Orianne Murdoch – UWS

In todays session for Digital Technologies we were learning about creating a movie linking it to internet safety using the movie making program: iMovie.

Through wider reading it was found that: “Most primary schools will have in place a policy regarding e-safety, but they are likely to reflect official policies and perhaps not the reality of pupils’ lives…” (Beauchamp, 2012, p.58) He also states that the main idea of discussing e-safety is to only educate them on the use and dangers of internet not to restrict them of what they can go on.

We also explored the various different digital platforms that us as future educators will be able to access as individuals and to show to our pupils to help raise the awareness about the issue of internet safety. This can help us to educate children and to know what to do if they come across any particular case of unsafety when they may be at home online and will know how to approach the situation by informing a responsible adult or parent. The use of digital technology in this day and age helps to portray a story that can be used to address many different issues that we as educators can use:

“The digital environment provides a unique opportunity to empower people of all ages to manipulate, combine and distribute their self-expressions as living stories that can be sent into the world and through time.” (Porter, 2004, p.35)

Digital Literacy helps to develop:

Practical and Functional Skills

Critical Thinking Skills

Awareness of e-Safety

Collaboration Skills

Ability to Find and Select Information

Effective Communication

Creativity

My group created a movie by using the iMovie app on the Ipad which helped to address the issue of internet safety. We based the story around the famous Dreamworks animation movie: Shrek. Princess Fiona thought she was meeting Prince Charming who she had met online but in actuality it was Shrek who she was meeting. We dressed up as Shrek, Fiona and Donkey and acted out many of the scenes with use of audio and music. It was fun creating an iMovie and it also helped to portray the idea that people who you may meet online may not be as they seem when meeting them in person. It helped to convey this message in a humourous way. As an educator, it is important to address full internet safety and demonstrate a way to show what the consequences of being unsafe online entails.

With regards to the Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes this links to the Technologies outcome:

“I can extend my knowledge of how to use digital technology to communicate with others and I am aware of ways to keep safe and secure. TCH 1-03a” (Education Scotland 2004).

I think the use of creating movies through iMovie is beneficial for the children to use within their primary school as not only does it develp their media and digital technology skills, with endless creativity. It also enables them to manipulate a story such as Shrek and be able to put a story in to a different context in order to explain an important issue, like Internet Safety.

This enables myself as an educator to convey a message and create awareness about the issue of internet safety in a modern and creative way instead of getting the children to read about it or write about what they know, they are being able to make links to the digital side of the curriculum for excellence, whilst learning and understanding how to be safe online.

References

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

Porter, B. (2004) Digi Tales: The Art of Telling Digital Stories. Bernajean Porter Publication.

 

 

Within today’s session of Digital Technologies, we were further exploring games based learning with Minecraft as a stimulus for learning. “Minecraft is a worldwide phenomenon. Since it was first released back in 2011, it’s been taken to the hearts of thousands and thousands of gamers.” (How to do Everything in Minecraft, 2014, p.3) This is another games based learning resource that can be used within the classroom.

The Ofcom Report (2011) states that gaming is hugely popular in the UK with almost 86% of 5-7-year-old children and 90% of 8-11-year-old children using gaming devices regularly. From growing up in a world where gaming was quite popular, I feel that even from the time I was growing up, the gaming world has expanded massively, to the point where not many children would resort to going outdoors to play anymore. Their football playing field is at the touch of a button!

Bray (2012) states that in a classroom setting, games should not just be used as rewards or for entertainment but as a whole new approach to learning. Throughout my years of schooling, games were only used and played with on the last hour of a Friday afternoon, known as ‘Golden Time’. This was the chance we got to interact with our friends, take a break from working and be treated for all of our efforts and hard work during the week, being able to play with our gaming devices and the computers.

Nowadays, games can be used within an educational establishment as not only a treat, but a way in which learning and teaching can be widened to develop a child’s learning of skills and developing their education. Bray (2012) agrees and backs up this as it states that Games-based Learning has the most transformational impact when it is combined with good learning and teaching.

