Reflection One
Smorti (1999) states that “Technology is also a creative and
purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the
development of products, systems or environments” (p.5). Technology has changed
the way that we all see the world and has allowed us to experience a range of
great opportunities. It has shaped the way we communicate and teach and is a
wonderful tool in the classroom. In this blog entry I will be talking about the
camera as a piece of technology that I feel is vital in the early childhood
sector. These days most people have a camera in their household and all early
childhood centres have cameras to take photos of the children during the day. This
is supported by Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett and Farmer (2007) which states “Most
children now experience a range of technologies as part of everyday life”
(p.12).
One of the children in my centre has recently been very
interested in cameras and taking photos. One morning he asked me if he could take some
pictures on the digital camera. I gave him the camera and asked him if he knew
how to take a photo. He told me he did but after taking a photo of his friends
in the dress up corner he came to me and asked how he could see the picture. I showed him how to press the button that
brought up the photos and observed him take several more photos of his friends
then proceeding to show the photos to them by using the view button. He then
went outside and started taking photos of objects in the garden. He came up to
me and showed me a picture of some ants that were climbing up the outside wall.
I showed him how you can zoom in on little objects to make them big and clear.
He went back to the ants and proceeded in taking lots of photos of the patterns
the ants were making in formation up the wall. He then went around the garden
taking close up shots of flowers, the grass and other interesting things. This is supported by Ministry of Education
(1996) which states that “Children develop: the ability to enquire, research,
explore, generate, and modify their own working theories about the natural,
social, physical, and material worlds” (p.90). I believe that the importance of the use of
the camera as technology is great as with the photos that this child took I got
a snap shot of the areas at the centre he is particularly interested in and can
go back with him and revisit his interests. Without the creation of the camera
parents would only get the stories of what their children are doing throughout their
day at the centre and not the proof in the physical picture.
The camera has
come a long way in technology from the time of the pinhole camera to the modern
day camera that is easily accessible and simple to use. The digital camera in
early childhood is technology as Smorti
(1999) States “technology is about helping people and solving problems” (p.5)
and by having a way for parents to see what their children are doing during
their day is helping parents feel happier about sending their children to
centres. I believe that by implementing technology at a young age children will
have a base for the technology that is coming in the future. I believe that the
camera is a great tool for them to be able to use and take pis of important
aspects of their lives through their own eyes.
References:
Arthur,
L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood
settings (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.
Image 1. Digital camera. Google
images. Retrieved from
http://www.reddigitalcamera.org.uk/video-camera-digital-camera/
Image 2. Boy with Camera.
Google images. Retrieved from http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/10- useful-tips-to-encourage-children-to-take-photography/
Image 3. Pinhole camera.
Google images. Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair- projects/project_ideas/Photo_p005.shtml
Ministry
of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He
whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning
Media.
Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early
childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.
I am in complete agreement that digital camera technology has altered people’s perceptions of the world around them. This is especially true for young children at this age. They are still making sense of their surroundings and their role in this society. This links to Te Whāriki belonging strand that children will make connections between their centre and wider community. The children can accomplish this through images and their five senses.
ReplyDeleteYou made a clear point that the photos can be the evidence of what the child has done in the centre. You also empowered the child’s interests and dispositions. ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’, is an excellent proverb that connects to your idea of using the photos. It is an innovative way to have the parents know what their child did that day with the photos, rather than just telling them.
However, have you thought of other activities that could further extend the child’s interest in using digital camera? Are there any limitations to using digital cameras in the early childhood settings?
Here are some resources you might find useful:
http://www.parentingscience.com/digital-cameras-for-kids.html
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/rips/rip0604.pdf
Hey great blog, I really like the fact that with the camera you can explore the child’s interest from his view, and that the images are there to aid your discussion with parents about the child’s activities and interests. Have you thought about how this can help the connection between staff and parents? I believe this relates to The Ministry of Education (1996) strand of belonging under which it states they have “a feeling of belonging, and having a right to belong, in the early childhood centre” (p.58).
ReplyDeleteI also think that the interaction you had with helping him learn the functions of the camera was important as we so often discover knowledge through other as The Ministry of Education (1996) tells us “Children experience an environment where they are encouraged to learn with and alongside others” (p.70).
Are there any problems with using a camera at your centre for example one camera between twenty children – restricting use, or children that delete photos so there for need supervision restricting their freedom?
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Through your blog you have clearly indicated children’s voice and how as an educator you have accommodated children’s learning though technology. You were able to create good conversations with the children and engage well with them as they learned how to use cameras. I particularly like how you approached the boy who asked if he could take photos on the digital camera because you asked him if he knew how to use the camera and he responded by talking about his experience on the usage of camera. After showing the boy how to do some functions on the camera, you allowed him to go outside to take photos outside. This links to Te Whāriki’s strand on exploration where it states that “children use a variety of technologies or different purposes as they explore the world” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 98). You proved your effective teaching skills when you showed the child how to zoom into the ants’ pictures, taking the child a step further. I believe this developed the child’s knowledge about digital cameras and allowed him to be more creative. This point is supported by Smorti (1999) as it states that “technology is a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environment” (p.5). I strongly agree with your idea that the camera is a significant learning tool which provides children with the opportunity to highlight things or people from their perspective.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.
Hey Sarajane
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that a camera is a very useful tool to have in a centre and that majority of people have cameras in their homes. It is a vital part of documenting our lives. I thought that it was great that you were able to facilitate this child’s learning by showing him something he didn’t know about the camera, which was the view button. Once you role modelled this to him you gave him the information he needed and he was able to confidently use this function to show his friends the photos he had taken which was amazing. This is supported by Talay-Ongan (2005) which states “Children have a zone of proximal development which may be seen as the difference between what the child achieves unassisted, and what he/she can achieve with the help of another, more able person” (p.9).
I also believe that by allowing him to use the camera you gave him the ability to actively explore his interests in his environment and take memorable photos of the areas that he liked. It was great that you showed him how to use the zoom function and that he was able to go back to the ants and look at them up close. This is supported by Ministry of Education (1996) which states “Children develop the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and technology associated with them” (p.88).
Have you thought about different ways that you can explore this child’s interest in ants? Maybe by researching them together on the computer?