Week 1 - New Technologies in the English Classroom

Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English
classroom?

Geoff Dean (2010) states that it is equally as important for children to be able to read and write, as it is to understand and utilise a range of communication devices. This is because, at present, information is more commonly passed between electronic devices than it is in printed form. In order to prepare children for the future, it should be essential that teachers incorporate digital devices in lessons, both familiar technologies and new technologies, so that children are aware of their uses and can effectively operate them in later life (Merchant, 2007).

In my experience, I have observed a class teacher successfully use Ipads in a literacy lesson. A spellings app was introduced to children who were struggling to put the letters of a word in the correct order. The app provided them with a variety of activities to support their spelling ability, such as using the word in a sentence, filling in the blanks in a word and selecting the correct letters that make up the given word. From this, I noticed that the children’s motivation and engagement significantly increased, as the learning was more hands-on and interesting. In addition, I have also seen Ipads being used as a method of assessment through the use of a quiz app. This allowed the teacher to create numerous questions in order to gain an idea of children’s progress throughout a lesson and the children responded well to friendly competition.

Using new technologies in the classroom broadens children’s experience with literature, both written and digital. In turn, children find pleasure of their own in reading and writing (Lambirth, 2003) and can explore a wider range of media. Teachers should be strongly encouraged to introduce children to a variety of different technologies that could be of benefit to the teaching and learning within a classroom environment. Many may argue, however, that children have enough time and opportunity to experience technology outside of school time (Lambirth, 2003). But, if used correctly technology could largely change the face of education.

One particular challenge for my performance in the module would be focusing on one particular argument, so as not to go over the word count. 

Bibliography

- Dean, G. (2010) ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed.) Teaching Media in Primary Schools. London: Sage

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

- Merchant, G. (2007) ‘Writing the future in the digital age’ pp 118 - 128

Week 1 - Where do you stand at present on using new technoglogies and media within English teaching?

Children are exposed to technology on a frequent basis as it is utilised in the majority of home environments through television, internet or games that they play. Therefore, I believe that technology in the classroom is positive and should not be resisted as you can build upon pupils’ current interests and bridge the gap between home and school (Lambirth, 2003).

 

Technology is an aspect in society that is rapidly growing and Higgins (2012) confirms that it is a tool that should not hinder learning but aid it, through short and focussed intervention. For kinaesthetic learners it would be beneficial to use technology such as iPads or cameras when studying English and Dean (2010) believes that Literacy is not just about the written word. I have noted that technology can increase motivation and engagement within a task, because the children are enjoying more practical learning. Lambirth (2003) agrees that by using technology within the classroom children feel more comfortable and welcome into the learning environment.

 

During my school experience, I was involved in using the interactive whiteboard to present information to the children through websites, videos and images for lessons such as; phonics. I observed that using new technologies helps to exemplify a topic that you are trying to explain to your class and Dean (2010) states that it allows pupils to visualise what they are learning, enabling them to reflect instantly about what they observe, as well as encouraging conversation.

 

A personal challenge of this module I think will be studying comics and graphic novels, as this is an area that I am not familiar with and therefore have limited knowledge on. However, I feel it will be interesting to learn and hopefully it will help my confidence in teaching the topic in future.

 

(Word count: 294)

 

Bibliography:

Dean, G. (2010) ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms. London: Sage. p.56

Higgins, S. (2012) ‘Summary of Key points’ in ‘The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning:  A Summary for the Education Endowment Foundation: Full Report’. Durham University. p.4

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

Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English classroom?

Children are frequently exposed to technological achievements on a daily basis, whether this is through parental guidance, television, media or the latest children’s craze. As a result of this children are now known as ‘digital natives’. I believe that technology within the classroom environment, enhances children’s overall learning experience, as the educational interactive games often utilised in the classroom, stimulates the brain; assisting the development of operational skills, whilst helping children to understand the world around them. Further to this, children that embrace these technologies often gain enhanced problem solving skills and the ability to develop creative solutions according to Higgins (2012).

