This week’s lesson has probably been my favourite one so far! Another assessment task week that consisted of using the Book Creator app. I have a Kindle of my own and am a consistent user of Apples own iBooks, therefore, I am very familiar with the term eBook. As they are becoming more and more popular and are the reasoning behind our classic hand-held books becoming less, it is very important that we as student teacher’s grasp the understanding of the resources that are becoming frequently used in classrooms.
As most of us are aware, an eBook is an electronic device that has replaced a printed book which can be read either off of a computer or specifically designed hand-held device, such as a Kindle or Smart Computer (WebWise Team. 2012). The Scottish Government have said that by introducing and using eBooks in classrooms it will allow learners, educators and teachers to take advantage of opportunities that eBooks will provide, specifically to raise attainment, ambition and opportunities for everyone (The Scottish Government.2008). The government have also expressed the use of eBooks and digital learning allow to develop the skills and confidence of teacher’s, along with improving access to digital technology for learners. Digital technology should be a main focus in the curriculum and should drive leaders to invest in teaching using digital technology, according to the government (Scottish Government 2017).
As society is ever changing and growing, schools are adapting to these changes also, so much so, according to the Scottish Government in 2012, almost 20 schools and hundreds of pupils are using a range of digital technology. Six years on from that figure it will be more or less every school in Scotland that are using digital technology, or at least beginning to introduce such technology in classrooms (BBC Education 2012).
Although it easy to understand an adult and educator’s perspective, I believe it is a crucial part in our educating system to understand and listen to the views of our children. A recent study undertaken by the Scottish Government with 93 children, all aged between 8 and 11 years old asked questions on digital technology (Consultation by Children’s Parliament 2016). One section of the study that really shocked me the most was the amount and different types of digital technology these children use. There was technology mentioned that I have never heard of myself before and I would say I am aware of the majority of the popular types of technology. Devices such as ‘LeapPad, Raspberry P1, You View and Notebooks’ (Consultation by Children’s Parliament 2016) were mentioned in the study and I can honestly hold my hands up and say that as a student teacher my pupils would be the ones educating me about the technology. When I further thought about this idea of pupils teaching their teacher’s I suppose it’s not actually too bad an idea as it encourages participation within classrooms and let’s face it, it is the younger generation who will be growing up in a society full of technology.
Our task in today’s lesson was to be able to locate and explore the Book Creator App, which I believe I successfully done. I used a children’s book and took pictures of each page that I thought played an important role in the storyline. For every page, I took a picture of I asked a question about it. For example, the book I chose was about a young boy whose family were always too busy and they couldn’t decide what they wanted to do that day. On the page where he showed his family being too busy, I took a picture of it and on the app, wrote ‘write down five adjectives in the picture’.
Along with this task, in a group we were also asked to take a walk around the university to make an eBook to encourage people to choose UWS as the university of their choice to come to. This was a fun experience as it encouraged us to create a book based on our own opinions. I would incorporate this into classroom learning, perhaps at first level stages and encourage pupils to create their own eBooks, perhaps on ways they could encourage people to come to their Primary School.
The Book Creator App, in my opinion, is a very good resource because for one it allows pupils to use digital technology but it also allows teacher’s to use it in lessons by choosing a specific book and getting pupils to answer questions on it digitally, again, adapting their creativity and thinking skills.
References
WebWise Team. (2012). What is an eBook?. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/about-e-books. Last accessed 7th Feb 2018.
The Scottish Government. (2008). Curriculum for Excellence .Available: http://www.gov.scot/resource/doc/226155/0061245.pdf. Last accessed 8th Feb 2018.
Scottish Government. (2017). ENHANCING LEARNING AND TEACHING THROUGH THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. Available: https://beta.gov.scot/…/enhancing-learning-teaching-through-use-digital-technology/…. Last accessed 9th Feb 2018.
BBC Education. (2012). Education Scotland looks to expand use of tablets computers in schools. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-18081005. Last accessed 10th Feb 2018.
Consultation by Children’s Parliament . (2016). A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland The views of children. Available: http://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/REPORT_digital-learning-consultation_Childrens-Parliament-1.pdf. Last accessed 9th Feb 2018.
