In today’s lesson we were exploring mobile devices and their use in the classroom. We looked at different types of mobile devices such as Easi-Speak microphones and the talking tin device. We firstly explored them for ourselves looking at how they work and what they were able to do. We then had to think how they could be useful and incorporated into the classroom.

As both of these devices are things which I had never heard of let alone seen I was sceptical. However, once exploring each for myself and learned how they worked it quickly came apparent how they could be useful in a class room set up. Each device could be used in a range of subjects from mathematics to literacy.

 

Our Task:

We arranged ourselves into groups and were given a poem to complete. It was called the ‘I Am Poem.’ As we were in a group we changed the name to ‘We Are.’ The beginning of each line was filled out for us for example it would start with ‘I wonder’ and we had to fill in the missing gaps. This could be a useful tool in schools for the first week for each child to get to know one another and each other’s interests. Once completed we used the Easi-Speak microphone to record the poem.  Our next step was to use power point in order to create a visual for each line of the poem. Once completed it meant we had created a multimodal text including image and sound.  Beauchamp states “Pupils need to be equipped to view language as a ‘metamode’ that enables them to access the meanings of a wide variety of texts, images, sounds and information” Beauchamp 2012 (p.81) This type of lesson backs Beauchamp as instead of just writing the poem out it is giving children the opportunity to create a text in a different way.

 

Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes:

-I can present my writing in a way that will make it legible and attractive for my reader, combining words, images and other features.    LIT 1-24a

-I explore and discover different ways of representing ideas in imaginative ways.  TCH 0-11a

 

Overall after today’s lesson I feel I learned more about the use of mobile devices in the classroom. As I have read the articles I think mobile devices have a more positive impact rather than negative on both children and teachers. Furthermore, after experimenting with some of the devices myself I am aware of how these can be incorporated into a number subjects in the classroom.

 

References

 

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

 

Curriculum for Excellence (2004) Experiences and Outcomes
[Online]
Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/all-experiences-and-outcomes.pdf

 

[Accessed 28th February]

Stop Motion animation is something I was somewhat familiar with before today’s lesson however it was a program I was still not fully confident with. In order to make a stop motion clip you have to string together several images to create the illusion of movement. Jarvis suggests “Animation involves the stringing together a sequence of static images, generally so that they appear to move.” (Jarvis, 2015, P89)

Today’s task we had to work with a peer in order to create our very own stop motion clip. We were able to choose whatever we wanted to use from a range of different props, paper, playdoh and much more. My partner and I were nervous as we didn’t have a considerable amount of time and we were unsure of what to create. We found inspiration from an old program Morf and decided to use the playdoh in our clip. We set up a little scene and began taking pictures. It was more difficult than expected and time consuming but came together in the end. However, this was a task I enjoyed throughout. My peer and I were pleased with the finished product and were keen to experiment more. As a result, when I came home from today’s lesson I downloaded Stop Motion onto my iPad.

Stop motion and the program iMovie is something that can be incorporated into the classroom as a tool for many different subjects. Beauchamp suggests ”ICT is not viewed as a separate ‘subject’ but something that contributes to all areas of learning.” (Beauchamp, 2012)

I was first introduced to stop motion animation on my two-week placement earlier on in the year. I was in a primary 2/3 class where the children were learning about Vikings as part of their topic. The children had to create their own scene with the Vikings using stop motion. After this they were to go and write about their scene using the stop motion as a stimulus for this creative writing.

Using technology as part of different subjects in the classrooms means the children are completing more curriculum outcomes.

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 regularly select subject, purpose, format and resources to create texts of my choice. LIT 1-01a/2-01b

I enjoyed todays fun filled lesson. Each week I get more excited about digital technology as I enjoy learning about all the different programs available. After today’s lesson I feel more confident with using stop motion and look forward to using it more.

Reference list

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

Curriculum for Excellence (2004) Experiences and Outcomes
[Online]
Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/all-experiences-and-outcomes.pdf
[Accessed 22nd February]

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

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