In Brief
Bringing Film and TV Into The Classroom
I have always really enjoyed TV and films, but not just any TV or Film, I am really into Sci Fi and Crime based Shows such as Criminal Minds, Haven, Sleepy Hollow and Person of Interest. Film wise anything goes really from the really bad to the big blockbusters. As a teacher I have tried to bring this passion for ‘random’ TV and film into school, both in lessons and as an extracurricular club. The use of film and TV in lesson is a great way to demonstrate some of the more abstract concepts we are teaching. For example, I used an episode of a TV show called Blood Ties in order to show the difference between the Id, the Ego and the Super Ego to Year 13 psychology students who were struggling with it. They are also great as discussion starters - I have used films such as Never Let Me Go and The Island to discuss cloning with my PSHE class and the show CyberBully as a way of showing the impact of online bullying. TV is easier for lessons as programmes are usually only 40 minutes long, but either way the students really engage with this stimulus material. @hecticteacher - Teacher of Various Subjects, Norfolk
Removing Barriers I am really interested in using technology for students who cannot access the curriculum or record their work to a standard commensurate with their verbal ability. I’ve shown students how to use speech-to-text and text-to-speech. A tablet can also be transformative, as can concept mapping software. These Assistive Technologies are liberating for students, although sufficient training is vital. Often software is issued, but it remains unused. I sometimes hear “we’ve tried that, it doesn’t work”, but no-one had the skills to help the student. I want to build capacity in schools so there are members of staff who are confident in using the technology and can therefore encourage the students to stick with it. Once learners see its potential they are far more likely to use it consistently. I would also like to see technology integration become ubiquitous. Currently students who are less confident can feel embarrassed. Thankfully, as laptops and other digital devices become more commonplace, this is less of an issue. Giving appropriate technology to those who need it removes barriers. It can help attainment, make a student happier and may even improve attendance. @julesdaulby - SEN Teacher, Dorset 08 UKED Magazine
I began using Twitter to communicate with students in January 2012. It was initially an experiment to see if there was any value or worth in using social media to promote learning with students. I discussed it with my Head of Department, who mentioned it to our departmental line manager. There were a few brief discussions, but as it became clear I knew what I was talking about and had considered the implications, potential risks and consequences, and I was left to get on with it. Having watched The Social Network and working out I was probably in the first 100,000 Facebook users in 2004, and having used Twitter personally for several years, I was fully aware of the power (and the dangers) of such social networking tools; I had, in many respects, grown up as an adult with this networking. It has changed our lives socially and professionally; how can it be best utilised for our students too? I liked the idea that on Twitter students would ‘follow’ and not be ‘friends’, that everything was transparent and could be checked by any member of my SLT. They could see my interactions, everything was public and could be read by anyone. There was also the great power of the retweet! However, without a set of guidelines or policy, advice or even really having an ‘in school’ sounding board, I needed some kind of personal framework. I spent a lot of time considering how I would utilise Twitter. It is also important that you never forget the risks, and that you are always aware of what you are tweeting and to who. I devised a little reminder to myself and to share with others (it’s RE themed, naturally...); The 10 Commandments of Tweets with Students 1 - Don’t use your personal account for school; don’t use your school account for personal. 2 - Don’t follow students back [News about Justin Bieber is widely available elsewhere!]. 3 - Don’t just endlessly RT [It’s boring and misses your chance to be personal]. 4 - Don’t just RT without checking [you need to read it and make sure it is suitable in content]. 5 - Don’t be available 24/7 [It’s okay to take some time off as a teacher]. 6 - Don’t DM students [The good thing about Twitter is that it is very transparent]. 7 - Don’t use long, boring hashtags - it’s not cool [Do add inconspicuous subject tags though – i.e. #REteacher #REchatUK] 8 - Don’t just post links [Why should I click on it? Who is it of interest to?] 9 - Don’t assume that just because you tweeted it, and students follow you, that they’ll read it. 10 - Don’t be a boring tweeter - sometimes it okay to say something a little fun!