Speaking & Listening and Digital Imagery

Hello Bloggers!

In my last post I said I would be learning about even more digital equipment for the classroom, and I did! So here I am to share my new wisdom on the technologies I have been exposed to this week...

1. Podcasts
2. Talking tins
3. Talking photos & cards
4. Digital Cameras
5. Digital Videos
6. Webcams

Podcast - What is it?!

For those of you who are unsure what a podcast is, it’s basically a recording of a person’s thoughts or ideas that can be uploaded onto the internet and listened to by various people – a bit like a radio programme, but it can be listened to at any time. You can listen to podcasts on websites directly where people post them, or they can be downloaded onto devices such as Ipod's and Iphones and listened to whenever! Podcasts therefore enable learning to happen at anytime in any environment - This means that learning can also be repeated and consolidated outside of the classroom.

Here is a great quote from a Journal from Ormand (2008) which describes a key benefit of the podcasts:
 

"Students have different learning styles, whether disabled, cultural differences, language barriers, sight learners, oral learners, etc. Podcasts allow students the flexibility to repeat a concept until learned."

Podcasts therefore are beneficial to all types of learners. I think they are especially useful for pupils that struggle with reading and writing, as they could create a podcast or listen to a podcast which would be a quicker, more effective method for them to learn by. Podcasts have a speed playback option which means that if a pupil is struggling to understand the audio (perhaps an EAL learner) then the podcast can be replayed slower. Podcasts allow children to learn at a pace that suits them.

   

To create our own podcasts we used a piece of software called 'Audacity'. The software was really straightforward to use. Simply press record and then speak into the microphone and express yourself! Then once you have finished press the stop button. You can then play back and listen to what you have recorded. You can put effects over the top, or change the speed in which you are talking which can make it a really fun activity. You can even add a piece of music before or after you speak, exactly like the radio! Once you are happy with your recording, you can upload it and listen whenever!

If children are creating podcasts it encourages them to think about their target audience and the purpose which develops skills or form and register, and general communication and varying this when talking to different people.

Talking tins

These are ideal for short recordings (they do not record for much longer than a minute). These would be useful for EAL learners or pupils with a hearing impairment, as you could record instructions hich they can play back if they didn’t understand. What is even better about them is that they can be attached around the classrooms to whiteboards or desks!

Buy talking tins! < Here is a link to a website where you could buy them to use for your classroom. Another benefit of them - they are really cheap!

I found this video which summaries the main benefits of the talking tins and how they are wonderful resources for the different types of learners. It says it all better than I do!

Talking photos & postcards

Again, these talking photos and postcards are useful for speaking and listening skills but appeal to different types of learners as they combine auditory learning with visual learning! I particulary liked the talking cards as they were like a mini whiteboard that you can write on with the recording to accompany it. I loved the fact it was a whiteboard as it means they can be reused numerous times for different lessons and purposes. Research also shows that children prefer writing on whiteboards as it allows them to erase if they get it wrong, therefore making them feel more confident.

I would love to use these in a phonics lesson! It would be a great way of learning the different phonemes, if the children could hear it being said, and was accompanied by a drawing of something beginning with that phoneme for instance. There can be a variety of games incorporated through that and also a good assessment tool!

This picture shows the talking photo album with pictures of animals on, and when you press the picture it could have the sound that the animal makes, which is great for younger children.

Digital cameras & digital photos

We used digital cameras in the workshop and then uploaded our pictures on the computer to some software called 'photostory' which was really fun to use (children would love it!) Using the still images, you can produce your own photo story in any sequence you like! You can also add captions and special effects to the picture such as sepia or black and white. This would be ideal for Literacy lessons, and can be a fun way of encouraging children to write creative stories. They could take pictures and act out a story and use the pictures to help them write.

Here is a short photo film we made in the workshop whilst playing about with equipment. This gives you a brief insight into how you can use the photostory software to create great films and stories (obviously better than this one!)

Digital Videos

Digital videos are a great tool for learning in the classroom whether its children creating their own videos or simply watching a video clip by hooking it up to a television. I think it is a lovely idea to get children to create their own videos though. This could be as part of a literacy lesson or part of a larger class project. Children could act out something they had learned from another subject. History would be a fun way to use it by may be acting out a historic event or scene to help learning and also make it fun! It would be good to use digital videos as part of PSHE as well and children could act out scenarios of sharing and anti-bullying and other topics which may be difficult to talk about, so they could express their thoughts through drama. I didn't actually get a chance to use these in the workshop but according to others who did, they do take a bit of time to get used to. A report from Ofsted (2011) described a good quality successful ICT lesson and this lesson involved the use of digital videos to create an interview. This is a really nice idea that I'd love to try in a class.

Which one was my favourite?

I would have to say overall, in terms of supporting different types of learners and being fun and enjoyable for pupils I would say the podcast. You could have a whole class podcast updating people on what they have been doing at school, which relates to my first post on blogging. It can keep families up to date with their school. This is also a way of encouraging pupils to do extra curricular activities, to get involved in learning even after the school day finishes.

   

That’s all for this week J I won’t be posting next week as I am on directed study week (don’t miss me too much!) but I will be back to inform you on more cool technology very soon….

References

Ofsted (2011) ICT in Schools 2008-2011. Available at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/ict-schools-2008-11 [Accessed November 2012]

Ormand, P. (2008) Podcasts Enhances Learning. Journal of Computer Sciences in Colleges. Volume 24 Issue 1, pages 232-238.