Contribution to other student's blog and course blog

Comments on course blogs

http://tamarwk.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-blogging-for-people-place.html?showComment=1303694768498#c1724579157914490236

http://tamarwk.blogspot.com/2011/03/martin-robot-man.html?showComment=1303714274745#c645436037708867595


comments to other students blog

http://bumblebeesonam.blogspot.com/2011/03/fascination-with-camera.html?showComment=1304266188286#c4601625879642983742

http://anusha-jen.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-this-works_30.html?showComment=1304262804455#c9216754618386860507

http://elizaswork.blogspot.com/2011/05/dancing-to-music.html?showComment=1304431252771#c1810777623325200142

http://raziadeanece.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-3.html?showComment=1304427834794#c44939682806332213

http://rehanahassan78.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-3-computer-takeover-date-2642011.html?showComment=1304301666803#c7955475013275882828


References:   
  
Bers, M., U. (2008). Blocks to robots: Learning with technology in the early
                            childhood classroom.New York: Teachers College Press.

   ECRP.vol 12 No.2. The tangible Robotic program. Applied Computational
                      Thinking for young children. Retrieve on 2nd of May 2011,
                      from: http:// ecrp edu/v 12n2/bers/html.

Good, L. (2009). Teaching and Learning with Digital Photography: Tips and

                Tools for Early Childhood Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA:

                 Corwin Press.

Kent, T.W., & McNergney, R. F. (1999). Will Technology Really Change

           Education? From blackboard to Web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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


Ministry of Education, (2007). The New Zealand curriculum for
English-medium and learning in years 1-13. Wellington, New Zealand:
Learning Media. 

   Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional technology
and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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


Talay-Ongan, A.,&Ap,E.A.(Eds.).(2005). Child development and teaching young children.Southbank,Victoria: Thompson Social Science Press.

                                   

Resnick, Mitchel. (2003). Playful learning and creative societies. Education
                     Update, 8  (6),Retrieved  on 2nd May 2011, from :http://web.media.mit.edu
                     /~mres/papers/education-  update.pdf 

              

               

                                     

    

                                   

                     

My Final Reflection

Blogging- where do I start? This was the first question which came to my mind when I had thought of blogging for the first time. The journey of blogging was very challenging for me. In fact I was too nervous to post my first blog. My work was made easier by the tremendous support given to me from my colleagues. After my first blog I gained much courage and was determined to do the rest. Now, for me blogging has become a very important medium of interaction. The motivation and positive comments from the class lecturer was also very inspiring and I definitely started to enjoy the learning process of this project. To me the best way to fully understand the potential of blogs as a teaching and learning tool was to become a blogger.

Before starting this course technology for me meant things that use electricity like computers, freeze and microwave. But this course was very meaningful to me and my knowledge on technology has broaden and as I read that “ technology is not only about products like computers, MP3 players but the word technology has always had a variety of interpretations, ranging from mere hardware to a systematic way of solving problems”( Smaldino, Lowther & Russell, 2008, p. 43). The course People, Places, Things and Events has also given me knowledge, skills and understanding of how to foster children’s interest, enthusiasm, and learning in technology in early childhood settings and ways it impacts children’s learning and development.

I found it really interesting to read other colleagues blogs and to see the wide range of technology been used by the children in the centre. I loved reflecting and responding on their blogs. Blogging helped me to learn every topic I post on, as colleagues put in additional thoughts on such topics. While considering on children's use of technology in the centre I realised that I myself was experiencing a new technology- blogging. Smorti (1999) suggests that as educators we need to broaden our understanding of technology and continue to extend our knowledge and skill base. I had received some very valuable comments from my colleagues. Tina and Rain gave some different perspective of how I could extend children's interest and learning.  Sonam and Jen realized that using fry pan for cooking also involves technology. "With blogs the ability for people to leave comments can be a very powerful and positive learning tool" ( Richardson, 2009, p. 13).

Through this course I have gained knowledge of technology. I have also realised that it is important to evaluate the significance of people, places, things and events in children's learning and development. So if you believe, as I do, that technology is part of early childhood curriculum, then it is time to start thinking about ways we can most effectively implement them.


