Movie Making 13/2/2018

Todays Digital Technologies lesson focused on the benefits and impact of iMovies in the classroom. The lesson focused on the ways iMovie could be used to promote internet safety. We […]

Todays Digital Technologies lesson focused on the benefits and impact of iMovies in the classroom. The lesson focused on the ways iMovie could be used to promote internet safety. We begun by taking part in a class quiz on internet safety before learning some information on internet safety.

Beauchamp (2012, p.58) discussed internet safety “the key idea [is] that e-safety is not about restricting children, but about educating them.”. In other words, rather than discourage children from using social media and technology we should educate them on the potential dangers they could face. The NSPCC supported this view by stating in their ‘your children’s online world’ guide for parents, “try to strike the right balance between keeping an eye on your child and giving them the independence and freedom to explore” (NSPCC 2015, p.6). They advised parents and careers in their leaflets to take an interest in what their child does online and establish regular conversations with your child about what they do online. In turn your child will be more educated on the dangers of the internet while feeling comfortable to share any concerns they may have.

Furthermore, our assessment task today continued the theme of promoting internet safety as the task involved working within a group to create an iMovie about internet safety. My group discussed the many ways we could promote internet safety while highlighting the danger of the internet. Eventually we settled on the idea that our movie, entitled “BEar Safe”, would focus on the issue of people hiding their identity online and that you never know who you might be chatting to online. After this we wrote a quick plan for our movie (see featured image) then divided our group into those who would edit the movie and those who would set up Instagram accounts and set the scenes. In the short iMovie the main character Bear can be seen displaying his personal details on his public Instagram page for example his age, where he lives and his school location. As a result, anyone online can access this information and easily find Bear. As the film progresses we see Bear receive a friend request from Unicorn, a stranger who Bear has never met, and they begin to chat online. The chat soon results in Unicorn asking Bear to meet with Bea becoming sceptical and telling his mother who advises Bear to delete Unicorn and make his account private. The movie ends with the reveal that the Unicorn is in fact a terrifying werewolf who has been posting fake pictures to chat to Bear. I feel our movie gave the important message of internet safety while warning viewers to be mindful of who they are speaking to online and that if they have any worries they should speak to a parent or teacher. I also feel our movie, which won “Best Original Script” at our class Oscars Awards, is relevant to today as it uses popular social media website Instagram to highlight how easily a stranger can access your personal details online.

In addition, I feel the use of iMovie would be a valuable resource to use in a lesson particularly to highlight internet safety. The children could work in groups to create their own short films that showcase the dangers of internet safety as not only would this allow them to have fun and experiment with technology, but it would also inform them of the dangers they are filming. A lesson like the one we took part in today could potentially combine multiple curriculum outcomes such as Technology, Literacy and Health and Wellbeing:

“I understand positive things about friendships and relationships but when something worries or upsets me I know who I should talk to.” HWB 0-44b / HWB 1-44b

“As I listen or watch, I can identify and discuss the purpose, key words and main ideas of the text, and use this information for a specific purpose.” LIT 1-04a

“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, todays lesson highlighted to me the many ways I might teach a lesson on internet safety besides giving a talk to the class. By using technology resources such as iMovies the children can interact with the lesson and display their ideas on how to stay safe online while absorbing the crucial information they need to stay safe online. As a student teacher I am now confident that I can teach a lesson on internet safety while combining multiple curriculum outcomes and most importantly making it informative an engaging for the children.

 

References:

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

NSPCC (2015) Your child’s online world: A guide for parents. England.

Digital Technologies Week 6.

The focus of this input was to learn how to create iMovies, which we as student teachers can take into the classroom with us. Once we understood how to use the application, we were then asked to create iMovies to encourage children to be wary of who they are talking to online. Beauchamp (2012, p.58) …

Continue reading “Digital Technologies Week 6.”

The focus of this input was to learn how to create iMovies, which we as student teachers can take into the classroom with us. Once we understood how to use the application, we were then asked to create iMovies to encourage children to be wary of who they are talking to online.

