Integrating Media - Essay Sample

The media I chose to use are a hand puppet, CD, flashcards, and a data projector. I used the hand puppet, CD, and flashcards during the pre-task phase of the lesson while I used the data projector during the target task phase. I used the hand puppet as the baby Billy goat character. I used it to attract the pupils attention and to arouse their curiosity. With the pupils sitting around a table, I used the baby Billy goat puppet to introduce the other characters and to ask the pupils questions. The pictures of the other characters in the story and the setting were on flashcards. The hand puppet, which was the baby Billy goat, introduced himself first on the first flashcard, then the brother and the father Billy goat on the second and third flashcards respectively. Then it introduced the troll under the bridge on the fourth flashcard, and one side of the hill without grass and the one with grass on the fifth and sixth flashcard respectively. After introducing the characters and the settings, I showed the flashcards to the pupils in sequence according to the story. While showing the flashcards to the students, the puppet, asked the learners general questions on what they knew about goats, what they saw on the flashcards and it as well narrated to them what was going on after the pupils had given their opinions.

I played the CD after I had shown the flashcards to the pupils and narrated the story using the flashcards. One advantage of using this medium is that it is one of the most suitable media to use with students who are visually impaired as they will be able to listen to the story through the song. The song made the lesson more interesting and helped the pupils understand the flow of the story even better. One of the challenges that one may face while using this medium is with students who have hearing impairment, as they may not be able to get the song clearly. Moreover, I used the data projector to display the six pictures on the screen. As I displayed the pictures, the learners were able to relate the pictures to the ones they saw on the flashcards and this helped them to retell the story read to them. The data projector also made learning more interesting due to the interactivity it provided. Additionally, I was able to create large possible image size making it possible for all students to see. A challenge that could be faced while using this medium is placing the overhead projector at a perfect distance and angle for the items to be seen clearly in the classroom. As I displayed each image, the learners were able to say what they saw on the particular picture and what they thought was happening on the picture thus making the learning process interactive, as they were able to take part in it.

Additional media I would have used during this lesson are story spoons. I would make four story spoons showing the four characters of the story each. I would also use these together with three flashcards showing a bridge, one side of the valley without grass, and the last one showing the other side of the valley with grass. These, just like flashcards, draw learners attention and make learning interesting.

In conclusion, integrating different media while teaching is important; as it will take into account children with different challenges, make learning interactive and lively, as it enables the pupils to take part in the learning process by answering questions and sequencing flashcards to retell the story.