Today within the last class of Digital Technologies we focused on the use of QR codes, as well as the app Pic Collage.  Everything we done was focused around outdoors, this gave me great lesson ideas for the future that will enhance outdoor learning.  I learned about the wide range of benefits outdoor learning has, before we went outside to complete our own treasure hunt that had been set up for us using the QR Reader app.  After this, I was then able to use this app to make my own which could be used for a mathematics lesson.

During today’s class I learned about the advantages outdoor learning has, such as how it provides inclusion. This is because some children are often disregarded in the classroom by other children as their skills and interests may be different to theirs, however, outdoor learning can increase feeling of self-worth as children often become more confident when doing something they are enjoying.  Due to this, they are more likely to be closer with their class peers.  This is backed up by (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010) “…the outdoor environment encourages staff and students to see each other in a different light, building positive relationships and improving self-awareness and understanding of others.”  Outdoor learning also allows children to develop safety skills, this giving them the freedom to understand what risks are, this helping them in all aspects of their life.  It also promotes healthy lifestyles as a lot of physical activity can be done outdoors that may not be possible indoors, such as hill walking (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010).  Learning outdoors also allows children to think critically, this is because they are able to recognise how different curricular areas can be placed outside.  Due to all of the advantages stated above, children’s communication, problem solving skills and confidence working with others is therefore improved.

I fully agree that outdoor learning provides all these advantages, as when we went outdoors today to participate in a treasure hunt, I felt so motivated and ready to complete it; this making me aware just how much children must love taking part in things outside!  There had been a treasure hunt set up for us to complete in groups using the QR Reader App based around Scotland, there were different questions asked such as “How many islands are in Scotland?” to which we had to select the right answer which gave us a letter.  After finding all the sheets of paper around the outside of the university with the codes to scan and get the question from, all the correct answers ended up making the word ‘haggis’ and at the end we had to scan it to make sure we were correct.  I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this activity and I’m also very excited to see how much enjoyment children get out of lessons like this!  Whilst outside we also took pictures on an iPad, and when we were back inside we created a collage on the app Pic Collage.  I have used this app before and think it would be great for children to use as you can add text, stickers, backgrounds and other features with the pictures.  I believe that children would love taking pictures outside, of things such as insects, and then when back indoors making a collage of everything they have explored.  Many lessons within the curriculum could be incorporated into Pic Collage, such as taking children out to take pictures of all the shapes they see, they could then add a collage of all the pictures and add text beside the pictures naming the shape.  This lesson would cover this curricular outcome –  I have explored simple 3D objects and 2D shapes and can identify, name and describe their features using appropriate vocabulary. – MTH 1-16a

In pairs we also discussed how the different aspects within the SHANARRI Wellbeing Wheel can be related to outdoors which are – safe, healthy, active, nurture, achieving, responsible, respect and included (Scottish Government, 2017).  Mine and my partners focus was on respect and we discussed how being outdoors enables children to understand to respect the environment, for example, not littering or walking over flower beds.  During my years at school I only went outdoors during spring and summer, however, when I am a teacher I hope to take children outside to learn in all different weathers.  I feel very strongly about this as I don’t believe it’s beneficial or healthy that children need to stay indoors all week at school.  I know after today how little time it takes to put a lesson together for going outdoors, as I created five numeracy questions on the QR reader app aimed at children in primary one/two which could be made into a treasure hunt outside.  For example, question one asked, what is 8 take away 3?, from this they would select the correct answer which would give them a letter.  After all five questions, they would then have five letters which they would need to put together to make the word ‘maths’.  This activity only took me around fifteen minutes to make and would take about half an hour/forty-five minutes to carry out, therefore even one lesson like this per week would increase children’s enjoyment when learning!  Curriculum for Excellence experience and outcomes that this lesson would fit into are:

I can share ideas with others to develop ways of estimating the answer to a calculation or problem, work out the actual answer, then check my solution by comparing it with the estimate. MNU 1-01a

I can use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division when solving problems, making best use of the mental strategies and written skills I have developed. MNU 1-03

Overall, due to today’s class I now fully appreciate and understand how important outdoor learning is, due to number of benefits it provides children with.  After every class of Digital Technologies I am constantly thinking about the lessons that I could carry out in the future relating to what I have been focusing on, and today is no exception!  The QR Reader and Pic Collage app are great to really grab children’s interests while they are learning.

