February 2018 – UWS BA ePDPs

Digital Technologies – Week 8

In todays Digital technologies session, we were learning about using mobile devices to enhance learning. We were able to look through online documents which explored the many opinions and facts based around the use of mobile devices as an educator and as a child with regards to its benefits within a learning environment. Mobile devices …

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Mobile devices play an extremely important role in primary education establishments. With the increased use of technology such as smartphones and games consoles at home, the technology skills and benefits they bring are endless to the child.

Children are now entering schools who are fully digital aware with research suggesting that six year olds have the same understanding of communication technology as forty five year olds. Through further reading I discovered the online article by the Telegraph which discussed how technology is reshaping teaching it stated that ” Over four in 10 households now have a tablet, meaning that children are becoming computer-literate before they’ve even started primary school… we’ve all heard about the techno-babies who can handle an iPad before they have learnt how to tie their own shoelaces”. (Curtis, S. 2014) As children nowadays have increasing use and access to mobile devices, their understanding and skills when using them are becoming very advanced from a young age, so it is very beneficial to a child when using this within their education as they have already had a head start.

In education establishments, technology can be used in many ways. Children can take part in electronic quizzes and submit their answers in a digital method. This means their answers are interpreted through a mobile devices in ways in which perhaps written forms may not have.

However, many teachers have different opinions to the use of mobile devices by primary school aged children. Through reading an online article by the teaching times it was stated: “39 per cent of teachers stated that children should not have access out of school to mobile phones, while another 29 per cent of teachers said the ideal situation would be if all pupils had access to a mobile. Schools also believe that children’s preference for technology both at home and at school is evolving quickly, just as technology is continuing to change at a rapid pace” (Scottish Government 2016).

Some children may have limited access to mobile devices at home, whereby possess a disadvantage when utilising technology in the classroom. In contrary to this, using mobile devices in the classroom may help to strengthen their technology skills and build up their confidence when using it in the future if they gain access.

Today we explored Talking Tin and Easi Speak microphones, creating “I am…” poems using the Easi Speak Microphone. This poem consisted of a series of sentence starters and prompts in order to create a poem that was interesting and unique to the individual. Once we had created our poem it was to be recorded through the Easi Speak microphones. Once it was recorded, the Easi Speak microphones were plugged into the computers and each line of our poems was uploaded to Microsoft Powerpoint and placed on a slide with a picture using the Pixabay website, which is a free to use copyright free website which will be so useful to me as a teacher in the future when creating resources. I have linked the poem below:

I am poem – bethany and orianne

The outcome within the Curriculum for Excellence which linked to this task was “I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts. TCH 1-01a” (Education Scotland 2014).

I found this as a learner an excellent resource for learning and I enjoyed taking part in the task. I will definitely use The Easi speak microphones as a teacher in the future as I feel that this is a very good use of exploration of different digital technologies and is an excellent resource to teach the concept of recording and also links in with using different digital platforms such as Microsoft Powerpoint to help showcase our work. This enables the enhancement of a child’s digital skills and learning how to use technology in a range of different scenarios and contexts. It also helps to reinforce the idea that mobile devices should be used within education establishments as it really does help to enhance a childs overall learning experience.

REFERENCES

Curtis, S. (2014) – Digital Learning: how technology is reshaping teaching [Online] – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11051228/Digital-learning-how-technology-is-reshaping-teaching.html [Accessed: 27th February 2018]

Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed on 27th February 2018]

Scottish Government (2016) Teaching Times – Games Consoles Benefit Children’s Education [Online] – https://www.teachingtimes.com/articles/games-consoles-education.htm [Accessed 27th February 2018]

Digital Technologies Week 7.

The subject of this weeks class was to learn about and use the iStop Motion application on the iPads to create a scene from our own made up stories. We discussed how the use of digital technologies can allow children to fully delve into literacy. For example, you may ask a child to write a …

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The subject of this weeks class was to learn about and use the iStop Motion application on the iPads to create a scene from our own made up stories.

