Tessa Warn - week 1 Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English Classroom?

Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English Classroom?
 
The ever increasing use of technology by children can be seen as a hindrance or an aid to learning. I feel that one of the main concerns to both parents and teachers alike is that the influence of new technologies on children (for example: the viewing of too much television) may mean that there is less time for activities that support the skills children are learning at school.

However, I don’t feel that this means new technologies are something to be resisted; as parents report that children generally lead lives that are well-balanced and that their children’s engagement with new technologies and media promotes speaking and listening skills – thus supporting their development in school (Marsh et al, 2005).
I can also see the benefits of using technology in the classroom with tasks such a differentiation. For example, on my School Experience I observed an English lesson where a child that had severe dyspraxia used a microphone to record her answers to a comprehension activity. This meant that she was able to engage with the task, and not feel unmotivated or frustrated – which she would have done if she had been made to write down her findings. Before observing this lesson I was unaware of the unique advantages that technology provides for English lessons and now view it as an entirely positive step within education. 
 
In regards to this module I am very excited to learn more about using popular culture and technology in the classroom. However, I do feel slightly nervous about being able to use the different technologies proficiently and therefore would have to gain more confidence in this before using them in the classroom. 


Marsh, J., Brooks, G., Hughes, J. et al (2005) Digital Beginnings: Young children’s use of popular culture, media and new technologies [online] Sheffield: University Of Sheffield http://learn.winchester.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/357889/mod_resource/content/1/Marsh%20-%20Digital%20Beginnings.pdf (25.09.14)

Week One: Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English classroom?

Having chosen to specialise in ICT I believe it is vital to utilise the ever growing use of new technologies. Integrating new technologies into all subject areas to create intriguing stimuli and interesting lesson activities is a aim of mine once I become a primary school teacher. Primarily this opinion is based on the view that children respond to technology extremely well as it is of common interest to them. However, technology is very much a part of popular culture today, for children and adults alike, which for some people can influence opinions of whether we should introduce more technology to the classroom? This is because many parents and teachers argue that children already engage with an excessive amount of technology outside of school.

Contrastingly, my stance still remains that if children still yearn for the use of technology within the primary classroom, then why fail to acknowledge a childs eagerness to interact with technology? As you as the teacher will be providing a child with an unforgettable learning experience which they  will appreciate as they are interested from the start. I believe technology can be extremely beneficial and within the English classroom new technology usage would undoubtedly raise levels of participation and concentration. Popular cultural texts could then be introduced through the accessible and excitable use of new technologies in order to truly capture the interests of all the pupils in a class and demonstrate how a child can feel empowered to genuinely connect with a text which evokes a comfortable and familiar environment within which the children can feel confident to work in. (Lambirth, 2003)

Technology can be used in a variety of different ways, and I believe this is why the continuing research into the impact of digital technologies consistently identifies positive benefits for children's capabilities to learn. Most recently experimental research has taken place and numerous studies have shown that groups of pupils using ICT to assist with their work have made better gains in their knowledge than the groups of pupils doing the same work without the technology (Higgins, 2012). However, regardless of evidence produced research I have still not experienced any schools using a large amount of technology within their classrooms. During my school experiences I have seen an abundant use of the Interactive Whiteboard and desktop computers however, I have not seen these new technologies being used in a new intuitive and exciting format. Generally the interactive whiteboard is used as thought it were just a whiteboard. Taking this into consideration I believe my challenges for this module will be to ensure that as I gain knowledge about the increasing digital society we live in, I also will aim to use this knowledge to critically develop my understanding of how to incorporate interesting and challenging uses of technology into the English classroom. Which will help me achieve my personal goal of creating exciting and enticing lessons which encorporate the use of technology in a way that pupils have not experienced before.


Bibliography

Higgins, S., Xiao, Z., Katsipataki, M. (2012) 'The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning: A summary for the Education Endowment Foundation'

Lambirth, A. (2003) 'They get enough of that at home: Understanding aversion to popular cultures in schools' Reading 37(1) pp.9-13

Week 1 - Sophie Duncan

Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English classroom?



In our increasingly digital society, technology is becoming an extremely popular resource within the classroom. Computers were used in schools when I was a pupil, and I found it highly beneficial as it taught me useful ICT skills, which I use in everyday life. For this reason, I think it is important for pupils to be introduced to technology from an early age, as it will be just as significant in their future lives. ‘Future generations will need to compete with the growing trends of a technologically-driven society…the classroom is a good starting point for people to learn how to use these complex machines’ Friedman, K (2013).



Many jobs require ICT skills and children should be given the advantage of starting to learn them early on. I also think that pupils would be excited at the opportunity to use new technology, as children find interactive media such as iPads engaging and, if used appropriately, they can enhance learning experiences.



