Speaking and Listening

This week in ICT we explored the way in which ICT can provide great opportunities for speaking and listening, developing children’s literacy skills. Developing speaking and listening skills is essential for children to become confident and effective communicators in all aspects of their lives. Children should be encouraged to share their ideas and listen to others. 

Various ways in which ICT allow for speaking and listening include:

•  Use of webcams and digital video- allow instant feedback and reflection.

•   Collaboration in ICT suites.

•   Transportable sound recording devices- emphasis on listening. These can be a good way of recording what a class said or did.

•  Talking Photo Albums - This is very easy to use and focuses on photo sequences, presentations, hiding and revealing pictures, word recognition. I thought that this device would be great to use for story-telling or phonics activities in class. The album is great to use with SEN/EAL children who benefit from visual prompts.

•  Talking Tins.- Are also very easy to use easy to use.  Again can be used for phonics, recording instructions, put onto display boards as part of a talking display, treasure hunts, or recording different noises outside of the classroom. The talk Tins aren’t waterproof, so it would be recommended not to take it outside in the rain.

• Time talking cards : These come in all different sizes. You can write messages on the whiteboard section, and record a narrative to go with the message. An example could be the written date with the recorded audio date.

• Podcasts are recorded and downloaded from internet. You can listen to them directly or subscribe to get latest each time. Podcasts are great because you can listen to them anywhere on your MP3. See examples of school podcasts here and here

• Digital Cameras- These are a highly useful resource in any classroom as teachers can use digital images in a range of work situations. Pictures can be used on the interactive whiteboard to prompt group discussions and further work. Cameras can also be used to create videos.

A few examples of devices that are good for children to use to develop speaking and listening include:

  

These products are very inclusive and are a great way to encourage children to become effective listeners.

 A good place to find podcasts for children is www.recap.ltd.uk/podcasting/schools Here you can find educational podcasts from all over the world. www.radioanywhere.co.uk lists all stations no matter where you are. In class we listened to children from a school Birmingham reading poetry. Through these Podcasts children can connect with the world, giving them a voice and an audience. Audacity- free programme to download.

The easy to use Tuff-cam is a hardy resource that children can use, they record videos, take photographs and can be used as a web cam. In the workshop.

These products help develop speaking and listening skills in a fun and exciting way! Kids love to learn using a mixture of stimuli, experimenting with sounds and images and they can do this by experimenting with the easy to use products mentioned.

Week 2: Interactive Whiteboards

This week we looked at interactive whiteboards and how effective they are as a resource in Primary Schools. Most classrooms nowadays have one, but are teachers using them as interactive boards, or simply as whiteboards? I have used interactive whiteboards before, but I don't feel as though I have used them to their full potential at all! At the start of the lesson we watched a small video that really brought to life the endless potential an interactive board can bring inside the classroom. At a touch, the teacher has access to an array of resources that previously would have taken years to accumulate, and cluttered a lot of cupboards!

Advantages

·         Development of discussion skills- you can put a key question up/ or a video/ any stimuli and use it as a starting point for discussion.

·         Adaptable to all types of learners- Visual/auditory/kin aesthetic

·         Keeps a record of what's happened in the classroom

·         Provides good support for EAL/SEN children

·         Good for developing thinking skills- gets the children to think out loud, and as part of a group

·         Save time scribbling

·         Increased class participation

Disadvantages

·         Placement- can everybody see the board? Is the board reachable to all students?

·         Less personal

·         Issues of reliability- technology isn't always reliable, always have a back-up plan!

·         Lighting- need for blinds etc.

·         Text visibility

·         Expensive

Have a look at a few more here

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Interactivewhiteboards.pdf

During the lesson we experimented with a few tools using the SMART notebook software programme. I played about with the random number generator tool-

You can customize this tool, adjusting the minimum and maximum range values. Once you click on the white space a random number will appear. You can then drag this number anywhere across the board. I thought this tool would be great to use in a maths lesson when practising times tables, or playing number bingo.

Personally I think interactive whiteboards are a fantastic resource to use in schools, but teachers need to have the right training in order to really use them to their full potential. They are a great way to engage pupils learning, and can be used across the curriculum. However, it’s important we still venture to the great outdoors and experience the world through our own eyes, not just through images and videos alone.