March 24, 2018
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Digital Technologies, 13 March, Games Based Learning

This week, we revisited games based learning but this time focusing on the game Minecraft as a stimulus for learning. “Minecraft is a world wide phenomenon. Since it was first released in 2011, its been taken to the heart of thousands of gamers” (How to do Everything in Minecraft, 2014, Magbook). As a parent of primary school aged children, I understood how popular Minecraft was in a social setting for children but never imagined it could be used within the classroom. As Ofcom states “gaming is hugely popular in the UK with almost 86% of 5-7 year old children and 90% of 8-11 year old children using game devices regularly”. If we can incorporate some of the games that children are using at home into their learning, we can make strong links between home and school life.

As I have had experience of watching my own children using Minecraft, I naively thought that I would be able to play the game with ease. We were directed towards some online tutorials for the game and I quickly realised that there is so much more to this game than I thought. It is important to remember that if used in the classroom it is the teachers knowledge of how to incorporate the game into learning that is crucial rather than their own personal knowledge of playing the game. This is confirmed by Beauchamp who states “Achieving particular educational objectives through the use of the game was more dependent upon a teacher’s knowledge of the curriculum with which they were working than it was on their ability with the game.”

Today we were visited by a group of pupils and their teacher from a nearby primary school to tell us how they incorporate the use of Minecraft into their learning. The children came equipped with IPads that had Minecraft installed. For the first part of our session with the children, they showed us how to play the game. I was amazed at how quickly the children can build their own communities in this game. A lot of thought and planning goes into each section they want to build. The children we were working with could do this instantly! For the second part of the session the Ipads were handed over to us and the children became the teacher. It was clear to see the children’s frustration when we couldn’t grasp simple instructions but they did a great job of teaching us how to create worlds within minecraft!

Having the opportunity to speak to the teacher, she explained some of the areas that Minecraft is used in the classroom. An example would be to use it as a stimulus in topic work. This can be anything from Titanic to the Ancient Egyptians. Children can use Minecraft to build a world based on this era, either individually or working as a group. This could then be followed up with a literacy lesson with the children writing a story based on their Minecraft creation. Children could also present to the class showcasing their Minecraft world. A lesson like this would cover the following Expectations and Outcomes for Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Government 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/LIT2-20a
I can convey information, describe events, explain processes or combine ideas in different ways LIT 2-28a
When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can:
- share information, experiences and opinions
- explain processes and ideas
- identify issues raised and summarise main points or findings
- clarify points by asking questions or by asking others to say more LIT 2-09a
I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways. TCH 1-04b/TCH 2-04b

There are many reasons for using games based learning in the classroom and it is something that I will certainly use in my future career. By using games as a stimulus it can instil confidence into the child who normally lacks confidence when faced with a literacy task. The same can be said for presentations. As an adult I feel much more confident when presenting information that I am confident with. If we can use a game that a child is confident with as a foundation for their presentation they will show their enthusiasm when conveying information to others. This week has again opened my eyes to games based learning. Rather than being used to fill gaps in a day or to reward children it can be used as a solid stimulus for learning.

REFERENCE LIST

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

Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes, Ofcom (2001). [Online] Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/Microsofteduk/playful-learning-computer-games-in-education [Accessed:] 24th March 2018

MagBook (2014) How to Do Everything in Minecraft

Pixabay.com. (2018). Free Images – Pixabay. [Online] Available at: https://pixabay.com [Accessed]: 08 April 2018

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

March 12, 2018
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Digital Technologies, 05 March, Games based Learning

This week we were learning about the advantages of game based learning in the classroom. Whilst digital games based learning is relatively new thanks to the advent of personal computing in the 1980’s and the internet in the 1990’s, the link between learning and playing predates the digital era by thousands of years. Theorists Jean Piaget and Leonard Vygotsky have also argued “that play is a crucial component of cognitive development from birth through to childhood “(Higher Education Academy Website). Game based learning has been defined by Mathew Farber as “students are provided with a gameful learning experience driven by play”. So what are the benefits of games based learning? Benefits can be listed as:

Increased Motivitation
Grab Attention
Recall of Information
Reinforce knowledge
Stress free and pleasurable

