Technology is about helping people and solving problems. Technology is a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting the needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments. (Smorti, 1999).
Conflicting opinions and professional disagreements have produced a multitude of beliefs that have evolved into full-blown myths. The common belief that "its okay if children know more about using the computer that the teacher does", does little to promote the potential educational benefits of computers to either teachers or children. These myths create obstacles or barriers to using computers in the early childhood setting. (Tsantis, Bewick & Thouvenelle, 2003).
I question these myths, as I advocate strongly for the use of technology and computers to be used in an early childhood setting. The appropriateness and value of information and communication technology (ICT) skills is of utmost importance in today's ever changing world of technology. It is expected of us as early childhood educators to stay abreast with ICT.
ICT can be defined as anything which allows us to get information, to communicate with each other or to have an effect on the environment using electronic or digital equipment. The vision for ICT use in early childhood education has been directly drawn from Te Whaariki's aspiration statement:
The thoughtful and meaningful use of ICT in early childhood education services can support children "to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society" (Ministry of Education, 1996, p9). What this means for ICT use in early childhood education is that learners in ECE services should have the opportunity to experience:
- enhanced learning opportunities through the meaningful use of ICT.
- which will enable them to enhance their relationships, and
- broaden their horizons by exploring the wider world (Ministry of Education, 2009).
References:
ReplyDeleteMinistry of Education. (1996). Te Whaariki:
He whaariki maataurang mo nga mokopuna a
Aotearoa. Wellington, NZ: Learning Media
Ltd.
Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood.
Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999.
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ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you Rosie. ICT is a very important part of our daily life. It will become even more important as technology continues to develop rapidly. They are tools for an efficient way of communication with people near or far. Computers allow us to access large amounts of information around the word in a blink of an eye. We can have fun playing educational software games and learn a lot of knowledge and skills through them. It helps children to look at things from different perspectives, thus they learn more thoroughly. It also encourages them to explore more meaningful topics and gain in-depth knowledge in different areas and make discoveries. It is true that sometimes teachers choose to avoid it because they are not familiar with the ICT tools. Hence, the children lose their opportunities in the learning and developing area of ICT education. As educators, we should all bear this in mind that our responsibility as teachers is to assist and support children to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators. The early childhood curriculum recognises ICT as an important learning area for the children. Therefore, we as teachers should start to familiarise ourselves with the technology and learn more about it. We do not have to wait until we are experts to begin implementing the ICT activities. We can do it now and learn alongside the children, as they will be encouraged by us teachers in their learning attitude of acquiring new skills and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteYes, internet safety is an issue for our children. As teachers, of course we need to try our best to educate our children, but they are just too young to fully understand the big people’s world. That’s why we have to have a teacher monitoring while children surf the net. We can also install the cyber safety filter to block unwanted pop-ups and pornography, etc. Http://ninalovesjesus.blogspot.com
Kia Ora Rosie,
ReplyDeleteAs you say there are many conflicts around the use of computers and ICT technology in the early chidhood setting, I like the fact that you are being an advocate and using your voive to make others aware of the benefits of using ICT. I too believe that Computers are a great tool in the ECE setting as long as they are used appropriately and in moderation. Remember to introduce and provide opportunities for children to explore non digital forms of technology. Great to hear your voice coming through in here Rosie!
Thanks for the insightful read,
Carly
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your points of view, Rosie, which are very important, as ECE student teachers in integrating ICT in preschool children’s learning, we need to recognise our duty to make sure this new technology is used effectively. This means that we need to increase our understanding of discovering, reflecting on using ICT into ECE practice, in order to fully integrate technology into the educational goals and objectives which support children confidently and competently to develop their own ability to continue acquiring new knowledge and skill (Ministry of Education, 1996).
ReplyDeleteMinistry of Education, (1996).Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātaurauge mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.