At my
kindergarten the iPad are something children are proud to use. They feel
like big kids when they get to use them and I can see how confident and delighted
they feel about themselves. After the newness wore off after few weeks, they were saying things like,
“Pam Can I practice the ABCs on the iPad today?” “Can we play the iPad
together? I want to be player one and he wants to be player
2.” They were also very proud to show them off to their parents and
visitors at the kindergarten. “Look, we know how to use the iPads!
Can I show you?”
In the beginning when we first introduced iPad at kindergarten, not to
our surprise a majority of children knew what it was. Some children but not all
were familiar with iPad and some children even have iPad at home. When children
see Objects at kindergarten which they have at home they easily form links
between the home setting and have sense of continuity at the kindergarten (Ministry
of Education, 1996).
I personally think iPads are very useful,
in particular for children who wish to investigate special interests. Some
days children extend their interests by watching a you tube video on sea creatures such as sharks.
Others use children's apps games that promote matching, colour
recognition and number games. The children use the iPad independently,
they set the timer, write their name on the list of children who are waiting and
take turns to use the iPad. I usually step back and
observe children (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009) and
most of them are so socially competent that they know how to interact,
negotiate, take turns and look after their peers (Epstein, 2009).
The children mentor and coach one another and remind
smaller children to be gentle, this supports Tuakana- Teina
relationships amongst children which provide them opportunities to learn
alongside others and from one another (Clark& Grey, 2010).There are limitless
possibilities not restricted to literacy but also social knowledge and social
skills. When children play tea party, hair dressing and gardening games I can
see children are playing alongside others and IPad doesn’t carry any notion of stereotyping
equipment as boys enjoys and plays with it same as the girls.
The video clip below shows children using iPad with
their younger peer.
Smorti (1999) says
that “technology is about helping people and solving problem” (p.5) and I can
clearly see that use of IPad by children at our kindergarten is helping them to
bring the world to them and solving problems. The compact size of iPad makes it
easier for children to carry and move around where they want to. I have seen
the younger children who want to touch and feel it, which is something so important in those
early years as Piaget theory discussed in his
sensory motor stage (Santrock,
2009). Children pick up things really
quickly when they can touch and feel it and it is something that's practical
and easy for them to do
iPads give
children accessible opportunities to play with ideas and creations, and
Ministry of Education Also suggested that children should get familiarise with
materials and technology used to and in the creative and expressive arts
(1996). I personally believe that we are preparing children for tomorrow and
thus technology tools such as tablets which are huge part of our system and
life should be introduced to children at the early age. Isolating children from
such tools is not ideal for the future of children as they need to know “How
and why the system work and operate the way they do” (Ministry of Education, 2007,
P.32).
Through ICT at kindergarten, children gain confidence in their
ability to use technology and an understanding of the role of technology in
communication and learning. They also start to learn about using technology
responsibly and with respect and get ready for tomorrow.
References
Clark & A. Grey (Eds.), Ata kite
ate pae – Scanning the horizon (pp. 38-47). Auckland,
New Zealand: Pearson New Zealand Ltd
Epstein, A. (2009). Me, you, us: social emotional learning in preschool.
Ypsilanti, MI: HighScope Press
Google Images. (n.d.). iPad [Photo] Retrieved from https://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=705&q=ipad&oq=ipad&gs_l=img.3..0l10.1292.1848.0.2047.4.3.0.1.1.0.202.466.1j1j1.3.0...0.0...1ac.1.7.img.yhOG-aeidLo#imgrc=IXmEAjqMB3eZgM%3A%3Bs8eIhCeCuSOk4M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fiosnova.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F10%252Fgallery2_2256.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fiosnova.com%252Fipad-mini-specs-and-information%252F%3B2256%3B1208
MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children:
Choices in theory and practice. Frenchs Forrest NSW, Australia: Pearson
Prentice Hall.
Ministry of Education (1996) Te Whariki :he whariki mataurangamo nga
mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2007).The New Zealand curriculum. For
English-medium teaching and learning in years 1-13.Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents
Santrock, J.W. (2009). Lifespan development (12th
ed., International). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
YouTube. (2012). Pre-K students sharing and iPad
[Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s7bCHUt-WF0
Pam,
ReplyDeleteFrom your post I can see that the children at your centre are responsible and skilled in using the IPads. I agree with you that this might be due to their experience with this equipment from home. I also believe that we should be supporting the use of ICT in our settings as the use of technology will help children in their future life (Shah & Godiyal, 2009).
In my opinion, the attraction of IPads lies in children’s ability to touch the screen. As you mentioned children learn by their senses and they actually grasp more knowledge when they can engage more senses at once (Gonzalez-Mena & Widmeyer Eyer, 2009). With IPads they can see what effect they have on the happenings on the screen clearly.
