The issue of internet safety is a constantly changing topic, and it can be hard to keep on top of new apps, trends and dangers. Although I am a confident user of social media and follow websites such as BBC News and Reddit, I have found that it is useful to be subscribed to a few newsletters from organisations which work on e-safety issues. They help me to keep on top of campaigns, policy and legislation, as well as providing resources and practical ideas for teaching.
These include: The CASPAR (current awareness service for practice, policy and research) newsletter from the NSPCC Subscribe here: www.nspcc.org.uk/services-and-resources/research-and-resources/sign-up-to-caspar The E-Safety Support newsletter Subscribe here: www.e-safetysupport.com The Childnet newsletter Subscribe here: www.childnet.com/resources/esafety-and-computing The UK Safer Internet Centre newsletter Subscribe here: www.saferinternet.org.uk One way that these newsletters have been useful has been finding out about the Disrespect NoBody campaign through a recent CASPAR newsletter. This campaign focuses on positive and healthy relationships, and teaches young people to recognise the signs of control and abuse. There is some great information on sexting and explicit online content, and resources which could help me to teach students about the dangers of sharing messages and photos. Although a lot of the content is more suitable for secondary school students, the ideas of consent, personal space and the rights of individual are crucial for every age. The message that 'there is a person attached to every body' could easily be adapted for younger children. More about the campaign can be found here: www.disrespectnobody.co.uk
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During a tutorial today, we discussed a few e-safety resources that I could use in the classroom.
My favourite two resources were: www.kidrex.org - A 'kid friendly' search engine which does not accept adult search terms, and only produces child-orientated websites as results. This could be used in school, and recommended to parents. It would help to ensure e-safety during research lessons, and could be implemented across a whole school. 'Being Respectful Online' - video advice for children in KS2, explaining how to be 'polite and friendly' on the internet, and how to avoid any potential issues. I do not like the use of the word 'naughty', but it is nice to see some online content which explains to children that they also have a responsibility online. Most e-safety content relates to issues such as grooming, privacy and bullying, and it is refreshing to see something different.
I have just spent a week in KS3, observing lessons across the curriculum and learning about transition from KS2. This week included a whole day observing Computing lessons from Year 7 to 11, and completing the Hour of Code qualification. We have also had the opportunity to speak to the subject lead about the transition days provided for local primary schools, which include drap-and-drop coding games, use of Microbits and an e-safety session.
The school tries to ensure that every child leaves with a qualification in Computing; either a GCSE, BTEC or ECDL. Computing is a timetabled lesson for every child from years 7-9, and many of children will opt to continue study in KS4. Two large ICT suites, with 35 computers in each, are used for both Computing and cross-curricular lessons. An IT team support the school systems and provide technical support. The school also has a range of other resources, from Raspberry Pi kits to iPads. Google Classroom is used to provide homework tasks and support outside lessons, although this is not in place in every subject area. The Computing lead admits that the level of integration of Computing with other subject areas is still dependent on the confidence and skill-level of teachers in different departments. We observed a great lesson on Microsoft Excel, introducing If algorithms within the context of a shop. Students became shop managers, and could choose which products to sell. They recorded 'sales' within a table, and altered the table so that it would record 'met' or 'not met' if the sales exceeded a certain level. This lesson was engaging because students were able to make their own decisions about products - most picked tracksuits and trainers - and take ownership of sales targets. They then used Microsoft word to write an evaluate of their table and explain what they had learned. Self-assessment was recorded in individual Computing journals, and the teacher could use these to assess understanding at a glance. Although similar to Primary Computing in some ways, it was interesting to see how self-directed the lesson was, and the emphasis on independence. There was an unspoken understanding that the children were already very competent and confident in using the computers, and very little of the task had to be explained. A strong link to literacy was demonstrated in the use of a Key Words wall, and the emphasis on punctuation in the written evaluation. I will try to ensure that my lessons also include a strong link to Literacy, and hopefully Maths. This could be a great way to support core development, within an engaging foundation subject area. I was able to take photos of the displays around the classrooms and corridors. These provide a variety of information and showcase work across all three areas of digital literacy, computer science and information technology. E-Safety advice is prominent, reflecting the enormous amount of work done within the school. Every lesson contains an E-Safety lesson, and each school year is started with a specific unit on staying safe online. We