neelamaayush: April 2013

Thursday, 4 April 2013

FINAL REFLECTION

Blogging was a totally new experience for me. When we were informed that we were going to create, I was really freaking out. When it comes to technology, I find it very difficult to embrace it at once. It takes a lot of time and encouragement for me to get my hands on on any new technology such as computers, Ipads and sophisticated mobile phones. I found blogs really interesting as it allowed the users to share information and reflect. Blogs engage people in knowledge sharing and reflection and they often attract a large readership (Hong, 2008).Instead of just providing information, blogs allow readers and users to respond, create and to connect.Creating a blog gave me a sense of ownership and I am really proud of this achievement.As a powerful tool that enhances communication, foster critical thinking and encourages collaborative learning, blogs have great potential in education (Hong, 2008).
The critical reflections and comments were really beneficial to me as it provided me with an insight to the various digital and non-digital technologies that were present within our wider world. Touching on the use of technology, many of my peers commented on the benefits of it. I would have really liked it if they were a bit more critical about the use of technology especially with children. The feedback from my peers enabled me to uncover the obstacles and discover how I need to change my beliefs in order to implement transformative teaching strategies. It created an awareness about how much I knew about technology and how confident was I in order to use technology as part of my teaching and learning experiences."Critical reflection fosters the most effective teacher interaction in professional setting by encouraging teachers to take a stand through questioning and challenging others' underlying assumptions" (Carr & Kemmis, 1983, p. 78).Having others critique my work and beliefs enabled me to grow in my capacity to self-critique and self-reflect. Because I am not very confident in using technology myself, the feedback form my peers have enabled me to absorb these new knowledge and information in my initial stage of learning to teach and bring this learned knowledge back to my classroom to provide the best for my children.
In today's world , children have been introduced to a wide range of technology ranging from computers, laptops to Ipads. While the use of technology in education provides for positive outcomes for children,research also indicates that technology needs to be developmentally appropriate for children,include tools to help teachers implement the technology successfully and be integrated into the classroom and curriculum in appropriate ways (McMannis & Gunnewig, 2012).When teachers support children and technological content is integrated with the curriculum, technology experiences are associated with better language and literacy outcomes, better socially competency, communication outcomes, better hand-eye coordination, greater peer collaboration and overall becoming confident users of technology.

There is growing recognition of the importance of incorporating
technology in meaningful and authentic ways into the curriculum
and day-to-day practices, and of the teacher’s crucial role in the full development and use of technology in the early childhood classroom (McMannis & Gunnewig, 2012).Providing children with digital and non-digital technological experiences enable children to develop an understanding of technology as a discipline and of how it differs from other disciplines. They learn to critique the impact of technology on societies and the environment and to explore how developments and outcomes are valued by different peoples in different times (Ministry of Education, 2007).
Educational technology is important for supporting early learners’ positive development. When integrated appropriately into the curriculum, technological experiences can strengthen the potential of technology to facilitate meaningful learning for young children.

REFERENCES
1. Carr, W., & Kemmis, S. (1983). Becoming critical: Knowing through action research. Geelong, Australia: Deakin University Press.
2. Hong, W.(2008). Exploring educational use of blogs in U.S. education. US-China Education Review, 5(10), 34-38.
3. McMannis, L. D. & Gunnewig, S. B. (2012). Finding the education in educational technology with young learners. Young Children, 2(3), 14-24.
4. Ministry of Education. (2007). New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

HYPERLINKS

Monday, 1 April 2013

WEAVING-Is it a technology?

In this technological world, when we mention the word "technology", the first things that come to our minds are computers, Ipads, mobile phones, laptops, cameras and other digital gadgets that make our work easier and help children learn. However, there are many other things apart from these electronic gadgets that facilitate children aimed at meetings learning and enable them to learn some very important skills such as turn taking, cooperation, working alongside others, be creative and use their imagination. "Technology is a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments" (Smorti, 1999, p. 5).

