Information and Communication
Technology
BA (QTS) Primary Education 2010 - 2013
Kayleigh Billins
Year Two
Year Three
Notes
Within our first session we learnt how digital photography could be used within primary
teaching. Exploring different pieces of software we took part in tasks such as creating a
wanted poster, an ID card and editing a picture to make our own pictures look like pirates. To
create these pieces of work we used the software Microsoft word, Test Ease and Colour
magic. When told this in the introductory part of the session I had only heard of Microsoft
Word so a lot of information was new to me. But never the less I enjoyed the session and
learnt a lot leaving it feeling confident that I could now use the basics of each program if
needed within a classroom.
Through the session I realised how useful cameras can be within a classroom. Simply because you can adapt the
activities depending on the age of the children. For example a young class could take pictures on a field trip and simply
colour in a field map supplied by the teacher and older children could take pictures, editing them for poster or something
to that effect. The only fault, I thought within the use of digital cameras in a primary school would be the cost. Digital
cameras can be very expensive so if used within a class of young pupils it would have to be carried out with a lot
supervision which could lead to difficulties when teaching. Therefore disposable cameras may be a better idea simply
because they are a lot cheaper.
I also learnt within this session that you have to be extremely careful when taking pictures of the children. Before this
can take place you have to send home a letter of consent asking for the parents permission to undergo this task. Even
then, you really should avoid displaying these images with the names of the children directly by them. Also the photos
must strictly be kept in the classroom.
Lastly , the software I enjoy the most was definitely colour magic, I really liked the idea that you could change the level
at which it was set depending on what aged children you were teaching and also think its a good opportunity for
children's imagination to shine.
Within our second session we learnt how to use presentation software to enhance our lessons as teachers.
Many of us within the class already had previous experience with PowerPoint but still reviewed how to use
different tools and enter objects such as images and sound into the slides. When I entered this session I
felt rather confident on PowerPoint but by the end of it I felt a lot more confident as I learnt more about how
I would use it within a classroom environment.
Throughout the session I learnt how presentation software could be useful not only to teach the children but also to use as
a general resource. One of the main concepts we concentrated on was learning how to hyperlink from page to page. This
was useful when creating resources such as mazes and games which can enrich children’s learning. These resources
could be used within the classroom as either just a game for fun (for example catch the smiley face game) or an
educational game (answering questions on something they have just learnt). (An example of one of these games is shown
below). The lesson also reiterated the points that are key when using Power Point . A few of these being only using bullet
points, avoiding wordiness by using key words and phrases and lastly include 4-5 main points per slide. These key points
are extremely important when constructing a presentation as it can effect how much is learnt and retained. This lesson
was beneficial as it gave my ideas which I could use within a classroom situation.
During Key Stage 2 PowerPoint is particularly important as the children are required to know how to
develop and refine ideas by bringing together, organising and reorganising text, tables, images and sound as appropriate
[for example, desktop publishing, multimedia presentations] However, this isn’t the only part of the curriculum which the
presentation software helps teach. It also provides the skills for the children to be sensitive to the needs of the audience
and think carefully about the content and quality when communicating information [for example, work for presentation to
other pupils, writing for parents, publishing on the internet]. After reviewing the lesson and linking it to the National
Curriculum it became clearer that PowerPoint may be beneficial for Key Stage 1 but would cover more of Key Stages 2’s
statutory guidelines.
Within session three we discussed the world on the web
(information literacy) and how it can have both advantages and
disadvantages when using it as a teaching resource. This lesson
was more of a discussion between the group exchanging our own
experiences of how the web has been used effectively and not so
effectively. We all have access to the internet and use it on a
regular basis so therefore had a lot of knowledge when
approaching this topic.
Although I knew the majority of the information taught to us during the lesson I still learnt a lot
when it came to information literacy within a classroom environment. A great example of this would
be mistakes when using the search engine ‘Google’. I already understood that inappropriate
images and unsuitable information could be found but will ensure I search for this before a lesson
so it isn’t displayed to the children I am teaching within a lesson. The lesson also made me more
aware of safety when using the internet with young children and how important it is for not only the
computers to be filtered but for the children to be taught how to use the internet sensibly.
As part of the National Curriculum it is required that the children learn how to share
and exchange information in a variety of forms, including e-mail [for example, displays, posters,
animations, musical compositions]. Learning how to use IGoogle and Delicious taught me how I
would achieve this point within the Curriculum.
The main focus of this lesson was to explore how effective Interactive
Whiteboards can be within the classroom environment, discussing whether
they will enhance learning or become a downfall of a lot of teachers lessons.
Throughout my school experience the Interactive Whiteboard wasn’t used a lot
which for a few days confused me and left me wondering why it was even in
the classroom. Was the teacher not using it because she wasn’t aware of how
to use the software required to work it or was it out of choice? Once talking to
her it became clear that she was very unsure when it came to the interactive
whiteboards possibilities and uses.
When exploring different websites which have interactive whiteboard games on I found that a lot of them could be
done within the classroom without the need of the whiteboard. One example of this would be a simple counting
activity (hyperlinked below). An activity like this doesn’t necessarily need to be taught through the use of IT but could
be taught with objects and become more interactive and hands on by getting the children to count out for example
sweets or marbles. However activities such as Home Technology since 1948 (hyperlink shown below) are effective
because they use technology that wouldn’t otherwise be available or accessible to some children. After looking
through a variety of activities which can be used on an interactive whiteboard it became clear that they can be an
effective teaching resource when used correctly. It does seem that some teachers don’t use the technology to best of
it’s ability only showing videos on it or displaying the register which isn’t really an benefit to the children. (videos can
be projected without the interactive whiteboard ). So in reflection I would definitely use the interactive whiteboard in
school because it can be used for a variety of activities which can help teach and stimulate the children’s learning but I
would always ensure that there are other methods and resources to hand to ensure it’s being learnt and taught
thoroughly.
Throughout this lesson we were shown different Toys, floor and screen turtles which could be
used within an Early Years setting. The floor turtle which I found most interesting was the BeeBot because whilst I was at primary school my school used the Roamer (shown on the right).
Seeing the Bee-Bot was very interesting because there had been such a change.
The teaching points that stood out most about this lesson is the terminology which can be
learnt when using the floor turtles. The link to mathematics is massive as it teaches children
to think about distance travelled and angles in which the turtle needs to turn in order to make
a quarter, half or three quarter turn. I learnt that introducing this terminology through games
using the floor turtles can be very beneficial with young children because they are learning a
lot without even realising which in some cases can be effective. I did find that a lot of
devices such as the walkie-talkies didn’t seem to teach much directly but could be used
within play as part of role play which is greatly emphasised within the Early Years setting.
Throughout Early Years it is expected that children will be able to Find out about and identify the uses of everyday
technology and use information and communication technology and programmable toys to support their learning. This
