Technology and Block Play

This week I have observed R taking an interest in blocks.  What started as a small amount of blocks with simple arrangements has now developed into intricate designs, sometimes built in a confined space upwards and sometimes extending in a long line across the room.  The Ministry of Education (1995) describes technology as “a creative, purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems, or environments. Knowledge, skills, and resources are combined to help solve practical problems” (p.6).

Block play is an excellent way in which technological processes are demonstrated and the block itself becomes a technological tool because it is an open ended resource that offers endless possibilities in design, problem solving and logical thinking (Rogers & Russo, 2003).  R repeatedly played with blocks over extended periods of time and days which enabled him to gain knowledge about the properties of blocks (what they can and can’t do).  As he worked with the blocks, R was also developing skill in balance, manipulation and design and so as the days passed, he was able to combine his newfound knowledge and skills to develop more intricate and elaborate designs. 

When we think of designing something, we usually sketch something out to see how it looks but young children that have not developed drawing skills cannot do this.  This does not mean that they are not thinking of how they want it to be (Fleer, 2000).  This is evident in R’s play.  He becomes very protective of his work when others try to join him saying “No, thats not where it goes” (when another child adds a block) or he sometimes screams “LEAVE IT!!”  R has set his own goals and he needs time and space in order to fully explore his ideas and create his vision.  As he does this, he draws on his creativity as well as problem solving which he does using trial and error as he places and replaces blocks until he is satisfied.  Rogers & Russo (2003) suggest that when children work with blocks “they are engaged with using materials, designing, proposing alternatives, modifying and appraising” (p.18).  These are all characteristics of technological processes (Ministry of Education, 1995).

When R plays alone with the blocks, he is deep in thought and concentrates hard on what he is doing and seldom likes to be disturbed.  This does not mean he doesn’t like to play with anyone else though!   When he chooses to work with his peers, he is much more co-operative and works together with his friends to make wonderful creations.

As R and his friends work together, the technological processes occurring encourages “risk taking, lateral and divergent thinking, the development of multiple solutions to problems, trial and error, teamwork, and the management of resources effectively and efficiently” (Ministry of Education, 1995, p.8)

When R plays with others during block play, lots of conversation occurs as the children plan, negotiate and build.   Medway (1994) suggests that “the ability to use language is central to children’s technological capability” (as cited in Fleer, 2000, p.45).  I have been amazed at the creativity, imagination and detail that R has continued to develop through his block play and now I have discovered that technological tools and processes are abundant in block play.  It has made me look at the blocks in a completely different light now.  Maybe this blog has also allowed you to think differently about them too.

 

Supporting families with technology

On Wednesday 13^th April our centre celebrated Grandparents day.  Grandparents, whanau and friends were welcomed to spend the morning to celebrate relationships, connections and children’s learning.  It was a fantastic day but of course some children did not have Grandparents living close by and although they didn’t seem that concerned, I just could not stop thinking of ways in which I could help bridge the connections and support the relationships for these children as well.  

I couldn’t believe that i hadn’t thought of it before!  I would use a software programme called SKYPE to do this.  After some careful planning with parents I was able to actually make it happen for some of our children.

I thought It would be a good idea to introduce the children to SKPE, so that they could acquire a basic understanding of how it worked and what it could be used for.  They all understood the concept of a telephone as a way in which we could communicate to another person and as I set up the laptop I explained how using a computer and SKPE would let you also see the person you were talking to.   They all looked at me blankly until we dialled a number and their friends face popped up and started waving!  The children were so excited and two way conversation as well as giggles and face making and singing songs began.   That afternoon we made calls to South Africa, India and Australia.  It was a magical day which I felt privileged to be a part of.  Because of this experience, some of the families who did not know about this technology have downloaded this programme at home and are now frequently in touch visually with their loved ones overseas.  The next day S’s Grandparents emailed S at the centre which I did not anticipate at all.  It was a lovely surprise for S to receive this email and she carried it around with her all day. 

