I believe the increased use of technology by children to be
a positive step forwards due to the increasingly digital society in which we
live. Technology is always changing and improving and we need the next
generation of children to be able to access these appropriately.
I would not suggest technology to always be used by children
at home as this opens up a broad range of issues. Social networking would be a
major issue with relation to strangers and not forgetting how all this technology
could hinder children’s active social life.
However, I believe the increased use of technology by
children to be positive within school as it allows for a broader range of teaching
and learning opportunities, especially with research on the internet. During my
SE3 placement in Year 3 the children were learning about the badger cull and
were asked to research this area of controversial debate using the internet to
produce some reasons for and against. This gave the children a sense of
ownership as they were finding out for themselves instead of receiving passive
knowledge from the teacher. Moreover, working in a nursery over the summer and
being placed in Reception for SE2 enabled me to observe and engage in early
years practice. Computer games were used considerably for the children’s
learning, especially phonics games within Reception. The children enjoyed this
experience and were computer literate in accessing the games. I do believe this is an inevitable outcome in
today’s society which is why I am for its use in the classroom. However, I do
not believe that we have to use
technology in the classroom because
of this ‘inevitability’; I genuinely believe it would enhance children’s
learning in many different ways.
Nevertheless, the limitations of technology should not be forgotten.
As teachers we have to ensure that children’s basic handwriting, reading and
spelling is not obstructed. Moreover, technology’s temperamental status can
cause issues in the classroom.
Personally, the use of all the different web 2 technologies
seems a bit daunting at the moment, but I assume this is only because I haven’t
really been a consumer of them or generally just don’t have much knowledge
about them. However, once I am engaged within the module, through seminars and
own independent reading, I am sure I will be ready and raring to practice all
of what I have learnt in the classroom.
Already you have started your use of web2 , and through it have made some useful observations. I whole heartily agree with your comment that traditional methods should be used to teach reading and writing ,and through this module I think you will be able to see that technology is a great tool to support learning not a replacement in any way.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great response and I agree with your opinions.
ReplyDeleteI believe we need to find a healthy balance with technology as it can be overused in school. The basic skills, such as writing and reading, should not be overlooked due to technology.
There may be 'apps' for almost everything but children need experiences. For example, there may be an 'app' for investigating plants but children would gain more from looking at plants actively with a microscope.
I like the fact you have picked up on the use of technology at home, especially social network sites. It raise's my concern of children linking technology in school to how they use it at home i.e. for entertainment purposes rather than learning.
ReplyDeleteHowever I have also experienced an interactive whiteboard being used in a key stage 1 phonics lesson and it really enhanced the flow and structure of the lesson.
I agree with your opinions and really like the fact that you picked up on the use of technology in the early years settings. I have had some experience of this, however, I found it less effective as children were concentrating mainly on the game part of the programme and not the educational side. However, bringing in social networking is relevant as well as an awful look of children have unlimited access to this.
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