Primary and Early Years > Technology > Specific program

P29: Evaluating the contribution which ICT art programs (Revelation Natural Art) make to improving art skills
Author: Julie Toothill, Class Teacher, Hartside Primary School, Durham
Date: 2005

The teacher investigated how using art programs could improve Year 6 pupils' art skills - especially the use of drawing media - over a four week period. The children completed self-portraits using both the art software and paper and materials over several lessons, and were asked to compare the methods, levels of interest, motivation and the quality of their drawing. The teacher recorded their comments.

She found that the children found using the program enjoyable and motivating. They chose to experiment with media that was not accessible to them in school and experimented with medium and technique. The children appreciated the editing facility of the art program, felt more in control and a greater sense of achievement about the work they had produced on Revelation. The teacher feels that the children have not just learned new ICT skills through using the program, but rather had more confidence in approaching the activity on paper when they had used the art program first.

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Primary and Early Years > Technology > Specific program

P43: Can interactive programs motivate children to write independently?
Author: Lynn Skinner Hunwick Primary School
Date: 2005

Summary

This is an account of a teacher's observations of a group of boys playing an ICT literacy game in which a train carried a word across the screen and the children were required to type the word after it had left the screen. The boys helped each other by writing the word down on paper whilst the train was still visible on the screen.

Based on these observations, Lynn suggests that some ICT activities can encourage other skills (such as hand writing) but that teacher intervention is still the best way to teach correct letter formation.

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Primary and Early Years > Technology > Specific program

P47: Investigating an ICT-based solution to meet the sentence writing needs of a child with Autism
Author: Eimear O'Flaherty, Class Teacher, Warren Junior School
Date: 2005

Summary

Eimear investigated the effect of using of Clicker (a program that uses both visual and aural aids to help the pupil link thoughts when writing) with John, an Autistic child. Eimear found that the use of Clicker enabled John to produce more complex sentences and to do so without constantly seeking help from the Learning Support Assistant (LSA).

Action

Eimear worked with John's LSA to introduce the use of Clicker. They imported their own pictures into Clicker to personalise it and stimulate John to produce more complex sentences.

Outcomes

Eimear felt that Clicker had been a very useful tool, boosting John's confidence and encouraging him to produce far more complex sentences. He also noted an improvement in John's spelling and a willingness to work alone. John particularly enjoyed using the headphones to hear his own sentences spoken back to him.

Eimear also noted the development of the LSA within the school, giving help and advice to other staff members on the use of Clicker.

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