Reflection 4:

29/08/12

Before starting this assignment I had an entire different perspective about technology and what it was exactly. My beliefs were that technology was not that beneficial for children and that too much of it is not necessary. I found that technology was becoming too advanced and had a more negative impact on children than good. For example: One girl had learnt so well on an I phone or I pad to flick the pages across by just sliding her finger on top of the screen, this resulted in her not being able to pick up and turn actual pages of a magazine or book. I felt that this was a negative impact on her and children should have the opportunity first to learn a non electronic way but then again, this is their world.

Another point in my mind was that not everyone has access or able to afford these high tech pieces of technology, I soon found my mind changing after having a guest speaker come in and talk to us about all the advantages technology has. She explained that not everybody can afford the latest but even by sending a picture on your phone to a parent, ensuring them that their child is fine and ok is enough to have a positive impact.

This is making links and connections to home as well as forming a strong relationship between the parent and the teacher; it also goes to show you do not need a lot of money to be able to do this as most people generally have a phone. She also talked about how most of their technology equipment is just handed to them and no cost needed, because quite often people do no longer need an OHP or a big old TV. Smorti, (1999) states that Technology is influenced by the culture or the society in which it occurs, (pg.7)

My outlook on technology then became different; I started to see that it fully depends on how you use it.  The main way being was to enhance the learning of children and to give them the opportunity to learn the ways of how technology and things work. Smorti, (1999) suggests that providing a child with opportunities to explore technology is very beneficial, (pg.7) I believe that this is true and also fair and this is the growing world of today.

After reading my friends blog and practicing technology in my centre I began to learn that technology was not just a camera, laptop, I pad or computer, it was so much more. Technology can be seen as food, staples, paper clips, blocks, hot glue guns and anything that can help to solve a problem; I gained this learning from reading Chanelle, Chloes and Jaclyns blogs as they had reflections about blocks, hot glue guns and potatoes.

The definition of technology  widened for me and I realised that technology is all about solving problems, creating something, being inventive and having fun with materials. Oldridge, (2003) states that when considering this wider definition of ICT, it is clear that in a growing number of ECE centres children can confidently use these technologies to document and create artefacts for a multitude of meaningful experiences, (pg.8).

Children are gaining so many skills when using technology because when they use it they are able to work alongside others, provoking their social skills when communicating, listening and questioning. They are also becoming more familiar with what is in this world around them, the different process of the way things work and they learn how to problem solve. Smorti, (1999) states that technology emphasis creative and productive aspects of solving problems and asking questions, (pg.6).

I gained some good feedback from my group, also gaining some constructive suggestions about my reflections to the way I wrote my reflections. I now will be more aware of my grammar and making sense of what I write, doing this by carefully marking and reading to myself out load. I also will carefully reference my work as it is very easy to misplace a word or bracket. I will take this all on board as the learning never stops.