Blog 11: Evaluation of the module

Prior to this module, my experience and understanding of using digital technologies in the primary classroom was limited which resulted in my lack of confidence and apprehensiveness towards using digital media with children. However, through both theoretical and practical learning, I feel better equipped to incorporate ICT into my future practice in order to provide children with opportunities to engage with a range of digital technologies to enhance their learning. The importance of improving teachers’ confidence in using technologies is highlighted by Future Lab (2010) as digital technology has become embedded in popular culture therefore it cannot be neglected. Teachers often find themselves at a disadvantage when pupils seem to be more ‘digitally literate’ than they are, therefore teachers need to master these new literacies and use them effectively in teaching and learning (Rudd and Tyldesley, 2006). Dean (2010) concurs by adding that it is important that teachers have opportunities to explore and engage with a range of technologies in order to build the confidence to use them with children. Having opportunities to explore and use a range of digital media during seminar sessions has broadened my knowledge about how to effectively implement ICT into the literacy curriculum which I hope to put into practice in my future role as a teacher. Therefore this supports the idea that teachers need training and professional development in using technologies in order to understand the effective use of such technology to support teaching and learning aims (Higgins, Xiao and Katsipataki, 2012; Marsh, Brooks, Hughes, Ritchie, Roberts and Wright, 2005).

The focus has not solely been on the use of digital technology with children but also the impact of popular culture and other types of media, such as comics and graphic novels, on children’s learning. Through discussions in seminars and reflections on blog posts, it is evident that the use of popular culture in the classroom is a key way of engaging pupils with literacy (Marsh and Hallet, 2008). Children are more immersed in their learning when it involves popular culture as they are growing up in a digital world (Higgins et al, 2012; Marsh et al, 2005) therefore teachers should seek to validate and celebrate popular culture as it is an authentic part of pupils’ learning experiences (Buckingham, 1998). The session relating to comics and graphic novels further supports this as comics and graphic novels are a major part of popular culture. They can offer children opportunities to be creative (Stafford, 2009) and they also promote reading for pleasure (Gibson, 2008; Krashen, 2004) therefore demonstrating their effectiveness in the primary classroom. These sessions have enabled me to develop my understanding of how to incorporate popular culture and popular texts within the literacy curriculum to enhance children’s learning experiences which I hope to pursue in my future role as an English subject coordinator. 

According to Lambirth (2003) teachers today are not aware of the variety and value technology and media can hold within the classroom, therefore having the opportunity to work with children in a school setting enabled me to gain first-hand experience of this. Teachers need to overcome the ‘fear’ related to using technology in the classroom (Future Lab, 2010) and need to inhabit this technological environment as it has proved beneficial to children’s learning (Higgins et al, 2012; Rudd and Tyldesley, 2006). Using a range of digital technologies with a group of children not only increased my confidence to use them in the classroom but also made me a more competent user of ICT which was a challenge I faced prior to this module. Therefore, I feel that this module has developed my understanding of how to incorporate ICT into the literacy curriculum in order to use digital media and other forms of media to develop children’s learning. In my future practice as an English coordinator, I will be able to use what I have learnt to achieve the aims of the National Curriculum in supporting children to become ‘digitally literate’ as they are active participants in a digital world (DfE, 2013).

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

Dean, G. 'Rethinking Literacy' in Bazalgette, C. (ed) (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms. London: SAGE

Department for Education (2013) National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study. London: HMSO

Future Lab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: (Sections 3.5 – 3.6 Digital Literacy in Practice)

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: 29/03/14

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.

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: 29/03/14

Lambirth, A. (2003) "They Get Enough of That at Home" Understanding Aversion to Popular Culture in Schools. Reading Literacy and Language 37 (1) pp.9 -13

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.

Marsh, J. and Hallet, E. (2008) Desirable Literacies, Los Angeles: Sage

Rudd, A. and Tyldesley, A. (2006) Literacy and ICT in the Primary School: A Creative Approach to English. London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd

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

Multimedia and Multiliteracies in the Primary School - Part 2

Informal Blog Task: Multimedia and Multiliteracies in the Primary School: Linking Theory and Practice (Part 2)

Upon returning to Shirley Warren we were eager to meet the year 1 children and commence work on our talking book relating to article 29 of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNICEF, 1989). The concept of a talking book related to our experimentation with various apps in week 8 and allowed us to build on and expand our expertise.

