During the last few days I’ve been given permission to undertake a series of trials in the use of mobile phones in the classroom. This is a subject which I’m very openl;y passionate about, although I am highly aware of the potential hazards.
When I was training a few years ago, the school which I was in was undergoing legal proceedings after a very serious happy-slapping icident. It had been filmed and sent around all 3 large comprehensives in the area, causing a great deal of damage to the individual who was attacked. However, for me this is exactly why it is crucial that we face up to the issue rather than attempting to ban and be done with the issue. At the moment we are condemning a valuable learning tool, making of it a subversive weapon rather than another learning resource. By sending them “underground” we guarantee that any issues caused by them will have to be dealt with at great expense of time and effort- at the moment it remains glamorous and rebellious to use them. As with the use of online systems, so I believe it is tie to educate pupils on the use of mobile phones.
I appreciate that this is a controverisla subject, and I openly welcome debate on the matter- it is only through reasoned argument that us practitioners, the people who are in a position to comment on their true impact, will be able to decide on the best course ahead. And in my eyes this ought not to be a blanket judgement, but one based on best-fit scenarios.
OK, so here’s my initial trials...
1) Video-recording: Year 10 are in the process of producing videos in an estate-agent style of their houses. They’ve had to write detailed scripts, which were then peer-assessed against set criteria, re-evaluated and then practised. So far the response has been really promising- in a way they were just shocked that they were being set a piece of work which includes something they didn’t see as being a tool which could help them learn Spanish! Of course, there have been issues- 1 girl doesn’t have a mobile phone. 2 more didn’t have the video function, so instead these pupils were allowed to voice-record. I also had one parent object to the idea of someeone filming in their house- an understandable complaint which I hadn’t foreseen.
2) Voice-recording
a) with year 9 next week I’ll be doing everyone’s favourite topic of directions. The plan is for pupils, after a lesson on basic directions and then an introduction to positionals, to walk around the building that I’m in, and record directions to an unnamed classroom. They’ll then either swap phones, or bluetooth the file to another phone, whose user will have to follow the directions and see if they end up at the same room.
b) With year 11 in a few weeks time I’ll be going over the preterite again. They’ve done it a number of times before, but it’s quite a low achieving group. I’ll firstly get them to record my explanation so that they can have the official version to keep for their own revision. They find it quite funny being able to hear me whenever, as I found with the grammar series podcasts. Their task will then be to put a number of key holiday verbs into the preterite.Step 3 is to record a description of how they did it, talking through each step for an –ar, -er and an –ir verb, recording these scripted descriptions. In this way they’ll be thinking through the steps needed, hopefully helping to clarify it in their own minds. At this point they’ll swap, or bluetooth, for their partner across the room to follow the instructions.
I’ve no idea how these will work out. I’ve been quite clear with the pupils that we are being experimental, and tryting to convince them of how much trust I’m putting in them with a view to having good examples for other future users. I’ll let you know how we get along, but until then, please feel free to make suggestions for possible future projects!!!
Cheers!
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