Kgray presentation
- 2. FINDING WHERE TO START The act of reading is no longer confined to print based resources. Reading and writing using digital technologies is now a major contributing factor to successfully engage with society. The definition of contemporary literacy, put forward by The New London Group (1996), becomes “much broader than language alone” (New London Group, 1996, p. 64). It allows for the interweaving of culture, personal and professional lives and the continual development of knowledge as a lifelong process. Futuristic thinking drives the multiliteracies approach to education that is currently forming, by rethinking “the fundamental premises of literacy pedagogy in order to influence practices that will give students the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their aspirations” (The New London Group, 1996, p. 65).
- 3. INTRODUCTION The proposed small-scale study will be conducted at a Wodonga OSHC. The centre provides care for up to 45 students before and after school hours and during school holidays. The age range of students is Foundation to Grade 5. The study will have a particular focus on 12 students who regularly attend care throughout the school week. Out of School Hours Care centres are required to meet the outcomes of the My Time, Our Place framework (DEEWR, 2011). This study will meet outcome five of the document; Children are effective communicators. It will particularly focus on the suboutcome of “Children collaborate with others, express ideas and make meaning using a range of media and communication technologies” (DEEWR, 2011, p. 40).
- 4. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Personal interest in the topic of digital technologies in the development of literacy skills stems from varied professional placements where the use of technology across curriculum areas was varied and often not used to its full potential. As a graduate teacher teaching a class of grade 3/4 students in 2014, I feel conducting research in the area of digital technologies in literacy will enable me to more effectively deliver quality teaching and learning to my future students, by knowing what drives student engagement and how to engage students through varied literacy practices.
- 5. FINDING A FOCUS A wealth of research is able to identify the academic benefits of using digital technologies throughout literacy development. This project aims to identify which digital technologies provide an engaging medium from which students can learn in a fun, collaborative and meaningful way. The following research questions will be addressed: 1. How does the inclusion of digital technologies affect student engagement? 2. How does the use of technology promote verbal communication and playful interaction between students and students and staff?
- 6. COLLECTING THE INFORMATION To address these research questions researcher observations of students engaging with literacy will be conducted and combined with interviews and surveys from staff. These data collection methods will take place before and after the change is implemented to determine the degree to which the change has influenced the level of literacy engagement. The staff surveys and observations analysed 6 areas in relation to the outcomes of the My Time, Our Place framework (DEEWR, 2011). The survey and observations focused on outcome five of the document; Children are effective communicators. With a particular focus on the sub-outcome of “Children collaborate with others, express ideas and make meaning using a range of media and communication technologies” (DEEWR, 2011, p. 40).
- 7. AREAS ASSESSED • Enabling children to express meaning using photography and other digital resources • Opportunities to join in children’s play and leisure activities and co-construct materials. • Collaboration with children to record the shared activities undertaken. • Integration of technologies into children’s play and leisure experiences, projects and routines? • Encouraging the use of technologies between children, and children and educators • Awareness of protocols about use of communication technologies IDENTIFIED AREAS OF NEED • Enabling children to express meaning using photography and other digital resources • Collaboration with children to record the shared activities undertaken. • Encouraging the use of technologies between children, and children and educators
- 8. TRANSFORMING NEEDS TO STRENGTHS • Enabling children to express meaning using photography and other digital resources Daily photographer role taken on by children. Children print selected photos and add these to a student recording wall • Collaboration with children to record the shared activities undertaken. Weekly program and records contained a ‘student voice’ section where students could have input into matters that affected them. • Encouraging the use of technologies between children, and children and educators Protocols about internet safety and computer usage created/ add to by children and staff. Reading books using technology
- 9. PUTTING THE PUZZLE PIECES TOGETHER The inclusion of digital technologies affected student engagement in tasks generally not for greater amounts of time but rather their level of enthusiasm for completing a task. Observations of the „photographer role‟ showed that students were eagerly asking to engage with the technology, using it for a short time and then apply the technology usage to a shared communication wall, which then acted as a discussion initiator between staff and other students. The act of using technology appeared to be greatly associated with verbal communication and playfulness based on the technology. Research by Merchant (2010, p. 136) shows that when educators value and incorporate technology into their life worlds it adds to students‟ social integration and learning. The current project complimented this research by finding that the integration of the technology moved beyond the act of physically engaging with the technology and created a culture of discussion and excitement.
- 10. FEEDBACK Due to starting a job in a primary school I have been unable to receive feedback at this time. Wednesday afternoon I will be returning to the service to show and explain the results and my findings. At this time I hope to gain feedback from the director and leave feedback forms with staff for me to collect at a later date. During the study the staff and children were very positive towards the research and were willing participants, I feel that this is a reflection of my professionalism within the practice and this will be basis from which I will base my initial thoughts of how my feedback may look.
- 11. CONTINUAL PROGRESS I feel this research has allowed me to identify some of the potential affordances of using technology. Although the setting the research took place in was relatively informal, I feel that the social and academic aspects within the research remain to be similar in a formal classroom setting. Technology is something that is valued and continually reassessed in my school. With access to laptops, IWB and IPads I feel that the research I have conducted will be the beginning of my successful integration of technologies into my classroom. My continuing research question that will guide my future research within the formal setting of a classroom is; how can teachers create learning opportunities using multiple modes of meaning making to guide students toward the design of social futures within a global society? I intend on doing this through research of technology integration, being a part of the literacy group at my school community which looks at technology usage as a part of literacy learning and by reflecting on my own actions within my classroom.
- 12. REFERENCES Images sourced from Google images Ary, D., Jacobs, C., & Sorenson, C. (2010). Research approaches in education. In Introduction to research in education (8th ed.) (pp. 22-42). Retrieved from eReserve. Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments. (2011). My time, our place: Framework for school age care in Australia. Retrieved from http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-ResourcesKit/my_time_our_place_framework_for_school_age_care_in_australia.pdf Australian Government: National Health and Medical Research Council (2007). National statement on ethical conduct in human research. Retrieved from http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/e72_national_statement_may_2013_update.pdf Guy, Merchant. (2010). 3D virtual worlds as environments for literacy learning. Educational Research, (52)2, 135-150. DOI: 10.1080/00131881.2010.482739 Jacobs, G. (2013). Multi, digital, or technology? Seeking clarity of teaching through a clarity of terms. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 57(2), 99-103. doi:10.1002/JAAL.227 Kervin, L., Vialle, W., Herrington, J., Okely, T. (2006). Mapping the research process. In Research for educators (pp. 12-24). Australia: Cengage Learning. MacNaughton, G. & Hughes, P. (2009). Doing action research in early childhood settings: A step by step guide. New York: McGraw Hill Open University Press. Park, S. (2012) Dimensions of digital media literacy and the relationship with social exclusion. Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture & Policy, 142. 87-100. Retrieved from Ebsco Host. Pollard, A. (Ed.) (1996). Readings for reflective teaching in the primary school. London: Cassell Education. Reynolds, P., & Chiu, M. (2013). Formal and informal context factors as contributors to student engagement in a guided discovery-based program of game design learning, Learning, Media and Technology, 38(4), 429-462. doi: 10.1080/17439884.2013.779585 Rosaen, C., & Terpstra, M. (2012). Widening Worlds: Understanding and teaching new literacies. Studying Teacher Education: A journal of self-study of teacher education practices, 8(1), 35-49. doi:10.1080/17425964.2012.657015 Rouse, L. (2012). Reflective practice: A handbook for early childhood educators. Australia: Teaching Solutions.