 Allowing children to access technology, in order to answer a question or to revise a certain subject matter, provides then with independence, allowing a certain control of their learning.

Children have a far greater ability to understand technology from a very early age.  Often understanding the complexities of television, iPads and even laptops better than many parents. As a result of this, I believe teachers should always encourage children to demonstrate their skills, understanding that technology is fast becoming an even greater influence upon our daily lives. I agree with Higgins (2012) statement that technology can be as powerful as a short but focused intervention to improve learning.

Lambirth A (2003), discusses the idea that popular media and consumer texts can be used as a ‘vehicle’ to teach traditional skills; in this method children’s interests are best captured. I was lucky enough to experience first-hand media being utilised within the classroom environment from my school placement experience.

I was placed within a Reception class; during their literacy lessons the children were split into abilities and there were various activities available one of which was an IT activity. The children could work on laptops playing different interactive games based around their level of literacy. A popular activity was ‘A Sailor went to sea’ which involved the children singing along to the words that were displayed on the screen whilst a video played in the background.

 

An obvious challenge for myself in the future will be to ensure that my knowledge of interactive games and technological advancements (available apps) for children’s learning and development are constantly monitored and kept up to date.

Bibliography

Higgins S (2012) ‘Summary of Key points’ in ‘The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning:  A Summary for the Education Endowment Foundation: Full Report’, Durham University

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

 

 

Week 1: Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English classroom?

Practitioners can utilise new technologies, as a tool for making English learning accessible, within explicit learning contexts. My judgement has been informed by direct observation of children’s’ engagement using new technologies.

Within a mixed stage school, I observed the class teacher plugging an iPad into the interactive white board to share with children an app that allowed the user to generate their own stories. The teacher demonstrated how to choose and apply a narrative setting, characters and captions to sequence a chosen plot. The English learning was apparent in ‘developing enjoyment and understanding of stories’ (DfE, 2013; p.33). This was indicated by the level of enthusiasm amongst the year three and four children, with several commenting ‘I’m going to download this when I get home!’ Their response parallels research studies evidencing the benefit of using children’s interests in popular media to increase learning and motivation (Bromley, 2002 cited in Lambrith, 2003).This incident highlights how technology can be empowering for children by allowing autonomy in learning. The teacher’s challenge is equalising the opportunities that children have to explore new technologies.

Inevitably children will want to use new technologies when they witness their peers using technology to achieve a certain means. Within the classroom we should incorporate children in using technology to learn, as long as technology usage is explicitly linked to positive outcomes for children. The personal challenges of this module will be using new technology introduced to me and writing concisely the content for each weekly blog post.

(248 words)

Bibliography

DfE. (2013) The National Curriculum in England. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum  (Accessed: 26 September 2014), p.33

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

Week 1 - First Informal Blog Post

Week 1 - First Informal Blog Post

From the point of view of an ICT specialist, it can be argued that an increase in the use of technology within the classroom is a positive step forward. However, that does not imply that traditional methods should be side-lined nor should they remain the sole approaches implemented by practitioners.

Having thought further into this I have begun to question whether a mid-ground; one that allows for traditional methods to be enhanced through the use of new styles of teaching; would be the way forward in ensuring that our young learners not only progress but also have a way in which to express their innate curiosity across a plethora of forms. (Dean, 2010)

Personally, I feel that as teachers, we have a responsibility to the children we teach to ensure that there is a smooth transition between home and school as well as preparing pupils for situations later in life. (DfE, 2013) Part of this could be aided through allowing children access to technology they are familiar with as well as giving them the chance to try out new things and take risks in an environment where they feel safe to do so. Using technology across the curriculum gives us the chance to embed digital methods into our practice for example as a stimulus for questioning or as a demonstrative tool to aid children who may require a bit of additional support to grasp a concept.

