Monthly Archives: January 2018

Digital Technologies Week 4 – 30.1.18

2.1 Curriculum, Digital Techologies, Literacy

In our fourth week of Digital Technologies, we looked at the concept of coding using the Scratch Jr application. Scratch Jr is an introductory programming language that allows children aged 5 and up to be creative and interactive by creating their own stories and games. Children can add programming blocks together to make characters move, sing and talk (ScratchJr, 2017).

When children create programs, it allows them to develop their creative thinking skills, logical reasoning skills, problem solving skills and their collaboration skills (Scratch Jr, 2017). “Scratch was developed for young people to help them develop creative learning skills for the 21st century” (Scratch, 2017). According to The Lead Project (2014), “Scratch is designed for exploration and experimentation, so it supports any different learning style.” It can help support teachers in many different subjects such as maths, literacy, art, music and information technology (The Lead Project, 2014). The ability to code computer programs is a vital part of literacy in society today. Some people believe that coding is the new literacy. Coding can aid people in learning important strategies for problem solving, the communicating  ideas and designing projects (The Lead Project, 2014).

The aim of today was to complete an assessment by creating our own adventure story using Scratch Jr on the iPads. Initially I thought it would be a challenging task. However, after following the activity card instructions on how to move characters, change the backgrounds and add speech, it became easier to do. My activity started off with an under the sea theme with animals that live under the sea. I started off the story with a fish looking for his friend and the task for the children would be to write about what they think will happen next. As a teacher, I would also ask them about the animals that are in the story and what other animals could live under the sea. In addition to this, I would also ask questions about how the characters are feeling throughout the story and how that made them feel. This would give children ideas for writing their part of the story and open up their imagination, whilst also learning about animals that live under water.

 

The Experiences and Outcomes that are covered within this activity are:

“I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways.” TCH 1-04b/2-04b, (Education Scotland, 2016)

“I enjoy  exploring events and characters I 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 0-31a,   (Education Scotland, 2004)

 

Codeacademy is another website that provides various coding languages. It can be easily accessed at school and at home. This means that children can log into the browser at school, log their progress and pick up where they left off. They would also be able to use this resource to set homework, do quizzes and play games.  In addition to this, teachers can use lesson plans for all levels throughout school and is an effective way of checking homework (Telegraph,2014). The ability to code computer programs is a vital part of literacy in society today. Some people believe that coding is the new literacy. Coding can aid in learning important strategies for problem solving, communication of ideas and designing projects (TESL-EJ, 2017).

Today was my first experience of coding, and I thought it would be really complex and difficult to understand. However, it turned out to be simple and straight forward as I followed the instruction cards. As a student teacher, I would use Scratch Jr in my classroom as it has many benefits for the children, and also for me as an educator.  It  would increase and improve the children’s imagination skills,  literacy and numeracy skills, problem solving skills, and logical skills. In addition to this, Scratch Jr can be tailored to any subject which is very useful and effective as a teacher.  As individuals we must keep up with the digital technology that is readily available to us. In education, we should use this to our advantage to ensure that children grow up understanding how to use technology surrounding them and not be afraid to use it. Overall, Scratch Jr is easy to use, is readily available on the internet browser and is free to use. It is an effective resource for the classroom.

 

References

Education Scotland (2004) Curriculum for Excellence : Literacy and English. Experiences and Outcomes.  [Online] Available:  https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-english-eo.pdf [Accessed : 30th January 2018]

Education Scotland (2016) Curriculum for Excellence : Technologies. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf [Accessed : 30th January 2018]

Scratch (2017). [Online] Available: https://scratch.mit.edu/ [Accessed: 30th January 2018]

Scratch Jr (2017). [Online] Available:  https://www.scratchjr.org/teach/activities  [Accessed:30th January 2018]

Telegraph (2014) Teaching our children to code: a quiet revolution [Online] Available:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10410036/Teac…[Accessed: 30th January 2018]

TESL-EJ (2017) [Online] Available:  http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume21/ej82/ej82int/ [Accessed : 30th January 2018]

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

 

Digital Technologies Week 3 – 23.1.18

2.1 Curriculum, Digital Techologies, Mathematics

In our third week of Digital Technologies, we looked at the definition of a multimodal text to create multimodal presentations through the program ActivInspire. A multimodal text is the combination of two or more semiotic systems. In total there are five semiotic systems in total and they are: linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spatial. Beauchamp (2012, p.8) states that “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.” I think that the use of multimodal texts are vital in the classroom as it allows children to be interactive and is a fun way of learning. Using multimodal presentations can be captivating, engaging and motivating. However, I think the most important reason to use multimodal presentations is that it should be memorable for children. It is beneficial for teachers as it helps bring a lesson to life by using the IWB which encourages interaction. Although, as a teacher it is important that we have an understanding of the programmes we are using (Beauchamp, 2012, p100).