prepares the children for Key Stage 1 where it is required of them to develop their ideas and make things happen. Under
this part of the curriculum it directly states that throughout this key stage children should learn how to plan and give
instructions to make things happen [for example, programming a floor turtle, placing instructions in the right order]. As this
is a direct requirement I found the lesson and my research informed me how best to use Early Years toys when teaching.
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Throughout this lesson we were informed about the importance of Early Years
software and how it is used to enhance children’s learning and improve their
cognitive development. During the lesson we explored software with particular
attention to Tizzy’s First Tools, Bee-Bot and 2Simple. I had never come across
these software packages before which meant I gained a lot from the lesson.
Whilst exploring the Bee-Bot software it became apparent that the benefits are very similar to the actual Bee-Bot itself.
Within the software, you can program a virtual Bee-Bot to move around a mat. The program allows users to watch the
movements from a range of angles including the perspective of the moving Bee-Bot. The software also allows the user
to add virtual 3D objects to the mats. It is great to use in conjunction with an interactive white board. This may be a
cheaper option within a classroom environment and if each child has access to a computer would ensure that they are
getting equal opportunities to learn from the Bee-Bot because everyone would could have a go for an equal amount of
time. However, some children may not gain as much from just sitting on the computer because it is not as hands on.
Whilst exploring Tizzy’s First Tool’s software I found that the graph making tool was rather useful and could be used to
explain the basics of graphs to young children. It was extremely easy to use so wouldn’t overwhelm children too much
if they were introduced to graphs through this particular software.
Tizzy’s Tool Box in particular works to achieve the goal of the children being able to use text, tables, images and
sound to develop their ideas. This is linked directly with Mathematics 2 – Processing, representing and interpreting
data. Using this Early Years software is extremely useful as it teaches these requirements in an enjoyable way.
The aims of this session were to understand exactly hat modelling meant, the progression of these
activities in the Primary school itself and how to use specific modelling software such as Excel. I was
familiar with Excel as I had to use it a lot as part of Business at GCSE but wasn’t aware how this
could be used to teach children within primary schools and further their intellectual development.
When working on Excel i learnt a lot of short cuts when inputting data and how you can easily get the software to do
the work for you by simply entering a formula into a cell and highlight the cells which are needed in the calculation.
For example when I wanted to add an entire column together I entered =SUM(M6:M11) into a cell below and it
calculated the total cost for me. I believe children learning this will challenge their way of thinking and be a challenge
to start with but when it is broken down it is rather simple and easy to pick up. Once I realised this I became very
confident using the program and it saved a lot of time where calculations were concerned. When creating my model
within Excel I decided to base it upon the costs of luxuries at a school disco. Asking the children to make sure they
stick to a budget whilst thinking logically about what would be needed would be great as it is encouraging skills which
are needed in day to day life to survive. The hyperlink below shows this model.
It became clear how just how important this lesson was when looking at the National Curriculum as it
made me realise what a big part modelling and simulations play within both Key Stage 1 and 2. Throughout both it is
required for the children to enter and store information in a variety of forms [for example, storing information in a
prepared database, saving work] and to also use simulations and explore models in order to answer 'What if ... ?'
questions, to investigate and evaluate the effect of changing values and to identify patterns and relationships [for
example, simulation software, spreadsheet models].
Throughout this lesson we were taught what Logo was
and how to insert different sequences to change the
shape, colour and size of the pattern. I had never seen
this software before and was not sure how it would
benefit children within a classroom environment so
learnt quite a lot during this lesson.
Throughout this lesson I learnt that the software, Logo is an extremely useful tool when teaching
Mathematics within Primary schools. It is often said that this program promotes constructivist learning
because children can learn from the ideas they are inputting the outcomes they directly see. Not only
this but they can also see the effects of evaluating and changing their ideas. When looking at the areas
of focus within the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1, Logo covers quite a few points under the
umbrella named reviewing, modifying and evaluating and it progresses. Within Key Stage 2 Logo can be
used to teach children how to create, test, improve and refine sequences of instructions to make things
happen and to use simulations and explore models in order to answer 'What if ... ?' questions, to
investigate and evaluate the effect of changing values and to identify patterns and relationships [for
example, simulation software, spreadsheet models].
Throughout this session we discussed the uses of data bases and why they are needed. Not only did we discuss
these points but discussed how they worked, explored different websites and data bases to find out for ourselves
and discussed how they worked. One example of a data base which we explored was the CIA website.
When learning about data bases it was extremely interesting to see just how much can be stored within one
database. For example on the CIA website there is information about every country such as it’s population. Data
bases can also be taught along side Excel because it is a program which is great for data bases. We collectively
looked through one database which was created in Excel which was very easy to navigate and would be good for
the children to explore. They would not only be gaining understanding of the program but also thinking of criteria in
which they want to narrow the data base down by.
Whilst looking at the National Curriculum it became clear that data bases are extremely important and
must be taught. After using Excel and exploring a data base on it myself I believe this to be a great package to use
with the children because it would ensure that they can enter and store information in a variety of forms [for
example, storing information in a prepared database, saving work] which is require of them in Key Stage 1 and how
to prepare information for development using ICT, including selecting suitable sources, finding information,
classifying it and checking it for accuracy [for example, finding information from books or newspapers, creating a
class database, classifying by characteristics and purposes, checking the spelling of names is consistent] which is
required within Key Stage 2
I was unable to attend this lesson due to illness but was told exactly what was done in the lesson by another
student. Throughout the lesson they studied how to be creative using ICT by exploring different programs such as
Colour Magic and Microsoft Paint. They created a post card using information they had researched themselves
and then created a piece of artwork in a similar style. Chris Barwell sent me an example of his work he created
which is hyperlinked below. They also focused on different music softwares which could be used within a primary
school environment. Within the lesson they mainly focused on the manipulation of sound after using a
microphone as the input.
After finding out about this lesson it became clear that the programs used could not only be used to re-create
work for an art lesson but could also be used as a cross-curricular activity. You could for example concentrate on
the history of artists and compare it to modern day art work. This further suggesting that the programs have
greater use than just for art but also for lessons such as history.
The music software would be extremely useful when teaching music lessons as key words such as pitch and tone
could be taught more easily because there would be a direct example of the children's voices to use.
Noland Research
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Useful Websites
http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/ - internet safety for children
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/ - interactive whiteboard resources
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/ict.html - ICT resources
http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/search/results/nav%3A46
399%20%22ict%22%20args%3Asource%3Dlucene?solrsort=score%20
desc – National Strategies for ICT
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Annotated Bibliography

