The purpose of this weeks session was to use mobile devices to create a poetry lesson for the curricular area of literacy. The mobile device that we used was the Easi-Speak microphone. Alongside this, we considered the impact of mobile devices within the classroom and we were able to read articles with regards to this topic.
Whilst carrying out reading for the subject of mobile devices, I found a statement that really grasped my attention that “over four in 10 households now have a tablet, meaning that children are becoming computer-literate before they’ve even started school”. This statement emphasises the importance of digital technologies within our classrooms, digital technologies is the future of this generation of children and teachers should be embracing this rather than holding back. The fact that children are computer-literate prior to starting school clearly shows a deep interest of digital technologies from them. Thus, if we use digital technologies to carry out lessons, most children should be very engaged. The same article also stated that the average six-year-old child may have the same knowledge of technology as a 45-year-old once again, this is clearly depicting the importance of digital technologies in a child’s everyday life (Curtis, 2014).
As we progressed on to the practical part of today’s session, we were shown Talking-Tins and Easi-Speak microphones. However, the sole focus was to learn the functions of the Easi-Speak device, use the device then successfully transfer the files into a PowerPoint presentation. We were provided with poem templates for an ‘I am’ poem, I worked alongside a partner and we decided to do the poem from the perspective of a student teacher (Attached below). We then recorded ourselves reciting the poem with the Easi-Speak microphone. We took the approach of saying one line each, the poem had 18 lines in total. The device was simplistic to use and I believe that it is child-friendly and for all ages. We then transferred the audio clips into a PowerPoint presentation and added pictures that corresponded to what we were saying.
Whilst looking at the Experiences and Outcomes, this activity had linked in with several literacy outcomes including:
- Within real and imaginary situations, I share experiences and feelings, ideas and information in a way that communicates my message. LIT 0-26a
- By considering the type of text I am creating, I can select ideas and relevant information, organise these in a logical sequence and use words which will be interesting and/or useful for others. LIT 1-26a
- 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
Due to poetry fitting the outcomes for all three stages within the Curriculum, I believe that this lesson can be taken into any classroom and used as a means of getting to know your students at the start of the year. The children are able to be very unique with what they submit and I believe that this will give them a high sense of achievement when writing about themselves. Personally, I am aiming to use this lesson in my BA2 placement to get to know my class better.
References
Curtis, S. (2014) Digital Learning: how technology is reshaping teaching [Online] Available from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11051228/Digital-learning-how-technology-is-reshaping-teaching.html [Accessed: 27th February 2018].