I’m grateful for all this module has taught me and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning something new in every single class.  I have come a very long way from the first class where I wasn’t even confident using an Apple iMac, whereas now I have learned about a wide range of things ranging from coding, to eBooks, programmable toys and much more!  At the end of today’s class it was highlighted to me how much I have progressed due to this module as I completed the sheet that I had filled in at the very start of the module in January.  In January I rated how unconfident I was with most aspects of technology, however, today I rated that I was confident in everything that we had explored.  At the start of the module I couldn’t fully grasp how different areas of the Curriculum could fit in well with and benefit from the use of technology, however after working with different things such as Bee-bots I now know how fun it is to use them to create mathematics lessons.  Also, apps such as Book Creator are great for literacy lessons, which can be used by children to summarise a story.  Due to my increased knowledge I now feel as though I will be confident when teaching with technology in the future, therefore, I got exactly what I wanted out of this module.

References:

Learning and Teaching Scotland (2010) Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/cfe-through-outdoor-learning.pdf [Accessed 20 March 2018]

Scottish Government (2017) Wellbeing [Online] Available: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/wellbeing [Accessed 20 March 2018]

Today’s lesson was focused on Game-based learning with Minecraft, from this I have been able to identify how Game-based Learning can be used in the classroom, and the huge amount of skills that can be developed from it.  Having had no previous experience of Minecraft I was a bit apprehensive at first, however I thoroughly enjoyed Digital Leaders from a local primary school coming in to show us what they have been working on in school on Minecraft.  After seeing the amazing creations they have made and them explaining how to work it to us, we then went on to making our own.

I believe it is essential for me to be confident when using technology in the future with children, as if I am confident, they will get more from their lessons.  I think it is also very important that I stay up to date with the latest games that could be used within a classroom, as children will be more engaged and interested if they are working with games that they play on at home. (Beauchamp, 2012, p9) states that “…Children spend most of their time on games not found in schools” – From personal experience I believe this is true, however as a student teacher I am going to work to the best of my ability to ensure that the children I am teaching can make strong connections with both their home life and their education; as I believe this is when children work best.  (Ofcom, 2011) state that “86% of 5-7 year old children and 90% of 8-11 year old children using gaming devices regularly”, this also backing up the idea that games are such a big part of children’s lives, therefore, they should be incorporated within all areas of the curriculum when necessary.  After today I am fully aware that games being given to children as a reward is not a positive thing, instead, technology should always be incorporated within the curriculum (Bray, 2012). (Beauchamp, 2012) states that the types of skills that could be developed by ICT games are: strategic thinking, planning communication, application of numbers, negotiating skills, group decision-making and data handling skills.  All of these different skills explain how important it is that games such as Minecraft are used in education, so that children can have “fun whilst learning”, as one of the pupils we were working with today said technology brings.

When the children came in to show us what they had been creating on Minecraft I was shocked at how much time and effort they had put into it to make sure they had covered the smallest details – from windows, to doors, and many other objects.  Along with this and the fact that they do this in their lunch time as a club shows how much the children enjoy using games within their school.  They have recently been working on a Harry Potter theme, which meant all the buildings and objects within it was related to this.  This showed us as student teachers that anything can be incorporated into games such as Minecraft, and the teacher of this class also stated that they have used it for many other things such as class topics and as a stimulus for creative writing.  Below are a few examples of Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences that using games within a classroom fits into:

I can extend and enhance my design skills to solve problems and can construct models. – TCH 2-09a

When I engage with others, I can respond in ways appropriate to my role, show that I value other’s contributions and use these to build on thinking. – LIT 2-02a

I have the opportunity to choose and explore a range of media and technologies to create images and objects, discovering their effects and suitability for specific tasks. – EXA 1-02a

