Monthly Archives: February 2017

Creating an E-Book

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As part of our digital technologies module we are focussing on the potential of mobile devices in the classroom. Today we were looking at using apps to create our own E-Books, particularly Book Creator, and this allowed me to consider the many ways that these apps could be used across the curriculum. We focussed on summarising a book and using pictures and sound effects as well as videos to make the book engaging and interactive. This could be a good way to introduce learners to the app before they use it to create stories of their own or to make factual books or journals. It could also be a good way to test children’s knowledge of a book which the class have been reading together.

Technologies such as this do not only provide us with opportunities to create items of the future, but they also provide educators and learners with choice. By giving learners choice they are more likely to engage in the activity in hand and to take from it what they need. David Andrews discusses his love for mobile devices as a classroom resource in his article in The Guardian ‘An Apple for the Teacher: are iPads the future in class?’. He wanted to make sure that bringing iPads into his school would be beneficial and would be able to do more than laptops. He found that iPads cannot replace some aspects of laptops but they can offer different apps and interesting features which cannot be so easily accessed through laptops. He argues that one of the main pros of iPads is the opportunity they provide for creativity and he states that he will not use mobile technologies in his classroom if they are not enhancing the learning of his pupils. I believe that this point is extremely important as mobile technologies should not be used to allow learners in the classroom to have fun but not actually learn anything; it is important that we keep the purpose of the use of these technologies in mind. The education secretary of 2012, Mike Russel showed his agreement with this point as he discussed his wishes to ’embed’ these mobile technologies into lessons.

I personally feel that another benefit of these mobile technologies is that they can be taken with learners and moved around easily and freely, allowing them to capture moments outwith the classroom and really allowing their imaginations to run free. It also provides them with the option, should they have an iPad or tablet at home, to download apps such as this for themselves and to continue learning skills in this fun and engaging way at home. This supports the Scottish Government incentive to make parents and carers more aware of the opportunities of using digital technologies to enhance learning all of the time – not just in the classroom, as well as possibly reducing many parents’ views of technology as mind numbing and helping them to see its potential as mind blowing! I also believe very strongly that most learners would view use of mobile technologies such as creating an E-Book as a much more exciting homework task than writing things on a blank A4 sheet of paper.

Furthermore, through use of a digital E-Book, learners are exposed to the importance of editing their work and are allowed to do this very easily. They can move things around, change sentences without making a mess and it allows them to build on what they have rather than to start again every time they want to edit their work, making sure that they all have a better chance of producing work which represents the best of their ability.

Finally, as discussed in ‘A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland: The Views of Children’, a report carried out by the Scottish Government in 2016, many children are currently interested in YouTube and are creating their own videos to post on there. This may well have stemmed from the recent love of ‘vloggers’.  Most of these vloggers vlog about their everyday lives, often doing tutorials for things such as makeup and games and many children are following on by doing the same as their new found idols. If this interest was to be captured by myself as a teacher and if learners were presented with the possibility of creating vlogs, just like their favourite vloggers, which could be used to test their knowledge through the creation of a tutorial for their own mathematical strategies or through creation of a character who is from another country and is discussing what his or her life is like there, they may become a lot more interested than if I was to tell them to write these things down on paper. These vlogs could then be organised and used as part of E-Books as learners can create links for them, allowing their E-Books to be made completely of their own valuable materials and to be completely interactive for them and for the people who are reading them.

Overall, it is fair to say that by creating E-Books learners are made to feel like true authors and are presented with various different learning possibilities, as well as the possibility of choosing to take their learning beyond the classroom because they are truly enjoying it!

