BA1 Digital Technology- It was a good one!

March 28, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

After three months(I know three months can you believe it!!) of exploring various Digital technology inputs within BA1 Digital Technology module it is now time to sum up my time in this class before submitting my blog. Waking up on Tuesday mornings and remembering it was Digital Technology today is a feeling I’m really going to miss. I have loved this class from beginning to end by getting to explore the wide range of digital technologies that can be offered in classrooms. There was many pieces of technology I had never came across before such as the Bee-Bot and the ScratchJr app and now I feel at heart with these and will need to in some way find a way to use these in the future. I have seen a new side to technology its not just about sitting indoors lacking concentration staring into a tiny screen for hours, its totally different. Digital technology is a new way of learning that young learners can use to suit their ability within the classroom. By engaging and communicating with other people as well as developing a new understanding of their learning across the curriculum, I feel I now understand the real benefits of technology in society. Technology allows learners in today’s society to raise their attainment levels and connect with something that will increase throughout their life. We as educators must know how to use the technology appropriately for children to be able to gain the very best learning experience they can.

Outdoor Learning and Digital Technologies

March 28, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

Before this input, I never really took into consideration technology and outdoors as a match. Growing up I was also made to believe that technology was used indoors and in some cases prevented people from going outdoors. This is heard constantly in today’s generation of parents moaning about the amount of time their children spend indoors glued to technology when they should be outdoors exploring the fresh air. However, from Tuesdays input I have now learned that in fact this moan of parents can be prevented by the use of technology for outdoor learning. Children can use their knowledge of digital technology to enhance their learning and understanding by going outdoors in a new environment.

In this tutorial, in small groups we completed 3 tasks using digital technology and the outdoor environment. To begin with my group and I used an iPad to access the Photo Booth app to take pictures of mini-beats using the thermal setting to learn about their body temperature which could potentially be part of a science lesson. Secondly, within this task we took pictures of landscapes using the mirror setting to explore symmetry using real life examples. The second task was similar however using the app Pic Collage we created multiple collages of pictures of objects we came across outdoors. For example, examining the different types of leafs or using pine cones to represent the two times table, I found this a very unique clever way of reinforcing pupils learning by using different objects to show an understanding. Lastly, unfortunately this task never went as smoothly as originally planned however, as I have learned from my lecturer we as educators must always have a plan B( always!). Due to Scotland’s unpredictable weather we has to complete the last task indoors. A treasure hunt was made around the university campus which required my group and I to use the QR reader app to find questions then try and choose the correct answer. In the end if all the correct answers were made the letters spelt out a word. As an adult I found this task quite challenging but extremely interesting and a new way of presenting problems for children to solve by themselves. At any age the excitement of a treasure hunt is scarily high!

This has highlighted to me that outdoor learning can be based around several curriculum topics whether it be science or mathematics. Children are building on their existing knowledge by exploring outdoors and expanding their understanding and discovery. Jackie Gerstein explores in a blog post, many ways of how digital technology can be used outdoors for learning as well as the technology devices which could be used. To name a few Jackie suggests using mobile devices which could have access to video and audio recordings along with taking photographs. She also explains the use of scanning and accessibility features. I feel that this proves the huge range of devices that can be used outdoors and can increase children’s learning in a different way other than sitting in the classroom. Before hand, I never really took into consideration the extent to which technology could be used outdoors and how exciting it would be for learners to explore outdoors. Within Jackie Gersteins blog post a Youtube video is posted that shows teachers discussing the positives of outdoor learning and digital technology. The reality of the world is that learners are at nature with technology and are more comfortable with technology than they are exploring outdoors. However, what better way than to introduce digital technology to their learning experience outdoors which increases their attainment and of course their standard of work produced.