It is highly important for myself, as an educator to be familiar and confident within the games used in games based learning.  According to Beauchamp (2012, p.9) it states “Not only do [teachers] have to become familiar with the games, they also have to ensure that they make clear the way in which they want for the game to used.” If a teacher is confident in using gaming within the classroom it will open up the possibilities for learning and incorporating these games into lesson plans and linking them within the curricular areas and experiences and outcomes.

Beauchamp (2012) also states that the type of skills that could be developed by ICT games are:

• Strategic Thinking
• Planning
• Communication
• Application of numbers
• Negotiating Skills
• Group decision-making
• Data Handling Skills.

It is amazing that ICT games can not only provide enjoyment for children, it can help with their development in many areas in which an educator may not have been able to.

Within the curriculum, games based learning using Minecraft links into many different areas:

“I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance leaning in different contexts (TCH 1-01a)” (Education Scotland 2004).

The children are using and exploring the wonderful world of technology to enhance their learning in different ways.

I think as an educator, it is important to incorporate games based learning into the education establishment, especially with the use of Minecraft. Minecraft can allow the children to use their creativity skills to construct buildings or houses that way may discuss within topics carried out in the classroom, such as the Vikings. Also the children are able to use their imagination and interpret different descriptions of what a building may look like which was told in a story, such as the house in the three little bears children’s book. I will definitely be using this in the future and I am glad we got a chance to play around with the app and increase our awareness and confidence within the world of Minecraft.

References

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

Bray, O. (2012) Playful Learning: Computer Games in Education. [Online] https://www.slideshare.net/Microsofteduk/playful-learning-computer-games-in-education [Accessed 14th March 2018]

Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed on 14th March]

Ofcom (2001), Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes  [Online] – https://www.slideshare.net/Microsofteduk/playful-learning-computer-games-in-education [Accessed 14th March 2018]

In today’s session for Digital Technologies we were learning about games based learning:

“Digital Games-based Learning is the integration of gaming into learning experiences to increase engagement and motivation.” (Higher Education Academy website)

At the beginning of the session, we were to create a mind map which showed why game-based learning is an effective tool to use in education. My peers and I had come up with ideas such as:

• It engages the children with their learning experiences
• Links within the curriculum – Digital, Numeracy, Literacy, Art, Music
• Enables skills to be developed – hand/eye co-ordination, planning etc.

As an educator, it is important to include games based learning into the planning and teaching of our pupils. With this fun and modernised way of learning and teaching, comes with a set of guidelines which should be implemented whilst teaching using games in the classroom. According to Learning and Teaching Scotland we need to be ensuring effective implementation of games, be clear about learning intentions, use appropriate games for tasks and most importantly, make clear links to experiences and outcomes within the curricular areas for each level that you are going to be teaching and carrying out.

According to Learning Teaching Scotland (2010 pg. 12) “Over the past decade, the use of digital gaming in education has prompted considerable attention in exploring how and why games might be powerful tools in the classroom. As a result of this interest, there is a considerable body of literature available on game-based learning in the classroom and the potential benefits of this for education and learning.”

It is important to highlight that there is a history behind games based learning “The link between learning and playing is longstanding and predates the digital era by thousands of years (Higher Education Academy 2015).  Theorists Jean Piaget and Leonard Vygotsky have argued that play is an important part of brain development from birth and throughout adulthood (Higher Education Academy 2015). I think that this is a very important point and that by getting a child to do things through play at an early stage in life will enable their thinking skills and hand eye coordination to develop vastly for the future, where they will be able to apply this knowledge in ways in which a pen and paper simply could not or would not provide the same kind of advantages.

I think it is important for us as educators to incorporate play into a child’s learning environment, not only to enhance their thinking skills but it helps to develop their social skills which is often easily created at a young age.

For today’s session we were to learn about and explore the Nintendo Wii to play the games based learning platform – Mario Kart.

