Is there a place for comics and graphic novels in the modern classroom?

Although the terms comic book and graphic novel are sometimes used interchangeably, a comic, at about the length of a picture book, tends to be shorter than a graphic novel. Both are uniquely made up of images and text in a way that evokes a quality of film. Drawing on children’s existing knowledge of this medium, children can become creators of their own comics and graphic novels and thereby enhance understanding of paper-based multimodal texts (UKLA, 2005). With intuitive programmes such as Comic Life and even PowerPoint, children can record their own experiences or a narrative in a new and relevant way. Their value for reading and writing development is acknowledged in the Primary National Strategy for literacy (DfES, 2006).

Reflecting a growing positive sentiment, the graphic novel has emerged as a rising segment of book publishing as librarians and educators embrace their potential for motivating children to read (Scholastic, 2007). Reports demonstrate soaring circulation figures, most notably amongst boys who are traditionally difficult to engage (Sainsbury & Clarkson, 2008; Krensky, 2008). At the same time, examples with rich, complex plots and narrative structures can satisfy and challenge more advanced readers (Scholastic, 2007). For instance, the teachers’ pack containing graphic novel representations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Kossuth, 2011) offers great flexibility through varying text content. They claim to be ‘Making Shakespeare accessible for students and teachers’ and this, as well as other examples of his plays are arguably ideal for the genre, as they were never intended to be read without images. Images are therefore viewed as a valuable opportunity to make meaning, rather than as something which demines the text in line with today’s image dominated society (Jacobs, 2007; Mackey & McClay, 2000).

Looking at whether comics and graphic novels in fact undermine the values of the classroom, it is important to consider where notable reservations stem from. Those in a position to provide children with appropriate texts, such as teachers and parents may associate the term “graphic novel” with content that is not suitable for young readers (Scholastic, 2007). Of course teachers must take care to ensure suitability of content for both comics and graphic novels, yet should also acknowledge their potential to portray a range of topics suitable for cross-curricular learning. It is they who are the best judge of whether a text’s inclusion of violence or challenging themes are appropriate for their individual class (Stafford, 2009).

Others fail to recognise that graphic novels in particular can help children to move on with their reading, but instead believe that they undercut “real reading”. In contrast, Gaiman (1999) believes that rather than inferior literature, they have intellectual value in the classroom. The notion that graphic novels are too simplistic to be regarded as serious reading is outdated as they demand the decoding and comprehension of diverse literary devises including narrative structures and symbolism (Scholastic, 2007). The critical skills involved are similar to that used for traditional texts but also encourages children to interpret meaning behind facial and bodily expressions and the pictures’ composition and viewpoint. An effective strategy to promote inference, as observed on placement with the comic The Bash Street Kids  is to remove the dialogue from a page and ask children to decipher what characters could be saying (Stafford, 2007). For struggling or unconfident readers, graphic novels such as The Savage (Almond, 2009) act as a stepping stone, bridging the gap between comics and novels. The illustrations provide contextual clues to the written narrative that could otherwise appear daunting.

The layout of both mediums may also be difficult for early readers to decipher, yet this can be overcome with explicit teaching of their conventions. This relates to my practice, on which several children omitted the speech bubbles in texts suggesting an unfamiliarity with the concept. Initial discussions on comics should introduce children to their characteristics and install them as a credible form of literature in their minds (Stafford, 2009). The non-fiction graphic novel Water Goes Round: The Water Cycle (Kootz, 2011) acknowledges this by telling its reader how to navigate the pictures before proceeding. Once children and adults become familiar with the layout, they are better equipped to make meaning from them. In conclusion, providing young people of all abilities with diverse reading materials, including graphic novels and comics, can help them become lifelong readers.

Useful Resources for creating comics online:

·       http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/

·       http://marvelkids.marvel.com/games/play/75/create_your_own_comic

·       http://www.garfield.com/fungames/comiccreator.html

References

Almond, D. (2009) The Savage Walker Books

DfES (2006) Primary National Strategy London: DfES

Gaiman, N. (1999) in Bender, H. The Sandman Companion (New York: Vertigo Books, 1999), 4. 

