Over the course of this project I have
come to realise that technology is a lot more complex than I thought it was. When
we first began this project my idea of technology was mostly that digital
technology was technology. The concept of non-digital technology was completely
foreign to me. Now thanks to Smorti I understand that technology can not only
be non-digital items it can also be a process rather than an item. “Technology
is a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities
through the development of products, systems or environments.” (Smorti, 1999).
At first I disliked the idea of using
a blog for the project. I’m not a big writer; I don’t keep a journal or make
lists so it sounded difficult to me. However I have come to realise that the
nature of blogging allows for short posts that talk about your personal ideas
and opinions. This method of sharing my thoughts allows for others to read them
and comment on them in a safe environment and for learning to occur through the
sharing of information. As it is a personal blog there is room for information
to be wrong or biased, however that is where the viewers and commenters come
in. They have the ability to voice their own opinions and to speak up if they
see mistakes or gaps in the writer’s knowledge (Yang, 2009).
I think the use of technology in an
early childhood centre is important. As this project has shown me, technology
is everywhere. It would be impossible to create a centre without having some
technology in it. What is important for us as teachers is to recognise the
technology for what it is so we can use it effectively and teach the children
about it. Te Whariki states that
children should have the opportunity to develop the skills to use technology in
numeracy, literacy and the arts. (Ministry of Education, 1996).
Technology in the centre is important,
especially digital technology which is on the rise currently. Every month there
is new phone/computer/ipad on the market it seems. Our technology has come a
long way in the past few years and we need to be able to incorporate its use
into our centre in a way that allows the children to gain the skills and
knowledge of how to use it safely. We also have to ensure we maintain a balance
between digital technology and other play. Some children can become a little
bit obsessed with a game or activity and we need to give them the opportunity
to play outside and do physical activities to make sure they are not missing
out on skills they need to learn.
Most of the new technology such as the
ipad and iPhones are valuable resources for a centre; however for centres that
do not have access to them they are not an essential resource. They are tools
which teachers can use to extend learning and develop some fine motor skills in
the children. From the simplest digital technology (clocks, radio, and
television) to the most complex, technology is a resource we can use, not a
necessity. In the world we live in, children need to learn the skills to access
these resources as they are becoming more and more common in schools and the
workforce.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga ngā mokopuna
Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Smorti,
S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early
Education, 19, 5-10.
Yang, S.-H.
(2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of
practice. Educational Technology
& Society, 12 (2), 11-21.
Available online from http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_2/2.pdf