However, through technical issues this could not be executed so we watched a game being played on YouTube. I have had experience with the Wii from a first-hand approach, as I played it when I was growing up so I already had the prior knowledge and the thought processes of how using this platform would aid a child’s learning.

I think that this is a perfect example of how creativity, problem solving and planning ahead comes in to practice for the development of a child’s learning.

We then worked with our peers to create an Interdisciplinary Learning plan (IDL). This helped to show the number of curricular areas that game-based learning can cross.

The plan was based on Mario Kart and our ideas linked to the Curriculum for Excellence were:

Literacy

For literacy, we thought that as an educator we will be able to teach the children the literacy skills which will enable them to come up with and create a description of characters, their cars and the different race courses that were to be driven on by using a range of different phrases, adjectives and a wide range of language.

Within the Curriculum for Excellence, this linked to:

“By considering the type of text I am creating I can select ideas and relevant information and organise these in a logical sequence and use words which will be interesting and/or useful to others (LIT 1-26a)” (Education Scotland 2004).

Technology

We also came up with the idea that we could introduce the use of PowerPoint for the children to introduce and show their characters to the rest of the class. They will be able to draw their characters, take digital photographs of it, upload them to a PowerPoint slide and make use of the resources given by Microsoft to describe their characters and make them look interesting to look at.

This linked in with the curricular area:

“I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance leaning in different contexts (TCH 1-01a)” (Education Scotland 2004).

I think games based learning is an excellent way to create fun, interactive activities using platforms such as the Nintendo Wii and Xbox. Their possibilities and benefits to the child are endless, with excellent links to Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes, which I may not have thought would have beforehand.  As a prospering educator, I will definitely be incorporating games based learning into my education planning as I feel that it not only benefits the children’s creativity, social and coordination skills, but it also It also encourages children to work in teams to share all of their ideas together.

References

Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed on 14th March 2018]

Higher Education Academy (2015) – Gamification and Games-Based Learning [Online] https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/gamification-and-games-based-learning [Accessed on 14th March 2018]

Learning, Teaching Scotland (2010) – FutureLab – The Impact of Console Games in the Classroom [Online] https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/FUTL25/FUTL25.pdf [Accessed on 14th March 2018)

In todays Digital technologies session, we were learning about using mobile devices to enhance learning. We were able to look through online documents which explored the many opinions and facts based around the use of mobile devices as an educator and as a child with regards to its benefits within a learning environment.

Mobile devices play an extremely important role in primary education establishments. With the increased use of technology such as smartphones and games consoles at home, the technology skills and benefits they bring are endless to the child.

Children are now entering schools who are fully digital aware with research suggesting that six year olds have the same understanding of communication technology as forty five year olds. Through further reading I discovered the online article by the Telegraph which discussed how technology is reshaping teaching it stated that ” Over four in 10 households now have a tablet, meaning that children are becoming computer-literate before they’ve even started primary school… we’ve all heard about the techno-babies who can handle an iPad before they have learnt how to tie their own shoelaces”. (Curtis, S. 2014) As children nowadays have increasing use and access to mobile devices, their understanding and skills when using them are becoming very advanced from a young age, so it is very beneficial to a child when using this within their education as they have already had a head start.

In education establishments, technology can be used in many ways. Children can take part in electronic quizzes and submit their answers in a digital method. This means their answers are interpreted through a mobile devices in ways in which perhaps written forms may not have.

However, many teachers have different opinions to the use of mobile devices by primary school aged children. Through reading an online article by the teaching times it was stated: “39 per cent of teachers stated that children should not have access out of school to mobile phones, while another 29 per cent of teachers said the ideal situation would be if all pupils had access to a mobile. Schools also believe that children’s preference for technology both at home and at school is evolving quickly, just as technology is continuing to change at a rapid pace” (Scottish Government 2016).

