Aha Moment

This week I had a small aha moment in my Kindergarten Class. Whilst in class this week, we did a lesson with Letterland which involved the students using the smartboard to learn all about the letter I- also know as Impy Ink. As I sat watching the students enjoying their interactive and fun lesson with beautiful music, colourful animations and interactive fun games with the smartboard I had three aha moments. Firstly I thought back to my own experience of letterland whilst I was in Kindy. I remember learning about Annie Apple and I remember doing exactly the same thing as the children, which was to find the objects in the picture, which start with the letter your learning about. In my experience I had to find Annie Apple on a large laminated cardboard card. Now sitting infront of me, these children were learning all about Impy Ink through a large screen, which sang to them and let them interact with them. For example when one of the children found the Iguana, the iguana would do a little dance, which the children throughly enjoyed. When I pointed to the apple in my letterland poster, there was no song or dance for me. I was amazed at how technology had changed the learning experience- that learning is now more fun as it is more interactive and the children are able to immerse themselves more into “ letterland” e.g. through the sights and sounds. I also had another ahah moment as a result of this lesson and this was that teaching would be somewhat easier for teachers now than it would have been for teachers back when I was in kindy. E.g. everything now is in the one place. For example the teacher does not have to play the letterland songs through a tape player as my kindy teacher did, now it is included in the software and can be played directly through the smartboard. One final Aha moment was watching the children interact with the whiteboard and their ease and competence with technology. I was truly astounded at their confidence in their ability to be able to get up the front of the class and press this and that to play songs and activities. It really is amazing at how children are so competent with technology at such a young age.

Image Source: Cassidy, K. (2006). Using the Smartboard [photograph]. Sourced from http://www.flickr.com/photos/57634636@N00/4484071751