Beauchamp (2012, p.58) discusses internet safety and states that “…the key idea [is] that e-safety is not about restricting children, but about educating them”. In other words, children should be encouraged to go online and use technologies. However, when they are online, they should be aware of the dangers of accepting and communicating with people that they do not know. He further states that schools with effective e-safety standards will have pupils who know exactly what to do if they feel that they are not safe online.

The Scottish Government states, “digital technologies appear to be appropriate means to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills, especially in primary settings”. Thus, showing the importance and usefulness of digital technologies within classrooms in the 21st century. 

[The story that we made]

[Curricular areas for iMovies]

References

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

›The Scottish Government (2015) Literature Review on the Impact of Digital Technology on Learning and Teaching.  [Online] Available from: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/24843/1/00489224.pdf [Accessed: 13 February 2018].

Digital Technologies – Animation 21/02/18

Digital Technologies this week introduced me to animation programmes such as Puppet Pals and iStop Motion.  With a partner I created a story on iStop Motion based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears, to do this we had to draw our background, characters and many other props.  Straight away I could tell that children within […]

Digital Technologies this week introduced me to animation programmes such as Puppet Pals and iStop Motion.  With a partner I created a story on iStop Motion based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears, to do this we had to draw our background, characters and many other props.  Straight away I could tell that children within a classroom setting would love using animation programmes such as these ones, as they allow creativity and imagination to be used from the very start.

Movie Image Education states that there are five main types of animation – cut-out, stop motion, pixilation, drawn and computer.  (Jarvis, 2015, p89) states that “Animation involves the stringing together a sequence of static images, generally so that they appear to move.”   When first trying to create an animation myself and my partner realised that we were moving Goldilocks too quickly, this meant it didn’t look like a realistic walk, however we grasped quickly that time and effort needs to be spent on making an animation.  In class I found it beneficial that we got the time to watch tutorials on all these different types of animations on the Moving Image Education website before we started making one ourselves.  Animations can be used in many ways to enhance learning as it enhances learners visual representations, illustrates processes and also provides an interactive element (Bertrancourt, 2005).  All of these aspects show how important it is that animation and ICT as a whole is used widely in schools, as (Beauchamp, 2012, p66) states that “ICT equipment is part of pupils everyday life, so should be part of their everyday play.”

As the use of technology within schools should be placed within a range of subjects and shouldn’t be seen as a separate subject, myself and my partner decided to do an animation which could fit into both literacy and technology Curriculum for Excellence outcomes.

I can explore and experiment with sketching, manually or digitally, to represent ideas in different learning contexts. – TCH 1-11a.

To show my understanding across different areas of learning, I can identify and consider the purpose and main ideas of a text. – LIT 1-16a.

These outcomes relate to the animation myself and my partner carried out as we told the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  Therefore, children themselves could use an app such as iStop Motion within a Literacy lesson to show their understanding of a text by being able to put an animation together about it.  I thoroughly enjoyed making all the different backgrounds and props needed, as the setting changed three times from the woods, to a kitchen and then a living room.  Therefore, our animation didn’t always have the same background, from this I feel as though it made it look more interesting.  We also incorporated three plastic bears into the story along with our drawing of goldilocks, as we wanted different eye-catching features involved to make it more intriguing.  The different features on iStop Motion meant that we could slow down our animation so that people viewing it could see the words we added such as “Too hot!” when Goldilocks was trying the porridge.  From this, I have realised that animation programmes allow for anything to be created; from something random to a story being told with drawings or other props.  This providing a great opportunity for children within a classroom to use their imagination to create something that they feel interested in.

Overall, this class has gave me the confidence to deliver lessons to children in the future using animation programmes such as iStop Motion.  This being very beneficial, as hopefully my growing confidence and enthusiasm will mean the children I am teaching also feel this way towards technology.  Along with developing confidence, I also found it very enjoyable creating an animation; this also being something I hope children get out of lessons I teach using technology!