Some children may have limited access to mobile devices at home, whereby possess a disadvantage when utilising technology in the classroom. In contrary to this, using mobile devices in the classroom may help to strengthen their technology skills and build up their confidence when using it in the future if they gain access.

Today we explored Talking Tin and Easi Speak microphones, creating “I am…” poems using the Easi Speak Microphone. This poem consisted of a series of  sentence starters and prompts in order to create a poem that was interesting and unique to the individual. Once we had created our poem it was to be recorded through the Easi Speak microphones. Once it was recorded, the Easi Speak microphones were plugged into the computers and each line of our poems was uploaded to Microsoft Powerpoint and placed on a slide with a picture using the Pixabay website, which is a free to use copyright free website which will be so useful to me as a teacher in the future when creating resources. I have linked the poem below:

I am poem – bethany and orianne

The outcome within the Curriculum for Excellence which  linked to this task was “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” (Education Scotland 2014).

I found this as a learner an excellent resource for learning and I enjoyed taking part in the task. I will definitely use The Easi speak microphones as a teacher in the future as I feel that this is a very good use of exploration of different digital technologies and is an excellent resource to teach the concept of recording and also links in with using different digital platforms such as Microsoft Powerpoint to help showcase our work. This enables the enhancement of a child’s digital skills and learning how to use technology in a range of different scenarios and contexts. It also helps to reinforce the idea that mobile devices should be used within education establishments as it really does help to enhance a childs overall learning experience.

REFERENCES

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

Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed on 27th February 2018]

Scottish Government (2016) Teaching Times – Games Consoles Benefit Children’s Education [Online] – https://www.teachingtimes.com/articles/games-consoles-education.htm [Accessed 27th February 2018]

 

This week’s digital technologies workshop was focused on the use of animation within education and its benefits to the learning development of the child.

Bertrancourt (2005) states that “three ways in which animation can be used to enhance learning: 1. To enhance learners’ visual representations. 2. To illustrate processes. 3. To provide an interactive element.”

As stated by Moving Image Education there are five main types of animation: 1. Cutout – quickest and easiest

2. Stop-motion – example is plasticine models

3.Pixillation – humans become the puppets

4.Drawn – example is the classical Disney animation

5.Computer – also known as CGI and found in games and movies

(Moving Image Education).

Beauchamp (2012, p.54)  states that “through the use of ICT and technology it could allow pupils to accomplish something that could be difficult or even impossible to achieve in any other way”. This powerful use of digital technology a pupil with Additional Support Needs are able to excel throughout their education and portray their learning and understanding of what they have been learning in a modern way.

During today’s session, we explored just some of the many apps on the iPad such as Puppet Pals and iStopMotion to create a story which included a beginning, middle and an end. By doing this we had to take many still images which would be linked together, creating an animation and bringing still objects to life. Our animations also included audio recordings, plasticine models, cutouts and a background which enabled our story to have a setting. My partner and I created a park scene background using pens and paper. We also created plasticine models of three aliens who we named as ‘the blob family’. In our story, the blob’s visited planet earth and were playing ball in the park, when suddenly an apple fell from the tree and hit Mr Blob’s head. We cut out comic strip expressions such as “Ouch!” to illustrate how our plasticine model was feeling when the apple hit their head. We took a series of images of the story which enabled us to illustrate what happened.

For our animation we linked it to the curriculum for excellence experience’s and  outcomes:

“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” (Education Scotland 2004).

This outcome expresses the fact that a child can use the Ipad apps to explore and support their animation and technology skills and enable them to create different stories to enhance their learning and develop their technology skills in a different way.

I would definitely  use animation in the classroom when I become a teacher, as I found it extremely interesting to see how creative our stories could get and it could benefit a child’s understanding of how some of their favourite films and cartoons are created. To be introduced to these apps at an early stage was beneficial to me as a prospering teacher as I feel that if a teacher is  confident in their ability to teach a lesson using different methods of technology then it will encourage the child to be the same: ‘Although teachers may be worried by new technologies. We need to be sure that this is not transmitted to young children or that other obstacles are not put in the way of their natural curiosity and willingness to explore new technologies’ (Beauchamp 2015).

