Personal Reflection

 

Firstly, I would like to give big thanks to my group members who gave me very positive feedback on all my posts. From this course, People, Places, Things and Events, I have learnt so much about technology.  Before doing this course, my understanding of technology was quite narrow. I thought technology meant electronic devices but from the lectures, discussions and extensive research on academic literature, I found how broad technology is and how it is branching into digital and non-digital forms. I was always looking at the blogs on the internet but had no idea what it was until I created my own blog. Personally I feel proud as this is an excellent achievement for me. While setting up my blog, I came across few challenges but with the help of my lecturer and group members, I overcame those challenges. I was inspired by Bronwyn from Botany Downs Kindergarten and how children incorporate technology into their daily practice. Blogs allow collaborative communication and reflective thinking for collaborative learning (Hong, 2008). 

Being a professional teacher, it is crucial that I reflect on my teaching practice from the critical point of view. Reflective thinking allows me to critically look at what factors lead to a particular event and then think about that event to see what worked well and what did not work well (O’Connor & Diggins, 2002). Critical reflection enables teachers to rethink the process and reshape the programs to meet the needs of the children (Yang, 2009). When critical feedback and reflections are integrated in a form of reflective conversation between educators and the children, both of them benefit from the reflective practice (Yang, 2009). After reading through my group blogs, I have learnt about various forms of technology around the world such cameras, phones, iPads, computers. The non-digital or traditional tools include pen, paper, scissors, crayon, musical instruments and more. Technology is changing our world that people have created and we should have the increasing awareness of the technological world (Smorti, 1999). If people do not embrace technology, they will miss out a lot. Children learn various skills such as cognitive, social, emotional, physical and language. Te Whāriki states that “New Zealand is part of a revolution in communication, technology, work and leisure. Change in this sphere is a feature of everyday life. To cope with such changes, children need both the confidence to develop their own perspective and capacity to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 18).

The feedback and critical reflection from my group was very productive for me as everyone was actively collaborating and they have talked about the benefits of technology in early childhood education. I think there are disadvantages as well if not used in the right way.  Research by McManis and Gunnewig, (2012) says that for technology to be developmentally appropriate, it should be age appropriate with their developmental level, should meet individual interests and needs in social and cultural contexts. From this assessment I have noticed that sometimes children have more knowledge about certain technologies than teachers and it is absolutely alright. However to improve our practice and provide better learning for children, teachers need to revise their knowledge and understanding about technology (Smorti, 1999). Teachers can scaffold, tell, demonstrate, and facilitate technology to enhance children’s learning to the next level (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009).

The feedback has helped me enhance my professional knowledge and using technology in my teaching practice. The collaborative writing has allowed me to share my ideas, draw more ideas, and give positive feedback to my group. From this blog and the extensive discussions among my group, I have become confident and competent teacher in using digital and non-digital technologies (Yang, 2009). From this blog assessment, I have new perspective about technology and how important it is in early childhood education. Therefore, as a professional teacher I have an obligation to work with the children’s technological perspective and improve my teaching practice.

            

 

Reference

Hong, W. (2008). Exploring educational use of blogs in U.S. education. US-China Education Review, 5(10), 34-38.

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

McMannis, L. D. & Gunnewig, S. B. (2012). Finding the education in educational technology with young learners. Young Children, 2(3), 14-24.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whãriki: He whãriki mãtauranga mõ ngã mokopuna o    Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

O'Connor, A., & Diggins, C. (2002). On reflection: Reflective practice for early childhood educators. Lower Hutt, New Zealand.: Open Mind Publishing.

 

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, 19, 5-10.

 

Yang, S.-H. (2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of practice.  Educational Technology & Society, 12 (2), 11-21.