were shown a fantastic video, Can I be your friend? which helps students to understand how abnormal some interaction on social media can be. Another video, Let's Fight it Together! is a powerful exploration of cyber-bulling, and the steps that can be taken to find help. I know that could use these videos with a mature Year 6 class, and will save the resources for the future. Use of videos is a great way to introduce these issues to children - I know from personal experience that simply listening to an adult can seem detached from the realities of life online. Video content is relatable, and children can even watch them again online after the lesson. I was placed with three other trainees, and we were all able to complete the Hour of Code qualification. I have previously seen this within a short placement in a Year 3 class, although the website www.code.org includes resources for children from the Early Years upwards. The qualification is formulated around drag-and-drop coding based on Javascript, and can be completed within several exciting games. These are based on popular films and existing online games, from Moana to Star Wars. I completed my Hour on the Frozen game, which uses code to create snowflake patterns in ice. The game was very intuitive and enjoyable, and I became much more adept over the course of the hour. We are all delighted to receive a certificate at the end, and I now feel much more confident in teaching coding. The hour has also shown me how effective it can be to link popular characters, films or tv shows to potentially tricky topics; engagement is practically guaranteed.
Finally, we got a chance to learn how to use a Micro:bit. These pocket-sized computers can be coded using free online software, and include input buttons, sensors and an LED display. They can be connected to other hardware, including speakers, and used for everything from designing games to playing music. We used the Micro:bits by themselves, to produce simple LED displays. We plugged the device into the USB port of a computer, and used Microsoft Block Editor software to drag-and-drop code elements. After getting to grips with the program, I designed a simple code based on emotions. Children could use the buttons to display a happy, sad or neutral face. I can see how this could be useful with a non-verbal or upset child, and help develop awareness of emotion in others within the EYFS. Another student created a fantastic code which displayed times tables. When the Micro:bit was shaken, the device would display the next number in a times table sequence. I filmed this code in action, and have included the video below with her permission.
Links wwwwclassroom.google.com - Google Classroom www.old.digizen.org/cyberbullying/fullfilm.aspx - Let's Fight it Together film www.microbit.org - Micro:bit resources, coding and e-safety advice www.code.org - Hour of Code Today I solo-taught my first Computing lesson, and focused on e-safety. I adapted a plan that I saw online to create a story based around George, a young hippo who receives a tablet for his birthday but runs into some issues with pop-ups, social media and unkind messages from strangers within a game. The core message running through the lesson was that children should always tell an adult if they are unsure about the internet, or encounter any problems. After listening to the story and discussing the content with their talk partners, the children drew the adult they would ask for help, and some also wrote about this. I was very pleased with this lesson. The children loved the story and were rapt with attention throughout. I brought in a hippo plush toy, and this 'visit from George' helped to bring the story and message to life. Telling the children that George was very shy and nervous about coming to school helped with behaviour management; the class were quiet and conscientious when moving around the room. I employed the technique of encouraging the children to speak to George about his experiences, rather than to me. This seemed to help them to link their experiences with his story, and we got some really interesting work out of the session. The inclusion of a song - 'Before you click, click, click; you've got to think, think, think; and tell somebody quick, quick quick!' helped to consolidate the message, and all children were able to contribute and explain their thinking during the plenary. I was surprised to discover that not all children had used the internet before. Experience ranged from avid Playstation gamers who play online, to four children who claimed to have never used the internet. Most children had some limited experience of the internet, with Cbeebies iPlayer and Youtube as the most recognised and discussed websites. Some mentioned their awareness of social media through parents or siblings. The children do not yet use the tablets or school computers to access educational content online, although this is in the long term planning for next term. I have included below some of my story slides, and some examples of the children's responses. These will expand from the gallery when clicked. Adults that the children picked included parents, the class teacher, the teaching assistant, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles - and myself! There are two other students in my School Direct alliance, and we agreed at the start of GPP that it would be interesting to compare the teaching and learning of computing across our three primary schools. We have been placed in fairly different schools, despite their close proximity in inner-city Manchester. My school (A) is a single-form entry RC primary, whilst the others are CofE (School B) and non-faith (School