Looking back on the Module

Formal Blog Task: Media, Language and Multiliteracies/Multimedia and Technology

This blog post is a chance to reflect on the learning and experiences of this module, focusing on the implications for my own future practice and consequent changes in my outlook on digital literacy.

This experience has enlightened me to the prevalence and value of technology in our highly multimodal modern age and how my pedagogy must constantly develop in order to stimulate the ‘digital natives’ that I will be teaching (Bearne and Wolstencroft, 2007; Palfrey and Gasser, 2008). As reflected upon in week 2, the young minds filling our schools have been conditioned through early exposure to varied and diverse media, to expect interactivity in all learning experiences, and it would appear on reflection of this module, that ICT is an ever-changing means to garner their interest and enthusiasm (Bearne, 2003). It is therefore something that I shall aim to incorporate deeply throughout the curriculum (Stafford, 2011). The importance of instilling teachers with the confidence to apply technologies is highlighted by Future Lab (2010) as digital technology has become so embedded in popular culture that it should not be neglected.

As an English specialist, I now acknowledge more than ever how working with technology and incorporating literacy into this is a refreshing change from the more routine elements of the curriculum (Stafford, 2011). Reaching the end of this module, I feel justified in concluding that there is still a place, however for more traditional literacy and that the teacher is to welcome the use of technology as a positive development, but not a replacement of skills such as hand writing. This is a sentiment that was echoed in my parent interview and by Prensky (2001) as well as the blog post on graphic novels that also highlighted concerns over technology undermining the values of the classroom (Scholastic, 2007). Both will have a place in my future classroom with guidance from the National Curriculum (DfEE, 2013) which shapes learning with ICT into finding things out, developing ideas and making things happen, exchanging and sharing information, as well as reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses (Andrews, 2000).

The nature of the continuous blog task has enabled me to reflect on such concepts as comics and graphic novels, advertising, multi-modal texts, copyright and Tablet technology in terms of how they hold prevalence in children’s lives and education. A key theme has arisen regarding the increased ownership that technological advancement allows children over their learning experiences. Only today at Shirley Warren school, in fact did one of the ICT co-ordinators comment that within the first five years of my teaching career it is likely that more schools will embrace a “bring your own device to school” policy. However, as an adult still in education, I am aware of the potentially negative effect that students having their own devices at hand during lessons sometimes has on their concentration and therefore on the authority of the teacher to focus their class. I do though acknowledge that this is perhaps an inevitable step in the digital age of learning. This relates to the findings of Male and Burden (2013) detailed in my initial blog post regarding Shirley Warren, who emphasise that personal digital devices can challenge traditional pedagogy. Given the emphasis and need for continuous training of teachers highlighted by Dean (2010) as well as the practical experiences, particularly using iPads, offered during this module, I do however feel confident in my ability to engage children in the varied ways that increased access to technology in classrooms demands and look forward to applying and developing these skills with my own class.

References

Andrews, R. (2000). Learning, Literacy and ICE What’s the Connection? Journal into English in Education. Vol. 34 (3). Pp 3 – 18.

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

Bearne, E & Wolstencroft, H. (2007). Visual Approaches to Teaching Writing London: Paul Chapman

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

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

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

Male, T. and Burden, K. (2013) ‘Access denied? Twenty-first-century technology in schools’ Technology, Pedagogy and Education

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

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?’ in On the Horizon 9 (6) (pdf on LN)

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. (2011). Teaching Visual Literacy in the Primary Classroom. Abingdon: Routledge