Part 3

After doing this activity and receiving reflections and thing to think about my facilitation of this activity I have come to learn and think about a few things. The first being that Sangeeta was correct and it is the educator’s role to ask open ended questions as to prompt the children to think about possible outcomes for the answer which can lead to the children creating their own problems to solve and also to solve their own problems or learn strategies to assist them in solving their own problems over time.

As Jenny pointed out this activity was quite teacher lead so when doing future extension on this provocation I will allow the children to make the decisions about the activity and will make any planned provocation I do based on children’s suggestions or questions as to allow the children to come up with their own questions, solutions an problems they wish to solve. 

Sangeeta asked me what other forms of technology in the sandpit I could use with the children. Some of the technology for future technology use in the sandpit to extend on this activity of making sandcastles could be bringing the blocks out to the sandpit or I would provide some newspaper and paste and see what the children do. 

I would use them with the children by bringing them out and asking the children what they would like to do with them. If required I would provoke the children by asking what happens when you mix the paste and paper. I could show the children a YouTube video for provocation about making paper mache and see where that leads to but I will keep in mind that this needs to be child lead so if the children do not wish to make paper mache then they can so what they want to.

Losa got me thinking about different types of buildings we could make and how we could transfer this provocation out of the sandpit and use some of the same technology and introduce more technology to see where the children take the activity and what they can discover about different types of structures and buildings and the types of people who live in and create those structures as to introduce more social science in the sense of learning about the world around them and the people in it and also about historic events and buildings.  This would also provide opportunities for the children to ask questions and solve problems.

Losa encourage me to think about weather I truly believe the quote from (ref) that technology is an “extension of human capabilities” and I really do truly believe this. As humans in modern times we rely on technology so much both everyday technology and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) like computers, phones and cameras. These technologies allow us to extend on our current capabilities and without this the possibilities for learning and development and extension would be very limited and simplified.

I have learned a lot from doing this planned provocation and having everyone comment and make suggestions for improvements. 

I look forward to more planned provocations with technology and my new strategies for being more child lead and introducing more technology and using everyday technologies in different ways with the children.