Literacy and Technology
Welcome to my blog!
Design an outdoor activity for a Literacy lesson. Link to outcomes on
the LNF. Reflect on outdoor learning activities. Link to academic literature.
A great activity for a literacy
lesson outside could be getting a book for the class room and making the
children read it outside, and also, using nature and props to make the book
more interesting and including for the children. Hamilton and Weiss, stated it
best by saying; “Storytelling
is the oldest form of education. People around the world have always told
tales…stories are at the core of all that makes use human”. (2005, pg.1). also,
Hardy said; “We dream in narrative, day-dream in narrative,
remember, anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticize,
construct, gossip, learn, hate, and love by narrative. In order really to live,
we make up stories about ourselves and others, about the personal as well as
the social past and future.” (1978, pg.13).
“The LNF has been designed to provide a continuum of
development that clearly sets out annual expected outcomes in literacy and
numeracy. It should be used both as a curriculum planning tool and as an
assessment framework. Cross-curricular planning using the LNF will be essential
to ensure that literacy and numeracy skills are embedded across the curriculum
and that progression is supported for all learners.” (Welsh Government, 2013a,
p.4)
‘When I run outdoor literacy courses, I
set aside time to use books as a basis for outdoor work. In the past I’ve found
them to be a great inspiration for creative outdoor activity – either
structured or unstructured both for children of all ages and myself. Most early
years staff will talk enthusiastically about “We’re going on a
bear hunt” and some of the ideas participants have told me about have
been incredibly creative and hugely enjoyable.’ https://creativestarlearning.co.uk/literacy-outdoors/reading-books-outdoors/
Also, another reason why it would
be beneficial for children to read outside is because to promotes their
creativity, which is very important. It is important because it helps the
children imagine the stories in their heads because they would be in a
different environment then their normal settings. For instance, a book like
“Inside or Outside:
Where's Eddie?”, that’s involves props like tents and teddies to really get the
feel of the book and its creative message.
Likewise, because of the nature and props being used
outside, the visual aids will allow the children to use a more imaginative way
of connecting to the story being portrayed. For instance, in our lesson we were
taken into a playful library and had to read a book using props and actions. Children
reading outside also offers a passion for children to read for pleasure. For
instance, if they are encouraged to read outside and in any other different
forms of environments; read by their teachers; it can cause them to enjoy the
books and promote them to read for fun.
In addition,
because of the open space you can make or use sound effects to make the story
even more interesting. For instance, we created songs in our seminars and I thought
it would be brilliant if children did that before going out to read, to make
them more enthusiastic.
Finally, another reason as to why
reading outside might just be a good thing, is because children need a change
of scenario sometimes; and if they are outside still being educated it can
waken them up a bit more. In the Outdoor
learning and green time: How kids benefit from learning and playing in nature article,
it states that ‘Studies
indicate that playing and relaxing in natural settings can defuse
stress. Brief nature walks can reduce anxiety, distraction, and symptoms
of ADHD. And when schools take kids outside to learn, kids have become
more motivated and self-directed.’ (2018/2019, pg.1). For example, when I was in primary school, we always read books
around 2; I could never pay attention because we were stuck in that room all
day and could not focus any longer. If I had moved outside around that same
time, I would’ve woken up and might’ve been way more interested. “Stories and
fantasies enable children and adults alike to put experimental flesh on the
bones of their own aspirations, and see and feel what alternative futures may
be like”
(Claxton, 2001, p. 137).
In conclusion, my personal opinion
is that reading children books in different environments i.e. outside on the
grass; it can allow the children to activate vaster imaginations skills that
can assist them in the future. In addition all children need is just a starter
on how to boast their creative and imaginative skills into play. This is
supported by Paley because he said; “Amazingly children are born knowing how to
put every thought and feeling into story form. If they are worried about being
lost they become the parent. If they are angry they find a hot hippopotamus to
impose his will on the world”. (1990, pg.4)
References:
·
Welsh
Government, (2013a, p.4).
·
Barbara Hardy, (1978), pg.13. Toward New Gravity
·
Hamilton,
M., & Weiss, M. (1990). Children tell stories: A teaching guide. New
York: RC Owen Publishers
·
GWEN DEWAR (2018 – 2019), PH.D. Outdoor
learning and green time: How kids benefit from learning and playing in nature.