I valued this opportunity to immerse myself in all that the iPads have to offer, particularly the apps of iMovie, Book Creator and Veescope. This links with a promise made by Apple (2014) that ‘powerful creative tools, interactive textbooks and a universe of apps and content make endless learning possibilities’. It also goes to satisfy the aims of the new National Curriculum (DfE, 2013) for children to engage in a variety of technology and media across the curriculum as even the one resource of iPads had multiple purposes.

As John and Sutherland (2004) express, ICT is a growing part of children's everyday lives, yet is was still a pleasant surprise to see just how well such young children responded to the features of new apps and technology. However, an important consideration may be whether children fully comprehend how to use the apps when given a specific purpose, or rather is their confidence misleading? Hague & Payton (2010) highlight how many teachers often report that a majority of young people are not as knowledgeable and as technologically savvy as they can appear. This may be true to an extent during our work at Shirley Warren as our group recognised aspects of the apps and were eager  to experiment, yet on more than one occasion would click on a link and unintentionally lose their recordings. The fact that the children remained enthusiastic with the task and were willing to learn demonstrates how the use of technology within the classroom offers a range of opportunities for fun learning and development for children (Byron Review, 2008).

Despite this, the key to our success was collaboration as adults and children helped each other and turned potential hiccups into problem-solving opportunities applying higher-order thinking. Children responded well to having a degree of freedom which was in fact very useful as we could occupy all of the five children by giving them their own task to be getting on with.  Heinrich (2012) supports this, suggesting that iPads and other forms of digital media are a valuable resource due to do their increasing flexibility with applications that encourage children to employ skills that printed texts may not. The lack of time prevented us, however from placing as much of the decision-making in the children’s hands as I would have liked to, yet a longer session could help to overcome this in future practice. Also, regarding the time frame, I would have liked to use the I Can Animate software, but will now look forward to trying that next time!

As an English specialist, I enjoyed the chance to see digitall literacy in action and aimed to reinforce literacy so that ICT is seen as a cross curricula resource (Potter and Darbyshire, 2010). This is even more true as the session incorporated children PSHE, ICT and literacy learning in an active context. This links to Medwell, Moore, Wray and Griffiths’ (2012) belief that ICT should support children’s learning across all subjects where possible.

The visit provided a supportive context as the way in which children were permitted to behave differentiated from some more formal tasks. The challenge of producing a talking book in a limited space of time provided incentive for both adults and children so that they could accomplish their learning while talking, laughing and working collaboratively (Cook & Finlayson, 1999). As well as problem solving, this creative opportunity also allowed for higher order thinking according to Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer (2013: 55) as we as teachers placed the challenge into a relevant context.

From a trainee teacher's perspective, I recognise that the extent to which the school has welcomed new technology remains rare, yet I also feel that it is a natural step that many schools are beginning to take. Children need to be taught at school about technology and how to use it, not only for pleasure at home, but also for educational purposes (Bazelgette, 2010). This may be extended to my own practice and expertise regarding new technology. I plan to always familiarise myself fully with any new technology or specific app before carrying out a lesson, allowing me to plan for the best learning opportunities for that lesson. Brooks-Young (2007:34) suggests the importance of feeling prepared to use technology in the classroom and the positive effect it can have on teaching, ‘as your level of confidence with technology grows, your ability to make adjustments in technology use will also increase’. It would be a shame to miss out on the potential for engaging and memorable learning that interactive technology facilitates (BBC Active, 2010).

References

Bazelgette, C. (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Schools, London: Sage

Heinrich, P. (2012) The iPad as a Tool for Education: A study of the introduction of iPads, Winchester: Naace.

BBC Active. (2010). Ipads in the Classroom. Retrieved from: <http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/iPadsintheClassroom.aspx> [Accessed 25/03/2014]

Brooks-Young, S. (2007) Digital-Age Literacy for Teachers: Applying Technology Standards to Everyday Practice Washington: ISTE Publications

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

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. and Ertmer, P. (2013) Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. Second Edition. California: Wadsworth.

Cook, D. & Finlayson, H. (1999) Interactive Children, Communicative Teaching: ICT and classroom teaching , OUP,  Buckingham

DFE/QCA (2013) The National Curriculum in England, DFE/QCA

UNICEF (1989) The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, London: UNICEF UK.

Heinrich, P. (2012) The iPad as a Tool for Education: A study of the introduction of iPads, Winchester: Naace.

John, P and Sutherland, R (2004) Teaching and Learning with ICT: New technology, new pedagogy? Education, Communication and Information, 4, pp101-107

Potter, F. And Darbyshire, C. (2010) Understanding and teaching the ICT National Curriculum. Oxon: Routledge.