 

References:

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy to 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] Available: https://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [Accessed: 19 February 2018]

 

Digital Technologies-iMovie (Week 6)

Today we focused on exploring the use of iMovie on iPads to aid children within the classroom. iMovie is an app that can be downloaded on an iPad and can be used to aid children whilst learning. As a group we decided that we will create a trailer for Snow White which promotes how to … Continue reading “Digital Technologies-iMovie (Week 6)”

Today we focused on exploring the use of iMovie on iPads to aid children within the classroom. iMovie is an app that can be downloaded on an iPad and can be used to aid children whilst learning. As a group we decided that we will create a trailer for Snow White which promotes how to be save online for children. Personally I think iMovie can be a great tool to show pupils important matters through more fun and interesting ways. This can help them be more attentive with it and really focus on what is being said.

It is important to make children aware of the dangers of the internet and e-safety. It involves teaching the children how to make sure they are save online instead of restricting what they’re able to see. It is important that the children know how to resolve an issue involving online safety if it arises. (Beauchamp, 2012)

‘Most primary schools will have in place a policy regarding e-safety, but they are likely to reflect official policies and perhaps not the reality of pupils’ live'(Beauchamp, 2012, p.58).

Digital equipment is  widely used within schools in the 21st century-it raises attainment and can contribute in efficient and better understanding of subjects such as maths and science within school pupils. Literacy is also improved through having deeper understanding of English and gives the children a better chance of having a high level of writing abilities. (The Scottish Government, 2015). Porter (2004) believes that multimodal storytelling will be a common bases of teaching in the near future.

‘The digital environment provides a unique opportunity to empower people of all ages to manipulate, combine and distribute their self-expressions as living stories that can be sent into the world and through time'(Porter, 2004, p.35)

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: 5.2.18]

 

Digital Technologies-Ebooks (Week 5)

Today in class we focused on developing our skills when using ebooks in the classroom. An ebook is a digital version of a book-it can be opened on several different  digital technologies such as iPads or computer, therefore, making it easily accessible (BBC, 2012). Ebooks also explore and develop skills in literacy which is crucial … Continue reading “Digital Technologies-Ebooks (Week 5)”

Today in class we focused on developing our skills when using ebooks in the classroom. An ebook is a digital version of a book-it can be opened on several different  digital technologies such as iPads or computer, therefore, making it easily accessible (BBC, 2012). Ebooks also explore and develop skills in literacy which is crucial in children development-

‘The set of skills which allows an individual to engage fully in society and in learning, through the different forms of language, and the range of texts, which society values and finds useful. The breadth of the definition is intended to ‘future proof’ it.'(Curriculum for Excellence, p.3)

An amazing feature of ebooks that overpowers regularly written books on paper is that they have the possibility of being multimodal and interactive. Something that is considered multimodal has two or more of the following semiotic systems: linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spatial. They are able to record voice memos, record videos, have text or draw to create their own ebooks (Beauchamp, 2012) and this is an I important feature for children to be able to have access to as they are able to develop  a large selection of different types of text (Education Scotland, 2009). Ebooks can also be used as teaching aids for children with a.s.n or is simply those children that need extra help. They can be made by the teacher and shown to the class or the children can make their own books and get involved-this can also include outdoor activities making ebooks a lot more interactive and interesting for the pupils (Jarvis, 2015).

Today we had the opportunity to create our own ebooks on an iPad. The first activity included making a leaflet for those interested in attending the university. In a group we walked around the university and took pictures to use for the leaflet. This shows the different possibilities of ebooks as it doesn’t always have to be a book that is created. We then individually created summaries of children books. I created mines so that it could be used as a teaching aid. There is a lot of voice memos, pictures, text and drawing as well as asking different questions for the children to answer so that they are able to understand the book better and from a different angle if struggling.

I personally think it’s a great tool to have in the classroom and has many benefits, as well as being easily accessible as most schools are now equipped with iPads or computers.

