That Bird Has Arms! – Welcome to Mrs Barker’s Tea Room

I am so glad I took the time to open this book, written by Kate and Jol Temple and illustrated by Niharika Hukku and Ronojoy Ghosh. I have to be honest and say that the cover freaked me out a little. The combination of human arms on the body of a bird did not appeal to me, although I did love the pink background! BUT…loved the story and actually learnt to love Roy.

Cyber Safety

The ETHICAL element of the Information Fluency Framework (IFF) states that ‘students apply reasoning to consider the influence and impact of information on others’. That Bird Has Arms! is a great stimulus text for introducing this area of learning. The impact of the ‘tweeter’ comments on Roy and his wellbeing are evident throughout the storyline.

I do love using #Goldilocks: A hashtag cautionary tale by Jeannie Willis to explore issues with using social media. The Goldilocks storyline has a focus on how posting images and comments online can cause trouble for us personally. That Bird Has Arms! has a different focus. It highlights the impact posting images and comments online may have on others. The books complement each other, and both fit well with the following strands of the IFF:

IFF3E.1.2 discuss the consequences of different actions in relation to information use

IFF3E.2.1 identify what constitutes an ethical decision and how it might be reached when creating information

IFF3E.2.2 identify the consequences of ethical decision-making in relation to information creation

IFF3E.1.1 explain what constitutes an ethical decision and how it might be reached

I have been using resources from The Cyber Safety Project (Home – Cyber Safety Project) and love that one of their themes is Wellbeing, with strands that include Integrity, Strength and Empathy. Worth exploring.

Also take time to visit Cyber Marvel. Link: Cyber safe classroom | NSW Government Make sure you scroll down to the ‘MORE CYBERMARVEL RESOUCES FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ section and follow the links. It is honestly the most comprehensive list I have ever seen.

Altered Reality

Kids love using digital programs to be creative and this text provides the perfect opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. Programs such as Canva, Paint 3D and Photoshop have a range of tools that will enable them to create their own Roy! Of course, AI enables us to go even further. Use Microsoft Designer (Image Creator) to focus on language and how the keywords we use will influence our final image. It took me three attempts to get close to what I was imaging. Visit https://designer.microsoft.com/ and have fun!