LOOKING THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA

Cameras are an amazing gadget. It not only lets you to click photographs but capture those memorable moments that will be cherished for the rest of your life. Those moments may not come back but pictures help you to re-live those moments as many times as you want.
Cameras at my centre clinks to staff as it is part of our uniform. Recently some children have started showing interest in the cameras as well. They like to click pictures and then look at them. One child (R) in particular is mad about cameras and loves to walk around clicking pictures. She then with the help of the staff, looks back at those pictures and talks about them. Today as R came in the morning with her dad, she came to me and asked for the camera.

She took the camera from me and took it to her dad. She with the help of her dad, switched on the camera and started looking through the pictures. There was a lot of excitement as the two went about looking through the pictures. I realized that ICT can help develop children's dispositions to learn by increasing self-esteem and confidence or by supporting independence and persistence in the face of initial difficulties (Harthley, 2009). Cameras, I realized, had more potential than only taking photographs. It has potential for promoting pleasure in learning by enhancing engagement, motivation and the desire to learn. Digital cameras infact has the potential to extend the possibilities for children's learning. Seeing R's dad helping her to use the digital camera shows that many parents see their children on the verge of technological revolution and they are convinced of the importance of technological skills that their children need to have. Parents do not want their children to miss out in future, either at home or at work by failing to become confident users of technologies while they are young (Bolstad, 2004).

The world is becoming more and more wired every day and that children who do not have superior technological skills will be at a disadvantage as they grow up.
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 valued contribution to society" (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 88). This was very much evident in R's use of the camera. She was exploring and enhancing her knowledge of technology. She was also very confident in using the camera and show pictures to her dad. She was engaged with the camera for a very long time. This incident was an eye-opener for me because at her age I would not even dream of touching a camera leave alone using it. According to Ellis, Railsback and Scoter (2001), unlike some adults, children are unafraid of technology but are confident to try out new activities and because they find the work so interesting, most children have longer attention span when using any form of technology.
Like it or not, these playful technological experiences will have significant implications on children's future. Therefore, it is the role of early childhood teachers to to look at the children's experiences through a "technology lens". This will no only foster technology education in children but also make them confident users of technology.  

"An understanding of material properties, uses and development is important to understanding how and why the products work the way they do" (Ministry of Education, 2007, para. 7). For children to get a better understanding of how things work, teachers should not only provide physical guidance but also plan a child's return to the activity and to continue monitoring their interactions (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett &  Farmer, 2008). When children's experiences are documented and revisited, they will be able to recognize their own competence and the way it has developed overtime. And what better way is than through the use of a camera.
The following video clip shows us how the camera is utilized to revisit children's learning experiences. Please click on the following link to view the video.
Exploring the world through the eyes of a camera

The use of technology will continue to grow over the years. As early childhood teachers, we have the opportunity to harness these new technology tools to make a real difference for our young children, parents and families in our care if we work together to overcome the barriers and share our best practices with one another (Donohue, 2003). I am really excited about the possibilities and can not wait to see what new technology tools and toys will become available and the creative ways we can use them in our early childhood programs!!!!! 
The following video describes views of people who think why we should use digital camera in education.
Why do we need to use digital camera in education?

REFERENCES
1. Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Dockett, S., Farmer, S., & Death, E. (2008).Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th ed.). Melbourne:Thomson.
2. Bolstad, R. (2004). The role and potential of ICT in early childhood education: A review of New Zealand and international literature. Retrieved from, http://www.nzcer.org.nz/research/publications/role-andpotential-ict-earlychildhood-education-review-newzealand-and-intern.
3. Donohue, C. (2003). Technology in early childhood education: An exchange trend report. Child Care Information Exchange, pp. 17-20.
4. Ellis, D., Railsback, J. & Scoter, J. V. (2001). Technology in early childhood education: Finding the balance. Portland: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
5. Hatherly, A. (2009). ICT and the greatest technology: A teacher mind. Retrieved from, http://earlyyearsliteracymath.wikispaces.com/file/view/ICT+and+the+greatest_technology+a+teacher+mind+Ann+H.pdf
6. Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
7. Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

COMPUTERS- Objects of amazement

The staff in the toddlers' room were informed that they will receive a computer for children's development and learning in ICT. We were really excited about it and shared this information with the children at group time. I did not expect much reaction from the children as I believed they were "too small" to understand or know about computers. My mouth was left open to see the amount of excitement among this children. It was like I was among a group of alien children. For me, this was a culture shock as I had never seen a computer let alone hear about it until I was in college. Even then I was frightened to use it without the expert's guidance. Here at this moment, I realized that the world has headed towards a technological age and for this children they are exposed to computers from an early age.

As soon as the computer arrived, children were seen swarming around it like busy bees. There was a lot of talking and interactions among the children. I let one of the children sit on the chair and showed them how to go about using the computer. I even showed them how to type letters. Soon they were seen taking turns at using the computer. Some older children were even seen helping the younger ones to get started. The concept of "ako" was clearly being demonstrated here. 

When children were using the computer, a lot of talking could be heard. Children who in normal circumstances would be seen quiet, were seen talking in their own "languages". A variety of languages could be heard as well. This was a wow factor for me because children were engaging in high levels of spoken communication and co-operation. Fischer and Gillespie (2003), found that children develop co-operation and communication skills since they have to share one work area. To add onto this, Lee and O'Rourke (2006), noted that children's oral language is enhanced through the collaborative tasks they engage in when using the computer.

Another wow factor for me was to see that children with some degree of behavioral problems were actually abiding to the rules of social interactions. One of the children would never share or play with other children. But the existence of the computer has actually enabled the child to get a grip on such components as turn-taking, patience and sharing. He would be seen as waiting patiently for his turn to use the computer. Children were also seen playing at the computer with children whom they would not be seen playing if they were in an outdoor environment. The computer, here has clearly demonstrated that when technology is used appropriately, it can promote social interactions and develop social competence in young children.

In the past, I would have questioned if computers were developmentally appropriate for children of this age. But now such questions have no merit when I see children at this very young age showing comfort and confidence in using the computer. They can turn it on and enjoy "their time" at the computer. These were the proud moments for children when they were able to confidently type using the keyboard or the cursor. Besides enhancing their mobility and sense of control, computers can help improve self-esteem (Chen & Chang, 2006). This was a learning opportunity for me as I realized that the use of computers in early childhood settings has become an integral part of the curriculum. As a field we have the opportunity to harness this technological tool to make  real difference for the young children, parents and families in our care if we work together and share our best practices with one another.

Since we are preparing children for jobs that do not exist at present, it is vital for us to provide a variety of technological resources in our centres. We need to make sure that children have experience and hands-on learning that will make them confident users of computers throughout their lives. According to Ministry of Education (2007), technology in early childhood education is about providing products, systems or environment for children to learn and develop in a creative way and use skills that enhances their practical problem solving abilities.

To see a video on the benefits of using a computer, click on the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3SAea2-_WA

REFERENCES
Chen, J. Q., & Chang, C. (2006). Using computer in early childhood classrooms: Teachers' attitudes, skills and practices. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 4, 169-188.

Fischer, M. A., & Gillespie, C. W. (2003). One headstart classroom experience. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Incorporation.

Lee, L., & O'Rourke, M. (2006). Information and communication technologies: Transforming views of illiteracies in early childhood settings. Early Years, 26 (1), 49-62.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.