To test our own knowledge of the benefits of games based learning, working in groups we created a mind map listing benefits that we thought would be appropriate:

One of the benefits we agreed on was that games based learning could be used for interdisciplinary learning. This was confirmed when we learned about a lesson that had been conducted using a Nintendo Wii and the game Rockband. At the beginning of the lesson, pupils had the chance to play the game where they were part of a rockband. Using this as a stimulus pupils were asked to:

Design a poster for their band/concert – translate into different languages appropriate for audience
Plan a world tour for the band – looking at different travel options
Generate tickets prices for the concert ensuring a profit was made
Write a report on their experiences

Using this as a lesson would cover many experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence:

I can use the terms profit and loss in buying and selling activities and can make simple calculations for this. MNU 2-09c
Having explored the ways journeys can be made, I can consider the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of transport, discussing their impact on the environment. SOC 2-09a
I use the support of others and access appropriate reference materials of my choice to help me plan my writing in ways that engage my reader, using ICT when appropriate. MLAN 2-12a / MLAN 3-12a / MLAN 4-12a
By considering the type of text I am creating, I can select ideas and relevant information, organise these in an appropriate way for my purpose and use suitable vocabulary for my audience. LIT 2-26a

Having looked at a lesson that had already been delivered and the areas of the curriculum covered, in groups we created our own interdisciplinary lesson plan based on the game Mario Kart using the Nintendo Wii:

The only problem we encountered when devising our lesson plan was trying to fit all our ideas in! For fun we also created our own vehicles:

Previous to undertaking the Digital Technologies module, something like this would have filled me with fear. I do not consider myself to be particularly creative but when you can see how simple things can be to be added to these lessons my self doubt has disappeared. Although my drawing skills still need a lot of improvement!

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed to todays session and was amazed by all the benefits that game based learning can bring to a lesson, I am aware that there can be challenges. As stated in a Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland these can be listed as:

Identifying a suitable game / part of a game
Integrating the game – time/structure of the day
Teacher confidence/skills
Assessment – nature of traditional assessments – conducive to assessing digital technology
Resources/budget

The main challenge I can think of and the one that I would have most control over would be my own confidence and skills. By undertaking this module my confidence has soared with digital technologies. I have a much better understanding of how they can enhance a lesson and to be honest I probably know more than what I thought I knew. By continuing to develop my knowledge, understanding and confidence in this area I am sure I will use everything we have learned so far. Games based learning can open up so many opportunities for learning and I endeavour to use this where appropriate throughout my future career.

Reference List

Farber, M(2016) 3 Ways to Use Game-Based Learing [Online] Available: https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-ways-use-game-based-learning-matthew-farber [Accessed: 12/03/2018]

Higher Education Academy (2017) Gamificaiton and Games-Based learning [Online] Available: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/gamification-and-games-based-learning [Accessed: 12/03/2018]

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

Scottish Government (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government

March 5, 2018
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Digital Technologies, 27 Feb 2018, Mobile Devices

This week, we explored the use of mobile devices in education in today’s society. Research has been carried out by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) showing that “schools see technology such as games consoles and smartphones as playing an important role in primary-aged children’s education (Gurney-Read 2015). Similarly, children agree with this. A consultation carried out by The Children’s Parliament for Scottish Government found that some children see digital technology as an enhancement to learning. They believe that by using digital technology and mobile devices, this can help make better links between classroom learning and homework. These children also stated that the use of mobile devices such as I-Pads should become a normal part of their school day and not only used as a reward.

The benefits of using mobile devices according to Beauchamp are:

Flexibility and portability – as devices are relatively small, portable and usable anywhere, they allow the learner freedom to learn on the move
Multi-functionality – mobile devices bring together more than one function that would previously needed separate devices: for instance, viewing web pages and viewing images
Multimodality – they allow users to create multimodal texts
Interactivity and communicative potential – communication between a large number of users can be achieved through text and speech.

