Digital Futures in Teacher Education

DeFT is a JISC OER 3 funded project.

About the project. The aim of the DeFT project is to develop guidance on digital literacy practice and involvement with Open Educational Resources in teaching and learning in the school sector. The team work collaboratively with participating schools, trainee teachers and tutors to develop an online-based open textbook, which will incorporate resources addressing the opportunities and challenges of embedding digital literacies within teacher education at all levels.

http://www.digitalfutures.org/

A summary of the DEFT case studies have been incorporated into the ORBIT resource bank. Moreover, the lesson ideas are also featured in the relevant section of the resource bank. They are available here:

Relevant resources

Blogs	A schools involvement with Sheffield Childrens Festival project Camp Cardboard
	A DEFT case study with Bradfield Dungworth Primary school, Sheffield This cross-curricular(i) case study focusses on digital literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) to: facilitate sharing information in an open and transparent way; explore issues related to e-safety and e-security and explore the creative potential of digital technologies. The case study highlights issues from using Web2.0 applications in a school setting as well as challenges of pupils openly sharing resources; in particular issues of e-safety with regard to resources they make. A lesson idea from the case study is available at Digital Reporters at Camp Cardboard
Blogs	Telling Stories about Farm Animals
	Children using technology on a visit to a local farm This activity uses technology and the development of e-skills(topic) in young children, in order to create opportunities for speaking and listening, and language(ta) development. The specific trip provided a great stimulus for the children's stories. Equally, however, this approach could be applied to any trip or event in or out of school. The use of a blog(tool) gave the opportunity for children to share their ideas with a wider audience, and also gave opportunities for real-time feedback on their work. The use of hand-held technology also enabled active learning(ta) as the portability of the iPads and cameras allowed them to be used outside the classroom, on the farm. The accessibility of the technology meant that this activity promoted inclusion(ta) and the visual nature of the photos and pictures was used effectively to help extend the children's vocabulary(ta).
Blogs	Creating and Using OER to Promote Best Practice
	One school's approach to sharing and promoting best practice using a blog This lesson idea encourages collaboration(ta) between teachers in order to develop and share practice(i) across a school. Blogs provide excellent opportunities for children and adults to share ideas and work together. They encourage and enable dialogue(ta) between a writer - or group of writers - and an audience, allowing for quick and easy feedback. They enable questions(ta) to be asked and answered quickly. This example shows a blog being used to encourage discussion(ta) to enable curriculum planning(topic) and curriculum development(topic).
Blogs	Digital Reporters at Camp Cardboard
	Children using iPads to blog about Cardboard Sculptures This activity is a cross curricula(subject) activity, involving a collaborative(tool) approach, giving children the opportunity to work together on a blog. Children were encouraged to engage in group talk(ta) and discussion(ta) in the classroom to reflect on the activity they were to report on. The activity furthers e-skills(topic) and e-safety(topic) through the use of whole class(ta) participation. The specific art activity provided a great stimulus for the blogging. Equally, however, this approach could be applied to any event in or out of school. The use of blogging and social media gave the opportunity for children to share their ideas with a wider audience, and also gave opportunities for real-time feedback to their work. The use of hand-held technology also enabled active learning(ta) as the portability of the iPads and iPods allowed them to be used outside the classroom.
Creativity	Exploring the intersections of digital literacy and creativity
	A DEFT case study with Mundella Primary School, Sheffield This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) to: extend/update teaching skills and support CPD and explore the creative potential of digital technologies. The case study examines the potential of using mobile technologies to enhance creative aspects of learning. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Creating Digital Paintings using iPads
Digital Art	Creating Digital Painting using iPads
	Children using iPads to create observational drawings of flowers This activity is a cross-curricular(subject) activity, that gives children to opportunity to work independently on an art activity that also encourages the development of E-skills(topic). This activity encouraged inclusion(ta) as the children's final work was displayed as a collaborative(tool) piece, where all children had the opportunity to make an equal contribution. In this instance, the children created observational drawings of flowers. However, the subject of the art could change to fit with any topic across the curriculum. The use of hand-held technology could also active learning(ta) as the portability of the iPads and iPods would allow them to be used outside the classroom, thus enabling observational drawings to be made in a range of locations.
Digital Media	21st century show and tell
	A DEFT case study with Dinnington Comprehensive, Rotherham This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using E-skills(i) to: support skills in writing/recording for a target audience and to improve communication and research skills through the process of creating OER(i)s. The case study illustrates issues involved in the use of video(i) for educational purposes, with an emphasis on students producing and releasing OERs. The method could also be used for self/peer assessment(i) with pupils. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Creating Instructional Videos.
