This was a very enjoyable lesson due to the debate about the use of ICT in the classroom. It seems to me that there is a varying degree of its use within the educational system and a lot of schools differ in their views towards ICT. With the increase of young children nowadays with their own access to tablets it does appear the be used in their everyday lives and therefore the link between its use at home and in school should be made. I believe that technology has a place in the classroom and can be a beneficial tool if used correctly. Its use needs to be planned and used to engage thinking, widen resource searches and capture children’s curiosity. It can be used cross curricular to expand a child’s learning through the use of different software and appropriate apps. That being said it should not overtake the basic fundamentals of learning and especially in the early years there are many new skills to be learnt prior to the use of tablets. It can allow children independence and a responsibility to their learning higher up the school and there are many benefits for children with SEND due to new software available and tailored to their needs.

During my BSE1 unfortunately the use of the IWB was limited. It was a software new to the class (Prowise Presenter) and they had yet to receive training. I was able to put together a maths lesson by downloading the software onto my laptop and seeing what was available in the resources area. The children really enjoyed the lesson and could not wait to have a go on the board, which was a new experience for them. It became a good incentive for positive behaviour and encouraged the children to sit sensibly so they could have their turn. With the use of moveable blocks the children were able to count out the correct number of blocks to match the number I had written. It also helped develop 1:1 correspondence as they could physically come up and count the objects with the pen. The maths lesson was linked back to their topic that term of ‘Room on the Broom’ and this was shown in the resources I used. The use of 3D dice were also incorporated to help develop subitising. It was a pity that the board was not integrated in the classroom further.  The reception class was two classes in one space so the idea that only half would get to use it, limited its use as well. The only other use of ICT I observed during my time there was their use of tablets when half of the class was in PE. I felt that this was only used in terms of behaviour management as the teachers were out doing PPA, so was a strategy to keep the children calm. In my next placement I hope to be able to incorporate the use of the IWB into daily lessons to engage children and promote learning.