and these kids are obviously exposed to them at home. The reality is they are going to grow up and use one too but theirs will be way more advanced than the ones we have today stressing the importance of equipping children with the knowledge they will need in being computer or technology literate. Te Whāriki highlights the importance of teaching children about the world and providing them with opportunities to make discoveries and acquire new skills (Ministry of education, 1996) so what I am getting from this is that it is okay to let the children at my centre interact with my cell phone because it is part of the ever changing world. 

The children also like to use it to take pictures and record videos of themselves with their friends or of anything at all around the centre and they also like to look at the photos I have of my children stored on my phone and really enjoy looking at them. We tend to talk about my children as they ask who so and so is and we can sometimes converse for what seems like forever about the people in my photos or people in their family or to the types of cell phones their parents have. “My mum has a iPhone a yellow one and it has movies on it and a game” these were actual words from a 3 year old in my centre. I immediately thought “Huh a yellow iPhone, he must be making it up” but no the very next day his mum came in with her iPhone and guess what it wasn’t yellow but it had a yellow protector case.

Because of my cell phone I was able to learn something new about his mum making those connections between home and centre (Ministry of education, 1996). He openly shared with me that his mum had a yellow iPhone and the types of things his mums iPhone could do. This told me that he had knowledge and familiarity with this form of technology. I don’t have an iPhone but my cell phone is pretty neat but he related our two phones together and thinks that all cell phones are iPhones which I thought was pretty cute reminding me of my children who think all meat is chicken. What got me thinking here though was is it my job to tell him that not all cell phones are iPhones but I decided it was too complicated even for me.

I do understand that there are ethics involved as to what is being done with pictures taken on a cell phone but at the end of the day both my camera and cell phone come home with me. I am lucky that I am able to use my own camera and that I am trusted in doing so and the same with my cell phone. But I must stress with utmost importance that all the images and videos are shared and documented with the other staff and when the purpose for them like learning stories etc is no longer needed they are deleted.

The importance of this discussion here is recognising how much children actually know about technology and their uses. The children I work with will either say “Can I take a picture on your phone” or” Can I listen to some music” or “Can I play a game”. At their young ages they already know how many uses a cell phone has and how to use them. When I look back at my younger days as a small girl and think of the things I was good at or knew how to operate the only things that come to my mind are remote control cars walkie talkies and tv remotes. I know mums who give their cell phones to their babies to play with or should I say chew on and the first thing I say is “be careful she might drop it” when the correct thing to say would be “Is it safe to put in her mouth”. The point I’m trying to make here is how much we expose children to technology without even knowing it and that children will know what a cell phone is before they can speak.

To a lot of people a cell phone is simply just another phone and once upon a time it was just another phone. The only thing you could do on it was call someone and they were so big you couldn’t actually fit in your pocket. Over time newer models with more functions came out such as the text messaging and then later on ringtones and inbuilt cameras and now internet browsing and so on but the list goes on. Times are changing and technology is forever evolving and so has the cell phone and what teachers need to do is help children in their care become familiar with the technology so when it does change which it will, children will be prepared and you could call this scaffolding of some sort scaffolding them for them for the future (McNaughton and Williams,2009).

What’s most important in this reflection is the many uses and functions a cell phone has which can be of use to a teacher who is much older than 15. I don’t use my cell phone to teach children how to text. I don’t use my cell phone to let children call their friends. I use my cell phone as a tool, as a resource just like any other piece of technology and when you look at it that way I’m the one still in control and supervising the children who are using it so they are safe just like I will when my children get their very first cell phone. William Ferriter wrote an article on  cell phones as teaching tools for students at high school and of the many benefits they provided for him as teacher and for his students  but I found that what he was saying could relate to early childhood teachers as well. Ferriter shares the following

“Embracing cell phones in schools is a logical step. Although the risks are real, the rewards are great—and not as hard to achieve as you might think. Think of the money we saved! Using nothing more than the tools that the majority of students brought to school every day, we'd successfully replaced dictionaries, timers, and digital cameras—resources my principal would have loved to provide for every classroom, but couldn't afford in tight budget times” (Ferriter, 2010).

Now I must sound like a bit of a hypocrite because in my last reflection I brag on about how I don’t want my children to have a cell phone until at least 15. That is still true but I as a teacher know that not all parents are going to be like me and wait till their children are that age before they buy them one, some may wait till they are even older most likely like a lot of children I know will have one while they are at intermediate but it is that parents’ choice. What can be stressed here is how young children can be brainwashed from an early age to accept technology and I feel it is my duty to make sure children in my care are able to learn about technology in a safe and caring environment provided by me.

I  do hope that by the time these small children are old enough to have a cell phone of their own that they will be responsible with them and appreciate the many benefits and uses technology provides just like I do.

