One of the sessions this week has prompted me into thinking about the increasing problem that most teachers I know complain of; the shortage of classroom materials. Due to the limited amount of funding available in most centres, teachers have to make do with what the centre has or make their own materials. As time and materials are limited, the materials made are also not very durable and hence does not really pose as a solution to the problem.
Hence, when my lecturer got us to start our groupwork on shadow play, I was initially skeptical as I thought it was mostly used for performances etc. However, after the brainstorming session with my groupmates and the lecturer giving us comments on our ideas, I was quite surprised that shadow play can actually be used to teach many subjects through interactive ways!
Furthermore, some forms of shadow play can be set up very simply, such as using an ipad, torchlight and screen, or a light box. A lightbox is not very expensive and easy to make, so I am really very glad that I had this discussion with my groupmates and gathered some ideas for me when I teach in the future.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Post #3
After reading the article, "Children’s Power for Learning in the Age of Technology and Applying Technology to Inquiry-Based Learning in Early Childhood Education", I feel that, with the onslaught of the use of technology in our classrooms, we, as educators, have a very important role in ensuring that our students employ the proper strategies in using it, as well as in a healthy and engaging way.
Firstly, we have to facilitate children's use of technological devices. In terms of using a computer, this can be done by enabling privacy controls and disabling cookies. This is such that children will be able to explore the device and not accidentally access forbidden content. With proper facilitation, children will also learn social skills from sharing a computer with another child.
Secondly, the use of technological devices in the classroom is good, but it has to be used in moderation. Too much exposure may make children in attentive and tired during proper lessons as technological devices are very stimulating. Hence, educators Ned to set up rules in their classrooms regarding the use of technological devices.
Thirdly, educators can make use of technology to adapt them to the needs of their children. As technology is very versatile, we as educators can learn about how to program it and set it to meet the needs of our children by making it age-appropriate, as well as a kind of scaffolding to their zone of proximal development. This provides opportunities for children to learn at their own pace without the need of feeling that they are not able to catch up with their faster peers, as well as faster children not feeling bored.
Firstly, we have to facilitate children's use of technological devices. In terms of using a computer, this can be done by enabling privacy controls and disabling cookies. This is such that children will be able to explore the device and not accidentally access forbidden content. With proper facilitation, children will also learn social skills from sharing a computer with another child.
Secondly, the use of technological devices in the classroom is good, but it has to be used in moderation. Too much exposure may make children in attentive and tired during proper lessons as technological devices are very stimulating. Hence, educators Ned to set up rules in their classrooms regarding the use of technological devices.
Thirdly, educators can make use of technology to adapt them to the needs of their children. As technology is very versatile, we as educators can learn about how to program it and set it to meet the needs of our children by making it age-appropriate, as well as a kind of scaffolding to their zone of proximal development. This provides opportunities for children to learn at their own pace without the need of feeling that they are not able to catch up with their faster peers, as well as faster children not feeling bored.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Post #2
The article that I have read is, “Children’s Power for Learning in the Age of Technology”. After reading this article, I agree that the advance in technology might not be as healthy or beneficial to young children as was thought. This is because technology has been rapidly developed during the past ten years.
An example is the development of handphones. Just ten years ago, being able to own an old model Nokia phone without colors was counted as very lucky for me as a student. However, in this year, owning a mobile phone with a variety of applications and uses is a societal norm. In fact, if someone sees you using an old Nokia phone, they will think you are weird. I had such an experience before, when my smartphone spoiled and I had to use my old Nokia phone. While using that phone, I had encountered many weird looks on public transport and received many questions from my friends on what happened to my phone.
Back to the main topic, young children today are so used to being surrounded by technology that they have lost out on things that we have enjoyed in the past. An example is the use of e-books; children do not really get to enjoy the feeling of sitting down and immersing oneself with a favorite paperback novel. Instead of meeting up and talking face to face, messages are conveyed through the use of text messages. Children are watching tv shows and playing through game devices such as Nintendo wii, instead of having a picnic with family and flying kites with friends.
Hence, although we are so busy keeping up with our schoolwork and latest technological trends, we should always take a breather now and then.
No matter how busy you may be, do remember to stop once in awhile and smell the roses! :)
An example is the development of handphones. Just ten years ago, being able to own an old model Nokia phone without colors was counted as very lucky for me as a student. However, in this year, owning a mobile phone with a variety of applications and uses is a societal norm. In fact, if someone sees you using an old Nokia phone, they will think you are weird. I had such an experience before, when my smartphone spoiled and I had to use my old Nokia phone. While using that phone, I had encountered many weird looks on public transport and received many questions from my friends on what happened to my phone.
Back to the main topic, young children today are so used to being surrounded by technology that they have lost out on things that we have enjoyed in the past. An example is the use of e-books; children do not really get to enjoy the feeling of sitting down and immersing oneself with a favorite paperback novel. Instead of meeting up and talking face to face, messages are conveyed through the use of text messages. Children are watching tv shows and playing through game devices such as Nintendo wii, instead of having a picnic with family and flying kites with friends.
Hence, although we are so busy keeping up with our schoolwork and latest technological trends, we should always take a breather now and then.
No matter how busy you may be, do remember to stop once in awhile and smell the roses! :)
Post #1
As we are living in the twentieth century, we are surrounded with technology in many aspects; transport, communication and namely, education. There has been an increasing amount in the use of technology in education.
The article that we have read in class: Enculturation of Young Children and technology, has led me to reflect on how we, as educators, are able to incorporate the use of modern technology in our classrooms.
Using modern technology in our classroom helps to provide a different perspective to some of the things we teach children, as well as provide an out of the norm experience, which in turn, helps to engage children and help them to perform better.
However, as there are pros, there are cons too. There are parts of the article that talks about how socioeconomic status affects children's ability to learn in this modern era. This is because children from not so well to do backgrounds may be deprived of such technological experiences at home, making them less familiar with the manipulation and use of these machines, such as phones, computers and tablets.
The pros definitely outweigh the cons as humans are constantly seeking further improvements and new technological advancements are being discovered everyday. Hence, rules should be observed when applying the use of technology in class, such as setting up child-appropriate privacy settings and setting a limit of how much time is allocated for technological use.
The article that we have read in class: Enculturation of Young Children and technology, has led me to reflect on how we, as educators, are able to incorporate the use of modern technology in our classrooms.
Using modern technology in our classroom helps to provide a different perspective to some of the things we teach children, as well as provide an out of the norm experience, which in turn, helps to engage children and help them to perform better.
However, as there are pros, there are cons too. There are parts of the article that talks about how socioeconomic status affects children's ability to learn in this modern era. This is because children from not so well to do backgrounds may be deprived of such technological experiences at home, making them less familiar with the manipulation and use of these machines, such as phones, computers and tablets.
The pros definitely outweigh the cons as humans are constantly seeking further improvements and new technological advancements are being discovered everyday. Hence, rules should be observed when applying the use of technology in class, such as setting up child-appropriate privacy settings and setting a limit of how much time is allocated for technological use.
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