The use of Multimedia in the Primary Classroom

The use of Multimedia in the Primary Classroom

Using multimedia resources in the classroom has great potential both for pupils creating a multimedia piece of work and for teachers to use multimedia as a means of presenting lessons / introductions to pupils.
Two multimedia resources we looked at that could be use from key stage as well as by teachers were Microsoft PowerPoint and Prezi. I had used PowerPoint many times before so choose to look at Prezi in greater detail during the session.
 
Prezi is different to PowerPoint in the fact that it doesn't follow the rigid structure of having slides, instead the presentation jumps from place to place, keeping it's coherency but adding a more creative aspect to what could otherwise have been a dull presentation. Both programs allow you to insert a range of media including; pictures, sounds, videos and music, all of which can be activated through a link or by pressing one button.
After looking at both the aforementioned presentation options, it seemed to me that Prezi was the more engaging and would soon surpass PowerPoint as the most commonly used because of this. Bellow is a link to a video demonstrating how easy Prezi is to use whilst still giving great results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5vivOb4Fuo

In key stage one, PowerPoint and Prezi may prove too advanced and not engaging enough, fortunately though there are many other examples of multimedia resources that are aimed towards helping key stage one pupils. One such example is the 2 Create a Story feature from 2 simple.                                                               
2 Create a Story allows pupils to create and alter stories in a way that practices future multimedia presentation skills but in an engaging and interesting way. The potential that sites such as this give other subjects is another strong feature of multimedia, pupils could use 2 Create a Story in almost any area of the curriculum to support development and learning whilst simultaneously improving their own computing skills. 

Programming and Control Technology in the Primary Classroom

Programming and Control Technology in the Primary Classroom

The national curriculum document for computing has a focuses a fair amount on programming, as it features in both the key stage one and key stage two guidance respectively. Throughout primary school, pupils will be expected to create programs that run smoothly and should be able to 'debug' programs too. Pupils must also develop an understanding of algorithms during their time in the primary setting, this is best done through practicing programming and having constant reinforcement from both the program software and class teacher.

 

When I was in primary school, we rarely used the I.C.T suite (as it was then) and if we did, it would usually only be to use the paint software on Microsoft. This lack of experience with programming means that I would not feel overly comfortable teaching it, fortunately the work I have done since in EDP 1213 has opened up the concept to me. The different types of programming we discussed and practiced included; online resources, downloadable content and physically interactive toys called BEE bots (pictured below). 'Programmable toys such as these are an ideal entry point for young and even pre-school children to begin to explore algorithmic thinking' (Turvey et al 2014) because they are so easy and straight froward to use. The user gets instant gratification for their programming as the BEE bot will follow the exact commands given to it via the buttons on its upper side, making this an excellent resource to introduce programming and control technology to the early years and key stage one. 

 

One of the older online resources that could be downloaded was the Scratch software. Scratch allows pupils to combine a series of interlocking blocks that determine what happens once their program begins. Pictured left is an example of a fairly complex piece of programming on scratch, the tools on scratch are quickly picked up as a degree of trial and improvement is involved in finding what you actually want to do.  

The real life application of programming is clear as we come into contact with some form of it everyday of our lives, whether its traffic lights, home appliances or even key cards we are surrounded by examples of programming, making it a vitally important area of the curriculum.

Reference - Allen, J. Potter, J. Sharp, J. Turvey, K. (2014) Primary Computing and ICT SAGE

Modelling/Simulation

Modelling/Simulation

- In computing, modelling is a term given to work where children explore “what happens if…" The concept of modelling can be applied across the primary setting with key stage one pupils focusing on games and play related modelling whilst key stage two pupils can work with modelling as a means of furthering understanding about a topic or skill. One such example for a key stage two class would be to use model spreadsheets, linking to maths or science (Turvey et al in Primary Computing and ICT, 2014). 

