What the future may look like with the help of developing technology

This week we have been looking at the way technology is always developing and what our world could like in the future as a result of this. Whilst researching this I found the following video based on the way touch screen technology could be developed and used in a variety of environments and for a range of purposes.

Watching this clip you can see how the way we do everyday things could be enhanced and changed through the use of technology and how this can be used in a variety of ways. I thought it was interesting how children were shown in the video at the very beginning suggesting to me that technology is going to play more of a part in schools and how children learn in the future. I thought this video was quite fascinating and would recommend anyone who is interested in what the world may look like in future as a result of developing technologies to take a look at this video clip.

Games based learning contexts

This week we had the opportunity to create our own contexts to use with children in the classroom. In creating this context we had to make something which would be suitable for primary six and incorporate some form as game as part of a games based learning context. The main aim for this was for us to choose a game we were familiar with and use that game to pick out areas of learning which could be achieved as a result of different features and themes within the game. From this you could form literacy, maths and music activities and so forth to form lessons based on teaching which comes from using the game as a focus or context.

The diagram above shows some of the benefits of using games as a context for learning within the classroom. One of the main things which is emphasised is the way in which the curriculum and all the children are learning can be embedded. Through using a game as a context and using this to form learning opportunities and activities across the curriculum this allows all that children learn to be inter linked and related to each other. In doing this you help make what children learn more meaningful and relevant to them as they are able to see where different things they are are learning come from and how to use and apply what they have learned in other areas. This relates to the Curriculum for Excellence principles which place a strong emphasis on the importance of relevance within learning (Scottish Government, 2009). Through also selecting a game the children are interested in also helps build their motivation within the class in not only being able to play the game but also build enthusiasm for the work they have to do in the various subject areas as this is linked to a game they really enjoy playing and characters they can perhaps relate to or want to for example write about in their writing. This reflects the principles of personalisation and choice as well as enjoyment as children can be involved in decision making and have a say in the game which will be used as a context for the class making it more personal to them and interesting.

Another element of games based learning could be collaborative working. In a number of games you can have more then one player playing at a time. Through this children have opportunities to work with others and can be encouraged to develop skills in working together as a team. This involves children communicating with each other, planning what they are going to do and problem solve to get through any issues they are faced with whilst playing the game. This could be particularly effective for a class where children are not very good at working together and could encourage children to be more empathetic with each other and understanding of each others abilities and feelings. 

Just Dance

Our group chose to base our context on the Just Dance game for the Wii. We chose this as it was a game a few of us had played before and thought was quite good and we also saw the real collaborative element mentioned earlier in the way that four people could play it all at once. For our context we had two main activities for the children to do but the main focus was for them to create an informative and attractive poster using the Just Dance game as a context and inspiration for what they put on their posters. The children got the opportunity to pick their groups and each group got the chance to have a go at playing the Just Dance game as well as creating their own individual poster which they could discuss with others in their group.

Activities:

1) One of the activities was for children to go on to the Wii in fours. They got to dance to three songs of their choice and had to copy the actions of the person on the screen.

2)The other activity involved the children pretending they were in a dance crew and their task was to create a poster to advertise a performance their dance crew was doing to try and get people to come along to their show. We suggested they considered the following elements when creating these posters:

-Name for dance crew

-Logo

-Time

-Place

-Ticket costs

-Colourful/ eye catching design

Evaluation

Having had the opportunity to work with three groups of children within the one class it was great to be able to see how they responded to the context we had created and what they made of the activities we had planned. The majority of the children seemed to really enjoy the game which was really beneficial as it was obviously something which interested a number of them and meant the majority of them got quite into it and were really focused on playing the game. Despite this there was one child who did not want to engage in this game as they did not like dancing. We tried to offer alternatives to them and encourage them to do something else which would still be playing the game but they did not want to participate. If I was to do this again it would obviously be much easier to make sure an appropriate game was chosen if we knew the children and had the time to work with them on this over a period of time. At the end we discussed with the children other games they may like to use for a context in the classroom and those they came up with were Need for speed, Fifa and Piggy Panic. From this I realised the importance of taking into account children's interests within the class and tapping in to these interests to get them engaged in learning which could relate to a game the children like. Another part of this however is making sure the game is suitable for the children in terms of the age they are and stage they are at.

