This blog post will focus on the statement: ICT provides a rich and flexible learner-centred environment in which students can experiment and take risks when developing new understanding.
The first thing that comes to mind when pondering this statement is a task I set last week for a Year 7 English class at my placement school. I had decided students would write a news article involving the key characters at a certain point of the text they are studying. At my mentor teachers suggestion I set that this would be presented as a newspaper front page using Microsoft Publisher.
The first thing the ICT aspect of this task offers is a rich environment. The fact students can create a product that can have significant resemblance to a real life newspaper provides a richness that is not achieved by either attempting to hand design one or if they simply word processed their article. More “richly”, the students are “shifting from a text consumer to a text producer” and using “linguistic and visual” skills when using Publisher (Tan and Guo 2009, p. 318).
Publisher also offers plenty of flexibility as, is required by VELS level 5 for English, students “develop their planning, drafting, editing and proofreading skills” while “using computer technology to organise, format, revise and present their texts.” This also relates closely to the ability for students to “experiment and take risk”. With Publisher students can think about fonts and the layout of words and pictures, but this also offers the potential for them to increase understanding. They have to decide whether they are going to place the picture at the top of their story or next to it or below it, which gives them an opportunity to consider their audiences and purpose as required by English VELS.
Their understanding of newspapers as a medium is also increased as they consider the “purposes” of it. Using ICT via Publisher brings this home in real ways. For example they may discover that three sentences of their news story do not fit when they arrange their pictures/headline/newspaper title in a certain way that will have most appeal to their audiences. The question for the student will be, though probably not expressed this way, ‘should I sacrifice design for content?’ and ‘is this information really crucial to my readers considering I have written in the newspaper style of putting the most important information early in my story?’
This example of a task set for Year 7 English students perfectly highlights how ICT can add richness, experimentation and understanding to a task while helping students better engage with the English requirements for VELS.
References:
Tan, L and Guo, L. (2009). From Print to Critical Multimedia Literacy: One Teacher's Foray into New Literacies Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 53 (4), p315-324.
Victorian Curriculum and Assesment Authority. (2010). English - Level 5. Available: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vels/level5.html. Last accessed 13th Sept 2011.
Hello Chris, I really enjoyed reading your post on incorporating ICT into the english classroom.
ReplyDeleteEnglish isn't one of my learning areas but have been teaching it this semester on my placement rounds. This activity you reflect on is something I would definitely love to incorporate into my classroom, and is something I think I would have enjoyed doing when I was in school!
The task provides students with the opportunity to feel that what they are doing is valuable and provides links to real life experiences. Without the use of computers providing the format, I don't think it would be as successful if it were to be on paper. You also support this idea through your references and i concur through my own experiences with students in the classroom, as rich tasks with links to real life skills are often the more enjoyed tasks in class than ones that aren't, which isn't valuable learning activities something we as teachers should aim for?
Well done!
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent task! What a perfect way to combine your journalistic background with your new career.
I find with Year 7's there is so much possibility when it comes to enriching their learning experiences using ICT. They are so much more eager to please and I find they (girls in particular) love the opportunity to show off their creativity. Your question to the students "does content need to be sacrificed for the sake of design" is an interesting one and it forces them to consider the different purposes of writing. All in all, it seems like you gave them a really engaging task and I might have to use it myself in future :)
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI haven't used publisher since year 9, but you have re-awakened my interest in it, thanks. It's a great resource, especially for creative tasks in English. And newspaper activities for year 7s are always good.