DESIGN RATIONALE

This unit has been developed to enhance the learning and understanding needed for Prep learners to respond to texts effectively. Within this unit, learners will have the opportunity to examine and respond to literature and explore text structure and organisation through engaging in a range of multimodal texts and resources. Upon completion of unit, learners will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to create short texts in the form of letters. Learners will be required to read and view a range of multimodal texts that demonstrates their skills in predicting and questioning to form meaning of texts, as well as understand the different types of texts that host similar characteristics. Learners of today are surrounded by a wide range of digital technologies that they use on a regular basis both at home in within educational settings. We as educators can embrace these technologies to provide our learners with new and exciting ways to learn and retain curriculum intent. Pedagogies that integrate information and communication technologies can engage students in ways not previously possible, enhance achievement, create new learning possibilities and extend interactions with local and global communities (MCEETYA: Learning in an online world - Pedagogy Strategy). Throughout this unit, learners will be engaging in a range of online and digital technologies to create, understand and explore the language and text features. The Australian Curriculum and Reporting Agency states that for learners to develop an ICT capability, they must be able to use ICTs to support the critical and create thinking that is essential to developing understandings in English (ACARA, 2013). By using ICTs such as Bubbl.us, Read, write, think and YouTube to help create, view and understand multimodal texts, they are enhancing their ICT skills as well as becoming effective users of digital technology. As the Smart Classroom Strategy (Department of Education and Training, 2009) recognises that successful learners are creative and productive users of technology, especially ICT, I have included a wide range of ICT opportunities that help promotes their individual information technology skills. The unit is guided by Blooms Taxonomy learning domains. Blooms taxonomy supports higher order thinking through their six domains, creating, evaluating, analysing, applying, understanding and remembering. Specific learning experiences have been designed so learners can make the most of their prior ICT knowledge and skills and incorporate them into learning new complex concepts and skills. The YouTube clips that have been chosen were selected to introduce new concepts using visual and mnemonic techniques. This aligns with the Australian Curriculums intent of using a range of multimodal texts for learners to read and view (ACARA, 2013). By using interactive tools and resources such as those found in Read, Write, Think, learners can actively organise and summarise their ideas in an easy to navigate and view graphic organiser. Graphic organisers are a unique tool designed to store prior knowledge and information, in readiness to expand with new content and understandings. The graphic organisers that I have chosen for this unit allow learners to store ideas and thoughts of their assessment stories. Through explicit instruction, learners will have opportunity to explore this ICT and gain confidence to use the ICT individually. ICTs have been used throughout the unit to enhance the learning intent as outlined in the Australian Curriculum. Simpson and Toyn explain that ICTs are unique in that it provides

DESIGN RATIONALE
virtual tools that have huge potential to shift the way that children think and learn across the curriculum (pg 1, 2012). Using ICTs as a presenting tool is also incorporated within the learning sequences of this unit. As an educator, I have taken the opportunity to incorporate the use of the Interactive White Board as well as laptops, digital cameras and Ipads to facilitate and organise the learning experiences. Learners will also develop their ICT capabilities through using particular ICTs such as Microsoft Word, Publisher and PowerPoint to present and publish their short stories at the conclusion of the unit. Children are naturally curious therefore, with ample navigation and experimenting time with ICTs, they build confidence and become active users of technology. Learners are invited to interact with ICTs in a supportive safe environment, for example manipulation of images, writing on IWB or typing text on computers. Working safely and ethically is vital when working with technologies, especially through interactive sites on the world wide web. Setting up learning spaces and sites in secure online environments such as The Learning Place, Ed Studio or simply using the Education Queensland approved and accredited interactive resources found in OneSchool, will ensure safety with using ICTs. Before gaining enrolment within the educational settings, schools ask parents and students to fill in a consent form outlining the ways in which ICTs will be used within the school curriculum.