Blog 9 - Visit to Shirley Warren (Part 1)

My visit to Shirley Warren Primary School developed my knowledge and understanding of how ICT and media can be used within literacy and other curriculum subjects. The different forms of technology available at Shirley Warren highlighted the importance that the role of ICT and media can have in education, as children grow up in the 21st century which is centered on digital media and information (Noor-Ul-Amin, undated). This is supported by Hague and Payton (2010) who agree that subject learning in schools needs to be relevant to a society in which growing technology use is changing the way that both adults and children represent and communicate information and meaning and participate in cultural life. Through my experience at Shirley Warren Primary School, I believe that this is focused on and achieved.

During my visit to Shirley Warren Primary School, I was given a tour around the school and I was surprised and excited to see a studio available for the students to use and also a functioning radio station. Due to this, I became aware of how this can be used to provide many learning opportunities, including develop children’s skills in sound effects, songs, dramatizations, comic sketches, and other performance conventions which will compel the students to listen and become more involved in the their lessons and activities (Noor-Ul-Amin, undated). Also, as the studio is very interactive and engaging, it increases children’s motivation levels which could lead to enhanced performance in subjects (Oliver, 2000).

At Shirley Warren I became familiar with different apps on ipads that can be used to support curriculum subjects. I was particularly interested in the use of the app ‘Veescope’ which enabled teachers and students to use green screen. This is something I had never thought of using before my visit and I gained an understanding that it can be used to support children’s overall learning experiences by being motivating, fun and engaging, as well as professional. Also, it can help develop ICT skills as children can learn to design and edit backgrounds including lightening and shadows, dragging and importing.

However, a question that needs to be discussed in relation to my visit to Shirley Warren is, how confident do teachers feel in embedding unfamiliar technology into their lessons and how much support is available for them? Marsh (2003) suggests that teachers may lack in confidence due to lack of own experience and lack of knowledge. Cuban, (2001) states that classroom teachers are simply using the technology to do what they have always done because they are worried they do not have the knowledge to embed it into their lessons effectively. Therefore, this implies the need for teachers to have opportunities and access to training of how to use and embed different technologies into the curriculum (Marsh et al 2005). Luckily at Shirley Warren, teachers are given the opportunity for specific support and training in order to help develop their skills in using and embedding ICT within their classroom. However, do all schools provide this? In relation to my own future practice, although I have an understanding of how different technologies are available to support children’s learning, I am anxious about how to embed ICT into my own lessons. Due to this, more experience and research is needed so I can progress as a teacher in this area.

To conclude, although this week I became familiar with different ICT based learning opportunities for children in schools, I feel I need practice with working with children in order to gain a better understanding of how children feel about using ICT and what they already know and don’t know about specific technologies. This will be explored in my next visit to Shirley Warren.

 

Cuban, L. (2001) Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom (Cambridge:Harvard University Press).

 Hague, C, & Payton, S (2010) Digital Literacy across the Curriculum, Futurelab, Available at http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf

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

 Noor-Ul-Amin, S., (undated) ‘An Effective use of ICT for Education and Learning by Drawing on Worldwide Knowledge, Research, and Experience: ICT as a Change Agent for Education’ University Of Kashmir, Accessed online at http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/waoe/amins.pdf (29/03/2014)

Oliver, R. (2000). Creating Meaningful Contexts for Learning in Web-based Settings. Proceedings of Open Learning 2000. (Pp; 53-62).Brisbane: Learning Network, Queensland.

Blog 8 - Informal: Ipad Apps

During our seminar session we were given the opportunity to explore different Ipad Apps which can be used to develop children’s literacy and ICT skills. As more and more educational apps are becoming available for teachers and students, they provide many opportunities for learning (Apple Inc: 2013). This also supports the argument that teachers should combine literacy and ICT skills to support the digital world and experiences children are growing up in (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008). 

