Trainees-digital Cameras In The Classroom

Trainees: digital cameras in the classroom

Background to case-study This case-study highlights the impact on trainees’ practice at the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) which covers the 3–7 year age group and primary provision. LDBS received TDA funding for information and communications technology (ICT) in initial teacher training (ITT) projects in 2006/07 and 2007/08. The board is a comparatively small SCITT (c 30 trainees; 10 trainers mostly part-time) with a large catchment area, drawing trainees from across Greater London. They described the TDA funding as ‘crucial’ in enabling them to supply digital camera equipment. The use of digital cameras (still and video) in combination with laptops enabled trainees to have an impact in classrooms independent of technology within the school. This case-study examines ubiquitous technology and its role in providing both portable and flexible ICT, enabling LDBS to engage both trainees and trainers in ICT. In turn, this allowed the SCITT to lay the foundations of a longer-term strategy quickly. The case-study also illustrates the ways new services and software – collectively known as Web 2.0 – were used to promote communication and track student progress.

Impact This case description looks at the impact of digital cameras and related peripheral equipment on trainees, teacher trainers, the organisation, and the sustainability of the project in terms of:

• Scope: how do you get a critical mass of people participating in the programme and changing practice? • Depth: how do you position the projects to impact on the classroom environment and challenge different contexts, beliefs and attitudes? • Transfer of ownership: how do you encourage participants to take ownership of the technology and intervention? View: the video case-study. Download: the full research report; the executive summary.

Attitudes towards ICT There was a transformation in some initially reluctant trainees’ attitudes towards using ICT in teaching practice.

In their own words ‘From a personal point of view I actually was terrified of going in and using [ICT before beginning the course] but I’m not now. The embarrassment of actually losing the thing you were looking for on the web or whatever in front of the children is actually gone.’ ‘[ICT has] made my life easier, just being able to use different programmes, doing all the planning on the computer. I mean, I was computer literate to a degree but I’m so much more into it now… I was absolutely petrified of it. Now I’m not.’

Impacts on trainees’ practice The use of the digital cameras gave trainees a broader understanding of what ICT is (ie, beyond laptops) and how it can be used in the classroom. The use of ubiquitous technology was effective in terms of enabling instant access to technology that worked independently of school-based systems. ‘[Cameras] are so versatile… I think one of the issues in relating ICT to teacher training is that teachers can’t initially see the curriculum and pedagogical value in it. If you can stand up and talk to them about making a book [with digital photographs] instantly, every teacher in this country can see that that is a good idea. So that’s a hook.’ The use of cameras presents ICT in a different light and feeds into the images versus text dialogue around the use of digital media. Initially, the creative use of digital media was exploited, rather than its information transmission function. Visuals are instantly accessible and motivating for pupils, especially young children, which meant that their adoption by trainees was almost instantaneous. ‘As a one-year PGCE SCITT, students arrive with mixed e-confidence but almost always, unless a former teaching assistant, etc, they have limited understanding of the pedagogy related to using ICT in teaching and learning. I noted that the availability of the equipment to learn about in their own time and use at will made a difference with those students who were determined to be successful.’ ‘It can have a fairly quick impact on learning, on the trainees’ ability to be creative in their teaching in that they can take photographs and download them, get them up on screen for children, and get a sort of ‘awe and wonder’ response. That is quite powerful and it breeds confidence.’ ‘Our trainees go into school with an expectation that they will not only need to be creative thinkers and teachers but also that they should use ICT in all its forms as an

integral part of that. And it’s a very marketable skill from their point of view because they need to be ICT-creative.’ Trainees felt that they were at the ‘cutting edge’ of ICT practice and used it to develop cross-curricular approaches to learning. They used digital photography for a range of purposes, including assessment and selfevaluation. They used other tools such as easy scopes in science. The use of such gadgets and tools was said to ‘open up science’ and further extend their understanding of the potential benefits of using ICT in the classroom. The use of ubiquitous technology demonstrated to trainees how ICT could be placed at the centre of education: Having the tools available to them at any time allowed for ‘play’ and developing ideas and confidence beyond the lecture room, giving them the ability to try out ideas in a classroom that may not have used ICT before. In some cases the use of cameras by children and students was innovative and allowed them to engage in developing 21st century literacies. Some trainees used them to make their own individual resources, which led to more sustained impact and resource sharing. Imaginative use of ICT engaged trainees – ‘‘It’s just instilled an enthusiasm: you want to know more” – and engendered curiosity and interest, which was echoed in their use of blogs and wikis to communicate with each other. Mentors and trainers were able to access these online applications which trainees also used for uploading or sharing content and resources, social networking, and sharing knowledge and ideas among peers. ‘Trainees are having learning dialogues and they can do that in a whole range of ways with ICT that they couldn’t do without it.’ ‘This year, because they have all got a laptop, they are sitting there with it open and then making their notes against [the lesson plan]. During a session for lots of the time they are actually looking at the wiki… they are engaging at their level.’ ‘We’ve been allowed to play around with the equipment.’

