Blog 9: Module Reflection

At the beginning of this module I was very doubtful over my own ICT abilities which made me apprehensive about using new technologies in my future practice with my own class. I put this down to inexperience and lack to interaction with a range of different technologies, as I felt that I only had limited basic skills. The children who we will go on to teach are classed as digital natives (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008) and have been born into a world where technology is established and flourishing, and will therefore have an automatic feeling of ease and confidence when using technology as they have never known a world without it. Although I was born into an era where I would be classed as a fellow digital native, I feel that I am more a digital immigrant as technology is changing rapidly and constantly and so I am having to keep up and adapt my own teaching and learning to incorporate these into my practice in order to meet the needs of a new generation.

The visits to Shirley Warren School have demonstrated how important it is to keep up with the times and to take advantage of technology and digital literacies, as they have been found to be a great way to enthuse, motivate and inspire children and make learning ‘more engaging for children’ (Merchant, 2007). The fact that these new technologies can be so adult and child-friendly has made me feel more at ease with using them with children as there are so many benefits to be gained, by both the children and by us as new teachers.

After reflecting upon the module and my experience, I feel that an implication for my practice would be to not fear technology. FutureLab (2010) noted how teachers need to remove the mystique that surrounds the use of technology in order to overcome their fear of using it. I feel that, after experiencing new technologies first hand and having the opportunity to use them with children I will no longer feel apprehensive about using new technologies and will instead embrace them and incorporate them with confidence in my teaching.

Futurelab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: Digital Literacy in Practice [online] http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf [Accessed 12.02.13]

Merchant, G. (2007) ‘Writing the future in the digital age’ Literacy 41 (3) pp.118-128

Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital: Understanding The First Generation of Digital Natives.New York: Basic Books (Introduction pp. 1-15)

Module Reflection

Prior to starting this module I considered myself a digital native (Palfrey and Gasser; 2008) as I have grown up with technology, therefore, I feel comfortable using computers and different kinds of software. However, this module has enlightened me to the amount of multi-modal resources that are still available to use within the classroom, for example, comics and graphic novels.

The visit to Shirley Warren Primary School was extremely beneficial in demonstrating the potential that different types of techology and media have to offer. Being able to practice using the software myself and with the children definitley allowed my confidence in using and teaching it to grow, which, according to Jones and Hafner (2012), is an area school's must take notice of. The experience also demonstrated how simple certain tasks can be, for example, animation.

The main implication for my future practice is that I, and the children, are aware of how much technology and media is available and how I can incorporate it into lessons. According to Lambirth (2003), teachers today are not aware of the variety and value technology and media can hold within the classroom. The value of using technology was highlighted in the trip to Shirley Warren as a way of motivating and engaging children, particuarly those who may find putting thier thoughts into words difficult. I am excited to continue my practice and try to incorporate technology into lessons, encouraging children's confidence in using it as I go.

Jones, R.H. and Hafner, C.A. (2012) Understanding Digital Literacies: A Practical Introduction. Abingdon, Routledge

Lambirth, A. (2003) "They Get Enough of That at Home" Understanding Aversion to Popular Culture in Schools. Reading 37 (1) pp.9 -13

Palfrey, J. and Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. New York, Basic Books

Reflection on the module and implications for the future

"Excited". This was the word I used to sum up the module at Shirley Warren last week. The module has made me want to use new technologies and media within school. Prior to the module, although I was willing to use technologies within school, I was aprehensive about using certain material such as comics and graphic novels in the classroom, due to some of the content and my own engagement and lack of enthusiasm towards them. However, the module has challenged my thinking, and allowed me to see the benefits of harnessing such texts into the classroom.  It has allowed me to see that children will not only seek enjoyment out of such texts but  recognise that using such texts with children enables them to write in new formats developing new skills (Stafford 2009).

The module has also allowed me to learn new skills with new technologies. At the start of the module, I held the view that the use of powerpoint was very limiting and there was not much else it could lend itself to. However, as a result of the practical sessions, I was able to see that such programmes allow children to acquire new skills to create an array of things (Futurelab, 2010). The introduction of other Web 2.0 technologies that can assist learning in the classroom, such as Tagxedo and wordle have also raised questiones for me as to how far they can enable, motivate and possibly improve literacy in the classroom, which I aim to find out through my dissertation.

With everything we have learnt across the module my thinking has been challenged and thoughts and opinions have changed, and I now have a better understanding of technologies that can be used and the full potential of them this was reinforced by Tom at Shirley Warren. An implication for my furture practice is enabling children the oppotunities to enjoy and engage with the technologies they are growing up with in an environment that is safe and approved by adults (Lambirth 2003).

 

Futurelab. (2010) 'Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: Digital Literacy in Practice [online] http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf (Accessed 14/3/13)

Lambirth, A. (2003) ‘“They get enough of that at home”: Understanding Aversion to Popular Culture in Schools’ in Literacy & Learning 37 (1) pp.9-13

Stafford, T. (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) 'Teaching Children’s Literature: Making stories work in the classroom' Abingdon: Routledge

Blog 9: Module reflection

Prior to this module, I was apprehensive about using technology in the classroom as I had only ever experienced IT being used for typing up work and creating PowerPoint presentations.  I was not confident in using it in the classroom, which is quite common of the teachers of this generation, possibly because we are 'digital immigrants' in children's technological world (Prensky, 2001). 

