In schools where iPads are the main device that is used, there are a plethora of applications that can be used in an educational setting that relate to the different areas of study. Poetry is often a difficult topic to get students engaged in, so any opportunity that arises to make it as engaging as possible is a god send. iPad applications such as iF Poems allow students to engage more with the poems that they are studying or wanting to explore further.
iF Poems is an application that has a collection of poems that are built in and offer a small range of options that allow you to interact with them. For some of the poems, they can be read to you by well-known British actors such as Tom Hiddleston, Bill Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter, students will also have the opportunity to record themselves reading the different poems and send their favourite poems to other students in the class via email. Hey also have the option to learn more about the poet including where they were born and a short biography. The poems are broken up into categories relating to love and friendship, lessons for life, growing up and others, or into age groups. There is also a section that allows students to learn a little bit more about the various types of poems and provides examples of them. The application is directed at a younger student base, but that does not mean that it can not be used across year levels in both English and Literature classes.
With the study of different forms of poetry core at various levels of the English and Literature curriculum, it is important to allow student the opportunity to explore and engage with the texts that are different from what they are used to. Gone are the days where the teacher stands at the front of the classroom and reads a bit of prose or plays a video of it from YouTube, students should be engaging with it in ways that they are familiar with and that is most commonly done through applications on their phones or iPads. There is a need for teachers to transform the way that they use texts in the classroom, shifting from that of print-based practices to the digital practices that more closely reflect the authentic uses of literacy outside of the classroom (Mills & Levido, 2011, p. 81).
When it comes to the discussion of the use of applications and other software in the classroom, there is a need to consider the issues of availability, cost, and accessibility (Moller, 2015, p. 54). There are some applications out there that are free on initial download but then there are additional charges within the application to unlock features or read different texts. With iF Poems, the application is free and the poems are out of the copyright bounds, so they are accessible as soon as it has been downloaded onto the device. This makes poetry more accessible to students as there is no need to worry about paying for extra items and features just so that they can use the application.
The extra level of consideration is that the application allows for better individualisation for students that need extra assistance. There has been a level of difficulty in the past for improving the literacy outcomes for all students when there are disparities in skill and knowledge and reading and learning difficulties (Biancarosa & Griffiths, 2012, p. 146). This application allows students to make the text larger so that they are able to read it better and the option to hear some of the poems being read assists students with reading difficulties, it also helps other students with the pronunciation of words as the poems use words and phrases that are not commonly used today. They can then record themselves reading the poem as a form of practice for creating their own.
By having an application in the classroom that allows the students to interact with a poem, other than at face value, is an invaluable tool. However, the basic level of information on the poets and the types of poems means that the students will have to branch out of the application and do their own research. The students will get to experience the poems in a way that they may not have before.
References:
Biancarosa, G., & Griffiths, G. G. (2012). Technology tools to support reading in the digital age. The Future of Children, 22(2), 139-160.
Mills, K. A., (2011). iPed. Reading Teaching, 65(1), 80-91.
Moller, K. J. (2015). Apps in literature-based classroom instruction: Integrating reading and response through traditional and digital media. Journal of Children’s Literature, 41(1), 54-60.