Technician on the alert

 This is an ongoing project on technology, as we noticed that the majority of the children like Transformers, so here we have A (girl) and R (Boy) both looking inside a video deck that the children have managed to unscrew most of the screws using the philips screwdriver.

R is using a turnscrew driver first he jabs the chip boards as he finds that this is easier but then he notices that he needs to unscrew more screws so he notices that the one he is using doesnt fit so he looks for the phillips screw driver its the right one but it is to big.

R decides that he will try and use his fingers instead because it maybe faster, but when he used his fingers something else happens R and his friend A decide to screw the front of the video deck because their is a loose screw that needs to come out.

The learning here is that R gets to trial out working with turnscrew and phillips screwdrivers, this helped him to make connection with how it works. Working alongside A they share similar interests very curious about what happens if I do this? nothing beats the good old hands this helps children to use their hands when they feel that the screwdrivers can not do it faster. Allowing children to explore technology it helps them to "use a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore their world" (Ministry of Education, 1996, pg.98). We started to collect ideas from the children and made a mindmap becasue this helped us to look at what we know?, What we want to know?, What have we learnt?.

 It does not stop there, I also felt that this link on the robot man, helped me to reflect on where we could go on this and to have parents be involved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2xP9Rztpro From here I shared the link to staff and asked for comments in how we can extend on technology that included the mindmap of the children's voice so in our newsletter to parents, we asked parents to bring in anything from home that we could use in our technology area and hopefully the children will  become familiar, confident and active explorers with using tools rightfully and create their transformer especially bumblebee seems to be the favourite. This learning also opens out opportunity for other children to become active explorers and to see where this will lead them too.

I also noticed that sharing ideas amongst the two children it helped them both identify what they are capable to do (MacNaughton & Williams, (2004). It encourages co-operative play amongst them and to focus on what they are doing, as they are using screwdrivers and where to put the screws after.

References:

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2004). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whariki: He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa. Wellington: Learning Media.

Internet:

http://www.buggyrobot.com/