The internet as a dangerous place. This realization is something that has grown with me. Children are now more at risk then ever with the increasing rise of smart phones and tablets. I personally was only allowed a phone when I began secondary school, and even though at the time it was a up to date phone, it didn’t have any internet, only allowing me to text and call. I hadn’t even thought about needing a phone in primary school. However on a teacher training induction that I attended, a section had been dedicated on mobile phone allowances and whether they should be banned. I feel that this problem is something that would not have been raised when I was in primary school and is something that has only been of recent occurrence. Not only is it the phones that are the problem, it is the type of phone that these young children are getting. It is now rare that a phone will come without inbuilt internet access, allowing the person who has the phone, access to anything of the web. So, the problem is not only as to whether primary school children should be allowed their phones in school, its once they leave school are they safe on their phones.

I feel that SMARTboard use within the classroom is an engaging way to involve the class. The usefulness of the SMARTboard shows itself in a number of ways, one of these ways is that it allows for group discussion in an easy and inclusive way. Not only can it help the learning of the whole class but also for children  individually.

I had a go at playing with the wide variety of tools available accessible for teachers on the SMARTboard, creating my own resource for children. The resource aims at getting children thinking about a balance lifestyle. It includes a game where children have to separate the healthy food from the unhealthy foods, in picture form.  The pictures are easily recognisable food making the activity visual and one that everyone can be involved in. The pictures also make the game fun. The SMARTboard resource tool that I used was a ready made template which checks and marks each picture. The game is interactive as children can take turns in coming up to move pictures into the right place. A whole class involvement is needed as children help their peers as the game continues.

This resource is an interactive and fun game which allows all children to engage in the lesson. It is a good example of a starter activity to get children thinking.

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