 

REFERENCES

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

Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed on 21 February 2018]Moving Image Education website:[Online] https://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [ACCESSED: 20.02.18]

 

 

 

During this week’s session in Digital Technologies, we were learning about the use of mobile devices in order to enhance learning. We were learning and utilising the Book Creator app on the iPad to either create a summary of a book or a teaching aid. This enabled us to discover the many benefits of using this application within a classroom environment as advantages for educators and learners.

Oxford Dictionary defines an eBook as “an electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or a specifically designed handheld device.”

The principles and practices of literacy and English, created by Education Scotland, states that the most effective ways to teach literacy and English is by providing “frequent opportunities to communicate in a wide range of contexts” (Education Scotland, n.d., a). A multimodal text contains 2 or more of the 5 semiotic systems: gestural, audio, visual, spatial and linguistic. When a text is multimodal, is makes the learning experience beneficial to the child as it features many different features to suit different types of learning.

(Education Scotland, n.d., b) states that ICT in school helps to raise attainment and achievement, closing the gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged and thus, providing them with the skills for the digitally advancing world that awaits them.

E-books have many advantages in the classroom for both learners and educators.  Using e-books in a classroom environment will prepare students for life, and the development of skills for learning and work. When using technology, children will grasp an awareness of our digitalised society and will prepare them for the working world in the 21st century.  Educators can also use e-books for lessons for pupils who are struggling with texts, which with the aid of book creator, can help to give them a deeper understanding of the text and engage within their own learning and taking responsibility for it.

E-books are small in size and are highly portable. This means that they can be used and promoting outdoor learning which makes the learning fun and exciting and links into a child’s health and wellbeing. E-books allow children to develop their creativity skills, putting their mind to whatever they wish to create, interpreting something in their own unique and modern way, with reference to the 5 semiotic systems.

We created a mind  map at the beginning of the session, demonstrating our knowledge of what an eBook was and what the benefits of using it entailed. 

            

We then went on to look at the content from Moodle, which told us more about eBooks and the many advantages they uphold within a learning environment, which enabled us to add even more to our mind map, creating a tree of knowledge we had learned.

Today during Digital Technologies, we created an e-book using the Book Creator app on the iPads.

I created a teaching aid to support pupils with the book “Baby Brains – The smartest baby in the whole world.”

The CfE experience and outcome which linked in with my e-book creation was:

“I enjoy exploring events and characters in stories and other texts, sharing my thoughts in different ways. LIT 0-19a”

I used many of the semiotic systems which enabled my text to be multimodal. The semiotic systems I included were: Linguistic, as my e-book contained questions for the pupils to consider throughout the eBook to ensure full engagement, such as: How do you think Baby Brain was feeling at this point? or Can you describe 5 items in the room? I also included Audio, as my e-book included sound clippings from YouTube, in order to bring my text to life. Finally, I included Visual, as my e-book had illustrations from the book to help the children.

 

As a prospering teacher I would definitely use e-books in the classroom. I found it very beneficial to have gained the access to the book creator app as a tool for teaching and learning purposes, as it clearly enabled for the 5 semiotic systems to be included within every book. The possibilities were endless and it allowed for a lot of freedom and choice of lessons to create, making literacy and technology lessons highly engaging.

REFERENCES

BBC Webwise article [Online] http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/about-e-books [Accessed: 6 February 2018]

Education Scotland (n.d., a) Curriculum for Excellence: literacy and English, principles and practice [Online]. Available from: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-english-pp.pdf [Accessed: 6 February 2018].

Education Scotland (n.d., b) Technologies in Curriculum for Excellence [Online]. Available from: https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/learning-in-scotland/curriculum-areas/Technologies%20in%20Curriculum%20for%20Excellence [Accessed: 6 February 2018].