One such example of a non-digital technology is weaving. Weaving is a spiritual skill that is given a lot of importance in many cultures. In the Maori culture, weaving is more than a product of manual skills. From the simple rourou food basket to the prestigious kahu kiwi, weaving is endowed with the very essence of the spiritual values of Maori people (Patterson, 1992). The ancient Polynesian belief is that the artist is the vehicle through whom the gods create (Patterson, 1992). Weaving is sacred and interrelated with the concepts of mauri, mana and tapu (Patterson, 1992).
During the cultural week celebrations at our centre, we invited parents to share their cultural secrets with the children. One parent in particular brought some flax and other leaves. When asked, she said she was going to show and teach the children some basic skills in weaving. She declared that she was concerned that the skill of weaving was slowly dying out and the early childhood setting was a great platform to revive this amazing skill. She sat down with the leaves. Soon a group of children joined in. The parent patiently demonstrated the steps in making a flower using the flax leaves. She also showed children how to use the palm leaves and make a simple mat. Soon the place was bustling with a lot of excited children ready to create something unique. They chose the leaves that they wanted to use and became involved in their new experience. According to Ministry of Education (1996, p. 68), when children "experience an environment where they are affirmed as individuals, they develop a perception of themselves as capable of acquiring new interests and abilities".
I observed a lot of interaction happening between children. They were busy conversing to each other about their creations. Also many of them talked about some form of woven materials that they had at home. Their conversation with each other and guidance that they provided to each other implied that children were grasping the skill of problem solving. My conversation and praises provided children with some form of encouragement for them to complete as well as enjoy the task. This showed that through "dialogues with children, adults play a formative role in the development of children's self-conceptions, sensitivity to others, social skills, cognition and capacity to use language to gain control over thought and behaviour" (Berk, 2001, p. 74).

The process of weaving was something that many children may not have seen at all yet it is very important skill that many cultures would like to inculcate in the younger generations. It was important to provide a weaving experience to children to help them discover that weaving is a creative process of making something beautiful with your own hands. Children developed the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them (Ministry of Education, 1996).
As the children began the simplified weaving process with leaves, they found out that weaving takes practice and skill. The process of choosing the leaves, placing the leaves over and under and keeping to the design to make a beautiful flower or mat, was a challenging process. Each child spent their time exploring the weaving process and went about completing the task in their own way. It clearly shows that they were playing with properties of materials and technology use in the creative and expressive arts (Ministry of Education, 1996).
Some children preferred to cut smaller pieces or leaves while others preferred to use longer pieces. No matter how the children went about making their mats and flowers, they all were able to find ways to help each other solve their problems and come out victorious in their endeavors. Weaving, therefore has taught children the skill of problem solving and how to successfully work with and alongside others.
While using the scissors and weaving the leaves, children have developed some great skills such hand-eye coordination, development of finger muscles and fine motor skills. As children express and interpret ideas within creative, aesthetic and technological frameworks, their confidence in taking risks is increased (Ministry of Education, 2007). Weaving is a form of creative arts where students learn to work both independently and collaboratively to construct meanings, produce work and value and respond to others' contributions.
Therefore, in my view weaving is a form of technology as it helps children to problem solve and engage in unexpected outcomes and to explore multiple solutions through the use of their imagination.

The following video clip shows the determination, creative and imagination of a spider who weaves his own web. This can be related to the determination and problem solving skills that children needed to have in order to engage in the weaving experience. Click to view the video.

Spider weaving his web

REFERENCES
1. Berk, L. (2001). Development through the lifespan (3^rded.). Boston, Ma: Allyn and Bacon and Pearson Education.
2. Images: Retrieved on 30/03/13 from www.googleimage.com

3. Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
4. Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
5. Patterson, J. (1992). Exploring Maori values. Palmerston North, New Zealand: The Dunmore Press Limited
6. Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.