Incorporating Arts and Technology

The Arts are powerful forms of expressions, something that is created with imaginations and skills. The meaningful expressions turns into drawings, music, videos, visual art, poems, stories, songs, pottery, carvings, waving, sculptures and etc. Art education explores musical concepts and expressions, drama through actions and language, dance and movement concepts, visual arts, connections with technology and connects with science. Visual arts drawn on everyday experiences, uses an expanding expressive vocabulary and tells the use of many familiar items.

Te-Whariki encourages wide approach of holistic learning for the children. New Zealand school curriculum states: “Through the development of art literacies, students as creator, presenters, viewers and listeners, are able to participate in interpret, value and enjoy the art throughout their lives” (TeWhariki) According to The Mayesky (2013), Fear and anxiety are the enemies of creativity. Art helps the child to monitor and accept their own feelings, helps children to appreciate their own unique characteristics and expressions, recognise and acknowledge children’s joy in all creative Sumedha Muthukuda I.D. No. 18667 ECE6302 Task-1 2 efforts. The Well-being/Mana Atua strand including the outcome, focuses on children’s ability to understand their own emotional responses and of others as well. This includes the representation and expression of emotions which is the core of arts. The Belonging/Mana Whenua, children develop an understanding of the links between the early childhood education settings and the known and the unfamiliar wider world through people, images, objects, languages and sounds etc. The Contribution/Mana Tangata, children develop the abilities and interests in a range of domains, spiritual, visual, linguistic, physical, musical, logical, mathematical, personal, and social. Also they develop a wider range of physical skills such as improve co-ordination, flexibility, and strength, develop fine-motor skills through visual art and technology and develop moment skills by exploring and participating in te reo kori. Maori culture is alive, rich, and flourished. Architectural carving, interior design of Marae and ornate whakiro (carving) in wood have strengthen the Maori art. “ Hard New Zealand pounau (green stone) was originally made into weapons. Native woods were carved into spiritual objects. New Zealand has many handmade Maori art and crafts. Ta Moko is traditional Maori tattooing” (Maori Art and culture).

The Maori believes that the Gods created and communicated through the master Carvers. Sumedha Muthukuda I.D. No. 18667 ECE6302 Task-1 3 The Communication/Mana Reo, “children experience an environment where they experience the stories and symbols of their own and others culture”. (Te- Whariki) The Science is the study of the nature and behaviour of natural things and the knowledge that we obtain about them. The science is traditionally separated into few categories: living world (biology ex. Plants and animals, Physical world (ex. Forces, light and sound), Material world (chemistry ex. Melting, and dissolving), planet earth (geology ex. Rocks and soil) Astronomy (ex. Planets and stars). According to the New Zealand curriculum framework, science helps children, develop and understand the world built on current scientific theories, improve children logical skills and understanding of course and effect, explore the natural world, develop understanding of how the living world is. Children will recognise that all living things have certain requirements. The ecology recognises that living things are suited to their particular habitat.

According to the Maori perspectives, water and planet are living entities. Papatuanuku (Earth Mother) and Ranginui (Sky Father) look after all of us. The sun, wind, rain and air look after the planets that look after us. Their tribes are nurturing the tamariki (children) to look after Sumedha Muthukuda I.D. No. 18667 ECE6302 Task-1 4 their environment. Tamariki are developing respectful relationships with nature while nurturing their own health, well-being and wairua (spirituality/soul) within. Gardening, recycling, and food preparation as part of the daily and seasonal shared rituals of caring for each other and the planet. “Te-Whariki elaborates on the Exploration/Mana Atua strands as, “Children experience an environment where they develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical and material worlds.” (Te-Wharki-Exploration Goal 4) Children learn through play by exploring, compromising, experimenting, negotiating and investigating the world and things. By studying science children develop understanding the world, based on current scientific knowledge. Use their scientific knowledge and skills for problem solving. (ex. Mixing ingredients together in cooking activity, create chemical reactions that transform all of the individual ingredients into a new form).

The Social science is learning about people participation in the society. Through the social science, children engage with social issues, they develop knowledge, skills range of experience that enable them to identify their places and the others in relation to their heritage. Technology is defer to method, systems and devices which are the results of scientific knowledge being used for particular purpose. Technology is changing fast. Technology Sumedha Muthukuda I.D. No. 18667 ECE6302 Task-1 5 included computers, digital cameras, audio and video equipment, electronic activities, music keyboards, projectors, and programmable toys. Te-whariki New Zealand early childhood curriculum values children’s participation in ICT. “Assessments provide the valid information for teachers, families and children enable and informing pedagogy, which will strengthen all dimension of participation in ICT”. (TeWhariki) In Te-Whariki, one of the indicative domain of outcome of Exploration/Mana Aoturoa is describing, children will be confident in using a variety of strategies for exploring and making sense of the world. Also ability to identify and use information from range of resources, participation of themselves as explorers’ confident learners, investigators and discoverers.

Children use creative and expressive media and technology for the meaningful purposes. ICT provides many opportunities for children’s learning including, digital technologies can help to learn and explore patterns, shapes and numeracy (mathematical skills), improve music, language, literacy and science with various teaching techniques. Also children are able to have the opportunity of watching videos or even communicating with distant family members. Sumedha Muthukuda I.D. No. 18667 ECE6302 Task-1 6 Although there are several benefits in using technology, likewise there are potential risks associated in using some areas of ICT. Some researchers believe, the activities on the computer screen are developmentally inappropriate for young children including, vision problems, and impedes physical development, limit interaction with people and over stimulation. Even internet is an amazing source of information, also have a dark side of the internet use including inappropriate content, cyberbullying and other scams. Teacher and parents should be aware of what their kids see and hear on the internet. Establishing and maintaining the cyber safety programmes are crucial for the children. (ex. creating passwords, beware scams, not posting personal information and photos on internet). Furthermore, computer skills allow children to expose analytical thinking, and enhance creativity. Incorporating science, Art and technology into a lesson plans are really important for the kids holistic development.