We discussed how the use of digital technologies can allow children to fully delve into literacy. For example, you may ask a child to write a story and they might not be able to create a stimulus and therefore they would struggle. However, with the introduction of applications like iStop Motion, children can often create imaginative stories instantaneously without even realising that they are doing so. Beauchamp (2012, p.54) similarly states that ICT allows pupils to “achieve something that would be very difficult or even impossible to achieve in any other way”.

When creating iStop Motion animations, Moving Image Education states that there are 5 main types of animation, these are as follows;

Cutout
Stop Motion – For example, plasticine
Pixillation – Where humans become puppets
Drawn – For example, classic disney
Computer

The scene that my partner and I created consisted of a family of aliens visiting Earth for the day and the father being bumped from a falling apple on the tree overhead. We created our scene from a paper background and our characters were made out of plasticine. We decided to challenge ourselves by using cutout animation and pixillation animation however, this proved to be quite time consuming as it took us one hour to create a 6 second video. Moving Image Education believes that you should start easy then work up to using harder animation techniques, “animating in the classroom doesn’t have to be with plasticine models – cutout animation is by far the easiest technique to start on”.

I believe that this application can be used for a long-term lesson plan, where in which every day or week, the children can add to their stories by creating more scenes. Over time, the teacher can introduce the five different animation types and this will fully allow the children to explore their understanding of the application whilst gaining enriching life skills.

my partner and I associated this activity with the first level in the CfE:

“I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts. TCH 1-01a”

Thus, the child can create multimodal texts with regards to such subjects like literacy. Therefore, they are enhancing their knowledge in literacy through the use of digital technologies.

To end this weeks blog, I am going to leave a quote from the Children’s Parliament which emphasises the importance of movie making within the classroom:

“[…] making movies was important to most of the children. They wanted the opportunity to remember things and create their own content to share.” (Children’s Parliament, 2016).

References

›Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.

›Moving Image Education website: [Online] Available from: https ://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [Accessed 20 February 2018].

Digital Technologies – Week 7

This week’s digital technologies workshop was focused on the use of animation within education and its benefits to the learning development of the child. Bertrancourt (2005) states that “three ways in which animation can be used to enhance learning: 1. To enhance learners’ visual representations. 2. To illustrate processes. 3. To provide an interactive element.” …

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This week’s digital technologies workshop was focused on the use of animation within education and its benefits to the learning development of the child.

Bertrancourt (2005) states that “three ways in which animation can be used to enhance learning: 1. To enhance learners’ visual representations. 2. To illustrate processes. 3. To provide an interactive element.”

As stated by Moving Image Education there are five main types of animation: 1. Cutout – quickest and easiest

2. Stop-motion – example is plasticine models

3.Pixillation – humans become the puppets

4.Drawn – example is the classical Disney animation

5.Computer – also known as CGI and found in games and movies

(Moving Image Education).

Beauchamp (2012, p.54) states that “through the use of ICT and technology it could allow pupils to accomplish something that could be difficult or even impossible to achieve in any other way”. This powerful use of digital technology a pupil with Additional Support Needs are able to excel throughout their education and portray their learning and understanding of what they have been learning in a modern way.

During today’s session, we explored just some of the many apps on the iPad such as Puppet Pals and iStopMotion to create a story which included a beginning, middle and an end. By doing this we had to take many still images which would be linked together, creating an animation and bringing still objects to life. Our animations also included audio recordings, plasticine models, cutouts and a background which enabled our story to have a setting. My partner and I created a park scene background using pens and paper. We also created plasticine models of three aliens who we named as ‘the blob family’. In our story, the blob’s visited planet earth and were playing ball in the park, when suddenly an apple fell from the tree and hit Mr Blob’s head. We cut out comic strip expressions such as “Ouch!” to illustrate how our plasticine model was feeling when the apple hit their head. We took a series of images of the story which enabled us to illustrate what happened.

For our animation we linked it to the curriculum for excellence experience’s and outcomes:

“I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts. TCH 1-01a” (Education Scotland 2004).

This outcome expresses the fact that a child can use the Ipad apps to explore and support their animation and technology skills and enable them to create different stories to enhance their learning and develop their technology skills in a different way.

