Teachers and I use cameras a lot in my room, so the children are very familiar with them. I find cameras a very important piece of technology within the early childhood setting. I find them important because they are able to catch important experiences and milestones of the children. Bruce (2006) tells us “the use of a digital cameras can encourage children to reflect on past experiences, observe details, share personal likes/dislikes, sequence events, record and share a significant event” (p.22).
I enjoy sitting down with the children and going through the photos with them and talking about what is happening in the picture. Some of the older children are able to point out their peers and say their names. “Toddlers are encouraged and helped to name, think about, and talk about what they are doing” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.91). The children are learning to recognise their friends through the use of this technology. When the children see themselves and friends together in a photo on the camera you can see how happy and excited they become. I feel this brings about a sense of belonging and self worth for the children.
I have noticed the children have become more intrigued in the camera since teachers and I have started to sit down and look through photos with them. They are interested in how the camera takes photos, when I showed them they how I realised they were very curious about the flash. I decided to put it on the setting where it takes two photos at once, one with a flash and one without a flash. When I showed the pictures with the children I talked about how one was darker than the other, and why the one with the flash was brighter in colour. This allowed the children to learn about different types of lighting and shading.
Another time when I sat down with one girl she noticed there was no picture on the screen and she could see the people moving around her through it. I told her I had not taken a photo yet, she showed a lot of interest in the camera screen moving. I thought it would be a good learning opportunity for her to hold the camera and to look around with the camera herself. She really enjoyed this and kept saying ‘WOW, WOW’. The New Zealand Curriculum states “in technology, students learn to be innovated developers of products and systems and discerning consumers who will make a difference in the world” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.17).
I’ve realised that it is not just important for the children to look at the photos but to allow them to experience what the camera is like when it does not have a photo on the screen. I never thought about how the children thought the camera worked and this made me realise they did not have a clue this was eye opening. Now when I sit down with the children I am going to make sure I show them how it operates and show them how to take photos. “Children use a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore the world” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.98).
The challenges I faced using the camera with the children is they all wanted to look at the pictures at the same time. This was hard as the cameras screen is not very big so, I made the most of this opportunity to introduce turn-taking. Turn-taking is an important skill for social competence which is why I thought it would be a good idea to talk to the kids about sharing.
Reference List:
Bruce, T. (2006). Early Childhood: A guide for students. SAGE Publications Ltd, London.
Ministry of Education, (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Picture references:
Google Images .Cameraonlineshop (2001). Retrieved from,
Google images. childrens-digital-cameras (2010). Retrieved from,
Google images. Cameras (2006). Retrieved from,
Google images. Childre&babies (2001). Retrieved from,
Goggle images. Camera children (2004). Retrieved from,
Ellisha, I defiantly agree with you, cameras are very important piece of technology in centres. It is great to see you revisit the children learning experiences; this is a very important aspect. I think it is great as you are incorporating turn taking into this activity. Are you able to make a slide show with some music for the children and shown this clip on a bigger screen? Maybe you can show the slide to parents and see what parents do to incorporate technology in their children’s lives. Ellisha your reflection is well written and interesting could do with a bit more literature to back you up, there are a lot of Authors that writes about the importance of turn taking, social competence and exploring technology. It is great to see you include the young children into world of technology. Overall well done on another great reflection.
ReplyDeleteHey Ellisha
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome refltions you have done. I could see you changed your teaching approach to help the children learn more about the technology by given the children the camera to hold instead of you holding it. I really liked how you included that you came across a challenge through this experience. It makes you think deeper and makes next time run more smoothly. Do you think you could attach the camera cord to a screen , like a computer or TV to make the images bigger, so all the children can see without pushing and all wanting a turn at once?. I liked how you are amore aware how much learning the children gain from using this piece of technology, from the opportunities you gave them like the flash light option and looking through the screen, it gives the children more to think about and helps their learning and development. Well done Ellisha I really liked this reflection on the cameras.
Kia Ora Ellisha,
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed reading your digital camera reflection. I agree that cameras are important for us to have to capture moments but highly important for children to have access to. You used an excellent piece of literature that summed up what children learn from digital camera. It is great to see you showed the children the photographs as from my experience we do not always show them the photos which doesn’t educate children on the full process of using a digital camera. Next time you could print the photos out and allow the children to direct what they want to do with them. It was great to see the children identifying with themselves and their peers. I wonder if you could extend their learning by taking photos of each child and having it displayed at their level so they can permanently recognise the photos and bring those deeper conversations. Do you think from this experience you would implement a children’s digital camera or a play one at least? On the whole you have done a fantastic job of writing your reflection. Tino pai to mahi Ellisha!