Talking Books
"The students worked really well together, making joint decisions and accommodating each other's opinions."
Background, Summary & Overview
Years 2 & 3 at Thorogate Primary school wished to produce a talking book as part of their exploration of The Seaside and Healthy Living respectively.
The classes were divided into small working groups and given a particular aspect of their subject to research. This was using both books and on line sources. They then produced a series of illustrations with supportive text.
These words were typed up into scripts ready for recording, the pictures were scanned into the Applemac. In their groups, the individual students then recorded their scripts using the Garageband programme on the apple computers.
At the CLC the pictures and text were edited to produce the final product which was presented as a DVD within a protective case with appropriate illustrations. Each child received a copy of the full project.
Resources & Costs
- Apple Macbook Pro
- Garageband
- iMovie
- iDVD
Action Taken
Following liaison with the class teacher, the CLC staff provided a framework for each project with background information and guidelines as to how the information might best be recorded and presented.
They supported the small group research work and worked on the scripts for each individual student.
They provided the necessary IT resources to facilitate the production of the talking books; laptops, macbooks and scanner for the classroom based activities and software for copying the completed disc back at the City Learning Centre.
Impact & Outcomes
The students worked really well together, making joint decisions and accommodating each other's opinions.
Their skills in research improved as they realised what information was pertinent to their topic. They also considered what would be relevant to a wider audience. The script writing and the reading of the scripts also posed challenges which the groups met. They understood the need for writing text that they could read easily and they also had to think about making their presentation sound interesting.
All students were thrilled to have their own copy of the DVD. This also means that the work can be discussed at home so parents and other family members can share in the learning. Taking work home can also empower the children and raise their self esteem.