 The use of IPad apps can expand children’s learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom, making it more interactive, immersive, and engaging (Apple Inc: 2013). As students may be more engaged by using ipads, it can lead to increased motivation levels and performance in subjects (Apple Inc: 2013). One App available on Ipads, which I was given the opportunity to explore in our seminar session, is ‘Book Creator’. Book Creator allows the user to add content including text, images, recordings, videos, music and narration to tell a whole story. Book creator can be used by teachers or students and provides many advantages to children’s literacy learning including, developing reading and writing skills. When children have finished creating their books, they have the opportunity to publish and save their books online. This enables them to share their book with an audience and also go back and look at it in the future. Due to this, it can help improve motivation levels as children will be encouraged to put more effort in to editing and improving the quality of their work, as they will gain a sense of authorship (Gleeson, 2013). Book Creator enables children to tell stories orally through recordings until they are ready to write (Gleeson, 2013). This is effective for children who lack in writing skills as they can record all their creative and imaginative ideas for their story (Gleeson, 2013).  Also, as book creator uses audio, highlighted annotations, vocabulary support through linked dictionaries and scrolling screens, it provides support for students who lack in reading skills (Gleeson, 2013).

A previous argument which was discussed in my blog 2, was that there is a concern that an introduction of digital communication and literacy into the classroom is at the expense of the ‘traditional’ view of English (Merchant, 2001; Crystal, 2001) and that it can promote poor language and social skills, leading to slower progress in literacy (Palmer, 2007). However, through exploring the use of ipads apps to promote literacy and ICT skills, I have found that this may not be the case as ICT and literacy combined can help children develop many literacy skills to become effective readers, writers and communicators (Bearne, 2003a). This is achieved through being exposed to the different modes used to communicate meaning in literacy apps such as sound, voices, intonation, movement, stance and gesture, as well as text and image (Bearne, 2003a).

To conclude, as I was given the opportunity to discuss and explore a variety of apps in our seminar session, it provided me with the knowledge and understanding of how to use them to support children’s learning. However, more experience is needed of integrating the use of apps into my own practice and teaching as , teachers need opportunities to explore and discover new literacies (Dean, 2010) & have access to training and the technology (Marsh et al 2005). This will come with more research, school experience and self-study activities.

 

Apple Inc (2013) ‘Apps in the Classroom: Using iOS Apps for Teaching and Learning’ [ONLINE] Available: http://images.apple.com/education/docs/L523172A_EDU_App_Guide_062013.pdf

Bearne, E. (2003) Rethinking Literacy: communication, representation and text in reading UK

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

Gleeson, M (2013) ‘iPurpose before iPad’, Edublogs, Available:  http://mgleeson.edublogs.org/2013/04/28/ipurpose-before-ipad/

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

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

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

 

 

Blog 8 - Internet Safety in Schools

Internet safety in schools

Internet safety is an important aspect that needs to be addressed inside and outside of the classroom, in order to protect children from inappropriate material that they can be exposed to when using the internet. Half (49%) of young people questioned say they have given out personal information, such as their full names, ages, email addresses, phone numbers, hobbies or names of their schools, to strangers on the internet (UK Children Go Online Economic and Social Research Council, 2005). Therefore, using the internet can create many issues in regards to online safety as children may give away personal details to strangers and predators online and children may have no idea how that information will be used (Internet Advisory Board, Undated). The information that children give out could lead to strangers trying to coax them into real life meetings (Internet Advisory Board, Undated). The Bryon Review (2008) further adds that children can also be harassed and stalked and experience bullying from people they have met online. This can in turn lead to the child self-harming (Bryon Review, 2008). Children can also see and learn things they shouldn’t on the internet (Internet Advisory Board, Undated)) and view inappropriate material that is available to them online which may include spam, violent or hateful content, pornographic or unwelcome sexual content and misleading information or advice (Bryon Review, 2008).

Although there is no way to remove all of the risks from children’s activities, either online or offline, there are steps and precautions that can be taken in order to reduce the risks (Internet Advisory Board, Undated). Schools can ensure children are e-safe by reducing availability, restricting access and increasing resilience (Byron Review, 2008). Schools can help children build resilience to the material they are exposed to online by using explicit teaching and learning about e –safety, so that they have confidence and skills to navigate more safely (Byron Review, 2008). Resources available for teachers to develop an understanding of how to teach e safety include ‘KidSMART’ (online), ‘Childnet’ (online), ‘Know it all’ (online) and ‘Think U know’ (online), to name a few. These websites provide classroom ideas and activities based on teaching children about being safe online. Most of these websites also provide information for parents. This implies a need for not only schools and teachers to help children with e safety but also parents too. This highlights the importance of identifying home-school links as a key issue in keeping children safe online as the main time children use the internet is at home (Byron Review, 2008). Resources are also available to report any inappropriate or suspicious behaviour online with or towards a child. These include, ‘Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre’ http://www.ceop.gov.uk and childline: www.childline.ie.

