B, S, H, B and P became quite excited when they came across a worm underneath one of the stepping stones in the garden area today. P suggested it was a mummy worm because it was quite big and we had noticed some baby worms. S suggested the worm had died because it wasn’t moving, but H said it was just sleeping. The finding of the worm sparked quite a conversation. Shonkoff & Phillips, (2000) suggested that “children need to connect new information to existing knowledge in order for it to have meaning and be stored for later retrieval” (p.41).
S wanted to hold the worm, he was very gentle. B said she would like to hold the worm as well, she was not sure about holding the worm but she gave it ago for a moment and then decided it really wasn’t for her, maybe she will try again next time. While we were examining the worms we took some photos with the camera and later down loaded them on to the lap top, B could see herself holding the worm. The children were also showing respect for living creatures and also respect for the technology equipment we used in the learning experience such as camera and laptop, as advocated by Te Whāriki learning outcome for children to develop: ”Respect and a developing sense of responsibility for the well-being of both the living and non-living environment” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.90).
We put the photos from the computer onto a memory stick. Later on in the day we went for a visit to the office to use the photo copier to print off the photos from the memory stick. This was a combination of learning experience about nature and technology combined. McHenry and Buerk, 2008 have suggested
“Learning through nature can provide children with hands on experiences, leading to greater understanding of our dependence on the earth’s physical environment. They will be able to carry these skills with them throughout their lifetime. Nature provides opportunities for children to grow in all areas of their development” (p.4). The child that assisted with the printing of the worm learning experience story showed that it was meaningful to her, wanting to save the story to show to her parents and did so with great enthusiasm when they arrived. Te Whāriki learning outcome: “The ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them” (Ministry of Education, 1996 p.88).
As the Technology and Young Children Interest forum Members conclude in their column in the young Children Journal (2008) suggest “Technological tools can support a learner-centred and play-orientated early childhood curriculum and promote relationship building among children, families and the wider community (p.50).
S wanted to hold the worm, he was very gentle. B said she would like to hold the worm as well, she was not sure about holding the worm but she gave it ago for a moment and then decided it really wasn’t for her, maybe she will try again next time. While we were examining the worms we took some photos with the camera and later down loaded them on to the lap top, B could see herself holding the worm. The children were also showing respect for living creatures and also respect for the technology equipment we used in the learning experience such as camera and laptop, as advocated by Te Whāriki learning outcome for children to develop: ”Respect and a developing sense of responsibility for the well-being of both the living and non-living environment” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.90).
We put the photos from the computer onto a memory stick. Later on in the day we went for a visit to the office to use the photo copier to print off the photos from the memory stick. This was a combination of learning experience about nature and technology combined. McHenry and Buerk, 2008 have suggested
“Learning through nature can provide children with hands on experiences, leading to greater understanding of our dependence on the earth’s physical environment. They will be able to carry these skills with them throughout their lifetime. Nature provides opportunities for children to grow in all areas of their development” (p.4). The child that assisted with the printing of the worm learning experience story showed that it was meaningful to her, wanting to save the story to show to her parents and did so with great enthusiasm when they arrived. Te Whāriki learning outcome: “The ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them” (Ministry of Education, 1996 p.88).
As the Technology and Young Children Interest forum Members conclude in their column in the young Children Journal (2008) suggest “Technological tools can support a learner-centred and play-orientated early childhood curriculum and promote relationship building among children, families and the wider community (p.50).
A great reflection Judy. I am particularly interested in your comments about meaningful knowledge that can be stored for later retrieval. I am passionate about meaningful learning experiences for children that lay a foundation for their learning at school. I was a teacher aide at a school that was in a community that comprised families of very low socio-economic levels. Over time I found that it is almost impossible to develop their reading in teh general school system if they have very limited experiences to hook information onto. For example children couldn't use images in a book about a trip to the beach because many of them had never been to the beach!!!!!! Thank you for your references to Shonkoff and Phillips (2000) I am going to read this.
ReplyDeleteHi Judy, this was a really cool reflection, I liked the links that you made to literature. They were very relevant and interesting to read. You have a great writing style :) It was awesome to hear about all of the different aspects of technology that you introduced to the children during this learning experience and it was great that you followed the leads of the children and allowed them to help create their own learning.
ReplyDeleteYou can see that technology is amazing. We rely it on supporting children's learning.
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