Final reflection on feedback and overall evaluation

I have really enjoyed this blogging assignment, I have learned so much over these past few weeks, through sharing of knowledge within the classroom by my wonderful classmates and group members I am now able to understand the whole idea of blogging. The topic of the assignment itself is the climax of this whole subject since we are now living in the world of technology.

For entry one, my group members have commented that using the phone is a great way for children to extend their language, cognitive, motor, imaginative and creative skills. Also they suggested that it would be a cool idea to give the child an opportunity to use the real phone to call her mum or someone close to her and I do totally agree with that. Another suggestion was making telephones out of cups, this was a simpler idea and easy to make within the centre with recycle empty packets or plastic cups, it will help introduce a way of communication to the children. Most importantly it is affordable and cheaper too.

For entry two, I thought I sounded a bit negative there but my group members have really filled me in with a lot of positive comments about the using of computers within the centre. Maybe I have felt it has been used too much more than it should that teachers have become too dependent on it? I have really appreciated my group member’s positive comments on this reflection because I for one was on the brink of giving up using of computers but now I can see clearly and understand where they are coming from.

As for my third entry, my group members have really supported me in saying it was a great experience for the children to explore the guitar music instrument. They also mentioned that it helps the children to experiment and discover a real guitar and enjoying singing along to the waiatas which they already know would give children great pleasure as well. These are all wonderful experiences for the children so as suggested by my colleagues for next time I could extend it by teaching the children, whanau or staff some of the waitas. That was an awesome idea!  I love singing myself so I could build on that too.

What I think as an overall evaluation of this whole assignment, I think this is a very effective way of learning and sharing of ideas, knowledge and experiences. It is important for us teachers to understand how children learn to develop the use of technology in their everyday lives.  How we support them in their learning is the essence of this whole assignment, to be able to share and support one another on how we can get a grip on technology and enhance children’s learning. I have received very inspiring feedbacks on each of my reflections from all my group members. Their comments on my blog, has made me grow through their knowledge, experiences, suggestions, ideas and contributions shared with me. This will enable me to develop my own understanding of how to extend on the children’s use of technology within the centre.

Reference

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga  mokopunaĀotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

Links to comments

Michelle - First blog

Michelle - Second blog

Michelle - Third blog

Hayley - First blog

Hayley - Second blog

Hayley - Third blog

Serena - First blog

Serena - Second blog

Serena - Third blog

Tamelia - First blog

Tamelia - Second blog

Tamelia - Third blog

Entry Three

Guitar strings can talk

I have the pleasure of owning a simple acoustic guitar and within these past two years of studying and doing placements or going on teaching practice, I have learnt some very beautiful waiatas. I kept the guitar at the pre school which is great advantage to both the children and the staff so that they could enjoy the musical instrument whenever they can. 


About a month ago, while playing the instrument, child D and child B as usual came over and began strumming the guitar with me. I gave each of them to have a turn at playing the guitar, the delight look on their faces when they sang "twinkle twinkle little star" was such a joy to be part of. Even though the instrument was new to them, as stated by Katz that every young children have active and lively minds from the start (Clark, 2004, p.2).


To be able to enhance their learning and development in technology, I gave them the opportunity to experience playing the guitar themselves and be able to listen to the sound the guitar was making. I believe that when we offer children opportunities like these, it becomes meaningful to the children because only then they will be able to apply and develop their own skills and knowledge.


Reference


Clark, A. (2004) Changing classroom practice to include the Project Approach. Early Childhood Research and Practice. 8.2 Fall 2004. Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v8n2/clark.html 


*image from Google.com

Entry Two

Singing & Dancing Along Time...with the computer

26/08/2011

It has been a practice at the preschool where I am working, the use of video is very popular both among the staff and the children. Clearly I have observed that it is used frequently and relied on heavily for singing and dancing along activities.