Did you try to use the IPads without the signing sheets? Do you think that the children would have learnt enough responsibility during the past time to be able to use them without prescribed limits? I would give it a go as being able to decide when and for how long they will participate in this would give them a great sense of power over their own actions (Ministry of Education, 1996).
References:
Gonzalez-Mena, J., & Widmeyer Eyer, D. (2009). Infants, toddlers, and caregivers: A curriculum of respectful, responsive care and education (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Shah, A., & Godiyal, S. (2009). ICT in the early years: Balancing the risks and benefits. E-journal of All India Association for Educational Research (EJAIAER), 21(2). Retrieved from http://www.ejournal.aiaer.net/ARCHIVES2009.htm
Pam, I have been struggling with how an IPad can be used as a learning tool in centre life so I was keen to read your blog. I had not thought of the IPad as being a vehicle to bring the world into centre life. We have an IPad in my home centre, however, when I observe the children using it, games are the preferred choice. Children’s watching a youtube presentation of sharks is a good example as obviously the children are interested in this subject and can only learn so much through other means. I agree with your comment that using an IPad in the centre prepares children for the near future, mainly getting ready for school as schools use computers even in new entrants classes. As we do not know what the future holds technologically, we cannot prepare them any further in the future that. I agree, that as the future is becoming increasingly more digitally technical, it is important for children to know how technology works developing their skills to be able to use digital technology in a creative and expressive way (Ministry of Education, 1996; Ministry of Education, 2007).
ReplyDeleteIt is great to hear that your kindergarten has an iPad and that the children are responsible with the equipment. My kindergarten is blessed to have two iPads and today I had my first time overseeing there use. I too witnessed the concept of tuakana/teina relationships, as one of our older children helped one of our new little 3 year olds find a game (Clark & Grey, 2010).
ReplyDeleteI like the way that the children have access to the internet to research topics of interest. For them to be able to see a real shark swimming around in the water would have developed their sense of the natural world (Ministry of Education, 1996). I will now enquire at my centre whether our children have the same access to on-line learning.
I don’t know if your centre knows this already, but you can buy rubber surrounds with big handles for the children to hold. This way they can walk around with the iPads and take photos. Now the children have access to another form of technology – using the camera.
References:
Clark, B., & Grey, A. (Eds.). (2010). Perspectives on early childhood education: Ata kite ate pae-scanning the horizon. Rosedale, Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
The Ipad is a great learning and teaching tool providing open windows of opportunity. The children were confident with the use of recalling – displaying the capability of communicating creatively and sharing current knowledge and experiences with their peers, families and teachers (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009). I find that when children are familiar with an object, like the Ipad, they take on teaching role, because they start spelling out all they know with their peers (tuakana/teina). It gives them a sense of belonging knowing that their thoughts and comments matter in their environment (Ministry of Education, 1996). It is great how they organised the tempo and duration of their interactions with the Ipad – a great technique to enhance their learning through careful and dynamic use of time (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009). The children are involved in decisions that affect them and as a community of learners (self-governance) they worked together, forming relationships and partnerships (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009). I applaud you for being open and sensitive to the minds and words of your young ones (Clark, Moss & Kjorholt, 2005). Your answer of acceptance towards their “greater independence and experimenting” will inspire their learning “to solve problems of basic mathematics and of simple scientific concepts” (Somerset, 2000, p. 6).
ReplyDeleteI have only just learned how to operate an Ipad, with the help of ‘L’ (three year old) at my kohanga. Her mother shared with me that ‘L’ absolutely enjoys learning with this tool. I have now added that ‘L’ absolutely enjoys teaching with this tool, too. She has been my teacher for the last two weeks. I produced flash cards with step by step photos and captions of her simple phrases, to guide me. ‘L’s mum brings in her Ipad to provide the children with the opportunity to explore and enjoy it as her daughter does. I like learning with the Ipad and I, too must wait (like the other children) for my turn to use it.
Pam, We also have iPads at my centre and Justas at your centre our children have also proved themselves very adept in using them, to the point where I noticed one of the children teaching another visiting student how to use it. This just proves how quickly children absorb knowledge and also that, unlike some adults; they have no fear of new technology. Being able to competently use this technology increases their self-esteem, confidence and enjoyment (Ministry of Education, 1996). On a personal note I was pleased to see that I am not on my own regarding my lack of knowledge about how iPads work and what they can do. I have not yet seen any children in my centre utilising the internet on an iPad, and I am not sure if they can actually access this.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to understand the mix of visuals and words which are becoming more common in communication, education and entertainment is fast becoming as important for literacy as reading the written word (Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 2).
At my centre the children also used to sign their name on a sheet of paper if they wanted a turn on the iPad, but they no longer have to do this. They just say they would like to play next and (mostly) patiently wait their turn, or they go away and come back later. This works really well, and the teachers monitor from a distance that no one is playing for too long a time.