After exploring a wide range of Literacy resources online, the value of these new technologies is apparent in achieving many aspects of the National Curriculum and reading, writing, speaking, listening targets throughout key stages one and two (DfES 1999).
There are a variety of uses that digital technologies can bring as explored by Halsey (2007). Halsey (2007) set up a website for her class to embrace technology whilst teaching. This is because children see using technology as a natural part of everyday life and learning (Northcote et al. 2007). The website that Halsey (2007) uses a variety of methods to enhance children’s motivation and enthusiasm for Literacy, including podcasts, book reviews, word banks and e-mailing which all incorporate reading, writing speaking and listening. The website itself is viewed by parents to see what their children have been doing in class each week in their own time and keeping up to date with topics and progress with the majority finding this a positive experience for themselves and their children’s education (Halsey 2007). However, this is not apparent in every school and class because not all teachers have the confidence of using technologies in the classroom, believing that children are much further ahead than themselves (Marsh 2005). This is something I can associate with because whilst doing an ICT after school club, the children were using paint to create Christmas Cards and this is something I had to spend a lot of time exploring before feeling confident in teaching. As well as this, the children seemed to know a lot more about PowerPoint than myself when presenting a book review.
To build confidence in using digital technologies in the classroom I think myself and other teachers need to make use of ICT more inside and outside the classroom to learn from the children whilst teaching them. The websites explored on the Learning Network are a great starting point in this development because they go further than Microsoft equipment and make use of creative ways of conveying aspects of Literacy such as storytelling and creating word banks.
DfES (1999) The National Curriculum London: DfES
Halsey, S. (2007) ‘Embracing emergent technologies and envisioning new ways of using them for literacy learning in the primary classroom’ English Teaching; Practice and Critique 6 (2) pp 99-107
Marsh, J. Brooks,G. Hughes,J. Ritchie, L. Roberts, S. Wright, K (2005) Digital beginnings: Young children’s use of popular culture, media and new Technologies University of Sheffield (Section 2.10 p.46; Sections 3.2 & 3.3 p48/49)
Northcote, M., Marshall, L., Dobozy, E., Swan, P. and Mildenhall, P. (2007).
Podcasting: Links to literacy teaching and learning. Practically Primary, 2(2),
17-21
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