Speaking, Listening & Digital Imaging Devices - Week 4

Hola mis amigos!

In this weeks workshop we focused on some of the many ways ICT can be spread throughout the curriculum and provide excellent opportunities for children to develop their speaking and listening skills.

Through simple devices such as digital recorders, webcams and video cameras, children can extend opportunities for interaction thus developing their social and communicative abilities. With technology becoming increasingly available within the classroom, teachers can provide a great number of activities using these simple devices that will really benefit the children. 

Speaking and Listening 

ICT tools that revolve around speaking and listening have many uses in the classroom. Whether it be recording simple instructions onto portable MP3 devices or recording narrations for storyboards on 'Talk Time Cards' to assist EAL or SEN children, there are endless ways ICT can support speaking and listening in the classroom. Here are a few more ideas to consider:

• Talking Photo Albums - Great for supporting speaking and listening, particularly in literacy. Can be used for photo sequencing, presentations or word recognition.
• Talk Time Cards -Limited recording time keeps pupils focused on the task and ensures they record what is really needed. The larger A4 cards are perfect for storyboarding and planning
• Talking Tins - Great for recording instructions or sounds; can be attached to almost ant surface or even display boards. Can also be used in treasure hunts as can be hidden easily and contain clues to the next location.

Podcasting

Podcasting is another excellent way for children to improve their speaking and listening abilities. A podcast is like a radio show, however rather than being broadcast live it is a recording that can be uploaded onto a site to be streamed or downloaded. These can be done by anyone, discuss any subject and target any audience. Recordings made within schools are often uploaded onto sites such as Educate or Radio Anywhere.  

So what are the benefits of Podcasting in the classroom? Well, children love to create things they can share and show off. They also love hearing their own voice. By combining these two facts, Podcasting is the perfect medium to really get children enthusiastic about learning. They will try harder knowing it can be heard by anyone and love the fact they can share it with their friends and family. Also, as previously mentioned, Podcasts can focus on any topic so can be used throughout the curriculum. 

Children will benefit greatly from using Podcasts due to the level of thought needed to create them as they know they will be shared with such a wide audience. The department of Education recommend the use of podcast in the classroom and explain how "creating a podcast allows students to share learning experiences. It provides them with a world-wide audience that makes learning meaningful and assessment authentic. Teachers can use the technology to provide additional and revision material to students to download and review at a time that suits them. The flexibility that such time-shifting offers makes podcasting a valuable educational tool." (DfEE, 2012)

They also provide simple instructions on how to create podcasts:

• 1. Recording. You will need a microphone and software such as Audacity (cross-platform) or GarageBand (Apple) to record your sound file. A number of sites on the Internet offer tutorials for using the software, such as this one on setting up and using Audacity by Jake Ludington and Apple's page on using GarageBand for podcasting. 
• 2. Publishing. Once you have created your audio file and saved it, usually in mp3 format you need to upload it to a webserver. Many sites on the internet, including Blogger offer free podcast hosting services. Make sure you read the Terms of Service.
• 3. Publicising. Having created your podcast and uploaded it to make it available to potential users you need to provide a way for users to access your files. This may be as simple as providing a link from an existing webpage or more complex, such as creating an rss feed document which will allow users to subscribe to your podcast. Depending on the traffic your webpage receives, and the intended audience for your podcast, you may also choose to register your podcast. A comprehensive list of Podcasts Suitable for Educators, Schools and Colleges is maintained by RECAP.

  
Digital Imaging Devices

Digital cameras, video cameras and webcams also provide children with excellent opportunities for learning. There are a large range of software, such as PhotoStory3 or Clicker 5 that can provide exciting methods of incorporating Digital images into the children's work. Again, this has many advantages, as it allows the children to work at a higher level of thinking when producing their work. 