Today we looked at support videos of how to use ActivInspire and its features. The aim of today was to create an ActivInspire slide with a partner by using a variety of tools. The focus of our activity was to learn how to tell the time, identify when/where we use time and also the different ways of telling the time. We would encourage children to write on the IWB where they see the time and when we use it. Then we would introduce how to tell the time using the 12 hour clock and we would then explain that this is an analogue clock. As part of our slide, we had an analogue clock where the hands could move. We would then move onto a slide with the 24 hour time using the digital clock which we could also move. I think this is a great tool for children as they are able to physically change the time themselves. This would be interactive and stimulating for children as they are doing the work. Our activity was targeted mainly at 1st level.

ActivInspire was something I had never used before. At first I thought it was tricky to use but after using it for a while I became familiar with the features and how they could support teachers on a wide variety of topics. This tool is very beneficial for children as they can physically change some of the features on there which enables them to be interactive. It is also a fun way of learning and its important that children are enjoying the lesson as they will gain more information from it. If I had more practise on ActivInspire, it is something I would like to use in my classroom as a future teacher.

 

Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes:

I can tell the time using 12 hour clocks realising there is a link with 24 hour notation, explain how it impacts on my daily routine and ensure that I am organised and ready for events throughout my day.” MNU 1-10a

(Education Scotland, 2004)

 

References

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

Education Scotland (2004). Curriculum for Excellence: Numeracy and Mathematics. Experience and Outcomes. [Online] Available : https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed: 23rd January 2018]

 

 

 

 

 

Digital Technologies Week 2 – 16.1.18

2.1 Curriculum, Digital Techologies

In week 2 of Digital Technologies, we were looked at the concept of programmable toys and in particular we focused on the Bee-Bot. I had some knowledge of the Bee-Bot from when we previously looked at it in semester 1 in our Literacy for Understanding unit. The purpose of today’s assessment task was to create a theme and make links to numeracy using the Bee-Bot. In addition to this, we also had to consider the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes that would relate to our task. I was excited at the prospect of creating an activity using the Bee-Bot. Before we started creating our activity, we watched some support videos to convey how children were responding to the Bee-Bot and how it can be tailored to suit any age through primary school. In our group, we came up with a game where we had a board with squares which were numbered from 1-12. We created flashcards with various addition and subtraction questions which were worded differently. These were split into two categories. One category had questions that were basic questions, which  were worth one point. The other category had slightly harder questions for children who were more able and they were worth two points each.  The aim of the game is to answer the questions and move the Bee-Bot to the correct position by programming it. The person who reaches a total of 5 points first wins the game. This activity was tailored to the needs of the early level. However, by changing the questions on the flashcards, it could be used for first and second level too. It is a great activity that is easily adaptable to the topic as well as the age range.  I found the use of the Bee-Bot quite effective and is something I will keep in mind for my teaching career.

There are many benefits of using the Bee-Bot in the classroom. According to Lydon (2008), children are interacting with technology every day and she discovered  that nursery children have improved their problem solving, literacy, numeracy and thinking skills whilst using programmable toys. The Bee-Bot is said to increase concentration levels, the  attention span of children and can enhance their engagement in the activity (Lydon, 2008). Another benefit of the Bee-Bot is that children gain independence. Lydon (2008,p.2) claimed that “twelve children out of twenty-eight were able to use the Bee-Bot without any adult help after the initial instructions.”  The children are able to quickly and intuitively work out how the Bee-Bot works and this is a useful tool for them. It is very simple and effective. Janka (2008)  states that “the curriculum introduces programmable toys as a good example for developing knowledge and understanding of the contemporary world.” In addition to this, the Bee-Bot can also  improve other areas of the Curriculum including social science subjects such as history, geography, science and religious education (Janka,2008). I think it is a useful resource and can be tailored to suit all subjects and all ages.  The National Centre for Technology (2012, p.1)  also states that “[Floor robots in the classroom] help with the development of skills such as a logical sequencing, measuring, comparing lengths, space orientation, and expressing concepts in words.”

