Klavdija Hrastovec, Vrtec Črnuče, Ljubljana
Children are little explorers, who are accompanied by todays technology all the time. At nursery school children come across various activities with which they can show their competence and gain new knowledge at the same time. There are certain activities that are much more popular in individual groups (e.g. exercise) and the level of children’s activity is thus higher than in other groups (e.g. natural science activities). Using the information and communications technology I wanted to enrich the activities, which are not very popular among children, to encourage them to open the dialogue and to stimulate the activity within certain groups. At first I focused mainly on natural science activities which were followed by other activities. The activities were mostly carried out outdoors by means of observing, exploring, and communicating. They were upgraded in playroom by watching video footages and photographs on the computer. Using Internet, computer, and camera I gained insight into interests and competences of children, who mostly kept a low profile and did not want to stand out. I enabled them to use the digital camera so that they could take photographs themselves. Then they could present their interests and observations. Viewing the footages and the photographs and using the Internet we discovered various things, which served as a basis for problem solving and further examination of the subject. That made it easier to plan the activities and to adapt them to the interests and competences of the children. It also made it possible for me to offer children the broader overview on individual subject and its features which we failed to notice in close vicinity or at nursery school or if the course of action led us to now questions and subjects. Considering the children’s competences I enriched the activities from various fields using ICT which turned out to be the right decision. Children showed more interest in activities that were earlier neglected and did not awake their curiosity. Children took active part in exploring and solving problems. They started exchanging views on a particular subject within a group. Children also started coming up with suggestions on their own initiative when looking for information using ICT. I learned that the activities, supported by ICT, lead the children and the adults towards quality and in-depth learning and exploring.