Smart boards are definitely a huge advantage in the classroom; I have seen these used in many classrooms, and they enable the teacher to create presentations which captivate the class and also allow the children to learn in a hands-on way; for example, in a Reception class that I worked with, the teacher used the smart board in an English lesson which included interactive activities that the children could work on as a whole class.


In the case of using iPads in school, I was unsure about the benefit this would have on pupils, but after reading an article in The Guardian, I can see that there are many activities and learning experiences children can gain from them, such as the ‘Creative Book Builder’. David Andrews (2012) claims that they ‘can be used across the curriculum to engage, motivate and inspire childrens’ learning in the classroom’. They are also used so frequently by children and therefore could be seen as good resources to have, given that they already have the knowledge to operate them. It does, however, seem a shame that technology is taking over so rapidly; I think that there needs to be a balance in the classroom, as if it progresses too much, children will no longer be able to write!



Bibliography


Andrews, D . (2012). An Apple for the teacher: are iPads the future in class?. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/aug/13/schools-secondary-schools. Last accessed 28th Sept 2014.


Friedman, K . (2013). The Benefits of Computers in the Classroom . Available: http://www.pc-wholesale.com/articles-the-benefits-of-computers-in-the-classroom.html. Last accessed 28th Sept 2014.

Where do you currently stand on using new technologies within the English classroom?

A common belief amongst our culture is that there is a hierarchy of literacy: the information communicated by new technologies is considered the lesser of the two when compared to the traditional written texts, such as books (Harding, 2000). However in a society where the popular culture is centred around the use of these technologies due to their increasing availability, I believe that as a developing teacher it is important to consider the role they can have within the literacy classroom and children’s education.

The use of popular culture within the classroom, in this particular instance the use of new technologies,  has been found to engage children within lessons due to its ability to “capture” children’s interests (Marsh and Millard, 2000) and its ability to draw on a range of children’s experiences (Dyson, 1977). Supporting this, on my placements, I have come across children who perceive media outlets such as social networks and other non-print forms, such as television, games and films, to be more appealing in comparison to the traditional print forms of information being focused on by many schools reflecting today’s popular culture. I have also seen an instance in which children have been provided the opportunity to come into contact with new technologies in which they can produce work on in the form of apps on the iPad, which appeared to spark an interest and focus in some children which I had never observed in the individuals before.   Therefore I can see the benefit of their use within a classroom of any subject and therefore I feel it is important step forward to not only recognise their role but to use them actively within literacy teaching.

Although many schools claim to use a variety of new technologies as platforms in which children can produce their work, I have very limited observations of this actually taking place within schools and therefore this could present me with a challenge as I feel this will mean that I cannot make fully informed judgements on their use. However I hope that my readings and the experience I shall gain in schools throughout this module should enable me to develop professionally and apply my knowledge to my future practice. 

Where do you stand at present on using new technologies in the English classroom?

With our world becoming increasingly digital illiterate I believe it is a positive step forward, children using and becoming progressively more confident regarding technology. After reading the article Writing the future in the digital age, it has been made more apparent to me that children need to understand and have familiarity with different technologies, because  as Merchant, 2007 states, this developing digital literacy will become “more significant” in the years to come. This digital literacy is one which will need to be embedded within our educational system to prepare children for the world outside of education, which revolves around technology. I think, if children use technology appropriately and have limits both at home and in school, why wouldn’t this be something positive? I think that eventually within our classrooms you will see the use of technology and digital literacy more and more, however it is a cause for concern, how educators bridge the gap between children’s personal experience in technology with information and communication technology which is taught in school (Merchant, 2007). As our society is revolving and developing into a digital age, I believe children using technology will be inevitable and that our classrooms should encompass this shift in society utilising children’s popular cultures and the technologies they are interested in and are comfortable using. It has been emphasised that incorporating children’s technological interests results to enhanced learners and learning as well as seeing an increase in children’s motivation (Lambirth, 2003).

Where I stand at the moment regarding using new technologies and media within English teaching is that I have a great interest in using technology in order to improve English teaching, making it current and relative to the children in my class. I feel after undertaking this module, I will feel more confident with how I can incorporate technology and ICT teaching with the English curriculum. At the moment, I would see using the Interactive Whiteboard as a type of technology within English teaching, however, I feel there are many more technologies which can be used to adapt and develop the teaching of English within classrooms; which I would like to discover over the course of this module. I feel the challenges of this module will be focussing my blog entries from an ICT perspective rather than from an English one. I feel this would be a challenge because we are working closely with the English specialism and I do have an interest in English. However, using the readings, I can critically evaluate them from an ICT perspective and relate them to me as an emerging ICT specialist.  

Bibliography
Lambirth, A. (2003) ‘”They get enough of that at home”: Understanding aversion to popular cultures in schools’ Reading 37(1) pp.9-13

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