Final reflective blog post on personal blog

In the beginning of the project of this blog assessment it seems to me would be a challenge.  During the project we do learn from each other a lot.  We share the feelings; support each other by technical help.  It is real AKO teaching and learning process (Tamati, 1999).  We should teach children about the using technology in early learning centres at the same time we were learning by ourselves through observation, reading and thinking.  I do agree with authors that teaching should focus on “the importance of helping children identify what they are expected to and why, rather than assuming that all children can work out connections for themselves” (Arthur, Beecher, Dockett, Farmer & Death, 2008, p.330).

I think we learnt even more during making comments for other students’ reflections.  We found how using digital and non-digital technology can help children with growing experience in solving problems together, how technology can help with literacy, numeracy and colour learning, how it is affect the early learning environment and teaching and learning process.  We knew it now not only from the literature resources but from real people our colleagues.  We can prove now to ourselves, parents and staff our own view for the usage of technology and its importance for future development of the new generation.  The New Zealand Curriculum states that technology is proposes for ECE students in “a variety of contexts”, where teachers provide for them the range of opportunities “to recognise links and develop generic understanding” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.34).

Many centres use the cooking process for teaching children technology, math, literacy, fine and gross motor skills, sharing and problem solving, but when we do it, not all of us aware that we are teaching the technological process.  Now after creating blog for using technology in ECE we can say that “growing experience in solving problems together develops children’s understanding of how technology can help them and others” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 96).  Lucky have the same experience at her centre during the cooking activity, we do trust our experience and can prove it is works.  As Lucky notices and the Te Whariki states during this activity our “children develop non-verbal ways of expressing and communication imagination idea" (Ministry of Education, 1996).  Yes I do agree with Lucky the non-verbal communication takes significant part in creating the positive learning attitude and to learn very important social skill as well. 

Both Hyun and Youri were impressed with the sewing technology for the children and also think that it is the good idea for learning technology and lifelong skills.  Youri mentioned the needle movement and noise during process might attract children’s’ interest, rise up their curiosity and learning interest for this wonderful technological process.  From Youri’s comments - “Children can develop and be interested in repetitive sounds and words and enjoy non-sense stories and rhymes during their play (Ministry of Education, 1996)”. Good suggestion, thank you Youri.
Hyun’s recommended in her comments that it would be better if children can use real devices instead of pretending games, where the phones and cameras made from LEGO.  She wrote “if not available, teachers can use photos of the objects and encourage children to think about convenience of technology by using them in the real life”.  I can partly agree with this because our children use the real phones and cameras only occasionally.  Very soon it might be change because now in my centre the management starts to organise the technology room for the children’s practice on the regular base. Hurray!

I like the challenge and the good outcomes from my learning.  Gradually with the help of my group mates and lecturer I am closer to the end of the project.  (620)

Reference list

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Dockett, S., Farmer, S., & Death, E. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th ed.).  Melbourne, Australia: Harcourt Brace.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/the_new_zealand_curriculum

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga  ngā mokopuna Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Tamati Tamati, A. (2005). “Mā tōu rourou, mā tōku rourou” the concept of AKO: co-construction of knowledge from a Kaupapa Māori perspective. Early Education, 37, 23-32.