Monthly Archives: February 2018

Digital Technologies Week 8 – 27.2.18

Digital Techologies

Mobile devices are becoming a prominent feature in the majority of households in today’s society. The discussion in our class today was whether mobile devices should be used in the classroom and what benefits they bring to learning. We also explored the talking tins and the easi speak microphones and how they can be used in the classroom. The aim of today was to create an ‘I am’ poem using the voice recordings from the easi speak microphones, and then create a powerpoint with those recordings and images.

Technology is playing a central role in the classroom, not just in ICT, but in English, Maths and Science. According to the Telegraph (2014), four in ten households have a tablet, so children are computer literate before going to school.  Mobile devices have many benefits in the classroom. Technology can retain the children’s attention for a longer period of time than the traditional way of teaching. It keeps them engaged because it’s something that they are familiar with outside of school. According to Teaching Times (2018), only a quarter of schools believe they only use it for entertainment. However, it has other benefits not only for children but for teachers too. For example, in maths children can submit their answers straight away and find out the answers instantly. This is a faster way of learning. Teachers are also able to look at the children’s answers and can easily note down their marks.   Parent/carers are often trying to get children to stop playing on their mobile devices for too long. Some children agreed that if they played it for too long it would make them tired or frustrated, but on the other hand some children find it relaxing and calming (Children’s Parliament, 2006). Technology is also useful as an additional support tool if the teacher is busy with other children. They can be left on their own and this would increase their independence. For example, they could use mobile devices to clarify the spellings of words, or play educational games to enhance learning if they had completed all of their tasks. (Children’s Parliament, 2006). Personally, I think mobile devices are a great resource for the classroom if they are used effectively.

Technology is growing at a rapid pace and it is important to keep up to date with it. However, there are some teachers that are not confident with using mobile devices. This is mainly because there is little support being given to teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum (Telegraph, 2o15).  In my opinion, if teachers had additional support or even attended an ICT class, it would have a positive impact on the pupils’ learning in the classroom. Teachers who are not as confident must also be aware that their uncertainty towards technology can also have a negative impact on the pupils. They must not pass on the fear they have.   Using technology in schools also allows children to make use of their devices to enhance their learning.

Although there are many advantages of mobile devices, there are also disadvantages of using them in the classroom.  Technology is very expensive and according to the Telegraph (2015), technology in schools in England is costing around £623 million per year. This means that many schools may not the same access to mobile devices that other schools have. In addition to this, most mobile devices will need Wi-Fi to set up the applications and devices, and schools have reported that they are under resourced in Wi-Fi. This makes it difficult for children and teachers to get online to use the technology facilities such as educational websites. Despite the negatives, I think there are far more many advantages when it comes to using mobile devices.

The Experiences and Outcomes for using mobile devices:

“I can extend and enhance my knowledge of digital technologies to collect, analyse ideas, relevant information and organise these in an appropriate way.” TCH 2-01a

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

“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

(Education Scotland, 2016)

We must keep up to date with the ever changing technology, as children are now fast becoming more intuitive when it comes to technology in today’s society. It’s essential that as teachers that we keep up to date with technology. I think as a student teacher is it vital to use mobile devices in the classroom. It can enhance learning and keep children engaged in lessons.  Therefore, they are more likely to enjoy and take more information from a lesson.

 

Powerpoint – easi speak microphone 

 

References

Children’s Parliament (2006) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland: The Vies of Children. [Online] Available: http://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/REPORT_digital-learning-consultation_Childrens-Parliament-1.pdf  [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Education Scotland (2016) Curriculum for Excellence: Technologies Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Teaching Times (2018) Games Consoles Benefit Children’s Education. [Online] Available: http://www.teachingtimes.com/articles/games-consoles-education.htm [Accessed : 28th February 2018]

Telegraph (2014) Digital Learning: How Technology is Reshaping Teaching [Online] Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11051228/Digital-learning-how-technology-is-reshaping-teaching.html [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Telegraph (2015) Classroom Technology Barely Used By Half of Teachers [Online]Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/12013650/Classroom-technology-barely-used-by-half-of-teachers.html [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Digital Technologies Week 7 – 20.2.18

2.1 Curriculum, Digital Techologies, Literacy

This week in Digital Technologies, we learned about animation by using the applications, Puppet Pals and iStop Motion. Firstly, we looked at Puppet Pals on the iPad. As a pair, we had to create a fairy tale story using the Puppet Pals application. Personally, it took a little while to familiarise myself with how to change the scene and move the characters in and out of a different scene. Although, once I was familiar with the concept of it, I thought it was a really useful tool, as children can talk and record the story whilst moving the characters. It was really effective. It would be something I would use in my classroom.

iStop motion was the other animated application we looked at today. I also found this slightly tricky to use at first but after playing around with it for five or ten minutes it became fairly straight forward to use. Jarvis (2005) suggests that “Animation involves the stringing together a sequence of static images, generally so that they appear to move.” We used lego to create a space story, using only music and pictures. By combining these together it created an animated video. The only drawback is that it is very time consuming.