ICT	Reflections on digital practice
	A DEFT case study: Digital literacy in professional practice This case study looks at the use of digital video and video editing software to support academic writing. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Digital Technology Presentations with ITE
ICT	Digital Technology Presentations with ITE
	Student teachers creating presentations about digital literacy This activity idea involves student teachers sharing practice(topic) of digital literacy use in the classroom in order to promote discussion(ta) and reflection on digital literacy and activities that promote e-skills(topic) development in the classroom. The use of student-prepared presentations promotes active learning(ta) and reflection on their learning, encouraging development of the issues explored in their assignments. It also involves questioning(ta) from an audience, encouraging deeper thinking through collaboration(ta) and discussion(ta).
ICT	Digital Resources for ITE
	Student teachers reflecting upon case studies relating to Digital Literacy This activity idea is an excellent of example of sharing practice(topic) of current teachers with student teachers in order to promote discussion(ta) and reflection on digital literacy and activities that promote e-skills(topic) development in the classroom. The lecturer uses questioning(ta) to promote active learning(ta) through collaboration(ta) and discussion(ta) of the resources.
ICT	Engaging with case studies to support teaching practice
	A DEFT case study: Supporting Primary and Early Year ITE in developing critical reflection on and use of digital technology in their teaching This case study looks at the resources used to support pre-service teachers with digital technologies in the classroom. This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on digital literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) with Web 2.0 applications and other web-based resources for teacher trainees. View a lesson idea from the case study at Digital Resources for ITE
ICT	Creating Instructional Videos
	Children create instructional videos to upload to YouTube This activity is a cross-curricular(subject) activity with a literacy focus, involving a collaborative(tool) approach, giving children to opportunity to work together to produce a set of instructional resources. Children were encouraged to engage in group talk(ta) and discussion(ta) in the classroom to reflect on what they should include in their videos. The activity furthers e-skills(topic) through the use of whole class(ta) participation. It develops e-safety(topic) skills through discussion of the issues relating to posting digital content online. Children were allowed to choose their own subject for the video, although this could be set by a teacher with a specific outcome in mind, or could be tailored to cover a particular topic or subject. It could, for instance, be used to explain their mathematical thinking(ta).
ICT	Using OERs to enhance sharing of good practice across the school
	A DEFT case study with Wales High School, Rotherham This case study focussed on Digital Literacy, in particular using e-skills(topic) to support professional development and to facilitate communication and share practice(i) The case study explores issues involved in sharing teaching resources and releasing them openly; it also looks at ways in which OERs could be used to support the creation of communities of practice. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Creating and Using OERs to Promote Best Practice
ICT	Monsters using Scratch
	Children using a computer programming language to create moving monsters This activity developed the specific e-skills(topic) of programming and digital animation. It could be considered the first step towards enabling children to design and create their own games(tool) using sprites and user-input controls. Computer programming helps to develop investigation(ta) skills as it requires the use of a previously unknown language(ta) to execute commands, which also develops the skills of mathematical thinking(ta). Computer programming also involves the use of modelling(ta) and planning(ta) techniques. Because Scratch is an open source programming language, this also creates opportunities for homework(ta), as the children are able to download the software for themselves at home.
ICT	Use of digital video with PGCE students
	A DEFT case study: "Teach in Sheffield" - using digital video This case study looks at the use of digital video and video editing software to support professional development of pre-service teachers' use of ICT for teaching and learning. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Digital video in ITE
ICT	The use of mobile apps for digital story-telling by nursery pupils
	A DEFT case study This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) to: explore the creative potential of digital technologies for storytelling and to improve language skills. The case study explores the educational potential of mobile devices to support children's creative involvement with digital literacy. It also explores issues related to pupils using Web2.0 applications to share resources openly. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Telling Stories about Farm Animals
Programming	Using Scratch and other web applications to create and animate digital monsters: Monsters @ Monteney
	A DEFT case study of Monteney Primary school, Sheffield This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) to: Learn the basics of programming and embed open source tools in pedagogical practice. The case study explores the pedagogical potential of open source tools such as Scratch; it also looks into issues involved in sharing lesson plans as OERs. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Programming Monsters using Scratch
