Reflection One – Using ICT for Children Literacy Learning

During my last practicum, I noticed that teachers always used computers to search appropriate educational programmes from the internet to use to interact and to teach the children, such as children songs with animation to attract their attention; songs with movement to stimulate children’s interest in exercise and videos from internet for different learning purposes.  Children are welcome to use the computer for their own learning too, such as drawing on computer, stories with sounds and words from touching screen or different kind of literacy learning games.   

In the twenty-first century, using computers and other ICT technology in the early year education is for preparing children for their future lives to inhabit in this `Knowledge Society’ (Selwyn, 1999).  The role of new technologies in our lives has significantly reshaped our life-world; facilitating communication and information receiving instantaneous replies from anywhere in the world, changing our shopping and working practices, saving time and creating new jobs.  In response to these changes, I noticed that it is now increasingly recognised that children should be developing capability in accessing or retrieving information and learning to learn.   However, the aim of the use of ICT with children is to teach technological literacy through technological products and process, and to engage children in the practical activity of designing and making things (Siraj-Blatchford & Siraj-Blatchford, 1999).  From my point of view, it is important to note that it was not the products that the children made, and it was rather what children learned in the process of making products.  Just as literacy in language learning is more than just learning to read so technology literacy is more than just being able to operate or understand technology.   Because of children in the process of exploring and applying technology children may develop a structure of facts, concepts, principles, procedures, and phenomena that will provide resources for the `cognitive activities of knowing, understanding and reasoning” (Greeno, 1991, p. 174). 

By using appropriately designed and supported computer applications, it enables the ability to learn to recreate and children need to see ICT used in a meaningful context and for real purposes (Siraj-Blatchford & Siraj-Blatchford, 2000).  For example, introduce young children to new software tools and applications, and draw upon their interest of adult interactions with ICT at the supermarket checkout to look at the bar-code scanners technology.  They can identify the barcodes use in the store and learn about the stock control and price information.  By using computer functions which integrate into children’s pretend play, and conduct with suitable software or touch screens in play environment, such as shopping, gardening or cooking.   Encourage children to observe and talk about the use of ICT in the environment such as traffic lights, telephones, mobile phones, televisions, washing machines, printer, or copy machines to deepen their understanding.   

In accordance to theories of learning that underpin education systems are grounded in the belief that humans learn best when they are engaged and actively constructing meaning (Piaget, 1972 & Vygotsky, 1978).  By using both real and pretend play, ICTs may be integrated in support of socio-dramatic play and this kind of play is widely recognised to be of significant cognitive and socio-emotional benefit.  I agreed that ICT has also been found to support children in their imitations and simulations of the adult world and human relationships through symbolic representation.   A well-designed and appropriate application can provide for a wide variety of possible responses by the children, it allows the child to try things out and, if it does not work, try another options even they made mistake (Smilansky, 1990).   ICT assisted instruction processes provide challenges to children, probing them to think and develop creative ideas.     However, I realized that the generation of new knowledge and procedures for exploring will rise only when children are encouraged in a supportive environment, in which they are able to feel free to express their opinions and justify their responses in appropriate ways. 

References:

Greeno, J. G. (1991). Number sense as situated knowing in a conceptual domain. Journal in Research in Mathematics Education, 22, 170-218.

Piaget, J. (1972). The principles of genetic epistemology. New York: Basic Books.

Selwyn, N. (1999). `Resisting the Technological Imperative: Issues in Researching the `Effectiveness’ of Technology in Education’ from the online journal Compute - Ed, Vol 5 Online 11^th March 2005 at: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/nph-arch/2000/Z2000-Jun-5/http://computed.coe.wayne.edu/Vol5/Selvyns.html

Siraj-Blatchford, I. & Siraj-Blatchford, J. (2000). More than computers: Information and communications Technology in the Early Years, London, Early Education (The British Association for Early Childhood Education).

Siraj-Blatchford, I & Siraj-Blatchford, J. (1999). Supporting Science, Design and Technology in the Early Years.  Buckingham, Open University Press.

Smilansky, S. (1990). Sociodramatic play: Its relevance to behaviour and achievement in school. In Klugman, E. & Smilansky, S. (Eds.), Children’s Play and Learning. New York: Teacher’s College.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.