I would definitely use animation in the classroom when I become a teacher, as I found it extremely interesting to see how creative our stories could get and it could benefit a child’s understanding of how some of their favourite films and cartoons are created. To be introduced to these apps at an early stage was beneficial to me as a prospering teacher as I feel that if a teacher is confident in their ability to teach a lesson using different methods of technology then it will encourage the child to be the same: ‘Although teachers may be worried by new technologies. We need to be sure that this is not transmitted to young children or that other obstacles are not put in the way of their natural curiosity and willingness to explore new technologies’ (Beauchamp 2015).

REFERENCES

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.

Digital Technologies Week 8 – 27.2.18

Mobile devices are becoming a prominent feature in the majority of households in today’s society. The discussion in our class today was whether mobile devices should be used in the classroom and what benefits they bring to learning. We also explored the talking tins and the easi speak microphones and how they can be used in the classroom. The aim of today was to create an ‘I am’ poem using the voice recordings from the easi speak microphones, and then create a powerpoint with those recordings and images.

Technology is playing a central role in the classroom, not just in ICT, but in English, Maths and Science. According to the Telegraph (2014), four in ten households have a tablet, so children are computer literate before going to school. Mobile devices have many benefits in the classroom. Technology can retain the children’s attention for a longer period of time than the traditional way of teaching. It keeps them engaged because it’s something that they are familiar with outside of school. According to Teaching Times, only a quarter of schools believe they only use it for entertainment. However, it has other benefits not only for children but for teachers too. For example, in maths children can submit their answers straight away and find out the answers instantly. This is a faster way of learning. Teachers are also able to look at the children’s answers and can easily note down their marks. Parent/carers are often trying to get children to stop playing on their mobile devices for too long. Some children agreed that if they played it for too long it would make them tired or frustrated, but on the other hand some children find it relaxing and calming (Children’s Parliament, 2006). Technology is also useful as an additional support tool if the teacher is busy with other children. They can be left on their own and this would increase their independence. For example, they could use mobile devices to clarify the spellings of words, or play educational games to enhance learning if they had completed all of their tasks. (Children’s Parliament, 2006). Personally, I think mobile devices are a great resource for the classroom if they are used effectively.

Technology is growing at a rapid pace and it is important to keep up to date with it. However, there are some teachers that are not confident with using mobile devices. This is mainly because there is little support being given to teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum (Telegraph, 2o15). In my opinion, if teachers had additional support or even attended an ICT class, it would have a positive impact on the pupils’ learning in the classroom. Teachers who are not as confident must also be aware that their uncertainty towards technology can also have a negative impact on the pupils. They must not pass on the fear they have. Using technology in schools also allows children to make use of their devices to enhance their learning.

Although there are many advantages of mobile devices, there are also disadvantages of using them in the classroom. Technology is very expensive and according to the Telegraph (2015), technology in schools in England is costing around £623 million per year. This means that many schools may not the same access to mobile devices that other schools have. In addition to this, most mobile devices will need Wi-Fi to set up the applications and devices, and schools have reported that they are under resourced in Wi-Fi. This makes it difficult for children and teachers to get online to use the technology facilities such as educational websites. Despite the negatives, I think there are far more many advantages when it comes to using mobile devices.

The Experiences and Outcomes for using mobile devices:

“I can extend and enhance my knowledge of digital technologies to collect, analyse ideas, relevant information and organise these in an appropriate way.” TCH 2-01a

“Using digital technologies responsibly I can access, retrieve and use information to support, enrich or extend learning in different contexts.” TCH 1-02a

“I can extend my knowledge of how to use digital technology to communicate with others and I am aware of ways to keep safe and secure.” TCH 1-03a

Overall, We must keep up to date with the ever changing technology, as children are now fast becoming more intuitive when it comes to technology in today’s society. I think as a student teacher is it vital to use mobile devices in the classroom. It can enhance learning and keep children engaged in lessons. Therefore, they are more likely to enjoy and take more information from a lesson.