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Impacts on trainers Trainers considered that they were both more competent and better informed about the potential use of ICT in education through involvement in the TDA-funded projects. They concluded that ICT needed to be integrated into existing pedagogies: ‘You use [ICT] to enhance but not necessarily to replace hands-on [engagement].’ They also felt that ICT had enabled closer monitoring of student progress and improved overall communication. Trainers were able to maintain direct links with students through email and wiki discussion boards. There was a real benefit for trainers in being able to track progress and intervene where necessary: ‘This was a real step forward from previous years.’ Trainers involved in the project were able to model ‘good practice’ in ICT through the use of cameras in early years teaching. Cameras were introduced as a reflective tool for trainees and as a means of helping young children to recall an activity. Through this process, trainees became aware of the technology’s potential as a teaching and learning tool. ‘I think as a staff we’ve come a long way because we can’t be talking to the trainees… about cameras and VLEs if the staff aren’t modelling its use a) as integral to our own teaching, and b) as a model of how they can use it.’ ‘It’s got to slot in as just one of your range of approaches – that’s been a very big impact on staff.’

Impacts on trainees’ interaction with pupils Trainees’ increased enthusiasm and engagement in learning was linked in part with their greater use of ICT. The use of cameras gave an instant return for children, reflecting Prensky’s (2001) association of ‘digital natives’ with ‘images first versus text first and pay-off versus patience’. A trainee noted that children loved to use cameras, which engaged them immediately in learning through giving them instant feedback:

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‘It’s about immediacy… How powerful photographs are for recall for young children. Children begin to talk in sentences and use vocabulary that they haven’t used before – very young children as well. The students aren’t expecting that idea pedagogically.’ Cameras also allowed trainees and teachers an additional and efficient means of recording children’s work and showing it to parents: ‘You can actually demonstrate progression very easily to parents using the software.’

Impact on the organisation Adapting pedagogy in order to accommodate or make best use of ‘new’ technologies Using ICT increased the organisation’s versatility and added value through enhancing both pedagogy and the curriculum. Schoolcentred initial teacher training (SCITT) was reinvigorated through the TDA-funded projects. It refreshed programme delivery which, according to senior staff, had been getting stale, making it more interactive, flexible and responsive to the needs of a modern curriculum. ‘It’s completely revitalised [us]. It’s revitalised that strand of our training that was quite dull, but it’s also revitalised the training overall and the cohesion because we do so much more cross-curricularly.’

Changing the culture The application of ubiquitous ICT to teacher education led to the creation of a new ethos and a new approach to learning and teaching that was more exciting – ‘much more themcentred’ – and ‘sharpened up delivery’ by using of range of new gadgets and software that led to a reappraisal of existing approaches and methods. ‘It is part of a progression through from [the programme manager] first grabbing the money and getting something that would be really practical… It was a quick win, creating an atmosphere where ‘we use ICT here’.’

‘It’s made us all less chalk and talk. It’s that dialogue again.’

In their own words Early immersion

Using new ICT approaches animated areas such as science where trainees were often said to be weak: ‘In many ways making science as accessible as possible.’ ‘We have adopted a hands-on plus approach. The tools and methodology are very much the same as before but cross-curricular links are easier. For example, we linked physical aspects of science to dance when looking at forces.’

‘From week 1 when we introduce them to the cameras I send them off to take five pictures that tell a story. So they have to go into school straight away taking certainly still photographs, so the first impact is that they can actually go into school and do some ICT from day 1.’ ‘It’s not so much the equipment. It’s the confidence because we throw them in on day 1 and say “Get on with it”.’

Coordinating support for learning Link to assessment and self-evaluation The use of wikis and blogs led to more efficient communication and support. Both trainers and trainees found it easier to keep track of their progress and identify and provide for training needs: ‘We’re researching different aspects of the curriculum to bring into our teaching, and by doing that and by putting it onto the wiki or telling friends about it, we’re actually spreading the knowledge about good sites.’ ‘The wiki is an informal formative assessment tool.’