Animation

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img_3014Throughout the last two inputs for Digital Technologies we have been working on animations and videos using apps such as iMovie and iStopMotion. These short clips were focussed on internet safety and had a strong link to literacy lessons, focussing on aspects such as story telling and digital literacy. We worked in groups to create our masterpieces, making sure that they worked alongside the curriculum for excellence outcomes as well as teaching young children about the importance of staying safe online. My partner, Jill, and I worked with the popular social media site of Facebook to create a profile for a young girl of the age of 8 years old. We filled in all of the possible spaces with personal information and posted details such as her friends, her pet, her school, her birthday, what age she was going to be and where and when her party was. The main point of our video was that our social media accounts are a map to us! We captured this through use of a pirate setting on iMovie and by relating the details of personal information, as well as the name of our imaginary girl, pirate related. We felt that this was a way for us to grab the attention of young people, by making it seem like an exciting movie trailer about pirates, when it was in fact teaching them a very important lesson about the dangers of posting personal information online. We were inspired by the Safer Internet Day resources which gave us an idea of the level of detail we should be going into with children of different ages and stages.

After we had all created our films, we had a premier (with popcorn might I add) watching our creations on the big screen. As a class of 20 adults we were all completely engaged and felt that this was a reward rather than a lesson. This brought to my attention that in fact, all learning should feel like this! Rather than a drag and a bore, rewriting stories which have been more or less given to us, listening to the “10 main rules of internet safety” and copying them into our jotters so that the teacher can tick the box, we should be focussing on lessons which will captivate learners. Digital technologies is a fantastic way to do this!

This kind of activity could be used very successfully with children in the classroom as a literacy lesson, beginning with picture storyboards for their ideas and working towards telling a story through film. Looking at literacy from a different angle can really help to engage some young people who would usually be frightened by the idea of literacy and find it boring as they “can’t do it”. This is supported by the statement made by Younie, S., Leask, M. and Burden, K. (eds.) (2014) in ‘Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School’ p.14 : “Story telling can engage reluctant learners and those who might find story telling using their own drawings or handwriting challenging.” This kind of lesson using film and animation not only brings relatable and real-life like work to the classroom, it also makes learning seem almost like play, meaning that the pupils in the class are so distracted by their excitement that they in fact are unaware that they are learning at all.

References

Younie, S., Leask, M. and Burden, K. (eds.) (2014) Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School. [Online] London: Routledge Taylor and Francis. p.14.

Is Scotland Healthy?

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It would be impossible for me to determine Scotland as a ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ country without making some generalisations. For that matter, I am not talking about every Scottish person when I answer the main question of ‘Is Scotland healthy?’ with no.

We are provided with statistics, such as those from the Scottish Health survey, which claim that from a sample of 4,894 adults, 74% of them describe their health as being ‘good’ or ‘very good’, with only 8% describing their health as bad or very bad. From the sample of 1,839 children, 95% of them described their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, while 1% described their health as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’. I personally believe that if this was the case, there is no way that Scotland’s mortality rate would be so high. There are many people in the samples taken who truly will live healthy lifestyles, but it could be argued that there will also be many who either do not understand the meaning of a healthy lifestyle, or who cannot admit to themselves or others that the way they are living their lives cannot be classed as healthy.

Looking firstly at diet, only 22% of adults in 2013 said that they ate the recommended 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, with children eating on average 2.7 portions per day. Also, around 34% of children admitted to eating cakes at least twice a week. An unhealthy diet can vastly impact a persons wellbeing as it can lead to heart disease, vitamin deficiencies, and obesity, which can itself lead to various further health problems. Over 25% of adults in Scotland were obese in 2013. Today we live in a time in which nobody has time! So ready meals, jars of sauce and fast food are always the easy option. However, many of these contain hidden ingredients such as sodium, which, when eaten excessively, can lead to kidney problems, high blood pressure, heart problem, and weak bones.

Another cause of obesity is lack of exercise. 64% of adults in the sample claimed to meet the recommended weekly exercise guidelines. We could say that with more than half of the country reaching these guidelines, Scotland is a generally active country. However, with this in mind, we also must consider the other 46% of adults who are not meeting these guidelines, maybe just by a little bit, or maybe by doing no exercise at all. From personal experience, I believe that with the evolution of social media through the years, people are beginning to promote more healthy and active lifestyles through this. As fitness gurus become role models for many and as people post photographs of the transformations they have undergone through healthy diet and exercise, the generations of internet users are being inspired. However, depending on the attitudes to exercise that we grow up around, we are often exposed to a lack of motivation to exercise, or to the attitude that it is not really necessary. Therefore, there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to Scotland’s physical activity.

