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]