·
Claxton, (2001), p. 137
·
Paley, V. G. (1990), pg.4. The boy who
would be a helicopter. Harvard University Press.
What should be prioritised in primary education?
Imagine living in a world where
children had the choice to choose some parts of their learning, in such a
crucial period’s in their lives. For example, in primary school; I did a lot of
repetitive subjects in my day, which could’ve been avoided. So instead of
boring children to death like how I was, it would be such an improvement if
half of the day involved allowing the children to teach themselves or try and
learn other cultural things.
Another thing that needs to be
prioritised is the concept of just being in primary school. I know from
personal experience that a lot of schools are constantly preparing you for
secondary school. Of course, that is needed when you get to year 5&6; but
it shouldn’t be the main focus because it makes the children miss the
educational experiences they are getting from those important years.
In addition, another concept that
needs to be prioritised is offering more or creating more creative subjects. For
example, when I was in primary school we barely did art, drama or music. It definitely
limited my artistic and inventive side. I personally feel that the educational
system does not take creative subjects as education, that’s why they are
limited and a while.
I got better grades in the
subjects I personally enjoyed more, like Drama and Science. But when it came to
Maths I struggled because I hated it and because it was compulsory. So that
would mean if schools gave children choices in what subjects they would like to
participate in and maybe there grades and passion for learning would improve
tremendously. For example, in the book ‘Why Don’t Students Like School’, it
shows different ways why children struggle to learn and how they can remember
everything that’s being said on TV but not what’s being taught. (Wellingham, 2009).
In one of our seminars we used iPad’s
to create a digital music lesson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJdniWMmgbE
Digital technology has pervaded almost every
aspect of life today. (Higgins, 2015; Selwyn, 2018). In my personal
opinion, I think ICT should be priority curriculum, just like English and Maths
is. This is because Technology now is an essential skill that everyone needs
and should obtain. ‘Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) is important in primary education because it
enables kids to search for the information they need and to organize what they
have found. As children progress through the school system, they become
increasingly responsible for their own learning. Many believe that ICT needs to
be better integrated into curriculums so all schools produce computer literate,
independent learners.’ (https://www.techwalla.com/articles/importance-of-ict-in-primary-education).
When I attended primary school, we used to learn ICT once a month, if not
never. I feel like that affected me later on in life because when I started
secondary school, I was very behind with just grasping the concept of relying
on a computer, etc. In addition, it is stated in Instructing
ICT Lessons in Primary Schools: Teachers' Opinions and Applications, ‘Regarding the use of information and communication
technologies, acquiring basic knowledge and skills has become a necessity.
Schools offer ICT lessons to young generations in order to enable them to use
of ICTs effectively’. (Akbiyik, Cenk, 2012).
In addition, another subject that should be prioritised
is subjects like PSHE. That means they are taught Personal, Social, Health and
Economic (PSHE) Education is a school curriculum subject in England which
focusses on developing the knowledge, skills and attributes to keep children
and young people healthy and safe and to prepare them for life and work. https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/curriculum-and-resources/curriculum.
In conclusion, there are plenty
of subjects that are needed to be enforced a lot more in primary schooling,
that are not at the moment. However, the most important lessons are the ones
that will remain on the daily timetable. Such as English, Maths and Science. “
we can view art as a kind of cognitive play, the set of activities designed to
engage human attention through their appeal to our preference for inferentially
rich and therefore patterned information. “(Boyd, 2009, pg. 85).
References:
·
Daniel T. Wellingham, (16 March 2009), Pg. 3-41, Why children don’t like school.
·
Boyd, (2009), pg.85.
·
Digital technology has pervaded almost every
aspect of life today
·
(Higgins, 2015; Selwyn, 2018).
·
Full participation in modern society and the
workplace already demands increasingly high levels of digital competence and
that process can only continue into a future that we cannot imagine. Children
and young people need to learn how to be more than consumers of technology and
to develop the knowledge and skills required to use that technology creatively
as learners and future members of a technologically competent workforce.
·
(Donaldson - Successful Futures, 2015).
Digital Teaching
- Can teachers be replaced by
technology in the future?
