I have increased my subject
knowledge in using JigZone, Wordle and Tagxedo through the use of ICT. Each of
these tools were very fun and creative which I am eager to use in the
classroom. I believe that children will love carrying out these activities
as there are so many skills to learn and to explore, to produce
good work. Using the Web2. technologies includes many skills to be learnt and should be embraced, as technology is all around us being used every day. For
my own subject knowledge, I need to feel confident enough using the software in
order to answer any questions the children may have. Therefore I plan to explore them in depth, to provide the best
knowledge and understanding to be able to communicate effectively for children
to learn (FutureLab, 2010). Merchant (2007) argues the importance of
introducing new digital literacies into the classroom as it develops children's understanding
and awareness of new skills. By giving children the opportunity to explore
different software to produce creative text and images. They learn a range of
skills which increasing their confidence and ability's in ICT.
Cox et al (2003, as cited in
Beauchamp, 2013) found that using ICT in lessons improves children's attainment
levels. However, ICT does not always have a positive impact on children
and should not be overused. On my school experience, the children hardly used
ICT and because I specialise in it, I took over the ICT lessons. The children
were enthused to use ICT, but should not use it to the extent of relying on it
too much. I believe it should be used wisely with a purpose. Most of the schools I have visited use ICT
to type up written work and are not experimenting with other software
to create pieces of work through exploration of tools.
The Web2
technology software offers great activities for children to develop their skills
and can be linked to any lesson with a specific topic, giving the task a
purpose in an interactive way. The children can share each other's ideas by
experiencing new ways of producing work through using different features and tools on the
computer. Having completed these tasks myself, they are very fun and engaging
and I am excited to use these in my own teaching as it opens up a new set of
skills for children to learn. The only implications are that some of the features,
for example of Tagxedo, do not allow you to insert more than one image. However, it can
be resolved by using word or another document to crop images and then insert
them into Tagxedo. This is why having a secure knowledge of how to use the software is vital when teaching children which helps resolve any barriers.
Beauchamp, G. (2013) ICT in the
Primary School: From Pedagogy to Practice. NY: Routledge
FutureLab. (2010) Digital Literacy across the Curriculum. [pdf] Available from:http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf (Accessed: 20/02/14)
Merchant, G. (2007) Writing
the future in the digital age Literacy. 41 (3) pp118-128
Yes I agree that it is important for children to be given time to explore different software in order to have the opportunities to be creative as well as learning a range of skills and increasing their confidence to use ICT effectively. This is supported by my school experience because I had observed how quickly children progressed in their ICT skills over a series of lessons.
ReplyDeleteI like your point that providing children opportunities to explore different software enables them to learn a range of skills and in turn increases their confidence in ICT. I have found this to be true during my time spent in the primary classroom as well as during my own development within seminars.
ReplyDelete