After working with children in school, share your observations and reflections. What surprises you? What were the challenges and how might you overcome these? What have you learnt?

Whilst reading literature about using digital literacy and resources in the classroom for this module, it is interesting to see that what they say about the benefits, restrictions and concerns of using them can be seen in the real-life contexts of my reflections of my previous school experiences.

As Paffrey and Gasser (2008) mention, I have seen what they note as teachers being concerned about using digital literacies and different technologies, in an attempt to enhance learning of a certain subject, and seen the detrimental effect it can have on children (Dean, 2010) (for example distraction and confusion of using the technologies). However, it has always been, in my experience, that the concerns were futile as they have successfully been used to enhance and extend thinking beyond what, maybe, traditional literature could do.

Whilst on school experience, I have also realised that the main issue that arises are those that concern classroom organisation and accessing and using the technologies correctly. However, these concerns should not stop us as teachers from using them as they do have such beneficial value within the classroom, not just to extend but to be the main basis of teaching and learning.

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

Paffrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008) ‘Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives’ New York: Basic Books