In the Digital Technology class today we were looking at the use of programmable toys in a classroom. We discussed their function in education, focusing mainly on early years and how they can be used in relation to the various areas of the curriculum including literacy and numeracy.

The toy chosen for us to work with was the Bee-Bot, ‘The programmable toy Bee-Bot4 was awarded as the most impressive hardware for kindergarten and lower primary school children on the world educational technology market BETT 2006’ according to Janka (2008, p.3).

I have been lucky enough to work with Bee-Bot in the past both in university and while out on school placement.  I would say that I am fairly confident using the Bee-Bot however when I was asked to try the Bee-Bot downloadable app on the iPad I found it quite difficult.  I am assuming it was teething problems and I will be ok with it next time.

In our small groups we brought together our ideas and we designed a lesson plan that would include a Bee-Bot and a Bee-Bot mat. The lesson would make clear links to the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes across all levels to ensure we could use the lesson through out the school.

The group decided that a number grid would be good as numbers are used across all levels and also that greater numbers could be added allowing the children to challenge themselves. We made a mixture of flash cards which included addition and subtraction questions, we also used a mixture of symbols and words within the questions.  The children would work on a points based system and record their answers and scores, first to reach five points was the winner. Most questions were worth one point however in-order to encourage the children to challenge their own abilities we awarded slightly more challenging questions with two points.  There was also a discussion in the group about the lesson moving to higher levels and in that case, the children can be in control of the activity and make flash cards for their peers that they thought to be more challenging.

All of this supports development in the ‘four capacities’ which are:

• Confident individuals
• Effective contributors
• Responsible citizens
• Successful learns

I say this because, as a class we discussed what the benefits are of programmable toys.  Some of the benefits included were; concentration, estimation, communication, problem solving, interactive learning and instant feedback. All of which are crutial for development, according to Janka (2008).  When taking into consideration the benefits, the small group decided which learning experiences and outcomes would link to our lesson plan. The E’s and O’s best related were Mathematics and Technologies:

• Education Scotland. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers [Accessed: 16 January 2018].
• Janka, P. (2008) Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How? [Online] Available: http://www.terecop.eu/downloads/simbar2008/pekarova.pdf  [Access: 16 January 2018].
• Lydon, A. ( 2007) Let’s Go With Bee-Bot: Using your Bee-Bot across the curriculum. TTS Group Ltd.
• NCTE (National centre for Technology in Education). (2012) NCTE Floor Robots – Focus on Literacy & Numeracy. [Online] Available: http://www.ncte.ie/media/NCTE_Floor_robots_focus_on_literacy_numeracy_primary_12-06.pdf [Accessed: 16 January 2018].

Today was the first day of the Digital Technology module.  When I saw that this module was available to me, I jumped at the opportunity.  This is because, when I myself was at primary school as a child there was very little digital technology and I am interested to know where digital technology can be used in a school environment.

At this stage in my BA Honours degree I currently feel that children probably know more than me regarding digital technology and this was reflected upon when I was out on my first school placement.  I was completely taken a back to see how much of the school day the children use digital technology and also that it was second nature to them.

I think this a wonderful idea as the children of today will continue to use technology throughout their education, moving with the times.  This then means that they will be more than prepared for the outside world when it comes to gaining employment in the future, according to Beauchamp (2012).

In the lecture today we were told that the Scottish Government have invested a vast amount of time and money into IT, this can be seen in ‘The National Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy (2016)’.  The strategy will be funded over the next 3-5 years and will focus on children aged 3-18 years old, Scottish Government (2016).  Which again I feel is going to be very beneficial to Scotland in the future as the country will have well educated young adults with adaptable skills in IT.

In the document the government have broken down how the departments involved can contribute and enhance the quality of digital technologies not only for children but for educators, parents and carers. Included in the document is information about the role of the Government, the role of local authorities, the role of the establishment and what they can all to ensure pupils have the relevant level of IT skills.

Examples of this could be that schools are encouraged to involve children, parents and carers in areas of development in order to encourage anytime/anywhere learning. They are advised to take onboard new ideas and utilise staff/parents alike, which hand in hand works with the role of the Government who will now take onboard tried and test ideas which encourages partnerships (Scottish Government, 2016).

At the end of the lecture, I did wonder if I will ever know all there is to know about digital technology and the answer is possibly not. However, I had a conversation with my lecturer about was it acceptable to use a child’s knowledge during a lesson and this was fedback to me as defiantly yes.  To involve a child in a lesson not only means that the information is coming from a reliable source (as the child will have embeded knowledge). This also means that the child will have a great sense of achievement, communication and leadership, which will encourage them to help others.  In result of this, confidence and self esteem are present in the child which is of great value to children today.

If I can achieve this then I will know that I am doing my job correctly “the role of the teacher as scaffolder, mentor and facilitator will always remain vital,” according to Beauchamp (2012, p.142).

In conclusion, the first lecture went very well. I now know about Government strategies that are in place to support and enhance digital technology within education. I know there will be support for me as a student and as an educator.  Therefor, there should be no need to worry about my knowledge and skills as there are procedures in place to improve and support. I carried out further reading and look forward to continuing with this, as it will help me to understand why digital technology is so important in education today.

References

• Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary School. [Online] Available: dawsonera.com/readonline/9781408251379 [Accessed: 13 January 2018].
• Scottish Government. (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government [Online] Available: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00505855.pdf [Accessed: 11 January 2018].