Technology and Young Children- Effective Classroom Practice: Infants and Toddlers

I chose this article from my NAEYC website because my children absolutely love technology.  I was also interested in this article because with technology being so prominent, I wanted to see how technology would play a role in early childhood settings.  Just recently my 17 1/2 month old loves to watch the Mickey Mouse app on my iPad.  He doesn't really pay attention to it, but every time he sees my iPad, he says, "mouse" and begins to cry if I do not give it to him!  I know it is not good for young children to really engage in technology before the age of 2, so I try to be strict.  However, he wants to do what my four year old and 13 year old does.

According to NAEYC, during the earliest years children should interact with primarily with people.  They need to freely explore, manipulate, and test everything (NAEYC, n.d.).  If infants and toddlers use technology it should be safe, sturdy, and not easily damaged.  If used, it must be in the context of conversation and interaction with an adult.  Also an adult should act as a mediator and co-player.  Passive screen time is not good for them and should be avoided.  In the future, if more technological programs are created for schools and maybe in a variety of languages, this could help teachers incorporate creative play and incorporate culture into their programs especially when more than one language is represented in the classroom.

Poverty in Africa

Africa includes some of the poorest countries in the world. In much of Africa south of the Sahara, harsh environmental conditions exacerbate the conditions of poverty. Dry and barren land covers large expanses of this region. As the poor try to eke out livings through farming and other subsistence practices, they exhaust the land, using up the soil nutrients needed to grow crops. Over time this has led to desertification, a process in which once fertile land turns to desert. During the late 20th century, desertification contributed to famines in a number of African nations, including Somalia, Ethiopia, and Mali. Political instability and wars in many sub-Saharan countries have also contributed to poverty. As a result of such factors, the number of people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa grew from 217 million in 1987 to more than 300 million in 1998.

• 200,000 child slaves are sold every year in Africa. There are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves in West Africa alone. (sources: BBC 5 October, 2001 & Anti-Slavery Society)
• About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. (source: Africa Children’s Charter)
• Children account for half of all civilian casualties in wars in Africa.(source: Africa 2015)
• One in six African children dies before the age of five. Most of these deaths could be prevented. (source: Africa 2015)
• Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight.(source: UNICEF)
• In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day. An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child. (source: UNICEF)
• Between 12 and 14 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. (source: World Bank/UNICEF)
• Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive. (source: UNICEF)
• 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. (source: UNICEF)
• 64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation.(source: UNICEF)
• Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. (source: Africa 2015)
• For every 100 boys there are only 83 girls enrolled at primary school.(source: World Bank/UNICEF)
  A number of countries within Africa have made real progress:
  • In the last five years, Mozambique has reduced poverty from 70% to 55% and has doubled the number of children in school; 
  • Kenya has introduced free primary education, which has brought 1.2 million children back into school; 
  • In Tanzania, 1000 new schools have been built and 18,000 teachers recruited.  This will enable Tanzania to achieve the goal of primary education for all in 2006 – 9 years before the target date of 2015;
  • Uganda has reduced HIV from 20% in 1991 to around 6.5% in 2001.  The experience of Uganda in relation to HIV/AIDS shows that with political will the tide of an epidemic can be turned;
  These are just a few examples of what can be done.
  
  Countries in the north are recognizing that partnerships with countries based on a commitment by both sides brings real benefits in the long term.  High and predictable levels of resources to countries that have a credible Poverty Reduction Strategy and the political will and capacity to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals can reduce poverty (this is the case in Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Rwanda).