In addition to this, the Cfe document on outdoor learning name various benefits of outdoor learning many in which agree with what I have said above. First being outdoor learning can raise attainment levels, improve behaviour and reduce cases of ADHD. Personally I can agree with this, during my one week placement in BA1 the teacher I worked along side gave her learners a chance to go outside to calm down and release their energy before siting down to do hand writing for example. This teacher knew her class struggled at this particular subject and therefore knew that by taking them outdoors for a short period of time would reduce their energy levels and allow them to gain concentration when they returned to the classroom. After my experience of being outdoors during this input I felt more motivated and concentrated once I returned to the class which shows that young learners could potentially feel the same. The document also mentions the use of residential trips that I unfortunately never got to experience at primary school. The document highlights that by going on residential trips can bring people together as well as gaining responsibility. For many learners this could be the first time away from home therefore, responsibility and independence would be needed at all times. As well as this these trips allows young people to really get to know each other as well as teachers seeing their pupils in a different form of light that could help when returning to the classroom to teach.

Overall, I feel outdoor learning and digital technology is something I will definitely think about using in the future as a teacher. I love the excitement and how interested I was when completing the tasks in this input and really hope that one day I could reflect this upon the learners in my classroom to gain new discoveries and understandings.

“Learning outside the classroom is about raising young people’s achievement through an organized, powerful approach to learning in which direct experience is of prime importance.”

Digital Games Based Learning

March 14, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

In todays input for Digital Technologies we were learning about the impact and use of digital game based learning within the classroom. We explored and came up with various different lessons in which they could be used and what outcomes in the curriculum could be used with these. Today has proved that digital technology can in-fact enhance pupils learning and give pupils the chance to be creative. However, many teachers will disagree that digital game based learning can be a negative impact on learners due to arguments of learners being too distracted by the game and not actually benefiting by it. Although this could be argued that it is actually the teachers that should be able to keep all the pupils on task or split a larger class down into groups to ensure everyone is stayed focused. An article written by Jen Groff, Cathrin Howells and Sue Cranmer Future lab (2010) named ‘The impact of Console Games in the Classroom’ points out many primary school teachers initial worries of digital game based learning such as fears of parental perceptions and how they will tie it in with the curriculum. However after completeing these games within the classroom one teacher interviewed said:

“When you see the motivation and engagement for the pupils, I mean that’s your core goal, I think, as a teacher, and if you’ve got that, the learning just comes on so much more”

It is believed that this generation is now being born into a world of technology and this is something today’s learners are at heart with and are comfortable when it comes to working with them. Learners now a days have technology at home that they use almost everyday so whats not to say that this could be brought into the classroom and be used as a way of learning? Many people believe that the traditional way of pen and paper is now becoming out dated and old fashioned and doesn’t actually allow every learner to prove their ability as many learners can struggle with hand writing however, technology can save this issue. An argument along with this is that technology is a lot more environmental friendly and can be used as often as the teachers want to. I truly believe that digital technology grabs learners attentions and allows them not only build on this knowledge but recall previous knowledge.

After having the chance to play the Nintendo Wii and playing the game ‘MarioKart’ I can now see how engaging this game could be for children and how enthusiastic they would be when it came to playing it, sitting in a room full of adults I could tell that everyone was itching to have a shot. This then allowed me to see the various lessons and curriculum outcomes that could be taught in the classroom by allowing learners to play this game before hand. Along with a partner we came up with various lesson plans, in literacy this game could be used to describe characters and the setting and potentially allow learners to write a creative story from the perspective of the character in the game for example, their feelings and thoughts, how they thought about winning and losing etc. Another particular lesson this game could be used for is Health and Well being. Through a PE lesson learners could plan and create a track either outside or in the gym hall where the teacher could explain to the learners to create an obstacle course like the game. I feel this would be very engaging and motivating for learners to complete as a PE lesson and allow them to build on their problem solving skills. As well as a PE lesson, learners could potentially identify Hazards within the game for example the bananas which could lead to a lesson on identifying hazards around the school or at home. Following on from this, we reported our lesson ideas back to the class where we heard everyone else ideas. I really liked one groups idea of creating a project for their class such as a race day where there would be stalls and the learners had to calculate the profits made, I feel this was a very interesting fun idea!