Jacobs, D. (2007). More than words: Comics as a means of teaching multiple literacies. English Journal, 96(3), 19-25.

Kossuth, K. (2011) A Midsummer Night's Dream Teaching Resource Pack Towcester: Classical Comics

Kootz, R. (2011) Water Goes Round: The Water Cycle Minnesota: Capstone Press

Krensky, S. (2008) Comic Book Century: The History of American Comic Books Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books

Mackey, M., & McClay, J. (2000). Graphic routes to electronic literacy: Polysemy and picture books. Changing English, 7(2), 191-201.

QCA/UKLA (2005) More than words 2: Creating Stories on page and screen. London: QCA pp19-23:

Sainsbury, M. and Clarkson, R. (2008) Attitudes to Reading at Ages Nine and Eleven: Full Report. Slough: NFER.

Scholastic (2007) Using Graphic Novels with Children and Teens: A Guide for Teachers and Librarians http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/using-graphic-novels-children-and-teens-guide-teachers-and-librarians Accessed 28-01-14

Stafford, T (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) Teaching Children’s Literature: Making stories work in the classroom Abingdon:Routledge

Thomson & Co. Ltd. (2003) The Bash Street Kids

Blog 3: Too graphic? Or just comical?

The use of comics and graphic novels in the classroom is a controversial subject which is often approached with caution (Learning and Scotland, 2012; Marsh and Millard, 2001). Whitehead et al. (1977) viewed the genre of comics and graphic novels as ‘deplorable’ and argue that teachers should do their best to counteract their influence within the classroom. Conversely, Stafford (2009) argues that the use of comics and graphic novels within classrooms can give children the opportunity to be creative and thus they should be treated seriously like other texts in the classroom. Gibson (2008) and Krashen (2004) support this by stating the importance of graphic novels and comics in encouraging reading for pleasure and helping readers gain confidence in order to enjoy reading.

It is explicitly mentioned in the National Curriculum (DfE, 2014) the importance of encouraging children to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction as it increases pupils’ vocabulary. Marsh and Millard (2001) found that the study of comics and graphic novels can allow children to ‘lend themselves to rich word level’ by exploring the use of puns, alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia. Similarly, Krashen (2004) states that comic books often introduce new, sophisticated vocabulary, thus the use of comics and graphic novels support the values of the curriculum. Furthermore, it gives children the opportunity to study layout, emotion, characters and the effectiveness of language on an audience (Bowkett and Hitchman, 2012). Therefore, creating comics in class would enable children to consider how their use of composition and language affects an audience (QCA/UKLA, 2005).  However Stafford (2009) states that an important factor to consider, when using comics and graphic novels, is the suitability of the content; teachers should feel at ease with the content they are exposing to children.

Concerns with using comics and graphic novels in the classroom are based on ideas such as the lack of contribution they have on the development of reading, thus by reading them children are being denied other ‘nourishing’ material (Marsh and Millard, 2001). However, Gibson (2008) argues that texts in comic strip form can offer engaging, and demanding reading experiences as the reader needs skills to decode the images as well as the words. Furthermore, Stafford (2009) believes that children should be exposed to these reading materials as they can gain many skills from studying the genre of comics and graphic novels. Thus, to conclude, this evidence demonstrates the importance of using a range of texts within the classroom, including comics and graphic novels, which can be valuable resources that are readily available for use in the classroom. 

Bowkett, S and Hitchman, T. (2012) Using Comic Art to improve Speaking, Reading and Writing. Abingdon: David Fulton

Department for Education (2013) National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study- key stages 1 and 2. London: HMSO

Gibson, M. (2008) ‘So what is this mango, anyway?’ Understanding Manga, Comics and Graphic novels. National Association for the Teaching of English. [Online] http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/3109/1/So%20what%20is%20this%20mango%2C%20anyway-%20Understanding%20manga-%20comics%20and%20graphic%20novels.pdf Accessed: 30/01/14

Krashen, S. (2004) ‘The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research’ Observations and Reflections from BEHS Staff. CO: Libraries Unlimited [Online] http://teachers.saschina.org/jnordmeyer/files/2011/06/The-Power-of-Reading.pdf Accessed: 30/01/14

Learning and Teaching Scotland (2012) Graphic Novels in the Curriculum. Education Scotland.