The Bryon Review (2008) states that new teachers entering the profession should be equipped with e-safety knowledge and skills. Therefore, in relation to my own practice there are important skills and knowledge that I can begin to familiarize myself with in order to develop my personal professional development in this area. I can begin to become aware of the current legal requirements and guidance on the safeguarding of children. I can also research how to support children who are affected by behaviour online and know when to refer them for specialist support.

To conclude, although there are many dangers to using the internet, this shouldn’t mean children should stop using the internet, as Internet Advisory Board (Undated) states that the internet provides ways for children to develop their communication skills, be creative, and find out more about the world and the things they are interested in. They are experimenting with their identity and image and being online helps them to learn some of the digital skills that are a priority in the world they are growing up in (Internet Advisory Board, Undated).

 

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

ChildNet. (online) Cyber-Bullying. Available at: http://www.childnet.com/teachers-and-professionals/for-working-with-young-people/hot-topics/cyberbullying (Accessed: 27/03/2014).

‘Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre’ (online) CEOP Report, Available at   http://www.ceop.gov.uk, (Accessed, 27/03/2013)

Childline (Online) Childline, Available at www.childline.ie. (accessed, 27/03/2014)

Internet Advisory Board (Undated) ‘A parent’s guide to social networking websites: Get With It’ by Society, Information and Media (SIM) research centre, [ONLINE] Accessed, 27/03/2013.

KidSMART. (Online) KidSMART. Available at: http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/ (Accessed: 27/03/2014).

Think U Know (online) ThinkUKnow Available at https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ (Accessed 27/03/2014)

UK Children Go Online Economic and Social Research Council (2005), Available at www.children-go-online.net (Accessed, 27/03/2014)

Blog 7: Using Multi Modal Texts in the Classroom

This blog with discuss the benefits and implications of using multi modal texts in my future practice.

Increased accessibility and use of digital technology has created a need to promote a relationship between literacy and technology (Walsh, 2010). This is supported by Medwell, Moore, Wray, Griffiths (2012) who agree that that there should be a focus on expanding the definition of literacy to involve not only the reading and writing of printed texts but also electronic texts. From looking at the Primary National Strategy for Literacy (DfEs, 2006), it is clear that it promotes the use of multi-modal texts by stating that children should be taught to read and write for a range of purposes on and off screen. This gave digital texts equal value to traditional printed texts, therefore, suggesting that children should be exposed to a range of multi modal texts not just printed texts (Walsh, 2010). 

In my own experience of using multi modal texts, I was given the opportunity to create a story using the electronic program, Microsoft PowerPoint, within our seminar session. Although I have had many experiences of using Microsoft PowerPoint, I had never experienced using it to create a multimodal text and due to this, I found many benefits for my future practice as well as limitations, which will to be discussed.

Firstly, Bearne (2003) states that children are exposed to many different forms of texts which they meet in everyday life that include sound, voices, intonation, movement, stance and gesture, as well as print and image, therefore, using multimodal texts within the classroom helps link children’s home experiences and technology to their learning in the classroom. This is supported by Anstey

and Bull (2009) who agree that multimodal texts use different modes to communicate meaning, enabling children to become effective readers, writers and communicators in and out of the classroom. Multimodal texts can also help develop critical awareness of how to read images, sound, design, posture and movement as well as words, and teaches how texts, modes and media work, separately and in combination (Anstey & Bull, 2009). This implies that the literacy curriculum and pedagogy need to be reshaped to accommodate to shifts in communication and children’s text experiences (Bearne, 2003b).

Another benefit of using multimodal texts is that they provide opportunities for learning symbols that are used to communicate meaning in written language (Medwell, Moore, Wray, Griffiths, 2012). Medwell, Moore, Wray, Griffiths (2012) state that being literate involves readers and writers understanding symbols and how they convey meaning in written language such as, being able to communicate beyond words. On screen texts provide more symbols than printed texts including flashing, animated and moving visual displays, sound and videos texts. These create new possibilities for communicating meaning (Medwell, Moore, Wray, Griffiths, 2012).

However, a limitation that needs to be discussed, in relation to my own future practice, is my ability to use multimodal texts to teach literacy. As I have never had experience in using multi modal texts in the classroom, more experience is needed to provide children with learning opportunities through using multimodal texts. This will not only increase my confidence levels as a teacher but also provide many learning outcomes for children. This is supported by Dean (2010) who suggests that it is important that teachers have opportunities to explore and engage with a range of technologies in order to build the confidence to use them with children.