In addition to this we then explored the use of the app ‘GarageBand’ where you can create your own music using various different instruments and backing tracks. This app could be used for back ground music in animations and learners could also use this to help with lessons in music. I feel that learners could really engage with this activity and motivate them to create music. ‘Computer Games and Learning’ an article by Future Lab, innovation in education explains that ‘Guitar hero’ a musical game that could also be used in various other lessons such as learners could write a report on their experience of playing in the band during the concert or create their own guitar in an art based lesson.

Overall, I feel that we as educators must have the ability to use technology as an advantage to learners learning experience in the classroom. According to Future Lab, innovation in education article believes that educators must not use game based learning as a treat for he pupils but facilitate the game in a way of learning. In some cases learners may explain to the teacher how a certain option on a game works which is not only a learning experience for the teacher but a discovery by the learner. In my opinion, Digital Game based Learning is forever increasing in the classrooms and must be used to enhance pupils learning in every way possible.

The potential of Mobile Devices

March 8, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

In today’s input we were exploring the use of mobile devices in education such as the use of a Nintendo DSi. Having has one of these as a child I felt my immaturity and excitement coming back out as I was so excited and engaged in the facilities the nintendo has to offer (even as an adult now)! At the beginning we were given the chance to explore the Nintendo and look at the various games available that we could use when it comes to teaching within the classroom. Namely the creation of an animation using Flipnote and introducing sound to this by using the Nintendo sound icon. Using this feature a possible lesson that could be played in the classroom is ‘Guess the nursery rhyme’ where learners could create a short animated cartoon about a scene from nursery rhyme. This proves that Flipnote could be used in various subjects for different lessons and can engage the children by using the sound icon to capture their own voice and add humour into their work. I can now see how this could be an advantage to the learners in the classroom.

A second feature is Pictorchat, this is a way of communicating with the people around you in Nintendo DSi’s. We had a lot of fun in this feature during the input as we were able to chat to each other and remind us of the excitement we use to have over this as a child. A game we played that as a future primary teacher I could use in my classroom is a chase like game. This is when the teacher will call out the question and the pupils will have to answer as quick as they can therefore the person who answers first gets a point. This is a fun way of testing learners understanding and knowledge of certain subjects while adding a competitive edge for example using the multiplication tables. This a a safe and good way of allowing young people to use a ‘chat like’ technology without the worry that other people will be able to get into the chat group. I feel this is a very interesting and engaging way of learning that young people can use to develop for example story writing. They can write a story with the old fashioned ways of pen and paper, learners will be able to contribute to the story and write parts each and finally present to the class.

A final feature is the use of the camera on the Nintendo DSi. Learners could use this as a way of making characters by taking pictures(selfies) of themselves using various props and resources it offers. This could be used in a literacy lesson again using a story board by using a series of different pictures playing different characters and come up with a wonderful creation using pictures of themselves. This feature could also be used in a mathematics lesson when teaching the topics of symmetry and shape, for example using the mirror option to allow learners to see certain shapes has a line of symmetry. Overall, I feel that these features allows learners to prove their knowledge and understanding in various forms by being engaged using the sound icon and camera as well as communicating with their friends in the classroom.

An article published by the teaching times head lining ‘Games consoles benefit children;s education’ shows that research by the British Educational Suppliers Association(BESA) suggests that games consoles and the use of mobile phone devices in classrooms are playing an important role. With 406 primary schools taking part in the research, 64% of the schools admitted to providing teaching-directed homework that requires access to technology as home. This shows the the potential of mobile devices in education is not only being used in classrooms but being used at home for the parents and learners to complete homework and provide a better understanding. In addition to this, a document released by the Children’s Parliament proves that young people use at least 30 different types of technology. This statement proves that learners now a days are living in a generation surrounded by technology and must use this as an advantage to their education and engage with these in the classroom.