During the workshop we thought about some of the simple ways in which children can encorporate digital images into their work. After have a play around with some of the fantastic resources, a group of us quickly threw together a small story using PhotoStory3 and a simple digital camera. This was the result:

 

As you can see, this is just a simple yet effective way to get children engaged in creating stories and other pieces of work. We really enjoyed putting this together and I am sure the children would really enjoy it too! 

Thats all from me this week folks! Stay safe and catch you soon! 

  

  

Digital Media & Computer Control - Week 3

Hey again! 

This weeks ICT session focused on computer control and monitoring technology. Well what is that exactly I hear you ask? Well, having already thought about the ways in which we use technology to communicate over the internet and express our creativity, it is also important to remember that technology and computing play a huge role in everyday life away while you are not sitting in front of the computer. 
 
Computer Control

Computers control many objects (Such as traffic lights, burglar alarms and central heating) that may not immediately spring to mind when thinking about ICT, and computer control refers to the set of instructions programmed into a machine that cause them to operate in a predetermined manner. 


So why do we use computers to control things? Well they never get tired, never lose concentration, can repeat the same process with extreme accuracy every time, carry out tasks with great speed and perhaps most importantly in today's economy computers are a lot cheaper than manual labor and will never ask for a pay rise (well not yet anyway!). 

 
Computer Control in the Classroom

When considering the teaching of ICT, especially now children are being encouraged to create and even begin to learn basic programming, thinking about computer control is a great way to introduce these concepts. Perhaps the best way to introduce such ideas is by getting the children to think about basic programming by using programmable toys and robots such as The Roamer, Beebot and Pippin. The child can program these devices to carry out simple commands such as moving forward and simple angular turns.

Not only do they increase the child's programming ability but also can be used to develop cross curricular links to subjects such as maths, design technology and geography as well as developing transferable skills such as spatial awareness and systematical forward thinking. 

Computer Monitoring

Computer monitoring involves the use of digital senses to observe/monitor information. In the classroom this can involve the use of hardware such as a digital microscope or a data logger that can read and record information such as light, sound and temperature levels. These are incredible useful tools as they allow ICT to be spread across such a wide range of curriculum areas, in this case particularly Science. 




During our workshop we were given the opportunity to have a little play with each of these pieces of equipment and invited to think about some of the potential activities that each could be used for in a primary school. We were then asked to carry out a little reflective activity  in order to think in a bit more detail about one of the pieces of equipment and answer a few questions to really get us thinking. I decided to think about the Beebot Robot as this is the one I spent the most time with in the workshop. 

To really get me thinking I decided to search YouTube to give myself some possible ideas of potential activities to use with the Beebot. This is what i found..

In which areas of the curriculum could you use this activity? Consider cross-curricular links? 

The Beebot can be used in a lot of curriculum areas, particular maths (when considering 

angles of turns), Literacy (to spell out different words) and Geography (when considering

co-ordinates)

What is the purpose of the activity? (Is it to teach new ICT skills? To consolidate and

practice existing skills, or is the ICT simply a tool and the focus lies in the subject being 

taught?) 

The beebot develops childrens all round ability. It can be used to specifically teach 

programming in ICT, but can also be really useful to be used as a tool for developing the

focus of other curriculum areas

What is the key vocabulary used in the activity?  

Forward - Left - Right - Reverse - Pause - Clear - Go - Turn - Angles - 90degrees

How could you extend the activity for more able children and/or older year group?
By placing obstacles/routes they have to take, it will increase the amount of thinking the children need to do in order to reach their goal. You could also limit the amount of moves it can take to reach the goal.

How would you differentiate the activity for less able and/or younger age group?

Less able children could be given simpler tasks and focus only on moving forward and simple 90 degree turns. The goal could be easier to get to, or if spelling, easier words to connect.

What opportunities are there to assess the children’s learning?

Depending on the activity taking place, the use of the Beebot could have many good assessment opportunities such as the assessing  of spelling, counting, simple maths skills (such as use of angles and forward thinking), co-ordination and motor control skills and subject knowledge within areas such as geography.

What are the practicalities involved in organising and managing the activity in the classroom/computer suite? 

