Today we used a new programme called Animoto, which is definitely something I would use again because it was really fun and easy to use. I feel like I’m beginning to get more confident with ICT which will definitely be something that is of great advantage in the classroom. Using ICT with children by using an interactive whiteboard provides a visual aid and also allows the children to be interactive and also feel engaged which is extremely beneficial.

Sharon’s input was very helpful as it made us think about internet safety and that this is really important because we are surrounded by technology and have such easy access to the internet. Gone are the days of taking a class down to an ICT suite to “find four interesting facts” about a certain subject. This type of activity has no real impact on pupils and it is simply just a copying and pasting exercise. A helpful activity would be to actually evaluate the website and to write a bit about what the children learned and why the source they used was helpful.

There are a lot of resources that I could use as a teacher to keep the class engaged such as using Class Tools to access a timer or class names so that everyone in the class has a chance to talk and give their thoughts. Also Pinterest is something that I definitely will need to start using more as there is such a vast range of posts and will give inspiration for ideas to use in the classroom.

This is the Animoto that Eilidh and I created! We didn’t realise until after we had finished it that we were supposed to make one with the theme of Internet Safety. We decided to use images from social media to create an animation of our time at University so far. The site is relatively easy to use and so this is definitely something I would give a class as an activity and give them a theme to set it to. It might be a good idea to allow them to record their own music and use pictures that they could take in the classroom if the school has use of a camera.  Then this allows the children to use several forms of ICT in a safe and secure way.