Technology within playdough

I decided to talk about play dough and how children are using technology within this activity. I have now realised that technology can be anything that we want it to be, it does not have to mean something electrical or scary as I have always thought but just simple things such as the measuring cups, spoons and bowls that we use with the children to produce the play dough they love so much. What would we have used before the measuring cup, spoon or bowl?

As I place each utensil and each ingredient on the table I can hear the many voices calling to me. “My turn, me do it care” (Clare) from the children who are so excited and waiting to participate in the process of play dough making. As each child takes their turn the different simple pieces of technology are being used to help us succeed. I have never thought of a measuring cup, spoon or even a bowl as technology before. As I watch the children working together I can relate back to the literature saying that technology is something that is used to help and make things easier for us and to support us in solving problems (Smorti, 1999). Without the tools I have mentioned earlier gathering the correct amount of ingredients for our play dough would be a lot harder. We take items such as the measuring cup, spoon and bowls for granted without giving them a second thought on just how much they are a part of our technological world.
Not only are the children learning and discovering ways in which we are using technology in everyday life but through this simple task the children are also gaining basic mathematical knowledge through measuring and weighting (Somerset, 2007). Te Whariki also states that through experiences the children have discovered some of the technology and resources that we use for mathematics, reading and writing (Ministry of Education, 1996). We all know that children learn through play just as (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008) shares with us. But just what are they learning? Well to be able to look past the actual activity that is happening such as making play dough we discover all kinds of learning going on without the children really even realising. Through making play dough and discovering the technical tools that we use and how they work is a huge stepping stone in the right direction for children to begin to appreciate that technology is not just computers, ipod’s and psp’s among some. Using this type of technology helps to promote children as they begin to explore new things through our group play dough activity. The children were socialising through conversation, helping each other if a friend was struggling, turn taking and laughing. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory says that the interactions children have with family, teachers and peers within the different settings they meet is of utmost importance to the young child’s development and learning (Berson & Berson, 2010). It has also been said that the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner and Evans at the time it was theorised technology was not as important in our lives as it is today and that now the boundaries of this theory are being pushed as new Microsystems are evolving where children can interact and learn (Berson & Berson, 2010).

I do agree with this but strongly believe we should not forget our basic technology that makes the world an easier place to live in and what I believe is a more sociable way for children to play using technology.

 

References

Berson, I. & Berson, M. (2010). High-tech tots: Childhood in a digital world. United States of America: Information Age Publishing.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Foundation of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse society (4^th ed.). Boston, United States of America:  McGraw Hall.

 Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Āotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.  

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

Somerset, G. (2000). Work and play in the early years (5^th ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Play centre Publications.

  

Comments to blogs

Nicola

http://nicolastechnologycorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/children-can-use-cameras-too.html?showComment=1315884342827#c6895584372468900585

http://nicolastechnologycorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/we-can-learn-lots-from-cooking.html?showComment=1315275107656#c3369235041388564287

http://nicolastechnologycorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/computers-children-know-how-to-use-them.html?showComment=1314680164271#c6523056193872183013

Andrew

http://andrewmoose.blogspot.com/2011/08/bucket-technology-masterpiece.html?showComment=1315883956678#c6133850951653759699

http://andrewmoose.blogspot.com/2011/08/shoot-me-shoot-me-our-obsession-with.html?showComment=1315275396921#c1939862841445145534

http://andrewmoose.blogspot.com/2011/08/interactive-white-boards-theyre-amazing.html?showComment=1315884192309#c4687366005495443199

Steph

http://steph-about-tech.blogspot.com/2011/09/it-is-all-around-world-filled-with.html?showComment=1315883846882#c6900324644552164404

http://steph-about-tech.blogspot.com/2011/08/simple-technology-tools.html?showComment=1315275279106#c4674013298424059757

Shabnam

http://shabnamsinnovation-shabnam.blogspot.com/2011/09/design-has-changed-story-book-with-cd.html?showComment=1315883726224#c8872268411777877221

http://shabnamsinnovation-shabnam.blogspot.com/2011/09/dealing-with-technology-playstation-3.html?showComment=1315884053712#c2985484131110439250

Jade

http://autobotjadey.blogspot.com/2011/09/we-love-technology.html?showComment=1316493003175#c5647725141943335219

http://autobotjadey.blogspot.com/2011/09/all-in-one.html?showComment=1316493216872#c4344591353134766647

Light Table Fun

When we began this class I was in a state of panic, just the word technology adds to my stress levels. Technology to me has always meant computers, television, music systems and so on but mainly COMPUTERS. My immediate thought was why we need to do this class, why do we need to make a blog. I know this is just because I have been taken right out of my comfort zone.

Because of the wall I have built around my technology lens, I thought we do not do much in our centre. We have to bring the laptop out to use with the children it is not just available to them freely throughout the day and other activities have to be set up, but what is on offer for the children all the time.  After listening to our class discussions and beginning to look at what we do in our centre from a technology point of view I can see that we are surrounded by it every day every moment. Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, (2008) also agrees in saying that children experience a range of technologies as part of their everyday life. The children are welcome to use the camera when they wish to take a photo, we have torches on offer, baking, making play dough the list go on, our centre is full of technology it is just realising what technology is.

In my centre we have got a light table which is available all the time. It is never put away but is dressed with different provocations to encourage the children’s interests or spark something new for them. This creates curiosity and exploration for the children in many different ways. As I observe the different age children I can see that the older children enjoy using the table to look and discover how different a piece of art work may look, or what their bones look like through our x-ray pictures. This then creates more opportunities for their learning as they extend on what they can see with new questions arising.

 

The younger toddlers who I work with enjoy just sitting at the table touching the top which is lit up. I have offered and encouraged them to look at certain items on the light table but they have not shown much interest. Before I had just put that down to how young they are and that they have not got the understanding of the correct use yet. Then I thought well what is the light table’s correct use, for my toddlers sitting looking and touching the light is the right way for it to be used for them at this point in their life. Children see things differently from adults so using technology for different purposes opens up opportunities for them to explore their world (Ministry of Education, 1996). Through touching the light table and putting their face to it they are using a different sense which is how we begin to understand how things work when we are so young. They are expressing the confidence they have as they experiment, play and actively explore using their senses (Ministry of Education, 1996). Letting the children use the table how they wish shows they are competent users of technology, active in their own learning and are aware of the world beyond family (Arthur et al, 2008).

After now beginning to understand myself what technology really is and the learning that we gain through using it I am now beginning to see what each child experiences. Just because it looked like my toddlers were not doing anything I now realise just how much they were learning through using the senses with technology. Gonzalez- Mena, (2008) says that although sensory play may look only to be at a physical level we never really know the thoughts that are going on in the child’s imagination. This made me realise that for them just seeing something bright and touching something warm is how they are discovering and beginning to explore basic technology and are beginning to understand how it works.     

References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). Victoria: Thomson.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Foundation of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diversity society (4th ed.). Boston, United States of America: McGraw Hall. 

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Āotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.