This weeks Digital Technologies class was focused on mobile devices, this allowed me to explore how mobile devices can enhance learning. At the beginning of the class we had to answer the question ‘should mobile devices be used in education?’ to which we had to post our responses onto a forum on Moodle. This allowed me to read many different articles and reports, which built up my knowledge on this area before going on to create an I AM poem with a partner. Having the opportunity to use Easi-Speak microphones and Talking Tins allowed me to think about what kind of lesson plans I could carry out in the future using these type of devices.
When answering the question ‘should mobile devices be used in education?’ I answered that, in my opinion, mobile devices should be used within education. Children’s Parliament (2016) stated that technology and being online is a normal part of children’s day-to-day lives, therefore I feel as though children should have the opportunity to use technology within schools; this linking both their home and school life. I feel as though mobile devices within the classroom will therefore both support and enhance children’s learning, along with keeping them focused and engaged. Children’s Parliament (2016) also mentions that children would prefer to have technology included within their subjects rather than have separate ‘ICT’ time. As a student teacher, I also think it is important that children get to experience how technology can be used in all areas within the curriculum to help their learning.
As this was my first time using Talking Tins, I enjoyed using it to see how it can play back speech, music and other sounds. I can see from this how children’s listening and language skills could be enhanced through using Talking Tins. I believe Talking Tins would develop children’s confidence massively in learning a new language, for example, when children of all ages are learning new words in French they could speak into the Talking Tins to try and improve pronunciation.
I enjoy playing with and exploring technologies to discover what they can do and how they can help us. – TCH 0-05a.
My partner and I created an I AM poem using PowerPoint, Easi-speak microphones and pictures (link attached below). The I AM poem had sentence starters which we had to complete to a subject of our choice, this providing a wide range of ideas to be thought about and used. We decided to do ours pretending we were an alien by saying things such as ‘I am green and mysterious’ ‘I wonder if people know I exist’ and ‘I hear stars shooting by me’ etc. This was not only just enjoyable to make, but also got us thinking about how fun an activity like this would be to carry out in a class to try and make them guess what it was that was being talked about. The poem had to be recorded into the Easi-Speak microphones also, this providing a sentence of the poem and it being spoke on each part of the PowerPoint. We also included pictures to enhance what was being said and had our background as the sky. I found the Easi-Speak microphones easy to use, however, we had recorded the whole poem and when plugged into the computer we realised that it was too full and none of it had actually recorded. This meant we had to do it all again, from this I have been made aware that when I use them in the future I need to check they aren’t full. I am aware issues sometimes occur when using technology, however in my opinion the advantages fully outweigh the disadvantages and I can’t wait to use Easi-Speak microphones in classrooms in the future! I think that children will enjoy creating poems and stories online as they get to add pictures, sounds and other features to enhance what they are saying; this meaning digital storytelling combines the old with the new (Porter, 2004).
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 regularly select subject, purpose, format and resources to create texts of my choice. – LIT 1-01a / LIT 2-01a
These outcomes both apply to making an I am poem as the poems allow for any topic/idea to be covered as well as enhancing creative writing skills. Therefore, if I was to carry out a lesson like this with children in the future their learning would be enhanced in a range of different subject areas. For example, as my partner and I’s poem talked about an alien, delivering something like this to a class could allow for more lessons to follow on aspects such as space and planets etc.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed using Talking Tins and Easi-Speak microphones and identifying how they can improve confidence and enhance learning has showed me just how important they are within the classroom. Even though I was the learner using these devices for the first time, I quickly started to think about all the huge amount of lessons that could be carried out using them. Therefore, I can’t wait to use them in classrooms in the future!
References:
Children’s Parliament (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland: The Views of Children [Online] Available: http://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/REPORT_digital-learning-consultation_Childrens-Parliament-1.pdf [Accessed: 27 February 2018]
Porter, B. (2004) Digi Tales: The Art of Telling Digital Stories. Bernajean Porter Publication.
