Non Technology - Communicating through a toy phone

Blog Three:  Using telephones enhances children’s literacy skills

Date: 24/08/12

Our centre manager has just bought a new toy phone for our children. Today at 5 pm child K and child S were the only ones to get picked up. I could see that they really wanted to go home because they went and stood near the door. After a while, child K went and got the toy phone. She pressed the keys on the toy phone and said “mummy come”. I felt sorry for child K because she really wanted her mummy to come and pick her up. I asked child K if she would like to ring up her mum and tell her to come and pick her up. She said yes so we went and got her mummy’s number. I asked child K if she would like to press the numbers for me. She said yes and she pressed the number keys on the phone with my guidance. I told her that I will give her the phone once her mummy answers the phone. Child K’s mummy picked up the phone and I gave the phone to child K. Child K said “mummy come!” and she quickly gave the phone to me. Unfortunately, child K’s mum got stuck in the traffic. I told child K that her mum will come and pick her up soon.

I think that children are capable and competent learners when it comes to technology. After twenty minutes child K’s mum came to pick her up and she could not believe that child K knew what a phone is used for. She told me that whenever the phone rings at home K always wants to answer the phone and she likes talking to her grandma on the phone. Technology is a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products,” (Smorti, 1999, p.5).I was so glad that I was able to respond towards child K's needs and as an educator I should encourage the children to know how to use a phone in times of need. “Technology is also about helping people and solving problems” (Smorti, 1999, p.5).Child K is developing her understanding upon how to use a phone and by talking on the phone child K is developing her language skills and social skills. By using the phone child K was able to express her feelings and her mum knew that child K was telling her to come and pick her up. Te Whariki states that “language grows and develops in meaningful contexts when children have a need to know and a reason to communicate” (Ministry of Education, 1996). Child K was not able to tell me verbally that she wanted to go home so she expressed her feelings by getting the toy phone and pressing the numbers. Technology can contribute towards children’s learning dispositions, it can extend their knowledge and they also gain a better understanding of the world (Aubrey and Dahl, 2008). No one told child K to go and get the phone. She recalled her past experiences of talking on the phone to her grandma so she got the phone to call her mum up. I was glad to know that she had the exposure of answering phones and talking on the phone which has built her self confidence.

Through this experience I have realised that children get the opportunity to work with technological items such as telephones, ipad, computer, and camera. Through exploration children get to build up their confidence and knowledge. Te Whāriki states that “children develop the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them,” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 88). I think that I would like to have a discussion with my supervisor about the importance of technology in our centre and keep on facilitating children’s learning towards technology by providing them with camera, ipad and computer in the future. 

Reference List:

Aubrey, C. & Dahl, S. (2008). A review of the evidence on the use of ICT in the early years foundation stage. Retrieved from http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/Resource/CMS/Assets/5c10130e-6a9f-102c-a0be-003005bbceb4/form_uploads/review_early_years_foundation.pdf.

 Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whariki: He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa. Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999.