Millard, E. and Marsh, J. (2001) 'Sending Minnie the Minx Home: comics and reading choices' Cambridge Journal of Education, 31:1, 25 – 38

QCA/UKLA (2005) More than words 2: Creating Stories on page and screen.  London: QCA  pp19-23

Stafford, T (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) Teaching Children’s Literature: Making stories work in the classroom  Abingdon: Routledge

Whitehead, F., Capey, A., Maddren, W. And Wellings, A. (1977) Children and their books. The final report of the schools council project on children’s reading habits 10 -16, in Millard and Marsh (2001) 'Sending Minnie the Minx Home: comics and reading choices' Cambridge Journal of Education, 31:1, 25 – 38

Useful resources As posted by Luke in his blog

www.themangabible.com/‎

A manga adaptation of the bible. Reads a little odd sometimes as it was translated from English, to Japanese, to English again. But it's pretty... and DRAMATIC.

http://kingstonecomics.com/kingstone-bible

Traditional western-style comic adaptation of the bible. Excellent for boys, but this style generally doesn't appeal so much to girls. However, the stories will be much more accurate than the manga bible.

https://www.facebook.com/theactionbible

Probably a happy medium. Also has a few awesome hooks on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKvr3S9NSzU.

http://www.vimanikacomics.com/

Another really cool one for Hinduism.

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/g/graphicnovels/recommendednovels.asp?strReferringChannel=resources&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-621334-64

Link to some recommended graphic novels for the classroom, including adaptations of classic novels and playscripts.

CREATE YOUR OWN MARVEL COMIC, CLICK BELOW

Resource: 'Comic Life'

In today's session I created my own comic using a programme called 'Comic Life'.
Although I was unable to complete the comic, it developed my understanding of how to use ICT programmes to enhance children's learning in literacy. This resource would enable children to understand the different formats of written text and therefore would develop their writing skills. Children could use it to create their own stories or to retell stories in a comic strip format making it more fun and appealing for them. However, I feel that, when using it with children, it would need to be developed over a number of lessons as they may not be able to complete it one lesson.

Comic

Here is my comic that I completed using comic life today.

Using Comic Life comics in the classroom...

 Here is my comic, which I made with Comic Life, of The Three Little Pigs:

 I found this really easy to make and I think it would be a great resource to use with children. Children could make their own comics or the teacher could make them before the lesson. I believe that this comic could support children with their writing and retelling the story of The Three Little Pigs.

A Comic take on Snow White

Today was my first encounter with the software Comic Life, with which I produced my own take on the Snow White fairytale. I found the programme very intuitive and potentially supportive for early creators of comics. A variety of layouts are available to make each learner's comic as individual as possible with endless possibilities for speech bubbles and captions.

Blog 2: How popular is popular culture?

‘Popular culture is seen as an authentic part of students’ experience, and hence as something which teachers should seek to validate and even to celebrate’ (Buckingham, 1998).

Although there may be many benefits of using popular culture within the classroom, it is also important to identify the limitations of it, thus I have carried out a short survey to gather information about the use of popular culture in the classroom.

My research indicated that a key advantage of using popular culture is that it can motivate and interest children, making their learning more interesting as it provides them with a context. This is supported by Higgins et al. (2012) and Marsh et al. (2005) who found that young children are more immersed in their learning when it involves popular culture as they are growing up in a digital world; the use of such technology engages and motivates young people. Furthermore, it is stated in the National Curriculum (DfE, 2013) that it is important for children to become ‘digitally literate’ as they are active participants in a digital world.

Another response within the survey suggested that popular culture can enhance children’s learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Dyson (1997) supports this point by suggesting that the use of popular culture can value children’s experiences at home and allows teachers to draw from children’s experiences across a range of cultures. Marsh (2005) furthers this point by stating that the focus should be on encouraging and scaffolding children in order for them to fully participate in the world outside of the classroom.

