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Concluding the option module of Digital technologies, my own knowledge and understanding have deepened considerably. Throughout the module we focussed on experiences and outcomes that the Curriculum for Excellence and this encouraged us to incorporate the correct materials to incorporate into our own personal lesson plans.

Starting this module I commented saying it would be an opportunity to explore materials and resources off of the internet and different programmes that would help us when we are qualified professional teachers. Now twelve weeks later, I have a different opinion of the definition of digital technology and also a different view on how this particular part of education can influence children’s education. It can help across all areas of the curriculum varying from Art through to Numeracy and Literacy.

Throughout reading I deepened my knowledge as I became aware that it is more interactive for children, this is backed up by Beauchamp (2012) stating that a “deeper level of engagement with the purposes of interactive teaching to probe pupils’ understanding to try ensure reciprocal interaction and the co-construction of meaning or to enable children to consider or articulate their own thinking strategies.” This shows that by using ICT a child will engage more and possibly verbalise any issues or struggles they have. Many scholars have included the worry for educators when having technology in your lesson, but I have learned to let the children teach you how to use the device or application and for you to use this in your lessons.

Overall, this has broadened my understanding of the importance of technology and how cooperating this into my lesson plans will help educators confidence but also engage the children as well as having fun but having an educational background behind it.

Today’s class was about eBooks, we had to create a summary of a well known book on the iPad app Book Creator, and discuss how this could be used to positively impact a lesson.

When thinking about eBooks I always immediately think of a Kindle, as I have one and it is a common device. However, eBooks are not exclusively on the Kindle. The Oxford Dictionary defines an eBook as “An electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or a specifically designed handheld device.” I think that using an iPad to create an eBook is useful as many children nowadays use iPads, many even learning how to use them before learning to talk.

I always enjoy using the Book Creator app as I think it is really simple and easy to use. There are also lots of tutorial videos if I had any issues. The book I chose to do a summary of was Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. It was a childhood favourite of mine and that is why I chose it. I think that it is an important skill for children to be able to summarise something as it is a skill that is used often, even when having to summarise what happened in a film or on TV.  In my summary I took photos of certain important pictures on the pages and used short sentences to get the important points across. I also added in some sound- the Bogus, Bunce and Bean rhyme- to make it more interesting, these aspects helped to make my eBook multimodal.

The CfE outcomes that I identified as ones that could relate to this type of lesson are:

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

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

There are a number of advantages to using multimodal texts in the classroom. Education Scotland (2015) states that there is “evidence of improved outcomes is strongest for numeracy and science learning, although there
is evidence of positive impacts on literacy too. Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that digital tools and resources can help to reduce attainment gaps in reading and writing.” Education Scotland (2015) also state that it is important that children learn to be digitally literate as technology is such a fast growing industry that we as teachers are potentially preparing them for jobs that do not yet exist. This statement helps to emphasise the importance of digital technologies in the classroom as many children will need these skills for their future careers.

References

Education Scotland (2015) Consultation on the development of a Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland: Supporting school years Accessed [9th April] Available: educationhttps://consult.gov.scot/learning-directorate/digital-learning/user_uploads/395855_p2.pdf

Unfortunately, I missed this final lesson on digital technology and the way it enhances outdoor learning but having furthered research it and reminiscing on my own experiences from my recent school placement, I am able to understand how to adapt and incorporate this into my lesson plans.

One thing I truly believe, from past and recent experiences, is that outdoor learning will be remembered for a lifetime. From the way a simple maths lesson about measurement can be transformed to a full class participation by asking them to measure the length of the playground can engage pupils so well to a digital lesson, outdoor learning definitely related to the curriculum for education (Scottish Government 2010).

The curriculum for excellence suggests that outdoor learning encourages pupils to understand the play and relationship throughout the curriculum areas and can lead to a healthy lifestyle where activates such as walking and cycling can be incorporated into learning. The CfE also suggest implement a safer and stronger environment that provides pupils with the opportunities to develop skills to assess risks in decision making (Scottish Government 2010).

There are so many opportunities that can rise from outdoor learning. From personal experience, a subject in school that I was very out-of-touch and not interested in was Biology but when outdoor learning was incorporated into a lesson, I immediately became engaged and focussed on the lesson. A simple test of where certain plants grow in different areas in a forest became the most interesting lesson in my day. Our teacher divided us into groups and sent us outside to test the experiment. With full engagement and participation, it was clear that outdoor learning was a very good approach in helping us focus.

My comfort blanket growing up was make-up and fashion – typical girly items and so when approached with the option to partake in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, it was unsurprising that this did not appeal to me. Myself and my friend’s, however, some of us more optimistic than others, decided to participate and today I sit with my bronze, silver and gold awards, presented to me at Holyrood Palace by none other than the Duke of Edinburgh himself. As I reflect on my experience, I am overwhelmed by the knowledge I gained and the memories that I have to cherish from this adventure. To pass each award we had to show that we could navigate on a map our way across a treacherous mountain walk, along with camp and fend for ourselves. This was all related to outdoor learning and the enjoyment and knowledge, along with a lifetimes worth of skills that I have gained will stay with me forever.

In my own classroom, when I become a teacher, I will most definitely incorporate outdoor learning into my lesson planning. An art lesson could result to an outdoor lesson of asking my pupils to draw their playground and use their imagination of what they would like to have added to it. A maths lesson could result in measuring the length of their playground. A science lesson could be getting my pupils to find different types of leaves and to research their findings.