Powerpoint – easi speak microphone

References

Children’s Parliament (2006) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland: The Vies of Children. [Online] http://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/REPORT_digital-learning-consultation_Childrens-Parliament-1.pdf [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Education Scotland (2009) Curriculum for Excellence: Technologies Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf [Accessed 28th February 2018]

Telegraph (2014) Digital Learning: How Technology is Reshaping Teaching [Online] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11051228/Digital-learning-how-technology-is-reshaping-teaching.html [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Telegraph (2015) Classroom Technology Barely Used By Half of Teachers [Online]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/12013650/Classroom-technology-barely-used-by-half-of-teachers.html [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Digital Technologies Reflection 27.2.18

Reflecting on mobile devices and how they have enhanced throughout the years, was brought tom attention recently. Many questions have been brought to the horizon whether mobile devices should be used in education. The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) state that “technology such as game consoles and smartphones are playing an important role in primary-aged …

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As a learner in mobile devices I believe that they are the new way to engaging children’s attention spans for longer. I also believe that the many applications that you can access from the different stores can help and aid with many situations including education and educational games.

As an educator, I have mixed emotions whether or not mobile devices should be incorporated into the education system and whether not they will enrich children’s learning or if they will distract children.

Challenges that could be faced with mobile devices is the distraction of children due to the applications that include message and fictive etc. This could challenge educators to come up with a solution on how we could resolve this problem and try and make them for an education purpose and nothing more.

When teachers across the board were asked whether they think mobile devices should be in education or not. 39% of teachers stated that children should not have access to mobile phones, while 29% declared that they should have access. Teachers and educators know that children preference for technology both at home and at school is evolving quickly, just as the same rate of technology changing at a rapid speed.

Digital Technologies Week 7 – 20.2.18

This week in Digital Technologies, we learned about animation by using the applications, Puppet Pals and iStop Motion. Firstly, we looked at Puppet Pals on the iPad. As a pair, we had to create a fairy tale story using the Puppet Pals application. Personally, it took a little while to familiarise myself with how to change the scene and move the characters in and out of a different scene. Although, once I was familiar with the concept of it, I thought it was a really useful tool, as children can talk and record the story whilst moving the characters. It was really effective. It would be something I would use in my classroom.

iStop motion was the other animated application we looked at today. I also found this slightly tricky to use at first but after playing around with it for five or ten minutes it became fairly straight forward to use. Jarvis (2005) suggests that “Animation involves the stringing together a sequence of static images, generally so that they appear to move.” We used lego to create a space story, using only music and pictures. By combining these together it created an animated video. The only drawback is that it is very time consuming.

However, animation has a “big visual impact” (Jarvis, 2005). Using cut out animation is the easiest technique to begin with. “Animation breathes life into something that would not normally move (Moving Image Education). There are five main types of animation according to Moving Image Education : Cut out which is the quickest and easiest; iStop motion for example using plasticine models; pixilation where humans become puppets; drawings for example the Disney animation; and computer such as games and movie. Animation can be used to enhance learning. Bertrancourt (2005) suggests that there are three easy that animation can do this. It can enhance the learners’ visual representation, it illustrates information processes and it can provide an interactive element. I think animation should be used in classrooms as it has many benefits to a child’s learning. Technology is changing at a rapid pace in today’s society, and Beauchamp (2012, p 66) feels that “ICT equipment is part of pupils’ everyday life, so should be part of their everyday play.” I think this is vital for children as technology will keep them interested in their task as it is something they use everyday. ICT allows children to create things that they would not be able to achieve in any other way. e-Inclusion also uses digital technologies to help children with learning difficulties and minimises the problems they face with this. In addition to this, teachers must be confident with using digital technologies. As technology grows teachers may be worried by new technologies so it is important that they do not pass this onto young children, as they should be exploring these new technologies (Beauchamp, 2012).

Experiences & outcomes for animation:

“I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.” TCH 1-01a

“I can use a range of graphic techniques, manually and digitally, to communicate ideas, concepts or products, experimenting with the use of shape, colour and texture to enhance my work.” TCH 2-11a

“I enjoy exploring events and characters in stories and other texts, sharing my thoughts in different ways.” LIT 0-01c

“I enjoy creating texts of my choice and I regularly select subject, purpose, format and resources to suit the needs of my audience.” LIT 1-20a / LIT 2-20a

Overall, I enjoyed using Puppet Pals and iStop Motion on the iPads to create stories. I think it is a very beneficial tool for the classroom. However, it is very time consuming so this is something that as a teacher I would have to be mindful of when creating a task.

