Entry two Digital One

(2). The use of Computer. “Is M in There”

  

A girl from my centre recently moved to England with her parents. Children miss her a lot and every time her name is mentioned the children get so excited and just want the teachers to tell a story about her.  We usually get emails from her mum telling us how she is coping in England and how she misses all of us. Her mum emailed our centre a photo of her and how she was doing in England.  Our head teachers showed the photo to the children on her lap top during our mat time. The children were so amazed to see S on computer that they thought S lived inside it.  Lots of communication was happening as to where S is and how she looked. “ She look happy” one child said.

This related to the children’s sense of belonging, and for some, enhanced social interactions. Some services used ICTs in ways that fostered children’s social connection with other children or adults at the service. Seeing M on line gave the children that sense of belonging that she was in their computer and if any child wanted to see her teachers would show M to them.  

Teachers in this services used ICTs in ways designed to promote children’s sense of belonging in respect of wider family, whānau or iwi community groups. Sense of belonging outcomes were often evidenced in the many studies that investigated ways of connecting services with their community (Ministry of education, 1996).

WHAT  TEACHERS LEARN FROM THE USE OF ICT.

The teachers can also benefit from computers and it technology as a valuable instructional tool.  A well designed computer centre can promote almost as much interaction within the children’s life as a dramatic play would do. The use of technology can assist in the development of the undeveloped spatial figurative skills in young children (Talay-Ongan, Emily A. Ap, 2005).

WHAT LEARNING HAPPENED HERE.

In young children the ability to appropriate and supervised excess to internet from teachers as a medium for play and exploration can promote effective learning and develop mathematical and scientific literacy. Under competent supervisor and adult supervision, the use of the Internet as a technology tool to support mathematics and science learning can begin in the preschool years yet should be assisted to explore websites dealing with their interest in their environment (Talay-Ongan, Emily A. Ap, 2005).  Finally I suggested to my fellow workmates that a little kid’s computer would be an advantage for children’s use and also to the centre. The children could play kids pix on the computer and learn their maths, counting, colour games and many more.

 Finally the centre has decided to buy a kids pix computer for the children to play with. My centre has decided to give children time to use ict skills like using supervised computers from time to time for educational purpose only. A well designed computer centre can promote almost as much interaction as dramatic play and have collaborative play with their peers (Tsantis, Bewick, & Thornton, 2003). The literacy-focused studies found that, provided the appropriate general pedagogical strategies were also in place, ICT-based activities resulted in observable literacy learning by the children. The main literacy learning outcomes identified in the studies involved the use of ICTs: as a stimulus for talk and conversation for making meaning in a variety of language modes as an opportunity for sharing, telling, retelling and revisiting experiences.

WHAT CHILDREN GAINED FROM THE USE OF COMPUTER.

Finally children were learning how to use a mouse and push buttons which also lead to the developing their fine motor skills. The educators learnt how technology helped children understand can help us better meet the social, physical, and learning of young children (Tsantis, Bewick, & Thornton, 2003).

Reference List

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

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

     Tsantis, L., Bewick, C., & Thornton, S. (2003). Examining some common myths about computers in the early years. Young Children on the Web, November 2003, 1-9.