Children and Advertising- expanding on previous blog entry (wk 5)

Further reading during this module has stimulated me into expanding on a point introduced in my week 5 blog entitled: ‘Children and Advertising’.

As briefly mentioned in the original entry, children are now seen as consumers (Lusted, 2009). Evans (2005) extends this point further, imploring that in the lives of contemporary children possessions are very important, thus influencing the development of children as consumers (Kline, 1993 cited in Evans 2005). Evans (2005. pp. 108) argues that manufacturers “capture” children through ‘inventive television programs, through persuasive advertising and marketing, and through film tie-ins’, therefore reinforcing the later points in the original entry which state that children are exposed to advertisements so frequently that they may not be able to distinguish between an advert and their television programme.

In illustrating this theory, Evans (2005) conducted some research with a small group of primary school pupils to find out what they thought about their roles as consumers in the Beanie Babies (soft, collectable toy) market, and whether they felt they were being manipulated in the global marketing campaign. This research proved that by encouraging discussion around the topic of advertisements and their purposes, children realised their vulnerability to the power of adverts, and were more ‘conscious of exactly how they were being positioned in today’s market place’ (Evans, 2005. pp. 120-121). By conducting such activities in school, Evans (2005. pp. 123) suggests that it enables children to reflect on their every-day life decisions, such as: ‘decisions in relation to making choices about what they buy, eat, drink, listen to, and so on’.

Although learning about advertisements in class will without a doubt extend and develop children’s persuasive vocabulary and offer them an alternative style to write in, it is questionable as to whether it will really impact on their role as consumers. Drawing on one of the main problems associated with advertising highlighted in the original blog entry regarding the peer pressure felt by children to conform to the consumer society, despite being aware of the intent of the manufacturers, children will still be under pressure to keep up with the children who continue to be consumers of popular products, therefore it could be argued that this cycle will continue regardless of instruction within schools.

 

Evans J (2005) Literacy Moves On- Popular culture, new technologies, and critical literacies in the elementary classroom. Portsmouth: Heinemann

Week ten

This week, we work with children it’s very nice because you can have a different point of view between the lesson in Winchester and to be a teacher with pupils in Southampton. I’m very happy to see that children know a lot of things and have many good ideas. They are actives, they give some answers, they work together, and they are very interesting by the subject. Personally we have a good group, very nice children. For me this souvenir stay in my memories for a long time! I love these children, they are very kind, polite and wise.

Like advices I give just these: don’t give them the answer because if you find another questions they can find it alone, the children can think; ask the help at the children because they like make a lot of things by themselves; they can make a piece of theatre because they have a big memories and every child must made something don’t let a pupil alone!

With children we use the application: IBook, the children know it and they like to use it, they are very exacting and active (play a role, touch the IPad). IBook is application to make your own story. “You can highlight or underline text, make notes, look up a word in the dictionary or on the web, or search inside the book. You can even use VoiceOver to have iPad read to you. Tap the Store button in iBooks and the bookshelf flips round to reveal the iBookstore. There you’ll find 700,000* books and counting including new Multi-Touch textbooks.” (David Andrews, 2012). This application is very easy with children, is very fast, and is simple. She is a very good application and for a classroom you can use it for some differences things: study the History, sciences, geography; ask to children to make their own story; etc. “Available in over 50 countries, A Guide to the iPad in Primary Education is an illustrated reference book to guide teachers through using the iPad successfully within the Primary Curriculum. Written by Adam Foster, an experienced Primary School Teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator” (2012-2014 'A Guide to the iPad in Primary Education')

When we speak with pupils we know that they go to different clubs (eco, dance, ITC), I find it very cool because they can spend their energy, they are actives, they work with other children, they choose it, they can make something that they love, etc. that is a very good project, in Belgium we don’t have it in Primary School.

Finally I find the technologies are everywhere in Primary school in England because this land have at 90% in classroom an interactive blackboard, a television, some IPad with many applications that pupils use with teacher,  projector, etc. I think technologies are good for children because they can live with their time but don’t forget they have it in their home (so use it in school is good but not too much because this isn’t good for the health and head) “Opening minds : The Science & Technology Enrichment in Primary Schools (STEPS) project had two main aims: to help young people appreciate how science gives us an understanding of the world around us; and to promote engineering as a creative and imaginative process which solves problems by drawing on that scientific understanding.” (University of Liverpool 2010) I take this sentence because I think it she is good, the technologies are a kind of sciences and children live with it all the time.

 

 

-Apps for Teachers in Primary Education (online: 30^th March 2014 at 19.53) Sunday, 19 August 2012

http://mrandrewsonline.blogspot.be/2012/03/apps-for-primary-education-apps-for.html

- A Guide to the iPad in Primary Education (online: 30th March 2014 at 19.53)

http://www.ilearn2.co.uk/book.html

- Research Intelligence (online: 30th March 2014 at 19.53) summer 2010

http://www.liv.ac.uk/researchintelligence/issue39/steps.htm

Week nine: visit in the school

The week nine we have visited a big school on Southampton, is very different between the Belgium because:

-this school have many level in Belgium you have just one underground,

-the classrooms are very big, in the Belgium have almost always little classrooms,

-in the classroom you have an interactive blackboard, in Belgium you have in 90% on the classrooms the old blackboard,

-you have many pieces: radio, snoezelen, sport, Wii, . . . a lot of divers’ activities and clubs except the sport that is obligatory you don’t have it in Belgium.

-…

So we have a lot of difference between England and Belgium because England uses many technologies and have those clubs and in Belgium the people live again with the old time, the new technologies begin very slowly to arrive in my land.