References

›Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.

Education Scotland (2009) Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy Experience and Outcomes. [Online] https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-across-learning-eo.pdf [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Education Scotland (2009) Curriculum for Excellence: Technologies Experiences and Outcomes. [Online]https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

›Jarvis, M. (2015) Brilliant Ideas for Using ICT in the Classroom: A Very practical Guide for Teachers and Lecturers. Routledge.

›Moving Image Education. [Online] https ://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Personal Reflection Digital Technologies – Mobile Devices 27/02/18

In todays class I learned about the use of mobile devices to enhance learning. After having a tutorial around mobile devices through digital literacy within my first trimester I found the use of Easi-Speak microphones beneficial and easy to use, therefore I was excited to spend time using them to create a poem and recording it. At first I did some further reading from teaching times and found that “39 per cent of teachers stated that children should not have access out of school to mobile phones, while another 29 per cent of teachers said the ideal situation would be if all pupils had access to a mobile.Schools also believe that children’s preference for technology both at home and at school is evolving quickly, just as technology is continuing to change at a rapid pace” (Scottish Government 2016).

Majority of schools that were surveyed schools identify that home computers are used as a personal revision tool with 64% of schools providing directed homework by teachers that required access to computers at home. Only a quarter of schools believe that the majority of pupils use computers for entertainment and social networking exclusively and not for educational activities. (Scottish Government 2016).

I also read an article on the telegraph about how technology is reshaping teaching it stated that ” Over four in 10 households now have a tablet, meaning that children are becoming computer-literate before they’ve even started primary school – and we’ve all heard about the techno-babies who can handle an iPad before they have learnt how to tie their own shoelaces”. I think this is relevant because my two year old niece is in nursery and she is able to use educational games on my IPad where there are a range of shapes with different size and colour and they have to be moved to the specific space where they would fit and she was able to move the shapes around the screen to the space they fit in. She also used the IPad to listen to the songs/nursery rhymes that she learns in nursery and is able to choose the song from the list allocated under the video she is watching. This shows that she is already using an IPad before she has learnt to get her self dressed and tie her lace.

We were to answer a question “Should mobile devices be used in the classroom?” To this I answered yes I think that mobile devices are effective because children can create their own short story or poem and be able to act as the main characters through use of devices such as IPad’s, laptops, Easi-speak Microphones and talking tins. These are both tools used to record speech. They have memory on them that can easily be transferred to computers. It also allows the children to record their CVC words such at CAT, MAT, DOG and FROG and then spell them. This may help the children learn because they are saying it out loud and then spelling it so that they can play it back to themselves. This will help children who do not take information in when writing it with pen and paper. It could also benefit children who have additional support needs and struggle with spelling of their words if they work in partners their partner could spell it out and the child is able to play it back.

Today we explored Talking Tin and Easi Speak microphones. We were to create and “I am…” poem using the Easi-Speak Microphone. We were given sentence starters and were asked to finish the sentence. To do this we were to work in pairs and create our poem. At first we wrote down the ending of the sentences so that we could then record it. Once it was recorded we were to use Microsoft Powerpoint to put each line of our poem on to a slide and then add a picture using an online resource called Pixabay.

Emma Robertson & Shannon Scott I am Poem powerpoint

I found this as a learner easy to get my head around and straight forward. I enjoyed taking part in the task. As a teacher I think because the use of mobile devices such as Easi-speak microphones are straightforward and easy to use children would be able to understand it and learn a lot from it. I think that children would be keen to get involved and enjoy the use of it as a tool for learning. It is also beneficial for teachers because it is easy to transfer onto a computer/memory stick so that they have evidence of child’s progression and it isn’t all pen to paper work.

We then explored Talking Tins, talking tins are the similar to easi-speak microphones it is another tool used for recording items. With this we recorded a short paragraph of our poem. I didn’t find this as useful as the easi-speak microphones when we recorded a line it seemed to cut out although there could have been a short memory fault within the talking tin. Although it can be a beneficial tool for children to record CVC words within a literacy lesson or the times tables within a maths lesson to help the children learn effectively.