I personally believe the the use of mobile technologies can extremely benefit today’s learners in classrooms if teachers know exactly how to use the technology in an effective and correct way and use it in a way that pupils will gain a better understanding of the learning. Digital technology allows learners to appreciate their learning and introduce technology to them as they go on to use it in the future. As Drew Buddie, senior vice chair at Naace, the association for the UK’s education technology community said:

“Using technology in an educational environment not only better reflects children’s life outside the classroom, but also allows them to hone their digital skills in a way that will continue to be valuable throughout their adult life.”

Creating an E-book

March 1, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

ebook

In todays Digital Technology input we explored the advantages and use of mobile phone devices in classrooms. By having access to various apps via these devices we can explore and create many different lessons. To be able to provide a lesson for learners that was more engaging than the old traditional ways of reading from a printed book we were given the chance to use the app E-book and create an electronic book with pictures, sound effects, videos and various other options. By using the app on a mobile device it allowed us to think about the various ways and lessons that this particular app could be used across the curriculum. Along with a partner we summarised a book through the app and managed to upload pictures and sound effects that would describe the book well. I felt by doing this we were able to play around a little with the app and explore the various effects it had to offer. The option of undo was given so we could easily erase or undo any mistakes we make by accident. I feel that this is extremely important as children make mistakes a lot and by this function of ‘undo’ they can edit their work without destroying the full thing. This would engage children and keep them interested when the teacher is reading a book as they could watch the pictures and play the sound effects. I also felt that pupils could use this app as a way of summarising the book and ensuring that once they have read a book they can understand it and have gained knowledge of it.

Technology like movie phone devices are an ever increasing piece of technology that children are gaining access to one way or another. They allow children to analyse and research various different projects as well as provide opportunities of a new way of learning. Mobile devices offer reliable resources that learners can use in classroom or outdoors and offer learners preferred ways of learning by opening up choice. Therefore, pupils can also learn at home and involve parents in their learning process by downloading apps at homing and completing extra work out with school. The Scottish Government Incentive agrees with this that parents and careers must become more aware of technology and make them see the positives that this can offer rather than the frequent complaints of children using technology as a bad thing. Mike Russel, the education secretary of 2012 showed enthusiasm towards technology when he agreed that education must move forward with the times and introduce mobile devices to a classroom environment. This backs up my argument that technology should be involved frequently in lessons and give children that option of change and chance of creativity.

Following on from this, I truly believe that teachers and learners can truly benefit from these devices and allow access to various different options. An article written by David Andrews in the Guardian discusses the title ‘An Apple for the teacher: are iPads the future in class?” He believes that if iPads were used for the purposes that they should be then it would be a create device to have instead of a laptop. David Andrews explains the advantages iPads can have over laptops and how for example, the touch motion can be of so much more use and time saving rather than waiting on each children logging onto laptops and typing in individual passwords. He argues that he would only introduce mobile devices into classrooms if they were used the correct way which is to fully enhance the education of learners.

To conclude, I feel that mobile devices are becoming so common and familiar to children and as learners I feel that they would fully engage in the learning when it comes to teaching with these. The app E-Book can be used to make a boring lesson fun and engaging and allow all learners to give their full participation and ability in the task given.

Stress- The Holmes- Rache Inventory Scale

February 27, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

After having complete the Holmes-Rache Inventory scale I totalled up my score to be 69 over the previous year. This gives the implication that I have a relatively low amount of life change and a low susceptibility to stress-induced health breakdown. I feel quite relaxed about my score and also quite relieved that my stress levels are not too high. At this stage in my life I am relatively happy with how things are going and have minimum stress levels. However, I feel that there was certain things I am stressed about that didn’t appear in the Holmes- rache inventory test such as the thought of my first year university exams looming over my head. I often over think the idea of these exams and put myself down as I always think the worst in exam situations. By worrying and constantly thinking about this I instantly become stressed and get stressed about being stressed and usually end up a teary mess.

