IPad & Cellphones
Technology
is a vital tool which enables the children to learn about the new things which
contributes in their overall learning. Today,
we had mat when one of our parents turned up with a box of Ipads and cell
phones for the children. They looked real but they were all toy ipads and cellphones
as it was donated to us by vodafone.
When they were given the Ipads & cell phones, they
were quite excited as they started to communicate with each other using
them. I was quite surprised when I
noticed the children trying to use the keys to do their text. The next day I took my ipad to the centre and
then I showed them my ipad as I played you tube of the nursery rhymes for the
children to watch at the mat time. “By offering a variety of
contexts, teachers help their student to recognise links and develop generic
understandings” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.32). Children
were showing their interest in watching the nursery rhymes and were responding
by singing along with the song. “Teachers should be sensitively attuned to
children’s abilities, interest and strengths, and remain accessible enough to
provide appropriate scaffolding” (Smith, 1996 as citied McNaughton &Williams, 2008,
p.370). I as a teacher scaffold the
children learning in the area by giving them the opportunity to explore through
introducing the ipad in the mat time at my home centre.
K said, “Teacher
my mummy has got one ipad like you?” “Is that right”? I added.
“Yeah, it’s got all the photos of my sister and my dad”. “She added”. May be we could ask mum to bring in your ipad
so we can have a look at your family”.
“Ok” she replied, as we continued looking at the nursery rhymes at the
mat time.
“Using many
materials for different purposes enables children to recognise that different
technologies may be used in various places and settings” (Ministry of Education,
1996, p. 95). Fake phones and Ipads
allow the children to experience technology as a pretending way of
socialisation, but giving them the real ones supported what they need to know
about technology and it can be included in their families. For example, playing the nursery rhymes at
mat times through ipads helps showing the children how technology works.
Children were able to learn and understand how technology is used as part of
their communication and how to use them by using their fingers to pretend when
to text other people. The children were
also able to explore gross motor skills through using the key pad of the Ipads
and cell phones. This enhanced the children
to get the understanding of the new technology and how it’s going to affect as
part of their learning in the future.
“Technology
is different from science, in that it emphasis creative and productive aspects
of solving problems and answer questions” (Smorti ,1999,p.6). I believe ipads
and cell phones are a great tool for socialisation and gives them the
opportunities to learn about science and maths and how it’s related to our
every day living. Advantage downloads education app
for young children to develop their literacy skills. The disadvantages
of these new technologies could be not allowing the children to use their own
brain for problem solving. It can also put their
health at risk due to radiation. For example, the children were not able
to recognise numbers as they learn at school but now it’s about pressing the
button and it’s done for them.
Lastly, I
would like to say that the new technology is good and it is as likely for us as
a early childhood teacher how we use it,
and the way we use and the reason behind this digital device technology and in
a way that would be helpful for the children in my our centre.
Reference list
MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009).
Techniques for teaching young children:
Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, NSW, 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.
Smorti , S.
(1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early
Education, 19, 5-10.
The ipad is becoming very popular and children are already ‘native technology users’. You were very lucky that a parent was able to donate some toy ipads; this just comes to show that technology is becoming a big part of our everyday lives and especially in the young lives that we teach .You mentioned that the children started to communicate with each other by using the toy ipads. I am curious to find out whether they were role playing or practicing their skills of typing letters? If so then this is evident that teachers need to incorporate new digital technology into their learning development plan just like The New Zealand Curriculum has. They have a technology learning structure where children learn “Technological Practice, Technological Knowledge, and Nature of technology” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.32). It is my belief that most centres have already put in place these three strands, however are they continually keeping it up with the new digital technology as its been introduced?