Although there are many advantages to using mobile devices and the role they play, it has been found in a poll of 500 teachers that over a third of teachers are unsure as to how to integrate their use into everyday lessons. Lack of training has been cited as a cause for this, meaning that thousands of pounds worth of technology is lying around unused (Curtis 2014). Children are now beginning their school life as fully fledged digital natives. Recent research by OFCOM has found that six year olds have the same digital understanding as a forty-five year old. In this rapidly changing digital era I feel it is important as an educator to be able to match the needs of this new generation with confidence. I have found that in the brief time I have undertaken the Digital Literacies module, my confidence and knowledge has vastly improved. This is an area that I hope to continue my learning in throughout my studies and future career.

Our practical task this week was to create an I Am….. poem and present this by PowerPoint including images and sound. To record sound, we used an Easispeak microphone. This a small handheld device that can be used to record your voice. It is simple to upload recordings onto a computer and use the audio on other programs. The poem itself is a great way for children to think about themselves and express their feelings. The use of a poem could also be used in other contexts for example how they think someone else may feel. If using what we have learned today in a lesson, we could achieve many Experiences and Outcomes for Curriculum for Excellence:

I am aware of and able to express my feelings and am developing the ability to talk about them. HWB 0-01a/1-01a/2-01a/3-01a/4-01a
Within real and imaginary situations, I share experiences and feelings, ideas and information in a way that communicates my message. LIT 0-09a
I can explore digital technologies and use what I learn to solve problems, share ideas and thoughts. TCH 0-01a

As always, today’s session has been an eye opener for me in ways that digital technologies can be used in the classroom. As a learner, I am becoming more confident every week and enjoy all the fresh challenges. Looking forward to my career as a primary teacher I feel today’s session has re-enforced how important it is to be competent in Digital Literacies. Mobile devices are something that I hope to incorporate into future lessons I deliver.

Reference List

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

Children’s Parliament (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland: The View’s of Children

[Online] http ://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/REPORT_digital-learning-consultation_Childrens-Parliament-1.pdf [Accessed: 05 March 2018]

Curtis, S. (2014) Digital Learning:How technology is reshaping teaching. The Telegraph [Online] 23 August 2014. [Accessed 05 March 2018]

Gurney-Read, J.(2015) Classroom Technology ‘rarely used’ by half of teachers. The Telegraph [Online] 24 November 2015 [Accessed 05 March 2018]

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

February 25, 2018
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Digital Technologies, Animation, 20 Feb 2018

This week in our session we explored Animation. The use of animation can “breathe new life into something that wouldn’t normally move” (Moving Image Education). According to Moving Image Education there are 5 main types of animation

Cutout – quickest and easiest
Stop-motion – example would be using plasticine models
Pixillation – humans become puppets
Drawn – a classical Disney animation is an example
Computer – also known as CGI and is found in games and movies

At the start of our session today, we had the chance to explore the Puppet Pals app. I found this app quite easy to use and I feel that each week in this module I am becoming more confident when faced with new challenges. Working in pairs we then had the task of creating our own animation. The animation that we chose to focus on was stop-motion. We had the opportunity to watch some online tutorials showing features of stop-motion. When we were comfortable with how to use the features, working with my partner we created our own animation using the istop Motion App on an Ipad.

Our animation was based on a simple hand drawn background showing a city scene, a lego character and a toy truck. By using the I-stop motion app, we were able to bring this scene to life with the lego character being able to move. Jarvis states that “Animation involves the stringing together a sequence of static images, generally so that they appear to move”. Using this as a lesson would cover different parts of the curriculum:

I have the opportunity to choose and explore a range of media and technologies to create images and objects, discovering their effect and suitability for specific tasks. EXA 1-02a
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
I regularly select subject, purpose, format and resources to create texts of my choice. LIT 1-01a/2-01b

By using animation, it gives the pupil some freedom in creating a text. This can break down barriers to learning for some children. As stated by Beauchamp “e-Inclusion aims to use digital technologies to minimise the problems that pupils with learning difficulties experience.

This weeks session has reinforced to me the way that digital technologies can be used in a lesson to cover many parts of the curriculum. When used in literacy it can bring a child’s story to life allowing them to “achieve something that would be very difficult or even impossible to achieve in any other way” (Beauchamp , 2012, p54). Having seen the benefits for myself, animation as part of a lesson is something I would certainly use in my own future career.

