Blog 2- TaKiNg PiCtUrEs

The idea for my second blog came about when one of the children asked me for the camera. I willingly handed it over and they picked it up and said “say cheese” and bam! They took a photo. I was standing with my mouth open shocked at the child’s knowledge of photo taking and that with no prompting 

the child’s abilities had shown through.

 Some of the photos he took of me, practicing his cameraman skills.

I was completely unaware of their abilities and was sad at myself that the children had this ability and was never given the chance to use it because the camera could break, even though the camera has a chip and water proof cover and I felt that the responsibility would be good for the children to prove themselves as they are always drawing on the walls and need the extra stimulation. I let them explore and have full use of the camera while sharing and taking turns. I followed them just to make sure it was not causing a drama but I worried the whole time about the other teachers as they were very anxious about the children using the camera.

I gave the children no direction and let them take whatever photos they wanted with the camera as they had proved that they could handle the responsibility. Inside I had a little knot knowing that the other teachers were watching and judging me but I figured nothing is getting broken and no one has said that I can not let the children use the camera so I just let the children use it and watched them to make sure they were looking after it.

(Smorti, 1999) “Well-prepared teachers, who recognize the power and limitations of technology, are needed now more than ever” technology is endless and always evolving and it will be a part of the children’s lives forever so the more opportunities the children have to practice the more creative we can be and the further we can stretch the limitations of technology.

This child accomplished so much and spoke to me through the camera showing me where he had been and what he was doing. I felt that the experience even though it was really simple was extremely crucial to the child’s learning. By showing an interest I felt it was my responsibility to foster that child’s learning and allow him to engage in activities to foster that interest. In the future I will definitely provide more activities for the children to use the camera and other forms of technology and go further depending on what they want. I have access to the laminator, printer and computer where I can print the photos off and get the children involved in the whole process. Get them to upload their photos and see how they can print them off and keep them forever.

The only downside was the discouragement from other staff who were too worried that the camera would get broken and that the children were not responsible enough to manage the camera, this sadden me as I agree with (Tsantis, Bewick, & Thornton, 2003) “technology is a very important area of the early childhood curriculum alongside maths and science”, and without giving the children opportunities to grow and increase their technological skills are we preventing them from their future and being too cautious?

Reference List

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999. 

Tsantis, L., Bewick, C., & Thornton, S. (2003). Examining some common myths about computers in the early years. Young Children on the Web, November 2003, 1-9.

Blog 1-PoPcOrN

 This is the crazy popper. unfortunately the photos on the computer got formatted but i took some of these for you guys to see.

My first activity was very spontaneous. Sometimes in the centre we give the children popcorn for late snack and it always cooked in the microwave. The microwave is also in the kitchen so the children’s involvement starts and stops with them getting given the popcorn in cups. This time one of the children put her arms up to show me a pop corn seed and scrunched her face up thinking why this is in here and what is this, it occurred to me then that the children were completely unaware that what they were eating was from a seed and the process that led to them eating it.

I thought it would be a good idea to bring in my popcorn maker from home so they could see the transformation for themselves. I gad a bag of the seeds and showed them what the seeds looked, felt smelled and tasted like, and then we put the seeds in the lid and turned it on. It was amazing the children were so excited and kept jumping when the popcorn shot up. I loved how the children wanted to get involved and were so curious about what was happening.

After all of our classes in technology it was bothering me that the children were being kept away from all the technological parts of the centre because of safety risks. This activity worked really well and all the children got involved and had a part to play. The children were aware that what they have been eating was from the seed and when the seed gets heated up the seeds popped open into the popcorn they eat. According to (Smorti, 1999) “technology is about helping people and solving problems” the problem was that the children had no involvement and through technology I helped the children learn.

I loved how the popcorn maker was child appropriate even for the 2 year olds in my room and they were all asking questions like:

·        “Why is it popping?”

·        “Where do the seeds come from?”

·        “Why is it white?”

·        “What makes them fluffy?”

The activity also gave me many ideas for how to extend the children’s learning. For example instead of them always being given food for morning tea and lunch get them to make something for themselves so they understand the process involved in cooking and using the skills they develop in sand and water play such as pouring and measuring to make something they can eat themselves and be proud of. Te Whāriki also says “each programme should be planned to offer sufficient learning experiences for the children to ensure that the curriculum goals are realised” (Te Whariki, 1996). I feel that too often it is easier to simply exclude children or rush them for what suits us and by creating activities like this where the children are involved and explore science and technology they can be included and not excluded.

Question for thought......

do you feel children are rushed?

what do you think about routines are they for the children or teachers?


References

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

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999. 

Very Funny Animals 7