After the children showed us how to work Minecraft, we then tried for ourselves to create something.  In my group we made a room and made it into a book shop, which had a glass top roof, a corner sofa, book shelves and other different objects.  Although it was difficult to work at first due to the position of the screen and squares appearing on the ground when I wanted to get rid of a block, it was more rewarding that anything else! The difficulty did not lead to frustration as we were having that much fun trying to work it out, that we fully turned into the learners while the pupils told us what to do when we needed help.  Not only was this a great experience for us as student teachers, but also for the children for their hard work and skills within this game to be acknowledged.  When working with the children we asked them what they enjoy most about Minecraft and they all stated that it allows them to work together as part of a team, this therefore sets them up for further education and jobs in the future.  I also thought it was a really good idea that at certain times the children got assigned roles, this teaching them leadership skills and motivating them to work the best they can as everyone in the club was working on the same creation/world.

Therefore, todays lesson has showed me that it is also very important for teachers to learn from pupils to be able to communicate with them fully and for everyone’s skill set to be improved upon.  Every week within Digital Technologies my confidence working with technology and games is increasing, due to the hands-on activities we carry out.  Working with children this week was especially beneficial as I loved being taught how to work Minecraft, and they loved teaching us how to work it.  Therefore, it was an extremely beneficial morning for everyone involved.

References:

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

Bray, O. (2012) Playful Learning: Computer Games in Education. [Online] Available: https://www.slideshare.net/Microsofteduk/playful-learning-computer-games-in-education [Accessed: 13 March 2018]

Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes, Ofcom (2001) [Online] Available: https://www.slideshare.net/Microsofteduk/playful-learning-computer-games-in-education [Accessed: 13 March 2018]

Today in Digital Technologies we focused on Game-based Learning, which is when games are used as a stimulus as they often act as a starting point for other activities to follow. In class we started by creating a mind-map to discuss why game-based learning is an effective tool to use in education.  This was very beneficial as it got me thinking of the benefits Game-based Learning has before I created an interdisciplinary plan as part of a group.  The interdisciplinary plan was focused on Mario Kart and we had to create lesson plans in different curricular areas and make links to Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes.

As we created a mind-map at the start of the class on why game-based learning is an effective tool to use in education, we also went back to it at the end and wrote down more on what we had learned throughout the class (picture attached below, pink pen – start/orange pen-end).  At the start of the class we wrote down things such as it is fun, interactive and engaging.  However, by the end of the class our understanding of the benefits Game-based Learning has had been increased massively and we wrote down things such as it has a positive impact on social skills due to children being able to work together, it allows for knowledge to be reinforced, it is stress free and pleasurable and it grabs attention.  I enjoyed creating the mind-map as I find it very rewarding to look back on and see how my understanding has been developed through watching different videos, reading the power point and researching what people such as Marc Prensky say about Game-based Learning.  Along with the benefits we also looked at the challenges Game-based Learning has, such as how it is often difficult to pick a suitable game to carry out.  Game-based Learning can also be seen as time consuming, and some schools may not have the resources or budget to allow it (Learning and Teaching Scotland).  However, after looking at both sides, I fully believe that the advantages outweigh the challenges.

Marc Prensky believes that Game-based Learning makes curricular areas and lessons more motivating and engaging to children (Prensky, 2007). I agree with this fully as during today’s class we had to create a character, using the characters in Mario Kart as inspiration.  Usually I would be apprehensive about drawing but because I knew it was based around a game, I felt more at ease.  Due to this I am excited to plan lessons in the future such as creating characters to feature in a game as it allows for children to use their imagination while learning.

When we started the interdisciplinary plan I became fully aware of the wide range of lessons and curricular areas Game-based Learning fits into.  The curricular areas we focused on were Literacy, Technologies, Numeracy, Expressive Arts and Health and Wellbeing; however, many different lesson plans can be covered for all ages as we had an unlimited amount of ideas just focused around Mario Kart ranging from relatively easy to more difficult.  Game-based Learning being adaptable to all ages is backed up by (Porter, 2004, p.35) when he states “The digital environment provides a unique opportunity to empower people of all ages”.  Some of our ideas were:

During literacy children could write a diary entry based on being in the audience and watching the different races, during this they would need to include adjectives and descriptive words about the setting.  – ‘I can spell the most commonly-used words, using my knowledge of letter patterns and spelling rules and use resources to help me spell tricky or unfamiliar words.’ – LIT 1-21a

