SPEAKING, LISTENING AND DIGITAL IMAGING

The introduction of ICT into the classroom has allowed a far greater opportunity for 

children to expand learning through the use of webcams, digital video, Talk Time cards and podcasts.

THE PODCAST

The podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically through web syndication. Files are stored locally on the users computer or other device ready for offline use.

A podcast is like a radio show. However, instead of being broadcast live, a podcast is recorded and then distributed over the internet, so that you can listen to it whenever you please. There are thousands of podcasts available, ranging from general interest entertainment shows to those which focus on specific topics (e.g. computers / music / education).

Podcasting is a wonderful way of allowing children to share their work and experiences with a potentially huge audience over the Internet. Schools are increasingly using the internet to promote what they do, and to celebrate the achievements of their children, and podcasting is an excellent way of doing this.

A school podcast can range from a single recorded story which is put onto the school website, to a weekly radio show with music and interviews which visitors can subscribe to using an RSS feed. How you make up your podcast is up to you.

The basic equipment you need is a computer with some kind of recording ability (an internal or external microphone) and some recording software.You can then upload this to your school website.

THE DIGITAL CAMERA IN THE CLASSROOM

Students love taking pictures as much as they love being in them.  They benefit from using digital cameras because they learn first hand the ease and immediacy of using digicams.

Most of my students aren’t aware of the different types of graphics, but they can understand how it’s much more convenient to save pictures onto a disk which can be popped into a disk drive and transferred to a computer right away, as opposed to taking pictures with a regular camera, sending film to be developed, getting the pictures back, and then discovering that half of the pictures they took weren’t usable.  

They also realize that they’re saved the trouble of scanning, saving, and doing a lot of editing of photos, since this is all done on the camera itself.  They also learn that pictures can be easily viewed on a screen or Smart Board, or emailed as attachments.

Using digital photography helps the student become more involved with the subject.  Younger are guided in “deciding” what they will photograph and the purpose behind the project.  Then they are responsible for carrying it out, with my supervision. Older students can decide for themselves what the project will be, and after  approval, they complete it. 


The process becomes a cognitive one as the students reason and plan what pictures to take and why those pictures are needed.  Random snapshots are okay sometimes, but the students quickly learn to be selective when using the camera.
It's also very easy to simply print out pictures onto paper (laser printers do a good job of keeping the pictures clear).  You can purchase actual photographic paper to print on, but for most projects copy paper works just fine.  




TALK TIME CARDS
 

These highly intuitive cards allow pupils to either insert a drawing or photo in a plastic pouch on the front of the card (Mini and A5 sized cards) or use a dry wipe pen to write and draw directly on to the surface of the card (A4 cards). The cards feature a built-in digital sound recording chip, that enables the pupil or teacher to record a brief voice file to describe the drawing on the card, so providing a valuable tool for reinforcing letter; word and shape to sound recognition and number bonding activities. The larger A4 cards are also ideal for creating video or animation storyboards.

DIGITAL VIDEO

Digital video is becoming ubiquitous in all aspects of life. Children and adults are increasingly using video in their leisure time, producing films on all manner of topics which they are then able to publish worldwide. In addition to this, the revised NLS framework puts particular emphasis on the use of digital video and understanding of digital media.

It’s important that the opportunities we provide for pupils in school at least match those that they have at home, but film making can be complicated and time consuming. Many schools do not have access to digital video cameras, or the accessories required to upload their films to the computer.

CASE STUDY

FROM FOUNDATION CLASS IN A LONDON PRIMARY SCHOOL.

The practitioner lacked confidence in using ICT and was initially unsure about how digital video could be used to support assessment practices. However she was prepared to explore the technology and the impact of the project on her use of ICT was probably the greatest, as over a short period of time her increasing confidence in the use of the technology became clearly evident, including sharing her knowledge of how to use the digital movie maker with other teachers at the school.

Following discussion about the possible uses of digital video, the practitioner planned to take clips of identified children and create learning stories for them. Through the clips that were taken the practitioner was able to demonstrate the progress one identified child was making with his increased participation in activities and developing relationships with other children in the setting.

During the course of the project the practitioner, in addition to documenting the learning of one child, took clips and photographs of children in a range of situations and annotated the clips to show evidence for Foundation Stage profiles.

The practitioner found the great benefits of having the digital movie maker in her classroom were that it was easy to use, very accessible and enabled an immediacy to the recording of children’s achievements, as well as enabling her to share clips with them. As a consequence of her involvement in the project, the practitioner, who had previously avoided having an interactive whiteboard in her classroom has now requested the installation of a board, as she can see the benefits that it can have in sharing resources and to children’s learning.