However, animation has a “big visual impact” (Jarvis, 2005). Using cut out animation is the easiest technique to begin with. “Animation breathes life into something that would not normally move (Moving Image Education). There are five main types of animation according to Moving Image Education : Cut out which is the quickest and easiest; iStop motion for example using plasticine models; pixilation where humans become puppets; drawings for example the Disney animation; and computer such as games and movie. Animation can be used to enhance learning. Bertrancourt (2005) suggests that there are three easy that animation can do this. It can enhance the learners’ visual representation, it illustrates information processes and it can provide an interactive element. I think animation should be used in classrooms as it has many benefits to a child’s learning. Technology is changing at a rapid pace in today’s society, and Beauchamp (2012, p 66) feels that “ICT equipment is part of pupils’ everyday life, so should be part of their everyday play.” I think this is vital for children as technology will keep them interested in their task as it is something they use everyday. ICT allows children to create things that they would not be able to achieve in any other way. e-Inclusion also uses digital technologies to help children with learning difficulties and minimises the problems they face with this. In addition to this, teachers must be confident with using digital technologies. As technology grows teachers may be worried by new technologies so it is important that they do not pass this onto young children, as they should be exploring these new technologies (Beauchamp, 2012).

Experiences & outcomes for animation:

“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  (Education Scotland, 2016)

“I can use a range of graphic techniques, manually and digitally, to communicate ideas, concepts or products, experimenting with the use of shape, colour and texture to enhance my work.” TCH 2-11a  (Education Scotland, 2016)

“I enjoy exploring events and characters in stories and other texts, sharing my thoughts in different ways.” LIT 0-01c (Education Scotland, 2004)

“I enjoy creating texts of my choice and I regularly select subject, purpose, format and resources to suit the needs of my audience.” LIT 1-20a / LIT 2-20a    (Education Scotland, 2004)

 

Overall, I enjoyed using Puppet Pals and iStop Motion on the iPads to create stories. I think it is a very beneficial tool for the classroom. However, iStop Motion is very time consuming so this is something that as a teacher I would have to be mindful of when creating a task. It is something I would use often in the classroom even though I think it is a fun and useful application.

 

 

 

References

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

Education Scotland (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy and English. Experience and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-across-learning-eo.pdf [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

Education Scotland (2016) Curriculum for Excellence: Technologies Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

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

›Moving Image Education. [Online] Available:  https://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [Accessed: 28th February 2018]

 

 

 

 

Digital Technologies Week 6 – 13.2.18

2.1 Curriculum, Digital Techologies, Literacy

In our Digital Technologies class today, we learned about the importance of internet safety. It is a pressing issue within society and children must be made aware of these issues and know what to do if something goes wrong. It is vital that children know who they are talking with on the internet and the dangers of the internet.

The aim of today was to create a story through iMovie, sending a message of online safety. According to Beauchamp (2012) “the key idea [is] that e-safety is not about restricting children, but about educating them.” It is vital that children can approach their parents/teachers/carers with any issues that arise around the internet. In society today, the internet plays a prominent role in children’s lives, therefore it is important that if they use the internet that they be safe whilst online. The most successful schools will ensure that pupils know what to do when things go wrong (Beauchamp, 2012).

iMovie is a great application for children to create digital stories. Porter (2004) suggests that digital storytelling begins with the notion of sharing a story digitally through  imagery, text, sound, voice, music, video and animation.  This will be the principle hobby of the people in the world today.  I think digital applications such as iMovie are great for children’s imagination. It allows them to create whatever they want in whichever way they want to.  Literacy skills, practical skills and communication skills  can be improved by using Digital Technology. “The digital environment provides a unique opportunity to empower people of all ages to manipulate, combine and distribute their self-expressions as living stories that can be sent into the world and through time (Porter, 2004, p 35).

For our assessment, we created a trailer based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. In our trailer Little Red Riding Hood was texting who she thought was her Gran. However, it was actually the big, bad Wolf. Little Red Riding Hood was not aware of this and continued to text the Wolf and they agreed to meet. She then realised it was not her Gran she was texting all along.  In this case, Gran’s phone had been stolen and someone else was pretending to be her.  This conveys that not everyone you speak to online is who they say they are. At the end of the trailer, there is advice on what children should do if someone they do not know is contacting them. They should speak to their parent/guardian/carer, visit the CEOP or childline website for advice.

