I like technology and I am keen on being up-to-date with this technological era. Last year I enjoyed doing wiki and this year I loved creating a blog and sharing our knowledge. I like blog because, “Blogs engage people in knowledge sharing and reflection, and they often attract a large readership. Instead of providing static information, blogs allow users and readers to respond, to create, and to connect” (Wang, 2008, p.34). “As my team members started posting their reflections, I learned more and more each day. What was seemed not a technology became a technology all of a sudden in my eyes. As per my friends’ suggestion, I made the missing wheel of the pram with M’s friends. We fixed four big round container lids of the same size with hot glue gun and poked it through the projected screw of the pram, and closed it with hot glue gun again. Unfortunately, M was not there with us. He left the centre and joined school. Since I was new to my home centre, I was unaware of the fact that he was transitioning. I regret we couldn’t do it with him. However I am facing a new challenge now, while I was doing craft with the children, a girl told me she wants to make something which can make sound too!!!!!
Thanks to my friends for their valuable comments. I am happy that they all liked my process cooking activity. I am always in a search of new experiences, not only for children’s learning but also in my day-today life. I believe in learning at least one new thing in a day. One day I will make jelly or pudding or even ice sticks with the children as per my friends’ suggestion, for the children to learn how food changes after cooling. We are planning to have a cultural food day soon, and it will be a good idea to develop children’s taste buds. I knew that book is a technology, but I didn’t know how it could be connected to technology, until I read some of my friends’ reflections and the literature linked to it. As per the comment, I am doubtful whether it is a good idea to facilitate water rocket activity in my home centre. It is challenging but looks dangerous to me. It is possible to try it out in an open ground where there is so much space for children to watch from far.
Technology is a fun and hands-on subject to teach young children, especially when they experience in solving problems together and develop their understanding of how technologies can help them and others (Ministry of Education, 1996). By reading my friends reflections and comments, I came to know that through technology children can learn all the curriculum areas. If we put on our ‘technological lenses’, we will be able to find lots of technological opportunities around us in the centre, to promote children’s learning. New Zealand is an advanced country in technological terms. So educators need to grow their understandings to develop programs in technological area towards effectively working with children to develop their technological capabilities (Fleer & Jane, 2011). So we, the teachers, need to be up-to-date with the latest technologies, since we shoulder a huge responsibility to put the foundation of knowledge into the young generation. Therefore we need to know about the old and new technologies and the pro and cones of it, to teach and guide them. This helps children from preschool years, to start using Internet as a technological tool, under knowledgeable adult supervision (Talay-Ongan & Ap, 2005). The right way with the right tool of teaching will empower the children to take up the challenges later in their lives. “Te Whâriki states that in order to participate in this world, our children will need the confidence to develop their own perspectives as well as the capability to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills” (Smorti, 1999, p.5).
References
Fleer, M., & Jane, B. (2011). Design and technology for children. Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Australia.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki matauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum .Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.
Talay-Ongan, A., & Ap, E. A. (Eds.). (2005). Child development and teaching young children. Southbank, Victoria, Australia: Thompson Social Science Press
Wang, H. (2008). Exploring the educational use of blogs in U.S. education. US – China Education Review, 5 (10), 34-37.
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