For me have a lot of clubs in school are very important because the children can make a thing that they love, they can stay with people that have the same passion of them, they stay with other pupils, they can be actives. You have many choices : sciences, language, ITC, eco, dance, foot, sport, … the diversity is very important for the children because they can spend their energy in the thing that they like very much and they can choose it.  “Being involved in your community is a great way to stay active, meet new people, and gain new skills. “ (Colonel Gray High School, 2005).

The thing that I prefer and I’m very happy to see in this school is the piece of snoezelen because when a child would like to be stay in the calm because he is ill, he has a headache, he is nervous or angry, he can stay in the calm with this piece. You have a very nice ambiance: naked feet, calm music, colour everywhere, materials in divers’ sensations (soft, light, lung). So a very very very calm atmosphere is very important for a child because he must have a time to relax him (just 10-20 minutes not more). “SNOEZELEN offers a relaxed atmosphere with pleasant surroundings, soothing sounds, captivating aromas, tactile experiences, massage and vibration, vibrosonic sensations, and gentle movement. Interesting light effects and comfortable seating allow your client to self regulate by choosing sensations. Further, the SNOEZELEN environment provides opportunities for interaction and engagement.” (FlagHouse Inc, not date).

So in conclusion, I’m very happy to see this school because she is very difference with the Belgium. She is very big, she use technologies, children can go to difference clubs, she has many pieces like a radio, a piece of snoezelen to relax some children that they need it, etc.

-Colonel Gray High School (online: 30^th March 2014 at 19.30)

http://www.edu.pe.ca/gray/main/school_clubs.htm

- SNOEZELEN: Multi-Sensory environments (online: 30^th March 2014 at 19.30)

http://www.snoezeleninfo.com/benefits.asp

Week 11- Reflections on the second school visit

This blog entry will discuss my observations and reflections regarding my second visit to a local primary school. On arriving at the school I felt slightly concerned about the lack of time that we would have with the children in relation to completing the task expected of us. I also felt apprehensive using apps such as ‘book creator’ and ‘I can animate’ with the children, as despite practising using them the previous week in school and during university seminars, I was unsure as to whether I would remember how to use all the apps efficiently myself, let alone to assist Year 1 children in using them. These concerns reflect what is stated by Future Lab (2010. pp. 10) in that teachers view themselves as being less technologically able than children, subscribing to the notion that children are ‘digital natives’ and therefore unrecognising ways in which they are able to support children’s digital literacy.

However, I soon realised that these concerns were unnecessary. My first surprise came when the children arrived, as I was expecting the task to be made more difficult by the fact that I would be working in unfamiliar settings with children that I had never met before. I was immediately put at ease by the children’s confidence and willingness to use the apps; offering their ideas and participating enthusiastically. The children were able to operate the software very quickly (Future Lab, 2010), remembering the steps I had shown them to use the apps meaning time was saved on repeating this process, overcoming the challenge of the limited time constraints.

Nevertheless, it can be argued that ‘young people’s confidence about their use of technology can be misleading’ (Future Lab, 2010. pp. 9), suggesting caution should still be held when using technology with young children. This was evident when working with particularly confident children as when asked a question such as “Can anybody remember what we need to do next?” these children would often be the first to provide an answer, however the answer was not always correct which was misleading for their peers as when the wrong answer was shouted out, they were then convinced that the answer must be correct. In order to overcome this potential barrier questions were distributed evenly amongst the children in the group so they were all able to have a go at operating the software, and any misconceptions were addressed and explained in a positive and encouraging way.

Due to the short amount of allocated time the sessions were very intense and I was surprised as to how well the children maintained their high level of focus and enthusiasm. This demonstrated to me how ‘learners are motivated and purposefully engaged in the learning process when concepts and skills are underpinned with technology and sound pedagogy’ (Education Scotland), bringing to light particular theories regarding the motivation and engagement provided by technology in the primary curriculum, some of which are included in my past blog entries (Higgins, Xiao and Katsipataki, 2012; Marsh and Millard, 2006; Prensky, 2001; Waller, 2008).

Although Prensky (2001) argues that the increased use of technology in the curriculum has led to less time for reflection, my time at this local primary school so far has enabled me to reflect on the module as a whole, considering all the different theoretical viewpoints relating to digital literacy and linking them to practise. My visits there have provided me with first-hand experiences and encounters of using and incorporating technologies into children’s learning in the classroom. I definitely feel more confident and competent to use this software in my future practise and I now have some idea as to how children respond and react when using it. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with both the children and the teachers at this school and I very much look forward to my final visit during which we will be viewing our ‘talking books’.

To round-up my reflections, I would like to record in this blog some advice that I will intend to follow during my future practise, to ensure that I do not forget it. My advice is as follows: it is important not to shy away from using more technology within lessons as the children enjoy helping the teacher figure things out if they are unsure of something, and they pick up using technologies more quickly and easily than you would imagine. In light of this I will always try to use digital literacies and ICT within my classroom in order to ‘enrich or bolt onto traditional literacy practices’ (Knobel and Lankshear, 2007; Marsh, 2007 cited in Waller, 2008. pp. 197-198), and hopefully I will hold fewer concerns about doing so than I did previously to this invaluable experience.