QR code	Using QR codes to engage reluctant readers
	A DEFT case study with Halfway Primary school, Sheffield This case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using using e-skills(topic) to motivate children and support reading, writing and creativity and to develop an awareness of the uses of QR codes. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Using QR Codes to Engage Children with Learning
QR codes	Editing Using QR Codes to Engage Children with Learning
	Children using digital literacy to engage with reading and writing This lesson idea uses technology to promote active learning(ta) as resources were produced to be located and explored in a public park. The early stage of the activity, involving the creation of the resources by the children, required discussion(ta) involving the whole class(ta). Group talk(ta) was also employed as a strategy, with the children agreeing on a narrative(ta) outline relating to the event. The creation of the online materials encouraged development of e-skills(topic). The later stages of activity, where the children were looking for clues, required them to ask questions(ta) and to take a collaborative(tool) approach to find a solution, based on the digital texts they found.
QR codes	QR codes with Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham
	A DEFT case study with Winterhill High School, Rotherham This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) to: support English skills as pupils are writing for a specific audience (exhibition visitors), improve research skills through the process of creating OERs and to gain a better understanding of the use of QR codes for marketing and educational purposes. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Using QR Codes to Link to Pupil Created Information
QR codes	Using QR Codes to Link to Pupil Created Information
	Children creating digital resources for use at Magna This series of lessons provided opportunity for active learning(ta) though the visit to the Science Centre. It enabled the development of E-skills(topic) through the creation of the media and the use of QR codes. It encouraged collaboration(ta) between students, teachers from different subjects, and between the school and the wider community. It also provided a cross-curricular(subject) opportunity for the development of language(ta). E-safety(topic) was developed through discussion with the students about ensuring that their work was appropriate for a wider audience. It also provided opportunities for whole class(ta) and whole school collaboration(ta) on a project where they were able to share practice(ta) and examples of their work with others.
VLE	Using a VLE in the Classroom
	Using a VLE to support the teaching of French This activity uses a VLE to help pupils develop their language(ta) and vocabulary(ta) skills using games(tool) and a range of teacher-produced digital media. These resources were also available to the pupils out of school to support them with their homework(ta), thus equipping pupils with more independent study skills(topic). The teacher also used the VLE to support their own classroom management(ta), using data from the VLE to record which tasks the pupils has worked on.
Video	Digital Video in ITE
	Student teachers producing digital media This activity is a cross-curricular(subject) activity, involving a collaborative(tool) approach, giving student teachers the opportunity to work together whilst making digital media in the form of films. The activity furthers e-skills(topic) and also helps to develop discussion relating to e-safety(topic). The topic of location provided the stimulus for the videos. Equally, however, this approach could be applied to any topic or subject in school. The use of video also encouraged active learning(ta), with the students developing their own skills through direct participation in the creation process.
Video	Using digital images and film to enhance communication skills
	A DEFT case study with Newman School, Rotherham This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) to: improve communications skills and explore pedagogical approaches for introducing "stealth reading and writing". The outcome of this case study will be an OER showcasing the potential of digital technologies such as video recording and editing for enhancing pupils' communication(tool) skills. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Making Movies in the Classroom
Video	Making Movies in the Classroom
	Using Movies to develop communication and literacy skills This activity is a cross-curricular(subject) activity, involving a collaborative(ta) approach, giving children to opportunity to engage in group work(ta) whilst making digital media in the form of films. The activity furthers e-skills(topic) and e-safety(topic). The topic of e-safety(topic) provided a great stimulus for the video(tool). Equally, however, this approach could be applied to any topic or subject in school. The use of video also encourage active learning(ta) as the portability of video recording equipment allows it to be used outside the classroom in a range of contexts.
Virtual Learning Environment	Exploring issues in uptake of digital literacy tools
	A DEFT case study with Notre Dame High School, Sheffield This cross curricula(i) case study focusses on Digital Literacy, in particular using E-skills(topic) to: encourage other teachers to engage with new tools and to introduce innovative methods of assessment. The case study also focussed on the impact of institutional engagement with digital tools, and how this impacts on individual teachers and pupils. It also highlights the issues around producing OERs from individual practice. One of the lesson ideas from the case study is available as a separate resource at Using a VLE in the Classroom