iPod therefore I learn and Puzzled by podcasts are two MFL related articles in the latest issue of Connected, a magazine from LTScotland which reports on exciting uses of ICT to enhance learning across all subjects.
iPod therefore I learn concerns a groundbreaking project iPodagogy - Gracemount iPod Project set up as a collaboration between staff from Gracemount High School and the City of Edinburgh Council in November 2005.
The project aims were:
- to explore the potential of iPods to enhance teaching and learning
- to document the use of iPods in a school over a period of time
The anticipated outcomes were:
For pupils
- to enhance existing learning outcomes within the curriculum
- to learn how to apply ICT both to favoured and to less favoured learning styles (visual, audio, kinaesthetic – VAK)
- to reflect on learning and on the learning process
- to improve practical ICT skills
For teachers
- to enhance existing teaching practice within the curriculum
- to learn how to exploit ICT to enable different styles of learning (VAK)
- to reflect on teaching practice and methodology
- to improve practical ICT skills
The project was designed to see how about twenty S2 (Yr 8) pupils could use an iPod to enable their independent learning across the curriculum. In French, they were integrated straightaway into lessons.
Jenny Dowling a French and Italian teacher at Gracemount was excited by the idea of using iPods in her language lessons. She knew that her pupils already liked using the mp3 players so she felt to use them in the classroom would be very motivating.
In the article An Apple for the hi-tech teacher by Kevin Schofield from scotsman.com, she is quoted as saying:
"It will make the lessons much more fun and if kids are having fun then they will learn so much more”.
The Changing Classroom by Shola Adenekan from EducationGuardian describes how, the MFL teacher combined with Griffin microphones put the mobile technologies to work:
• to record speaking assessments to be listened to in school and at home
• to interview their classmates about things like hobbies and holiday trips
• to record lessons for absent pupils so that they could listen to discussions later in their own time.
• to record French vocabulary lists from S1 (Yr 7) to S4 (Yr10) and put them on the school’s interactive learning website Studywiz.
• to download videos of native speakers from France having a conversation in a café for instance so that her pupils could watch them and therefore improve their vocabulary and language skills.
"We're just about to start using them, but the possibilities are limitless, so we'll no doubt find lots more uses for them along the way." she said.
Related links from the TES archives:
Puzzled by podcasts attempts to demystify what a podcast actually is and the fact you don't need the ubiquitous iPod to make one.
It makes reference to two LTScotland start up guides about podcasting on the ICT in Education site and the Modern Foreign languages Environment site to get you going.
In addition, the article mentions the inspiring work of Maureen Gilchrist, Principal Teacher of Modern Languages at Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow who uses mp3 technology to record her pupils' speaking assessments. The reference is from a feature which originally appeared in National Qualifications Online entitled Mp3 players bring new life to speaking assessments
You can download the latest Connected magazine from the LTScotland site and sign up for an email update so you will always know when the next issue is coming out.
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