During the survey one of the responses mentioned the use of
an interactive whiteboard, when asked if they believe using new media in the
classroom is important. Interactive whiteboards are defined by McDougall as a
piece of apparatus that can be used for text or images and can store anything
added onto it. I found it interesting how the interviewee stated that
interactive whiteboards ‘engage children through the multisensory approach’, as
I believe that hands-on learning is most beneficial from previous experiences,
especially within Literacy. Furthermore, the whiteboards are a resource that
can be used collaboratively, allowing children to collectively share knowledge
and understanding.
Arthur (2005) states that popular culture generates a common
structure of opinions that children draw upon through play with their peers. From
the survey it is evident that the interviewee believes popular culture is a
positive development, however a response from the survey that challenged me
refers to bringing it into the classroom environment. As a teacher, you need to
be sensitive to those children who may not be able to afford or be interested
in the same technology as their peers. Therefore, an implication for future
practice would be to make sure I am careful when choosing aspects of popular
culture to build my teaching upon to ensure a whole class involvement.
Bibliography:
Arthur, L. (2005) ‘Popular Culture: views of parents and
educators’ in Marsh, J. (2005) Popular Culture, New Media and Digital
Literacy in Early Childhood Oxon: Routledge Falmer. p.4
Harret, J. & Benjamin, T. (2009) Travel with a Time
Lord: using media to enhance Literacy. UKLA: Wales. p.134
McDougall, S. One tablet or two? Opportunities for
change in educational provision in the next 20 years. [online] Futurelab: http://archive.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/discussion_papers/One_tablet_or_two.pdf (Accessed:
3.10.14)
I am very interested in the way that you have suggested that multisensory use of the interactive whiteboard could be a great way of engaging children. I definitely agree with this. On my SE1b placement I taught a maths lesson using an IWB to demonstrate a calculation as well as encouraging the children to move the coninciding counters around on the board. I had them set so that when the children touched the counters they would make a popping sound. They seemed to really enjoy this and it helped them with keeping track of what they were counting. What do you think about the importance of differentiating for VAK learners? perhaps the IWB would be a good debate point for this.
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting how one of your interviewees challenged the use of popular culture in the classroom and this perception has deepened my understanding. I really agree with being sensitive to children backgrounds as my last School Experience was in a deprived area, whereby an overuse of popular culture may not have befitted the class. Therefore, I would like to explore this further during my next teaching practice as I feel the balance is vital for this approach to be successful.
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