Technology

I used to have the understanding that K children should always learn to count with concrete objects only and should not be exposed to the usage of calculators as they may become reliant on them or do not know how to count by themselves at all. However, I was wrong till I read the the passage under the heading of "Benefits of calculator Use". I was rather surprised to learn that research studies have proven that calculators can help K students to improve their "basic skills with paper-pencil task operations and in problem solving" and with "long-term experience using calculators performed better overall than children without such experience on both mental computation and paper and pencil problems. (page 113). And on another passage it says "Research results reveal that students who frequently use calcultors have better attitudes toward the subject of mathematics (Ellington,2003). Which I believe so as children will be intrigued and fascinated with the results and answers that appear on the screen. Certainly, they will want to try out other math questions to find out more answers. By doing so, children will naturally continue to explore on that calculator and thus they also become more confident and develop positive attitude in learning Math.

I enjoyed trying the the "Attribute Blocks"from the website "NLVM" under the section on "Measurement"  This Math activity begins from simple to complex which is suitable for Nursery children to K2. The activity begins from one attribute and gradually increases to 4 attributes. It requires the child to identify the common attribute in the oval shape (shape, size or colour) and then drag and drop the correct attribute/s into the oval shape. It also allows the user to check if the answer is correct or wrong. The class teacher can also do it with the children over a projector screen or each child can do it on their own  at the computer. Through this activity; children can learn to identify colours, shapes and sizes and also enhance their visual discrimination.