Can teachers be replaced by Technology (Robots) in the
future? I think that could never happen. Do you know why? Its because humans
and only humans can offer emotions, empathy and understanding. For instance, the
Education Dive website said a fantastic
quote that describes my point more vividly. ‘In a world where news anchors are being
replaced by robots, teachers can feel that their jobs are safe because students
will need teachers to foster needed higher-order thinking skills, which only
human teachers can provide’. (Amelia
Harper, Nov. 15, 2018). Another reason why it would not work is because in schooling;
teachers should cater to their students. For example, a child who is always
well behaved should receive positive feedback and enthusiasm; whereas a child
who enjoys acting out of character should receive a difference in tone and discipline.
And in that case, it would only have to be human interaction to make the goal
affective and work for the teacher-student relationship.
The only way I feel like it could work, is if children
were offered a technology lesson, where the educators and equipment was all Robotic
and Technology based. For instance, when we did our digital competence sector; we
used iPad to create music and it even made me and my peers excited and
interested. So, that form of take over technology might be a nice for the children
to have a change of energy. Also, sometimes the only downsides I had with my
own primary school experience was if the teachers were in a bad mood, they
would take it out on us. That’s why maybe having technology educating the
students, could be a massive advantage for the children.
Another reason why robot teachers may
sound a bit more appealing on some levels is because teachers are quite expensive
and in gradually short supply. Robots would not need pay, health care or
pensions, and would ve in the future fairly reliable; and do not have
preconceived philosophies and ideals about race nor gender. That can and would
affect the delivery of knowledge and expectations. In addition, Robots may
be able to play a role in the future of education besides just teaching in
the classroom, and also despite the unwillingness of many teachers to rely
on them. They may be able to help personalized curriculum and deal with some of
the more mundane tasks of monitoring progress or drilling students on facts.
For teachers to stay relevant in a
changing society, they must be able to prepare students for a world that does
employ robots by giving them skills such as
critical thinking, communication,
collaboration, problem-solving and entrepreneurialism. In a world where
information is available at our fingertips, Perry said, “Learning in practice
is no longer about extracting knowledge; it is about constructing it — and
that’s what separates humans from machines.”
However, robotic telescopes have solved
a lot of in convinces in child science. For the purposes of education, robotic telescopes solve a
number of important problems. Such as, school children are at school during the
day time but most astronomical marvels are visible during the night time. There
are showing a lot of logistical problems to getting school children to an
observatory after the school day, as Percy
states the problem: ‘the stars come out at night, the students don’t’. (2003,
pg. 113-123).
In conclusion Robots won't replace
teachers because they can't inspire us. In a world where
young people are retreating more and more into virtual unreality, the teaching profession
has become more important than it ever was. I feel that this quote speaks volumes,
and should not be forgotten.
References:
·
Amelia
Harper, November 15, 2018, https://www.educationdive.com/news/will-robots-replace-teachers-in-the-future/542239/,
Will Robots Replace Teachers in the Future?
·
Percy JR. 2003.
p. 113–123, Small telescopes
in astronomy education. In: Oswalt TD, editor. The future of small telescopes in the New
Millennium. Dordrecht: Springer.
Esafety - Reflect and discuss the meaning and
parameters of e-safety
There are multiple definitions of E-safety available,
however the most agreed definition is keeping people, especially children, safe
online. “It means ensuring that children and young people are protected from
harm…” (Merton, 2017).
Because of the progression of technology since it was
first made, more risks have also been created, that has caused a rise in cyber
bullying and other unsafe activities online. It is safety online which allows
the children to stay safe. Parents should be awry of the risks and the actions
that need to be taken to keep their children safe online.
Originally, when the internet was made, children was not exactly
think of children of who the target audience would be, but as times have
changed and children spend more and more time using technology it has become
essential to keep children safe online everyday.
However, as the world is evolving, it has become more and
more essential about contemplating all ages and people. Elgot, J stated, “We have
to recognize children are growing up immersed in a digital world. We owe it to
them to do all we can to educate and support them to the risks they face in the
virtual world, just as we do in the real world.” (2017). It is essential that
every area is covered when talking about technology and the social media
influence. This ensures that the children understand how to use social media
and the internet safely and so that they are aware of any possible risks
A lot of children in the United Kingdom have unlimited
access to social media, and without understanding of the risks they could
bringing themselves. “The year-long
study found children regularly signed up to terms including waiving privacy
rights…” (Elgot, 2017) which means that children are signing up to things, not
reading the terms and conditions, which usually list important factors such as
the rights and the access that the app or social network has, and are agreeing
to the terms and conditions.