 

Education Scotland ‘Role of ICT in Learning’ [online] http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/usingglowandict/roleofictinlearning.asp

FutureLab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum (Sections 3.1-3.4 Digital Literacy in Practice) http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf

Higgins, S. Xiao, Z. and Katsipataki, M. (2012) The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning: A Summary for the Education Endowment Foundation [online] http://learn2.winchester.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/286045/mod_resource/content/1/Higgins%20et%20al%20Impact%20of%20Digital%20Technology%20on%20Learning.pdf (accessed 25/02/14)

Marsh, J. and Millard, E. (2006) Popular Literacies, Childhood and Schooling Oxon: Routledge

Prensky, M. (2001) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part  II: Do They Really Think Differently?’ in On the Horizon 9 (6)

Waller, T. (2008) ‘ICT and Literacy’ in: Marsh and Hallet (eds) Desirable Literacies: Approaches to Language and Literacy in the Early Years London: SAGE Publications Ltd

Week 11: Reflecting on the School Experience Part 2

This week we had to participate in the challenge at the School. We worked in a team, 3 adults and 6 Year One children, to create a ‘Talking Book’ on the iPad. We were exploring the Rights of the Child and choosing one particular right to explore in further detail. The right my group chose was Article 15: The right to meet with friends and to join clubs and groups. We used a variety of apps and media on the iPads; video, sound recorder, I Can Animate, pictures, Book Creator as well as using AirDrop and AirPlay to collaborate work from three iPad onto one. The new National Curriculum (DfE, 2013) states that children should engage in a variety of technology and media across the curriculum; although we were solely using iPads, it can be argued that we were meeting this objective, from the Curriculum, through using a range of apps. Moreover, we were integrating the Literacy Curriculum within the ICT Curriculum whilst teaching the topic of PSHE; a cross-curricular lesson at its best. This links to Medwell, Moore, Wray and Griffiths (2012) belief that ICT should support childrens learning across all subjects where possible.

The time keeping of our group and the children surprised me; usually, when working with young Key Stage One children I often have to allow plenty of time for tasks to be completed. As well as this, I often find the task is best complete when the children are scaffolded. However, the children in our group were in brilliant time keeping and often finished the task early; this surprised me. It could be argued, that this was as a result of the lesson being well planned by my team of adults, as well as the level of scaffolding we gave the children. Vygotsky, cited in Pound (2006), implores teachers to scaffold childrens activities; through this, children can achieve the learning objective, sometimes, independently whilst still having support and guidance from the teacher. It also surprised me how the children seemed to almost forget a lot of their literacy skills in regards to phonics and spelling due to the nature of the task; it was as if their focus was on the ICT element instead. I noticed that children struggled to write due to the keyboard displaying the alphabet in capitals; this through them off entirely suggesting that they have not yet fully consolidated their knowledge of capital letters.

Admittedly, I found it rather hard to ‘let go’ and allow the children to have complete control over the font, colour, placement of the text and the talking book. It was as if I was afraid for them to make mistakes; however, it surprised me how the children knew so much about the iPads and several of them were able to navigate around the iPad with ease. This has opened my eyes to how ICT is deeply embedded in the primary curriculum and modern day society; as Byron states many children have access to computers, and other technology at home.

Correspondingly, Palfrey and Gasser stipulate that children are ‘digital natives’ because they are growing up in a technology filled digital society and are taught the skills of ICT from a very early age. Future Lab (2010) state that digital literacy “involves critically engaging with technology and developing a social awareness of how a number of factors including commercial agendas and cultural understandings can shape the ways in which technology is used to convey information and meaning.” (Future Lab, 2010; sec 1:3, p5). Therefore, children need to be digitally literate in order to function in society (Dean, 2010). I also learnt how to use several apps and feel my own ICT subject knowledge has improved as a result of it, with a little help of Duffy (2006) and Potter and Darbyshire (2005) along the way!

Bibliography:

Byron, T. (2008). Safer children in a digital world: the report of the Byron Review: be safe, be aware, have fun. [Online] Available athttp://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7332/1/Final%20Report%20Bookmarked.pdf. (Accessed 06/03/2014)

Dean, G. ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed) (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms London: SAGE.

Department for Education (2013) Primary National Curriculum. [Online]

Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum [Accessed 17/1/2014].

Duffy, J. (2006) Extending Knowledge in Practice: Primary ICT. Exeter: Learning Matters LTD

FutureLab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: (Sections 3.5 – 3.6 Digital Literacy in Practice)

Medwell, J. Moore, G. Wray, D. Griffiths, V. (2012) Primary English Knowledge and Understanding London: Learning Matters (Ch 14 Electronic Texts pp196 – 202)

Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives New   York: Basic Books (Introduction p. 1 – 15) (pdf on LN)

Potter, F., & Darbyshire, C. (2005) Understanding and Teaching the ICT National Curriculum. London: David Fulton LTD

Pound, L. (2006) How Children Learn. London: Practical Pre-School Books

Comics and graphic novels: a chance for opportunity?: Additional points to week 3 blog

Since starting the blog in January, I would like to develop on points made in my week 3 blog entry entitled: ‘Comics and graphic novels: a chance for opportunity?’

When reading back through this entry I noticed that I have stated more arguments against the use of graphic novels and comics in the classroom in compariosn to the benefits. I feel this inaccurately reflects my own opinion, as further reading has made me more aware of the possible benefits of using comics and graphic novels in the classroom. Instead of undermining the values of the classroom, Bearne and Wolstencroft (2007) argue that this wide variety of new multimodal texts, both on-screen and off-screen encourages more reading and writing to take place, contributing to greater every day experiences of literacy.