Digital technology is a great tool and can be very useful in helping with literacy, numeracy, and health and wellbeing. The Scottish Government (2015) go further and state that there is indicative evidence that the same can be said for some aspects of literacy, especially writing and comprehension. Digital technologies appear to be the appropriate means to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills, especially in primary settings. However, it is important to acknowledge that things can go wrong online. As teachers, we must be a role model for children and ensure we gain children’s trust so that they are able to come to us if something does go wrong.

Overall, I think iMovie was another great tool that can be used in the classroom. It allows children to be creative by creating stories on the iPad. It is a different from the traditional pen and paper for writing a story, however it can be just as effective. They can use video recording, pictures and add sound effects and also add props and dress up for it too.  It gives them the opportunity to act out a story and create their own dialogue. It’s literacy in the modern way. This would give them the inspiration to create their story then write it down, as they created it themselves. I would definitely use this in my classroom as I think it would be very effective. It also covers the health and well-being topic to ensure children stay safe online.

 

The Curriculum of Excellence experience and outcomes for this subject:

“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  (Education Scotland, 2016)

“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  (Education Scotland, 2016)

As I play and learn, I enjoy exploring interesting materials for writing and different ways of recording my experiences and feelings, ideas and information. LIT 0-21a  (Education Scotland, 2004)

 

Videos & Pictures

 

References

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

Education Scotland (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy and English Experiences & Outcomes [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-english-eo.pdf [Accessed: 13th February 2018]

Education Scotland (2016) Curriculum for Excellence: Technologies Experiences & Outcomes [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf [Accessed: 13th February 2018]

›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: 13th February 2018]

 

 

 

 

Digital Technologies Week 5 – 6.2.18

2.1 Curriculum, Digital Techologies, Literacy

In our fifth week of Digital Technologies, we learned how to use the application Book Creator on the iPads and the benefits of using an eBook for children and educators. Today we had to complete an assessment where we had to create two eBooks. The first one we created was Life as a Student at UWS. The second eBook was to create the summary of a well-known children’s book. I thought it would be a very challenging assessment as I had never used the eBook application before.

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” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). Book Creator is an easy way of making your own eBooks through an application on the iPad. It is a very useful tool that can make different books such as, children’s picture books, comic books, textbooks and many more. There are many benefits of using eBooks. According to Beauchamp (2012, p81) “eBooks use many modes of communication which includes visual representation, sound, movement, gesture and language.” It is a great way of communication with others as it has various tools available. Moreover, it can also provide personalisation. By allowing pupils to write down their thoughts and feelings in a variety of ways. For example, they can write, record sound and video, draw, and even combine them together. This depends on their age and ability (Beauchamp, 2012, p101). Ebooks are considered to be multimodal as they combine two or more semiotic systems. Altogether there are five semiotic systems which are linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spatial. By using eBooks this covers all of these semiotic systems. Another advantage of an eBook is “being small and highly portable with very small power requirements, eBook readers and tablets work in a tremendous range of environments” (Jarvis, 2005, p146-7). This is especially useful for children as they can take their device outside the classroom and use it to take pictures or record videos or sound. This is something I can relate to as I went around the UWS campus taking pictures, videos and sounds whilst creating our eBook. According to Education Scotland (2009), when planning for learning in any curriculum area it is important for practitioners to make sure that children have access and encounter a wide range of texts of different types, in different media. Examples of texts are novels, short stories, poems, CVs, letters, emails, graphs, timetables, films, games, reviews, text messages and so much more.

The Experience and Outcomes for this task  are:

TCH 1-01a “I can explore no experiment with digital technologies no can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.”  (Education Scotland, 2016)

TCH 0-11a ” I explore and discover different ways of representing ideas in imaginative ways.”

(Education Scotland, 2016)

LIT 0-21b ” As I play and learn, I enjoy exploring interesting materials for writing and different ways f recording my experiences and feelings, ideas and information”     (Education Scotland, 2004)

 

Overall, I think that eBooks have many advantages in the classroom and are very useful for developing literacy skills as well their technology skills. Book Creator is a very flexible, easy tool to use and is easily accessible. Book Creator allows children to use their imagination and record their ideas and thoughts. EBooks can also be used as a teaching tool and therefore children can be left to follow instructions on their own. This can improve their problem solving skills. This is also useful for the educator as one group could be working on the eBook whilst the teacher focuses on another group.  I would definitely use this tool in the classroom. I found the assessment task challenging today as there was a lot to do in the time we had but I enjoyed the challenge and learned something new that I could use in a classroom.

 

References

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

Education Scotland (2009) Building the Curriculum 4. [Online] Available: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/Doc/288517/0088239.pdf [Accessed: 6th February 2018].

Education Scotand (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy and English. Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-english-eo.pdf  [Accessed 6th February 2018].

Education Scotand (2016) Curriculum for Excellence: Technologies. Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available:  https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf  [Accessed: 6th February 2018].

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

OxFord Dictioary (2018) [Online] Available: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/e-book  [Accessed: 6th February].