The lesson we planned for Technologies was to draw cars and other things included in Mario Kart to create an iStop Motion animation. – ‘I can extend and enhance my design skills to solve problems and can construct models.’ – TCH 2-09a

For numeracy our lesson plan was to give the children a set budget, from this they would have to work out what they can afford to repair a race car and buy to make them go faster etc. – ‘I can manage money, compare costs from different retailers, and determine what I can afford to buy.’ – MNU 2-09a

The Expressive Arts lesson we planned was for the children to create their own cars to stand in by painting and decorating cardboard boxes.  After they have completed their cars they could then preform races in front of their peers.  – ‘I have experienced the energy and excitement of presenting/performing for audiences and being part of an audience for other people’s presentations/performances.’ – EXA 0-01a / EXA 1-01a / EXA 2-01a

This Expressive Arts lesson could then lead onto a Health and Wellbeing lesson as the children could then use their cars to create roads.  This would then be a perfect opportunity to learn children about or reinforce their knowledge on road safety by creating traffic lights, crossings etc. – ‘I know and can demonstrate how to travel safely.’ – HWB 0-18a / HWB 1-18a / HWB 2-18a

After learning about the wide range of benefits Game-based Learning has and how many lessons within the curriculum it fits in, I think that it is essential I am confident in carrying it out to children in future years.  During classes like this my confidence increases as I get to think of lesson plans and also get to enjoy carrying out activities such as creating our own characters, this making me aware that children will too!  I now recognise how important it is that I try my best to keep up to date with the latest games that have been released as I know how quickly children learn to play them, therefore in the future I will hopefully always be aware what games are best to use in certain lessons.  I feel as though this is important so that children’s learning in school is connected with their home life, as they will most likely not enjoy playing games in school that they played years ago at home!

Overall, today’s class made me aware of how important it is to carry out Game-based Learning within the classroom.  This is due to the benefits it has which I mentioned previously, along with the huge amount of lessons that can be created through one game.  I am thankful that this module is increasing my confidence in aspects such as this, as I know how much children will both enjoy and learn from lessons inspired by a game.  Therefore, if I can teach Game-based Learning to the best of my ability in the future then children will get the most out of their lessons that I plan and carry out.

References:

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

Prensky, M. (2007) Digital Game-Based Learning. United States: Paragon House.

Learning and Teaching Scotland. (2010) The impact of console games in the classroom: [Online] Available: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/FUTL25/FUTL25.pdf [Accessed 6 March 2018]

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.

I am poem

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 that 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]

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 like 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 21^st 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!’ which won ‘best script’ at our movie day 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, whilst linking it 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]

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 explored Book Creator, blue pen was written after).  As my understanding has expanded I can now recognise the many different benefits eBooks have, such as how it makes reading fun for children as it is 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 21^st century modern, as the use of technology is ever-growing.  This meaning a connection is made between what children do in their spare time such as play games on iPads etc, with their 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 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, p101) 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, Technologies 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.

Today in Digital Technologies I was introduced to Coding for the first time, during this time we focused directly on Scratch Jr.  I became aware very quickly that coding is an important aspect within children’s learning as it can broaden knowledge and enable very beneficial lessons within a range of different areas, such as Literacy.  The benefits of coding that I am now aware of have allowed me to recognise how important it is, therefore when I am planning lessons in future I will ensure I often use interactive games such as Scratch Jr.

There are many different benefits Coding has within the classroom, such as how it enables children to problem solve.  This would help them in all aspects of life and education, this showing that Coding should not just be used in ICT lessons.  Coding also allows children to communicate effectively, this is because they can convey their own ideas and stories.  As children gain design and creativity skills through coding, they would have the experience and be able to design projects.  Not only does coding allow skills to be developed and shown within school, but it also leads children to successful jobs  “Gaming companies want more programmers. The government wants more high-tech start-ups. Manufacturers want trainees who can design embedded systems” (Naughton, 2011, p2). These benefits show exactly how important coding is within society today.  Scratch Jr is the coding programme that I focused on, which enables children aged five years and over to create their own interactive story.  Scratch Jr has a wide range of different backgrounds, animals, people and objects that can be placed on slides.  All of these different things can be made to move, sing, speak etc.  (The Lead Project, 2014) back up the previously stated benefits mentioned as it is stated how Scratch Jr allows children to “think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively – essential skills for success and happiness in today’s world.”