In terms of the poster activity I think we had really mixed responses from this task. There were a number of children who got really in to this task and wanted desperately to get this finished before they left but a number of other children really struggled with this and some did not engage in this. A lot of the children struggled to come up with a name for their dance crew so required a fair bit of support in trying to come up with something and as a result a number of them ended up just having done the name of the dance group and did not have time to do any more. From this we realised that the children required more time to do an activity like this and as they had to put a lot of thought into what they were writing having the game on at the same time may have been difficult for them to concentrate on the task. Despite this some children created some really good posters and it was clear they had thought about important elements making it colourful, including all the key information and so forth. Some children said they enjoyed creating these posters but others said they would like to have had the opportunity to make up their own dances which could have been inspired by the game as a context. This is something I may consider if using this game as a context again with another class however I feel it is also important to consider the views of all of those within the class as I know some children do not enjoy participating in dance.

To start with we also showed the children a video of the Dance group Diversity who the children were all very familiar with. We did this to get them in to the mindset to allow us to set the context and make it meaningful to them. The children all knew who Diversity were and were engrossed whilst watching a short clip of one of their performances. I feel this was a really effective way of getting the children tuned in and as it worked so well it is something I think I would do again if I was to use this Just Dance or a similar context to this again.

Overall as a context I think it worked really well. The majority of children really enjoyed the game and were all quite familiar with it which suggests it was something they were interested in. I think it was suitable for the stage they were at as they were all quite capable and even able to judge the teachers on how well we were doing it! Despite this I am not sure how much they related the context of the game to what they were doing within their posters. Although both involved looking at dance performance and we tried to get this across to them I am not sure how much they got out of this task. If we had longer to work with them we would have considered a range of other activities we could do with them and also break down the poster task and look at the key elements individually and develop these before getting children to complete posters including all of these features. It was a really enjoyable afternoon and was great to see different context ideas and how these can be used to develop learning across the curriculum and also be able to see for ourselves how children respond to learning through the context of a game.

References

Scottish Government (2009) Curriculum for Excellence: Principles for Curriculum Design. Available online: 

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/howisthecurriculumstructured/principles/index.asp [Accessed 17/02/12]

Games based Learning: Using Guitar hero as a context for learning

This week we had the opportunity to learn more about Games based learning in the Primary school and the way in which games can be used to enhance learning and teaching within the classroom. We heard from a number of speakers and we were informed of studies conducted using Guitar hero, Nintendogs and Dr Karwashimas brain training software within schools and the impact this had on children's learning as a result of incorporating games based learning in the curriculum.

Games based learning is something we learned a bit about in first year but was something I did not feel I fully understood how to use in the classroom but something in which I was interested in finding out more about and trying this out with a group of children. We had the opportunity to observe another student's work where she had done a games based learning context in an early stages contexts and from this I could see clearly the benefits of this but felt as though I wanted to learn more about this approach to teaching and learning and try it out for myself to see how well I thought it worked. But to start with, I wanted to know what actually is Games based learning? Through taking part in this elective and in particular through learning about Games based learning in relation to Guitar hero, I have learned that games based learning is not simply about children playing games but using a game as a context where all areas of the curriculum can be brought out from a taught. In this sense children could be doing language which has come from a guitar hero context where they have to create posters to try and persuade people to come along to a gig the band are doing. Other areas of the curriculum can also be taught by using the game as a focus and considering how you could use it in other subjects. Use of contexts is something which I believe is truly reflective of Curriculum for Excellence principles (Scottish Government, 2009) as it allows for breadth through areas being taught across the curriculum through the context and also relevance in relating all areas and work the children to do to a context making what they are learning more meaningful to the children.

