Movie Making is the aspect of digital technologies that we were looking at this week within the class which also included an assessment task. To be more specific, we mainly focused on the use of the iMovie app for Apple devices to create our own films and to also discuss how it would be used within the modern day classroom. We also had a look at internet safety.
Now you may be thinking, how can we use apps such as iMovie in the classroom? Well, the answer is… the possibilities are endless! This could be for recording a research project where children pretend they are giving a news report on a particular event within the area or they could create their own films giving tips on how to make recipes! iMovie is a great resource for children as it provides many learning opportunities. These include:
- Learning how to use a camera.
- Planning out their scenes.
- How to add music and effects.
- How to create different moods within the scenes.
- To present their information.
- To practice their acting.
Of course there are many more opportunities which can be explored, however, iMovie can also help us to look at Blooms Taxonomy. Using iMovie within the modern day classroom can help us achieve each of the levels. The examples I have come up with are:
- Remembering – Use iMovie to save memories from the classroom which can also help children recall previous memories or lessons.
- Understanding– The children can use iMovie which shows their understanding of the learning intentions and prove that they have achieved all the lessons aims.
- Applying – The children can apply iMovie clips into their presentations to give more depth and to be more creative.
- Analysing– The children can use iMovie to film their environment and analyse what 3D objects and 2D shapes can be found in the rooms, the playground etc.
- Evaluating – The children could film an experiment in science on the iMovie app and then afterwards sit down in front of the camera explaining to the viewer what they have done wrong or right and how it can be improved in the future.
- Creating– The children can be given freedom on iMovie to explore their creative side to create a new song or story and record the process of making it.
( Gibson, 2019).
I will definitely take some of these ideas for my own classroom and will be using this app to explore all aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence. This offers variety in the classroom and allows children to explore new technology.
In today’s modern society, it is incredibly important that we teach children about the sensitive topic of internet safety. On the 5th of February 2019, it was Safer Internet Day. On this day, children are taught all about internet safety and the current issues which they need to be aware of. In our classes, there will be children (of all ages) who will have their own social media profiles which is something that we cannot stop. Although these apps guidelines state the child must be 13 years old, children still manage to secure these accounts. As a teacher, I must ensure that I do not put forward my personal opinion of a child having these accounts (Beauchamp, 2012). Even though I had an account at a young age, as I have grown older, I have realised how dangerous these profiles can be to the younger members of society. So what can we do for these children? We can provide safety tips. The UK Safer Internet Safety Centre (2019) provides the following tips for those aged 7-11:
- Be aware of the dangers and how to turn off sensitive content.
- Make sensible choices.
- Always ask others permission online.
- Be an online role model.
- Ask for help from an adult if you are ever worried.
As the issues grow online with many more harmful issues surfacing on the web, these tips can help the children to ensure that they stay out of any dangerous situations. Of course, these tips will need to be updated all the time due to an increase of danger but by having these talks with the children, we can ensure they have the basics to ensure when using the internet at home or within the school they are always in the safest situation possible. The Scottish Government (2019) also provides help and guidelines for the parents and/or guardians of the children regarding the use of the internet. This includes how to deal with cyberbullying and also how to protect your family and in particular your child’s passwords. This is a great webpage to help the adults especially since the internet evolves more every day.
As mentioned above, the topic of internet safety is a hard subject to teach to children and we can not force our opinions on particular social media platforms which we may deem unsafe for their use as the child may already have it or have their own separate opinion on the matter. The task this week was to create a movie in a small group about the dangers of the internet while giving them some safety tips for if or when they choose to use it. My group decided we would develop a storyline surrounding the relevant topic of “cat-fishing” profiles on the likes of apps like Facebook and Instagram. As the Washington Post puts it, social media is allowing people a ‘cloak of technology’ (2016) where they can hide behind another users identity to manipulate others thoughts and get them to meet where they could be hurt or taken. We felt like this was an important topic that has to be discussed with children so that they are able to identify what harm it can cause them but also to help them identify these fake profiles.
Before beginning to create our movie, we constructed a quick plan of action to help us with a storyline but to also help us make sure that it was child-friendly. In all honesty, we should have talked more before we went into the class that day as we spent a lot of time discussing what we should do. Below is our plan and our line of thought for our movie.
In our movie, we showed the viewer that Chloe was adding a new Instagram photo which showed her location. We then showed me (the stranger) screen shooting the photos and then adding them to a new profile and setting up a catfish account. The stranger then messaged Chloe’s friend claiming that she had made a new profile. They then agreed to meet up. However, when meeting up Chloe’s friend quickly found out that she had agreed to meet a stranger! We then went on to showcase the tips in which we believe would avoid this situation. This was hard to film for many reasons. It made me realise that it actually very easy for someone to become a catfish and how easy a target children are and without any advice, the situation we filmed could eventually happen! It made me realise the importance of teaching internet safety within the classroom and it will definitely be an area which I will focus on within my lessons.
This could relate to the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes in many different subject areas. We chose “I can explore online communities demonstrating an understanding of responsible behaviour and I’m aware of how to keep myself safe and secure” – TCH 2-03a. This fits our movie as it shows that we can demonstrate these safety skills and then also show our understanding. This could easily be done by a group of children where they could all showcase their films to the class and discuss all of their individual tips for online safety.
My thoughts on iMovie are that if you don’t have a prior understanding of the app it can be really hard to try and pick up the skills in one sitting. My group did find the app difficult to work as we couldn’t find some of the buttons such as putting in text or changing the colours of backgrounds. Again, this could be avoided by trying out the app before the class and trying to prepare more in advance.
References used within this blog:
Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary School: From Pedagogy to Practice. Pearson.
Gibson, Katy. (2019) Bloom’s Taxonomy. [Graphic, Online] Available: https://sites.google.com/site/kgibsondigitalportfolio1/danielson-framework/danielson-domain-1/1c-setting-instructional-outcomes/bloom-s-taxonomy[Accessed: 19 February 2019]
McCarthy, Ellen (2016) What is catfishing? A brief (and sordid) history. The Washington Post. [Online] 09 January, nonpaginated. Available: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/01/09/what-is-catfishing-a-brief-and-sordid-history/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.21d6dabe5eaf[Accessed: 19 February 2019].
The Scottish Government. (2019) Internet Safety[Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/my-child/Internet%20safety[Accessed: 19 February 2019].
UK Safer Internet Centre. (2019) Safer Internet Day 2019 Top Tips for 7-11s. [Online] Available: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2019/safer-internet-day-2019-top-tips-7-11s[Accessed: February 2019]
