Having reflected on the use of
technology and media at ShirleyWarrenPrimary School, discuss anything that
surprises or challenges you. What questions arise for you as a result of
today’s visit?
The school had an impressive range of technology
which offers children opportunities to engage in Literacy activities with new
technology. However, it was interesting to see how the school created cross-curricular
links with Music and Literacy. The range of technology can prepare children for
higher education, which was an aim of Shirley Warren Primary. It was
interesting to hear that the school uses new technology as a stimulus to
develop persuasive writing, which is supported by Banaji (2010).
A question which was raised on the blog was how
would advertisement be approached in Key Stage One? Before I attended the
session I did not know how I would use new technology to create media projects
with Key Stage One children. The session surprised me when the teacher spoke
about Key Stage One children creating media projects. From this I have learnt
that the opportunities Key Stage Two children have can be the same for Key
Stage One, as the teacher takes on an active role and models editing which will
be a future skill for the children. The session has given me ideas of how to
support Key Stage One children when planning new technology projects.
Palfrey
and Gasser’s (2008) concerns of internet safety might be shared with parents
whose children are using new technology and uploading pieces of work on the
internet. It was interesting to hear how the school addressed these matters by;
parents consenting if their child’s work can be shared and by using first names
only.
The
teacher training surprised me as it reflected the 21st Century
Fluency Project (21st CFP) that teachers need to become learners
themselves when using technology. Before the session I had limited knowledge of
using media software packages which put me off wanting to use new technology in
the classroom. The description of the success of teacher training and the
support given to teachers from the specialist teacher is something I would find
valuable, as I had limited knowledge of media software packages before the
session.
An
issue raised from the session was the amount of time the projects consumed and
the reality of time given to complete the projects.
Banaji,
S (2010) ‘Analysing Advertisements in the Classroom’ in Bazelgette, C. (Ed) Teaching
Media in Primary Schools London: Sage
Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008) Born
Digital: Understanding The First Generation of Digital Natives New York:
Basic Books
I am pleased that the school visit has supported you in reflecting on the use of technology within the classroom. In schools that I have worked with, often the use of animation tools has been the final outcome of a topic. Children have known that this is the aim and this has acted as a motivator, providing both purpose and audience. Classes can be put into groups so that one group are preparing the sets, another the props, another the script (perhaps several groups if making an animation for say a chapter book), another filming, another adding sound effects, another adding narration etc. This then rotates across the topic/year so that children have the chance to experience the different roles. Some schools have trained up TAs who can offer extra support for the use of technology or there is a dedicated ICT expert such as Tom who can offer support. There is no doubt that something such as animation will take time but perhaps the time is worth it if it results in work of a good quality. Another way of controlling this, is to only make short films (e.g. 1 - 3 minutes in length). I am sure that animation could provide an excellent tool for assessment - but as always you would need to be clear about what you were assessing, e.g. story structure, persuasive techniques if making an animated advert etc
ReplyDeleteFrom today's experience I agree that a time limit would be appropriate for children when filming ,as we found it difficult to cut the work down under a time limit, so it would be beneficial for the children to have a limited time for them to film to enable them to edit their projects in time.
ReplyDeleteI think allowing time for the project is needed . However from school experience it was clear time in the classroom goes very quickly and has to be spread out for each subject, so I wonder how much time would be a available for the process of filming ? Due to time being limited .
I think a way to address this would be to do a class project whilst the children are developing editing skills then gradually go to smaller groups .