My question was how does this enhance children's learning? and is it a good practice to use it every single day at the center? These are one or two questions I often asked myself whenever I saw the projector screen came on. How many times I have wondered why and ponder about it, it is in use every single day. If it is not use during the morning, it will be during the afternoon. 

That morning, when I arrived, two boys child D and child C were sitting at the computer going through some videos on You Tube. There was a selection of videos that was saved onto the school computer so the two boys were selecting the ones they were wanting to watch. Child D was moving the mouse and clicking one video at a time. They both choose a music video song that has been so popular over the radio and television since the last two years by Justin Bieber, a song called "Baby, Baby, Baby Oh" and they began dancing and singing along to it. I was impressed and amazed at how they try to copy the way the artist sing and move. I did joined a little and so were other children around. 

One thing I have come to notice is that I have seen teachers using computers in a passive way which I would describe as being almost like a babysitting device. As quoted by McNaughton and  Williams that teachers should...be sensitively attuned to children's abilities, interests and strengths, and remain accessible enough to provide appropriate scaffolding (McNaughton & Williams, 2008, p.370). 

I reflected on this practice and I feel that the computer along is not enough to teach the child anything as much. I wondered if this was because the teacher is unsure of how to use the computer and could perhaps feel out of her depth. I feel it is vital that we teachers need to be there to scaffold the children in order to enhance their learning development. 

Reference

MacNaughton,G., & Williams, G. (2008). Teaching techniques for teaching young children, Choices for theory and practice. (3^rd ed). Australia: Pearson Education Australia.

*image is from my practicum centre

  

Entry One

Hello hello is anybody there?

25/08/2011

Three weeks ago as I was helping out tidying up the dining area, I noticed child G sitting at the family corner, she was busy having a conversation on the phone. There were two telephones on the table, she reaches for the handset and was busy chatting away with her head down. 
She appeared to be in full conversation with the caller. I tried my best not to interrupt so I observed her just few steps away from her. I could hear her asking, “hello...anybody there?” and then there were few repetitions of “Yeah” and “How are you?” and “Yes” as in agreeing to what she and her caller were discussing. Few minutes after that, she put down the handset back onto the telephone, picked up the cordless phone and began to have another conversation again. By then she has already noticed that I she was being observed by me so she has cut this conversation shorter.


I walked up to her slowly and sat about a meter away from her so she has enough space because I did not want to feel I had invaded her space to play and said “Hi G, who were you talking to?” she replied “My mum” I asked “What was she saying?” and she replied “She was busy and we are going to the shops to get some presents!” we talked for few more minutes and mentioned that the present was for father’s day. We then spoke about the different kinds of presents we liked to give to our father for the upcoming Father’s Day that weekend. I asked her she would like to give make a Father’s Day card for her daddy so in the end I helped her out in making a Father’s Day card for her to take back home to her daddy.  

The evidence showed how we are surrounded by the world of technology, in our homes and also within the Early Childhood. Every day we rely on technology for communication with the outside world. This goes to the children at our centres as well, we notice and have witnessed how it influences the lives of each child within our care. We as teachers play a huge role in signifying the use of technology on our children’s learning and development.


It can be seen that children do notice how important technology can be for our lives because we use it every day, child G imitated what happens at home or maybe at her parent’s office or even at school when a teacher communicates on the phone.

Cognitive theorist, Jean Piaget as quoted by Curtis & Hagen was that children are active learners and that the two activities that are important for the development of infants and children are play and imitation. Piaget explained that during play, children act out their already established behavior and adapt reality to fit in an enjoyable manner and during imitation, children are trying to copy other people's actions in order to understand the world around them (Curtis & Hagen, 2003, p.115). Te Whāriki also states that in order to participate in this world, our children will need the confidence to develop their own perspectives as well as the capacity to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills (Ministry of Education, 1996).




Reference


Curtis, A. & O'Hagan, M. (2003). Play: All work and no play

        makes jack a dull boy. In Care and education in early

        childhood: A student's guide to theory and practise. London:

        Routledge Falmer.

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




* Images are from Google.com