I have seen an example of an IWB being used as a demonstrative tool when I worked with a Year R class in a session where the children were beginning to gain a conceptual understanding of the similarities between coins. The IWB was used to allow the children to come up to the board and move the coins around themselves to encourage one to one correspondence. This activity was left up for the entirety of the maths session so that children could refer to it if they were not sure.

The use of a blog to assess our learning gives us as trainee teachers the opportunity to have first-hand experience of how the use of technology develops our understanding of our own practice as well as communicate our thoughts in a way that encourages meaningful and informed responses from our peers. Could this then be transferred into the classroom, perhaps in the form of a blog used to communicate with other classes in the school or on a wider scale, with other schools that share a catchment area?

Alternatively this module could have involved a written task from which we would receive spoken feedback. Though I cannot perceive an issue with this, the permanence of written feedback as a part of the blog, in my view, seems as if it would be more beneficial as it would aid my understanding of reflective practice and allow me to more effectively contribute to other blogs.

I feel that an obstacle I may meet during this module is that I have a limited experience of writing a blog so my first few weeks of writing will not be as academic as I would like. To try to overcome this I will first draft my blog entries and annotate/edit them so that I am happy with them before they are published.

Bibliography:

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

DfE, (2013) The National Curriculum in England:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335133/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_220714.pdf  (accessed 25/09/2014 at 10:30 pm)

Week 1- First Blog Post

Having studied ICT for my GCSE’s and A-Levels I do feel quite confident in using new technologies myself, however incorporating these into the classroom practice is an area I would like to develop further.  Whilst on School Experience I did complete an ICT and Science linked session whereby the Year 2 class were using the internet to research set information about their chosen mini beasts. I also planned and carried out an ICT session whilst on Self Directed Placement at a Summer Club with a group of Year 6 students. As part of their task they needed to use Microsoft Power Point to make a diary of the activities completed and experiment with the software’s features as well as using images from online. For both of these I planned as though I was teaching novices and then adjusted my input accordingly. During this time, I demonstrated how to access this information correctly and was explicit about how these were the only sites they should be on. However, I would now like to explore how iPads and other portable devices could be incorporated into my practice.

As expressed in the Byron Review I do understand how the internet and new technology offers extraordinary opportunities for enhanced learning experiences, however it does come with some risks and it is important that these are addressed. Also, many children may have been exposed to technologies such as iPads and laptops at home so may enjoy the use of these for their school work. One of the aims of the 2014 National Curriculum is to ‘prepare pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life’. I do believe that being able to use technology is a key skill in further education or employment as many establishments require the student to navigate the internet competently and submit typed essays. Therefore, by exposing children to technology we are increasing their chances of success in the future.

I think it is important to understand that children who are currently in Primary Education could have been surrounded by technology all their lives making them digital natives. For example the first Apple iPod Touch was released in 2007 and from this point the public could portably access the internet and a variety of apps as long as WiFi connection was made. Since then Apples portable devices have developed and improved through more than 15 product releases. This shows most children in the current Primary School system may have been born into an environment where technology was and still is constantly advancing. Although I still see the importance of written work in the classroom, I think this development is something we should use to our advantage rather than resisting.  

Personally I feel the topic on comics will be one I will find challenging. This is because I have never particularly been an avid reader of this genre and is an area in which I feel my knowledge is weaker. However, by having the chance to cover this and develop my understanding further I will really enhance my practice as it is an important part of children’s literature. Also, I have learnt about blogs before but I haven’t been exposed to actually participating in a blog. Therefore, I feel I may find it challenging familiarising myself with the writing style and the features of these to begin with. 

The Byron Review (2008) http://learn.winchester.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=250325  (accessed 25/09/2014 at 11pm).

The Department of Education., (2013) The National Curriculum in England:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335133/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_220714.pdf  (accessed 25/09/2014 at 11:15pm)

https://www.apple.com/pr/products/ipodhistory/  (accessed 25/09/2014 at 11:30pm).

Audain,J., (2014)The Ultimate Guide To Using ICT Across The Curriculum, London and New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.