Our module is over...

I think that over the past few months I have had my eyes opened to the possibilities of ICT in classroom! There are so many things that could enrich children's learning and make even boring subjects fun. By using podcasts, animation, etc children can take their learning into their own hands and have fun creating work in a variety of different ways!

ICT is a fantastic tool, it can inject enthusiasm into a lesson and inspire a real want to learn in children.

Goodbye ICT,

Thank you Rachel!

Google Earth!

I had never had a play with Google Earth before, but after the lecture we had a few weeks ao, I thought I would try it out. I think it is amazing technology...there are so many ways that it could be used in the classroom. Geaography, History, English...you can travel anywhere at the click of the button, and with it being so up-to-date the children are always seeing whats really there and not an old photograph (that they could easily find in a book!).

I had a lot of fun playing with google earth...if it gave me such enjoyment, I can imagine that children would love it!!

Primary ICT resources that I like!

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/ict.html

http://www.primaryict.co.uk/

http://www.staff.ucsm.ac.uk/rpotter/ict/index.htm

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/

I am always a bit stuck for ideas in ICT (although this course has given me quite a few!) so I thought I would see what help was out there on the internet and then share them with everyone! There are a lot of good ideas for ICT lessons and adding ICT into other subjects on these sites, so if ever you are stuck, have a look on these!

Digital mapping

Me and Krystalla made a digital map of the Plymouth University campus...we added sounds, pictures and websites (I would put it on here, but it's gone all currupt on my memory stick, so much so that it's started leading other files down the wrong path!!).

This is a task that most chidlren could have ago at, some may need a bit of support. It would be great to tie in with geography, pe, there could be links to history (Maybe a map of britain with pictures and URLs linked to WW1/2).

Podcasting

I found using the podium program very easy. It is something a child of any age (with a little support) would be able to use. This kind of equipment could be used in schools for various activities, from making an online school radio station to communicating across the globe.

Podcasting could be used to aid assessment, perhaps a child is reciting a poem or reading from a book, the teacher can record this, look at it later or just keeo it as evidence.

This program is exciting and different, the uses are varied. Using podcasts in school can be fun, educational and a fantastic way to give all children a voice.

Blogging!!!

I think blogging is something that could be quite interesting if it was used within school. It is a way (a lot like web 2.0) for children to get their ideas, thoughts and feelings out without feeling nervous or shy. Perhaps different blogs could be run by different teachers to tackle various topics, from bullying to homework, it would give the children somewhere to ask questions, seek help or maybe just have a bit of a rant. It would give the teachers an insight into how the children are feeling about homework, etc and would give them the opportunity to change things, make them more interesting or accessible to the children.

It would also be a good tool for the parents to understand the work that their child is doing and the way they are feeling about school and life in general. Perhaps having a parents blog would also be helpful. It would be a channel of communication between eachother and especially the class teacher.

Web 2.0

Having the ability to create the internet is something that I first experienced with my discovery of MySpace, I could create my own profile (any colour, pattern, picture, etc that I wanted) and chat to people next door or on the other side of the world! Giving children this kind of technology to work with will allow them the opportunity to create and express themselves as well as interact with other school children/teachers, etc across the world.

Having their own school profile (not accessable to the general public - schools only) would give them the opportunity to chat about issues such as homework, bullying, what they find hard/easy/fun/boring...etc. This kind of technology could help pupils get their points across and teachers find out how the chidlren are feeling about various topics.