https://www.cia.gov/index.html - This is a direct example of a large data base which is known around
the world.
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http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/ict/index.php?category_id=334&s=!B121cf29d70ec8a3d54a333
43010cc2 – This shows the Early Years goals with direct links to ICT showing how you can cover and
ensure the goals are achieved.
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http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/subjects/ict/keystage1/index.aspx - Whilst further
researching each lesson I used the National Curriculum. I not only looked for direct links between the
lesson and the curriculum but also looked briefly at cross-curricular opportuities.
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School Experience
• Throughout school experience 1a I didn’t see Power Point used much at all. It was called upon
once for a Hinduism presentation on Divali which followed all the previous points I just
discussed and contained a lot of pictures which I felt helped the children understand the
narrative a lot more. The children had one computer in the room which was rarely used.
However, when it was in use it was clear that there was a web filter in place as they were
restricted from using certain websites. Within the schools ICT suit (based in the library) there
were only 8 computers which made it impossible for a class to have ICT at the same time which
did seem to put teachers off because it meant they had to split the class and plan two separate
lessons.
• Within school experience 1b it seems that ICT is used a lot more. The children have access to
three computers within the classroom which are used on a regular bases and are often taught
using IT such as the interactive whiteboard and visualiser. The visualiser in particular interests
me because it project the children's work onto the board so the class can collectively evaluate
each others work which I believe to be extremely important. Within this schools ICT each child
had access to a computer as there were 30 in total. This meant the class could be taught ICT
collective and at the same time have access to a computer without having to share.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to say a big thank you to Bob Hopkins
for all his help not only as an ICT teacher but as my
personal tutor !!!!!
Thank you to Chris Barwell for explaining exactly
what I had missed in session 10 and providing me
with examples of the work he had done within the
lesson!
Lastly, thanks to Dean Knowles who walked to
every lesson with me and helped me throughout
each lesson!
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The National Curriculum
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1)
2)
3)
4)
The National Curriculum itself is split up into four strands which then have more refined goals. These four
strands are as follows:
Finding things out
Developing ideas and making things happen
Exchanging and sharing information
Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses
During key stage 1
 Pupils explore ICT and learn to use it confidently and with purpose to achieve specific outcomes.
 They start to use ICT to develop their ideas and record their creative work. They become familiar with
hardware and software.
During key stage 2
 Pupils use a wider range of ICT tools and information sources to support their work in other subjects. They
develop their research skills and decide what information is appropriate for their work.
 They begin to question the plausibility and quality of information. They learn how to amend their work and
present it in a way that suits its audience.
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Internet Safety
 When using the internet it is extremely important to stay safe because there are a lot of
risks and dangers whilst using it. As children become exposed to different websites and
social networks certain safety precautions need to be taken to ensure they do not put
themselves in danger. Throughout primary school children will use the internet in a safe
environment as the school will have a filter in place which can prevent the children from
accessing certain websites. However, web filtering may not be in place at all computers
they come in contact with so it is very important that children know how to be safe when
using the internet.
 Within Primary schools it is essential they have an ICT or e-safety policy which all
pupils, parents and staff members are aware of.
 Popular websites such as Google and Youtube do have safety modes
(http://www.google.co.uk/familysafety/) if parents want to ensure their children are
safe using the internet. Parents may not always do this so it is highly important and
encouraged by the government that children learn how to stay safe online. The BBC
recommend ‘Top Five Ways To Stay Safe Online’
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/onlinesafety/
 The first UK internet safety strategy was Click Clever, Clever Safe starting 2011 http://www.ceop.police.uk/Documents/UKCCIS_Strategy_Report.pdf
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Google, censorship and China