REFERENCE LIST

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

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

Moving Image Education website: [Online] https ://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [Accessed: 26.2.18]

February 18, 2018
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Digital Technologies, Movie Making, 13 Feb 2018

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

February 11, 2018
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Digital Technologies, Ebooks/Mobile Devices, 05 Feb 2018

This week our learning focused on creating an ebook using a mobile device. Working in a small group, we created a mind map on what we thought an ebook was and what benefits it could bring to the classroom:

Some of the group regularly used ebooks in a personal capacity, simply for reading traditional texts such as novels. 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”. In the short time we experienced creating an ebook I think they can be defined as so much more than this, especially when incorporating multimodal texts. This week we were using Ipads and we were introduced to an App called Book Creator. As part of our next task we created an ebrochure for prospective students attending UWS using the Book Creator App. This is where we truly saw the benefits of ebooks. As they are used on mobile devices they are totally portable. This meant we were able to visit various parts of the campus and take photographs and record images.We were able to add special effects to our images and also record and add sound. This meant our ebrochure was a multimodal text instead of something that could simply be read. By using Apps such as this it helped bring the text to life, making a more interactive and interesting read.

Our final task today was to work individually creating a summary of a children’s book using Book Creator. This activity could be used in a lesson to cover Experiences and Outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Executive 2004):

To show my understanding across different areas of learning, I can identify and consider the purpose and main ideas of a text (LIT 1-16a)
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)

By using a lesson such as this in literacy, it can break down barriers for children who are not as confident in their literacy skills. There are many different tools that can be used on the Book Creator App including voice recording. A child could record their summary of the book to work in tandem with images. This makes the lesson inclusive for all and helps to build up confidence in children. As stated by Beauchamp (2012) “The first, and perhaps most important, reason for using ICT in the classroom is that it can have a positive effect on attainment”

Having had a brief encounter with the Book Creator App before today’s lesson, I was perhaps apprehensive about using it. Having had the opportunity to explore the features in more depth, and see how it can be used in a lesson I definitely feel more confident and will certainly use it in my future career.

Reference List

Beauchamp, G (2012) ICT in the primary school: from pedagogy to practise Harlow: Pearson

Oxford Dictionary (2018) – E-Book Definition[Online] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/e-book [Accessed 11 February 2018] Author: Oxford University

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

February 3, 2018
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Digital Technologies – Coding, 30 Jan 2018

Todays input gave us knowledge and experience of using coding software and how this can be used to enhance lessons in the classroom, particularly a literacy lesson. The coding software we explored was Scratch Jnr, a programme that has been designed for exploration and experimentation meaning that it can support many different learning styles. Scratch Jnr can be used to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum including Maths, English, Music, Art and Design and Information Technology. The benefits to children using a coding programme are not only are they learning to write computer programs, they are also learning to think creatively, reason systematically and work collaboratively. These are all skills essential for success and happiness in todays world (The Lead Project, 2014).

Our task today was to create an interactive story on Scratch Jnr to promote literacy skills and linking to the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence. As I have had no prior experience of using Scratch Jnr, I found the online tutorials and programming cards very useful. These provided step by step instructions to some of the features that the program provides. Different from past weeks, today we were working on our own. I feel that working on my own today encouraged me to push myself out of my comfort zone. The lesson I compiled covered 2 of the experiences and outcomes of CfE:

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
I understand the instructions of a visual programming language and can predict the outcome of a programme using the language TCH 1-14a

The lesson is based on children creating their own story using Scratch Junior. They would include words, pictures and moving images. This lesson could be adapted to suit the needs of the children. They could create their own story from the beginning or could add their own ending and images to a partially completed story. Scratch Jnr enables children to code using icons rather than words, as stated by Beauchamp (2012, P,80) as many pieces of software rely on icons rather than text, pupils can often work ahead of their conventional reading age. This means that Scratch Jnr is appropriate for children as young as 5 to use.

After experiencing Scratch Jnr for myself, I can see how a literacy lesson can be enhanced using this programme. As said, due to icons being used rather than text it can mean the lesson would be inclusive for all including children who had weaker reading skills than others. As with all aspects we have learned about in Digital Technologies I look forward to using this program in my own practice and will make sure that I am confident in using all features to ensure I can effectively teach others.