 

Bearne, E. (2003) Rethinking Literacy: communication, representation and text in reading, UK

Bearne, E. (2003b) “Rethinking Literacy: Communication, Representation and Text,” Reading: Literacy and Language, 37 (3).

 DfEs (2006) ‘Primary Framework for literacy’, Primary National Strategy, London

 Dean, G. 'Rethinking Literacy' in Bazalgette, C. (ed) (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms. London: SAGE
 

Medwell, J,. Moore, G,. Wray, D,. Griffiths V,. (2012) ‘Primary English Knowledge and Understanding’, Learning Matters: London, p196-202

Walsh, M. (2010) ‘Multimodal literacy: what does it mean for classroom practice?’ Australian Journal of Language and Literacy 33 (3) pp211 – 239

Blog 6: Why should teachers care about digital literacy and childhood in the digital age?

This blog is based on my given reading, Hague, C, and Payton, S (2010). ‘Digital Literacy across the Curriculum’, discussions from seminars and my own observations and experiences.

To be digitally literate is to have access to a broad range of practices and cultural resources that you are able to apply to digital tools (Hague and Payton, 2010).  It is the ability to make and share meaning in different modes and formats; and to create, collaborate and communicate effectively and to understand how and when digital technologies can best be used to support these processes (Hague and Payton, 2010).  As digital technology is now a central aspect in most people’s lives, the skills, knowledge and understanding of digital literacy are becoming crucial as young people grow up in a digital society. Therefore, this implies that teachers and education systems need to help young people to understand and benefit from their engagement with digital technology and digital cultures and provide ways to make subject learning relevant to the society children are growing up in (Hague and Payton, 2010).

Digital technology is a vital part of children’s culture and society therefore, teachers need to make subject learning relevant to this in the classroom. Hague and Payton (2010) suggest that this will provide children with the skills, knowledge and understanding that will help them to take a full and active part in their social, cultural, economic, civic and intellectual life now and in the future (Hague and Payton, 2010).  The Departments for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS, 2009) and Business, Innovation and Skill (BIS, 2009) published the Digital Britain report which argued that the digital skills, motivation and confidence of all citizens needed to be developed in order to enhance their participation in the digital world. This therefore, implies that teachers need to equip children with the skills that are considered essential for their future roles in a digital economy (Hague and Payton, 2010). 

Teachers should promote the use of children’s digital knowledge and experiences from outside the classroom into their learning within the classroom. Hague and Payton, (2010) state that if children see that their outside experiences are valued, then they will be more willing and motivated to learn. By fostering digital literacy in subject teaching, practitioners are not only acknowledging and reflecting young peoples’ lived experiences of digital media cultures, they are supporting their students to extend their knowledge and become critical and discerning participants in their own in-school learning (Hague and Payton, 2010).  A focus on digital literacy in the classroom can help children to expand and extend their use of technology for creativity and self-expression and develop a greater understanding of the complexities of what they’re doing (Hague and Payton, 2010). However, a limitation of this that needs to be considered within my own practice is that the use of technology children experience in schools is sometimes not relevant to the ways they are communicating and discovering information outside of school (Hague and Payton, 2010). Therefore, Hague and Payton (2010) suggest that the learning may have little or no relevance on their lives, concerns, interest and perceived futures.  

 Another reason why teachers should support the use of digital literacy and technologies in their practice is because it can be used to enhance children’s learning of subject knowledge. Hague and Payton (2010) state that teachers and learners need to be able to make sense of the digital media and technology world and the way that it has the potential to impact upon traditional subject knowledge. Due to this, teachers are increasingly encouraged to embed the use of ICT in all subject areas across the Primary Curriculum (DfEe, 1998, 2013). If technology is used effectively within subjects, it can help support young people to be effective, competent, critical students of that subject in the digital age and in relation to their digital society. It provides children with the skills of how to access information and subject knowledge in different forms in order to develop subject expertise. I have seen this used within a classroom setting, where children used ipads to independently access and develop their learning within phonics.

However, a limitation that needs to be addressed in relation to my own practice is that students can find it difficult to work out whether the information they find on websites they do not recognise is trustworthy, with many of them relying on their chosen search engine to display the most relevant and reliable websites at the top of the list of search results (Hague and Payton, 2010). However, teachers can help support this by engaging young children in developing more competent search skills and critical thinking skills that allow them to question and determine the reliability of information they find on the internet.