Reference:

             Richardson, W. ( 2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful Web tool for Classrooms.(2^nd   ed.).Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

              Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999, 5-10.

             

My Robot Game

“Technology has gained acceptance in education of young children as being a tool, a medium for providing possibilities and opportunities for children, and is viewed as a resource for encouraging children to make meaning and to engage in life- enhancing relationships” (NSW Department of community services, 2005, as cited in Talay- Ongan & Ap, 2005, p. 226).

We are surrounded by technology everywhere. “Although it is common to see young children using cardboard or recycled materials to build cities and bridges and become “little engineers”, early childhood curriculum has for decades focused on literacy and numeracy, with some recent attention to science and technology (Bers, 2008).“Robots present an opportunity to introduce children to the world of technology and engineering” (Bers, 2008).

 It was D’s first day at our centre and the whole morning he was at the block corner making robots. D looked to be very creative in making robots and used all sorts of patterns and designs.  I became very anxious as I wondered to myself if I could do that. “Technology integrated toys such as blocks or ultimate Robot Kit are examples which provide children with opportunities to plan and to solve problems, and to improve their technical and creative skills. Through integrating with these toys, children can construct robots” ( Talay- Ongan & Ap, 2005, p. 226).  I went to D and said ‘why do you like robots?’ D said ‘because robots have many buttons and I like pressing buttons has he kept himself busy. After he had finished making all sorts of robots I asked him if he would you like to be a robot himself? His answer was obviously yes.  I offered D a fun challenge by giving him a cardboard which I thought can serve as the inspiration behind the design of his robot. I helped D to use technology in positive ways to learn new things, to express thimself creatively and to communicate. Te Whāriki, He Whaariki Mātauranga mo nga Mokopuna o Aotearoa (Ministry of Education, 1996) states that “children developed the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them”( p. 88).

By this time I had a large group of children all very curious about what was happening and wanting to be involved. D was just interested in robots which have buttons on them. So we went to the collage area and found some milk bottle tops.  I then went to the kitchen to get some aluminum foil. “The use of technology in early childhood settings enables teachers to easily tailor the curriculum to meet individual child needs” ( Clements and Sarama, 2002; Elliot, 2003 as cited in Talay- Ongan & Ap, 2005, p. 227).

We wrapped the aluminum foil on the cardboard. D said “I will cello tape this bottle tops and these are my buttons. Everyone helped D in making a robot and by this way they became his friends. When it was completed D had put it around him. He told his friends that ‘I am a talking robot and you will have to do the actions as I press my action buttons’. “Strongly based on Piaget’s constructivism, constructionism emphasizes the use of new technologies to help children learn by making, by actively inquiring, and by playing” (Bers ,2008).The making of robot eventually turned out into a game and children spent hours taking turns in playing this game. For example, when D pressed blue button and said walk then everyone would walk around like a robot. It was a morning filled with fun. There was lot of movement and so everyone looked really tired. A and H were interested in knowing how the robot moves and were having some misunderstanding about that. So I quickly went to the centre library to see if there was any DVD on Robots and I was just lucky to get one. I then brought in a portable DVD player as by now most of the children had gone outside to play. The children enjoyed watching the movements of robots in the DVD player. They watched in groups outdoor at different settings.

Children were working on the robot like little engineers exploring buttons and movements. After making robots children were busy telling each other what they used and how they made it. As according to Bers, 2008, “children become storytellers by creating their own constructions that move in response to their environment”( p. 6).Children also gained knowledge on mathematical concepts (counting blocks and buttons), engineering thinking (designing and evaluating processes), science and problem solving. Moreover, a “robot invites children to participate in social interactions and negotiations while playing to learn and learning to play” (Resnick, 2003). They also learnt about turn taking and sharing. Pattern blocks and other manipulative helped children to build and experiment. Making robot invited children to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination and into activities that involve collaboration and teamwork. Next I would let children work on the carpentry table with small metal pieces, nuts and bolts.

D making Robot

Children helping in making Robot using cardboard

Robot buttons

Children watching Robat DVD using portable DVD player outdoor

Reference

           Bers, M., U. (2008). Blocks to robots: Learning with technology in the early
                            childhood classroom.New York: Teachers College Press.