REFERENCE LIST

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

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

January 28, 2018
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Digital Technologies, Multimodality & Interactivity 23 Jan 2018

In today’s session we focused on learning to create a multimodal presentation and the benefits such a presentation can bring to the classroom.

A text can be described as multimodal when it combines two or more semiotic systems. The semiotic systems are:

Linguistic
Visual
Audio
Gestural
Spatial

The benefits of using a multimodal text in a learning environment are they can be:

Captivating
Motivating
Interactive
Personalised
Dynamic
Memorable
Engaging

There are many examples of multimodal ICT which can be used in the classroom, however our learning today was based on a programme called ActivInspire. ActivInspire can be used to help empower teachers to bring lessons to life and enables children to interact and collaborate on interactive whiteboards . Having never used this programme before, we were guided to watch tutorials on YouTube. I found these tutorials hugely beneficial! Each tutorial was a short clip, which lead us from the very basics of using the programme onto creating moving images. I found it useful to work at my own pace and sometimes re-watching a particular clip to make sure I had a full grasp of each function. Once we were comfortable with the programme, we then worked in pairs to create a lesson using ActivInspire, based on the Experiences and Outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence. My partner and I created an interactive numeracy lesson:

The outcome for this lesson was:

I can use money to pay for items and work out how much change I should receive MNU 1-09a

Pupils would achieve this by having items of shopping that they were to calculate the cost of and then combine coins to pay for the items. This lesson was interactive as pupils would select a coin from the pile and move each coin into one of the boxes. The lesson could also be constructed to vary in levels of difficulty dependant on which year group was being taught.

In the past, teachers have been able to present multimodal information and lessons using media such as videos, slides and overhead projectors, however these all lack the interactivity that using ICT in the classroom brings. The use of ICT in the classroom is not exclusive to teachers, children can also present their work in a variety of ways such as digital photographs or movies made on hand held devices. This helps to motivate children and show how their work can be made relevant in today’s rapidly increasing digital society (Beauchamp, G, 2012).

The use of interactive lessons and multimodality can be extended over the whole curriculum and is becoming increasingly relevant within Literacy and English. “The Literacy and English framework reflects the increased use of multimodal texts, digital communication, social networking and the other forms of electronic communication encountered by children and young people in their every day lives” (Scottish Executive, 2004). However care should be taken when using such lessons, as quoted by Beauchamp (2012, P100) “The ability to present ideas in a variety of ways can help to structure new experiences but only if you as the teacher have sufficient understanding on the area yourself”. After today’s session I can now see the benefits of using such interactive presentations in class. I will continue to explore the functions of ActivInspire and other programmes to ensure that I am comfortable in their use and hopefully can incorporate these into my next placement visit.

References

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

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

January 18, 2018
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Digital Technologies – Week 2, 15 Jan 2018 Programmable Toys

Today’s session was focused on learning how to use programmable toys and how this technology can be linked to the Experiences and Outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence.

The programmable toys that were our focus today were Bee-Bots; a small, lightweight robot that children can interact with from pre-school age. It is believed that there is a place in the curriculum for young children to interact with programmable toys, as children are faced with programmable technology in their everyday life. The use of programmable toys can encourage children to develop more general abilities to think and learn. There is an argument that the use of digital technologies can be inappropriate for such young children and that they should be involved in hands on experiences, however Bee-Bots provide both. Children experience hands on play using these robots as they are tangible, easy for the child to handle and can stimulate problem-solving in real conditions of the child’s environment. It has also been found that compared to other European countries, Britain recommends and encourages the use of programmable toys in the curriculum. It is believed that the help develop knowledge and understanding of the contemporary world the child inhabits. (Janka, 2008, P2)

