Children in my centre do not get to use much of the technologies, for example, digital cameras, computers, printer, scanners and so on. So, today, I decided to take one of my digital cameras for the children to use.

When I took the camera out, the children were so excited and fascinated. They suddenly all crowded me and they all wanted a turn on the camera. I had to ask them to wait as I had to explain and demonstrated to them what to do. “Demonstrating can help children’s learning by showing them how to use materials and special tools or how to accomplish a particular task. Simply moving in and showing a child how to approach a task can be a very effective way of…teaching them a new skill” (MacNaughton and Williams, 2004, p. 55). So I showed the children which button to press to take photos and showed them how to view the photos after taking pictures. After explaining to them what to do, I reminded them that the camera cannot be put into water, otherwise it will not work.

I then told them that they have to take turns, otherwise they will not all be able to get a turn. The children I work with is three to five year olds, so I think that it is a good chance to promote sharing/turn taking as they are more older and because according to Gonzalez-Mena (1998), “three-year-olds are begging to understand the concept of sharing and taking turns; they aren’t always willing, but they can, if they choose to. We should encourage sharing and taking turns…. Three-year-olds have become more cooperative, and most comply with an adult’s requests more often than not” (p. 326).

After all the explaining, I decided that they are able to use the camera by themselves, so I let them play with it. At first, they all wanted a turn, but I reminded them about sharing and I let C use it first. Another teacher heard about this and told the children that they can have 5 minutes each. They agreed and began taking pictures. At first, they took pictures of each other, but soon they took it to the sandpit to take pictures of the sandpit toys. When it was time for G to have a turn, he started to play around with the camera. I think he wanted to explore what the camera does as he pushed all the other different buttons. I left him continuing to explore as explained by The Ministry of Education (1996) that “children develop the attitude that not knowing and being uncertain are part of the process of being a good learner, the knowledge that trying things out, exploration, and curiosity are important and valued ways of learning” (p. 84). After exploring for awhile, then he would start taking pictures. He pressed the on/off button to turn off the camera. When he reached his destination, he turned the camera on and he began taking the pictures that he wanted. He went to different areas of the outside area to take pictures. When his turn ended, he turned the camera off again and then gave it to his friend to use it. He also showed his friend how to turn it on again and showed him how to use it when he was unsure.

At the end of the day, the children seemed to really have enjoyed it and had lots of fun. I was glad that they were able to experience a day with some technology involved in their daily activities. It was so exciting and enjoyable for the children and me to be learning and experiencing something new to the centre. It was so good to see the children filled with joy using the camera.