Contrasting with the arguments stated in the original blog entry highlighting the negative connotations in using such texts in the classroom, Bearne and Wolstencroft (2007) argue that as children grow up in a highly multimodal environment they expect to read pictures as well as print. Thus, in order to be able to properly read and interpret these: ‘resources need to include print and visual texts in a range of forms to support children in their understanding and development’ (Bearne and Wolstencroft, 2007. pp. 22).

Drawing on the point regarding the changing attitudes of teachers towards using such texts in the classroom(UKLA, 2005), Bearne and Wolstencroft (2007, pp. 26) argue that regardless of ‘the range and quality of texts provided, if reading and writing multimodal texts is given low status by adults, similar attitudes are reflected by the children’.  This point implies that the results of using graphic novels and comics in the classroom are what you make from it. Therefore if you are enthusiastic and encouraging towards their use then they will offer ample opportunities opposed to undermining the values of the classroom. In light of this I question whether that is not the same for all reading material? For example if a teacher always stated how much she disliked a certain author of a more ‘traditional’ book, then surely this would influence the opinions of some of the children in that class? This leads to an interesting point in which requires further research.

 

Bearne, E. and Wolstencroft, H. (2007) Visual Approaches to Teaching Writing- Multimodal Literacy 5-11. London: Paul Chapman Publishing

Week 11: The construction of a talking book with primary pupils

Week 11

The construction of a talking book with primary pupils

Learning Objective:

To create a talking book about Article 13 using the Veescope app on the ipad

Success criteria:

· I can use Veescope on the ipad

· I can air drop photos

· I can record my ideas about what Article 13 means to me on the ipad

To begin with our group was very apprehensive about teaching children how to use ipad applications, due to the fact that we had limited time to explore the features ourselves on the previous visit. However we had time to practice what we wanted to achieve before meeting the children. Article 13 would be the main topic in focus for the video, taken from the UN Convention on the Right of the Child; Freedom of expression (UNICEF, 2012: Article 13). After discussing the learning objectives and success criteria with the children, they were asked to feedback their ideas on how we can display article 13 to others in their class. The children were essentially taking on the role of producers/ authors; they were responsible for presenting Article 13 to an audience. In support of this Brindley (2000) suggests that literacy ‘is the boarder canvas. ICT is the medium of access and construction’ (pp14). More importantly, in our new multimedia world children ‘are not restricted to mere coding and decoding of texts rather they are being used to describe the process of extracting meaning from, and recording, and presenting your own meaning through, the full range of media.’ (McFarlane, 2000: 19). Overall it was very exciting for me to witness this first hand.

Beldarrain (2006) states that constructivists approach to teaching and learning are most effective when students have autonomy over the process (Beldarrain, 2006; Fountain, 2005). Discussion is essential in allowing children to make appropriate choices about the modes and formats in which they can best represent their ideas. ‘Explicit discussions about layout features, colour, font, size and style, choice of language...is likely to have an impact on their use of different modes and media for specific purposes.’ (UKLA, 2004:18). Therefore we encouraged the pupils to share their ideas, and adapt our plan as much as possible to cater for them.

Additionally, In order to learn specific skills across the curriculum, there is a need to teach specific skills in advance. However Beauchamp (2012) argues that we should not underestimate children’s skills. In support of this, a child aged 7 was asked the question‘what modes of communication are there?’ and replied the child replied ‘There’s talking, photos, computer graphics, drawing, print, sign language, music, films.’ (UKLA, 2004:5). The children today were of a similar age, we asked them about what applications they have used on the ipad and how confident they were with using them. Each child expressed confidence with using the application Veescope. Therefore we allowed them to demonstrate what they understood using the ipad, this also allowed us to see how much they knew before teaching the session. Hague & Payton (2010) highlighted how many teachers often report that a majority of young people are not as knowledgeable and as technologically savvy as they can appear. Consequently their confidence may be misleading; this seemed to be the case for the pupils today. They all knew how to open the application however their knowledge did not extend much further.

From the experience today, I strongly believe that as teachers we should not underestimate how quickly pupils acquire new skills. Once pupils where taught the skills needed for today they implemented them instantly. For example once shown how to extract a picture into the background to appear on the green screen they had done so repeatedly with ease. Overall our group, consisting of three adults and five children, successfully managed to achieve the learning objective by constructing a talking book using the green screen, voice recordings, pictures and text. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have. I also feel that as a class of trainee teachers, we had walked away from todays session with greater confidence and enthusiasm to use ICT throughout the curriculum. 

Beauchamp, G. (2012).ICT in the Primary School, From Pedagogy to Practice. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2), 139-153.

Brindley, S.(2000).‘ICT and Literacy,’ in Gamble, N.& Easingwood, N (2000) ICT and Literacy, London: Continuum. pp 11-18

Hague, C., & Payton, S. (2010).Digital Literacy across the curriculum. A Futurelab handbook [Online] www.futurelab.org.uk (Accessed 25.03.14)

McFarlane, A. (2000).‘Communicating meaning- reading and writing in a multimedia world’, in Gamble, N.& Easingwood, N (2000) ICT and Literacy, London: Continuum. pp 19-24

UKLA (2004). National Curriculum, More than words multi modal text in the classroom. Key Stage 1-2. Great Britain: QCA [Online] http://www.suehorner.com/resources/7_More+than+words+$282004$29.pdf(Accessed 25.03.14)

UNICEF. (2012).‘A summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’ Unicef United Kingdom. [pdf] Available from: https://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/betterlifeleaflet2012_press.pdf(Accessed: 25/03/2014).

