Cherry bytes-children's laptop labs

People, places, things and events

Cherry.bytes – children’s laptop labs

At my home centre, children attend a thirty-five minute computer course twice a week when they turn three and a half. The course is held in a blue minivan which is named ‘Cherry.bytes”. One teacher (D) is always in charge of all the Cherry.bytes’ programmes. (D) designs each course’s context and topic following the needs and capabilities of each different age group.

In order to get more of an understanding of the children’s (preschool 2) learning of technology, I joined in during two of their Monday morning sessions. Each session consisted of eight children. They needed to divide into four groups, two children shared one computer. However, (D) informed me that there is one child in preschool 4 who uses one computer.

Today, one of our girls (E) brought the yellow Big Bird which is a character from a children’s tv show called Sesame Street. Other children showed a great interest in Big Bird. I told this to (D), and she decided to choose the Big Bird as the topic of today’s mathematical course. She also encouraged (E) to bring the Big Bird with us to the Cherry.bytes.

After a five minute warm-up (counting numbers and naming different parts of a computer), the children skilfully turned on the computer and accessed the programme all by themselves. I noticed that the children were confidently working with their partner to solve the problems they had with the programme, as well as successfully dealing with conflicts that came from working with each others, such as turn-takings and time-taking.

According to Smorti (1999), technology provides children opportunities to develop their abilities to use possibility thinking to solve problems.  It evidently showed that the children benefit from the Cherry.bytes technology-based programme. Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996) stated that a child’s home and an early childhood education (ECE) setting, which are at the centre of the child learning and development. In enhancing children’s learning opportunities through the use of ICT, ECE settings are encouraged to provide learning opportunities that incorporate information technology for young children.

Our centre’s Cherry.bytes technology-based programme has been designed to compliment current early childhood curriculum to facilitate the children’s computer skills, which is one of the approaches to help the children develop their technology learning. However, technology is a broad learning area; Smorti (1999) suggested that using a process approach to technology is an effective technique to promote children’s technology learning, and exploration is an important point of a process approach, as this involves children in participation, decision-making and problem-solving (Ministry of Education, 1996; Mawson, 2006). As an ECE student teacher, I should work with my teaching team to plan and provide more learning activities which focus on hand-on experiences for the children, such as arts and manipulative activities, gardening and cooking etc (Smorti, 1999). This not only provides children with opportunities to explore the process of technology, but also provides opportunities to challenge my understanding and knowledge of technology.

According to Mawson (2005), one important element of promoting children’s development of technological learning is dependent on teachers’ knowledge of this domain as well as their recognition of children’s potential learning of this domain. As an ECE student teacher and initiating to construct my personal technological pedagogy to scaffold children’s learning in this area, it is the time that I need to develop my knowledge and understanding of technology and apply them to extent children’s learning integrating the area of technology.

References:

Mawson, B. (2005). What do I start? Technology in early childhood. ACE papers, 16,104-116. Retrieved October 3, 2007, http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/ace-issue16

Mawson, B. (2006, December, 7-8). Capable and competent: Young children, Values a  Paper presented at the 4^th Biennial International Conference On Technology Education Research, Surers Paradise, Queensland.

nd technology education.

Ministry of Education, (1996).Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātaurauge mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 19, 5-9.