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