Week 2:

▪Childhood in the Digital Age

 

Explore the outcomes of your parental/student teacher/teacher survey. Did any responses surprise or challenge you?

I was surprised by the positive responses of using popular culture from the parents I spoke to. The majority said they do not mind the content used in lessons as long as it is age appropriate and the children gain the required knowledge and skills from it. They also supported use of technology in the classroom, as technological competency has become a crucial skill in the 21st century which children should acquire at an early age. One parent however, raised an interesting point that they wouldn’t like reference or use video games in lessons as they consider gaming to be ‘destroying’ childhood nowadays and that it is contributing to the child obesity crisis. I was also surprised by the positive responses by some teachers I spoke to about technology in the classroom; I expected teachers to have more traditional views of literacy teaching, rooted in standard reading and writing methods. However, one teacher I spoke to told me they had been implementing technology into lessons since 2000 and made movies out of story books to engage the learners. The student teacher I spoke to was not so keen on using popular culture in the classroom out of fear parents would not approve, however supported using technology as long the children were still developing competent reading and writing skills; not just digital literacy.

What might be the subsequent implications for your future practice? Make links to the in-session discussions and to relevant readings.

The survey has encouraged me to implement both popular culture and technology into my future practice, as long as it benefits the learning and enjoyment of the child. I previously held negative attitudes towards using technology in the classroom, as I believed it inhibited development in writing and communicating in a high standard of English, however I have come to realise that being literate in the 21st century is about ‘being able to use the ‘right’ language in the ‘right’ way’, whatever its form, digital or written (Lankshear and Knobel, 2006). I have however, always believed that popular culture has a place in the classroom as it can motivate children and give learning personal meaning to them.

Examples of creative word websites  

Wordle                                                                                                    Tagzedo              

I was impressed by the websites I explored in this session, as they have given me many different ideas as to how children can present information in a fun and creative way. I will definitely use websites such as these I have presented above as they can provide a more enjoyable and interesting alternative to presenting information than more standard ways, e.g. just by writing it down.