REFERENCES

McNaughton, G., & Williams, G.  (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3^rd ed.). Melbourne,Vic.: Addison Wesley Longman.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ferriter, Wi. (2010) Educational leadership: Cellphones as teaching tools. Retireved August 2011 from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct10/vol68/num02/Cell-Phones-as-Teaching-Tools.aspx

WE LOVE TECHNOLOGY

In my house we have a lot of technology. You could say that my family are technology freaks and when it comes to the latest crazes in technology if it is good we will have it. Playstaions, psps, xbox 360’s ipods, you name it we have about everything. I’m not trying to brag or make out that we have a lot of money, don’t get me wrong we are not a wealthy family we just happen to love our technology and we work hard and save for it. You have to understand that according to “so and so” my partner and I are a part of the millennial generation Generation y meaning that we understand and accept technology a little easier than others. Well that’s according to “so and so”.


"Characteristics of the generation vary by region depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media and digital technologies" (Wikipedia, n.d).


"There are no precise dates for when Millennial generation starts and ends and commentators have used birth dates ranging somewhere from mid- 1970's to mid 1990s" (Wikipedia, n.d).

Now just because my eldest son has a psp, an xbox 360 and other devices in his room it doesn’t mean he is on them 24 hours of the day 7 days a week. No way, my son of course goes to school, he then comes home has his afternoon tea, does a little homework, watches a little tv has chores to do helps cook dinner pack wash and dry dishes and other little jobs I may want him to do. He plays rugby and has rugby training two nights a week but thankfully the season is now over which means no more rushing home from work . The point I am trying to get across is that my son has all these other things he has to do before he is even allowed to turn on his tv. Yes he has a big tv, too big but it only comes on in the weekends and only to play his game. If he wants to watch tv he has to watch it with us on our big tv because we all know there are some programmes that are just not suitable for kids. If the weathers fine the kids are outside most of the day either swimming or playing with the rugby ball or they are out on a walk or playing at our local park with their older cousins. What I’m trying to say is moderation is the key which is how it should be in our early childhood centres but any visitor to my home would think differently. I guess that’s where the problem lies; people assume the worst before actually attempting to find out the truth. People will either think my son is spoilt, lazy or too young to have such things. What people don’t know is his parents love technology and his Dad is a genius when it comes to computers and technology. They don’t know that my son works very hard for his pocket money so that he is able to contribute towards some of these devices. What they don’t know is that my son is a high achiever at his school and plays sports and because of his achievements he is sometimes rewarded with things like hiring a game from the video store or 2 hours game time on his console. My son is still alive and breathing and not wasting away because he’s been playing a game two days straight without food and drink or a toilet break.






I do agree though that there are some technology I think should have age restrictions and closer supervision, like cell phones. My son asked for a cell phone for his 12th birthday which is coming up mid-September and of course I said “No” “But why mum” he responded “Because your too young” I replied. “When can I have one” when you can afford to buy your own prepay top up which is when you have a part time job which should be at 15 or 16”. You can imagine the response.

The ideal cell phone for my son would be one that only I or his father could call or text him on and vice versa we would be the only ones he could call or text but because there isn’t one like that available in New Zealand…yet he isn’t allowed one till he is at least 15 and even then he will have some rules in place, like giving me his phone at 7pm each night so that he isn’t able to txt or talk to his friends all night and he has to have a part time job so that he is able to buy his own top up. Call me a big meanie but I just want to keep my son safe from txt bullying, girls, txt bullying and,,, girls. Well for as long as I can anyway. Plus I can barely afford my own top up!








I also agree that there are some video games children just shouldn’t play and those are games that are violent with gruesome special effects and sexual and or explicit content in other words R18 games. Although we try our best to shield our children from such games there is always someone they know that has access to these games such as a friend, cousin or in my case parent. Im not going to lie, we have those types of video games but we are responsible parents and our children do not have access to these games. My partner and I only play these types of games when our children aren’t home or are in bed, the same with tv programmes and certain movies that I just don’t want my children watching like horrors, thrillers, Jersey shore and the news. The news is just too depressing and gets my children all worried and upset thinking that we are going to have an earthquake and the world is going to end. I honestly wish someone would start a news channel where only happy stuff was reported. To be honest my children don’t get to watch a lot of tv and one could say they are actually deprived of it when I honestly think about it…hhmmm I may have to let them watch a little more.
My children do have games that some parents wouldn’t let their children play like halo and gears of war but these games are about saving the world against monsters and aliens and are played alongside and adult. You can judge me on this one and share your opinion freely because I know everyone feels differently in regards to many video games but please admire me for being honest.
I love to play video games too and I love loud music, I love having all this technology around me and again just because I have it doesn’t mean I use it all the time either. I know that there are a lot of great parents out there who love this too and we need to cater for these parents and children who have parents like this (Ministry of education, 1996). Isn’t it funny how children know how to take pictures with a cell phone and how to select a song on a laptop?

