7 August 2012
Today I watched a child at my centre, who has limited English, sit down at the computer. I have never noticed her on the computer and when I asked the other teachers they agreed that they had not seen her use it before. The programme is a drawing board where you can choose a paint brush, spray can or pen in any colour and draw pictures. There are also stamps that you can choose with insects, shapes, lollies and other items on them.
I watched as the child moved the mouse around the screen clicking it slowly at first then more frantically as nothing was happening. I thought she may become disinterested or lose her confidence so I approached her and got down to her level. I gestured and asked her if I could help her and she pointed at the screen and spoke to me in her home language but used the word “broken”. I asked her for the mouse and pointed at it and modelled for her how to choose a pen and a colour and hold the mouse key down to drag it across the screen to create a drawing. She clapped her hands and smiled and I handed the mouse back to her and told her it was her turn.
It took a few tries of her hovering the mouse over the stamps and waiting for something to happen before she realised that was when she needed to click it, but she worked it out and stayed on the computer for a long time calling out to myself and other teachers to show us her creations.
Bewick, Thornton and Tsantis (2003) suggest that a teacher’s knowledge of computers can directly impact the way that children’s learning needs are met. I am glad that I have had access to computers for most of my life and have the confidence to use them and teach others otherwise this child could have lost an opportunity to learn something new and gain a new skill.
I have seen this programme used many times by other children and honestly thought it was not very educational and had little learning opportunities attached to it. The children who normally use it are very confident on a computer and after a couple of drawings they seem to get bored and leave and I think this is because the programme does not require a lot of skill and is too easy for them. However, for a child who has not had many, if any, opportunities to use a computer, I saw today it was a good programme to begin developing basic skills on.
Ministry of Education (1996) states as part of the exploration strand that children use a variety of technology for different purposes as they explore the world they live in. I like that we have a computer and a laptop available for the children to use as I have seen them used in many helpful ways to extend children’s learning. They have been able to google items of interest with a teacher like the life cycle of a caterpillar and images of Fiji where one of the children comes from.
Ministry of Education (2007) suggests that having a broad understanding of technology helps you to be an active participant in society. I agree with this as a great deal of jobs you enter into will require you to be computer literate so having access to computers and gaining basic skills on them from a young age will help you throughout your life.
I totally agree with your view and the Ministy of Educations view that children should have an understanding of a wide range of technology. So many things in life these days require us to know how to use a computer and once children get to school many schools have class room blogs that the children are required to updated. Without this basis of understanding how would that child cope when they got to school.
ReplyDeleteI've seen children use a similar program and couldn't see the educational purpose of it either, thinking the children where just 'having fun' but now I can see there is a lot more too it and that child that you helped has now built a connection with you as you helped them learn and understand something new.
Amanda by the sounds of it, I also have this programme at my kindergarten and the children are very fond of it. I thought at first that there were not many learning outcomes also. After observing and learning about what technology has to offer I then thought again.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that there are learning opportunities for young children who are involved with these computers. Especially after reading your reflection, this little girl learnt something new today, with your assistance.
I believe that children who learn just the basics of the computer does help contribute to their ICT skills, as when they start school children will know how to work the mouse, keys ECT. I think it is important to have assistance over children who do use computers as some children do need help and it doesn�t take much to sit down and get a child out of a pickle on the computer. This was shown in your reflection, when helping that girl. After she was very pleased and gestured she was happy by clapping her hands :).
http://littlecaesars.com/kids/games.asp
ReplyDeleteHave a look at this site for some educational painting and puzzle games. They are all interactive and the children can print and keep their paintings. Great for teaching them colours and fine motor skills for clicking the mouse over the correct colour.
Hey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt good to hear that you and the other teachers in the room observe the children when they are using the computer as it gives you the chance to support them if they are needing some assistance like this little girl did.
I strongly agree with Tsantis, Bewick and Thouvenelle (2003) when they say that “the teacher is key to effective educational use of technology”, and you definitely proved this in this experience. If you had told that little girl that you didn’t know what to do, she might have become even more disinterested and might have just given up; but because you understood this programme and took an interest in her learning you were able to support her in the process of understanding how it all works.
:)
hey amanda
ReplyDeleteFrom this experience you may have initiated an interest area for this child, now she has gained a better understanding of how to use this software you may find her on the computer more often.
I can see this experience has made you see the benefits of using the computers in class rooms, Tsantis, Beswick, & Thouvenelle state that " the effective and appropriate uses of computers are powerful educational resources for young children and for you as their teacher " (2003, pg2). I really like this statement because i think its important that teachers see the opportunities that using computers can bring to enhance their curricullum.
You said that the other children get board with this game after a while, maybe asking them which game or software they want to use on the computer could help engage them more.
Thanks Chloe
Amanda, I liked reading about this child and how you demonstrated the way to use the computer.
ReplyDeleteBy what I read it seems the computers are out and available for the children to use whenever they desire. I totally agree with this as I feel that in all areas, resources should be made available all the time for children to come and go as they please. This enables them to express themselves freely and not feel as though they must have a go at something or with something because a teacher wants them to.
Technology emphasises creative and productive aspects of solving problems and answers questions (Smorti, 1999). I believe this is relevant to your reflection as you supported the child to enable productive problem solving.
Well done