How it was done The ubiquitous nature of the technology used ensured that it was easy to use straight ‘out of the box’, allowing trainees and trainers to concentrate on the pedagogical application of technology rather than having to work out how to use the technology itself. The use of the technology was legitimised by the trainers’ expectation that it would be used centrally as part of provision.

‘The other thing is straight away it gets them into the realms of using photographic evidence for monitoring and assessment, which is a revelation. But of course in early years, in the nursery and reception, it is absolutely key.’ ‘It’s a really good way of recording evidence.’ ‘It’s also so good for self-evaluation, to watch yourself.’

Broadening expectations ‘They come in frightened to death of computers and discover that ICT doesn’t have to be computers.’

Continuing professional development ‘We did spend some of this grant money on training – you have to go with where people are and what they can do.’

Sustainability • Scope: how do you get a critical mass of people participating in the programme and changing practice? • Depth: how do you position the projects to impact on the classroom environment and in different contexts? • Transfer of ownership: how do you encourage participants to take ownership of the technology?

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The small size of this school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) provider clearly benefited the embedding of the technology. ‘I think being smaller it is easier to keep track of things.’ ‘Being a small SCITT with a small number of tutors – I employ roughly 10 different tutors but only three of them to teach the majority of the sessions – it’s much easier to identify at a very individual level what tutors’ own professional development needs are and to provide for them.’ ‘That’s the other thing about the cameras – they don’t need a lot of technical support… It is a relief also to actually have one thing for every student because it reduces the administration.’ Other factors included:

The fact that they were using technology designed for consumer-level, non-specialist use made it relatively low maintenance in terms of technical support. Communication facilitated through the wiki meant that practice could be shared and a community of users developed. Also important were: • a willingness to take risks and experiment, and • the alignment of the technology with the core needs of individuals and organisations.

Thinking/discussion points What made this particular technology so readily acceptable to trainees, trainers, pupils and organisations?

• The driving enthusiasm of the project leader.

What implications does this have for embedding information and communications technology into organisations?

Depth

Section 2 of the main report has more information in this area.

The ubiquitous nature of the technology that tapped into pupils’ preferred ways of learning made it an immediate success in the classroom and enabled trainees to form new pedagogies. The combination of cameras, laptops and whiteboards supported by Web 2.0 communication tools exploited the utility and versatility of digital images that could be used as both a stimulus for pupils and as a reflective tool for trainees.

Transfer of ownership The non-specialist nature of the technology and its centrality to provision allowed trainees to feel that they owned it from day 1: ‘We all know that the only way to do it is to play with it. So if you can take this digital video camera home and video your own children, you learn to play. What we do is give them ownership of these things.’

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Extract: The social status of a technology relates to the extent to which it has been taken up within wider society and its popular image. This determines the initial acceptability of a technology and the degree to which individuals are familiar with it, factors which were often key in the initiation stages of a project. Certain technologies vary widely in their levels of take-up across different professional and social groups. Different groups can hold very divergent perspectives on whether certain technologies are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, useful or not useful innovations. Such differences in perceived social status are particularly important to the implementation of ubiquitous technologies, rather than those with more specialised educational uses such as visualisers. For example, the differential engagement by teachers and pupils with the video facilities of their mobile phones and the moral panics that have surrounded the sharing of ‘happy slapping’ incidents among pupils indicate how the problematic status of a particular technology can limit its uptake in schools. (p14)

Things to read Digital cameras in education http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/en/Technology/Other-learning-technologies/Digitalcameras/ Using digital media http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/docs/category/finding-and-using-digital-media/ Geo tagging http://www.bioneural.net/2008/03/05/an-abc-of-geotagging-photos-on-the-mac/ Digital geography http://www.digitalgeography.co.uk/archives/tag/geotagging/ Digital photography and literacy http://www.agent4change.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125:manga-andthe-bard&catid=42:bett-2009&Itemid=441 Funky little animation site … literacy development. www.xtranormal.com

Links TDA http://www.tda.gov.uk/ TTRB http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/ Becta http://www.becta.org.uk/nextgenerationlearning.php JISC http://www.jisc.ac.uk/ Innovation Unit http://www.innovation-unit.co.uk/education-experience/next-practice/learningfutures-next-practice-in-learning-and-teaching.html DCSF http://search.dcsf.gov.uk/kbroker/dcsf/dcsf/search/search.lsim?qt=ict&sr=0&nh=10&cs=iso-88591&sc=dcsf&ha=1121 Educause http://www.educause.edu/node/720?time=1237309753 Futurelab http://www.futurelab.org.uk/

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