Due to beebots small size and ease of use, there is very little to think about in terms of practicality.They can be used as a whole class, in small groups or even 1 to 1 and only require simple resources to be used effectively.

This is just some of the many possibilities and opportunities the use of such toys and robots can provide! Now i'm looking forward to exploring some of the other creative possibilities in next weeks workshop. 

But for now, stay safe! JB signing off. 

The Interactive Whiteboard - Week 2

This weeks ICT workshop focused on the use of the Interactive Whiteboard in the classroom. With modern technology continually becoming easier to use and more reliable than ever, it is no wonder that more and more schools are placing this wonderful resource into each of their classrooms. Less than 20 years ago no one had even heard of an Interactive Whiteboard and the majority of classrooms still relied on the old fashioned blackboards and chalk. 

Now, with access to videos, interactive games and the whole of the internet just a click away, there are endless opportunities for multi-sensory and engaging lessons. The video below shows just a glimpse into some of the exciting possibilities of using an IWB.

   

Benefits of IWBs

As you can see from the video, having an Interactive Whiteboard in the classroom means that teachers can use their creativity to come up with extremely exciting and gripping new ways of delivering lessons. However, as I discovered in the workshop, this concept of 'Edutainment' is only one of the many benefits that the use of IWB in classrooms can provide. Other Benefits include:

• Developing Children's ICT skills
• Providing programs to help those with an SEN
• Providing exciting opportunities for EAL children to engage with the lessons
• Develops thinking/discussion skills
• Develops literacy skills such as reading, writing and spelling

These are but a few of the many ways IWBs can really engage with those who may have struggled in a time before IWBs could provide such a multisensory experience. As the workshop went on I really began to think about the different ways in which children learn and how the IWBs easily allows teachers to include a variety of teaching methods (such as visual, auditory & kineasthetic) into a single activity and how useful this will be when planning high quality lessons. 

Considerations

While there are many benefits to using an IWB in your classroom, there are also many factors that must be taken into consideration when thinking about the use of this amazing resource. It is definitely worth considering issues such as where the board is placed and how height the board should be. I have been in a number of classrooms where children have to climb dangerous contraptions just to be able to reach the board, causing a number of health and safety risks. Placement is important too. Too often there are classrooms where a number of tables have an obscured view of the board, limiting it's potential; or where light from the window causes glare and makes the board almost impossible to see. Finally, it is also important to consider that work on the IWB should have good sized font, and backgrounds that do not affect those with visual impairments such as dyslexia.

A Few Ideas

The second half of our workshop was spent focusing on some of the many ways in which the SMART notebook software could be used to deliver certain aspects of lessons. We were devided into groups and given a particular effect to work on. We were to play around with the features of smart notebook and present our tehnique back to the class.   

Our groups was given an effect called 'The Magnifying Glass effect. This method involves the hiding of certain text (which would be useful if you wanted to hide answers to questions) which can then be revealed by the 'magic magnifying glass'. After playing around with the effect we thought of a few ways in which this might be useful during a lesson.  We came up with the idea of using this effect to hide the names of certain minibeats. We then displayed a picture of the minibeast next to the hidden answered and asked the children if they could name any of them. If they thought they could they would give their answer and use the magic magnifying glass to see if they were correct. This would make an excellent 2 minute started activity for a early KS1 class. 



 The other groups also presented some excellent ideas such as the 'Balloon Pop', 'Magic Tunnel' and 'Erase to Reveal' and many more effects, all of which would be extremely useful when preparing an interactive lesson. For more information about the many ways in which SMART notebook can be used for lessons check out this link! Or even check out this video!

In conclusion, there are thousands of ways the IWB can be used to enhance the learning experiences of our children. I am really looking forward to coming up with creative and original ideas to really capture the childrens interest. 

If anyone wants to check out some theory and statistics about the use of the IWB then this blog has some really good information on it!

As always, stay safe! Catch you soon!