[senit] social interaction via technology

This term I have been working on an email topic with 2 KS 4 classes

Hi Sally,

this sounds good, and the point you make about having something ready  
for the next time the class continue the work is very familiar - when  
we've tried collaborating with others it's often quite hard to plan an  
effective session if you can't be sure of material to respond to.

Can I just mention though, that we shouldn't be overly concerned to  
labour the task of communicating via the text of an email, as opposed  
to the concept of communicating per se. So for example why not get  
those of your pupils who can verbalise to speak their own comments to  
go with the PowerPoint? And for those who don't verbalise, is the text  
that's being read out via WWS meaningful to them? If not, might they  
enjoy perhaps hearing a vocalisation of themselves captured and given  
equal weight with the words and phrases their classmates may have  
produced?
Overall, the pupils who do speak words/phrases may convey enough  
information alongside the 'feel' of hearing the voices of the real  
pupils.

Of course, if the reason is to support the pupils' literacy skills and  
the computer voicing is simply to add motivation then great. It's just  
that it sounds like you're using highly motivating tools like Sound  
Recorder and photos via PowerPoint, and for many of our pupils these  
kinds of media allow them to take control and express themselves  
without the formidable barrier of conventional literacy. Don't get me  
wrong - we prize literacy very highly at our school and are all very  
proud of what many of our pupils achieve and of our Early Reading (and  
now Writing) Schemes, but collaboration and communication doesn't have  
to rely on literacy.

All the best,

Sean O'Sullivan
sean.frankwise at easynet.co.uk
Headteacher
Frank Wise School, Banbury
http://www.frankwise.oxon.sch.uk

http://www.parkroadict.co.uk

On 31 Mar 2008, at 17:34, Sally Paveley wrote:

> This term I have been working on an email topic with 2 KS 4 classes  
> with an ability range between P6 and NC 2.  One class is at The  
> Bridge School and the other at Richard Cloudesley School.  We have  
> been using a combination of WWS2000, RM Easymail (with a single  
> account for each class) and PowerPoint to exchange information via  
> email - this is what we have done:
>
> We have used WWS2000 to create email text which has been copied and  
> pasted into Easymail to send; conversely we have copied and pasted  
> the emails that have been received into WWS and had the computer  
> 'read' them out.
>
> Both classes have taken photos of their schools which have been put  
> into PowerPoints to send to the other school as attachments.
>
> All the students have created personal profiles using WWS which were  
> then copied and pasted into PowerPoint to go alongside passport  
> photos.  I used Sound Recorder to record WWS reading their profiles  
> and added the sound to the slide transitions (and to each photo as  
> an action setting so they could listen again).
>
> I think creating slide shows of the schools and the students worked  
> really well, both groups loved looking at the photos and finding out  
> about the other school/students and I was very impressed at how much  
> they understood and remembered from the slideshows.
>
> As I teach both classes I have been able to make sure that there was  
> something waiting when we checked our email each lesson - I have  
> found coordinating this with another school can be a bit hit or miss.
>
> I will be taking one group to meet the other group later this week  
> and am already thinking of more ways to develop their relationship  
> alongside their ICT skills.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Sally
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "david fettes" <davidfettes3 at yahoo.co.uk 
> >
> To: <senit at lists.becta.org.uk>
> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 3:28 PM
> Subject: [senit] social interaction via technology
>
>
>> hi the Byron report says that much of teenager's
>> social interaction with peers is mediated by
>> technology, rather than being face to face. Have you
>> got any examples of students with learning
>> difficulties interacting with adults or peers via
>> technology in this distance sense? And any comments?
>> David
>>
>>
>>     __________________________________________________________
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>>
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