I would love to deliver my Scratch Jr activity during a Literacy lesson to children in the future as I feel as though they would think about the previous text within it, and from this be able to continue the story.  I would start this lesson by introducing them to the text, which is based on animals, their friends and where they live.  On the end slide instead of introducing another animal I wrote “Where do you think my friends live?” – this would allow children to continue the story, whilst demonstrating their writing skills.  It would also highlight that they have read the story accurately if they are able to keep it flowing like the previous slides, and also not repeat a slide on an animal that has already been discussed.  I think this lesson would be best aimed at children in Primary 2, and before they continue the story I would create a mind-map with them about where different animals live, this allowing them to think about what they are going to write before starting.  The interactive story I created is based around this Curriculum for Excellence outcome – ‘I explore and experiment with the features and functions of computer technology and I can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts’  TCH 1-04a / TCH 2-04a.  This specific Technology outcome highlights that the activity I created not only develops knowledge within technology, but also literacy.  Another outcome which focuses on this is – ‘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.  I feel as though this Literacy outcome fits in perfectly with the Scratch Jr activity I created as the story gives the information and ideas that is needed to be able to finish it.

I am grateful that this module is allowing me to develop my knowledge in areas such as Coding, because otherwise I would have not been confident in teaching a lesson based around Scratch Jr or any other coding programme.  Teachers who are not confident in Coding often need to be trained (Curtis, 2003), therefore I believe my knowledge will have a positive effect on the children I am teaching.  Overall, I learned a lot today, as previously I would have just associated coding with technology lessons, however it fits into many different curricular areas.

References:

Curtis, S. (2013) Teaching our children to code: a quiet revolution. [Moodle Resource] Available: Digital Technologies module on Moodle. [Accessed 30 January 2018]

Naughton, N. (2012) Why all our kids should be taught how to code. [Moodle Resource] Available: Digital Technologies module on Moodle. [Accessed 30 January 2018]

The Lead Project (2014) Super Scratch Programming Adventure: Learn to Program by Making Cool Games! No Starch Press.

Within this week’s class of Digital Technologies we focused on multimodality, through this I gained a great deal of knowledge about the importance of multimodal presentations.  We also worked in pairs to complete an ActivInspire flipchart, the opportunity beforehand of seeing some examples and watching tutorials on how to work it was very beneficial as this was the first time that I had used it.

Although I was first introduced to multimodality in the Literacy module in semester 1, I was glad we got to reiterate our knowledge during the lesson today as I feel as though it is a very important part of teaching.  This is backed up by (Beauchamp, 2012, p100) when he states “The ability of ICT to present ideas in a variety of ways can help to structure new experiences but only if you as the teacher have sufficient understanding on the area yourself.”  Due to this, I am very pleased that my understanding surrounding multimodality has increased significantly.  Multimodal texts include two or more semiotic systems, which include; Linguistic, Visual, Audio, Gestural and Spatial.  As a student teacher I see the true importance of multimodal presentations, as they will captivate, engage and motivate children, this ensuring lessons stay memorable.  This is something that I am very passionate about, as in future years when teaching I always want the children to remember the lessons that I have carried out, this letting me know that they have got the most out of what I have taught them.

Myself and my partner created an ActivInspire flipchart based around Literacy, which covered the Curriculum for Excellence outcome ‘Throughout the writing process, I can check that my writing makes sense”- LIT 1-23a.  I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of this flipchart being child led if it was to be carried out, this meaning the children would learn by doing (Prandstatter, 2014).  Our flipchart had a jungle theme and the animals included could be dragged into the middle of the screen and have an adjective wrote about them.  After this, the last two pages contained lines where all the children would come up individually and write a sentence about the animals and setting, along with including the adjectives that they had wrote.  All the sentences would have to flow to make one story, this meaning children would have to thoroughly check their writing to make sure that what they were saying fitted in well with what others had wrote – this matched with the outcome that we had used perfectly. From creating an ActivInspire flipchart I am now able to identify how much learners benefits from multimodal presentations.