Diverse areas of teaching techniques, which could be used
to teach children on e-safety, for example: posters around school talking about
the instructions and or, presentations for children during class time, this
will force the children to be receiving safety information from at least one or
more sources. Britland states “Therefore, it is essential that schools find
interesting and engaging ways in which to deliver what can be repetitive but
vital information to students of all ages.” (Britland, 2013). Thus, it being critical
for schools and teachers to take into deliberation the distinctive types of students,
the age of the children and the teaching methods which they use. Finally, by
finding this information, the schools can check to see the percentage of
children actually use social media. which could then help them see when they
should begin presenting E-safety.
Involving both the parents/guardians and the students is
a big priority because it cause inclusion and dialog between both parties. This
can happen by offering Newsletters by the end of every other day. The method of Alan Mackenzie, mentioned in
Britland (2013) can be taken into consideration and followed to allow schools
and communities to integrate and help the cyber world become a safer place for
children and young people. This could also allow the community in being
involved in order to help keep children safe online as they will be more aware
of what can be online and how to protect children from harm. A newsletter could
be sent out as monthly issues or every other week if necessary, which would
inform the parents about the specific topics that would be discussed; and then hence
set out steps which would guide the reader into helping to keep their child
safe from any sorts of danger. It is important to inform both parents and
children about the risks of using the internet so that they are aware and
understand what they can do in order to protect themselves from harm. The
schools can offer additional information on their websites, by offering and creating
guides and significant parts which can be reached if the students or parents/guardians
have any questions regarding the topic of e-safety, or harm.
There are plenty of different ways of portraying these
messages to the children. Such as, they could be taught through an cartoon in
order to allow them to imagine the risks in which they can put themselves in
when they use the internet or social media. For example: there is a video on YouTube
called “ABC’s of Safety”, and in that 9-minute video it is showing the different
types of ways to avoid any harm or potential harm to children. It is also very child
friendly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMGDJIGmfbo. In addition, the NSPCC videos which are child friendly and inform the
children within a short clip about privacy, and that some things are meant to
be left private. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/share-aware/
This page allows parents and teachers to inform students
and their children what is safe and suitable for the internet and what isn’t,
and how the action have an unwanted consequence at times.
Maslow’s five stage model: https://simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows that safety and comfort
are the main pieces of foundation needed when anybody is learning. These bits of
blocked information are all needed to help inspire the student, which
encourages learning to happen. “Maslow confirms then that there is a need to
address the physical and social environments before motivation is focused on
learning.” (Francis and Gould, 2009).
This shows that the atmosphere which is being used should
be relaxed and appropriate enough for the learners, in a direction for them to actually
learn, e-safety is a huge method of allowing the environment of being safe
enough for learning to happen.
References:
· Britland, M. (2013) ‘How to
teach…e-safety and digital citizenship’ the
Guardian. 26 August. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/aug/26/teaching-resources-safety-online (accessed on 18/04/2017)
·
Elgot,
J. (2017) ‘Children in England sign over digital rights 'regularly and
unknowingly'’ the Guardian. 05 January.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/05/children-england-digital-rights-social-media-terms-conditions-anne-longfield
(accessed on 18/04/2017)
·
Farlingaye
high school (last updated, 2017) E-safety
for students. http://www.farlingaye.suffolk.sch.uk/eSafetyforstudents/
(accessed on 18/04/2017)
·
Francis,
M. and
Gould, J. (2009) Achieving Your
PTLLS Award: A
Practical Guide To
Successful Teaching In
The Lifelong Learning
Sector. London: SAGE.
·
McLeod,
S. (2007) Maslow’s Five Stage Model: available at: https://simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
(accessed on 18/04/2017)
·
Farlingaye
High School (no date) E-safety for
students: Available at: http://www.farlingaye.suffolk.sch.uk/eSafetyforstudents/
(accessed on: 18/04/2017)
·
Merton
(Thursday 26 January 2017) Staying Safe
Online- e-safety. Available at: http://www.merton.gov.uk/health-social-care/children-family-health-social-care/safeguardingchildren/lscb/e-safety.htm
(accessed on 18/04/2017)
Comments
Post a Comment