Digital Technologies- Mobile Devices 27/2/2018

This week’s digital technologies lesson concentrated on the use of mobile devices in the primary classroom. At the beginning of the lesson we were faced with the question of whether mobile devices should be used in the primary classroom or if their use should be limited to home. While contemplating the answer I read a variety of online reports and articles to expand my knowledge on the pros and cons of introducing mobile devices into a primary classroom.

To answer the question, I stated that I feel that mobile devices should be used in the primary classroom for many reasons. Firstly, The Telegraph published an article entitled ‘Digital Technologies: how technology is reshaping technology’ which detailed that “Over four out of 10 households now have a tablet, meaning that children are becoming computer-literate before they’ve even started primary school”( Telegraph 2014) in other words today’s children are so familiar and engaged with technology prior to entering education thus if mobile devices were integrated into class lessons the children are more likely to be engaged with the lesson. The article also spoke of an experiment that aimed to compare two English lessons, one lesson involved no technology while the other used a variety of technology devices. The experiment found the lesson that used no technology required more concentration and was less appealing than the lesson that used technology which was found to be more engaging.

Furthermore, Teaching Times released an article entitled ‘Games consoles benefit children’s education’ that supported the view that mobile devices should be used in the primary classroom. Despite stating that “39 per cent of educators stated that children should not have access out of school to mobile phones”, the article also included research carried out by the British Educational Suppliers Association which analysed the results and impact of pupils using mobile devices in and out of the classroom. The report found that “the majority of schools indicated internet access at home and at school as the most beneficial technology for pupils”(Teaching Times). Therefore, after revising the evidence I feel that children having access to the use of mobile devices at home and in the classroom would prove to be most beneficial for young learners.

After completing the opening task, we then progressed to the lessons main task of creating an I Am poem using an easy-speak microphone. The I Am poem began with sentences such as “I am….” Which we had to complete. My partner and I decided that we would pretend to be aliens and use our poem to provide clues to the listener of what we were. For example, we used lines such as:

“I am green and mysterious”

“I feel lonely on my little planet”

My partner and I had great fun making the PowerPoint and using the easy speak microphones and spoke about how a lesson like this would be fun and engaging to use in a classroom with the children guessing what our character might be. The lesson could be extended to the children making their own I am poems using the easy speak poems with their own mystery characters.

As a learner I found the easy speak microphones interactive and engaging to use. I enjoyed recording my voice and hearing the recording play back. Although I did find it time consuming to record each sentence individually, so the recording clips could be placed on individual PowerPoint slides. Also, after we had recorded each sentence individually myself and my partner connected the easy speak microphone to the computer to find our recordings had not saved as the microphones storage was full. As a result, we had to record each sentence again. Despite the setback we learned that before using easy speak microphones in future we should check its storage. Overall, I feel I would use easy speak microphones again particularly as a student teacher in future lessons.

As a student teacher I believe there are many benefits to using easy speak microphones as well as other mobile devices in the primary classroom. Beauchamp spoke on the multiple benefits of introducing mobile technologies into the primary classroom. It was detailed that mobile technologies “increases motivation and engagement with learning” and “reaches places traditional learning cannot” (Beauchamp 2012 p.91). After examining the multiple benefits of mobile technologies, I feel it is vital in todays society that we as student teachers aim to incorporate them into future lessons.  An article by the Telegraph revealed that almost 50% of UK teachers are not using technology in the classroom as they are unsure how to integrate its use into their class lessons. The article spoke on the importance of teachers using technology in the classroom as the government spend millions each year supplying technology to schools as it has been proven to improve learner’s education. Instructure director of schools Stephanie Blyth stated in the article, “There is clearly no lack of enthusiasm for technology among UK teachers and there is broad support for the principle that it improves learning.” (Telegraph 2015).  I feel it is vital to my practice as a student teacher that I educate myself on mobile devices and the ways I could use them in future lessons that are n line with curriculum outcomes. For instance, creating the I am poem in todays lesson is in line with both Literacy and Technology curriculum outcomes:

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

“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

To conclude, todays lesson informed me on the benefits of using mobile devices in the primary classroom. After my experience of using the easy speak microphones I feel I now have the experience and confidence to successfully integrate the use of mobile devices into future lessons. I look forward to continuing to experiment with mobile devices and using them with young learners as a fun and interactive resource.

 

References:

Gurney-Read, J (2015). Classroom technology ‘rarely used’ by half of teachers. The Telegraph [Online]. Available: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/12013650/Classroom-technology-barely-used-by-half-of-teachers.html. [Accessed: 27th February 2018]

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

Curtis, S (2014). Digital learning: how technology is reshaping teaching. The Telegraph [Online]. Available: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11051228/Digital-learning-how-technology-is-reshaping-teaching.html. [Accessed: 27th February 2018]

Teaching Times. Games consoles benefit children’s education. Teaching Times [ Online]. Available: https://www.teachingtimes.com/articles/games-consoles-education.htm. [Accessed 27th February 2018]

 

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