A form of technology used with the infants and toddlers within my centre is digital cameras. The children have toy digital cameras that no longer work, to play with. They also experience the technology of digital cameras at the centre as the teachers use cameras to take photos and videos of the children to document learning. Many children would also experience cameras outside of the centre, with their families. Parents often take photos of children from birth to re-capture memories.
I have noticed that from a very young age children will smile at a camera when it is pointed their way. Children become very aware of cameras at a young age. “Children have a sense of wonder and excitement about the world” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008, p. 407). When observing their play of digital cameras recently, I could see that they have basic knowledge of how to use it. By this I mean they can hold it up the right way, aim it at a person or object, and pretend to take a photo by clicking the button.
The other day I was sitting with a child (aged 21months). He held up the toy camera he was holding and said “cheese”, then clicked the button pretending to take a photo of me. He then pressed some buttons and showed me the screen, pretending to show me the photo.
When children play with digital cameras in this way we can see the knowledge they have built about this form of technology. This knowledge has been developed from children’s experiences and watching others use digital cameras. “Modelling is a process through which children learn how to behave by copying (modelling) the behaviour of others” (MacNaughton & Williams, 2004, p.125). As children see how parents and teachers use cameras, children begin to realise how to use this technology. Often at the centre, children will want to look at the photos the teacher has taken. We show them the photos on the screen and the children point out themselves and friends.
The significance of the learning for children includes building understanding, and becoming competent in the world around them, as they discover the beginnings of technology use and how it helps us in our lives. Technology has become a central part of everyday life, resulting in the importance of letting children explore and investigate technology so that they may become confident and competent users of technology within our world. Children naturally explore to make sense of experience, investigate their understandings and adapt to their physical and cultural environment (Clark, 2004).
As the children have old digital cameras to play with they are able to build a knowledge base about digital technology. “Knowledge is… relative to the developmental interaction of man with his world as problems arise to present themselves for solution” (Clark, 2004). I believe that my centre provides infants and toddlers with the opportunity to build these early understandings about technology and the chance to explore how it works. “Children use a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore their world” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.98). Through this children learn about how technology’s role in our society and how it can help us.
According to Piaget children develop as a result of interaction with their environment (Arthur et al., 2007). This shows us the importance of the environment we set up in our centres and the resources we have available to children. For them to learn about technology it is important for us to encourage interaction and investigation of different types of technology within our world- both digital and non-digital technologies.
References:
Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th ed.). Victoria, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.
Clark, A. (2004). Changing classroom practice to include the project approach. Early Childhood Research and Practice. 8.2 Fall 2004. Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v8n2/clark.html
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Foundations of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse society (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.
MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2004). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Addison Wesley Longman.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media Limited.
You are so right Steph, children do smile when they see a camera pointed at them and it always amazes me when I hear a child say "can I see, can I see". They, like us adults want to see the picture that was taken of them but unlike us don't want to delete it if they don't like what they see.I love they way children are so fascinated with cameras and it is great to see that you are fostering their learning and providing them with opportunities to develop an understanding of how to use them although they may be toys and not working any more they are still becoming familiar with this type of technology. I enjoy reading your blogs Steph so well done!.
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