After having visited Shirley Warren School I was able to see the potential benefits of technology and media being put into practice, and using this myself enabled my confidence in teaching it to grow.  Improving teachers' confidence is important as 'digital technologies have become embedded in popular culture' which is something we cannot ignore (Futurelab, 2010:7), particularly as children would be placed at a disadvantage upon leaving school if they do not know how to access this (Dean, 2010).

One of the implications for my future practice is that I should ensure that children know that I value multimodal texts and technology, as well as developing my own confidence in using it.  The potential for technology was evident in the media that children produced at Shirley Warren, particularly for children who find writing difficult.  This provides them with an alternative method of recording as well as an exciting mode and context.  I am eager to use technology in school, integrating it into the curriculum and supporting children in their development of digital literacy and confidence in using media and technology.

Reflecting on the Module

Lankshear and Knobel (2003) state that although new literacies are associated with technology, the way teachers use them is not always effective and can merely be copying work onto a computer. I have been guilty of this in my teaching practice because of a lack of knowledge and confidence in using computers and other equipment with children. I believe this is greatly due to the opinion that children are digital natives (Futurelab 2010) and have much more experience with these new media, therefore I would not be in control or aware of where the lesson could go.

The experiences of using technology we have had in this module have been the most apparent in helping me build my confidence in working with children. This is because I am now aware of how simple some programmes and devices can be when used correctly and the benefits they have. This was clear whilst at Shirley Warren because the children were continuously engaged in the activity and able to use the equipment easily.

This module has been extremely beneficial for my future practice and not only has it built my confidence in teaching about technology, but it has also made me more secure in approaching other teachers and using technology more frequently. I look forward to working with children and using some very exciting tools to enhance their knowledge.

Futurelab, (2010) Digital literacy across the curriculum [online] Bristol: Futurelab (accessed 19.03.2013) www.futurelab.org.uk

Lankshear, C. and Knobel, M. (2003) New Literacies: Changing Knowledge and Classroom Learning Buckingham: Open University Press

Reflections of module and implications for the future: blog 9

The DfES (Clarke, 2012, p. 2) states that 'what makes good primary education is the fusion of excellence and enjoyment'. Whilst in Shirley Warren school this was apparent, especially on the last visit where both children and the student teachers that had been involved within the digital literacy sessions. There was an electric atmosphere that we all encountered whilst watching the finished productions. The children and adults who had worked together each other were extremely proud of their productions.
Carrington and Robinson (2009) suggests that not only do children enjoy this style of education that multimodal technologies should be taught because it also scaffolds learning through a constructivist approach so is relevant for not only social skills, but also learning styles. Digital literacy can also help to 'characterize the lifeworlds' (p. 14) which children grow up in.

At the beginning of this module I felt like a lot of teachers do according to Ansley and Bull (2010) as I lacked the confidence and knowledge of multimodal literacies but within the ten weeks I feel embraced by the module and as a future teacher I will certainly implement some, if not all, off the areas in which we have learned. One of the oat important points I feel that I have learnt is that if I struggle with any of these concepts there are people who can help, and I must not be afraid to ask for help.

Ansley, M, Bull, G. (2010) 'Helping teachers to explore multimodal texts' Curriculum Leadership: Electronic Journal for Leaders in Education vol. 8 issue. 16 4 June 2010

DfES (2012) ' Excellence and Enjoyment, a Strategy for Primary Schools [Online] www.dfes.gov.uk/primary document (accessed 22. 03.2013)

Carrington, V, Robinson, M. (2009) ' Digital Literacies: Social Learning and Classroom Practice' London: SAGE publications

Reflection on visit to Shirley warren

When working with the children, we chose article 6 'The right to life and to be healthy' to focus on and create a stop motion animation. We took the idea of healthy eating and getting your 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. We decided to use real fruits to make a smoothie by moving each fruit into a blender for a child to drink. In the process of making the film, children took turns in each role and each took the voice of one fruit, fortunately we had 5 children in the group. We were able to use 'i can animate' software which was simple to use and the children were all comfortable using which worked in our favor as time was a constraint. However with this aside, the children accepted the task, being enthused to take part at each stage, suggesting their ideas throughout the process.

Splitting our group into small groups worked well for creating our animation as it allowed both the audio and animation to be completed within the time frame we had.This also enabled discussion to be focused on what effects/music and extras the children would have liked when it came to editing. If I was to use such technology within the classroom, I would ensure that children are involved in all the stages from planning through to editing. With the children's ideas in mind, we edited the animation and overall was pleased with the final result.

Working with the children was really beneficial, and allowed me to develop new skills as well as put into practice skills I had previously learnt, however on future practice if I was to use technology within a lesson I think it would be a struggle if there was not sufficient adult support.