                                     

  ECRP.vol 12 No.2. The tangible Robotic program. Applied Computational
                      Thinking for young children. Retrieve on 2nd of May 2011,
                      from: http:// ecrp edu/v 12n2/bers/html.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga
               mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum.

                Wellington, New Zealand:
       

        Resnick, Mitchel. (2003). Playful learning and creative societies. Education
                     Update, 8  (6),Retrieved  on 2nd May 2011, from :http://web.media.mit.edu
                     /~mres/papers/education-  update.pdf 

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

Talay-Ongan, A.,&Ap,E.A.(Eds.).(2005). Child development and teaching young children.Southbank,Victoria: Thompson Social Science Press.

                                   

Binding technology

Blog Three

Date: 11.04.11

Technology plays a significant role in all aspects of children’s life. Items like pen, brick, paper and glue are also associated with technology. When most people hear the word technology, they think of products like computers. The word technology had always had a variety of interpretations, ranging mere hardware to a systematic way of solving problem ( Smaldino, Lowther & Russell ( 2008). “Though some people may want to sidestep the issue, technology will continue to play an increasingly prominent role in education in the years to come” ( Kent & McNergney, 1999, p. 1).

Today I was sitting with a group of children who were using crayons and felts in drawing. As it was Monday so everyone was busy drawing what they did in the weekend. I asked an open ended question to start the conversation about their creations. I wonder what R is drawing? “ I am drawing my Dad’s fast racing car”. P was drawing a telephone and said “ On Saturday I talked to my nana in India”. This shows that technology also surrounds children in their homes.

As they finished their drawing P came to me and said ‘teacher can you help me to write my story’. I asked him if he would like to help me in typing his story in the computer. So everyone made their way to the computer. I opened the word document and children described their pictures and I wrote children’s exact words. They began to see a connection between the spoken word and the printed word. Te Whāriki, He Whaariki Mātauranga mo nga Mokopuna o Aotearoa (Ministry of Education, 1996) states that “children gain experience in using communication technologies such as crayons, pencils, books and computers” (p. 97).I gave them a chance to type as I spelt few words. Some children were very familiar with the alphabet letters. This helped them to recognize the letters on the keyboard. We printed the story and children used scissors to cut their story and paste it below their drawing. According to Smorti (1999) “technology is a creative and purposeful activity” (p. 5).

As the children were doing this D suggested that we should make a book. That is a very good idea D so we might need to laminate our drawings now. I followed each child’s lead, and made appropriate decisions about use of technology to scaffold and support their individual creation. According to Good (2009) “ it is critical to protect the photos when they are used in an interactive way such as laminating it” ( p. 40). So then we had a little discussion about the topic of the book and concluded with “Our Weekend Story”. The children helped me set up the laminator. While we waited for the laminator to be heated up, the children put their drawing in the laminating pouches. I also advised them that the laminator is going to be hot so we have to be mindful of that. I demonstrated by laminating a paper. Some children became familiar of how to insert their pouches into the laminator while others still needed assistance so I helped them.

Now, how could we bind our book? K said ‘we can staple it’. P said ‘we can cello tape it’. L said ‘teacher cello tape will come off’. 'We need a strong machine' said M. How about using a binding machine. What is that teacher? said P. It is a machine that will help us to bind our book. So I went to the office and got a binding machine. Firstly, I demonstrated the children by binding few papers. The children were very curious and interested in how it works, what it does and how it is meaningful for them. I could see children’s excitement in using new technology. As according to Te Whāriki, " children use variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore their world"( Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 98).

Each child had a chance to slide the page of their book into the opening at the bottom of the machine. Then they press down on the lever to punch holes in the pages. Once everyone had done this I placed the plastic binding over the teeth at the top of the machine and pulled the lever to open the teeth. The children helped to insert the pages of the book between the teeth and I released the lever to close the binding securely around the pages. I then removed the book from the binding machine.

Children got turns in sharing about their drawings during our ‘show and share’ time. The book was then put on the book shelf, another addition to our library corner.

                                 The children loved going through the book with
                           their friends.