C). Both of the other schools are two-form entry, and I know from discusion with both students that their schools place a greater emphasis on Computing in the curriculum. Interestingly, School C is my school for FPP, so it has been very interesting to get a taste of my next placement. The other students both conducted an interview with their Computing subject lead, and have posted the responses on their individual blogs. The link to my interview (School A) can be found here. and I have posted the interviews with Schools B and C below. The three interviews provide an interesting mix of ideas, teaching methods and examples of Computing in schools. All schools have access to a computer room and dedicated timetable slots to teach Computing. School C is the only school that does not explicitly teach Computing in EYFS, although it is also the only school where the Computing lead has formal subject-training. The three have some resources in common, especially through the use of iPads and programs such as Scratch. In terms of E-Safety, School B has a great policy which involves a RAG style rating for each lesson. A low-risk activity, such as using Bee Bots, would be flagged to students as 'Green'. There is little or no E-Safety risk. However, independent research on Google would be rated as 'Red'; students are much more likely to run into unsuitable, inappropriate or dangerous content. School C tries to include an E-Safety element in every lesson, which contrasts the experience in my school, where students study a discrete unit of work on this subject. I prefer the approach of Schools B and C, as this should help students to become more aware of the risks of a variety of different activities using tech, and relate E-Safety to real-life experiences. I very much like School B's policy of using computer games as a hook for boys' reading. I have touched on this issue with my post on Minecraft books, but enjoyed learning about this school's week-long intervention using computer games as a storytelling devices. School C makes innovative use of Google Classroom, a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which students can visit at home or in school, to access homework, ask questions, submit work and chat to classmates. I can see how this could be an effective way to engage tech-savvy students in upper-KS2, although I am not sure how this could work with younger children. My school is the only school of the three to use Visualisers, which surprised me. I make a great deal of use of these in lessons, especially to model tasks or celebrate the work of individual children. The other schools do have a greater number of resources and apps available, including Espresso code, Kodu, Purple Mash, Tux Sketchup, Kahoot and Plickers. I am excited about using these resources when I am placed in School C. The other two schools also have a greater number of iPads and computers for children to use, which allows greater integration of Computing across the curriculum. It was great to see that all three schools have a committment to teaching the new Computing curriculum, and have a variety of resources abailable. Although all three admitted that some teachers are not confident or trained in all areas of Computing, especially the Computer Science element, all three schools offer CPD and the Subject Lead is exploring new areas. School B - Inner city CofE primary school, two-form entry. Is computing taught throughout the school? If not, why? Where is it taught? Which year groups? Computing is taught from year 1 upwards. It is taught discretely in Reception. Are all three areas taught with the correct time given to each? (50% CS, 20% IT and 30% DL) Yes. Is the Computing lead specifically trained in Computing? Not officially. Self-taught. What resources does the school have? List apps/software and hardware Software: Purple Mash, Matheletics, Google Sketch up, Art Rage, Sculptris and Scratch. Hardware: Graphic Tablet, laptops and Beebots. How does the school deal with e-safety? The school follows a red, amber, green policy. When students are having a computing lesson the teacher will make reference to which colour it signifies. For example, if the teacher were to do a lesson on Bee Bots then it would be green - low level risk. However, if they were to use Matheletics it would be amber, as the students are on the Internet. When they are researching on Google then it is red. This is because the students are more at risk. How is computing integrated with the rest of the curriculum (core and foundation)? e.g. whiteboard use, iPads, ICT design, robots, websites, search engines. Coding and Networking are taught stand-alone, however everything else is taught cross-curricular. Mathletics is used for Maths and is set as homework. How is computing delivered to ensure all students are engaged and targeted? Esp. G&T, additional needs. To encourage boys to write the school had a computing intervention where the students played video games. This was used as a hook to get them thinking about the story in the game. They became immersed in the game and engaged with the activity. The intervention lasted a week and the students used laptops to type their stories. There are many powerful stories in computer games and I think that this is a great idea to link literacy with computing, whilst also encouraging boys to write. In the past the school have had some students who require a laptop due to dyslexia. Another student needed a Dictaphone. Does the school have a clear commitment to computing and its role as a key skill? Yes. The school have computing assessments at the end of the year. Each year group has a success criteria that they are expected to achieve. The school