The Ministry of Education (2005) recognises that Information and communication technologies are an integral part of our modern world and that “To grow and live as citizens of the world, New Zealanders are learning about, with, and through ICT” (p.4).   Aviation technology has made it easy for people to emigrate to all corners of the world and has given us more choice and freedom of where we want to live.  The sacrifice for having this choice is sometimes having to leave behind immediate family and loved ones.  Drewery & Bird (2004) states that “Geographical distance between grandparents and grandchildren can work against the development of close intergenerational relationships” (p.330)   Although nothing can replace the human touch, hug and closeness, technology such as Skype can help to bridge the miles in distance and help maintain those relationships within families. 

A famous quote comes to mind by Maya Angelou.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   

With the assistance of computer technology, how do you think S is feeling?  She is someone special.  She is loved.  She is valued and cared about.  She knows this and carries the email around with her all day knowing that her Grandparents are with her every day in her heart.  This supports S’s well-being and as we help to support these relationships, S’s self-worth, identity, confidence and self esteem are all nurtured (Ministry of Education, 1996). 

By providing opportunities like this in early childhood settings, children become more aware of the different technological tools for communication that are available to them in todays world.  The first time we used Skpe, I demonstrated to the children how to launch the programme by clicking the button and pointed out the green ‘phone call’ button to use when we wanted to call someone. The next time we used Skpe, I was surprised at how much they had remembered and they immediately pointed to the Skpe symbol.  Children learn by doing and learning is “strengthened when they are able to be active learners, and when their learning is embedded in meaningful contexts, connects with their wider worlds of family and community, and promotes the development of relationships and active exploration” (Ministry of Education, 2005, p9).  

After seeing the significant impact this communication technology has had for the children and families at my centre and also for the extended family living further away I would really like to continue to support and develop the use of this technology in my centre.   I am thinking of approaching my manager to perhaps make a laptop available at the end of a designated day so that children and their families have regular opportunities to keep in touch with their loved ones as some families do not have access to this technology at home. 

Reference List

Drewery, W. & Bird, L.C. (2004). Human development in Aotearoa: A journey through life (2nd ed.). Sydney: McGraw-Hill.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2005). Foundations for discovery.  Wellington: Learning Media.

Technology as tools for creativity

Today I noticed M taking an interest in some shells.  She was holding them up to her ear and smiling.  I approached her and asked her what she was doing.  She told me she was listening to the sea and that she had lots of shells at home. Later that day I approached Mum and talked with her about the conversation I had.  She informed me that they loves to hang shells at their bach.  I thought this was a great idea so I suggested that we make some at the centre.  M said “Have we got a drill?”  hmm, good point!  We hadn’t!  The next day I bought in a cordless drill from home and set up an opportunity for all the children to have a go at shell hanging.

We started off by exploring the cordless drill and I talked to them about the battery, chuck, drill bit and demonstrated what happened when we pushed the button.  B said “My Dad uses that for wood.” We also discussed using the drill safely.  D went over to the carpentry table and got some earmuffs and goggles  “so our eyes don’t hurt” said D.  M was eager to go first as she had done this many times before with her family and was excited to share her knowledge.  I was also looking forward to see what would happen as I had never done this before!  She carefully selected a shell and I held it for her as she began to drill.  Other children became involved and this experience continued over a period of days using different shells, cones, wood and pumice stones. 

The children took turns in threading the items through some wire and together they decided where to hang them.  Our precious taonga have pride of place in the centre of the room and the children proudly tell anyone who enters our room “Look what we did!”

At first I was apprehensive about using the drill with children because of the safety aspects involved and the limited experience I had with drills myself.  M was so confiden

t and knowledgeable that she actually gave me the confidence to provide this experience for the other children and I am so glad I did.  It occurred to me that many of them may have seen this technology being used before perhaps at home but many may not have had the opportunity to try it for themselves with support.    B had seen his Dad use a drill with wood but this experience has helped B to build on his previous knowledge of drills to realise that it can be used with other materials too.  Te Whāriki states that “Using many materials for different purposes enables children to recognise that different technologies may be used in various places and settings” (Ministry of Education,  1996, p.95).   

