Final Blog - Reflection

By: Michelle Wheatley

As I sit down and write this final reflection it gives me chance to look back at how this experience has been for me and how I have seen and read the different comments that I have received from my team members. As I'm still classed as a very new staff member within my team I still see things that other staff members miss. I am a very strong believer in children learning through free-play and my philosophy states this, I am also a believer in children learning without digital technology. This leads me onto a comment made to me by one of my team members in blog three (Crayons).

 

As Donna highlighted in her comment in blog three she points out that through my blogs I have hinted that I believe in free movement due to writing two blogs about non-digital technology. As Smorti (1999) states "Do you associate any of the following items with 'technology'? A ballpoint pen, brick, racehorse, clothes peg, computer, corkscrew, hammer, newspaper, radio, kidney transplant, ice block stick, new variety of grass?" (p.5). To me all these items associate with technology, Why you might ask? Because they all have been developed to help solve a problem in some way. Smorti (1999) states that "Technology is about helping people and problem solving" (p.5). Because in my centre, in my room we don't have a lot of opportunity for the use of digital technology I would prefer to keep it this way so that children learn to problem solve with out technology, they are given the opportunity to develop and create ideas by themselves being creative and learning to problem solve on their own. Ministry of education (1996) states that "Children experience an environment where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning" (p.88).

 

However moving into another area that stood out to me in blog two - movement that was again highlighted by Donna. This child who is still currently learning to walk this was a milestone that her parents have missed or not had a chance to completely see because her parents work full-time. Donna took me back to when her child was in a centre and she was working full-time and she was missing all these milestones. Donna mentioned if someone had offered her the opportunity for a blog where these milestones could be captured that she would have taken them up on that offer. This made me think our a blog would help our infants parents to capture those missed moments that happen within the centre that they miss at home. As Wang (2008) states "Edublogs have some advantages in the context of teaching and learning. They can enhance learning, motivate students and foster collaboration among learners" (p.35). A blog could also be a way for receiving feedback from our parents, and also a way for us as teachers to build and maintain relationships with our families. Yang (2009) states that "Computer users with access to the internet can access some blog sites that are open to the public and welcome viewers to make comments or post messages" (p.13).

 

Another point that was pointed out to me in Blog one - cell phones was by Jamee about the unaware skills and knowledge that children come into the centre with. When I thought about this it become apparent to me that she was right. When a child comes into the centre, we are given an age of how old this child is. From here we just expect this 18 month old to walk when in reality she or he may not be able to walk just yet. As a teacher we are preconceived with ideas about what children should or should not be doing at certain ages and stages in their lives, this is when we forget to take a step back and actually get to know the child and observe the child to see what he or she can actually do. Santrock (2009) states that "Each of us develops partly like all other individuals, partly like some other individuals and partly like no other individuals" (p.7).

 

Overall I enjoyed reflecting on the non - digital and digital resources within my centre environment. However through my blogs it has been made aware to me that we don't use a lot of digital technology within the centre. But our children still make the most of their everyday play without this digital technology and I believe this is how our centre is developing and becoming a very strong centre.

 

 

Reference List (for all blogs)

 

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.

 

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2011). Foundations of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse society (5^th ed.). Boston, Ma: McGraw Hill.

http://main.zerotothree.org/site/pageserverpagename=ter_key_social_communication&addinterest=1157  

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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

 

Santrock, J.W. (2009). Lifespan development (12^th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.

 

 

Wang, H. (2008). Exploring the educational use of blogs in U.S. education. US – China Education Review, 5 (10), 34-37.

Yang, S.-H. (2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of practice.  Educational Technology & Society, 12 (2), 11-21.  Available online from http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_2/2.pdf