consider computing the next most important subject below Maths and Literacy. What new applications/innovations have been brought in recently? The school are planning to get a 3D printer. This will allow them to achieve a lot of the criteria set on the National Curriculum It will allow the student's to design, code and create. The school also want to use virtual reality in subjects. The coordinator commented that this would be great if the topic is the Stone Age, as the students will be able to immerse themselves into the world and be surrounded by mammoths. This will give them a better understanding for their topic and engage them with the task. It can also be used to help other subjects. Are teachers enthusiastic about IT? Is there a specialist teacher? Are teachers confident? With all three areas (CS, IT and DL)? Teachers are enthusiastic and confident with teaching IT and DL. On the other hand, they are not so confident when it comes to CS, but that is where the computer lead comes in. He is there to support them and guide them if they need it. Does the school have a social media policy for staff? Can you summarise it? All staff are informed to be sensible online and not post anything about the students or the school. The school also remind the parents of this during assemblies, as the parents can come and watch. The teachers ask parents not to post anything on social media. Would you agree that students - • Could understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science including abstraction, logic, and algorithms and data representation? All students are working towards this objective. • Can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems? All students are working towards this objective. • Can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems? Yes. • Are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology? Yes. School C - Inner-city, non-faith primary school, two-form entry Is computing taught throughout the school? If not, why? Where is it taught? Which year groups? Yes. From Y1 to Y6. Are all three areas taught with the correct time given to each? (50% CS, 20% IT and 30% DL) Yes, for the most part. However, some aspects are covered faster than others. This is taken into account in the planning and teaching of the curriculum. Is the Computing lead specifically trained in Computing? Computing lead has attended and continues to attend CDP courses and session, as well as continuous independent learning to keep knowledge and skills up to date. What resources does the school have? (List apps/software and hardware) Hardware: Tablets, computers in every classroom (3), laptops, cameras, iPads, interactive whiteboards in every room in school (classrooms, hall, music room, etc.), microbits, lego robotics set, beebots. Espresso code, Kodu, Google classroom, Scratch, Purple Mash, Tux Paint, Music toolkit, Garage band, press. powerp google slides, Lego Wedo, Sketchup, Kahoot, Plickers, to name a few. How does the school deal with e-safety? In every lesson there is an element of how to stay safe. E-safety is also addressed in PSHE and in other lessons involving the use of internet. The school also addresses via emails/letters the e-safety issues that arise outside schoo by making children and parents aware of the dangers and how to help their children stay safe. How is computing integrated with the rest of the curriculum (core and foundation)? e.g. whiteboard use, iPads, ICT design, robots, websites, search engines. IPads and interactive whiteboards are used by all teachers in their lessons. Tablets are available for any teacher to u with children in their lessons, children can complete half-term projects (homework) in google classroom/google slides Each class has a blog which is frequently updated by the class teacher with homework, useful links, photos, etc. How is computing delivered to ensure all students are engaged and targeted? Esp. G&T, additional needs. Extensions and more challenging tasks are planned for G&T and due to vast experience teacher is able to adapt teaching to support highl able pupils. For children who struggle, he uses pair work with a more able pupil or a simpler task (only if really necess Does the school have a clear commitment to computing and its role as a key skill? Absolutely, training is made available for teachers who don't feel confident with school's technology, and resources are available and used in other areas of the curriculum. What new applications/innovations have been brought in recently? Lego robotics set, which was sponsored by local companies to support the school in entering a Lego competition at th end of Dec 2016. Are teachers enthusiastic about IT? Is there a specialist teacher? Are teacher confident? With all three areas (CS, IT and DL)? There is a Specialist Teacher who teaches all computing lessons. Teachers' confidence vary in all areas, but the computing lead is always happy to support any staff who lack confidence. Does the school have a social media policy for staff? Can you summarise it? Yes, basically all information regarding pupils and school must be kept confidential and nothing regarding the school should be shared through social media. Teaching staff do not add any parent, carer or pupil on social media. Would you agree that students: a) can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation? Yes, most children. b) can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems? Yes. c) can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems? Yes. c) are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology? Yes, but some find it easier than others. This will form part of my collaborative project with two other students.
