A Bahamian Perspective
With the joint position statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College, I will be reflecting on my experience with technology at Every Child Counts. I was in a classroom with students between the ages of 10 to 13. The classroom had a television with a Nintendo 64 connected. The children were able to take 5 minute turns playing Super Mario 64, after completing their school work. In addition the classroom had a laptop, which was used as a teacher's tool to print work, search information, and play music. Lastly, they received a tablet, which the teacher added games that the students can play with.
I will be going into detail about the impact the Nintendo 64 console had in the classroom. At first impressions this is not what is recommended by NAEYC and Fred Rogers Organization. They say "all screens are not created equal" (Radich, p. 3, 2013). From the standards outlined in the article it would seem like this screen time to be inappropriate for a school environment. However, I found that the time spent playing the video game gave some students the space to open up, and be more social. It was during this time that students got out of their shell and spoke to one another. More skilled players shared strategies, and gave advice on what to do. Back in the "learning environment" students made drawings of characters, and even one student was able to draw each level and remember the route to defeat them. Language, social, and spatial skills developed from the game. Most importantly, it helped students enjoy their time at school. Many of the students faced discrimination from their other schools, because of their disability. Their negative experience makes creating a positive learning environment even more important.
From this experience I understand that technology is an important part of the classroom. Also, it is the educator's responsibility to determine what will be used, and how it will support the learning. The teacher in this classroom recognized the needs of the children, and integrated a classic console to meet those needs.
Reference
Radich, J. (2013). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Every Child, 19(4), 18.
