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