There is an idea coming from the preschools and ateliers of Reggio Emila that technology should bend to children's ideas, rather than the way it usually is, where computers serve pre-made content that dictates to children how it can be used.
Working together with kindergarten and preschool teachers Mary, Mary, Elaine and Lisa, we've been experimenting with new (to us) ways of using technology. Here are some of the things the children have been messing about with.
The Kindergarten class started the year thinking about the IRC bicycle races and the big crowds that came to Richmond to see them. They also have a big interest in animals in the city and in the forested land around Sabot. It seemed natural to try some transformations in the kindergarten, too. We read Brian Wildsmith's book
which is about the curious names of crowds of animals. Next, the children transformed themselves into animals in the same way the rainbow room children did, but this time they made crowds of animals.
This is such thrilling work -- as is clearly visible in the fully engaged and excited faces of the children captured in your photographs. Thanks, Anna, for opening another door for us - and for bravely leading the way through it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the idea of technology in the classroom. I have never used technology in our space because of the reason you stated, that computers come pre programmed to do certain functions and this dictates how it can be used. I am encouraged to explore this more with the children to see if we and get the program to bend to their ideas.
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