However, findings from my survey also suggested that the use of technologies such as computers, Ipads and laptops promotes the idea of a ‘game mentality’ as children primarily use such equipment to play games. Research conducted by Ofcom (2012) also found that younger children predominantly use the internet for games. This point was also raised in seminar discussions, and as a group, we collectively agreed that it is vital for teachers to supervise children and ensure that when using these technologies it is solely for educational purposes in order to enhance children’s learning. This is supported by Byron (2008) who suggests that it is important to restrict children’s access to games that are not suitable for their age. Therefore implications for my future practice would be to help children understand that technology can be used for a variety of purposes and not just to play games. 

Buckingham, D. (1998) Teaching Popular Culture: Beyond radical pedagogy. UCL Press Ltd.

Byron, T (2008) Safer Children in a Digital World – The Report of the Byron Review. Nottingham: DCSF

Department for Education (2013) National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study- key stages 1 and 2. London: HMSO

Dyson, A.H. (1997) Writing Superheroes:  Contemporary childhood, popular culture and classroom literacy.  New York:  Teachers College Press

Higgins, S., Xiao, Z. and Katsipataki, M. (2012) The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning:

A Summary for the Education Endowment Foundation. Durham University: Education Endowment Foundation.

Marsh, J. (2005) Popular Culture, New Media and Digital Literacy in Early Childhood Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer

Marsh, J., Brooks, G., Hughes, J., Ritchie, L., Roberts, S. and Wright, K. (2005) Digital beginnings: Young children’s use of popular culture, media and new technologies. Sheffield: Literacy Research Centre.

Ofcom (2012) Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. London

Should popular culture come in to the classroom?

Today’s blog is a reflection on parent’s perceptions of using popular culture in the classroom, based on a recent interview with the mother of a 9 year old girl. Popular culture refers to the concepts that surround people in day to day life and is highly determined by the films and television that they are exposed to (Marsh and Millard, 2003). In contemporary life, those films and programmes, be it Moshi Monsters or Toy Story, act as an advert for their brand, selling merchandise by creating a “craze”. I will explore this further alongside the development of new technologies that have produced the ‘digital natives’ that will make up my future classes.

It was interesting to hear first hand how a parent’s experience of using technology differs from that of their child. A shift is highlighted, in that her child’s experience as a digital native commenced not only early on, but at home prior to school, whereas her own encounters with computers were carefully managed within the school environment. This impacts children’s view of technology, from a complex concept that must be mastered through instruction, to a tool for creativity that can be operated instinctively. Her child recognises the potential of the internet as a platform to share, watching user-created videos on the topic of Minecraft and communicating to peers via Skype software (Ofcom, 2012). This new way in which children socialise has, however raised concerns amongst parents (Prensky, 2001). Palmer (2007) notes that television and other technologies are blamed for the lack of language and social skills of many children. However, my interview would suggest that it is for the parents themselves to enforce sufficient boundaries and thereby avoid children being absorbed by technological entertainment at the expense of social interaction.

So what are the implications of this for my future practice? It is important to consider that digital natives’ brains may be physically different as a result of the digital input received growing up (Prensky, 2001). This has left them with an expectation of interactivity, impacting on their thinking and reading preferences (Bearne, 2003). Teachers should promote reflection and critical thinking through relevant and interesting elements of popular culture such as Doctor Who or digital games, that, when brought into the classroom allow children to act as experts in their “native language” (Harrett& Benjamin, 2009; Prensky, 2001).

Looking at the effect on literacy, it would appear that parents seek to protect traditional literacy, defined in my interview as ‘the ability to read and write’. She highlights real life cases of children's written work taking the form of 'text speak'. To combat this, there is rich potential for teachers to draw upon popular culture within the classroom, as evidenced by Sandy Stockwell’s experience of using Pokemon as a context to address prefixes and suffixes. This example captures the children’s interest and builds on their understanding of character names changing as new powers were collected. Marsh (2000) is just one supporter of using popular culture and media in the classroom, stating that it motivates children who may otherwise not engage with the curriculum. However, a study carried out by Harrett & Benjamin (2009) highlights the need for more training for teachers so that they may use media resources and cross-curricular approaches with confidence. I would agree with this for my own practice as, despite being a digital native myself, I welcome added guidance to keep up with children’s ever-growing expertise.