Week 9- First visit to a local primary school

This blog will reflect on my visit to a local primary school, discussing what impressed me as well as what surprised me and any challenges I came across during my visit.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first visit to the school as it was an effective way of linking the theory we have recently been exploring with practice. The school has adopted a very positive stance towards the use of multimedia technologies and multiliteracies within their curriculum, using it effectively alongside traditional methods of teaching (Higgins, Xiao and Katsipataki, 2012). It is evident having been introduced to this technology by a teacher from the school, and from the guided tour, that the school are using this technology not only to open up windows of opportunity and widen the children’s learning experiences, but also to ‘equip children for the literacy of the future' (Merchant, 2007. pp. 1). Despite its access to all this new and wonderful technology, the school still emphasises the importance it holds over the more traditional methods of teaching literacy, contradicting the notion that digital literacy is replacing and undermining traditional literacies (Merchant, 2007).

At this particular school the teachers promote a very strong belief that ICT can be embedded into all subject areas through cross-curricular links (Future Lab, 2010), thus we were shown a number of examples of art, history and PSHE lessons all using different forms of the technology. This was highly useful to my future practice as I was shown ideas that I would like to try out myself within the classroom; for example ‘Art Attack’.

The multimedia work undertaken within this school promotes the notion that ‘digital technologies are now embedded in our society’ and therefore children should be encouraged to use them (Higgins, Xiao and Katsipataki, 2012, pp.3); clearly something that this school abides by. At this school children are encouraged to use the many different forms of media and technology available to them (Bazalgatte, 2010), as it provides them with variety as well as an interesting and intriguing means for learning. It is argued that there is a need to reconsider the definition of literacy today, expanding further than just the reading and writing of traditional texts (Dean 2010), therefore children should be learning to read and produce a variety of different types of texts both on-screen and off-screen (Medwell, Moore, Wray and Griffiths, 2012). In light of this, the justification for the multimedia work undertaken within the school is clear.

One of the things that surprised me most about the school, other than their pleasant welcome and kind hospitality, was that they had their own radio station facilities. The school often used this as a reward as well as encouragement- particularly for those students who had poor attendance as a means of encouraging them to come to school. Although this would provide the children with fantastic opportunities and experiences (as I myself have never been anywhere near a radio station), this is precisely what scares me about using it with children- that through lack of experience I would not feel confident or able to use it to its full potential. This is not my only concern that has arisen from the visit. Despite the other software we were shown being fantastic for providing children with different ways of engaging with literacy, for example by creating a talking book, I cannot help but feel the prospect of using these technologies in the little time available during school rather daunting. In order to use these types of multimedia with children, teachers have to feel competent to do so, and in order for children to navigate the technology effectively they too will need some basic skills and subject knowledge which may be time consuming to acquire and reinforce. This brings to light a major concern about the use of multimedia literacies being that teachers would require lots of training in order to be capable of using such multimedia in order to have any effective impact on the children’s learning. This has led me to the questions: How competent and capable are the children we will be working with at using these forms of media? And are multiliteracies and multimedia always more effective teaching strategies than traditional literacies, on the basis that they can be considered quite complex and require a lot of processing?

 

Bazelgette, C. (2010) (Ed) Teaching Media in Primary Schools London: Sage

Dean (2010) Rethinking Literacy in: Bazalgette, C. (ed). ‘Teaching Media in Primary Schools’ London: Sage publications Ltd

FutureLab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum (Sections 3.1-3.4 Digital Literacy in Practice) http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf
 

Higgins, S., Xiao, Z. and Katsipataki, M. (2012) The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning: A Summary for the Education Endowment Foundation [online] http://learn2.winchester.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/286045/mod_resource/content/1/Higgins%20et%20al%20Impact%20of%20Digital%20Technology%20on%20Learning.pdf (accessed 21/01/14)

Medwell, J. Moore, G. Wray, D. Griffiths, V. (2012) Primary English Knowledge and Understanding London: Learning Matters (Ch 14 Electronic Texts pp196 – 202)

Merchant, G. (2007) Writing the future in the digital age Literacy 41 (3)pp118-128

Week 9: informal task reflecting on school visit

This week I had the pleasure of returning to a school that I undertook my first year school placement at (SE1). Upon returning to the school it was welcoming to see familiar faces and to be engaging in the technology that the school luckily has; especially their radio station facility. Unfortunately, the school underwent a refurbish during my second block placement during SE1 and had to loose their podcast room in order to accommodate for two form entry. However, they are lucky to still have their radio station room with modern technology and equipment.

When touring the school I was reminded of how lucky the school is to have so much technology recourses; sensory room, ICT Suite, WII consoles and games, radio station and other various resources integrated into classrooms. Duffy (2006) states that ICT is a vital element of the curriculum which has the ability to enhance the learning that occurs within the classroom. In relation, Bazelgette (2010) implores teachers to encourage children to appreciate both technology and media and the uses it has to society; arguably, this is more achievable in a school close to that which we visited this week, which has access to a variety of technology to promote media. Extending this theory, Bazelgette (2010) states that technology can be used to produce media for entertainment purposes, as well as educational aids. Duffy (2006) agrees with Bazelgette (2010) and suggests that when children are aware of the uses of technology and media, they can begin to equip themselves with a set of life skills applicable to our constantly developing world that can be further enhanced at secondary education.

