Speaking and Listening - ICT in Literacy

This week we were looking at the use of ICT resources to facilitate the development of children’s Speaking and Listening skills.

Rationale

Speaking – the ability to communicate confidently and effectively using the spoken word is the entitlement of each child. Confidence in communication generates successful outcomes in a range of situations.

Listening - The ability to be an effective and reflective listener is a fundamental skill, underpinning most successful learning.

ICT offers many opportunities for children to explore and record their ideas, helping to build their literacy skills. Indeed, as suggest by Leask and Meadows:

“The conception of literacy is evolving to accommodate new forms of communication. A fully literate person might now be expected to be fluent in the uses of electronic communication. This new dimension to literacy is called ‘network literacy’” (Leask & Meadows. 2000:41)

 Leask, M. Meadows, J. 2000. Teaching and Learning Using ICT in the Primary School. London: RoutledgeFalmer

The Department for Education  and Employment (DfEE) define Network Literacy as “the capacity to use computers to access resources, create resources, and communicate with others” (1997: 10). There are many benefits to using ICT to teach literacy. ICT allows the teacher to produce and modify resources quickly and easily, and allows access to a wide range of information in various formats. Computers, software, MP3/4 recorders, cameras and a range of ICT devices can all make teaching more effective and more fun for the pupils. I will now have a look at some of these resources.

Talking photo album

These allow words to be recorded on each separate page of the album. Students can then listen back to the recording by simply pressing the photo on that page. Making the connections between text on a page and text as it sounds is critically important in literacy development. The integration of sound into a project makes it immediately more exciting to the pupils, and allows the development of communication skills. These talking photo albums can be used for a number of activities: 

• Associating words and sounds with images (pictures of animals accompanied by facts/animal noises)
• Self-written stories (Pupils can record their own creative writing)
• Interviews
• Phonics (Useful, considering the recent renewed interest in phonics teaching. Through the use of ICT-based phonics books, clear connections can be made between sounds and letters on a page. increasing concentration and attention time is a key advantage to ICT
• Presentations/Displays (School trips could be displayed through photos, each one accompanied by sounds recorded from the trip)
• SEN children (provides a different and interactive war of recording. For example, they could take a photo of their science work, and record an explanation over the top of it.

Interactive dictionaries

Instead of directing children to the large, weighty and confusing dictionaries or thesaurus’ in the corner of the room, children can now access interactive dictionaries. The development of pupils vocabulary vocabulary is made easier through interactive resources. This type of learning is also more exciting to use for children, acting to motivate students in literacy.

Talking Tins

Talking Tin in action

These are simple, small, circular tins that allow children or teachers to record their voices and listen back. These talking tins can be used in similar ways to the talking photo albums, but can also be used for the following and many more activities in and around school:

• Instructions (by recording instructions on a talking tin, children may listen back if they get lost or confused about their activity)
• Extension (similarly, the teacher may record an extension activity on a talking tin, providing them with more time to help others while those that have finished can gain instructions from the pre-recorded message)
• Display Boards (Talking Tins can be attached almost anywhere, on any surface around the school, helping to enhance the interactivity of display boards, whiteboards etc…
• Treasure hunts (Talking Tins can be placed around the school, and when found provide a clue for children to find the next hidden clue)
• Listening to work (children can read their work back to themselves by using Talking Tins. This can help them to think about their diction, intonation, expression etc…)

Video

Video is a powerful teaching and learning resource. When learning, children find multimedia, still images, sound and video more interesting than the traditional use of 'chalk and talk'. Making films is an exciting and challenging activity for classrooms, and provides opportunities for higher level thinking when children are allowed to produce their own video clips.

These clips can be based around a number of things, depending on which part of the curriculum the activity is set. For example, for literacy, children may use video to perform traditional stories, read poems, act out scenes from plays, films or books, bring persuasive writing to life (making an advert) etc... For numeracy children could create and film their own real life mathematical problems, helping to contextualize mathematical concepts (using & applying). Children could also film lessons, record class discussions, gather evidence for non-fiction reports or conduct interviews - the opportunities are endless. 

With increasingly easy access to digital and video cameras, it is now simple to produce digital media. As discussed above, this resource provides huge, powerful opportunities for learning within school, and lends itself well to global collaboration, promoting children's work to a wider audience. Keith Lightbody's Technology in Education Web Site  provides good resources, ides, links and information for the use of video and photography in the class.

 Podcasting

 Did you know that the word podcasting is derived from Apples I'pod' - and broad'casting', because most podcasts are not dissimilar to chunks of radio broadcasts. Podcasting has become a bit of a big deal in the internet world, making the production and dissemination of audio available to everyone. For schools, it offers the chance to provide lessons and learning opportunities in a way more likely to engage students than more traditional methods. Podcasts are (relatively) simple and easy to create and don't require high-priced equipment, allowing teachers to record without a large investment of time or money by the school.

How do children benefit from making a podcast I hear you skeptics ask? Well...

• It gives them a potential audience of thousands for their work.
• It's great for developing literacy skills, allows children to develop and practice their speaking and listening skills, and they also learn some amazing ICT skills.
• Podcasts are interactive, and a wide audience can send their comments, providing valuable, and speedy feedback to the children about their work.
• Making a podcast also requires the development of teamwork skills, encouraging children to work together to produce a great podcast.

The Guardian recently wrote an article , named "why every school should be podcasting", which can be read on the following link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/sep/18/link.link16 

Ideas for the content of childrens podcasts can range from school news, children's work, school songs, interview, music, jokes, and whatever else (providing it supports learning and is appropriate).

To create Podcasts, Audacity is a good, simple and free piece of software, While schools often produce a whole website dedicated solely to podcasting. For example Downs FM.

Right. Thats yer lot!

Yet another stunningly inciteful blog for you. Enjoy