There are thousands of different opportunities that can rise from outdoor learning, and I for one cannot wait to incorporate my own experiences and ideas along with the guidelines from the Curriculum for Excellence into my lesson plans.

References:

Scottish Government . (2010). curriculum for excellence through outdoor learning. Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/cfe-through-outdoor-learning.pdf. Last accessed 7th April 2018.

To think that a toy that was on every child’s Christmas wish list when we were younger is now being incorporated in classroom learning is quite remarkable. Over the course of two weeks we explored games based learning. When I was younger, never would the Nintendo Wii have been incorporated into classroom learning so when Graham told us that we would be using the Nintendo Wii to create fun and interactive activities, it was quite difficult to understand how we would do this.

Studies have shown that games-based learning encourages increased motivation, grabs the learner’s attention, recalls their vast information, reinforces their knowledge and allows stress free and pleasurable play. In the classroom, using games acts as a stimulus and allows games to be taught in a content as well as teaching social skills and creating activities. Theorists Piaget and Vygotsky have emphasised that game play is a very important component to develop cognitive development from birth through childhood (Piaget, J., 1962 and Vygotsky, L. S., 1962).

From a generation where a chalkboard and jotters and pencils were the main classroom essentials, it really is remarkable to research and learn about the different ways that technology can develop a child’s learning, even more when you add gaming into the mix. According to research, games have a number of different qualities that create effective learning environments, including those who play the games are expected to make decisions and problem solve in some of the most difficult scenarios. Gamers are encouraged to take risks and experiment and also to story tell and build characters around these stories. When incorporating gaming into a classroom, pupil’s motivation and engagement becomes stronger than ever (Sandford, R. Williamson, B 2005).

Of course, in today’s society, there is nothing more concerning than online gaming and the ever-growing worry of social media ruining our children’s esteem and taking them to a place out with normality. Therefore, as role models, it is important that we ensure games-based learning has a positive impact on social skills, it supports our children’s learning as well as enhances it and develops their skills. With that being said, Ofcom released a report in 2011 that states how popular gaming is in the UK, with almost 86% of 5-7-year old’s and 90% of 8-11-year-old children using game consoles and devices on a regular basis (Bray, O. 2012).

From these figures, the majority of children will have used Minecraft – a worldwide phenomenon. Minecraft is used as a game but has clear links to developing skills (MagBook 2014). To incorporate this into lessons, I would get the children to create and build houses and towns of their own and link this to the curriculum for excellence, specifically referring to TCH 1-03a and TCH 2-03a but always reminding my pupils of the safety of using the internet and gaming consoles through the outcomes relating to TCH 1-08a and TCH 2-08a.

References

Piaget, J., (1962), Play, dreams and imitation in childhood, W. W. Norton & Company, New York

Vygotsky, L. S., (1962), Thought and Language, Wiley, New York

Sandford, R. Williamson, B. (2005) Games and Learning. A Handbook from FutureLab. [Online] Available at: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/futurelabgames_and_learning_tcm4-452087.pdf

Bray, O. (2012) Playful Learning: Computer Games in Education. [Online] https://www.slideshare.net/Microsofteduk/playful-learning-computer-games-in-education [Accessed: 10.3.18]

MagBook (2014) How to Do Everything in Minecraft

06/02/18

eBooks

“An electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or a specifically designed handheld device”, (Oxford University Press, 2018) this is the definition of an eBook, not only is it something that can be read from and interacted with easily but it’s also something that can used to recreate or redesign a book or story. An eBook is a practical and portable way of viewing and sharing information, it’s also more appealing to children as they can personalise it and interactive with it independently. The picture below shows many more links, connections and benefits that come from using eBooks:

• put learning into context
• creativity encouraged
• promotes reading
• benefits in future workplace

eBooks give adults, teachers and children access to a wide range and variety of books that fit their personal preferences and allows them to easily get to grips with a modern piece of digital technology. This is just another way that shows how digital technology impacts our lives and how simple it can be to use.

In 2016 the Scottish Government set up “A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland” with the aim of getting and enabling all teachers, children and adults to them have positive experiences with technology. To help ensure that their aim is achieved the strategy is “structured around four essential and interrelated objectives”:

• “Develop the skills and confidence of educators in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology to support learning and teaching.
• Improve access to digital technology for all learners.
• Ensure that digital technology is a central consideration in all areas of curriculum and assessment delivery.
• Empower leaders of change to drive innovation and investment in digital technology for teaching and learning”.      (Scottish Government, 2016)

To have a chance at having our own positive experience with digital technology we got the opportunity to create our own eBook on an iPad using the app Book Creator. During the session we used the app to retell a story of our choosing, using pictures, videos, sounds and written text to create a multimodal presentation of information that can be easily accessed, used and shared.

While recreating the story book Rapunzel I was able to navigate my way around the app easily, by starting a new book I was able to take pictures or videos to add to the book. I was also able to add text to help tell the story as well as sound clips to different pages. Furthermore I was even able to add a more personalised touch to the book by drawing on different prints, lines and flowers. I found using this app simple and easy to use and would definitely use it in a classroom environment activity, one either teacher lead or an activty that allows the children to independently work or collaborate to create something of their own.

Reference List:

Scottish Government (2016) Enhancing Learning and Teaching Through the Use of Digital Technology, [Online] Available at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/09/9494(Accessed: 8th February 2018).