ReplyDeleteI love how you then brought in your own ipad in to your centre and played some nursery rhymes while the children were at mat time, however I noticed you said the children were only engaging with the ipad by singing along with the nursery rhyme. Should children only be limited by playing with the toy versions of new digital technology like the ipad or should they be able to have the opportunity to explore a real ipad? For example, like in your YouTube clip where the dad gave his ipad to his daughter. Many centres, I believe will be rather unlikely to give expensive technology equipment to young children in the fear of them damaging it, but on the flipside of the coin, how are they going to be prepared for the future if they don’t get to explore and practice on the real item? We as teachers must believe and put into practice, that children are competent learners, and expose them to different types of digital technology so they are well prepared for the future.
Hi Jasmeet
ReplyDeleteI want to start of by saying I love IPADS!
It is awesome, but I believe it is a very teacher directed technology. Children should be around this technology with a teacher that can facilitate the learning behind it. The reason for this is I believe that most children who’s families own ipad's only use it for games, hence why maybe when children is your center were using the ipad they only wanted the music part of it. That is still learning but a teacher can do many activities with music via ipad, like they can clap to the beats of the music and see how many claps the beat takes.
I believe using an ipad in the center you could have done a bit more then having nursery rhymes, like an interest of the center could have been incorporated in the learning of having this technology being introduced in the center.
For example maybe the center planning is around insects, and you can easily download certain chapter books and play it for view for children. I recommend this because music and singing is of interest to most, but sometimes the boring subjects might need a bit of excitement for children to learn, and I think having an ipad to do that is a great way for children to learn. By using technology and science together has a great outcome this is linked to “Technological knowledge includes an understanding of the way things work individually and together as part of an overall outcome” (Ministry of Education, 2006, p.23).
Hi, Jasmmet! Great to see that you are using your ipad to play the nursery rhymes for children to watch. I really want to but an ipad because I want to do the same thing as you. Maybe later…o(∩_∩)o ..
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said all those advantages of using ipad: socialisation, opportunities to learn science and math, downloads education app to develop literacy skills. That’s so true, especially to download education app via ipad, I think it is the greatest feather of ipad. I love it.
I also strongly agree with what you said all those disadvantages of using ipad. After read your reflection, I realised that I missed so many points in my ipad&iphone reflection T.T…. “these new technologies could be not allowing the children to use their own brain for problem solving” True! “Children were not able to recognise numbers as they learn at school but now it’s about pressing the button and it’s done for them.” Exactly!
I like your reflection! Good work! Ka pai ！ (*^__^*)
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ReplyDeleteOops, I forgot to link to literature.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jasmmet! Great to see that you are using your ipad to play the nursery rhymes for children to watch. I really want to but an ipad because I want to do the same thing as you. Maybe later. “It is the teacher’s knowledge and skills about how to use the technology that makes the difference, not the technology itself” (Tsantis, 2003).
I agree with…………
That is so nice that the parents gave your children these iPads and cell phones’ props. I think that technology is now such an important part of children’s everyday lives. I could not imagine how these young generations live in a learning environment without those stuffs. ICT adviser Harriet Price argues that "it is no longer simply a case of thinking in terms of the benefits that an ICT-rich educational experience brings to children" (as cited in Teaching Expertise, 2008). It is so impressed that you brought your own iPad to play you tube of the nursery rhymes with the children at the mat time. Te Whariki states “using many material for different purposes enables children to recognise that different technologies may be used in various places and setting” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.95). I also noticed that many conversations and questions happened when you used iPad with the children. ICT is a fantastic tool to enable children being creative and develop their critical thinking. Harriet Price believes using appropriate technology helps children enhance learning and develop their independent learning skills (Teaching Expertise, 2008).
ReplyDeleteThis reflection is very good, and it allows us to see a child sensitive technology and the impact of technology on children.First of all, the children often imitate the habits of the adults. The children are very curious novelty. When children see adult’s iPad, Smartphone, they will be curious to observe and play.When children know how to find the information they wanted, and they know this technology is in the iPad and Smartphone. This is very important for their future. The process of human development is to use science and technology development to today's technology; kids learn how to use today's technology to create the future of science and technology. “children’s play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognized, children develop the ability to make decisions, choose their own materials, and set their own problems” (Ministry of Education, 1996).
ReplyDelete