ICT Year 6: Creating Electronic Big Books

The Direct2U service was a weekly email subscription service for primary teachers from Becta, which ran during 2005/6. The scheme offered lesson plans featuring ICT in activities based on six subject strands. The service has now been discontinued but Becta have given us permission to use a selection from the plans in this magazine. A full archive of all the Direct2U activities can be found at http://forum.ngfl.gov.uk/direct2u

Introduction

In this activity, children work in small groups to design and create an electronic Big Book for the younger children in the school. They will take into account the reading age and interests of younger children and the format of Big Books, and test out their books and modify them if necessary. There is not room here to give full details of how to use Big Book Maker but it is well supported with manuals and guides http://primary.naace.co.uk/activities/BigBookMaker/

Andrea MacBeath of Richmond Park School Richmond Park School,a special school in the south side of Glasgow, explains the role of music in dveloping communication skills.
We are a school primarily for children with physical impairments but like most special schools in Scotland there has been a gradual change over the last few years in the range of needs of our pupils. We are seeing a growing number of children in the school with communication difficulties whether it be children with no intelligible speech, articulation difficulties, or children with autistic spectrum disorders. Each of these groups of children, of course have different needs and so various approaches have to be adopted in the school to develop their communication skills.

Richard describes the role of ICT in helping students with complex learning difficulties access literacy.

A fascinating question and one that teachers would probably answer with 'more knowledge than we have now!' That alone is reason to share this vast wealth of understanding in the world, and really begin to learn from each other. Knowledge and understanding are not learned in isolation for in collaboration we can achieve much more. Teachers cannot possibly know all the answers to the questions children ask but it is their responsibility to equip learners with the thirst, skills and opportunities to be able to find out - and not simply through a Google search either.

This article explores this approach with Key Stage 1 pupils in a Hampshire infant school.

Crossley Heath have used their Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in so many ways to improve teaching, the delivery of the curriculum as well as the enjoyment of learning taking place. The following description highlights the way the schools secure email system is being used to help students make dramatic improvements in the quantity and quality of assignments set.

Lydia Johnson describes how she used Windows Movie Maker with her Year 5 pupils to motivate learning across the curriculum.

In this article the authors explain how different recording technologies can make classrooms more inclusive.

This article won the first Chris Robson Memorial Prize in 1995. Yvette outlines how she developed a collection of 'I Can . . . ' sheets to support children in developing ICT capability in Primary schools.

Geoff Dellow gave a really detailed response to my request for him to describe how he downloaded his video clip onto his website . . . however, I wanted to know more . . .

This week I have followed up the theme of blogging and asked Emma Mostyn-Jones why it has become so popular, why we would want to blog, where to start and what the dangers area. Emma Mostyn-Jones is an avid blogger, a freelance writer and a student at Manchester University.

I asked Emma what attracted her to blogging, what are the benefits, particularly to younger students and the possible uses for blogging in schools and at home. Emma's laid-back and light-hearted approach to blogging is a real eye-opener. It took me a while to adjust to what she was telling me as it appeared I was entering into an alien world. However, part of the fun is exploring the links and having a go ....

If you would like further information on how to start blogging and/or have any comments on Emma's article please send your email to: primaryeditor@naace.co.uk