I think that the use of mobile devices is effective within the classroom as it influences children to learn in a range of ways. It allows teaching to become flexible and interactive. It allows children with additional support needs to progress in ways that they may not always achieve through pen and paper. It encourages children to be comfortable with themselves along with hearing their own voice.

As an adult my partner and I both hated our own voices and through use of a range of technology I have become more confident with putting my own voice into lesson plans/projects that I have created throughout my digital technology sessions.

References.

Pixabay (2018) https://pixabay.com/en/photos/?q=student&hp=&image_type=all&order=popular&cat=&min_width=&min_height=

Mobile Devices

Mobile devices have developed rapidly over the past 10 years. Nowadays, children have their own mobile devices whether a mobile phone or another form of mobile device. The Telegraph states that over four in 10 households now have a tablet, meaning that children are becoming computer-literate before they’ve even started primary school. Children therefore have experience with mobile devices and are comfortable using them; this may give them confidence when learning new things. “For most children digital technology is linked to play, entertainment and keeping in touch with friends.” (Children’s Parliament, 2016) In my opinion, mobile devices should be used in primary schools because they offer versatility to the children’s learning.

Today during Digital Technologies, we explored the use of Talking Tins and Easi-Speak Microphones. We wrote “I am” poems and then turned it into a performance poem through the use of sound clips and images. We used the Easi-Speak microphones to record each line of our poem. This was an extremely fun and adventurous task. I enjoyed the freedom of being able to create our own poem, as well as being guided by the poem guide we were given. The guide to the poem was extremely beneficial as it made writing the poem a structured activity while being able to write what about what we enjoyed. When playing back our performance poem, I realised we forgot to set each audio clip to play automatically and not be shown during the presentation, however, this was easy enough to fix. After exploring both recording devices; I found the Easi-Speak microphone easier to use however, this may just be because we had more practice with the Easi-Speak microphones.

I would use either or both the Easi-Speak microphone and Talking Tins in the classroom. They were fun to use and this would enhance pupil’s learning as they would find the lesson interesting. Many children are at an advanced level with technology due to having had grown up around mobile devices such as iPads and laptops; this would mean that the children could initially be educating each other with the technology. Mobile devices would also allow the pupil’s learning to be taking outside the school, or around the school grounds. Mobile devices, however, must be used appropriately in the classroom and only used when they are beneficial to the learning.

REFERENCES

Children’s Parliament (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland: The View’s of Children [Online] http ://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/REPORT_digital-learning-consultation_Childrens-Parliament-1.pdf [Accessed: 27.02.18]

The Telegraph, Sophie Curtis (2014) Digital learning: how technology is reshaping teaching [Online] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11051228/Digital-learning-how-technology-is-reshaping-teaching.html [Accessed: 27.02.18]

Digital Technologies – 20/02/18 Animation

This week in Digital Technologies, we were looking at animation. At the beginning of the session, we were asked to explore the Puppet Pals app on the iPads and create […]

This week in Digital Technologies, we were looking at animation. At the beginning of the session, we were asked to explore the Puppet Pals app on the iPads and create a short animation that was based on a fairy tale. We were to include; voice recording, movement, to change the size of the characters and include a beginning, middle and end. Our lecturer then used the AiFL teaching strategy of fist to 5 to gage our progress.

Animation is the process of the stringing together of a sequence of static images so that they appear to move (Jarvis, 2015).There are 5 main types of animation, according to Moving Image Education, including cutout, stop motion, pixillation, drawn and computer. Moving Image Education also states that animation breathes new life into something that normally doesn’t move. Animation is a form of technology that I am familiar with through films and television, however I have never created an animation and it is an element I am not confident with. Beauchamp (2012) highlights that although teachers might be worried about new technologies, we need to ensure that this fear is not transferred to the children or that any obstacles are put in the way of their curiosity or willingness to learn about new technologies. Whilst animation can be used to enhance learning through enhancing learner’s visual representations, illustrating processes and provide an interactive element (Betrancourt, 2005), Jarvis (2015) argues that while it can enhance the quality of information processing and learning, it can be very time consuming. Some examples of how to combat timing and confidence problems can consist of; getting equipment set up before the children arrive in the classroom, use the word explore often, as the teacher have a level of understanding yourself and be willing to engage within technologies that are new to you.