Smorti (1999) describes technology not only as a way of solving problems but also being “a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments” (p.5)   The technological tools of the drill and not forgetting the wire to thread the shells on have both made it easier to allow the children to develop their creativity as they made these wonderful creations.

The Ministry of Education (1995) describe many different learning areas within the realm of technology.  In this experience, children had the opportunity to explore the technological areas of material, production and process.  This is because they were able to select suitable materials (hard or soft shell), change it in a way that was needed using a technological tool (putting a hole in it using a drill) and then designing how they wanted to arrange their materials  in order to produce the finished product.  As the project continued over several days, children began to explore different materials other than shells.  As they did this, together they were developing concepts about the properties of the natural world using the drill as a technological tool to assist them in this process. 

 I am still amazed that from what started as a simple conversation about shells with one child evolved into a project that many more children were able to contribute to, be curious about, build new knowledge and skills upon, have fun and be proud of their achievements.  Do you think this could have all been possible without the use of technology? 

Reference List

Ministry of Education. (1995). Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum.  Wellington: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā    mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999.



"Let's Find Out Together"

Last week I found three skinks in my garden and so I bought them to my centre to share with children.  Luckily the fish tank was empty and so we placed them carefully in the tank so that the children could observe them closely.  The children were excited to see these creatures and started to ask all sorts of questions about them. “What do they eat?, where do they live?, and will they get like a dinosaur?”  I had absolutely no idea and so I suggested that we use the computer and internet to see if we could find out a bit more about the skinks together. 

Immediately B got seated and started to use the mouse to move the cursor around.  I had a feeling that B has used a computer before.

We found a website with lots of facts about the skinks and I read out some information to the children which related to their questions.  I noticed that G and I were really interested in the pictures and so I typed “skink” into Google Images.  Many pictures were appearing and together the children studied the different images.  G couldn’t see the screen properly and so B swapped places with her.  G was unsure about how to operate the mouse and so I placed my hand over hers and we moved the cursor together.  Some images were quite small until B informed me “Press it fast and it gets big” (pointing to the left side of the mouse).  Sure enough G and myself pressed down two times and the picture became bigger.  G smiled and said excitedly “This is like our skink!”They were so pleased with themselves when they had found the right one! 

It was great to instantly respond to the children’s ideas and questions by using the computer as an immediate source of information.  We do not have regular access to computers in the classroom setting but from my observations I could see that B was already very familiar with using the mouse.  This experience has helped B to connect links between his home and his centre (Ministry of Education, 1996).  B was able to share his knowledge with us by showing us how to make the picture bigger so that we could all see the skink clearly.  The use of the computer as a tool to investigate their questions encouraged collaborative problem solving, social interaction, cooperation and scaffolding.  I didn’t know anything about skinks either and so it was a great opportunity to co construct our new knowledge together.   

 

Stephen & Plowman (2007) suggest that three main areas of learning are supported with the use of computer technology.  These are “(1) extending knowledge of the world, (2) acquiring operational skills, and (3) developing

dispositions to learn”  (p96).  From my observations of the children, I tend to agree.  This was because were learning more about the natural world around them, building their knowledge on how to use the computer and also they were actually excited about their learning and the investigation process. Using the computer allowed me to instantly respond to their interest which kept their enthusiasm alive.  Mitchell (2007) states that “It is through children being allowed to learn firsthand, through their own interests and discoveries, that learning occurs” (p34).  Without this technology, the children may have had to wait until the next time I was at the library to get a book about it.  I wonder if they still would have been as interested if they had to wait a day or two?  What do you think?  

 

Reference List

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Mitchell, L. (2007). Using technology in Reggio Emilia-inspired programs. Theory Into Practice, 46 (1), pp. 32-39.

Plowman, L., & Stephen, C. (2007).  Guided interaction in pre-school settings. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 23 (1), pp. 14-26.