Share your observations and reflections in terms of the use
of technology/new literacies. What Surprises you? What were the challenges and
how you may overcome them? What have you learnt?
The
visit to Shirley Warren Primary School was an incredibly informative and educational
experience, which allowed me to witness first-hand how new technologies, could
be used in the classroom as a means of enriching children’s learning. I worked
with a group of 6 children to create a digital book as a means of presenting
their work.
Sean
McDougall (online) stresses the importance of accepting a wide range of
technologies into the primary classroom to create a collaborative learning
environment for children to work in. In turn, children are much more interested
in their leaning and become fully engaged in the lesson and teaching (Higgins
et al, 2012). This was clearly exampled at Shirley Warren Primary School, as I
was able to witness a positive change to children’s attitudes and attainment
during the session when iPads were introduced. Here, children were able to put
their computing skills into practice in order to create an electronic book on the
Book Creator and Explain Everything apps, as a way to present their work in an
interactive manner. Using iPads in the classroom gave children an opportunity
to work in small groups to problem solve and further develop their computing
skills to support them in operating a range of technologies in later life
(Merchant, 2007).
Denis
Hayes (2012) highlights the importance of providing enough resources for children,
ensuring that they can all benefit from experimenting with them. I was
surprised to notice the number of iPads, computers and microphones that the
school had readily available for the children to use. This meant that all
children had sufficient time with each piece of equipment and thus, could use
higher order thinking to apply their knowledge of digital technologies to the
resources. As well as this, observing and working with the children informed me
as to how knowledgeable the children were in terms of correctly and efficiently
using a range of technologies. Prensky (2001) explains that children of the
modern age have an advanced understanding of how a range of technology works as
they are continuously exposed to computers, mobile phones, tablet devices and
other digital media.
A
challenge that I identified was having a lacking understanding of how to
properly operate and function the apps that were being used during the day. Research
(Lambirth, 2003) suggests that a vast amount of teachers are inexperienced with
many technology devices, due to their missing confidence and beliefs that
technology can encourage children to be distracted from key learning in the
classroom. This challenge will have a significant impact on my future teaching
practice, as I will be sure to make myself familiar with a range of
technologies that I will use in the classroom, so that I can effectively
support the children and guide their learning. As well as this, I shall
practice working with a range of apps that could be used in the classroom to
further support children with their learning. This would be largely beneficial
to me as I would have a deep rooted knowledge of different aspects of the apps,
which I could use to provide extra support and assistance to children who are
less confident.
Overall,
spending the day at Shirley Warren Primary School was incredibly eye opening. I
was able to witness the positive impact that technology has on children’s
learning and their overall attitude towards what they are doing. As well as
this, I developed a much greater understanding of how new technologies can used
in the primary setting to enhance the quality of children’s learning across the
curriculum.
Bibliography
-
Hayes, D. (2012) Foundations of Primary
Teaching: 5th Edition. Oxon: Routledge
-
Higgins, S., Xiao, Z., and Katsipataki, M. (2012) The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning: A Summary for the
Education Endowment Foundation. Durham: School of Education.
- 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
- McDougall,S. One tablet or two? Opportunities for change in
educational provision in the next 20 years. Futurelab. Available at: http://archive.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/discussion_papers/One_tablet_or_two.pdf [Accessed 20.10.14]
- Prensky, M. (2001) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,
Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?’ in On the Horizon 9
(6) (pdf on LN)
I found it really interesting with the point you made about how children were given the sufficient time with the equipment which actually enhanced their outcomes. Personally, this is an issue I had not thought about when actually, it is a vital aspect to be considered when planning sessions. On my SE1b I planned a Science lesson whereby the children were using laptops for research on mini beasts. For this I found it took so long to get the children started and packed away that the amount of time actually working was little. Therefore, this is something I would really like to consider for next time.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly I was surprised with how capable children were when using the iPad's and I personally believe we should use this to our advantage and build on the child's abilities whatever stage this may be.