References

Bearne, E. (2003). Rethinking Literacy: Communication, Representation and Text. Reading Literacy and Language, 37(3), 98–103.

Harrett, J. & Benjamin, T. (2009) Travel with a Time Lord: Using Media to Enhance Literacy, Literacy 43(3): 134-142. UKLA

Marsh, J. & Millard, E. (2003) Literacy and Popular Culture in the Classroom Reading: National Centre for Language and Literacy

Marsh, J. (2000) Popular culture in the classroom, Literacy Today available at: http:/www.nationalliteracytrust.org.uk/Pubs/ marsh.html, accessed 24th January 2014

Ofcom (2012) Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report Research Document Ofcom.

Palmer, S. (2007) Toxic Childhood - how the modern world is damaging our children and what we can do about it London: Orion Books.

Prensky, M. (2001) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?’ in On the Horizon 9 (6) (pdf on LN)

Blog 2 - Should new media and popular culture be promoted in the classroom?

Explore the outcomes of your parental/student teacher survey. Did any responses surprise or challenge you? What might be the subsequent implications for your future practice? Make links to the in-session discussion and to any relevant readings.

Should popular culture and new media be promoted in the classroom? From conducting research into this area, I have found that there are many positive and negative views regarding the role and impact of new media and popular culture, on the learning of both children and teachers.

Firstly, my survey suggested that teachers may be anxious and worried about keeping up to date with new media and popular culture. It was also discussed in our seminar that teachers think it is important to keep expanding and developing their knowledge in order to ‘keep up’ with their students. Marsh (2003) suggests that teachers may lack confidence due to lack of own experience and lack of knowledge. Therefore, teachers need opportunities to explore and discover new literacies (Dean, 2010) & access to training and the technology (Marsh et al 2005). I was also surprised to read from Marsh (2003), that popular culture is seen as ‘taboo’ in schools and student teachers do not want to use it in case it reflects badly on them. This shows that student teachers are unsure of whether or not using popular culture in the classroom is seen as a good thing.  

The survey and seminar discussions also implied that teacher’s think popular culture and new media can be very engaging and interesting for children. Dyson (1997:2002) suggests that children’s popular texts within the classroom, can be used to value children’s out-of-school experiences including home life. If children’s attitudes & values are respected, then the use of popular culture becomes a way of building on their ‘funds of knowledge’ (Moll et. al, 1992). This is supported by Marsh (2000) and PNS/UKLA (2005) who highlight that children don’t seem to reject introduction of popular culture in the classroom, rather they respond enthusiastically to work related to their interests. This has shown me the need to bring popular culture into my own practice. On the other hand, Lambirth (2003) suggests that some teachers may find these materials intellectually inferior & feel that children are exposed to unregulated films, computer games & ‘they get enough of that at home’ (Lambirth, 2003). In relation to this, a question proposed in a seminar session that challenged my thinking was ‘Is using real game in the classroom more engaging than education games?’ This is something I would like to explore throughout the module.

One implication and something that challenged my thinking for my own practice is that children may not be learning rich vocabulary through the use of new media, therefore are they just learning colloquialism? As mentioned in my survey, teachers may need to ensure children are benefitting in an educational way. There is a concern that an introduction of digital communication into the classroom is at the expense of the ‘traditional’ view of English (Merchant, 2001; Crystal, 2001). This is supported by Palmer (2007) who suggests that it can promote poor language and social skills, leading to slower progress in literacy.