Links to Curriculum for Excellence:

“I use practical materials and can ‘count on and back’ to help me to understand addition and subtraction, recording my ideas and solutions in different ways.” MNU 0-03a

“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 1-03a  (Education Scotland, 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 can develop a sequence of instructions and run them using programmable devices or equivalent.” TCH 0-15a

(Education Scotland, 2016)

 

Overall, many professionals agree that programmable toys definitely have a positive impact on the child’s learning. After trialling out our Bee-Bot activity today, I can understand and visualise how effective this would be in classrooms. Technology is advancing in our society and I think it is vital as a teacher, that we keep up with technology and use it to our advantage.  Programmable toys cover various experiences and outcomes in the Curriculum for Excellence and is an excellent resource for teachers.

 

 

 

References

Education Scotland (2004). Curriculum for Excellence: Numeracy and Mathematics. Experience and Outcomes. [Online] Available:  https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed: 16th January 2018]

Education Scotland (2016) Curriculum for Excellence: Technologies. Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf [Accessed: 16th January 2018]

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: 16th 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  [Access: 16th January 2018]

NCTE (National centre for Technology in Education) (2012) NCTE Floor Robots – Focus on Literacy & Numeracy. [Online] Available: http://www.ncte.ie/media/NCTE_Floor_robots_focus_on_literacy_numeracy_primary_12-06.pdf [Accessed: 16th January 2018]

 

 

Digital Technologies Week 1- 9.1.18

Digital Techologies

During my first class of Digital Technologies, we found out the definition of Digital Technology and the benefits it has for children in our education system. I will go on to discuss these benefits within my blog and explain what I learned and reflected on in my first session.

Digital technology is defined as a term used to describe those digital applications, services and resources which are used to find, analyse, create, communicate and to use information in a digital context.  According to the Scottish Government (2016), there are four objectives to be successful in digital technology, teaching and assessment which are: developing  the skills of our 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 the curriculum and assessment delivery and to empower leaders of change to drive innovation and investment in digital technology for learning and teaching.  I have learned that digital technology has many benefits that bring positive impacts to a child’s learning which has a massive impact on education. There has been indicative evidence which shows that digital technologies can help close the attainment gap in education (Scottish Government 2016).  It can also  help children with Additional Support Needs and it can help maintain interest in various subjects. For example if a child is under achieving in a particular subject , the use of technology can improve their skills in that subject which increases their confidence. In addition to this, it can create  digital skills that prepare children for the transition into  employment.  Many jobs now require the use of digital technology, so it is vital that they have these skills which will create more career opportunities for them. It also gives them the opportunity to be creative in a way that could not happen without it (Beauchamp, 2012). There are also benefits for teachers, parents and carers too. Teachers can have access to a range of career-long learning experiences. They can share those experiences, information with other teachers  and there are opportunities there to support the professional development of teachers. I think it is great that teachers and children can have access to various areas of digital technology. It is also useful for carers/parents as it allows them to be able to communicate easily with their child’s school to keep up to date with their learning.  In addition to this, I explored Glow and found out that it has many beneficial and useful applications such as Yammer, Glow TV and Glow Meet. We can share experiences and speak with each other from the comfort of our homes. I feel that this will be beneficial throughout my degree at University and also my teaching career.  Moreover,  I also reflected on what I am competent and confident in with regards to digital technology. I realised that I  know a lot of the basics such as MS Word and Excel, however I found out that I do not know anything about programming or coding and the devices used for them. However, I am keen to develop these areas and learn more about them, as I think it would be great resources for the classroom.

Overall, I have learned that digital technology has many benefits, not only for children but for teachers, parents and carers too. It plays an important role in society and by having digital technology in schools it prepares children for their future career. On reflection, I realised that although I know the basics about digital technology, there are still so many applications and programmes out there that I have never experienced before. Glow is also another tool that has many uses for everyone , which I was not aware of.  However, throughout this module I hope to increase that knowledge and hope to use it further in my career.

 

References

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

Scottish Government (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government [Online] Available :   http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00505855.pdf [Accessed: 9th January 2018]