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Communicating with ICT

By Year 2, students experiment with and use ICT across key learning areas to collaborate and enhance communication in different contexts for an identified purpose and audience.

By the end of Year 2 students:

Use ICT to collaborate, share and exchange ideas and information; they:

  • know that ICT can be used to communicate meanings in different situations
  • use identified ICT tools safely to share and exchange information with appropriate audiences
  • read and write simple email messages to a known audience
  • participate in online events via the Learning Place e.g. Online Literature Festival
  • participate in collaborative online projects e.g. book raps, travel buddies
  • interact with presentation software and understand its value in enhancing communication
  • use images and sounds in presentations
  • use word processing software to convey messages and meanings for specific audiences

Apply standards and conventions when using ICT to communicate; they:

  • correctly compose an email, including recipient address, subject, greeting and closing
  • understand that editing tools in word processing are used to improve the quality of text for improved communication
  • use word processing software to apply basic formatting conventions such as bold, italic, underline, font size and style for the intended audience and purpose
  • use editing processes and tools such as spell check to improve the clarity of digital communications
  • apply basic social protocols when communicationg online

Reflect on their use of ICT and identify ways to improve their effectiveness of communication; they:

  • consider the purpose of email
  • reflect on the purpose of combining sounds with images to enhance communication
  • consider the benefits of participating in an online chat

Explore different digital media to communicate and collaborate

Examples of how ICT can enhance learning Key learning area Sample resource
Communicating online
Exchange emails with the teacher (who is in role as a character from a well-known fairy tale) to ask and answer questions. Reflect on the messages received and suggest ideas for replies.

English: Reading and Viewing, Writing and Designing

 
Web conference or chat online with an author, illustrator, local community worker, war veteran or politician using a set of questions collaboratively prepared beforehand.

English: Writing and Designing, Reading and Viewing

 
Communicate online with an entomologist or curator of invertebrates over a number of weeks to explore questions about invertebrates.

Science: Life and Living, Primary Connections - Schoolyard Safari

 
Communicate electronically (for example, email buddy exchange or virtual field trips) with students from a school in a different geographical area to compare the types and numbers of specimens found in their local areas, or to compare each school's water usage and supply.

Science: Life and Living, Primary Connections - Schoolyard safari

 
Collaborate online with students from other classrooms or schools to, for example, plan activities for an upcoming event such as Under 8s Week, a fete or an Easter Bonnet Parade.

English: Writing and Designing, Reading and Viewing

 
Use Google Earth placemarks to track a travel buddy's route and identify specific locations visited; to exchange information about locations and adventures via diary entries in a blog; to web cam; to email; to postal mail; and to create and share digital images and class-made movies.

English: Writing and Designing, Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing
SOSE: Place and Space

Google Earth
Add entries to a class blog to record observations made while following the life cycle of a class pet or animal.

Science: Life and Living, Science as a Human Endeavour, Primary Connections - Schoolyard Safari
English: Writing and Designing, Reading and Viewing

 
Using ICT devices and software to communicate

Create a slide show and use custom animation and motion paths to show the movement of the earth around the sun.

Science: Earth and Beyond

 
Interact with and manipulate text displayed on an interactive whiteboard to consolidate phonological and morphemic knowledge; identify grammatical elements within texts; identify digraphs and blends; and revise spelling strategies.

English: Reading and Viewing, Language Elements

 
Use hand-held voice recorders to interview an older relative to find out about life in the past. Use recorded information to develop present an oral presentation to the class.

SOSE: Time, Continuity and Change
English: Speaking and Listening

 
Video record the class participating in an outdoor game. Watch the video and reflect on the notion of being a good sport. Discuss characteristics of a being a good and bad sport.

HPE: Health, Physical Activity, Personal Development

 
With support, capture images using a digital camera. Download and incorporate them into a slideshow presentation, photo story or animation, or to accompany text for a description, procedure, recount, talking book or information report.

