MIE - Fife Council

I found the input from Fife Council very useful, in terms of thinking about Moving Image Education. Also, living in Fife and having my placements there, meant the input was especially helpful as I was able to see what was available to me whilst on teaching practice. The session opened my eyes as to ways MIE could be used in the classroom with children throughout the whole primary. For example, using the Skoog in the lower primary to enhance music lessons (http://www.skoogmusic.com/skoog/why) and using the software, Sequel, with upper primary children to enhance their musical capabilities. I found the Skoog a useful thing for nursery children also, as it is quite a sensory piece fo software, allowing the children to freely explore the sounds by touching the Skoog.



A skoog


In particular, I enjoyed the software Pivot. Whilst on placements 1SE1 and 2SE1, I seen primary 5 and primary 7 children using this and how motivating this was for them. At the time, I was not fully aware of the educational potential using this software could have on the children. However, what was clear was that the children were extremely motivated and engaged in what they were doing. Most of the children would chose to work on animations in their 'Golden Time' (free time rewarded for good behaviour). The input from Fife Council gave me a greater understanding of how this could be used in the classroom. For example, whilst reading a class novel, groups of children could do small animations of the key points in the novel. This would be a memorable experience, helping the learning to embed.

An example

I also found the music software Sequel very good! I believe using this in a primary classroom would help children to relate their learning about music to everyday life, allowing them to see how music tracks are created. This may also help chidlren to appreicate the vast range of instruments and the difference in different sounds. The software was very easy to use and I especially liked how it suited educational purposes well (for example, displaying photos of the instruments and having a clear layout).

Overall, the input was very interesting and allowed me to think about ways that animation, music learning through ICT and games based learning (GBL) could be put into practice. I also seen the high educational value these experiences could have on children by trying out the software myself and talking to my peers about this.