Individual Reflection:
At first when I
heard that our first assignment is about creating our own blog, I was bit
nervous because I am not very confident in using technology. It was totally new
experience for me. But with the support of our lecturer and group, I managed to
create a blog. A blog can be defined as an online journal, which we can update
by using our own words. It was interesting that we can also add pictures and
video to make our blogs attractive. It is good way of sharing our reflections
with others and also we can get feedback through commenting (Yang, 2009). Blogs
can be used for educational purposes. These education blogs can be used to
communicate, used as instructional resource, collaborative tools and showcase (Wang,
2008). We can use blogs in our centres too. We can put reflections of children
and also invite parents to read and comment it.
Technology can be
defined as “intervention by design: the use of practical and intellectual
resources to develop products and systems (technological outcomes) that expand
human possibilities by addressing needs and realizing opportunities” (Ministry
of Education, 2007, p.32). This assignment gave all of us a great opportunity
to reflect on our self in context of technology. In today’s world, technology
plays an important role in children’s learning and development. Now when I see
children, I always think how lucky they are; technology made things easier for
them. When I was young, we had very boring classrooms with blackboards and
white chalks. We just had to sit, read and write for long hours. But today
children do their homework on computers. They do not have to write with the
pencil or pen. They just type on computer and if anything goes wrong they can
change it or replace it. Children do not have to read the long histories books
now, they have Google where they can search and find anything. Just press a
button and the entire world’s information are just in front of you, isn't it amazing?
Sometimes I got
surprised that my son is better than me in using digital technology. I learn
many things from him. I believe that it is very important that we have open
mind to learn new things. Being open to change makes us better educators. We
also see ourselves not only as educators but also as learners because life is a
continuous process of teaching and learning (O'Connor & Diggins, 2002).
Before doing this paper, whenever I heard the word technology, I always thought
about the digital technology. But through this paper I got to acknowledge that
technology can be anything which makes our work easy (Smorti, 1999). We know
that children learn by watching adults; adults are like role models for them.
When young children see their parents, elders siblings, uncles and aunties
using digital technology, they become curious to use it. Furthermore, learning
about digital technology is becoming like a need of future life. To get success
in future life, it is very important that children have access to the digital
technology at early stage of life. Therefore as educators it is our
responsibility to provide equipment for technological learning (Ministry of
Education, 1996). Some children belong to poor families and they cannot afford
all the expensive digital devices. So they can access digital equipment at the centres.
The other thing which also amazed me is that children know how to take care the
digital devices. We also say children are confident and competent learners so
they know what are their boundaries (Ministry of Education 1996).
I also got very
constructive feedback from my group. It gave me an opportunity to think and
reflect myself. They also suggested me to watch video which linked to my topic
or scenario. I watched that video and they were really relevant to my topic. I
also got different perspectives from my own to see the particular things.
When guest speakers
came to our class, I acknowledged valuable information about technology. I
acknowledge how we can protect our computers from scammers, and keep them
secure. I was astonished by viewing the videos made by children from Botany
Downs Kindergarten. I have also learnt about the digital portfolios. I have
learnt how technology helps in smooth transitioning. “New Zealand is part of
revolution in communication and technology, work and leisure. To cope with
changes, children need both the confidence to develop their own perspectives
and the capacity to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills” (Ministry of
Education, 1996, p. 18).
References
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā
mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand:
Learning Media.
Ministry of
Education. (2007). The New Zealand
curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
O'Connor, A., & Diggins, C. (2002). On reflection: Reflective practice for early childhood
educators. Lower Hutt, New Zealand: Open Mind Publishing.
Smorti, S. (1999)
Technology in early childhood. Early
Education, 1, 5-10.
Wang, H. (2008). Exploring the educational use of blogs in U.S.
education. US – China Education Review, 5 (10), 34-37.
Yang, S.-H. (2009).
Using Blogs to Enhance Critical Reflection and Community of Practice. Educational Technology and Society, 12(2),
11-21.