Dean (2010) ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C (Ed) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms London:Sage

Dyson, A.H. (1997) Writing Superheroes:  Contemporary childhood, popular culture and classroom literacy.  New York:  Teachers College Press

Lambirth, A. (2003) ‘”They get enough of that at home”: Understanding aversion to popular cultures in schools’ Reading 37(1) pp.9-13

 

Marsh, J. & Millard, E. (2000) Literacy and Popular Culture: Using children’s culture in the classroom. London: Paul Chapman

Marsh, J. et al, (2005) ‘Digital beginnings: Young children’s use of popular culture, media and new technologies’ Literacy Research Centre, University of Sheffield

 

Merchant, G. (2001) ‘Teenagers in cyberspace: language use and language change in Internet chatrooms in Journal of Research in Reading 24 (3) pp.293 - 306

Moll, L., Manati, C., Neff, D. & Gonzalez, N. (1992) Funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory into Practice. 31 pp.132 – 141

 

Palmer, S. (2007) Toxic Childhood: How the modern world is damaging our children and what we can do about it London: Orion Books

PNS/UKLA (2005) Raising Boys’  Achievement in Writing.  London: HMSO

The hole in the wall experiment... Sugata Mitra

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

Above is a link to Sugata Mitra speaking about 'child driven education' and his 'hole in the wall experiment.' It is quite interesting so I thought I should share it as it supports why technology is a positive step forward in education. He speaks about how an environment which stimulates curiosity can result in learning- even when there is no teacher input.

The use of popular culture in the classroom... What do parents think?

I believe popular culture should be used within the classroom. The outcomes of the parent survey supplied me with a range of ideas, positive and negative, towards the perceptions of popular culture. From the results, it is clear that popular culture is supported; with parents agreeing that it should be included within the primary classroom (Arthur, 2005). However, parents did suggest some negatives which will need to be considered.

One parent mentioned how the use of popular culture allows teachers to give children a context for learning, which they are familiar with and can relate to. Therefore, they are more likely to enjoy the lesson and learn. This point can be supported by many key writers such as Gee (2004), Goodwyn (2000), Pahl and Rowsell (2005) who believed that schools must find ways of acknowledging new literacies which offer connections with children’s present and future lives.

A parent brought up a possible issue for the use of popular culture, which I had not considered. Children’s popular culture today generally consists of technological devices; items which can be very expensive for schools and not many have enough for whole class use. This idea was supported on my SE3 where the class only had a small selection of Ipads, a device all children in the class wanted to use. When incorporated into lessons it was clear that the children using them were really engaged however, due to having so little, they were not available for the whole class to access them. This shows one difficulty in the use of popular culture. In contrast to this point, Ofsted (2011) reported that by the end of their survey, a small number of schools were developing a new approach to the provision of equipment. Schools were encouraging pupils to use their own devices. On the Estonian interactive bootcamp I noticed this approach was used. The school had virtually no equipment; the day before a lesson where children needed cameras they were told to bring a device from home to film with. This is a more sustainable strategy for the longer term which would reduce the pressure on school budgets. Popular culture is always changing and schools can never keep up; using  pupil’s devices increases the likelihood of children using ‘modern’ and diverse ranges on technological devices, supporting comments made in last week’s blog post.

Another response which surprised me, as I had not considered it, was that some children may not have access to certain types of popular culture; does this put them at a disadvantage? This was also a point raised in the seminar on Tuesday. Yes, these children could be at a disadvantage but it will be no different from the disadvantage which children who have little experience of one text type compared to those who have a vast majority of experience within traditional literacy lessons. Children will then have the opportunity to learn about this ‘item’ (Ofsted, 2011; Pahl and Rowsell, 2005).

My implications for future practice will be to continue using popular culture in the classroom as it is generally seen as a positive idea I will also need to consider the ideas from my previous post and above whilst using them. I now have a strong understanding of why it should be used but I will now need to gain more experience in learning how popular culture could be incorporated within teaching.

Bibliography

Arthur, L. (2005) ‘Popular Culture: views of parents and educators’ in Marsh, J. (2005) Popular Culture, New Media and Digital Literacy in Early Childhood. Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.

Gee, J. (2004) Situated Language and Learning: a critique of traditional schooling. London: Routledge.

Goodwyn, A. (ed.) (2000) English in the Digital Age: Information and Communications Technology and the teaching of English. London: Cassell.

Ofsted. (2011) ICT schools 2008-11 [pdf] Available at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/ict-schools-2008-11(Accessed: 21.01.2014).

Pahl, K., and Rowsell, J. (2005) Literacy and Education: Understanding the New Literacy Studies in the Classroom. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. 

