R-E-F-L-E-C-T find out what it means to me!

My prior experiences in the blogging realm made me unfazed in creating this online space. I found the process of creating and updating the blog relatively simple and definitely possible for the primary school students I will soon (hopefully!) be teaching.

There are umpteen possibilities for students to use blogs in the classroom to share their learning. Blogs are fantastic because with the help of a number of ICTs classrooms can upload videos, digital photos, work sample scans as well as written posts to the blog. Students want their work to feel valued, and by sharing it online we as educators can validate student efforts and excite and encourage them to contribute to the digital world.

It is no surprise that information is no longer presented in what some may view as “traditional” manners. Being well versed in digital and indeed technological life will assist in teaching my students how they can best participate (as both a creator and reader) in a world where this is increasingly important.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! Behind the News website a great one for children!

Understanding and taking an interest in the world and current affairs should occur from a young age. Students need opportunities to engage with media created with them in mind and I believe the Behind the News website, a subset of the reputable ABC, gives students this opportunity. The website builds on its television program by supplying external links, transcripts, videos and interactive games. I would personally use this website for a Stage 3 class however there may be applications across a number of stages depending on the news articles appearing on the website at that time. My primary focus when looking at this website would be examining the conventions used in the news stories featured.

The site itself is dynamic and constantly evolving thus covering a wide range of topics and KLAs. The main page of the site highlights topical video stories and transcripts from the previous week. The site archives news stories from 2005 to present with videos accompanying only those appearing in the previous four weeks. Video submissions by students are also found on the site on a range of topics. Students further have opportunities to express their thoughts in the website’s guestbook. Readers are able to search throughout the BTN website through a search function embedded in every page.

As most of the text on the website is a transcript of a story the conventions of text types are not always clear cut. The most obvious text type used is information reports, however, there are some examples on the website at the moment of explanation use (What is a cyclone?), discussions (Are Models too thin?) and also expositions regarding current issues.

The language used, depending on the topic area, is at times challenging but not too strenuous for Stage 3 students. The text is written by the website’s news reporters and is often interjected with student opinion. This creates a nice mix of fact and opinion and also familiarises content with the website’s younger readers. The text is mostly information based however there are many examples of more poetic language e.g.; “Houses crumbled like cardboard boxes” “put back together like a jigsaw puzzle.”The grammatical features of the written text vary greatly. Some stories may use a number of noun groups, whereas others are full of dialogue. Language is dependent on purpose and can be technical, descriptive, conversational or emotive. I think this variety is what makes the site great.

The site's visual layout is fantastic. Navigation is simple and the reader has constant access to a sidebar (uses pictures and words!) which allows navigation to any part of the site without returning to the main page. The colour scheme of a bright, but not overpowering blue is consistent throughout the entire site. External links informs the reader they are leaving the BTN site and open in a separate window.

The images used in the still shots regarding the news stories are a medley of images from the accompanying video. While these images help in giving the reader an idea of the information it is the video footage that drives the message.

An important issue to raise when looking at this website is that it is not static. As the television program goes to air the entire site will remodel. For example, on the front page is an image regarding the Garuda air crash investigation. This image takes up prime position because it is viewed as this week’s most pertinent story, next week this will inevitably change. The size and position of this image dictates and influences the reading paths of most.

I think this website provides a lot of opportunities for text deconstruction. In a Stage 3 classroom I would use the transcript on Migrant Leadership to look at with the class and surmise the main points, the overall purpose of the text and language choice. I would then have the students as a class watch the accompanying video. Students could then discuss if viewing the text, as opposed to reading it, changed their opinions. What factors influenced this? How did the visual and the audio elements work together to create meaning?

My favourite thing about the website is that it encourages students to enter submissions. Students in my class could create a video focusing on a topic area they are studying in any one of the KLAs. This would require students to research, plan, work collaboratively and use a range of ICT to create, edit and produce their own multimodal text. Students experiences in deconstructing other texts on the site would certainly put them in good stead in creating what I am sure would be a fantastic and rewarding product! (Not to mention the learning that will occur along the way!)