Increasing knowledge with technology is a wonderful thing

Amazing thing call technology. I captured 'J' working on her drawing. She was so engrossed with her work she didn't realise I was obseving her. 'J' was able to make choices with the different colors that was available for her. She knew exactly what she wanted for drawing. 'J' revealed good knowledge and understanding with colors she used in her drawing. She was very confident and was glad she had a variety of colors she can work on.

As I observed 'J' she knew exactly what she was doing. But what captured my attention was the different colors she was using. 'J' used the color orange for the body, blue for the shoes. and red for the clothes. She continued by coloring in the face with the color blue. I was curious why 'J' did that. So I asked 'J' and she told me she was drawing her dad. I continued observing the other colors she used. The tool is very useful because it helps children to develop skills and make decisions for themselves so they "grow up as confident and competent learners" (Ministry of education, 1996, p. 9).

This tool opens opportunities for children to be creative in mixing colors and gain knowledge with different combination. The technology fosters children's "capability in solving practical problems contributes to self-confidence and well-being" (p.94).

If tools are attractive and eye catching for the children it will always capture their interest and curiosity. As Piaget says they are little investigators who like to explore and make sense of their own world. I believe felt tip pens are a well thought idea which really does help children with their development in their literacy skills as well as their fine/gross motor skills. There are variety of options for children to make as they use these tools. If children are offered a variety of options in early age they will develop confident and knowledge in making right choices for themselves.

Offering children these opportunities helps them to grow "experience in solving problems and develops children's understanding of how technologies can help them and others" (p.96). Having these tools increases children's way of thinking. They are able to express their feelings by using different colored pens to draw on paper. Different colors reveals different expressions within a child's thoughts. So therefore the felt tip pens are a useful tool that I do not really have to push children to use because they will always be attracted to these tools.

Other experiences are gained as children use the tools for "communication technologies such as crayons, paintbrushes, pencils. calculators, books, and computers" (p.97). It is important to provide for children tools that will enhance their learning. Seeing each child develop is a exciting part of my observation, and offering children those options of tools also is a big contribution.