Augmented reality (AR) technology has opened up new possibilities for interactive and immersive learning experiences, where students can visualize abstract concepts and engage with digital objects in real-time. In this study, a real-time AR-based system is developed and, unlike other studies, incorporates sound effects that will play when the…

In her research with students at the Independent Elementary School of Art in Bratislava (Slovakia), Daniela Evjáková observed differences as well as common factors between the work of a director and work of an educator. These commonalities and distinctions varied over the course of different stages of production and creation. Following a period of…

In the project discussed in this article, 30 11-year olds made an animated film in the machinima style, influenced by both film and game culture, and using a 3-D animation software tool, Moviestorm. The processes and products of the project will be analysed using a social semiotic/multimodal approach, exploring the social interests behind the…

This paper presents the ergonomic aspects in designing and prototyping of desks cum chairs used in elementary schools. The procedures adopted for the assessment included: the study of existing school furniture, design analysis and development of prototypes. The design approach proposed a series of adjustable desks and chairs developed in terms of…

This study investigated the following research question: How do sixth-graders respond to a media literacy lesson that was designed to, among other goals, introduce the concept of the presence of commercial interest in media production, particularly regarding the prevalence of media violence? Forty-seven responses were analyzed thematically using…

In this study, student engagement during classroom activities was investigated where sixth graders created digital media projects using historical images. The study employed a qualitative design involving observations, student artifacts, and interviews while students were creating digital storyboards using a Web-based application developed for…

This article is a call for classroom teachers to become authors. The authors briefly describe a process that teachers can follow to write down their ideas, submit a paper for peer review, revise it, and celebrate its publication--whether as an article in "Social Studies and the Young Learner" ("SSYL") or as a handout to share with colleagues in…

One of the challenges that social studies educators face daily is how to make student learning relevant. Digital technologies can play an important role by connecting what happens in the classroom to the world beyond. One way to do this is by turning students into producers of information and having them create content rather than simply consume.…

This study was an investigation into the ways in which two classes of six- and seven-year-old children in Hawaii talked about the media. The children were shown video clips from a variety of media and asked to respond both orally and in writing. The qualitative data gathered in this study were researcher notes, video and audio-taped focus group…

In this article, the author describes a project using acetate sheets. This project was to have at least two layers: (1) the first layer is a more detailed front layer of the acetate sheet; and (2) the second layer is a piece of painted paper behind the acetate. This lesson presents an opportunity to help students think in "layers," which will be…

Digital video production in schools is often theorised, researched and written about in two ways: either as a part of media studies practice or as a technological innovation, bringing new, "creative", digital tools into the curriculum. Using frameworks for analysis derived from multimodality theory, new literacy studies and theories of…

Media educators and researchers call for learner-centred, bottom-up pedagogical approaches, which take into account learners' own cultures, knowledge and experiences. Nevertheless, there seem to be gaps between traditional, authoritarian school culture and the interactive, creative media culture that is a significant part of youngsters' lives…

This paper evaluates the use of a creative learning activity in which postgraduate student teachers were required to collaboratively make short digital videos. The purpose was for student teachers to experience and evaluate a meaningful learning activity and to consider how they might reconstruct such an activity within their own teaching practice…

Jason Ranker argues that struggling students need "opportunities to use print and produce meanings in diverse and multifaceted ways." His case study of two fifth-grade girls who used digital video production to better understand aspects of the civil rights movement reveals ways in which multimodal literacy practices "can create new possibilities…

This article explores the use of historical fiction as a means of undertaking a historical enquiry into the experiences of refugees and evacuees with Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils. The authors reflect on the reasons why people have come to Britain before focussing on specific circumstances associated with World War 2. This is undertaken through the use…