Sharing Web Resources

The "Foundations" course really opened my eyes to all of the early childhood resources that are available.  If a person wants to be the best that they can be at their craft, there are many resources available to assist them.  After researching just about all of the early childhood resources out there, I decided to become a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  The focus of the NAEYC is to educate people on how to be the best at teaching young children.  The website also provides information on accredited programs in your state and updated policy information is also available.  This organization is awesome because I receive the magazines or journals; Young Children (YC) and Teaching Young Children (TYC).  The articles are quite interesting and offer lots of crafty teaching ideas especially for someone like myself who has not one creative bone!  NAEYC also offers conferences yearly, and I subscribe to a newsletter.  The newsletters pretty much stick to things regarding children.  I'll admit that I do not read the articles as much as I do the magazines.  The magazines do offer information on diversity and I remember reading an article that offered suggestions to teaching in a diverse classroom.  I also subscribe to several blog conversations or newsletters through Linkedin such as; Early Childhood Education, and Teaching Infants and Young Children.  I receive ongoing conversations from these sites almost daily.

My links are;
http://www.naeyc.org/
https://www.linkedin.com
The forums in Linkedin are entitled- Early Childhood Education, Child Care, and CCR&R Professionals Forum Group Members and Teaching Infants and Toddlers Group Members

Establishing Contacts

I have not established contact with anyone as of yet.  I have sent out several emails to people in Haiti and Lebanon.  I am not going to give into the second option because I believe that someone will write me back.  I will email a few others from the list and if I do not hear from anyone by Wednesday, I will have to resort to the other option.  I am really looking forward to this assignment and corresponding with someone from another country to learn about their early childhood programs.

My Supports

I have several support systems, but on a daily basis my family provides the support that I need.  Lately I have been so busy trying to juggle family responsibilities, school, extra curricular activities, social functions, and most important take care of myself (i.e. exercising).  It is easy to get stressed out with my current lifestyle, but my family helps me to find balance and calm me down when I get a little overwhelmed.  My husband is a football coach outside of his normal job as an officer in the Navy.  He typically comes home Monday-Thursday evenings, changes and heads back out for practice along with my 13 year old son.  The games are on Wednesday nights which I attend because I have to be out there cheering loudly for my son and hubby.  Then, every Monday night I have another class that I am taking at the University of Oregon from 6-9, so the babysitter comes over for a couple of hours until my husband comes home.  She is amazing and I am so grateful that I have found someone that is reliable and who I can trust.  Usually, I do not get to do my school work until 8:30 p.m. and I'm exhausted by 11.  Most times I can read while my youngest son is napping and get my discussion question answered.  I have learned how to maximize my time and find what works best for me.  My husband is amazing at taking the kids off of my hands and letting me lock myself in the bedroom to work uninterrupted on the weekends.  My oldest son loads the dishwasher and does a lot to help out also.  Although, I am busy, I know that this is only a temporary situation.  I chose to attend school at this present time because my husband will not be deployed for 2 1/2 years.  I have to do what is best for me and utilize my resources and time.  It is hard and I feel tired all the time, but this is what has to be done so that I can start my career when my husband has to deploy again and all of my children will be in school.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful support system.  I could not imagine my life without my family because they are my everything.  When I complain, I have to remember that some people have it far worse than I do.

I do not want to imagine myself with a specific challenge, but battling a major disease such as cancer would require lots of emotional and physical support.  I admire people who have overcome illnesses and live to be a support system for others who are going through the same struggle.  Without my family, I probably would not survive such a disease because I tend to feel sorry for myself and with a major illness, self motivation is the first step; family support is equally important.  I know the spirit of my husband and I feel so safe and secure with him because I know that he will be there for me and my children through better or worse and I for him.