On my recent school placement I experienced the use of Bee-Bots in both nursery and P1 classes. In nursery the children played some simple games with the Bee-Bots becoming accustomed to how they could control the movements. In P1 the Bee-Bots were used as part of a maths lesson, teaching children directional language. The use of the Bee-Bots helped the children greatly with learning left and right. As part of our task this week, we worked in small groups to develop our own lesson that would achieve the experiences and outcomes set by Curriculum for Excellence for a maths/numeracy lesson. The outcome that we chose was MTH 1-17a “I can describe, follow and record routes and journeys using signs, words and angles associated with direction and turning”. To achieve this, we designed a grid decorated with flags and landmarks of the world. In a lesson, children would be asked to record how they would move from one position to another. The lesson could be adapted for different stages over the curriculum from using the language of left and right, progressing onto North, South, East and West and then finally co-ordinates could also be used. We found that this lesson could also be cross-curricular. It could incorporate an art lesson where children themselves would draw the flags and landmarks and it also incorporates social subjects with the children becoming familiar with flags and landmarks from across the world.

The use of Bee-Bots can also support pupils with Special Educational Needs in the following ways:

Allowing non-verbal pupils to participate in a class activity
Provides an engaging, fun way to learn and asses understanding of basic concepts such as letters and colours
The large buttons and simple design facilitates pupils with poor motor skills
Useful for re-enforcing daily routines i.e Where should the Bee-Bot go for P.E

(National Centre for Technology in Education, 2012, P3)

After today’s session and further reading, I have a better understanding of how programmable toys can be used to enhance learning. I feel as if we have only scratched the surface in the use of programmable toys and in particular Bee-Bots. Going forward, for future school placements and my career I intend to research further uses for this technology and how I may be able to incorporate it into my own lessons.

NCTE (National centre for Technology in Education) (2012) NCTE Floor Robots – Focus on Literacy & Numeracy.

[Online] http ://www.ncte.ie/media/NCTE_Floor_robots_focus_on_literacy_numeracy_primary_12-06.pdf [Accessed: 18th January 2018]

Janka, P. (2008) Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How?

[Online] http://www.terecop.eu/downloads/simbar2008/pekarova.pdf

[Accessed: 18th January 2018]

January 9, 2018
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Digital Technologies Week 1 – 09 Jan 2018

As today was our first class in the Digital Technologies module, we seemed to cover a lot of information! After an introduction to the module and exploring the module handbook, we discussed with each other what we thought digital technology was. My own thoughts on digital technology were that any interactive device could be described as digital technology. In actual fact, the term digital technology is used to describe digital applications, services and resources which are used to:

find
analyse
create
communicate and
use information in a digital context.

We then had the chance to read the document Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the use of Digital Technology – A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland (Education Scotland, 2016). Through reading this document I discovered that the aims of this strategy were to:

Develop the skills of 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 is all areas of curriculum and assessment delivery
Empower leaders of change to drive innovation and investment in digital technology for learning and teaching.

This strategy is primarily to benefit learners aged 3-18 by offering the opportunity for learners to improve and develop the digital skills that will be vital for life, learning and work in today’s increasingly digitised world. The benefits of this strategy will also extend to educators allowing them to become skilled in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology. Parents and carers will benefit by being able to communicate with schools and teachers more readily and being able to support their child’s learning. The digital industry and wider community will also benefit as the future workforce will possess the skills now deemed essential in occupations over a wide range of sectors.

Today we self assessed our own capabilities with a range of digital technologies. As a mature student who did not encounter digital technologies during my own education, I feel I have development needs in almost every category. Through my working life I have encountered some technologies for example Microsoft word but I am not a confident user as I have never learned how to properly use these applications. Also as a parent I have experienced the use of I-Pads and Nintendo games consoles through my children but again my experiences have been quite limited and I look forward to furthering my knowledge and understanding in all aspects of digital technology. As a student teacher I realise how important it will be to my future career to become competent in this area for my own benefit and also that of the pupils.

Having discussed and explored Glow today, I was surprised at the amount of resources available on this site. Also as a parent of primary school aged children I am aware of how much the pupils and teachers in some schools use Glow as a way of communication. I endeavour to familiarise myself with Glow and select applications that would be useful to me.

After the session today I am excited to learn how to fully interact with different aspects of digital technology and how I will be able to utilise this is my professional career.

Reference

Scottish Government (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government

[Online] Available at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00505855.pdf

[Accessed: 09 January 2018]