The first half of the Teachers TV programme relates to the use of a PDA and data logger in Key Stage 3 Science.
What the resource is:
This is a case-study showing the use of a PDA with attached data logger to capture data (temperature and oxygen levels) during a science field trip to the seaside. The example given is of a year 7 science class who are investigating plant and animal life in rock pools and the relationships between the amount and variety of life and the temperature and oxygen levels of the rock pools.
The aims of the resource:
The aim is to show how a portable device such as a PDA can be used in science to make measurement, storage and analysis of data easier. By reducing the amount of time and effort obtaining and recording data, more time can be spent on the analysis of the results and drawing conclusions.
Quality, authority and credibility:The example is approached from a science perspective, showing how ICT can be used as a tool in a science lesson. The external consultant who is advising the teacher explains the advantages of using a PDA in this context. In practice, however, the pupils use the PDA and flash logger as a portable sensor and the recording and analysis features of the software are not used, rather data is collected on paper and then entered into a desktop computer back in the classroom. The ability to obtain immediate and instant feedback from the experiment, with the opportunity to adapt the experiment, is commented on by both the teacher and consultant in their evaluations, but unfortunately this was not shown happening in the video-clip.
Implications for ITE tutors and mentors:
This is a useful 8 minute video-clip that can be used to introduce the topic of using ICT for data logging in Science. It can be used to raise questions and promote discussion because the claims given at the start for the advantages of the PDA are not fully put into practice in the exercise. It would be useful to discuss why the pupils recorded temperature and oxygen levels on paper (for subsequent data entry) rather than store them on the PDA.
Relevance to ITE students:
This video-clip shows a practical example of using ICT in science which could be replicated in other situations both in science and other subjects such as geography. As such it has relevance beyond just science secondary trainees. It is a useful starter and trainees could find out more by, for example, accessing the Data Harvest web-site (see below) where the particular data logger is described along with links to two other video clips from BECTA.
Data Harvest http://www.dataharvest.co.uk/home.php?&mlev=1&show=2&title=Home
The second half of the video relates to the use of cheap web-cams and free animation software (Monkey Jam) to make simple animations.
What the resource is:
This is a 5 minute video-clip showing how simple and cheap technology in the form of web-cams (£35 each) and free animation software can be used with a year 8 media studies class to produce creative animations. The pupils are shown working together to produce a group animation which they have previously storyboarded and then evaluating each other’s work.
The aims of the resource:
The aim of this clip is to show how ICT can be used unobtrusively to allow pupils to work as media artists in a collaborative manner. Because web-cams are so cheap it is now possible to have class sets of them so that everyone can make use of them at the same time.
Quality, authority and credibility:
The lesson shown is described as a media studies lesson but it appears to be an ICT lesson with a focus on animation and it would be useful to see how the resources might be used in an Art lesson where there would be more input on the creative aspect of the work. If more time was spent on producing the artefact than the hour allocated then pupils could concentrate on the quality of the final result.
Implications for ITE tutors and mentors:
This clip can be used to show how web-cams can be used creatively in the classroom and how ICT can support the creative arts. This can be used to encourage all trainee teachers to become familiar with this aspect of ICT and encourage them to make use of it in their lessons.
Relevance to ITE students:
This clip shows how ICT can be used to encourage collaborative work and discussion between pupils in the classroom and also to give pupils the opportunity to evaluate their own and each other’s work.
FINALLY
In addition in this video there are top tips such as switching off the monitor to gain pupils’ attention in the classroom, encouraging the use of digital (audio) recorders and digital cameras and the fact that it is quite acceptable to acknowledge that pupils may well know more about some aspects of ICT than the teacher.
Reviewed by:
Richard Vickery
March 2007
