Today in digital technologies we had two topics to focus on; internet safety and the use of iMovie in the classroom. Both topics go hand in hand; iMovie could be used create a context for spreading awareness of internet safety- which is what we used it for today.
The Scottish Government highlights the conclusive evidence that “digital technologies can raise attainment, where effectively used” (Scottish Government, 2015). Personally, I think the emphasis is on effectively used, especially in relation to educating children how to stay safe online. This is crucial knowledge to have, considering that most young people, even as young as primary school ages, spend a significant amount of their lives on social networking sites or online gaming. Beauchamp states that “the key idea [is] that e-safety is not about restricting children, but about educating them.” (Beauchamp, 2012, p.58).
A key initiative brought in by many schools to promote internet safety is to support ‘Safer Internet Day’. ‘Safer Internet Day 2019’ was on the 5th February, and this year more than 2100 organisations and schools across the UK got involved to “inspire a natural conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.” (UK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day, 2019).
After discussing the ThinkUKnow website and viewing different examples of the videos on the site; I personally feel that ‘Safer Internet Day’ has the potential to impact and influence children in an appropriate way- not to limit them, but to educate them on using the internet safely.
For today’s workshop task, we worked in a small group to create an iMovie highlighting key points regarding pupils’ internet safety. iMovie is a video editing software where users can “create Hollywood-style trailers and stunning 4K- resolution movies” (Apple Inc., iMovie, 2019).
Our group began the task by watching several of the e-safety animation examples on Moodle for inspiration. All videos were generally about social media, therefore we decided to focus our iMovie on ‘Fortnite’, for a different approach to online safety. Fortnite is a popular online game, widely used by a variety of age groups, however it is most popular amongst primary school children. Being the newest trend with catchy dance moves, toys and merchandise, and cartoon avatars, it is certain that children will gravitate towards playing the game.
In relation to ‘Safer Internet Day’, Fortnite can be relatively dangerous for the younger players. Although advertised as child friendly with a cartoon format, it has to be remembered that the main purpose of Fortnite is to kill other players in order to win. This is exposing children to gun violence, which parents should be aware of as the game cover is quite deceiving. Children can also receive and reply to messages from strangers, who can also view their personal information through their profile. Fortnite is also susceptible to scams, which can con children of money when buying ‘V-Bucks’, most likely using a parents’ bank card. The block control itself is relatively easy to find, but children should be made aware of when to block someone if they are causing harassment; “the most successful schools… in terms of e-safety ensured that pupils knew what to do when things went wrong.” (Beauchamp, 2012, p.60).
Fortnite can develop problem solving skills and strategic thinking in an engaging way for young people, which is why our group chose it as our e-safety topic; it is a current issue and when played safely, has the potential to benefit young people’s learning.
I have previously used iMovie as a child but didn’t have a good understanding of the different features as it was used for entertainment with friends. In experimenting with the software today I found it relatively easy to operate. It was easy to add text, videos and images, and the time control meant that our iMovie would flow better. However, our group experienced a few issues when adding audio. Our initial plan was to add audio from YouTube, as there would be many different options and we could choose which sound accompanied our video best. However, the software only accepts audio from previously downloaded songs through Apple Music on that particular device, or from a list of non-copyrighted music on the iMovie app. This limited us to what audio we could add, and therefore had an effect on the final outcome of our iMovie. Other than this the app worked well.
In terms of our group, I feel that we worked relatively well together. Some people did do more work than others and were more engaged with the topic, however everyone contributed their own ideas. After today I am now aware that I am a relatively controlling person and made it my responsibility to create the iMovie on my own device. This is something I have to work on, to allow other people a chance to use the software.
As a student teacher, I would use iMovie in the classroom as a resource to add to certain topics; it would not be the main resource of the lesson, but the teacher could incorporate it as a learning tool. I do not think that iMovie would work on its own as a lesson, for example I think if children were left with the task of creating their own iMovie there could be potential disagreements and arguments. However, it would challenge creativity, develop teamwork and build confidence, as well as fulfilling many Curriculum for Excellence outcomes; digitally based, literacy based in terms of story boards or scripts, or health and wellbeing based. I do think it is a valuable resource in the classroom and is an effective way of conveying the importance of staying safe online.
References:
Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy to Practice. Pearson.
Online References:
Apple Inc. (2019) iMovie. [Online] Available at: https://www.apple.com/uk/imovie/ [Accessed on: 20th February 2019]
Scottish Government (2015) Literature Review on the Impact of Digital Technology on Learning and Teaching. [Online] Available at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/24843/1/00489224.pdf [Accessed on: 20th February 2019]
UK Safer Internet Centre (2019) Safer Internet Day 2019. [Online] Available at: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2019 [Accessed on: 26th February 2019]
