This week our session covered 2 learning intentions. The main focus of today was to create a movie using the I-Movie app on the I-Pad. Our movie was based on e-safety which itself offered a learning opportunity. In society today, children are using social networking more frequently and as future educators we should be able to provide support to keep children safe online. Social networking does not only include sites specifically targeted for social interaction. Many of these sites do have age restrictions but they can easily be manipulated. Gaming consoles also offer the opportunity for users to engage with others from all over the world. It is important not to make children feel that use of such sites should be prohibited but instead educate them on what to do if things do go wrong. If children feel they should not be using a certain site, they may be reluctant to speak to an adult if they have any concerns for fear of losing internet access or being reprimanded.  It can be argued that e-safety should be the responsibility of the child’s care-givers, however some adults may lack confidence with technology. If we can educate children that they always have an adult they can seek support from, we can help keep children safe online (Simpson & Toyn, 2012).

Before we got to grips with making our movie we had the opportunity to watch some tutorials on the features of the I-Movie app. Feeling comfortable with the app and having researched the importance of e-safety we were ready to make our movie. Working in groups, we had the freedom to make our movie however we wished. The group I was working with decided collaboratively to produce a sketch showing the dangers of meeting somebody in person that we had only communicated with online. Following the main character from speaking to someone on a chat to meeting in person, we demonstrated how easy it is for people to hide behind an online persona.  As the app we were using was on an I-Pad, we had the freedom to visit different parts of the campus to film. If this app was being used in a lesson, guidelines should be set as to where children can film to ensure their safety and minimise disruption to others.

 

A lesson such as this covers a wide range of experiences and outcomes from Curriculum for Excellence(Scottish Executive 2004):

• I understand that there are people I can talk to and that there are a number of ways in which I can gain access to practical and emotional support to help me and others in a range of circumstances. HWB 0-03a/1-03a/2-03a/3-03a/4-03a
• I have experienced the energy and excitement of presenting/performing for audiences and being part of an audience for other peoples presentations/performances.   EXA 0-01a/1-01a/2-01z
• I can explore digital technologies and use what I learn to solve problems and share ideas and thoughts, TCH 0-01a
• 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 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/2-20a

Although today we had great fun making our movie we covered learning intentions from across the curriculum including literacy, health and wellbeing, technologies and expressive arts. Using a lesson such as this would keep children motivated and involved but also re-enforces the importance of e-safety. By giving the children the freedom to make their movie on an e-safety issue of their choice it keeps the lesson in line with real life situations. As stated by Beauchamp “Most primary schools will have in place a policy regarding e-safety, but they are likely to reflect official policies and perhaps not the reality of pupils lives”

 

Reference List

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

Scottish Executive (2004) Curriculum for Excellence. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive

Simpson D., Toyn M. (2012) Primary ICT Across the Curriculum. Sage