My Connections to Play

“The very existence of youth is due in part to the necessity for play; the animal does not play because he is young, he has a period of youth because he must play.” Karl Groos (German evolutionary biologist)

 

“The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.” ~ Jerome Singer (professor, Yale University)

 

My parents were very supportive of play.  I grew up in a rural area with my five siblings, lots of nieces and nephews, and cousins that lived next door.  Several of my school friends also lived nearby.  The neighborhoods were safe to the point where we never locked our door.  We were allowed to play all day and we actually enjoyed it.  My parents would come out with us at times and play kickball or basketball or watch us ride the bicycle and so forth.  Overall, they probably got lots of alone time because we were outside all day which gave them a break as well.  Play today is definitely different!  My oldest son will sit inside all day and play video games and watch TV if I allowed him to do so.  I make it a point to take my younger children outside daily to allow them to get a sense of how I grew up.  They love to play outside and go to the park.  I even allow them to go in the backyard and play alone with one another so that they can use their imaginations or figure things out without me there to step in.  Play is still the same in that children love only need a few items to enjoy themselves.  They are happy are long as they are loved and shown attention.  My children love it more when I chase them around the yard than they do playing with some toy. 

 

I am thankful to have grown up in the era that I did.  We were a generation that respected and feared adults.  We were honest and communicated with one another by calling them on the phone or going to their door and asking their parents if they could come out and play.  However, I do appreciate  the convenience of technology and make it a point to learn about these things because my children are growing up in a technological era.  With that being said, I still teach them the importance of respect and allow them to have play dates with their friends at a park or some type of physical play. 

 

 

My 3 favorite items as a child: a bicycle, kickball, and a tree.  As a child I rode my bike everyday.  On the weekends my siblings and cousins would play outside all day.  We played kickball all the time which was a blast because there were enough of us to have teams and we used the telephone poles (which were in the perfect locations) for bases; and  the yard was huge, so plenty of exercise.  I was a tomboy, so climbing trees was a must. 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship Reflection

The relationship in my life that is of the most importance is my higher power, then my husband.  It took a lot for me to reach a point where I could trust a relationship again, because I dealt with a lot in my previous marriage.  Once I began to converse with my husband over nine years ago, I knew that he was a good man who would one day be my husband; but most importantly I could tell that he was a man who loved the Lord.  Having a positive, loving, and trusting relationship is very important to me.  I love being in a relationship because I have a lifetime companion with whom I can discuss my deepest fears, concerns, and dreams.  I can also be myself with him like no one else.  My husband/partner constantly challenges me to be the best that I can be even when I want to give up and keeps me in check when I get whiny and start to feel sorry for myself.  He also helps me to see things from a different point of view without being condescending or aggressive when I am so "passionate" about certain issues.  It is important to me that I have someone that I am still very much in love with and with whom I can be silly, have an intellectual conversation, or just sit in silence comfortably.  We have always had the chemistry, but reaching the point of understanding and fully respecting one another took communication, discussing common goals, and working towards them together.  Now we have three beautiful children that we can raise in a happy and loving home while teaching them to be respectful and kind to others and productive members of society.

The next relationships of importance are my children.  The reason why I have them listed in this order is because I was taught that the husband is to be placed before the children.  Eventually your children will grow up and leave your nest; therefore it is important that I maintain my strong connection with my husband.    Many couples end up divorcing after the children leave the nest because they no longer have anything in common.  Even though the children will receive most of your attention (because they need it), it is still vital to stay close with your spouse.  I love my children dearly and one of the very important things that I have learned is patience.  Before having children, I was intolerant of misbehavior from children and pretty much thought they were just snot nosed little brats.  If I was in a store and saw a child screaming over a toy or yelling at their parents...the list goes on, I would always say that the child could not be mine.  Now that I am a mother, I have respect for all mothers!  Children will be children and the important thing is to love them unconditionally, teach them right from wrong and to follow through by remaining accountable to your word.  I have many friendships and relationships that are positive, but the ones of my family are the most important.

In my opinion, when the relationships in the home are secure, everything else falls into place.  The fact that I am a mother of three little boys ages 12, 3, and 15 months, helped to raise many of my nieces and nephews, and a volunteer at my church with the infants through fifth graders provides me with the abilities to be an effective early childhood professional.  I have to deal with the parents constantly when checking the children in and out at church.  That type of communication with the parents is definitely not like some of the professionals in my classes but I am gaining the experience while traveling as a military spouse and a full-time mother.