Assignment reflection

I have enjoyed doing this course assignment which has given me insight of how children’s development is extended through their experiences and understanding of people, places, events and things (Ministry of Education, 1996), which unknowingly to me, until now, is very much involved and integrated with many components of social science and technology. I have never understood technology like I do now in terms of technology being about helping people and solving problems by using and providing simple effects such as a ball point pen, an ice block stick, a brick or clothes peg (Smorti, 1999). “Children experience familiarity with the properties and character of varied materials and technology used in the creative and expressive arts” (Ministry of Education, 1996). I have pretty much always thought technology was more to do with complicated devices, computers, ipods,  things requiring electricity or robots! However “Technology is a tool that can provide another way for children to learn and make sense of their world” (Scoter, Ellis, Railsback, 2001, p.2).

I thought the blogging aspect of the course was an interesting idea. There were many blogs that have been posted that gave me and I am sure others insights and ideas of how the integration of technology and social sciences provide much learning and development for all of the young children involved. How ever I was sometimes uncomfortable with having to display my reflections over the internet and would have preferred that they were not made public and kept between the lecturer and myself and perhaps those I would have liked to have shared them with. I am not 100% sure of the rationale behind having to use the blog site as a platform to be publicly displaying and discussing the business of our personal work of study and having no say on the matter, pretty much. Does this advantage those already competent in the know-how of blogging? What implications has this had for those new to blogging and for it to be used in the way of conducting this assignment?

I think overall this course has helped me to better identify and to distinguish the different aspects of people, places, events and things, social science and technology and how when combined can contribute to and  create many purposeful learning opportunities (Worth & Grollman, 2003, Helm & Katz, 2001). These opportunities also provide children with abilities to develop perspectives and to attain a capacity to acquire new knowledge and skills, needed in order for them to cope within a forever changing worldly society that hugely incorporates and is very much dependent on communication, technology, work and leisure (Ministry of Education, 1996).