Astronaut
For the past few weeks astronaut learning has been going on in my pre-school room. One day a teacher brought a book of astronaut and we, the teachers, noticed the children’s interest in that, so we decided to extend their learning. One of the teachers brought the centre’s laptop and showed videos about astronauts and how and for what purpose they travel to the space, during the mat time. As per my co-teacher’s request to contribute to the learning, I went home and started browsing through the internet and came up with some craft ideas and song. I found “I'm gonna be an astronaut” song in ‘You tube’ and showed the video to the children several times in my laptop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5cCmbnWTc# 
I noticed the children were more interested in the rockets, so I found from ‘You tube’ how to make rockets out of toilet paper (TP) tube. So the next day, I had taken some TP tube to the centre and we started making rockets. Since I had only four of them, it got over soon, but more children were in the queue. I told them to bring some TP tubes from home on the next day, if they have. I thought they might have forgotten about it but I was wrong. On the next day a parent brought some TP tubes and said “S said he wants these to make rockets, but I have no idea how he is going to do it”. To our surprise more children brought TP tubes on the following days.
While doing this craft activity I was taking photos with my camera. B asked me whether he could take the photos. I told him to put the strap on his hand to prevent it from falling down. He did it so and took many photographs. The head teacher saw B’s interest and told me that there is a children’s camera and we could use that. When B started using it, he found out there are many functions in it including some games. Soon he and his friends started exploring it. As Ministry of Education (1996) says, children developed the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative media and technology associated with them.
I enjoyed teaching the children my findings in my laptop and later on by practical lessons. While writing this assignment, I learned about many types of technology through Google. To be frank, I too came to know more about astronauts while browsing the net to teach the children. According to me, computer is the greatest recent ICT invention. It is very useful for teachers as well as children. However as Smorti (1999) said, “As a learner, my ideas about technology are still developing, and I expect they will change as I continue to research” (p. 9), because my practice based research topic is ‘ICT in pre-schools’.
References
Howie, L. (2008). Examples of creativity for multiple intelligences (PDF document). Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: https://emit.manukau.ac.nz/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_84403_1%26url%3D
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Wellington , New Zealand
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington , New Zealand
Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.
Judy it was interesting to read your reflection. There are many elements to your reflection and covers different form of technology, which is available to children at the centre. As you may have noticed this whole technological journey for the children started with a book. Book which is also a form of technology as it solves many problems for us. According to Te Whārik, “children gain experience in using communication technologies such as crayons, paintbrushes, pencils, calculators, books, and computers” (Ministry of Education.1996. p. 97). It was amazing to know how you developed your knowledge about astronauts during this learning for children. I have no doubt that you are very hard working and love to interact with children. It was also good to know that you made use of your laptop and camera during this learning. I believe children are capable to guide their own learning, as you mentioned the children soon found games and started playing it. Good effort to extend the learning for children in creative arts, music and information technology.
ReplyDeleteGreat effort Judy with this reflection about ICT and astronauts and rockets. It was great to see how much you were interested in doing this project that you went further by bringing your own tools from home and helping to extend children's learning by using useful tools that we consider as rubbish. Throughout this process, it was great to see that you used a lot technological uses such as the toilet rolls, camera, computers, that were around the centre as well as your own. Moreover, it was great to see that you worked on the children's interest rather than your own, in which you later discovered that they were more interested in rockets rather than astronauts. I believe that educators should engage more in children's interest as they have their own beliefs and emotions according to the things they enjoy learning. In doing so, children are able to develop and feel that "they have a place" (Ministry of Education, 1996).
ReplyDeletewhat a fantastic idea of making rocket from toilet paper tube .thanks to you tube .It really makes us wonder how this simple activity like this can enhance children's learning to so much extend.It proves that using a process approach to technology(creative arts) , 'it is doing ' that is important rather than the product.(Smorti,1999) Judy your using of different technology such as you tube,camera ,laptop shows that you are a well prepared teacher who recognises the power of technology and use it to retivilise the curriculun.
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely a non-technological person; however, I use my laptop computer for my studies and as a communication tool everyday. I found You-tube clips especially useful to get some teaching ideas for young children so I frequently go to You-tube. You had a valuable experience in realising a lot of different kinds of technology within our teaching environment in the centre could be associated with Astronaut activity. I can see that your students developed an understanding of how and why things work.
ReplyDeleteYou could encourage children to make a water rocket next time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t663D_gErg
I guess it is more challenging for both adults and children to do this task but it is more exciting and fun. There will be a lot of problem solving happening and a lot of technological learning will go on during the process. I also would like to try it in my centre as some children showed me their interest in the space world.