As well as these causes of poor health, I feel it is vital to mention alcohol consumption and smoking. With new legislation people are less likely to be harmed by second hand smoke. Although, it is clear that despite the known dangers of lung cancer, smoking still exists in Scotland and until this is not the case, it will contribute to our high mortality rates and poor general health. In addition, our culture has widely accepted that the people of today drink to get drunk. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol not only has the potential to damage the liver but can also effect people mentally.

Mental health plays a huge part in determining the general health of Scotland. With around one in ten adults having had two or more symptoms of depression, 5% saying that they had attempted to take their lives at least once, as well as 5% saying that they had harmed themselves on purpose without the intent of killing themselves, Scotland may not be the least, but it is not the most, mentally healthy country it could be. However, support for this is on the rise and I would claim that within my life-time I have noticed an increase in help available as well as a decrease in stigma against mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

The report also covers other areas of health such as dental health, childhood obesity, Asthma, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Hypertension. The results of these aspects were varied but all of which displayed Scottish people as being relatively susceptive to having these diseases and health problems.

Therefore, it is fair to conclude that despite the high claims of good health in Scotland, the mortality rate is far too high and the NHS is far too stretched for these claims to be valid. So many diets consist of too much sugar and salt and not enough vitamins and minerals. Although many people claim to meet the guidelines of weekly exercise, there are still a group which remains not doing enough exercise. Obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse remain as huge problems, putting increasing pressure on the NHS to provide adequate health care. While mental health problems may be being more widely supported, they are often triggered by the stress that our society places on people. Meaning that Scotland, clearly, has quite a long way to go to becoming ‘healthy’.

 

Is society the greatest cause of disability?

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Within the Societies and Lifestyles module, we have been studying the social affects of inclusion and equality. The most recent focus on this has been disability. We used this as an example to allow us to specifically think about certain types of inequality and exclusion in society. Disability is just one of the many named characteristics which are protected against discrimination by the Equality Act, 2010. However, this allowed us to think in depth about Allport’s Scale of Prejudice and Discrimination using clear examples. Upon reflection of my own experiences witnessing and learning about real-life examples of antilocution, avoidance, discrimination, physical abuse and extermination, I considered that as a person of privilege, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to truly understand how people of the characteristics stated in the Equality Act, 2010 feel and deal with day to day tasks which I often take for granted as being easy.

I was then lead to consider the question: Does disability come from the impairments themselves or from the physical and social environment? I would have to argue the latter. It is very often not the impairment which prevents people from going about every day activities, but it is the restrictions caused by the environment which has been physically and socially built up to suit the majority. If we take example from John Rawls’ belief that in order to achieve equality as fairness, we must look to the least advantaged people first and consider that which would suit them. It is only by doing this that we will begin to see a shift towards a world which accommodates for everyone equally and as integrated.

In a TED talk filmed in October 2009, Aimee Mullens discussed her beliefs about adversity. She believes that adversity itself is not the problem – it is a challenge but it is one which must be looked at from a positive and pro-active point of view. Diversity is everywhere! It always has been and we are developing new ways in which people who are disabled can function most freely. However, it is the attitudes of society and the old fashioned building methods which are behind in the times. It is these two factors which are preventing many people with disabilities from seeing whatever impairment they may have as a part of them which makes them different – not less valuable. It is these which are segregating the advantaged from the disadvantaged.

