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.
Plowman, L., & Stephen, C. (2007). Guided interaction in pre-school settings. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 23 (1), pp. 14-26.
Cathy, what an intriguing and informing blog I enjoyed the way you incorporated reflection for the reader into your writing. It has truly made me think about the importance and effectiveness of computers regarding children’s learning in moments that arise throughout daily experiences. I enjoyed the way you made the most of a teachable moment when it arose by suggesting a technology tool which would satisfy the information needs for not only the children involved but also your own learning needs. Computer related technology is today playing an important role in accessing information such as in your experience it is a valuable education tool. As children shared the role of the “researcher” they were given equitable opportunities to participate and be engaged in the experience, this ensures that the learning is meaningful to each individual child. In response to your question, from personal experience with computers in my centre I feel that children are more engaged in actively exploring their theories through the use of technological resources rather than when information is not readily available. Research suggests that children with consistent access to digital technology such as computers show significantly higher developmental gains, when compared to children without these experiences. Without the use of technology many of the conversations, ideas, questions and continued learning in your experience may not have happened. Just a thought to leave you with, perhaps you could have used other technologies to extend further learning in your experience for not only children involved but others in the centre, through printing, laminating and displaying the information you found. This would have also promoted the use of these technologies as an investigation tool for other children, families and educators. Thank you for sharing you blog with me Cathy I enjoyed following you and the children as you explored such wonderful technology.
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ReplyDeleteHi Cathy!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way you responded to the children. As teachers even we don't know the answers to every question the children may have. So good on you for encouraging the children to use the computer. A computer is definitely usually the first thing most people would use these days to find out answers to their questions, with Google and other websites being the popular ones people go to. This learning experience you provided made it educational and thus had a purpose. What a wonderful educational tool! Computers have now become a vital tool for research and various purposes.
In response to your question Cathy, I really do feel that the children will have lost their interest if they had to wait a day or two before they find out the answers to their questions. Children I have found, tend to lose interest fast unless their interest is satisfied or they are engaged in in something they are interested in. So yes I do think they would have lost interest by the next day. Would the other staff or anyone else know the answers? It would be good to explore other ways of researching such as the use of non fiction books too, maybe you could do that next time when your centre does have books that are relevant to the topic. Well done!