References-

BBC (2012) Webwise article [Online]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/about-e-books
[Accessed: 26.1.18]

Education Scotland, Curriculum for Excellence – Literacy and English Principles and Practice paper. [Online] https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-english-pp.pdf [Accessed: 26.1.18]

Education Scotland, Curriculum for Excellence (2009): Building the Curriculum 4. [Online] http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2009/10/16155220/13
[Accessed: 26.1.18]

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

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

Digital Technologies- Coding (Week 4)

Today we used the app ‘Scratch Junior’ on the iPad to explore how we can use it to teach literacy in the classroom. Scratch Jr allows children and teacher to create their own games and stories by coding the characters movements bit also exploring different features and background that are featured in the game. ‘As young … Continue reading “Digital Technologies- Coding (Week 4)”

Today we used the app ‘Scratch Junior’ on the iPad to explore how we can use it to teach literacy in the classroom. Scratch Jr allows children and teacher to create their own games and stories by coding the characters movements bit also exploring different features and background that are featured in the game.

‘As young people create Scratch projects, they are not just learning how to write computer programs. They are learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively – essential skills for success and happiness in today’s world’ (The Lead Project, 2014).

Scratch Jr helps children to develop skills in creative thinking, logical reasoning, problem solving and team working skills in young children. It has the potential to improve and guide children when learning any sort of subject such as; music, art, English, maths and design (The Lead Project, 2014).

I found that the literacy outcome that applies to the Scratch Jr activity I made is: ‘I enjoy exploring events and characters in stories and other texts and I use what I learn to invent my own, sharing these with others in imaginative ways’. LIT 0-09b / LIT 0-31. I focused on making the activity more for early level children rather than first or second. Two of the technology outcome are also explored during this;                                                                                                ‘I enjoy exploring and using technologies to communicate with others within and beyond my place of learning’. TCH 0-04a and
‘I enjoy taking photographs or recording sound and images to represent my experiences and the world around me’. TCH 0-04b

I decided to approach it by telling a story of two girls that walked in a forest, then found an obstacle as they have to cross the river, after, they saw a den and decided to go home. Throughout the slides my intentions were to ask questions for the children to answer that would be based on their literacy and creativity.

Reflecting back on my use of Scratch Jr. I believe that it has a great potential to be useful tool to have in the classroom, when used properly. It can be used as an aid for children with ASN or simply those that need extra help. It can boost the pupils creativity and for them to learn their basic subjects through a more fun and interesting way.

References-

The Lead Project (2014) Super Scratch Programming Adventure: Learn to Program by Making Cool Games!

Education Scotland, Curriculum for Excellence [online]  https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/juliajankowska/wp-admin/post.php?post=44&action=edit [accessed: 10th February 2018]

 

Digital Technologies – Movie Making 14/02/18

Within this week’s class of Digital Technologies we focused on a movie making app called iMovie, to create a movie based around internet safety.  We also looked at different quizzes and videos we can deliver to children to highlight the importance of staying safe online.  As Safer Internet Day was last week, I feel as […]

Within this week’s class of Digital Technologies we focused on a movie making app called iMovie, to create a movie based around internet safety.  We also looked at different quizzes and videos we can deliver to children to highlight the importance of staying safe online.  As Safer Internet Day was last week, I feel as though this was perfect timing to look at what we can do as student teachers to raise awareness of children staying safe online.

We were made aware of the different resources there are in place to deliver to children about internet safety.  We engaged with a quiz as a whole class which involved ten questions, and each question had four different answers to choose from.  I feel as though this type of exercise would be very beneficial to carry out with any age group ranging from primary one to seven as it can both introduce children to staying safe online or reiterate the knowledge they already have.  If I carried out this type of quiz with a class, it would make me more aware if any children are still struggling to see the dangers of being online based on the answers they are giving.  I would then make sure I carry out more lessons based around internet safety, such as letting them watch videos such as the one we watched in class on glow called ‘thinkuknow.’ This would allow them to see clearly what to do if something happened online that made them feel in danger, such as speaking to a parent or teacher.  I am very aware that children even after receiving information on staying safe online may come in contact with trouble online, therefore I feel as though it will be my job to highlight to them what to do if this ever happens.  Such as blocking people, making their social medias sites private and not sharing high levels of personal information.  The importance of telling children points such as this is highlighted by (Beauchamp, 2012, p60) when he stated that “The most successful schools… in terms of e-safety ensured that pupils knew what to do when things went wrong.”

