Evaluation week 12

Specialising and being passionate about ICT, I was very interested in how to use English, as a core subject with technology. I found it most interesting to harness my primary knowledge and apply it to other areas to find if they would work. I am personally in agreement with Merchant (2007) that it is important to integrate current technology into our classroom environment to prepare them for life beyond the classroom.

 

This module has continuously shown me that there are simple ways to introduce technology into the classroom and it is not as daunting as first thought. Yes, teachers need the support and training to be able to do it but even with little training, some successful lessons can be developed and the children can use technology within their lessons. The Future Lab (2010) supports this and suggests that it is the teachers who have the knowledge and understanding that can support children’s use of digital literacy, therefor their training is crucial. I also had not thought about using comics in the classroom. I really liked that it could link back to home and get boys more involved in reading (Dean, 2010)

 

I most enjoyed and felt that I gained most from the practical element of using what we had learnt and bringing it into a school and using our skills with real children. It was very inspiring and amazing to see it being used in schools and the children enjoying it so much. It helped me to build new skills, gain more knowledge and experience as well as confidence in myself and the children.

 

One of the key things I have learnt is that I will need to keep up and constantly learn as technology is always developing. To be able to teacher or be the ICT coordinator the next generation of ‘digital natives’ (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008 and Prensky, 2001) I will have to integrate ICT into my lessons and make it become a regular occurrence in my classroom which Beauchamp (2012) supports.

 

This module has really helped me to grow in confidence especially as at the beginning I felt nervous about the introduction of the new national curriculum (DfE, 2013) but it has really helped me understand how I can use it cross curricular, especially with English. Talking about it with teachers and member of staff I feel more confident that it is a positive change and that it will help bring ICT to a new level within the primary classroom and I look forward to being a part of it.

 

Beauchamp, G (2012) ICT in the Primary School, From Pedagogy to Practise. Essex: Pearsons Education Ltd

 

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

 

DFE/QCA (2013) The National Curriculum in England, DFE/QCA

 

Futurelab. (2010) Digital literacy across the curriculum. London: Becta.

 

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

 

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

 

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