In addition to this, I am constantly stressed about my university, work and social life and maintaining a healthy balance between all three of these. I always find myself tied up and worried that if I don’t spend enough time on one of these aspects I will not only let myself down but other people as well. By keeping up with my university work during the week I usually make time for my family and friends at the weekend and relax during this part of the week. Work is another aspect that I can easily come stressed about as I am constantly forced to complete over time by my boss and I feel they are unaware of the high demand of work my course at university has.

Despite this, there are many combats I do to relieve my stress and try to forget and over come what I am stressed about. My most important combat to stress is listening and talking to my friends and family about my problems and worries. I like to talk about my problems with people who have experienced or experiencing similar problems to myself as we can provide each other with support and advice. I am aware that my friends and family are always there for me in time of need and do there best to support me and make me happy. I often find myself listening to music while tidying my room or before I go to my bed at night, this allows me to calm down and really think about my worries as well as making me happier. Another combat I use frequently is exercise. I make time to go a walk or go to the gym during the week in between university and work to release my stress by exercising and staying healthy. By exercising I instantly feel better about myself as it allows me to take my mind off my worries in life and focus on keeping myself fit. One stress combat that I use that is almost like a guilty pleasure is online shopping, this takes me mind off things and allows me to treat myself when I a feeling down.

stress

Animation

February 22, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

For the last two weeks in Digital Technologies we have been focusing and producing animations and movies using the apps iMovie and iStopMotion. The videos were to relate well to our previous input of internet safety and tie in with literacy outcomes in the curriculum for excellence. We worked in groups to come up with a short clip about one or two minutes long to show the impact of online safety and get this message across to the children using these clips. Alongside my partner, we chose to create our video based on the dangers of the world wide site, Facebook. We decided to create a fake profile for a young girl around the same age as what the children in a primary school would be. screen-shot-2017-02-21-at-15-58-42 We ensured the profile showed her date of birth, home address, friends, family and of course, her interests such as sailing and ‘finding treasure’. These are all personal information that should never be posted on social media for everyone to see however, this is the way we were going to get across the message of internet safety to our learners. If you are wondering why her favourite hobbies is sailing and finding treasure, that is a good question. By using the app iMovie we used the pirate setting and related the young girls name- ‘Jacalyn Sparrow’ and various other personal information to the theme of pirates. By showing this to young children we felt we would be able to draw their attention to the pirate theme and make it more exciting for them to watch as well as having the important message behind it. Our main message that we created was that social media is a map that leads to peoples lives, just like a map that leads to treasure.We found this extremely beneficial in link with our theme as well as the dangers of posting personal information online.

After having spent one input on this we were ready to publish our short clips to the rest of the class today. My lecturer set the scene as an oscar/premier of movies where we all gathered round the interactive board watching each of the groups videos, I found this extremely interesting and useful to gain ideas from my peers. My class consists of 20 adults as well as my lecturer and can I just say I have never seen so many adults excited over watching movies and eating popcorn ever, we were so captivated! This gave me the realisation that if adults were so excited over this, can you imagine what 20 children would be like! Learning should always be fun, engaging and motivating and I feel this was a perfect lesson example I could have with my learners in the future. Digital Technology embraces children’s minds and helps children become more creative and more willing to be challenged, stepping away from old traditional lessons that is now out of date.

From this input I have learned that animations can be used successfully as part of a literacy lesson. Planning before hand children could use picture story boards to explain a story in their own way following on to making a movie out of it. This is leading on from the old fashion ways of writing down a creative story in your jotter and handing it into the teacher to mark. Learners are increasingly becoming bored of this and are being dampened down as they can’t express their true literacy skills as they find writing too hard. This can also be backed up by a quote made by Younie, S., Leask, M. and Burden, K (eds.) (2014) in ‘Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School’pg 14. “Story telling can engage reluctant learners and those who might find story telling using their own drawings or hand writing challenging.” I personally agree with this as well as the findings of the Scottish Government Jounral, Literature review on the Impact of Digital Technology on Learning and Teaching, that states that digital technology is becoming more successful in the learning and teaching of literacy and numeracy lessons. This shows that literacy can be expressed through animation and learners who don’t necessarily enjoy the writing and copying from a text book can thrive off the making of a film, learn and provide good quality work this way.