The importance of this discussion and why I felt it relevant to reflect on is to emphasize the importance of recognising the changes happening around us every day and the importance of accepting that some families like mine will have a lot of technology in their lives and that as teachers we need to try and embrace it alongside them rather than judge or criticize and to make families feel welcome and a part of the centre (Ministry of education, 1996).  I can guarantee that this reflection will get some emotions going and Im not going to lie… that was my intention but it was also my intention to help us recognise how quick we are to judge technology , the families that use it and how they use it. “Oh they use play stations to babysit their kids” come on we don’t know that, PlayStations can also be used to watch movies, listen to music browse the internet send email store photos and most of the time it is an adult who owns the PlayStation (my partner).
“Their kids are spoilt because they have a psp, an ipod a computer and a tv in their room”. I remember when kids were spoilt for having nice clothes and shoes.
Technology is evolving and whether we like it or not we have to evolve with it or else we will get left behind. Do we really want to go back to the stone ages? I don’t think so what I do know is that I want to be with the times of the world and have my children prepared for a future that is bound to be overwhelmed with technology and to stress that just because some families embrace technology more freely than others doesn’t mean that they are rich, spoil their kids or that their kids are lazy with lousy parents.

REFERENCES


Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Me




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y. Retrieved 27th August 2011

IPAD THURSDAY

 Every Thursday I take my ipad into my centre to share with the children. Now you have got to see the looks on the children's faces when I pull the infamous ipad out of my bag at morning whariki.

It has gotten to the point where children come up to me on Thursday mornings and ask "Whaea do you have your ipad".

My ipad is something pretty amazing, it has movies on it, a lot of music, games, books, photos of my family, internet access and browsing, it can even give me directions to any destination I want to go and has pretty much everything on it. It is special to me and yes it was expensive, it was a gift to me from my partner and I don’t think you’ll find a lot of people willing to take in their own ipad to share with a bunch of children who aren’t related.

The point is I do, and I share it with the children at my centre so that they are able to experience a piece of technology that they might not have access to. Although we have a computer for the children to use it doesn’t get used much because it is not working properly which is why the children do get excited when a laptop or ipod or my ipad gets bought in to the centre. When using technology like this device children are able to explore a whole different world of wonder thus promoting the use of their imagination (Ministry of education, 1996).

What amazes me is how competent the children are at using it. The only time they have access to an ipad is when I bring it in, and every time they use it they know how to turn it on, where to go and how to open the right programmes.

What really blew me away was when 2 year old J had a turn and he knew what to do as well and this was his first time actually touching it. Every other time he just sat and watched but I think by all the observing that he was doing he was able to learn how to use it just by watching his friends. This clearly shows the scaffolding between children and how they can model to each other how to use technology (MacNaughton and Williams, 2009)

People ask me how I can trust young children with something so expensive and I always tell them that you have to let children know how precious your belongings are and that we need to look after them and I also believe that when children realise you are trusting them with something so valuable they really do try their best to look after it (Shaffer, 2005).  

On one particular Thursday a group of 5 children sat on the whāriki with my ipad while I cleaned up morning tea. They were in my view and I could hear them discussing the game they would like to play and who was going to go first. For a second I thought it might get out of hand and some conflict may arise but I decided to wait a few more moments to see what would develop and I was surprised to hear one of the girls say “let E have a go first because she hasn’t had a turn yet then we will go in a circle”. Away they went, they let E have her go first and then each had a turn. After 20 mins of turn taking I said to them that in 5 minutes the ipad was going to be put away. When I got to 3 mins I told them there was only 3 minutes left, then it got down to 1 minute and then when I said “Times up” they all got up and and A bought the ipad to me, holding it tight and secure in her arms.

This showed me that they respected my property each other and the time that I had given them.

Ipads are a great tool for learning and discovery. They can access the internet, provide different educational games and books, store music and videos are portable and a great size. The only downfall is that they are expensive. I think it would be fantastic if every centre were able to have at least one of these wonderful devices but I know that reality is especially in my centre that it is unlikely to happen unless a teacher brings in their own just like I do.

I believe that using an ipad helps to develop a childs hand and eye coordination because they have to actually physically touch the screen. I believe it creates fantasy and wonder and actively promotes the development of a childs imagination through exploration and communication (Ministry of education, 1996). I believe that it promotes sharing and turn taking and teachers children how to appreciate technology and to look after one anothers belonging. Teachers have to remember though that children still need to be under close supervision when using an ipad, just like any computer or device with internet capability we cannot afford to have children access something on the net that can be harmful but luckily ipads have applications in place that can stop children from doing so like passwords.

THE IPAD IS TRUELY FANTASTIC…

REFERENCES

McNaughton, G., & Williams, G.  (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3^rd ed.). Melbourne,Vic.: Addison Wesley Longman.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Shaffer, D.R, (2005) Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence(5^th Ed.). Pacific Grove, United states of America: Brooks/Cole publishing.