Blog 1: TechNO or TechYES?

It can be argued that the increased use of technology within the classroom has many benefits for children to enhance their learning experiences. The use of the internet and other technologies offers a range of opportunities for fun learning and development for children (Byron Review, 2008). Children’s reading preferences now differ from that of the past due to the rapid technological advances which have changed the way in which children expect to read (Bearne, 2003; Cremin, 2007). ICT programmes enable children to read books online which can be accessed both at school and at home. This is something I have personally experienced whilst working in a school, as the children enthusiastically used programmes such as ‘Bug Club’ which motivated them to read.

 In our increasingly digital society, it is an inevitable outcome that children are rapidly using modern technologies within the classroom as they are constantly surrounded by them both inside and outside of the school. Therefore it is developing their knowledge of the use of these technologies that is important in order to incorporate these technologies to further enhance their learning.I have observed schools use a vast range of digital media to promote a more enthusiastic approach to teaching and learning in the classroom. Children could independently use computers, laptops and other technologies to support them in their learning demonstrating their confidence in using this kind of technology.

However, whilst many of my experiences were positive, digital media can also present some disadvantages. A major concern is that children can often come across inappropriate material particularly on the internet whether this is intentional or unintentional (Byron Review, 2008).  The internet allows for global exploration and although children may seem confident in using new technologies, they are still developing their knowledge about them. This is an aspect I would perceive as a possible challenge as it is very easy for children to access the internet therefore precautions would need to be put in place for children to use the internet safely.

References

Bearne, E. (2003) ‘Rethinking literacy: communication, representation and text’ Reading Literacy and Language. 37 (3) pp. 98-103

Byron Review (2008) Safer Children in a Digital World. DCSF Publications.

Cremin (2007) ‘Revisiting reading for pleasure: diversity, delight and desire’ in Goouch, K. and Lambirth, A. (2007) Understanding Phonics and the Teaching of Reading: Critical Perspectives. Open University Press. 

Sharing a professional stance

I am excited to commence our study into the potential role and value of new technologies and multimedia in the classroom. At present, I see the increased use of technology, as observed by Dean (2010) by children as a positive step forwards as it reflects the rapidly growing digital world that children are born into. By this I refer to technology being immersed in their social and economic culture and values, such as through social networking and continuous access to portable media (Palfrey & Gasser, 2008). I myself can be regarded as a “digital native”, having been born after 1980 and grown-up alongside the development of new technologies (from having our family’s first huge desktop PC, to my own Macbook and Iphone), yet the extent of my digital prowess is minor compared to that observed in much younger members of society, including my nine year old sister. For her, being able to access the internet on a near-hourly basis is an expectation, not a privilege, applying her native skills with confidence that astounds me, and that’s not even mentioning the already blossoming knowledge of my 18 month old cousin!

It seems that our increasingly digital society is here to stay and so the only question is whether statutory guidance will embrace it more thoroughly in the near future. Literacy in the 21^st century is, after all the ability to understand information, however presented, and it is important for the curriculum to reflect this more diversely (Lanham, 1995). Regarding the module itself, I am most looking forward to our teaching experience in the Shirley Warren school as well as hopefully finding my writing style and content improve over the next 12 weeks. I have not written a blog entry before, in my personal or professional capacities but am relatively digitally literate through my experience of social media such as Twitter.

References

Dean, G. ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed) (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms London:Sage (pdf on LN)

Palfrey, J. and Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. New York: Basic Books.

Lanham (1995) Digital literacy, Scientific American, 273(3): 160-1

A good start to our blog and to your assignments

Thank you for the entries so far. You have engaged with the key issues and have drawn on the literature. This is a good start to our blog and to your assignments. Well done. Sandy

Technology in the primary school... A positive step forward? (Week 1 blog task)

Personally, being an ICT specialist, I believe that the increased use of technology is a positive step forward.