Is Scotland Healthy?

February 21, 2017 User deactivated 1 Comment

deepfriedmarsbar

Many people will argue the matter that Scotland is in fact a ‘healthy country’ or an ‘unhealthy country’, people will take into account their own health without looking at the people around them. From analysing and taking into account the statistics from the Scottish Health Survey I have made generalisations and assumptions based on the question ‘Is Scotland Healthy?’.

Firstly, the Scottish Health Survey proposed the question ‘Would you describe your health as good or very good, bad or very bad?’ From a sample of 4894 adults, 74% of them assessed their health as good and very good with only 8% of them admitting to having a bad or very bad health. Looking at the children statistics out of 1139 children, 95% of children agreed they had a good or very good health and an astounding 1% admitted that they had a bad health. From looking at these statistics I am amazed at the amount of people who have openly admitted to having a healthy diet when Scotland has got such a high mortality rate with a consequence of this being due to peoples health. This does not mean however, that some of these people do not have a good health. Many people in Scotland will have a good healthy lifestyle and likes to exploit that however, I believe some of these people are covering up their bad health.

Mental Health is the first category highlighted in the survey and I feel this is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. It is agreed that around 1 in 10 adults had two or more symptoms of depression. I personally believe mental health is becoming a huge impact on peoples health in Scotland, many people I know have suffered depression in various ways at some point in their life. 5% of the sample has also admitted to attempting suicide at some point or harming themselves one way or another. Many other issues of health was covered such as child obesity and dental health, they all highlighted in some way this was still happening in Scotland. The support for mental health is forever growing from call lines to help groups in spite of this I still feel mental health is a problem in Scotland that is dampening peoples health.

By looking at the diet of the sample, it highlighted that only 3.2 on average of adults ate the recommended portions of fruit and veg a day and children eating 2.7 portions a day. Another statistic that came to my attention is that over 25% of adults in Scotland in 2013 were classed as obese. In Scotland it is becoming severe issue that every second shop you pass is a take away of some sort with so much of these being fatty foods. Around 34% of children admitted to eating marsbar cakes at least twice a week. This shows that many children follow in the foot steps of their parents, the full family suffer because the parents are unwilling to maintain a healthy diet. It is vital to maintain a healthy diet to avoid suffering from heart diseases and various other health problems. In Scotland it is clear that many peoples diet is very unhealthy.

A final aspect is the lack of exercise in Scotland. The survey shows that 64% of adults claim to meet the recommended weekly guidelines of exercise. I feel that this statistic is a positive one as it shows that more than half of the sample admits to exercising weekly and being active. Although it can be argued that half of the sample is not meeting this guideline which shows that many people are not taking in the recommendations of physical health and this will show on their overall health. Again, along with your diet, it is clear that if your parents lack motivation and are unwilling to exercise it is more than likely that you will follow this and not complete the recommended weekly exercise. I personally feel Scotlands physical health needs to increase because of the lack of people attending for example games hall facilities which are now being closed down and giving less opportunities for children to exercise.

Overall, taking into account all of these statistics I personally feel that if you have been brought up around people who are unwilling to eat healthy or exercise this will pass down the line and ultimately decrease your motivation to become healthy. I think it is fair to state that Scotland is not in fact healthy nor unhealthy.

Do people with disabilities have equal rights in society?