As I make that statement it brings me to wonder, how can we distinguish between someone who is advantaged and someone who is not? My personal definition of advantage would be something which makes a person a step ahead of someone else. In this day and age should we really be considering people who are different as people who are disadvantaged? The mind-set of society must change as we cannot continue to impose this kind of negativity towards people who may look, act or feel differently to the majority. Aimee Mullens also discusses the idea of normality. It is society which creates this vision of a normal person and it is society which puts pressure on people to be no different to normal. Whether that be a child who is particularly clever at school; someone who chooses to die their hair purple; someone who doesn’t have much money; someone who lives in a different place to you; someone who plays a certain sport; or someone who hates sport and loves to read! The list could go on forvever until the characteristics one must have to be normal create a completely unrealistic view of a person who could not exist! We all have our qualities and our flaws, our likes and our dislikes, our circumstances and our lifestyles. We are all different and there is no true “normal”. Since normal can never exist, we are all competing in an endless cycle against those who are particularly different from us.

In our world of today, we must prevent people who have disabilities from being disadvantaged in any way. It is this line between advantage and disadvantage which creates two groups of majority and minority and which prevents either group from truly understanding the intentions or feelings of the other. As Nancy Fraser believes, it is our advantages which blind us from appreciating the contribution of minority groups. Therefore, the idea of Universal Design, if put in to practice from now on when designing new buildings, we should be able to see a more equal society. Not only allowing for equality as fairness but by influencing attitudes about disabilities. We are all so heavily influenced by society that if it was physically built with disabled and able bodied people considered as one, the line between the two would hopefully fade. This would hopefully lead to less discrimination and a more modern outlook on the possibilities disabled people have.

It is therefore fair to conclude that as a teacher I shall always consider those who are least advantaged in the class room before making sure that the classroom environment suits every child. I also see the great importance in educating children, as emphasised by Nancy Fraser, about minority groups and ensuring that every child’s needs are catered for in an equal, fair and inclusive way.

From learning about this today I found myself faced with many questions which I previously had not considered. Some of which I have discussed above and some of which I shall take away with me and look into further before I conclude my answers. One thing which really stuck with me from watching the Aimee Mullens TED talk was her quote: “The exact meaning of the word ‘educate’ comes from the root word ‘educe’. It means to bring forth what is within, to bring out potential.” We must, as educators, students and members of the community, do our very best to bring out the very best in every person and provide them with the support to strive.

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World Internet Safety Day

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Today, the 7th February 2017, was World Internet Safety Day. It is all about raising awareness of internet safety and making sure that young people are well educated about online behaviour and that parents and carers are well trained in the possible dangers of the internet and how best to deal with them. As an aspiring teacher I found it extremely useful to learn about and gain access to resources which I will be able to reference as support when I am faced with teaching pupils about internet safety. Today my tutor told us something which made a large impact on me. He told us that we must treat going on the internet like going outside. Although it is indoors and may appear as though it is constricted to one safe room, it is the complete opposite! I would even go as far as to argue that the internet can be an even more dangerous place than the outdoors as it can expose any person to any number of dangerous people and environments; often many more dangerous people than the number who physically live near them.

Stranger danger is discussed with young children before they are able to understand what it means. The internet, I feel, is a particularly scary place because for some reason, most of us are happy to accept someone as our ‘friend’ or to allow someone to ‘follow’ us, who in fact is not our friend at all! People need to understand the dangers of posting personal information online as this can often be viewed by anyone who wants to see it and can track them to know more about you than you would want a stranger to know! People online can hide behind the mask of a profile, which may or may not hold true information about them. They are free to make up any character they wish, making it easy for them to manipulate people into believing their lies. I felt that I was exposed to the dangers of this, especially the very real dangers of grooming throughout my time spent in late primary school and secondary school. However, it is clear that as technology is ever advancing, social media is becoming more and more popular with children who are way below the recommended age of use. Social media is not confined to the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Apps such as Snapchat and games which allow people to play live against each other while talking through headphones or online messages also fall in to this category. This means that just as children are introduced to stranger danger, they must be introduced to internet safety.

