Part 2 - Feedback

Katleigh's Blog
http://katleighppte.blogspot.co.nz/

Briana's Blog
http://brianayear3.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/entry-5.html

Journal Entry 5

I noticed that one of the boys in my class was interested in sorting and using the iPads so I decided to get some apps on the iPad for him to use that involve sorting. I download a few different aps that ranged in different degrees of difficulty but would still be at a level that he would be able to complete. I asked him he wanted to sit down with me and play on the iPad.  I opened the first app for him and showed all the different choices he had. He choose to sort between stars and circles. He started to sort through the different stars and circles. Making sure to put them in the right hole. Once he had finished with that he chose another sorting game to do which involved sorting cars onto the road and things that fly into the sky. He was very careful with this one again making sure he did it right and looking very intensely at the different vehicles and whether they went in the sky or on the road. After a while he decided he was finished and that he was ready to go and play with his friends.

When children have access to a range of technologies and popular culture and an active role in their own learning suggest the line between childhood and adulthood is a random one. Technology such as iPads give children the independence to access information and entertainment, as well as accessing adult knowledge, challenges the way we look at children as incompetent and dependent on us (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett, & Farmer, 1993). The thing with our iPads in the centre is we have put certain restrictions on them but that doesn’t stop the children from using the different applications and the independence to learn on their own. This is why I choose to use the iPad with the boy rather then that laptop we have access too as well. He was able to actively learn by himself. Picking his own sorting game and being able to learn from any mistake he made when the game would correct him gave him his own independence to learn (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett, & Farmer, 1993). The results of this planned provocation is that the boy has confidence to use the iPad and was able to develop his skills in using the iPad further e.g. swiping, keeping finger on the iPad long enough and holding down long enough. This development will be useful when he is able to use the iPad again and revisit these skills he has developed in games that may be more difficult and require more finger skills. Another result is that he was able to do different type of sorting game than the normal colour sorting we have. One of the games was able to match with one of his other interests which is cars and aeroplanes. From this interest he was able to establish when he started the car and plane sorting game that cars drive on the road and planes are in the sky.

References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (1993). Programing and Planning in Early Childhood Education (5th ed). South Melbourne, Australia: Harcourt Australia. 

Journal Entry 4

In my centre we have iPads in each of our 3 classrooms for the teacher and children to use. I work in our toddler room, which has children from 18 months to 3 and half years, and one of the main things we use the iPads for is for music and dancing. We use a lot of YouTube because the children are able to request a song that they like and can either watch the video of it or dance to the song. One of the children asked me if they could do some dancing one day and I asked them what music they wanted. Wheels on the bus was requested and I typed it into YouTube. I gave the iPad to the girl who had requested it to pick which video she liked best. She picked the third video down which had a bright thumbnail. The video started playing and other children gathered round her to watch as well. All of a sudden the video stopped playing. “It’s loooading” said one of the other children who had come to watch. I asked the children what we could do. One of our older children said that we should pause it. So I showed the girl who was holding the iPad where the pause button was and she pressed it. Once they had noticed that some of the video had loaded, looking at the white bit being longer then the red bit, they pressed play. The children continued watching the video and when it was finished they passed it around and all got to pick another video that was next to the one they had just played.

The children were able to solve the problem of the loading video by remembering what they had seen us teachers do or maybe what they had seen their parents do at home. They had seen us teachers deal with YouTube videos not loading before and seen what we had done. So when the video stopped loading rather than taking over I thought I would ask them what they thought they could do. I think as teachers we underestimate children abilities sometimes, especially young children. The children were able to use previous experience to solve the problem and can now use this experience to fix the problem if it should happen again.  From this the children are developing problem solving skills.

Journal Entry 3

Children are impacted almost every day by as society starts integrating technology into almost everything we do and making life ‘simpler’ for us. Infants watch an average of 2.5 hours of television a day and 25% have a television in their bedroom (Rowan, 2010). While 3 and 4 year olds are watch an average of 3 and 4 year olds are watching an average of 4.5 hours of television a day. Children also have access to other forms of “entertainment technology” (Rowan, 2010) and spend an average of 7.5 hours per day using technology (Rowan, 2010) such as iPads, smartphones, laptops, computers and televisions. “Entertainment technology (TV, Internet, video games, iPads, and cell phones) has advanced so rapidly, that families have scarcely noticed the significant impact and changes to their family structure and lifestyles (Rowan, 2013).” Children are constantly being impacted and influenced by the technology around them and with more and more ece centres using iPads and computers they rarely get a break.

Children are physically impacted by the use of too much technology through development delays. One of development delays of children using too much technology are that “30% of children entering kindergarten are “developmentally vulnerable” - lacking in those basic skills they need to thrive in school and in the future (Rowan, 2010).” Biologically children’s developing sensory, motor and attachment systems have not evolved to adapt to the constant use of today’s technology (Rowan, 2013). Rapidly advancing technology impact on the developing child has created an increase of diagnosed physical, psychological and behaviour disorders that education and health systems are only just able to detect, let alone understand.

Technology can also quickens and supplements basic skills. Students who have more access to technology can become engrossed quickly into the data, and are able to absorb more knowledge faster (Hatch, 2011). Children can also improve “visual-spatial capabilities, increase attentional ability, reaction times, and the capacity to identify details among clutter (Taylor, 2012).” Technology helps make children different rather than making them stupid (Taylor, 2012).

 For me personally I am not a big fan of children using technology constantly and believe that under 5’s don’t need to being using tablets, iPads or computers. I think children are better off doing something out and active. If a child needs to do a puzzle they can always use a really physical puzzle rather than one of an iPad that automatically fits the pieces in when they swipe it over the top. 

References

Hatch, K. E. (2011). Determining the Effects of Technology on Children. USA: University of Rhode Isaland.

Rowan, C. (2010). A research review regarding the impact of technology on child development, behavior, and academic performance. USA.

Rowan, C. (2013, 07 29). The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child. Huffington Post.

Taylor, J. (2012, 12 04). How Technology is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-think-and-focus