GPP Computing Lead Is computing taught throughout the school? If not, why? Where is it taught? Which year groups? Yes, EYFS planning is covered through early learning goals whilst KS1 and KS2 is covered through planning created in partnership with MGL, our ICT partners. Are all three areas taught with the correct time given to each? (50% CS, 20% IT and 30% DL) Yes, the planning has been created in order to ensure the correct balance is in place. Is the Computing lead specifically trained in Computing? No. What resources does the school have? List main apps/software and hardware. Laptops, desktops, iPads, Macs, Scratch, Audacity, Whiteboards, Visualisers, Lego Kits, Makey Makey kits. How does the school deal with e-safety? Each class covers a unit of e-safety during computing lessons. E-safety workshops take place. E-safety policy is in place and is regularly updated. How is computing integrated with the rest of the curriculum (core and foundation)? e.g. whiteboard use, iPads, ICT design, robots, websites, search engines. Use of iPads - strong cross-curricular usage. How is computing delivered to ensure all students are engaged and targeted? Through the level of challenge planned by teachers into each lesson, plus the range of resources available. Does the school have a clear commitment to computing and its role as a key skill? Yes, although this is not always clear due to other priorities. What new applications/innovations have been brought in recently? Art Rage - powerful digital media app. Are teachers enthusiastic about IT? Is there a specialist teacher? Are teacher confident? With all three areas (CS, IT and DL)? Enthusiasm and confidence are mixed across the school. Does the school have a social media policy for staff? Can you summarise it? Yes, basically outlines security settings, whistleblowing and lines of responsibility. Would you agree that students -
I have now completed the Computing Pick n Mix module on Information Technology and Digital Literacy. This particularly focuses upon the use of blogging within schools, with ‘children as publishers’.
As stated on the University Blackboard site, ‘software, apps & tools can help in the process of reflection, critical thinking and demonstration of understanding. Everyone is different so accepting that not all children will be lit up by, for example mind-maps, is important. You need to understand different approaches to be as inclusive as possible with every child in your class’. School blogging and tweeting is still in its infancy, and is only present in a minority of schools. This is almost certainly due to issues surrounding e-safety concerns, a lack of technical confidence within the staff, lack of time or budget restraints. If used, blogging and tweeting are usually undertaken by children in KS2, and educational consultants such as Pie Corbett believe that this can have a hugely beneficial effect on the quality and quantity of the children’s writing. Corbett argues that blogging provides a child with a ‘real audience’, prompting them to improve their writing as they consider the reader. Children can use peer assessment and learn from reading written work from schools around the world. The training module suggests introducing blogging through three distinct steps, with children leading the activity.
It also suggests that posts should be about something the children are really interested in, rather than about a topic generated by the teacher.