I feel strongly about teaching children of the benefits using technology effectively has as well, such as how it raises attainment in different areas across the curriculum (The Scottish Government, 2015).  It is absolutely necessary that children in the 21st century are digitally literate so that they can communicate effectively in society through the use of technology such as mobile phones, iPads and tablets etc.  Digital literacy has a wide range of different benefits such as how children are able to think critically, highlight what information is beneficial and what is not, and be creative.  Apps such as iMovie allows movies to be created for all different purposes, it can include text, videos, pictures, music etc.  This week I worked with a group to make a movie based around internet safety, our story ‘BEar SAFE!’ was based around the fact that not everyone online is who they say they are, this would highlight to children to only have close friends and family on their social media sites.  We made a plan of what we wanted to happen within the movie, and we all had different roles to make sure it came together successfully.  Therefore, some of us edited the movie whilst others created Instagram accounts which was the site our movie was based on.  Our story was about a bear who thought he was speaking to a unicorn, however, it was really a werewolf! Thankfully, the bear remembered all that he had previously been told and blocked the werewolf when he asked to meet up.  Children watching this would be able to see the dangers that could have happened if they had of met up, as he was completely different to what he said he was.  I feel as though iMovie would be a very good app for children to create movies themselves on also linked to internet safety, as through this they would discuss as a group different outcomes that can happen if you are careless online.  This giving children the opportunity to engage with digital storytelling in a unique way to include their self-expressions as stories (Porter, 2004).

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

I can explore online communities demonstrating an understanding of responsible digital behaviour and I’m aware of how to keep myself safe and secure. – TCH 2-03a

I can persuade, argue, explore issues or express an opinion using relevant supporting detail and/or evidence. – LIT 2-29a

These Curriculum for Excellence outcomes relate to children of all ages being taught how to stay safe online, and therefore afterwards they are able to take forward their knowledge.  Children being given the opportunity to work on apps such as iMovie, increases their literacy skills also.

Overall, this week’s class allowed me to identify ways in which I can deliver lessons around internet safety such as letting children carry out quizzes and watch videos.  Creating a movie on iMovie myself and also letting children create their own is another great way of letting children explore what can happen online if they aren’t safe.  Therefore, making movies themselves should hopefully enable them to make the correct choices online.  As a student teacher I am now fully aware that the best way children will learn about an area such as this, is to be educated instead of feeling like they are being given into trouble.  However, as I mentioned it is important that children are also made aware of the benefits technology has, such as how being digitally literate raises attainment in a range of different subjects across the curriculum.

 

References:

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy to 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] Available: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/24843/1/00489224.pdf [Accessed: 13 January 2018]

Digital Technologies – Week 5

This weeks class was to use the Book Creator app on the iPad to create a teaching tool and discuss the benefits of using this within the classroom. The principles and practices of literacy and English, created by Education Scotland, states that the most effective ways to teach literacy and English is by providing “frequent opportunities …

Continue reading “Digital Technologies – Week 5”

This weeks class was to use the Book Creator app on the iPad to create a teaching tool and discuss the benefits of using this within the classroom.

The principles and practices of literacy and English, created by Education Scotland, states that the most effective ways to teach literacy and English is by providing “frequent opportunities to communicate in a wide range of contexts” (Education Scotland, n.d., a). A multimodal text features 5 semiotic systems: gestural, audio, visual, spatial and linguistic thus, covering a wide range of contexts. Alongside this, the document states that there should be “the appropriate and effective use of ICT”, which can be gained from using multimodal texts within the classroom.

There are a number of advantages to using multimodal texts during school time. (Education Scotland, n.d., b) states that ICT in school helps to raise attainment and achievement, closing the gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged and thus, providing them with the skills for the digitally advancing world that awaits them. In the principles and practices document for Technologies it states “[children] establish firm foundations for lifelong learning and, for some, for specialised study and a diverse range of careers.” (Education Scotland, n.d., c). This statement helps to emphasise the importance of digital technologies in the classroom as many children will need these skills for their future careers.