 A final limitation that needs to be discussed and that could have implications in my own practice, is that there is still relatively little information and guidance on how to integrate digital literacy into the classroom and subjects (Hague and Payton, 2010). This therefore, links to my previous blogs and seminar discussions about teachers feeling they lack in skills and understanding of using technology within the classroom.

 

Departments for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS, 2009) & Business, Innovation and Skill (BIS, 2009) ‘Digital Britain Report’, Surrey, Available online at : http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/digitalbritain-finalreport-jun09.pdf

 

Department for Education and Employment (2013) The National Curriculum for England, ‘Key Stages 1-4’, Qualification and Curriculum Authority: London

Department for Education and Employment (1999) key stages 1-4: The National Curriculum for England. DfE: London


Hague, C, & Payton, S (2010) Digital Literacy across the Curriculum, Futurelab, Available at http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf

  

    

 

Reflecting on my second visit to a local primary school...

This post will share my observations and reflections in response to my second primary school visit. On this visit, we used different apps on the iPad to create a talking book with six year one children.

Prior to meeting the children, we identified three targets we thought would be a challenge. The targets were: (1) to be able to navigate the iPad, (2) to be able to use the different touch interface features of the iPad e.g. the pinch to zoom, and (3) to understand article 30 of the rights of the child and explain why it is important. I was surprised to find that the children were quickly able to demonstrate their ability to meet the first two objectives, possibly because they have extensive experience of using iPads in the home and at school (Michael Cohen Group, 2010; Palfrey and Gasser, 2008; and Prensky, 2001). It was difficult to establish appropriate targets for unknown children, in future practice I hope to personalise targets by considering previous experience and abilities. Furthermore, the third target took longer to meet, but by discussing the article throughout the morning the children were able to discuss the act and explain why it was important when prompted through questioning.

A challenge we had to overcome was that one of the children spoke English as an additional language and was not very confident or fluent in discussion.  As a result, we incorporated his first language within the talking book as it linked with our article by using apps like google translate. This motivated him and he was then able to offer ideas (Pim, 2012).

The apps we used are possibly more prominent in KS2. We found the ‘Go Animate’ app difficult to use with year one as they struggled to understand the concept of animation and were also unable to hold the iPad still enough to use the ghost feature (Hoban, Ferry, Konza and Vialle, 2007). A way we could have overcome the challenge could have been to show them an example animation to help them understand how it is used in everyday experiences; a key objective in the KS1 computing curriculum (Hoban, Ferry, Konza and Vialle, 2007; and DfE, 2013).  Furthermore, the ‘Veescope Live’ green screen app was also a challenge for this age group, even though it is intended for users over the age of four (Find The Best, Online) it can be difficult to navigate.  To demonstrate the proper use of these apps, so children can meet the KS1 computing objective of using technology purposefully (DfE, 2013), this part of the filming became mainly adult led. To allow all children’s participation we used the apple TV air play feature to let all pupils watch the process and offer ideas (Apple, online).

Overall I have learnt a lot from this experience and I am able to answer the question, which I raised on my last blog post, that the year one pupils were confident with using the iPad but needed support with using some of the apps as they had not experience them before. This allowed me to meet my target for the visit as I was able to quickly assess how confident my group were with using the technology and then offer support accordingly (Anstey and Bull, 2010; and Dean, 2010). This experience has also introduced me to new apps and iPad features which I can now incorporate into my own classroom practice.

Bibliography:

Apple. (Online) Air Play. Available at: https://www.apple.com/uk/airplay/ (Accessed: 27/03/2014).

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

Find The Best. (Online) Veescope Live iOS App. Available at: http://ios-apps.findthebest.com/l/1053447/Veescope-Live. (Accessed: 27/03/2014).

Hoban, G., Ferry, B., Konza, D., and Vialle, W. (2007) Slowmation: exploring a new teaching approach in primary school classrooms. University of Wollongong Research Online. Available at: http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2457&context=edupapers. (Accessed: 26/03/2014).

Michael Cohen Group. (2010) Young Children, Apps and iPad. New York: Michael Cohen Group.

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

Pim, C. (2012) Use of iPads and apps to support EAL learners. Available at: http://www.chrispim.co.uk/wordpress/?p=192. (Accessed: 26/03/2014).

Prensky, M. (2001) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?’ On the Horizon. NCB University Press, 9 (6).

