Camera

One early morning when I was preparing my digital camera to photograph the activity for one of my assignments, three children came to me and asked if they could have a turn on the camera. I asked them “why don’t you use the cameras that have been placed on the science table for you”. The children frankly told me that “they are broken, and they are not working because they are not real”, and we are not allowed to use the centre’s camera. Their answer made me wonder what really we mean by children are competent learners and they can develop their own way of discovery and learning (Ministry of Education, 2004).
I decided to give them a turn to challenge them and give them a chance to learn a new skill and knowledge in order to enhance their knowledge on a ‘real camera’; since they claimed to know how to use it. I showed them which button to use to take a photo. They were not interested in the basic instruction for using the camera; all they wanted was to use it. One by one they had a turn each and took some photos. When they finished they wanted to see the photos that they had taken. We all sat around the table and some other children also joined the group. I downloaded their photos and they all started laughing because the photos were of the feet, walls, and fences and they all missed the original target. While shots that are not straight can be quite effective (they all can be playful or give a more ‘candid’ feel to them) it is good to teach the children to check the framing of their shot before hitting the shutter.
From that experience it was agreed to get to basics of taking photos with a camera first, and then each of them took turn to take photos for their stories that they want to create.
Working with digital camera has many vocabulary words the children may not have been familiar with. Children love to act like grown-ups. Perhaps the toughest part of being a grown-up is accepting responsibility, and one sure way to teach them about being a grown-up is through responsibility. By giving kids rules to follow, they can learn the importance of being responsible. By showing the child how to operate the camcorder and teaching them how to care for it, we can help them develop confidence. Start with the basics, such as how to hold the camcorder, insert the tape, turn it on and off and start recording. They may need to charge a battery, clean the lens, attach a light or microphone or secure the whole thing on a tripod. Children should also know how to store the camcorder and put everything away in an orderly fashion.
Children love to see themselves on camera, whether it's acting in a videotaped mini-play, singing, dancing. Children gain more than just entertainment from watching themselves perform on television; they also gain self-confidence. When a child discovers an area he does well in, he gains self-esteem, children of all ages can become comfortable on camera or in front of others by seeing themselves on tape (Smorti, 1999).
parents and family members watch videos shot by their children, and then encourage the children that videography can be a fun way to learn. It can give them lots of positive feedback and reinforcement that may guide them in the areas of public speaking, dancing, acting, music or other performing arts.
ICT can be considered advantageous to the education of children. The research in to the benefits of ICT (increase their knowledge concentration/attention span, communication/social skills) indicates that adults are in a position of fundamental importance to ensure that children are exposed to ICT, after all, our children are our future.
My next attempt will be suggesting the centre to integrate ICT in their curriculum and also I will ask parents to provide access to ICT as this will increase their confidence of using the ICT
ICT to be self learners in a creative ways. ICT can be thought effectively by any one, teachers, parents, carers. ICT can be a very creative medium for children to learn from and with a little imagination; teachers can plan and implement motivating ICT activities for young children.

References:
Ministry of Education, (2004). Ki tua o te pae assessment for learning: Early childhood examplars.
Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No. 19 Autumn, 1999.