This learning and development process through the use of technology, has
left me with many different new ideas and ways of thinking. The feedback that I
have received has been very positive and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering other
student’s opinions and ideas for me to further my own learning.
One student’s comments were very creative and thought provoking towards
my reflections. It was great to find new ideas, which I can use during learning
opportunities such as those that I have posted about, but now have a new way of
thinking about how to construct and further entice the children. I have
discovered that by adding simple additions in learning experiences such as
sensory material or different types of music, I am changing the experience
completely and better enhancing the use of technology within the centre so that
the children are gaining the most learning that they can.
These comments allowed me to really dissect my own practice and observe
all of the many different ways that I am gaining learning from not only myself,
but for the children. I was able to discover other people’s views from outside
of the centre, as well as different ways at looking at technology. By having a
wide variety of opinions and feedback, I am able to gain a larger range of feedback
over just one verbal feedback, which I may receive from my supervisor or
another teacher for example. Written feedback allows me to continue to revue
and evaluate my practice by looking back at the many suggestions and tip (O’Connor & Diggins, 2002). I need to constantly
evaluate my practice and discover different ways that I can improve or change
as I am always learning new things every day.
In my opinion, technology both digital and non-digital, are extremely
important and beneficial for children’s development. The majority of resources
for children such as pencils, paper, and musical instruments are all described
as non-digital objects. Children would be seriously misguided if they did not
have these resources in their every day life. I feel that children would
struggle intensely with having to create their own problem solving skills as
they go through many situations where this skill is needed daily on their own.
Ministry of Education (1996) describes “…solving practical problems contributes
to self-confidence and well-being” (p.94). Children can often experience a
sense of achievement as they independently discover the many uses for
technology in their daily life. These objects can also often be used as muses
to further their thinking to create their own method of learning. This promotes
healthy brain activity and encourages deeper thinking.
This learning and development can be very different in each individual
learning area. They type of technology used can reflect different developments
such as social; by working together in a group, communicating and discovering
cooperation and teamwork to problem solve. MacNaughton and Williams (2009)
discusses the relevance of technology regarding “expanding understanding beyond
the current situation” (p.377). This reinforces the idea that technology is a
fantastic use for children to continue developing by encouraging them to
further their knowledge of how and why things work. Over all, as discussed, I
feel that technology plays a very significant part in children’s everyday
learning and development.
References
MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching
young
children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Melbourne,
Australia:
Addison
Wesley Longman.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō
ngā
mokopuna
o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New
Zealand:
Learning Media.
O’Connor, A., & Diggins, K. (2002). On reflection:
Reflective practice for early
childhood educators. Lower Hutt: Open Mind Publishing.
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