Through input from a teacher at the school, we were introduced to the schools passion with ICT in terms of technology, multimodal texts and apps that can be used to develop learning. It is evident that the school adopts a range of technology and media to teach the curriculum as the new National Curriculum (DfE, 2013) underpins the need for children to engage in a range of sources to teach the skills of ICT. During the visit, we were also able to engage with a few apps on the schools IPads, several of which, such as My Animation, were easy to use and developed my confidence in using technology. The apps that we were introduced to can be used during our challenge that has been set by the school teacher; we will work in groups with a ratio of 3:5 adults:children to create a talking book promoting Children’s Rights to be entered into a competition that the school enters yearly.

Bibliography:

Bazelgette, C. (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Schools. London: Sage

Department for Education. (2013) Primary National Curriculum. [Online]

Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum (Accessed 17.1.2014)

Duffy, J. (2006) Extending Knowledge in Practice: Primary ICT. Exeter: Learning Matters LTD

Week 8 (formal task): Internet Safety.

Currently, internet safety is an issue in primary schools (Palmer, 2006). Many educational researchers, teachers and reporters have reflected on the issue in studies and media alike to portray the harming effects the internet can have on childhood (Palmer, 2006). According to Ofcom (2008), cited in the Bryon Review (2008), 99% of primary aged children have access to the internet. With this in mind, we should be adopting a range of methods to keep children safe on the internet both inside, and outside of school (Byron, 2008). Reflecting on this, The National Children’s Bureau NI (BBC, 2014) states parents should set boundaries and guidelines for children when using the internet. Unfortunately, alongside potential dangers such as porn pop-ups, online grooming and harmful websites, children can also encounter cyberbulling (Shariff, 2009). Shariff (2009) implores parents to prevent children, under the legal age, from having social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace because they can become a catalyst for cyberbullying between peers.

Considering the potential dangers of the internet, and trying to promote internet safety, The National Crime Agency has recognised the need for internet safety and introduced The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). The CEOP have teamed up with other important agencies, such as NSPCC, UKCCIS and Virtual Global Taskforce, to create a website for parents, teachers and children to access for advice on internet safety. This is a potential resource to use in schools; I would introduce the topic to children so they can play an active role in keeping themselves safe on the internet. The website can be accessed online via; http://ceop.police.uk/. In relation, http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110130111510/http://nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/safeguarding is another useful website to use to promote internet safety.

Bryon (2008) declares that young children usually use the internet for gaming; while some teachers may encourage children to use it for homework. During SE3, the teacher set maths homework fortnightly on the ‘MyMaths’ website; children had to log on to access the task whilst proceeding to have it marked online after completing. In relation, Bryon (2008) found that many parents adopt positive attitudes towards the internet, stating it makes homework tasks more accessible and easier for their children. In theory, the MyMaths website, seen used on SE3, is not perceived at a safety threat because it is only accessed for tasks, however children need to be aware not to share their log in details. I have also seen another school run an internet safety campaign across a two week period; this touched on cyberbullying.

Many parents believe that without the internet at home, children are automatically at a disadvantage (Byron, 2008). However, in contrast Ofcom (2008), cited in Byron (2008), state that more than 28% of 5-17 year olds have witnessed either inappropriate or harmful content whilst using the internet. In relation, Byron (2008) found that many parents perceived the internet to be a safer means to communicate. However parents attitudes tend to shift, in regards to internet, as children become older (Byron, 2008). Between the age of 7-8 Bryon (2008) found that children began to stray from the designated website parents had given consent; although, simultaneously, these children often felt both anxious about doing this incase they came across something dangerous. Correspondingly, McStravick, a director at the NCB, implores the need for parents to talk to their children about the websites they use (BBC, 2014). She continues to state that it is a necessary and fundamental element to building online boundaries for children; consequently, it will enable them to stay safe (BBC, 2014).

Bibliography:

Becta. Next Generation Learning. [online website] http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110130111510/http://nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/safeguarding (accessed 11.03.2014)

Byron, T. (2008). Safer children in a digital world: the report of the Byron Review: be safe, be aware, have fun. [Online] Available athttp://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7332/1/Final%20Report%20Bookmarked.pdf. (Accessed 06/03/2014)

Palmer, S. (2006) Toxic Childhood: How the Modern World is Damaging Our Children and What We Can Do About it. London: Orion Books.

Shariff, S. (2009) Confronting Cyber-bullying; What Schools NEED TO KNOW To Control Misconduct and Avoid Legal Consequences. New York: Cambridge University Press

The National Children’s Bureau. (2014) NI parents ‘unaware’ of their children’s online activity. Published by BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26131875 (accessed 10.03.2014)

Week 9: Reflection on Initial School visit

Week 9 

Initial visit to School 

My Reflections 

The initial visit to the primary school today has been incredibly informative and inspiring. I had the opportunity to interact with applications that could be used throughout the curriculum to maximize the learning process, this included; ICanAnimate, Veescope, Telligami, Airplay and Bookcreator. Bazelgatte exclaims that teachers fail to take advantage of children’s previous knowledge regarding digital literacy. However an increasing number of teachers are gaining confidence in discovering the use of animation and moving image texts; as well as the equipment needed to create them. Halsey (2007) states that ‘As a teacher we can no longer ignore technology’, subsequently we must embrace technology and envision new ways of using emerging technologies within our classrooms (pp99). I feel that the session today had enabled my confidence to grow, as well as stimulating possible lesson ideas for the future.

The school itself is incredibly advanced in terms of how it is used and infiltrated throughout the school. This extends to a sensory room, a school radio station and even a WII station play area. Although impressive, I couldn’t help but question whether these additions, the WII area in particular, were essential for learning. In addition to this It has been noted that the possible falling standards of literacy where due to the distractions caused by the invasions of technology, for instance ‘showing films in the classroom was mostly regarded as a form of babysitting, or sometimes as a reward at the end of a unit of work.’ (Bazelgatte, ed: 55).This argument also extends to the use of technology outside the classroom as ‘the watching of television- and more recently the playing of computer games- have been regularly depicted as a shocking waste of children valuable time.’ (Bazelgatte, ed:55)(Palmer, 2006).