Stepping away from the idea of false profiles, I feel that there is a sense of competition between young people to have the most ‘friends’ or ‘followers’, meaning that hopefully they will get the most ‘likes’ on their posts and pictures, which is thought of my many as a measure of popularity and beauty. This can give people a sense of confidence but it also provides a whole new platform for bullying and insecurities. We are constantly faced with edited photos of unrealistic looking people and an obsession with the ‘selfie’. This is an unnecessary pressure that seems to be effecting more and more younger children. Social media is something which should be enjoyed, not abused. It is therefore imperative that we teach our future generations about how to behave online and how to deal with anything which seems even slightly strange or anything which has upset them.

We were provided today with a link to CEOP ThinkUKnow materials which had many videos helpful tips about how to teach internet safety to different age groups and how to deal with reports of anything suspicious or unsettling happening online. I found this to be very helpful as I know that this is a resource which I will need to become very familiar with over the years! We were also provided with links to lesson plans for different age groups of children to use on World Internet Safety Day. These gave us materials to use and instructions of how best to use them along with powerpoint presentations and ideas of questions and prompts to use to guide discussions within the classroom. I have saved these resources onto my computer as I feel that they will definitely come in handy one day. Although we are becoming more and more aware of online dangers and working to improve how we deal with them, I believe that due to the long period of time in which social media did not exist, there are still many people who do not see the true extent of the dangers of the internet and this is something that we, as educators, must do our very best to deal with.

By helping people to stay safe online, we are helping people to stay safe in the world. What could possibly be negative about that?world-internet-safety-day

Religion, Society and Diversity

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1024px-religious_symbols-4x4-svgAs a result of a recent Society and Lifestyles lecture, independent task and tutorial, I have learned that religion can be sectioned in to three types – established religion, sects and cults. Each of these share certain characteristics, allowing them to fall into the same category, although they also display differing levels of extremity and different ways of organisation. I have also learned that there are many different definitions of religion, depending on which angle one looks at it from. However, there are commonalities between all religions and Bourdillion believes that they are composed of the way people see things and symbols. As I am viewing religion from a sociologists point of view, it would have been recommended by Ninian Smart that I should adopt the scholary approach.

Furthermore, I have learned that religion has many purposes and through discussion of the opportunities and challenges of religious diversity in the tutorial, I have found that this is a very powerful part of today’s society. Potentially creating a more accepting and peaceful culture as by allowing our children to grow up in a religiously diverse society, we are allowing them exposure to, and possibly experience of, different religious practices and lifestyles, therefore helping to eradicate the fear of the unkown. In addition, in many cases it may lead to people finding their own sense of identity within a different religion to that which they were originally brought up to be. As well as this, I learned that religion provides order within society. This provides a clear example of how lifestyle impacts on society as it is ultimately our beliefs which guide us towards the decisions we make. Meaning that those who follow a religion, should follow the teachings of that religion and this will impact their actions. It can also be said that through these teachings there are requirements, sometimes in the form of rituals. These rituals can have an impact on our society as those who go through with them, or do not go through with them, will either fit in to the society within their religion or not and this will affect them phsycologically.

I mostly understand the main concepts and issues of the topics and areas I have learnt today as I am now able to see the vast complexity of the definition of religion and its purposes within society. I can also see that religion and society have been connected since the creation of whichever one came first, and affect each other in both positive and negative ways. Many Marxists could be argued to believe that religion has always been used to control people and to deceive them into a false sense of contentment and safety as all will be solved by God, hiding them from political unfairness.

However, I am struggling to understand Bruce Lincoln’s belief about culture and religion providing a site for negotiations for power and privilege in society and the ‘hegemonic struggle’. To develop my understanding of this, I will find his book ‘Discourse and the Construction of Society’ and I will read more about this particular term and topic and will hopefully find further explaination. I also need to read more on the theorists that we looked at today, I have began to read about Bourdillion. I will continue to do this before next weeks class as well as reading about Bronislaw Malinowski and Emile Durkheim.