The rest of the session was used to create our own animation through an app on the iPad. We first watched a couple of tutorial videos to allow us to gain a deeper understanding of how the app worked before starting to work on our own. Using the technique of onion… I found it easier to create my animation as I could see where the last still image was. My video was based on Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, who went for a walk in the woods and found an Irn Bru bottle. Having completed the process, I was able to realise how time consuming making an animation can be. During a classroom setting, it could take up quite a few lessons. Beauchamp (2012) explains that ICT is not viewed as a separate ‘subject’ but something that contributes to all areas of learning. This is extremely useful when planning lessons as it means that a range of CfE experiences and outcomes can be covered within one lesson. A quote which I feel would be useful in explaining animation to pupils comes from John Challis on Moving Image Education website, ” Good animation is like a raisin sponge cake; you can get away with a lot of minimalism (sponge) as long as you reward your audience occasionally with tasty dynamic bits (raisins).”

References

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.

Jarvis, M. (2015) Brilliant Ideas for Using ICT in the Classroom: A Very practical Guide for Teachers and Lecturers. Routledge.

Moving Image Education website: [Online] https ://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [Accessed: 20.2.18]

Digital Technologies – iMovie Making – 13/2/18

Internet safety is an incredibly important issue, especially in today’s society with technology developing everyday. According to Beauchamp (2012), most primary schools have some sort of policy in place regarding […]

Internet safety is an incredibly important issue, especially in today’s society with technology developing everyday.

According to Beauchamp (2012), most primary schools have some sort of policy in place regarding internet safety, but they are more likely to refer to official policies rather than the pupils everyday lives. Schools are finding it difficult to keep up with apps/social media that children are using despite the age restrictions that are already in place for these apps. It is therefore vital that teachers provide support for e-safety. “The key idea is that e-safety is not about restricting children, but about educating them” (Beauchamp, 2012, p58). Beauchamp (2012) goes further and highlights that when regarding e-safety, the most successful schools establish that pupils know what to do when things to go wrong. Helping children develop an understanding of the dangers of the internet can allow teachers to support internet use at home rather than interfering in their personal lives.

Supporting internet safety is also crucial as The Scottish Government (2015) found that there is evidence to believe that using digital equipment, tools and resources can where effectively used, raise the speed and depth of learning in science and maths for both primary and secondary learners. Also, that digital technology would appear to be an appropriate means to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills, especially in primary settings. As this can help raise attainment levels it means having events such as Safer Internet Day and providing a full range of resources about internet safety is essential support for teachers in explaining to pupils the dangers of the internet.

This week in Digital Technologies, we were asked to create an iMovie or trailer based on internet safety as an assessment task. We worked in groups to produce these. My group chose to do a trailer based on Little Red Riding Hood, in which we changed the plot line so that Gran was coming to visit Red and they had arranged this meeting through the internet. We each played a key role during this session, whether it was acting, filming or setting the scene. We alternated between using both video and pictures to create the movie and we also used text to highlight key points of internet safety and websites that may be of use to whoever was watching. According to Porter (2004), digital storytelling is sharing your story in variety of mediums of digital imagery, text, voice, music, video and animation. I have attached our finished video in which it can be seen that we used many of these mediums to illustrate our story.

iMovie is an app that I would use in my own classroom whether it would be for a similar reason, talking about internet safety, or for many other topics. By using this kind of digital technology and getting the children to either act or create scenes for their movie, I would be able to cover a range of experiences and outcomes over different curriculum areas, for example, literacy, technology and expressive arts. This would allow pupils to maybe move our of their comfort zone and use their imagination.

References

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.

Porter, B. (2004) Digi Tales: The Art of Telling Digital Stories. Bernajean Porter Publication.

The Scottish Government (2015) Literature Review on the Impact of Digital Technology on Learning and Teaching. [Online] http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/24843/1/00489224.pdf [Accessed: 13.2.18]

http://moodle.uws.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=252577