On the other hand digital literacy can be used as a way of communicating and representing knowledge in different contexts and to different audience (multimodal). It involves finding and selecting relevant information, critically evaluating and re-contextualising knowledge as well as having an understanding of the social contexts (Hague et al, 2010). We had the opportunities to watch some clips created by the children using the technologies available to them. A video clip using the green screen based on a history topic caught my attention. Evidently the process of collecting relevant information, prioritising the information with the audience in mind and structuring the presentation is a very complex process. Furthermore using the ipads required pupils to notice and understand the composition of shots, the deployment of light, colour and movement, the arrangement of order and duration in aural and visual material. Even presenting this topic requires children to be the aware of reliability and authenticity of their chosen research topic, particularly if information is taking from non-print mediums (Bazelgatte, ed). Ultimately children should be taught how to approach different digital literacy with a ‘degree of discrimination and critical awareness that should attend reading, writing and communication of any kind’ (Alexander, 2009:270). All of which are skills that involve a higher level of thinking. This only reiterates the importance of using these mediums to enable children to develop layers of understanding throughout the curriculum.

After watching a video created by the children on the topic of history, we could not stop discussing how excellent it was to watch the subject come to life through the use of green screen (Veescope). Consequently it is easy to image the discourse that would arise from the children after watching it. Marsh and Bearne (2008) highlight the positive outcomes from the use of digital literacy within the classroom, including the fact that children need little encouragement to begin discuss the moving image text encountered. This also extends to the language as children tend to employ ‘a richer use of language and more sophisticated vocabulary’ (Marsh and Bearne, 2008: 22-8).  Next session we will be using the ipad applications and collating them together via Bookcreator in the hope of ‘bringing about more complex modes of communication and therefore more complex appreciation of texts’ (Unsworth et al, 2005, p. 44).

Alexander, R. (2009) Children, their World, their Education: Final Report and Recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. Abingdon: Routledge.

Bazelgette, C. (2010) (Ed) Teaching Media in Primary Schools London: Sage

Dean (2010) Rethinking Literacy in: Bazalgette, C. (ed). ‘Teaching Media in Primary Schools’ London: Sage publications Ltd

Hague, C., & Payton, S. (2010) Digital Literacy across the curriculum. A Futurelab handbook [Online] www.futurelab.org.uk (Accessed 05.02.14) 

Halsey, S. (2007) Embracing emergent technologies and envisioning new ways of using them for literacy learning in the primary classroom. Vol 6, No 2 (September, 2007). New Zealand. PP99-107

Marsh, J. and Bearne, E. (2008) Moving Literacy on. Leicester: UKLA

Palmer, S. (2006) Toxic Childhood: How the Modern World is Damaging Our Children and What We Can Do About it. London: Orien (Ch9)

Unsworth, L., Thomas, A., Simpson, A., & Asha, J. (2005). Children's literature and

computer-based teaching. Maidenhead: Open University Press

Week 8- Internet Safety

The increase in accessibility to technology is not only affecting the curriculum, but is also impacting on children’s safety. The popularity and status of technology is forever increasing, and consequently children are spending a lot more of their time online (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008). Thus, Internet safety both in the classroom and at home is a recent concern of parents, educators and children, and has been addressed by the media. The extent of the concerns surrounding children and their use of the internet is shown by a simple search on the BBC website for ‘online safety’, as a number of related articles appear (http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/?q=online+safety). In summarising these articles, the main concerns are revolved around cyber-bullying and the harmful psychological effects this may have on children, as well as feeling unaware of what exactly children are doing online. This blog entry will discuss and provide links to resources aimed specifically at reducing these concerns and which intend to increase children’s safety online.

Ofsted (2013. pp. 6) encourages the use of technology within schools arguing ‘technology offers unimaginable opportunities and is constantly evolving’, however in order to advise schools in keeping children safe online they have devised guidelines to ensure they are taking appropriate E-safety precautions. In order to achieve features of good or outstanding practice regarding e-safety, schools must have in place rigorous e-safety policies and procedures, and all staff must have received regular and up-to-date training. Additionally, the 'E-Safety in Initial Teacher Training' PowerPoint explicitly states that teachers need to be aware of the current legal requirements in safeguarding children and of what to implement if there is a safeguarding issue. However, in order to help them implement this teachers need to be aware of what children are doing online and to understand the current dangers they may face.

Although the role of schools and educators in keeping children safe online is seen as perhaps the most significant, Smith (2007) argues that the role of parents and the children themselves must not be forgotten. Evidence of this is shown through the extent of e-safety resources available which are aimed at both parents and children, as well as at teachers.

Despite providing more opportunities for ‘fun, learning and development’, there are concerns over the potentially inappropriate and harmful material accessible online, ranging from ‘content (e.g. violence) through to contact and conduct of children in the digital world’ (Byron, 2008. pp. 2). Byron (2008) uses these ‘three C’s’ (content, contact and conduct) in order to highlight and categorise the main issues of internet safety, some of these being: meeting strangers, cyber-bullying, pornography, misleading information and hateful or violent content. These points are also reiterated by Becta (2010).