 Durning this activity children’s drawings were used to promote langauge and literacy. As according to Good (2009) “ young children’s language can be promoted by asking them to describe what is happening in the pictures” ( p. 103). Children took turns in using the binding machine . During show and share children also took turn taking, talking, and listening while showing off their works of art.

To further enhance this learning of using a binding machine I will give children opportunity to make their own book.

References:

Good, L. (2009). Teaching and Learning with Digital Photography: Tips and
                Tools for Early Childhood Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA:
                 Corwin Press.

Kent, T.W., & McNergney, R. F. (1999). Will Technology Really Change
           Education? From blackboard to Web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki mātauranga  mō ngā
                mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington: Learning Media.

Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional technology and media for

                  learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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

Ben Ten in the Camera

Blog Two

Date: 04.04.11

Children are surrounded by technology in their immediate environments and ICT now impacts on so many aspects of our daily lives. I feel that it is essential for our children to learn about technology and its role in the world in which they live. “The use of the digital camera as a teaching tool in early childhood education is gaining momentum” (Good, 2009, p.3).  For better or worse, technology has changed the way we support and enhance children’s learning.

Today we received a new set of toy cameras and children began their exploration journey. I noticed L and N taking photos of Ben Ten from a story book using the toy camera.

 After taking the photos I saw L trying to scroll the toy camera buttons and he looked quite confused. Look N I cannot see the photos. Yes ‘where is our Ben Ten?’ said N. When L saw me having a camera in my hand he came running to me and said “Monika we cannot see Ben Ten in this camera”. I explained to them that it is a toy camera and is not real. N then said “teacher can we use your camera please”. Sure, as I thought allowing children to actually use a digital camera themselves would be a wonderful learning experience. So I explained to them on how to operate digital camera and demonstrated how they could wear a wrist strap to keep the camera attached safely to them. I instructed that the camera is a tool, not a toy, and needs to be taken care of. As Good (2009) explains that “when teachers model the appropriate use of digital cameras to work with those digital images, young children can begin the process of gaining similar skills” ( p. 18).

 The children started taking photos of Ben Ten from a book. I could see that L and N were very confident in taking photos. I was surprised at just how steady the children could hold a camera. It was obvious that they have used cameras at home. “Digital imagery is one of the most exciting technologies applications for the early childhood classrooms” (Murphy, DePasquale, and McNamara, 2003 as cited in Good, 2009, p. 3). Once they took enough photos they came to me and said “teacher can you show us our photos please?”. When they saw their photos they became so excited, hence we see that technology has the power to enhance children’s learning. “One of the advantages of using digital imagery is its immediacy: images can be seen within seconds on the LCD screen and can be downloaded to computers and printed within minutes” (Browne, 2005/2006 as cited in Good, 2009, p. 18).  N and L then asked me if I could print those photos as they wanted to put it in their portfolio and show it to their parents.

 So we made our way to the computer, N helped me to connect the camera to the CPU and I down loaded their photo’s.  

 The children had taken many photographs and they looked through the thumbnails to decide what they would like to print. “There is an increasing awareness of the technological world that we live in: a world that people have created and changed through technology” ( Smorti, 1999, p.5). They could choose the photo they wanted to print and delete the ones they did not like.

They were amazed to see Ben Ten photos appear on the computer

I then scrolled the mouse to print and told P clicked on it. Then we made our way down to the printer to retrieve their printings. They got really thrilled and were beamed with pride when they saw Ben Ten photos coming through the printer. N says “Wow! This is so good”. P says “how did the photo come here?”. I told P because you had clicked on print and tried to explain him what a printer does. They took their photos, showed it to their friends and later had put it in their portfolio.

Through this activity children have worked cooperatively and collaboratively with others using technology in their own room. The children also showed good turn taking skills. L and N showed their portfolio to their parents when they came to pick them. They developed language and new words as they tried to explain the process of getting those photos. “When children have access to cameras and take photos of their experiences, the photos can be used to enhance language development as children discuss the photos with their parents” (DeMarie and Ethridge, 2006 as cited in Good, 2009, p. 19). During this technology exploration children had an exciting journey of seeing their Ben Ten photos using different technologies at different stages for example, from the story book to the camera screen then to the computer screen and lastly to the printer. Te Whāriki, He Whaariki Mātauranga mo nga Mokopuna o Aotearoa (Ministry of Education, 1996) “states that “using many materials for different purposes enable children to recognize that different technologies may be used in various places and settings” ( p. 95).