Buckingham (2007) discusses the use of computer games in particular arguing that not only using the game as a context but allowing children to play the game, can help children develop in areas such as thinking skills, problem solving and planning strategies. He also draws upon the social element of children playing games with others as they have to communicate to each other what they are doing and collaborate as a team to meet their end goal. Upon reading this I realised that playing games can be sociable if you get children to play a game which has more than one player. Before learning about games based learning it was not an approach I had ever really considered as I knew a number of games are deemed inappropriate for children of a certain age and I thought a number of children go home and spend hours in front of a computer at home so never really saw the benefit of using games consoles in school. From my experience before hand I had seen the impact on those who play computer games independently on a regular basis and the way in which social interaction was lost really put me off computer games.  However through listening to the studies done on these three pieces of games software, learning how you can use these in the classroom and looking at the results of these studies my eyes really have been opened to the possibilities of Games based Learning and what this can bring to the classroom. One thing in particular which as inspired me is the element of collaboration which I have now learned can be present in playing computer games. I think this could work really well in a class where children are not very good at working with others as they could be encouraged through being put in groups with different people to play the game. In group games children may have to all stick together which encourages children to collaborate, co-operate and really encourage each other through helping one another and being patient with those who take more time to get to know the game. An example of one of these games where children have to work as a team is Little big planet. This was a game we learned about in first year through another student who had used games based learning in an early stages classroom.

     

                                                                    

The game I have chosen to reflect on is the use of guitar hero in the classroom. As game, this is one I was familiar with which meant when we were learning about the study conducted using this in schools, I felt I was able to understand quite easily how this was used. In this study, Guitar Hero was used as context to try and help pupils with the transition from primary to secondary which for a number of children can be quite daunting. The aim of this study was to get children involved with other children from different schools to get to know them before going to their new school. The way this was conducted was children were put into bands which included children from a range of schools and they had to work together to do a range of tasks for the band as well as play together as a band. The Guitar hero game was used as a context which meant children did maths, language, art and so forth which related to the Guitar hero context. The idea was for this to be embedded across the curriculum to encourage children to get to know others to help make their transition from primary to secondary as smooth as possible. 

There were three main phases involved in this project

1) Guitar hero was used as a context for learning in Primary seven

2) All of the Primary seven pupils were to visit the secondary school for a transition day to participate in a number of Guitar hero related activities

3) Guitar hero to be used in secondary school. Teachers to use it as a context for their new classes acorss the curriculum

During this session, as mentioned we also learned about other games software which is being used in schools to create contexts to try and enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. One piece of software, Dr Kawashima's Brain training is referred to by iTeach ICT at http://iteach-ict.blogspot.com/. She draws upon a recent study conducted in schools which used this games software and draws upon the results of using this game on children's mathematical abilities.

References

Buckingham, D. (2007) Beyond technology: Children's learning in the age of digital culture. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Scottish Government (2009) Curriculum for Excellence: Principles for Curriculum Design.
Available online:

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/howisthecurriculumstructured/principles/index.asp
[Accessed 10/02/12]

Fife Education Digital Literacy and ICT session

This week we had a visit from a few people from Fife Education team. In the session they did with us we learned about a number of areas of ICT including how we can use Games based learning, Animation through Comic Life and Pivot Programmes, Handheld devices and Music ICT software such as Sequel and the Skoog to enhance teaching and learning within the classroom.

This was an extremely informative and practical session as we were not only taught the basics of how to use different software but were even provided with our own Netbooks for the session which I found really effective in allowing us to explore different software, become familiar with how to use the different programmes and consider how I could use these in the classroom with children to support them in their learning. During this we looked at software which could be used for a range of subject areas including maths, language, music but not only these but how some of the resources and programmes could be used as a context for cross-curricular learning.

The way in which cross-curricular learning could be achieved was to me seen most evidently through the games-based learning input. In this we looked at how the game could be used as a context and all aspects of learning in the different subject areas could come from this. One of the main principles of Curriculum for Excellence refers to the concept of breadth (Scottish Government, 2009a). To me, breadth is about a wide range and in learning I believe this is achieved through a number of subject areas being taught. Through cross-curricular learning coming for a games context, children can learn a range of subjects and these can also be linked through the context making learning more relevant and meaningful which also draws upon another of the main Curriculum for Excellence principles ensuring what is being taught is relevant.  