English: Writing and Designing

 
Use digital images of in-class activities and create a reflective photo story with oral reflections recorded by students.

English: Speaking and Listening

Photostory, iMovie

In Prep:

  • Use toy mobile phones in pretend play to communicate information. (For example, telephone the fire service in a pretend emergency.)
  • In a role-play scenario, incorporate their understandings about the efficient and safe use of ICT. (For example, pretend to connect devices to power, establish rules for operating a desktop computer or carry a pretend mobile device (MP3) in a bag to protect it from damage.)
  • Arrange objects to make patterns and, with assistance, use a digital camera to photograph the patterns. Observe the teacher uploading the photos into a slideshow presentation. Share the patterns with the class, so each student may explain their patterns.
  • Use a camera to capture students' images and create student ClipArt for sequencing or planning activities.

 

 
Communicating for specific purposes and audiences
With support, create a simple slideshow representing the four seasons of the year, using images, simple animation and sounds to enhance the presentation. Alternatively, use an interactive whiteboard or data projector to create a weather wall featuring weather ClipArt and words, which enables daily weather recordings.

Science: Earth and Beyond, Primary Connections - Weather in my world
English: Speaking and Listening, Writing and Designing

 
With support, collaboratively write the script for a fable or fairytale and combine voice recording with images, sound effects and music in a digital presentation for a younger audience. Creative Commons sound effects and music websites can provide high-quality, rich resources for these scripts.

English: Reading and Viewing, Speaking and Listening, Writing and Designing
The Arts: Music

 
Work collaboratively and use a digital camera to create a photo story or class movie of an excursion. Use this as a stimulus to write a recount.

English: Writing and Designing

 
Work collaboratively to create class book trailers or book-talks to promote students' favourite books.

English: Reading and Viewing

Booktalk

Compare students' favourite songs in English and another language.

LOTE: Intercultural investigations

Languages Online

Insert and manipulate block arrows to represent the push-pull concept in a labelled diagram.

Science: Energy and Change, Primary Connections - Push Pull
English: Writing and Designing

 

In Prep:

  • Suggest questions and comments to share information about ourselves and get to know members of another class using email.
  • Participate in an online chat and a Travel Buddy project (see above).
  • Communicate live via web conferencing with an avatar character, using web camera technology, relevant to a unit being explored. (For example, talk with a shark avatar during the study of living things.)

Science: Life and Living

 

 

Apply standards and conventions when using ICT to communicate

Examples of how ICT can enhance learning Key learning area Sample resource

Use informative subject lines that identify the main idea in email messages.

English: Writing and Designing, Reading and Viewing

  

Use word processing software to edit the text of a menu or an information report to include appropriate font styles and sizes, bold headings, sub-headings, bullet points, paragraphs and images.

English: Writing and Designing

  

Write a formal invitation to a friend or family member. Re-write the invitation as an email and compare the language used in both forms of communication.

English: Reading and Viewing, Writing and Designing

 

Use publishing software to create an invitation for parents to attend a class celebration. (For example, include a title/description of the function, time, date, location and specific dress code.)

English: Writing and Designing

 

With support, compose, address and send an email message to the editor of the local newspaper, expressing an opinion about a specific issue. (For example, a lack of parks or playgrounds in the local area.) Proofread the message to ensure it is free of spelling and grammatical errors.

English: Writing and Designing
SOSE

 

 

Reflect on their use of ICT and identify ways to improve their effectiveness of communication

Examples of how ICT can enhance learning Key learning area Sample resource

Examples of reflective statements made by students:

  • "We sent an email invitation to our Principal and she answered straight away."
  • "I added sounds to my fairy tale so the audience could hear the animals that lived there."
  • "I asked the author my question about her story and then I told Daddy what her answer was."
  

 

  

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Creative Commons License - Attribution CC BY

Last reviewed
08 August 2012
Last updated
08 August 2012
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