Milldene's Multimedia Online Magazine
Milldene Primary School in Essex embarked on a project to develop an online magazine with their year 4 and 5 children. The aim of the magazine is to promote work from all parts of the school’s curriculum and help the children learn what goes into establishing a successful online magazine.
Despite issues with the computing infrastructure at the school, staff, children and practitioners battled on with staff engaging in continued professional development and the skills of the children undergoing development.
Impact
Multi disciplinary media practitioner Catherine Watling worked with the children to develop new skills in story boarding and structuring their shooting of film pieces. They are now able to film and record sound effectively, using the correct terminology when doing so. Their skills and confidence in video editing, image manipulation, graphic design, Microsoft PowerPoint and Windows Movie Maker all improved.
As part of the project the teaching staff were given both one-on-one training and all staff training workshops in how ICT can be used across the curriculum.
Lead teacher Karen Springett stated that the project had helped to improve the children’s literacy levels:
"There has been a huge functional improvement in their literacy. The children have learned a lot about their audience, editing, presentation and formatting."
She also stated that the online magazine would be a long term element of the school’s curriculum:
"The process of learning how to put together your own online magazine has been invaluable. Having gone through the process once, there is now the potential to improve the magazine and the process over a longer period of time."
"Children will be encouraged to take on even more responsibility for the development of the magazine and the teaching of other children in this process."
Practitioner Catherine Watling believed all members of the project had worked together to make the online magazine a success, she said:
"The project has been a very good three-way partnership. The kids have been involved every step of the way. Teachers have been free to get bespoke ICT support. We have worked well together and it has been enjoyable doing so."
Results
The online magazine launched at the end of the last term and is already seen as a great success, with almost 1,000 visitors to date.
If you wish to visit Milldene’s online magazine visit:
Milldene Online Magazine