The censorship of China is is run by the PRC’s ruling party (it’s Communist party).

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The censorship that runs throughout China not only restricts them from viewing certain information
from the internet but also censors all media capable of reaching a wide audience. A few examples
of these would be
Television
Radio
Theatre

Many websites are blocked from within the country such as Facebook and Youtube.

However, it was later decided that the websites including Youtube and Google could be re-opened
but with certain restrictions. In China the Google web address is Google.cn which follows China’s
set rules for what is allowed to be shown.

During April 2009 it was decided that Youtube would become completely unavailable within China.

IT has been suggested that China’s internet censorship forces the online population to become
reliant on its own e-commerce industry.
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Virtual Learning Environments
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Virtual learning environments are extremely useful for a number of reasons which is why they are so
popular and used throughout many schools.
The main uses for the environment are as follows:
For teachers to share resources between themselves because they can limit who sees the information
they upload
For teachers to share resources with children because they broadcast resources to all viewers and
users.
Children can also hand work in using the virtual learning environments which means children do not
have to travel into school if ill or unable to attend.
Teachers can also mark work and return the grades via the environments which would previously have
to be done either by post or done in person. This is extremely useful for places such as Universities
who have students which may live far away
It also creates a space in which staff and students can contact each other which live updates and
discussion boards.
Lastly, groups can be created within the virtual learning environment which means certain people can
be selected to see certain information which makes group discussions viable.
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