During my
last practicum, I noticed that teachers always used computers to search
appropriate educational programmes from the internet to use to interact and to
teach the children, such as children songs with animation to attract their
attention; songs with movement to stimulate children’s interest in exercise and
videos from internet for different learning purposes. Children are welcome to use the computer for
their own learning too, such as drawing on computer, stories with sounds and
words from touching screen or different kind of literacy learning games.
In the
twenty-first century, using computers and other ICT technology in the early
year education is for preparing children for their future lives to inhabit in
this `Knowledge Society’ (Selwyn, 1999).
The role of new technologies in our lives has significantly reshaped our
life-world; facilitating communication and information receiving instantaneous
replies from anywhere in the world, changing our shopping and working practices,
saving time and creating new jobs. In
response to these changes, I noticed that it is now increasingly recognised
that children should be developing capability in accessing or retrieving
information and learning to learn. However,
the aim of the use of ICT with children is to teach technological literacy through
technological products and process, and to engage children in the practical
activity of designing and making things (Siraj-Blatchford &
Siraj-Blatchford, 1999). From my point
of view, it is important to note that it was not the products that the children
made, and it was rather what children learned in the process of making
products. Just as literacy in language
learning is more than just learning to read so technology literacy is more than
just being able to operate or understand technology. Because
of children in the process of exploring and applying technology children may
develop a structure of facts, concepts, principles, procedures, and phenomena
that will provide resources for the `cognitive activities of knowing,
understanding and reasoning” (Greeno, 1991, p. 174).
By using
appropriately designed and supported computer applications, it enables the
ability to learn to recreate and children need to see ICT used in a meaningful
context and for real purposes (Siraj-Blatchford & Siraj-Blatchford,
2000). For example, the act of introducing
young children to new software tools and applications, and draw upon their interest
of adult interactions with ICT at the supermarket checkout to look at the bar-code
scanners technology. They can identify
the barcodes use in the store and learn about the stock control and price
information. By using computer functions
which integrate into children’s pretend play, and conduct with suitable
software or touch screens in play environment, such as shopping, gardening or
cooking. Encourage children to observe
and talk about the use of ICT in the environment such as traffic lights, telephones,
mobile phones, televisions, washing machines, printer, or copy machines to
deepen their understanding.
In accordance
to theories of learning that underpin education systems are grounded in the
belief that humans learn best when they are engaged and actively constructing
meaning (Piaget, 1972 & Vygotsky, 1978).
By using both real and pretend play, ICTs may be integrated in support
of socio-dramatic play and this kind of play is widely recognised to be of
significant cognitive and socio-emotional benefit. I agreed that ICT has also been found to
support children in their imitations and simulations of the adult world and
human relationships through symbolic representation. A
well-designed and appropriate application can provide for a wide variety of
possible responses by the children, it allows the child to try things out and,
if it does not work, try another options even they made mistake (Smilansky,
1990). ICT assisted instruction processes provide
challenges to children, probing them to think and develop creative ideas. However, I realized that the generation of
new knowledge and procedures for exploring will rise only when children are
encouraged in a supportive environment, in which they are able to feel free to
express their opinions and justify their responses in appropriate ways.
References:
Greeno, J. G. (1991). Number sense as situated knowing
in a conceptual domain. Journal in
Research in Mathematics Education, 22, 170-218.
Piaget, J. (1972). The
principles of genetic epistemology. New York: Basic Books.
Selwyn, N. (1999). `Resisting the Technological
Imperative: Issues in Researching the `Effectiveness’ of Technology in
Education’ from the online journal Compute - Ed, Vol 5 Online 11th
March 2005 at: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/nph-arch/2000/Z2000-Jun-5/http://computed.coe.wayne.edu/Vol5/Selvyns.html
Siraj-Blatchford, I. & Siraj-Blatchford, J.
(2000). More than computers: Information
and communications Technology in the Early Years, London, Early Education
(The British Association for Early Childhood Education).
Siraj-Blatchford, I & Siraj-Blatchford, J. (1999).
Supporting Science, Design and Technology
in the Early Years. Buckingham, Open
University Press.
Smilansky, S. (1990). Sociodramatic play: Its relevance to behaviour and
achievement in school. In Klugman, E. & Smilansky, S. (Eds.), Children’s Play and Learning. New York:
Teacher’s College.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher
psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