The teaching tool that I had created during today’s session was based around “The cat in the hat”. As the teacher and class progress through the e-Book, they are exposed to many semiotic systems in which this multimodal text involves. The children will be asked to identify rhyming and repeated words, use adjectives and respond to the text.

The areas of the CfE that surrounds this teaching tool is for first level and are as follows;

  • To show my understanding, I can respond to different kinds of questions and other close reading tasks and I am learning to create some questions of my own.    ENG 1-17a
  • Using digital technologies responsibly I can access, retrieve and use information to support, enrich or extend learning in different contexts.           TCH 1-02a

References

Education Scotland (n.d., a) Curriculum for Excellence: literacy and English, principles and practice [Online]. Available from: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-english-pp.pdf [Accessed: 6 February 2018].

Education Scotland (n.d., b) Technologies in Curriculum for Excellence [Online]. Available from: https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/learning-in-scotland/curriculum-areas/Technologies%20in%20Curriculum%20for%20Excellence [Accessed: 6 February 2018].

Education Scotland (n.d., c) Curriculum for Excellence: technologies, principles and practice [Online]. Available from: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/technologies-pp.doc [Accessed: 6 February 2018].

 

Digital Technologies – eBooks 06/02/18

In today’s class I learned how to make a multimodal eBook through working as a group to create an eBook brochure and summarising a book individually.  My understanding of the benefits eBooks have has expanded, as my understanding beforehand was vague.  It was very interesting to see how lesson plans can be made through apps […]

In today’s class I learned how to make a multimodal eBook through working as a group to create an eBook brochure and summarising a book individually.  My understanding of the benefits eBooks have has expanded, as my understanding beforehand was vague.  It was very interesting to see how lesson plans can be made through apps such as Book Creator, and how many different areas of the curriculum using eBooks fits into.

An eBook is an electronic book which can be read on a computer or different devices such as iPads and phones.  At the beginning of the class we got into groups and discussed our understanding of the benefits eBooks have in classrooms (photo attached below, red pen was our knowledge before we created explored Book Creator, blue pen was written after).  As my understanding expanded I can now recognise the many different benefits eBooks have, such as how it makes reading fun for children as its done on electronic devices.  EBooks are also portable, meaning children can read an unlimited amount of books on their devices in different environments – such as outside (Jarvis, 2015).  They also make reading and creating texts in the 21st century modern, as the use of technology is ever-growing.  This meaning a connection is made between what children do in their spare time, play games on iPads etc, with learning. EBooks are a useful resource for teachers to use in classrooms also as they benefit children of all ages and abilities, this is due to aspects such as sound and videos which can be included within them.  Due to this, children who may struggle to read will even benefit from using eBooks.  This being something printed books do not offer, therefore certain children may find it easier to engage with eBooks as they include many more key features which draw children in.

Due to watching tutorials on how to use Book Creator beforehand, I was confident with using it when it came to working as a group to complete an eBook brochure on student life at UWS.  To make this, we went a walk around the campus to take pictures and videos of main places within the university, such as the library and lecture theatres.  We were then able to add these into our multimodal eBook to make sure we had pictures and videos to support what we were writing.  Although we ran out of time to add on things we had wished to, this group task gave us the ability and further confidence to use Book Creator on our own.

The book I summarised on book creator was called “Giraffes Can’t Dance” which is about a giraffe called Gerald who can’t dance and lots of other animals make a joke out of him.  However, he meets a cricket who plays the violin and this is when he and all the other animals discover that he can dance! I think this would be a good book to read with children to teach them about the importance of being kind to each other and accepting differences.  Allowing the children to make a summary of this book on Book Creator after reading and talking about it would allow me to identify if the children have a good understanding of it.  Through this, children will have the opportunity to summarise a text and make it multimodal by including two or more semiotic systems, which are; linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spatial.  (Beauchamp, 2012, p.101) states that “ICT can allow pupils to record their thoughts in a wide variety of ways. They are able to write, draw, record both sound and video, or any combination of these depending on their age and ability.” This shows how important it is to let children learn on apps such as Book Creator.  I feel as though this would be a good lesson as it draws in three areas within the curriculum – Literacy, Technology and Health and Wellbeing.  This lesson if carried out would cover these curricular outcomes:

