Blog Posting- P6

Nimmo writes many eye opening statements. Sometimes since I work in the classroom everyday I don't think about how children can be separated from adults in the "real life", meaning how they are not apart of the same life that adults live. Being in the classroom, I spend my entire day with the children and include them in every aspect of our day including taking out the rubbish, getting lunch from the kitchen, to choosing a topic or theme for the month. After reading this article I am aware of how children can be separated from the "real life" and how we can make changes in and out of the classroom. Nimmo feels that "dismantling" some boundaries between children and adults is important. They way children understand and participate in social and cultural settings can impact their sense of identity. Nimmon aslo feels that for children to make and impact and change the world around them, they need to understand their place in the world first. When children can be recognized to have the ability to contribute is a vital step in their "public visibility". As early childhood educators, it should be our goal to let everyone know that children are capable of anything. If we see children as capable individuals, we will not put boundaries on them.

Nimmo made a great statement when he said that "Children's democratic participation rests, in part, on greater transparency between children in early childhood programs and adult worlds in the community. When in the early childhood education field, you are filled with passion and determination to make sure every child is valued. However, those in the community need to know how important making a child part of society really is. There are six elements that can help develop meaningful community relationships: Intimacy, Continuity, Complexity, Identity, Diversity, and Reciprocity. These elements can be implemented in childcare centers today. If teachers look at their classroom, curriculum, environment, interactions, and integrate it with the six framework elements, then maybe children will no longer be seeing just as children but as "young citizens in democratic life as both participants and contributors".

Bringing technology into the classroom can have pros and cons. When parents hear the word technology being used in the classroom they may automatically think of television, computers, tablets, kindles, etc. This may bring concern to many as we try to limit the exposure to these materials as much as possible till the child gets older. However, when engaging the parents in working together on technology, it can change the mindset of how technology is used in the classroom. Parents will be able to understand the meaning behind the use of technology their child is exposed to if they are involved in the planning or building (such as robots, machine). When parents work with their child in creating technology in the classroom, parents learn new roles such a playing a teacher or learner.

I don't have a huge concern about technology usage following DAP. In the world we live in today more and more things are becoming automated and even many learning devices are now "high tech". This doesn't mean that teachers should only teach with technology infused materials, rather it can be incorporated or exposed to children since it is in the world around them. When parents can understand why you are bringing it into the classroom and realize that their child enjoys learning about technology, "the question of "appropriateness" was resolved". I really like how the article summed up bringing technology into the classroom "The potential exists to do much more than bridge the gap between technology education and technophobia; the means exist to also bridge the gap between home and the school, not to mention the sometimes separate worlds of children and adults".