Week 4 – Shirley Warren Visit
Futurelab (2010) suggests that ‘Developing
digital literacy in the classroom can allow students to apply their existing
knowledge of creating with digital technology to learning in school’. During
our visit to Shirley Warren School, I noticed that all children and staff I met
seemed to have a positive view of using a variety of technologies in the
classroom for example the use of iPads and their corresponding apps as well as
the schools own radio station run predominantly by pupil volunteers. I felt
that the main view the school held in regard to the use of technologies; that
ICT should be integrated across the curriculum and not a bolt-on, was something
that was very enlightening as from previous experience in school, ICT that I had
seen had mainly been the use of the Interactive Whiteboard to reinforce
learning via demonstration rather than as an interactive tool.
Reflecting on our visit, I found
that the experience has led to a much more focused insight on the use of
digital technologies in the classroom. I was surprised to see how confident the
children were in using the technologies they were provided with to complete
their task, seamlessly combining a variety of apps to produce one collaborative
multimedia e-book. The children were also encouraged throughout to try to solve
their own problems and attempt new things through trial and error. This was to
ensure that children felt as if they had ownership over what they produced and
that they worked purely from their own ideas. Our role as adults within the
classroom as a result was to facilitate, which according to Audain (2014) means
that teachers become more of a signpost, guiding children to further their
knowledge and understanding of a variety of topics.
The National Curriculum (2014) mentions that children in Key Stage 2
need to be able to utilize and connect software together on a variety of
devices, to complete set targets involving collecting and presenting data. The staff at Shirley Warren seemed to
strongly advocate the teaching of this but I feel that it would be a challenge
to try to make all staff feel confident about applying a variety of
technologies to a plethora of subjects. However, during discussion with staff
at the school, it was recommended that training days are implemented when new
technology is introduced to the school so that the teachers feel up to date and
ready to help equip their young learners for the world they are growing up in.
I am of the firm belief that the
use of technologies within the primary classroom ca have a variety of benefits
for young learners, one of the main benefits being that it allows children who
perhaps struggle with the more formal aspects such as writing feel more
included in the learning process as it has the capability to remove a barrier
to their learning. This is supported by Roffey (2010) who suggests that ‘students
who struggle with literacy are especially vulnerable in school where so much
depends on this ability’.
I have learnt a lot from this
visit and intend to spend some more time during self- directed days observing
the use of technologies in the classroom and speaking with experienced teachers
about their approach to the new Computing Curriculum.
Audain,J.,(2014)The
Ultimate Guide To Using ICT Across The Curriculum, London and New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
DfE. (2014)
National Curriculum in England. Computing
Programmes of Study: Key stage 1 and 2.[online] Available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239033/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Computing.pdf (Accessed:
30/10/14)
FutureLab.
(2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: (Sections 3.1 – 3.4 Digital
Literacy in Practice) [online] Available at:http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf (Accessed:
30/10/14)
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