room2

May- LT modeled with different groups of children how to use the easi speak. the class teacher intends to use it in different ways in her program once they are confident using it. with such a young class they will need a lot of practice.

//May: Week 3; Weekly planning: I started recording specific games children were using on my daily planner and highlighting to emphasise ICT component. Although the computer is used at these times normally, the change was being more specific regarding what each group/child is doing, so I had to link this specifically with an activity or program related to their learning. I also changed the way the three computers were used (most of the time) by rostering only one child on at a time with an expert to help if necessary. This worked quite well but cut out the excellent interaction that occurs as programs are explored together. A mixture of approaches seem to work best, depending on the combination of children. First thing in the morning (before school) is a great time for lots of interaction to occur in this way as the parents are often watching, learning and supporting too. Most times however the children flick onto other programmes on the desktop and I have to then reset the Maths activities on the computers for Maths- this often doesn't happen because of the time factor in the morning!

I still think the skills we are teaching brand new 5 year olds are 1. Care of the computer, names of parts of the computer and our school/class rules linked with the care and use of the computer. ...and how to turn it down!! The use of earphones has not been that successful. 2. Mouse skills: although many 5year olds have these skillls, many do not. 3. Using the computer together, sharing, taking turns, helping but not doing, 4. Listening to the program and following the instructions. 5. Getting to know the base programs being used in the classroom.Starting them up and logging on. 6. Base programs I continue to find useful are Galaxy kids Maths and reading, The alphabet cd that links with our abc poem book/small books and used within the programme daily, The Alphabet farm, the Numbers 1-20 on the same series and Kidpix and /or Paint (kid or otherwise) These programs cover what we are doing in class and link naturally. 7. Staying on task- not changing the program half way through.//

Wee//k 4: The week of our trip around Gore. Teach the camera/rules for use and how to use it and what makes a good photo. Another skill necessary to teach most 5 year olds. Friday: the day of the trip I had two cameras and gave the cameras to a different group for each part of the visit. I talked to parents about hands off, let the children take and decide on the photos. The goal was to have photos with people in them all around Gore. Checking, and deleting if the photo was not liked, was also taught but I'm unsure if it was used. I should have been more specific about this with the adults. The children did check the photo. This was a great hands on experience, lots of photos taken. When we put them on the screen we had some interesting discussions on good photos and how to improve the not so good ones. The children knew which ones they had taken. We chose the photos to go on the power point and I demonstrated how the power point was made. After a brilliant brainstorm on what was special about West Gore School we used the movie camera to talk about the school. This was not successful as I could not put this on the power point but we did it again on the class camera and managed to get some of these moving pictures on this. Next time I think it would be worthwhile trying to record the initial discussion straight away, it might seem more natural. The children enjoyed seeing themselves on the screen and I must record more using the video for certain purposes...like perhaps our ways of growing this term, as we can take a still from the action. We needed a spiral shape for our power point, while th////e other children were making theirs with objects, I challenged the 3 children rostered on the computer to use paint to// //draw one. We chose the best one and ad////d////ed it to our power point. (I tried to put the spiral on, but I think it is too big and it wouldn't load) We also needed to explain a few photos and we used the microphone. The children are getting more confident speaking into this and their oral language skills are developing with this piece of technology...again it is a great tool for self evaluation in lots of ways even before you work on independently using the microphone.

Writing is a challenge. Only my top writing group had any real success. I tried partners but this was not successful. Lots of arguments. I moved on to one at a time with a friend to help if stuck. Moderately successful until they delete the lot. This seemed to happen regularly. Perhaps I should teach them to save as they finish a line!! Did not really keep trying. Capital letters confuse the younger children who are just learning the lower case ones. I need a key board with lower case letters on it. Writing newsboards on the computer did not work well - far too hard to keep focus, much easier to do writing in 'real life', perhaps with the necessity to use the computer and check the screen, the eye contact, facial expression and focus on what I am doing goes west. I'd love to try it with a pen on an interactive white board though...I think it would work better.//

//Syndicate meetings: We have used the computers a number of times during this. A good way of showing around the tdrive....often things are put on tdrive... . you are told but you forget they are there! It is actually easier sometimes to get a hard copy in your pigeon hole actually. The best day was when we brainstormed on the interactive whiteboard for our literacy meeting - we were very active and interactive and it showed how something simple can be done easily and we all had fun trying out the board. I must think of ways to use the boards in the two rooms as we rotate around the syndicate for meetings. These times we are also finding out something we don't know and using other members of the syndicate to show us how it works. Planning was done straight onto the computer next time we need to use the whiteboard, like we have done in the past, as it is much easier for all to be involved and contribute when yo can see what you are doing.//

June. LT- Term 3. Room 2 has lost some of its older children to the newly opened room 3. They now have more new and young new entrants. the teacher would like to leave writing and reading programs for a while and focus on a more set ICT lesson format using Kid Pix. The aim is to allow for mouse manipulation and control and get use to laptops altogether as a class.