- Using software for modelling can help us to reach a decision on the basis of a trial activity before we commit ourselves to the real thing. Check out these websites to see some actual modelling activities available to children in the primary setting. 

https://www.busythings.co.uk/play/

https://www.purplemash.com/#app/tools/2dam

Modelling and simulations allow pupils to try out synthetic situations instead/before they do so in real life, e.g. decorating a room or driving a car. The majority of the time, the modelling and simulation activities that pupils use are things that could not be done in a normal school day or even in their everyday lives. As well as being a fun thing to do, modelling/simulation activities can provide good development in understanding for subjects such as science. An excellent example of the modelling / simulation theme comes from the BBC bitesize online resource for key stage two, a simulation game called Health and Growth. The game is to keep a boy (pictured right) healthy by getting the right mix of water, food, rest and exercise just as humans need in real life to stay healthy. If the player fails to keep the character healthy on all fronts, the simulation will stop and the player will have failed in their attempt to keep the simulation running. The lesson here is clear, it is important to stay healthy and the right balance of each of the four activities is required in order to stay fit.

It is activities such as health and growth that show how effective modelling can be to virtually practice things, such as a life skills, healthy eating or even designing your own toys that would otherwise be hard to practice.
Reference
Allen, J. Potter, J. Sharp, J. Turvey, K. (2014) Primary Computing and ICT SAGE

Teaching Phonics Using the Interactive White Board (IWB)

Teaching Phonics Using the Interactive White Board (IWB)

Phonetic work features strongly in the framework from the early years to year two and therefore needs effective, well rehearsed planning and teaching. 

One of the ways to engage a class in phonics is by using the IWB to introduce the session and use a series of activities on the IWB itself. 

I decided to create an activity that could be used to aid the learning of phonics in reception. The first activity consisted of creating consonant - vowel - consonant words from the letters s, a, t, p, i, and n. The idea behind this is for pupils to use these basic graphemes to create simple 3 letter words that are easily segmented and blend-able. I used the infinite cloner on the letters so that each would produce a copy when dragged down and assembled into a word whilst the original would remain in the same place to be used again if desired. To do this I used the infinite cloner feature on smart notebook. 

  

Using the IWB in a phonics lesson would certainly increase the pupils' focus and engagement with the activity, leading to them remembering the work they did on the IWB, which in this case involved developing an understanding of the phonetic sounds s, a, t, p, i and n. Kennewell (2006) recognize's that despite interactive whiteboards becoming a staple in the vast majority of classrooms across the country, 'the potential of the boards for improving delivery via interactive approaches has stalled at the stage of surface interactivity'. That is that planning for IWB usage doesn't come close to unlocking their full potential in any aspect of the primary curriculum. 

Having learnt about just some of the features that smart notebook has to offer, I can say comfortably that I will be looking to implement the use of the IWB more readily than I otherwise would have attempted. 

Reference

Kennewell 2006 in Barber, D. and Cooper, L. (2012) Using New Web Tools in the Primary Classroom Taylor & Francis Ltd

E-Safety in Education

E-Safety - the Whats, Whys and Hows

The world wide web is a daunting and sometimes scary place, if only for its unfathomable size! There are however ways of staying safe online, this is called E-safety. E-safety is the umbrella term for personal safety online, it could be protecting private information, playing and watching age appropriate games and films online or preventing cyber bullying among other things. 

Childnet.com has a section for primary children to view that includes SMART rules. SMART represents five aspects of e-safety: S is safe, not giving out any personal information; M is meet, online friends are still strangers and organizing to meet them is never advised; A is accepting, online accept and open messages from known sources; R is reliable, double check information found online by researching different websites and sources; T is tell, always tell an adult about any worries, confusions or other online queries. The use of SMART as an acrostic means it is a memorable way of ensuring e-safety is well implemented. 

The link below is a video that gives an example of a potential online threat and the importance of educating children at home as well as at school.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5kW4pI_VQw

There are many anti-virus programs available online that work to prevent viruses and pop-ups like those seen in the video. 

I hope that this short blog on e-safety has increased your knowledge of the subject as a whole and that you and your children will be safer for it.