Music ICT

The main area I have chosen to reflect on is the Music ICT software we learned about as part of the input. One of the programmes we were shown was Sequel. This software allows children to select a range of instruments to create a piece of music of their choice. Within this children are given the opportunity to personalise their piece of music through making their own decisions either individually or in groups choosing from different instruments, when they want these to be played and what kind of music they would like it to be choosing from different categories. Use of this software is also supported the principles of Curriculum Excellence (Scottish Government, 2009a) through bringing in elements of personalisation and choice whilst allowing children to develop decision making skills and their ability to work as a team if working as part of a group. As a piece of software, I think it would be effective to use in getting children to become familiar with the sounds of instruments and ways in which they differ to allow them to distinguish between them. In addition to this children can begin to start thinking about how a piece of music is arranged considering what instruments go well together and thinking about tempos and pitches of the different instruments. This is something I think children would quite enjoy as they get the opportunity to have free reign and decide themselves what they want to do. They can become responsible for their own learning which aids them in developing into successful learners and responsible citizens, two of the main aims of Curriculum for Excellence as referred to within the four capacities (Scottish Government, 2009b).

This is a picture of what the sequel software looks like on the computer. Down the left hand side shows the instruments that have been selected and the different coloured bars show when each of the instruments will be played.

Another interesting piece of equipment we looked at which involves learning about Music through the use of ICT is Skoog. The Skoog is a box with a range of coloured buttons on it which each play different instruments and sounds. The box can be connected to the computer using a USB cable which allows it to make music when the buttons are pressed which can then be put onto the computer. Here is a brief video which gives a basic overview of how the Skoog can be used.

"Designed to adapt and fit with your own natural movements, the Skoog sets you free to explore sounds and music in your own way," (Skoog, 2011, no page).

The Skoog is a resource which can be used with children of a range of ages and needs which was drawn upon in the video. It can be extended for those in the upper primary stages or those who need challenged further through not having the sounds already set on the Skoog but getting the children to find sounds and record these or record people playing instruments and make a piece of Music from these recordings. It can also be used with those who have additional needs allowing them to have something which is easy to hold  and explore allowing them to learn through the sensory element which is not found at the same level in individual musical instruments which they may struggle to play. This is a resource I think would be particularly effective with children in Early years, especially in Nursery. As part of the 2CM8 module I have learned that children in Early Years learn a lot through using their senses at this stage and as a resource this offers children the opportunity to touch the different buttons, hear the sounds and instruments and see the colours and shapes on the box. This can allow children to become more familiar with different sounds and what musical instruments sound like. Duffy (2006) draws upon the way in which young children love to explore and how using their senses is important in allowing them to find things out and learn. Through using the Skoog, I believe children would get a lot of enjoyment through the visual elements and listening to and putting together different sounds. They also get the opportunity to personalise what they are doing through picking their favourite sounds and playing these together to make their own music. All of these elements reflect some of the main principles of Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Government, 2009a).

Overall, I found this session with Fife Education team extremely useful as I was introduced to a range of programmes and software I had not used or heard of before. I was able to try these out myself and realise how easy a lot of these are to use and also have the support of the Fife team to help us on areas of the software we were unsure of and also tips and advice from them on other ways we could use the software or how to make things we were doing easier for us to do. A lot of what we learned was really appealing to me and I am definitely considering trying out some of these ideas and downloading software. I hope to try out some of these ideas with future classes I work with to hopefully see the positive affects these can have on teaching and learning within the classroom.

References

Duffy, B. (2006) Supporting Creativity and Imagination in the Early Years (2nd ed.). Berkshire: Open University Press.

Scottish Government (2009a) Curriculum for Excellence: Principles for Curriculum Design.

Available at http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/howisthecurriculumstructured/principles/index.asp 

[Accessed 04/02/12]

Scottish Government (2009b) Curriculum for Excellence: The Purpose of the Curriculum- The Four Capacities. Available at
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/whatiscurriculumforexcellence/thepurposeofthecurriculum/index.asp
[Accessed 04/02/12]

Skoog (2011) What is a Skoog?
Skoog Music Ltd. Avaialable at
http://www.skoogmusic.com/skoog#whatisit
[Accessed 04/02/12]