 

I recognise that each individual has a unique blend of abilities and needs. I contribute to making my school community one which values individuals equally and is a welcoming place for all. – HWB 0-10a / HWB 1-10a / HWB 2-10a / HWB 3-10a / HWB 4-10a

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

Using what I know about the features of different types of texts, I can find, select, sort and use information for a specific purpose. – LIT 1-14a

Therefore, today’s lesson gave me an understanding of how important eBooks are within the classroom and taught me the benefits they have for children and teachers.  I am now confident in using apps such as Book Creator to help me to create lessons in the future due to the group and individual task.  I am looking forward to introducing and assisting children in using eBooks in future years of teaching as I truly believe that it makes learning fun, whilst bringing in many different areas within the curriculum!

 

References:

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

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

 

 

 

Multimodality-ActivInspire 23/1/18

This week the Digital Technology model focused on interactivity and multimodality, specifically on the importance and impact of ActivInspire in the classroom. A text may be called multimodal when it […]

This week the Digital Technology model focused on interactivity and multimodality, specifically on the importance and impact of ActivInspire in the classroom. A text may be called multimodal when it features two or more modes of communication such as image, sounds, written language etc. These modes can be described formally as semiotic systems, there are five systems which can turn a text into a multimodal text: Linguistic, Visual, Audio, Gestural, Spatial. The use of these semiotic systems in a lesson can result in the educational content becoming more engaging for the learner as it allows them to understand and interact with the lesson through hands on learning.

Hands on learning allows children to absorb the educational content more effectively as they are physically engaging with the lesson. Educator Janice Prandstatter spoke on the impact of interactive displays in early learning on an online article ““Touch displays can become a social learning tool encouraging hands-on experiences, thereby helping children to learn by doing.” (Prandstatter 2014). Thus, it is important in education to always strive to maintain your learners’ attention and aim to encourage their interaction with the activity or else learners will switch off from the lesson and not learn anything. Beauchamp spoke on the importance of using multimodality in the classroom and the impact of its use on children’s understanding “The multimodality of technology is another reason to use it, as it allows teachers to present an idea in a variety of different ways to help pupils understand it.” (Beauchamp, 2012, p.8). Ergo, it is apparent that if I wish to develop my knowledge of digital technology to further develop my practice I must experiment with ActivInspire and other multimodal technologies to enhance my experience that I can incorporate with future lessons.

During the class we got to experiment with ActivInspire by designing a lesson that incorporated the use of Activinspire into a literacy or numeracy lesson. Myself and my partner chose to use ActivInspire as an introduction activity for a literacy lesson, specifically as an aid to help children with their creative writing. Our activity challenged the young learners to work together as a class to construct a fictional piece of text based on an imaginary day in the jungle while using imagery such as similes to describe the animals they encountered. We planned on engaging with the children by asking each volunteer to come to the board and select an animal they wished to include in their story while asking them to provide an appropriate simile or adjective to describe their chosen animal. After all animals have been chosen our activity would progress to constructing sentences with the whole class designing an opening sentence for their story. This would provide the children with examples of adjectives they could use to in their own stories while supporting them with the opening sentences to inspire their thought process. We based our ActivInspire activity around the Curriculum for Excellence guidelines, specifically “throughout the writing process, I can check that my writing makes sense” as our activity requires the children to work together to construct logical sentences.

To conclude after my research and trial of Activinspire in today’s lesson I feel it is a teaching software I would consider using as a tool for future lessons.  I feel it would be a great asset to use as an introduction for lessons such as creative writing or addition and subtraction lessons. However, I personally feel the ActivInspire activity can take a long time to prepare thus I would be unlikely to include the activity in everyday lessons. Nevertheless, due to their multiple benefits they can have on a child’s learning it is important as a student teacher that I focus on incorporating the use of ActivInspire into the occasional lesson.

 

 

References:

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

Prandstatter, J (2014). Interactive Displays in Early Years Classes. http://connectlearningtoday.com/interactive-displays-early-years-classes/

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