Perhaps next time I can experiment with children about the other distinctive features of the camera. For example, they could record video and I could upload it to our computer. I would also teach them about the delete buttons and zoom in and out buttons, as there are unlimited possibilities when it comes to using a technology like a camera.

References:

Good, L. (2009). Teaching and Learning with Digital Photography: Tips and
                Tools for Early Childhood Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA:
                 Corwin Press.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki mātauranga  mō ngā
                mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington: Learning Media.


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

Food Technology - Why did the colour change?

Blog One

Date: 28.03.11

Introducing food technology to the children is always a pleasure; it is a creative and fun way to teach children many lifelong skills that can only enhance their growth and development (Smorti, 1999).

Today I was with a group of children at the playdough table where I observed R using playdough to make roti (Indian bread). He rolled the playdough into a small dough and used the rolling pin to make it bigger. He then showed it to his friends and said “ this is how my mum makes roti”. S who was listening quickly turned around and said ‘Monika what is roti?’. I explained to S that it is an Indian bread made using flour.  S continues ‘can we make it today’.Te Whāriki, He Whaariki Mātauranga mo nga Mokopuna o Aotearoa (Ministry of Education, 1996) “children develop interest and pleasure in discovering an unfamiliar wider world where the people, images , objects, languages, smells, and tastes are different from those at home” ( p. 56).

After a little discussion we decided that we would make roti for our lunch. The children washed their hands and came to the table. I read the receipe to them and we gathered our ingredients and measured 5 cups of flour, 2 cup warm water and 2 tbsp cooking oil.  Each child participated and had turns at adding spoonfuls of flour into the cup. The warm water was added to the flour to make a dough. I reminded children about the safety precautions since the water was warm. The children had turns mixing and stirring the flour . While looking at this L said "this is how we make playdough”.  That is true L but we are not going to use the colour in making roti. The children took turns to knead the dough well and then added the cooking oil to give a smooth look. Then we divided the big dough into many small doughs for everyone. On a lightly floured surface, the children flattened their dough using their hands. After that the children used the rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin round patty. I demonstrated them how we use rolling pin to make the dough bigger. P calls out “I got a big circle”. 

Then I turned on the fry pan. I adjusted the knob to 180 degrees celcius. K was watching me and said “I use fry pan at home and mum said that when we use big numbers the pan is going to be hotter”. This shows that the children are exposed to technology at home. I again remined everyone that the fry pan is going to be hot. The children learnt about the safety precautions while being near to hot objects. Each child had a turn in turning their roti using a spatula. As accoring to Te Whāriki  “children develop confidence that they can participate and take risks without fear of harm” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 52).

While they were making their roti K asked me ‘Monika the roti was white when I put it in the fry pan but when I turned it why did it change colour?’. B was listening and said the fry pan is hot  K and our roti is cooking. It is true that technology can amaze children. The New Zealand Curriculum Framework states that technology is the “transformation of energy, information and materials” and that food is one of the area covered within the area of technology ( Ministry of Education, 2007). When it was done we made a roti wrap with chicken, tuna, carrot and cheese . All the children enjoyed eating healthy lunch.

 Smorti (1999) states that “process cooking” is a purposeful, technological activity which meets children’s learning needs (p.6). Cooking with children encourages creativity, responsibility and invlovement. It requires hands on use of maths concepts ,planning and thinking. In this roti making experience children were problem solving as to how things change through various processes like heating thus learning science. Children learnt that applying heat can make food more edible. They learnt that mixing water to flour together makes a dough and this dough when rolled is cooked and can be eaten. The children also learnt about shapes (circle), fine and gross motor skills as the children stirred the mixture.

This learning can be enhanced by using other food processing equipments . For example, using a food processor or grinder and I would also ask receipes from parents of different cultures so that next time we could try something else.

References:     

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


Ministry of Education, (2007). The New Zealand curriculum for English-medium
and learning in years 1-13. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media. 

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