Blog 10: Shirley Warren School visit (Part 2)

This week, we revisited Shirley Warren Primary school where we gained first-hand experience of working with children to produce a multimodal text. Working with a group of six children, we created our own ‘talking book’, using ‘Book Creator’ on an iPad, which incorporated an array of digital media. Our ‘talking book’ was based on Article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which states that ‘education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment’ (Unicef, 1991: 1). In order to make it more child-friendly, this was summarized to the children as ‘your right to become the best that you can be’. In creating a ‘talking book’, the values of the National Curriculum were supported as the pupils used technology to create a range of multimedia which supported them in becoming digitally literate(DfE, 2013).

Whilst discussing the use of technology with the children, it was apparent that they were already very knowledgeable on how to use different types of technology which supports the idea that they are ‘digital natives’ (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008; Prensky, 2001). The majority of the children had access to iPads at home and the school encouraged the use of iPads and other technologies to support learning therefore each child had some experience of using digital technology. This proved beneficial as the children were confident and willing to use a range of Apps on the iPads to create the ‘talking book’ as they had previous experience of using a range of media devices (Ofcom, 2012). However, although the children seemed confident in using technology and claimed to have used the Apps before, it was evident that they were not as knowledgeable or ‘savvy’ as they appeared to be (Future Lab, 2010). The children could not fully operate the Apps independently (although they were very keen to) therefore we explained and demonstrated, step-by-step, how to use each App. I found this challenging, as it was difficult to explain to the children how to use some of the Apps as I had only had a short time to explore them previously therefore I was not fully confident myself. However, after explaining it to the children, my confidence built and I felt more willing to discuss and explore the Apps with the children which helped me to support their digital literacy (Future Lab, 2010). 

Another challenging factor was the pressure of time as we did not have copious amounts of time to create our ‘talking book’ therefore we could not fully explore the Apps with the children. Implications for the future would be to ensure that pupils have sufficient amount of time to explore Apps in order to grasp a good understanding of how to use them. However despite this, the children remained enthusiastic with the task and were willing to learn which demonstrates how the use of technology within the classroom offers a range of opportunities for fun learning and development for children (Byron Review, 2008).

In being given the opportunity to work with a group of children to create a multimodal text, I was able to link theory with practice and gain first-hand experience of how ICT can enhance children’s learning throughout the curriculum. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the children and I feel their enthusiasm and willingness to cooperate made the experience worthwhile and very educating for me. A key aspect to consider for my future practice would be to continue to build my confidence in using digital technologies with children as I have gained valuable experience of how ICT can have a positive impact on children’s learning and also how it plays a key role in motivating and engaging young learners (Higgins, Xiao and Katsipataki, 2012; Marsh, Brooks, Hughes, Ritchie, Roberts and Wright, 2005).

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

Department for Education (2013) National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study. London: HMSO

Future Lab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: (Sections 3.5 – 3.6 Digital Literacy in Practice)

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., 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

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

Prensky, M. (2001) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?’ On the Horizon. NCB University Press, Vol. 9: 6.

Unicef (1991) United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. [online] https://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/betterlifeleaflet2012_press.pdf Accessed: 26/03/14

Resource: Purple Mash

During a recent visit to my SE3 placement school, I was introduced to a website called ‘Purple Mash’ therefore I wanted to share it as I think it is a great way to incorporate ICT into literacy to create multimodal texts.

I was informed that the children were using ‘Purple Mash’ to create ‘talking books’ in literacy and this really interested me. I worked with small groups of children to support them in creating their own ‘traditional fairy tale’ story which enabled me to gain first-hand experience of how ICT can make learning more motivating and engaging for children. The Purple Mash website includes a range of educational games, stories, activities and creative tools to use across the curriculum. One of the creative tools is ‘2create a story’ which enables users to produce their own ‘talking book’. Children can create animated stories by first designing a background, or using one of the templates, and then creating foreground objects. The objects they draw on the foreground can move in many different ways, from travelling across the screen to fading or spinning away. They can also add sounds; record their own music on a number of “digital instruments” provided or even record their own voices using a microphone.

I felt that this was a really effective way of using ICT to enhance children’s writing skills in literacy and it particularly had a positive impact on children who struggled with story writing. The children found it easy to use and were able to navigate it very quickly therefore the teacher did not have to spend a vast amount of time teaching them how to use it. This experience has further developed my understanding of how ICT can be used to support children’s learning and it has also built my confidence in using digital technology with children.

http://www.purplemash.com/#tools/2cas - This is the link to '2create a story' on Purple Mash which enables users to create their own 'talking book'.