Therefore, I am now aware how important multimodality is within education, and how it can fit into any area within the Curriculum.  I am excited for future placements and years of being a teacher to be able to prepare lessons on resources such as ActivInspire as I feel as though it will captivate all learners through the pictures, sounds, text etc that can be used on it.  From my last placement I identified how much children like to be in control of their learning through seeing their excitement of writing on the smartboard or the whiteboard.   From this I am going to ensure, where appropriate, that a lot of my lessons are child led.

References:

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

Prandstatter, J. (2014) Interactive Displays in Early Years Classes. [Online] Available: http://connectlearningtoday.com/interactive-displays-early-years-classes/ [Accessed 24 January 2017]

Today’s lesson focused around the use of programmable toys used in education, in particular Bee-bots.  From this, I gained knowledge on when programmable toys were first used in education, what the benefits of them are and I also worked as part of a group to create our own numeracy lesson using a Bee-bot.  Throughout this task, we had to think about Curriculum for Excellence outcomes, this gave me good insight into what creating lessons will be like in future years of being a teacher.

I was surprised when I learned that programmable toys were first used in education in the 1960’s when Seymour Papert created Logo.  Logo allows children to participate in complex programming as they can control an arrow which allows them to draw shapes, symbols etc.  Ever since then, the use of programmable toys within education has expanded and children continue to get more out of technology as time goes on.  This is stated by (Janka, 2008, p2) “The curriculum introduces programmable toys as a good example for developing knowledge and understanding of the contemporary world.”  As well as this, programmable toys have numerous amounts of benefits.  As technology such as Bee-bots allow children to see if they are correct or incorrect quickly, they can gain instant feedback.  Through this, the children are always in control and learning hands on, this allowing time for them to engage and get the most out of their learning.  Children are often able to pick up how to work them quickly, this is backed up by (Lydon, 2008) as she introduced twenty-eight nursery children to Bee-bots and twelve were able to use them themselves without any further help after only being told how to use them once.  This shows the active engagement children have with independent learning and how much they appreciate a challenge through using programmable toys for the first time.

After working in a group using Bee-bots, I am aware how engaging and active learning with programmable toys is as I loved creating a game using them.  From this, I can understand why children get so many benefits out of using them and how much of an important role they play within the curriculum.  My group created a numeracy game with the Bee-bots, in which compass bearings and the three times tables were used.  We made it fun by giving it a treasure hunt theme, in which there was different obstacles to get through on a boat such as sea creatures, anchors, coins etc.  The start box had the question “3×1”, from this, there was a card with 3 on it which gave the direction to go in to get to the next question.  Eventually, the right answers led to a key, which enabled the treasure hunt box on the last square to be opened.  We even gave the Bee-bot an eyepatch to match with the theme! This learning game which could be used in future years as a lesson fits in with this Curriculum for Excellence outcome – TCH-101a ‘I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.’  We choose this outcome as the game we created allows the opportunity for mathematical skills as a whole to be improved, through working on times table and direction skills.  Therefore, if children were to ever engage with this, they would be able to take what they have learned into maths lessons and the outside world.  Due to this, this curricular outcome would also fit into a lesson like this – ‘Having determined which calculations are needed, I can solve problems involving whole numbers using a range of methods, sharing my approaches and solutions with others.’ – MNU 2-03a.

Overall, this class enabled me to recognise the importance of programmable toys and although they were first introduced in the 1960’s within education, as time goes on they are getting more engaging and allow children to be creative and learn hands on.  I thoroughly enjoyed creating my own learning game with my group and it has made me even more excited to become a teacher and plan lessons to see how much children learn and get satisfaction out of using technology.

References:

ICTopus Article (2008) Sharing Good Practice: Robots in Early Education by Alison Lydon. [Online] Available: https://oponoa-programmeertalen.wikispaces.com/file/view/BeeBot article.pdf [Accessed: 17 January 2018]

Janka, P. (2008) Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How? [Online] Available: http://www.terecop.eu/downloads/simbar2008/pekarova.pdf [Accessed: 17 January 2018]