Informal Blog Task: Sharing a professional stance

In many ways I think that the increased use of technology by children is something to admire. I feel this way because I’m sure that many children are able to use technology better than I can, and so a whole new world of entertainment and learning has opened up to them. I think it will prepare them for their future, providing them with more job opportunities and ways of communication.

However, I do not believe that it is an entirely positive step forward, as in many cases I am sure that other valuable experiences are lost because of the domination of new technologies. By this I mean that instead of begging their parents to let them stay after school to play in the park with their friends, which I certainly remember doing as a child, children are tugging at their mother’s arm while she is chatting in the playground so that they can get home and play on their new computer games. Instead of choosing to read a book, or use their imagination to play a made up game with siblings, children are spending more time glued to the television or the brand new tablet they got for Christmas. In some instances, I worry that this is leading to children spending more time on their own rather than socialising with others.

I am not suggesting this is the fault of either parents or teachers, as I believe this is an inevitable outcome in our increasingly digital society. Technology is everywhere and it is without a doubt going to become increasingly significant in the future, therefore I do not think it is something to be resisted, particularly within the classroom. I think that new technologies provide both children and teachers with more interesting methods of learning and teaching, and that it has a positive effect on the motivation and engagement of children in their learning (Marsh, Brooks, Hughes, Ritchie, Roberts and Wright, 2005), however I do not think it should be over-relied on.

I have seen evidence of technology being used to enrich and stimulate children’s ideas and learning experiences, for example a film showing evacuees leaving their parents on a train to travel to their new homes was shown to a year 6 class to stimulate their writing. The children were so engaged and made a page full of notes, and they could hardly wait to start writing down all their brilliant ideas they got from the film. I have also seen examples of interactive games and activities used to engage children in the early years, helping them practice and consolidate their learning of phonics.

I feel the possible challenges for me during this module will be using ICT and other forms of technology and media. I am not overly confident with my knowledge and skills of ICT, however I feel this module will be of great benefit to me, hopefully offering advice and ways in which I can incorporate technology into the classroom effectively.

 

Marsh, J. Brooks,G. Hughes,J. Ritchie, L. Roberts, S. Wright, K (2005) Digital beginnings: Young children’s use of popular culture, media and new Technologies. University of Sheffield (Section 2.10 p.46; Sections 3.2 & 3.3 p48/49)