Derek Robertson, is what I would describe as a digital ambassador for Dundee University; he provides the inputs for digital technology teaching in the primary school; as well as many other things on our course.
Today in our input we were shown how to use Google Maps in the classroom in order to engage children. Whilst although children are described as “digital natives”, this does not mean that we do not need to teach children how to use other aspects of the internet to learn.
We can use digital media in order to explore and destroy subject boundaries. You can make Google maps, to enhance there learning and tell there digital stories.
For example, I decided that I would imagine myself teaching a topic work class on the local area of Dundee and the children’s connections to the area. I made an example, online for my self and my own area and how I made connections to my local area, for example I added my parents homes as pins as well as my high school and primary school.
The children could also make this part of there weekend diary by pinning where they went at the weekend. For example as explained here, I could map that at the weekend I went to the Discovery. I could pin this as “My weekend at the Discovery”, if I was a classroom teacher I would probably ask the children to date this so I could then go on and look at this. From here I can then add a picture by Google searching this on the same page so its easily accessible for all.
From here the children could then write what the did at the weekend in detail and use this as an online weekend diary.
I truly believe that rather than the children having to write there weekend diary’s quickly which are sometimes a pointless Monday morning task by exploring this through Google Maps and using this in Dundee’s local topic work that this will captive the children. Hopefully to the point where they are using this to pin there holidays on maps to different countries and that will also incorporate geography into there learning informally.
I truly believe that just with this one Google mapping task that children can do so much with this. Additionally, as a class teacher I will be able to become an activist for using digital media in the classroom.
If any one truly find this interesting please do not hesitate to contact me asking for more information on this topic.
Also my good friend and colleague Fionnaigh Ewing has also written a blog post on this topic and I would love if you would like to take a look. https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/feuodeportfolio/tag/science/