It is clearly important to get the senior leadership team behind any blogging initiative. A linked video suggests that teachers should persevere if they face an initially negative response. The presenter argues that blogs can have a hugely beneficial effect on student engagement, whole curriculum learning and on the reputation of the school as a whole, and they do not have to be an e-safety concern. Although not mentioned in this video, it is always possible for blogs to be intranet-facing, or only accessible via a password. In this way, parents and staff could access content, but it would not be available for the internet as a whole.
Further case-study videos demonstrate the eagerness and excitement of pupils in a primary school in Greater Manchester, including several boys being very enthusiastic about story planning, writing and blog content production. Quadblogging is a tool which teachers and schools can use to produce blogs within a global network of other class blogs. Pie Corbett argues that this is the most important development in ‘fifty years’ to help improve writing in schools. Over 150,000 pupils from over 40 countries are currently taking part in the movement, and children are encouraged to interact with schools and students from other countries. One review from a teacher states that: ‘Highlights of Quadblogging? All of it! The children in my class are absolutely absorbed and loving our purposeful learning journey around the world. Each day brings something new to our classroom. You can’t “plan” that!’ Although this review does form part of a large advert for the tool, I am interested in how Quadblogging can be used. My GPP school does not have a blog and I will not be producing one as part of my placement. However, I will be investigating how I can develop the pre-existing class blog at my FPP school, possibly integrating Quadblogging into this. This could be taught in either an English or Computing lesson, or could be run as an extracurricular club. I am now confident with my Weebly site, and look forward to the challenge of creating new blog content with my FPP class.
Further Links
Quadblogging - www.quadblogging.net Get to setting up a class blog - www.teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/activity-1-getting-your-class-blog-started Children's guide to blogging - www.kidslearntoblog.com E-Safety, Social Networks and Blogging for Children - www.kidsmart.org.uk/socialnetworking/ E-Safety, or keeping yourself safe online, is a big part of the new Digital Literacy curriculum. I have recently finished my online training module in E-Safety. This followed on from my Action Plan point that I should complete the online 'pick n mix' course. I rated the E-Safety module 5/5 for 'being helpful', and stated that I now feel confident to teach my class how to be safe on the internet. This links to my Computing Pledge, which can be found here. Schools have a very importance role to play in teaching e-safety, as teachers are usually the second most important adults in an child's life. E-Safety is part of the National Curriculum and also relates to wider issues of community cohesion, the promotion of respect and understanding, and safeguarding the welfare of all children. Participating in games, chat rooms and social media can make children very vulnerable, and it is important that schools and teachers help to mitigate this. It is also the responsible of the State to protect children from harmful material in the media and on the internet, as specified in Article 17 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The module introduced me to the Think U Know cartoon videos about Lee, Kim, and their friend Sid the superhero. Lee is a little boy who enjoys a computer game with a chat room element, whilst Kim is his little sister who enjoys to watch him play. Whenever they are playing online and there is a potential danger, Sid the superhero appears and helps them learn to recognise the potential issues with their actions or situation. In one episode, Sid demonstrates that people on the internet may not be who they say they are; the video uses the effective metaphor of masks, with one powerful 'unmasking' scene where a strange man is revealed to be posing as a child. Schools and parents can order their own versions of these masks, and I can imagine a series of lessons on e-safety built around role play, storytelling and drama. The videos are aimed at ages 5-7, which is a good age to catch children before they start to use the internet in a more widespread, unsupervised manner. Think U Know resources aimed at older children include booklets and printed material, an online game, blogs and campaigns. My top tips for children
My top tips for parents
Additional Links
E-Safety advice and resources - www.digital-literacy.org.uk CEOP - Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) - www.ceop.police.uk Online E-Safety storybook - http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/teachers/ks1/digiduck.aspx Fantastic E-Safety resources for parents and teachers, linking to the popular educational cartoon resource, The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew - www.childnet.com/resources/kia Advice on dealing with sexting amongst young people - www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/teachers-and-professionals/teaching-internet-safety/resources/sexting Think U Know - www.thinkuknow.co.uk Lee and Kim videos - www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxYily6t4LQ |
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