Blog post 3: Think and learn

Technological experience through the use of a computer has become an everyday routine programme for most of the children at my sustained practicum centre. Children have shown comfort and confidence in using the computer, they can turn it on, follow pictorial directions and use situational and visual cues to understand and reason about the activity. The computer is installed with educational soft wares that presents tasks to children, asks them for a response, and provides feedback. For example, a week ago as i got to the kindergarten i saw two  boys T and P, and a girl E, all aged four playing ‘Thinking things’ activity on the computer.

Moving a mouse in her hand E was to find a ‘Fripple’ with “small eyes and straight hair, but not purple”. When she posed at a purple fripple, P said “Not purple!” Then she moved to a green striped fripple and said “I think this one? “No it has no hair” argued P. After another search, she hovered over to a correct choice, “is it this one? Yes! I will click on it." The activity is very simple, all of the instructions and requests in the Fripple shop are spoken; some of them are accompanied by visual cues. The child with a mouse begins by clicking at a customer standing on the door. The customer asks the child to find a "fripple" with certain attributes amongst the twelve fripples. If the child clicks on a fripple without those attributes, an announcer intones says "That fripple is not exactly the one the customer wants!" If the fripple is correct, it bounces through the door, and another customer appears on the door.

Through this activity the children E, T and P  were not only learning about analysing the fripples, but also developing thinking strategies of identifying one fripple from multiple fripples. For example the children learned the difference between a fripple that had "spots and big eyes" from the one that had "spots and big eyes, but not curly hair and purple. Various researches say that computers are a valuable activity for children’s learning if they are used in a developmentally appropriate ways that are beneficial to children (Clements, 2002; Ministry of Education, 2009; Theodotou, 2010). Research has also shown that three and four year old children, who use computers with supporting activities that reinforce the major objectives of the programs, have significantly greater developmental gains  in problem solving, critical thinking, including verbal and motor skills (Haugland, 1999).

I gave enough guidance, and minimal help. However I asked probing questions and proposed problems in order to enhance and expand children’s computer experiences (Haugland, 1999)   If I had intervened too much or at the wrong time, I could have decreased peer tutoring and collaboration. One of the learning outcomes from this activity was that children would develop “an ability to take another’s point of view and to empathise with others” (Ministry of education, 1996, p.70).

Having one computer for children to explore with can be very challenging, because it is very difficult to integrate computer use when there is a high demand of children wanting to use it. On the other hand, one computer has its own advantages. Such as, children sharing ideas and strategies (Yelland, 2002). Utilising computer technology in ways that children can interact, communicate and cooperate with each other promotes positive outcomes to their learning (Donaldson, 1999, as cited in Theodotou, 2010).

References

Clements, D. H. (1999). Effective use of computers with young children. In J. V. Copley (Ed.), Mathematics in the Early Years (pp.119 - 128). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Haugland, S.W. (1999). What role should technology play in young children’s learning?” Young Children, 54(6), 26-31.

Ministry of Education. (1996).Te Whāriki: He Whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2009). Kei Tua o te Pae/Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media Limited.

Theodotou, E. (2010). Using computers in early years education: What are the effects on children’s development? Some suggestions concerning beneficial computer practice [International Scientific Conference] Hellenic Educational society, (pp.1-5).

Yelland, N. J. (2002). Playing with ideas and games in early mathematics. Melbourne, Australia:  Early childhood, 3 (2), 197-215.