Elaine: To prepare for the session today, really just making sure the computer was on and working fine, and the microscope was working fine. The children actually brought in some of the resources from outside. So they did that this morning in preparation. And again the whiteboard - it's just making sure the orientation was working fine. Because that can sometimes go off. So that needs to be done ideally when you plug in the laptop again. And just check through this morning that the games were working fine.
The children when they come in in the morning or the afternoon they choose what they want to play with. I mean it could be sand, water, anything, or it could be something in ICT. It could be anything. They can use ICT in all other areas as well. So they'll choose whether they want to use the whiteboard the microscope, a computer or a program or a little toy. They decide what they want to do.
What we really the children to do is develop their own skills. Have a look and see how they can work out how to use something, make sense of it, understand it, find out how it's used. And then the questions that they ask then we can take that further and extend the skills and take the next steps on that. This is how it's used properly or you could try this, you know - offer ideas as well. But it's really letting them get involved. Investigative play, really exploring what's there.
Two of the most popular ICT resources in the nursery are the microscope and the whiteboard. I think the whiteboard particularly just because it is so big and that they can play their games. They really like to play their games on it. It's actually quite a social thing. The children will sit and wait their turn, it's quite good. But the microscope especially because if we're out for walks they can collect items and they come straight in to put them under the microscope.
I've acquired my ICT skills over many years. I was interested when I was at school there was not even a computer in our school. But it's just something I've really been interested in and I worked in an office before I did training here for this. And I've just always really been interested. I've my own PC at home, I've a digital camera and started doing a bit of video editing with my children and I just got really interested in it. My brother also works in IT so I've got back-up help as well whenever I've needed it.