Session 4: Speaking and listening and Digital Imaging

In the first part of this lesson we discussed how ICT can provide opportunities for speaking and listening. We came up with a few examples to start us off:
-Mobile phones- using technology to understand different ways of communicating
-Sharing computers- in lessons, sharing a computer with a partner or small group can encourage collaboration skills
-Interactive whiteboard- using the tools to promote discussions, for example having pre-written questions on the board encourages asking and answering questions
-Webcams and digital videoing- allows for conversation techniques to take place
-Recording equipment- allows you to listen back on relevant recorded conversations
-Downloadable recordings e.g. podcasts- improve listening skills.

 After coming up with our immediate thoughts and ideas, we were then shown some more specific examples of how we could use ICT in the classroom to encourage speaking and listening. Below are some examples of this:


Talking photo album:

 I thought this was a very good tool to use and could be used all across the curriculum. It has slots to put your own pictures in it, and each slot has a play button which plays a pre-recorded message attached to that picture. All you need to do is press the silver button and the record button at the same time, record your message then press stop. This could be use for any age as you could change the type of activity you use it for. For example, in reception and year 1 you could use it for phonics by putting a picture of the grapheme in the slot and recording the sound. You could use it for recording events on school trips, by taking photos and recording messages to explain what you were doing in the photo. It could be used as a story telling tool-for EAL or SEN children this may be particularly useful. It is such a diverse piece of ICT that could have great benefits if used well.

 Talking Tins:

Talking tins are small round plastic objects that simply consist of a recording device and a speaker, so you can record a message and play it back. These may also be useful tools for phonics, by getting the children to record their sounds and listen back on their pronunciation. They may also be useful for recording instructions for an activity and leaving it on the tables for children to refer to if they need reminding. They can be used to make a talking display board, by recording facts and sticking the tins to the board, to provide a more interesting, sensory display. They can be used in a treasure hunt, each message telling you how to get to the next talking tin. They can be used in all areas of the school not just the classroom, but you must be aware they are not water proof. Of course there are many uses for these, these are just a few useful examples.

Talk time cards:

Talk time cards look like small whiteboards with a record button and speaker on them. They are useful tools especially for literacy. Again, they could be useful for phonics by getting children to listen to a phoneme then writing a grapheme (exemplified in he image). They could also be used for maths by writing a sum and getting the child to listen to the answer to see if they got it right, or by listening to a number and writing a sum that could equal that number. Again, there are many uses for talk time cards. There are also talk time cards where you can record a number of different things, for example 'chatterbox' where you can record 10 things and press a button to listen to each message. Such equipment is very inclusive, especially for SEN or EAL children.

 

Podcasting:

We discussed how podcasting could be very useful in schools to develop speaking and listening skills. Podcasts are recordings that you can do and publish them online for others to listen to. This is a great activity for children to do in school because they enjoy it thoroughly as it gives them a voice and they enjoy having an audience and being able to connect with the rest of the world. As well as making their own, they can also download other peoples podcasts and listen to them, this is great for listening to children in other schools. They can be downloaded on to PC's or mp3 players. 

Audacity is an example of computer software which is useful for children to be able to record podcasts. They can export them to different formats which is useful for example, if they have a blog they can post them on. It is free to download and can be used for any age group.

The SMART notebook also includes a recording device. This is particularly useful as you can add sound to objects which is a useful teaching tool across the curriculum.

Digital imaging:

We also looked at digital imaging equipment and how it can be used in schools. One example of this is 'tough cams'. These are used to record videos, plug in the computer and play them back. They are useful for primary age because, as they state, they are tough and difficult to break. In this session we used one to make a short video using play dough models and computer software which allowed us to take lots of frames and put them together to make an animation. This would be great fun for children as they can use it to tell a story, practice their ICT skills, and do some art by making the models. Below are pictures of our animation in progress!

 

Photo Story 3

We discussed and got to use a computer software called Photo Story 3. This software is available free to download and is suitable for children. It is used by taking images on a digital camera and putting them on the computer to make a story. You can add text, effects to photos, music and sound recordings to make a story. It can be very simple and effective. It may be best to use cheap, strong digital cameras so you have no fear of children breaking them. This is also useful across the curriculum, for example it may be used in literacy, or telling stories related to other subjects such as history and geography.

The best thing about all the equipment we used today is how many different areas of the curriculum they can address. They provide an enjoyable way for children to learn effectively, as long as they are used well.