The National Curriculum (DfE, 2013) explains that we need to make sure children gain the capabilities to use the technology that is available to them as it will prepare them to be digitally literate members of society in the future. Schools must find ways of acknowledging new literacies which offer connections with children’s present and future lives; learning skills which will enable them not become ‘digital immigrants’ in the decades to come as technology is ever-changing (Pahl and Rowsell, 2005). Technology accommodates for a range of learning styles, what Gardner (2006) calls multiple intelligences. While traditional textbooks often take a linguistic approach to learning, technologies multiple modes can take a variety of approaches e.g. aesthetic, logical or narrational. This Idea was supported when I attended the Estonian Interactive Bootcamp last year where we looked at how video could be used in the classroom. While there I had the opportunity to teach a science lesson to Estonian children who knew little, if any, English. The use of video still allowed those children who struggled with the language to access the lesson as they could watch the content, proving its importance in supporting learners. Technology was also something these children, and most other children, could relate to and be enthusiastic about, meaning they were more likely to be engaged in the lesson and therefore learn (Beauchamp, 2012; Dean, 2010).  However, it is highly important that children are taught to use technology “safely, respectfully and responsibly” (DfE, 2013: 140) within the classroom if we are to take a ‘positive’ step forward.

I believe it is an inevitable outcome in our increasingly digital society to use technology within the classroom. It has been proven that in most cases technology helps pupils learn (Pahl and Rowsell, 2005; Beauchamp, 2012; Dean, 2010) so why shouldn’t we use these readily available technologies? I must also note that, for now, this does not mean there is no place for books, pens and paper within the primary curriculum.

The challenge of this module that I feel I will need to overcome is the ability to take a critical stance about the use of technology in the classroom. I will need to make sure that my positive view on technology does not bias my responses to reading and experience.

Bibliography:

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary School. From Pedagogy to Practice. Essex: Pearson Education Ltd.

Dean, G., (2010) Rethinking Literacy. In: C. Bazalgette. (Ed.) Teaching Media in Primary School.  Sage: Media Education Association (MEA), pp. 51-60.

DfE. (2013) The National Curriculum. In Scholastic (Ed.) The National Curriculum in England: Handbook for Primary Teachers Key stages 1 & 2. Oxfordshire. Scholastic.

Gardner, H. (2006) Multiple Intelligences, New Horizons. New York: Basic Books.

Pahl, K., and Rowsell, J. (2005) Literacy and Education: Understanding the New Literacy Studies in the Classroom. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. 

Blog 1 - The use of technology by children

Question: Do you see the increased use of technology by children as a positive step forward? Is this an inevitable outcome in our increasing digital society or is it something to be resisted, especially within the classroom. What are the limitations you will face during this module as a teacher?

 

The use of technology in the classroom can be seen as a positive step forward. It may equip children with life skills in a world where being digitally literate is very important and inevitable. This is because children are exposed to different forms of technology in day to day life, be it phones, TVs, radios and computers (to name a few). Technology can help children who are different types of learners. Some children have difficulty with reading and writing so need other ways of learning; in particular, children with fine motor skills who struggle with writing can use laptops and/or touch type so there is no barrier of their learning. The use of technology can also support children in a number of different subjects and not just in English and ICT. It has a place in most subjects, especially science and maths and this is highlighted in the National Curriculum (DfEe, 2013), for example, the use of data base. In my experience in a classroom setting, the use of ipads was strongly encouraged and provided children with many different educational games and activities, which the class loved to play and learn from: therefore giving them independence in their own learning even during their ‘free’ or playtime or when the teacher was not around. However, does this mean there is no place for books and pens and paper anymore? This is something I would like to explore further with research. I think it is also important to note that safety cautions need to be explored in order for children to use technology safely and respectfully. My challenges as a future teacher and on this module is becoming aware of how and when to use different forms of technology in the classroom so children can benefit and become aware of the positives and limitations it can have on my teaching.

 

Department for Education and Employment (2013) ‘The National Curriculum for England: computing programmes of study key stages 1-4’, Qualification and Curriculum Authority: London

Welcome to our Media, Language and Multiliteracies/Multimedia and Technology Joint Module Blog!

We will be posting messages and uploading documents, links etc across the module and I look forward to reading your posts over the coming weeks.

Best wishes
Sandy, and Pam