Final reflection

Final reflection

Since experimenting with digital and non digital technology in my centre I have now gained a deeper understanding of how both aspects of technology are important for both young children’s developmental needs and my own. Technology is not necessarily based around electronic devices but also pens, pencils and crayons can be classed as technology. Te Whāriki states that “children gain experience in using communication technologies such as crayons, paintbrushes, pencils, calculators, books, and computers”(Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 97). This is important because while the children were doing some of the activities I noticed and observed these types of technology embedded in the experiences that they were engaging in.

Throughout this experience I have gained a lot more knowledge from the interactions I have been having with the children and also from my peer’s comments in regards on how to further develop and improve my teaching abilities when it comes to using technology and non technology with the children in my centre. When I first started engaging in these experiences at first I thought that it was important for me to show the children about how to use technological devices especially when it came to using the digital camera. From my peer’s comments and my own personal interactions with the children I now know that I do not always need to show children how to use the devices first. For example during the making paper activity I decided to take a step back and watched to see if the children could turn the blender on by themselves. To my surprise the children were more then capable to turn it on by themselves. I believe that from this experience I have now decided to change the way I approach technology when it comes to children. I also believe that from this experience it would have helped the children with gaining and further developing their technological knowledge in regards to using the blender but also within technology itself and how it works. The New Zealand curriculum states that “through the technological knowledge strand, students develop knowledge particular to technological enterprises and environments and understandings of how and why things work” (Ministry of Education, 1993, p. 34).

I have also learnt from my peer’s comments that while the children are engaging in these activities I should ask more open ended questions which will help with further enhancing and developing the children interests within non digital and digital technology and also the activity that they are doing. I agree with these comments because as a teacher this is a very important teaching technique to be able to do this.

While observing the children engaging and interacting within these experiences I have noticed that through using both non digital and digital technology children gain and further develop problem solving skills, hand eye co-ordination, mathematics skills, science skills exploration skills through interacting with both forms of technology, being able to express themselves through the use of both forms of technology, fine motor skills, communication skills and it helps with building confidence in their abilities when it comes to using the non digital and digital equipment. I believe that this is very important because in Child development and teaching young children it states that “technology has gained acceptance in education of young children as being a tool, a medium for providing possibilities and opportunities for children” (Talay-Ongan, 2005, p. 226).  I also believe that it is important to teach children about no digital and digital technology because in today’s society “most children now experience a range of technologies as a part of everyday life” (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 1993, p. 12). Overall throughout these experiences I have now learnt that non digital and digital technologies are not only important for children’s developmental needs but also for teachers and adults.

References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (1993). Programming and      planning in early childhood setting. Victoria, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Ministry of Education. (1993). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand:             Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o                                    Aotearoa Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning                                               Media.

Talay-Ongan, A. (2005). Child Development and Teaching Young Children. Victoria,                                          Australia: Gengage Learning.