February 9, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

disability

In Society and Lifestyle module, in todays input through the lecture, seminar and independent tutorial I have gathered and developed my thoughts and questions about people with disabilities and their experiences in society on inclusion and equality. Disability is number two of the nine characteristics protected against discrimination by the Equality Act 2010. I find this topic extremely interesting to read about and how being disabled can cause unfairness, I feel that it is crucial for society to treat everyone the same and give everyone equal opportunities. From looking back at ancient times, the treatment of people with disabilities was horrifying by many people being persecuted or killed just because they had a disability. In todays 21st century it is becoming an increasing matter that we as society must learn to create a new reality and ways of being.

Many people argue the matter that impairments themselves cause the disability by preventing them doing usual day to day activities, however, personally I believe that it is in fact the physical environment that surrounds us that causes magnificent ways of living and problems with those that live with a disability they find restrictions almost everywhere around them. I agree with Mel Ainscow belief that assumptions of people with disabilities are not intellectually developed and that those living with a disability should be moved into the mainstream environment to allow everyone to have fair and equal opportunities in the world.

In addition to this, I find the ‘universal design’ a very crucial and interesting concept that hopefully in years to come will be put in place in several buildings to create an equal and fair environment of use for everyone. This will allow people to treat everyone the same as they don’t have barriers separating the disabled and the privileged.

‘The opportunity of adversity’ a TED TALK video that was filmed in October 2009 by Aimee Mullens who truly believes there is no such thing as ‘normality’. Everyone has their different opinions and attitudes, beliefs, likes and attitudes. Nothing is considered as ‘normal’ as everyone is different. Society must learn to appreciate and value everyone instead of shaming and looking down on people who maybe look different or speak different to everyone else.

I feel that this is a strong topic that I still need to look into further. I feel that as a student and hopefully as an educator in the future I will gather these thoughts and be able to treat all my pupils equally. John Ravis belief is to be able to suit everyone in society we must look at the least advantaged first and consider what and how we would provide for them first. I will do just this in my classroom for an equal class environment for my pupils to earn in.

Keeping everyone SAFE on the web!

February 8, 2017 User deactivated Leave a comment

I found todays input extremely interesting however, a bit horrifying and scary. Today, Tuesday 7th February 2017 was World Internet safety day. World Internet safety day is about keeping everyone online safe and ensuring everyone is using the internet in the appropriate ways. This day is also made to raise awareness to not only children but adults as well to learn how to keep their own children safe and secure while exploring the web. As a student teacher, I must be able to educate my learners on this serious topic and have good background knowledge of safety on the internet to be able to give them correct and reasonable information. My lecturer shared a story with us about a young boy called Breck Bednar, who was appallingly murdered by a stranger he was speaking to through social media. This tragic story really touched me and had a huge impact on myself, after this I really felt that I needed to learn and educate the impact the internet really has on society today.

My lecturer provided us with useful resources such as the links to the CEOP ThinkUknow materials which involved huge amounts of information about safety on the internet and how to report any misuse or suspicious behaviour. I feel this resource will come in handy in the future when it comes to lesson planning and the videos will engage children into the lesson and educate them about the use of the internet. In addition to this, I was given materials and links to lesson plans that had already been made up about World Internet Safety Day. These lesson plans were specific to an age group such as 5-7 year olds and 7-11 year olds which I feel the learners will really benefit from as it is targeted at their level. The links also provided us with instructions and prompt cards/questions which can be used when in discussion with the class. A powerpoint was made which included games and quizzes that could be played in the class to try and enlighten the serious topic. I find these resources extremely useful and will definitely take advantage of them in the future when teaching about Internet safety.

In my opinion, Internet Safety is a topic that constantly needs reminding of and the dangers that it can cause to those around us. Many people are still unaware of how dangerous using internet-safety social media can be and who the people they are talking to via this actually are. When it comes to children on the internet many of them are still very young and are well unaware of what they are actually doing and who they are speaking to. Society is moving on with the times and technology is forever being advanced. Children now a days have the ability to speak to and write anything about them or other people on the internet. It is up to us and their parents to teach them how to be safe and keep out of danger while on the web.

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