One of the major concerns associated with children’s safety online is explained by Byron (2008) as the ‘generational divide’, which can be related to Palfrey and Gasser’s (2008) theory of digital natives and digital immigrants. As the majority of parents and educators feel less technologically advanced than children, they feel less able to help them online (Future Lab, 2010), and therefore feel unable to support them if they are encountering a problem.

In overcoming these barriers many resources have been made available of which address the concerns regarding adult’s lack of knowledge about what children are doing online. One of these being ‘The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre’ (CEOP), an agency which works alongside child protection partners, intended to help teachers and parents understand the technologies that children are using in order to help and protect them. This easily accessible site also offers children friendly advice about staying safe online, as well as addressing any concerns they may have. The website can be accessed at: http://ceop.police.uk/.

The Internet Advisory Board (IAB) also insist that parents are made aware of exactly what their children may be doing online, and ways in which to keep them safe. In light of this, IAB have provided a very useful online booklet called ‘Get with it’, which reference is included at the bottom of this blog entry as a beneficial resource, recommended to both parents and teachers.
This resource takes into account that children may not be aware that what they are looking at is bad and should not be accessed, and in addressing this, the website aims to help children stay in control when online as well as showing them how to report anything they feel uncomfortable with. This resource is very child friendly and so could be shown to children during school time to make them aware of how to be safe online. There are also very valuable resources provided on this site for teachers such as presentations, lesson plans and activities designed to increase awareness about being safe online both inside and outside the classroom.

Another useful resource is the website of Next Generation Learning which is a government campaign initiated by Becta. As well as providing information on how to use technology to make learning more successful, fun and exciting, it aims to keep children safe whilst using this technology. There is lots of information provided both for teachers and children, particularly useful for advice on cyber-bullying and its prevention. This site can be assessed at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110130111510/http://nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/safeguarding

 

 

BBC website [online] at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/?q=online+safety (accessed 05/03/14)

Becta (2010) Safeguarding in a Digital World Coventry: Becta

Becta. Next Generation Learning website [online] at:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110130111510/http://nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/safeguarding

Byron (2008) Safer Children in a Digital World: The Report of the Byron Review [online] at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7332/1/Final%20Report%20Bookmarked.pdf (accessed 06/03/14)

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) website [online] http://ceop.police.uk/. (accessed 06/03/14)

'E-Safety in Initial Teacher Training' PowerPoint' http://learn2.winchester.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1246

FutureLab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum (Sections 3.1-3.4 Digital Literacy in Practice) http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf

Internet Advisory Board. A Parent’s Guide to Social Networking Sites- Get With It: understanding and sharing the world of social-networking websites with your children. [online] at:http://learn2.winchester.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/315525/mod_resource/content/1/get%20with%20it.pdf   (accessed 06/03/14)

Ofsted (2013) Inspecting e-safety [online] http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/briefings-and-information-for-use-during-inspections-of-maintained-schools-and-academies (accessed 27/03/14)

Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives New   York: Basic Books (Introduction p. 1 – 15) (pdf on LN)

Smith, G. (2007) How to protect your child on the internet: A Roadmap for Parents and Teachers. Westport: Greenwood Publishing

 

Week 8: E-safety & Ethics

Week 8

 E-safety & Ethics

‘Digital Natives are transforming businesses. To date, their biggest impact has been through their entrepreneurship, as Mark Zuckerburg’s facebook demonstrates’ (Palfrey et al, 2008:224). However the increase in social networking in recent years illustrates how very few young people are thinking about the consequences of the data and information they are presenting on the internet. Research has found that around 49% of young people claimed to  have given out personal information, such as their full names, ages, email addresses, phone numbers, hobbies or names of their schools, to someone they have been in contact with on the internet (Online: UK Children Go, 2005). Concerns for privacy and safety are ever increasing with the rise of internet usage, and the amount of information available at a click of a button (Palfrey et al, 2008).

The Byron review is founded in the needs of children and young people. It emphasises that children have the right to play video games and access content on the internet in a safe, responsible and informed way (eSafety, 2008). The review also states that better regulation following agreed codes of practice and greater education regarding internet safety should be taught. Furthermore educational establishments are required to work with Government and the third sector to support vulnerable children and young people, especially in supporting parents and children with development of their knowledge of how to improve their safety online (eSafety, 2008).

Moreover the United Nations Conventions of the Rights of a Child (1989) identifies that each child should be entitled to particular rights. Article 13, Freedom of expression ‘Children have the right to get and share information, as long as the information is not damaging to them or others [...] The freedom of expression includes the right to share information in any way they choose, including by talking, drawing or writing.’ (United Nations Child, 1989:2). Ultimately informing children about the measure they could take in order to protect themselves should take place in school, particularly as there is also evidence to suggest that parents are not so conscious about the risks the internet could pose to a child roaming freely and un-securely. For instance, from the UK Children Go research mentioned only 5% of parents think their child has given out such information. (Online: UK Children Go, 2005)

Admittedly during placements, I had not entirely been made aware of the regulations in place to protect children from potential online risks. This part of the module has enable me to endeavour for more information, as it is important for new teachers entering the profession to be ‘equipped with e-safety knowledge and skills... including revising the statutory ICT test’ (eSafety, 2008:2).

eSafety (2008) Safer Children in a Digital World: The Byron Review. (27.03.08) [Online] http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview (Accessed 5.03.14)

Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008). Born digital : understanding the first generation of digital natives. New York : Basic Books

UK Children Go (2005) Economic and Social Research Council, Your Safety Net London, UK: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

United Nations Child (1989) Convention on the Rights of the: UNCRC [Online] http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf  (Accessed 05/03/14)