Week 8: Final week and Presentations!

Hello and welcome back to my blog for the last time!

In this final session, we presented our interactive whiteboard (IWB) lesson in groups of three which could be based on science or any of the foundation subjects. Whilst one person in the group was observing, the other two would observe and peer assess the presentation. 

I feel my presentation went well as i covered the main points and from the positive feedback i received from my peers. I also enjoyed observing the other 2 presentations and found them very interactive and engaging. 

Having the opportunity to utilise the smartboard to create a lesson for the presentation was very useful as i had the chance to explore its functions - i didn't expect it to be quite as time consuming as it was but i just need more practice and patience! 

My school placement  in January does not have the IWB so i will need to consider different ways for children to interact and i will also need to be confident with how i teach without the IWB but hopefully i get the chance to use it in SBT2.

I have found this module extremely useful in terms of the various ICT activities children can engage with and the skills they can gain, either knowingly or unknowingly such as blogging, programming and games. This module has also addressed how various ICT resources have many cross-curricular links and it has also been helpful in considering the needs of SEN and EAL children, finding ways to enhance their learning. I have definitely come out of this module more knowledgeable and am looking forward to teaching and observing children have a go at the opportunities we had themselves!

As children are growing up with technology all around them, they seek constant gratification, and as a teacher, i will need to be able to ensure and find interactive resources that enhance children's learning experiences and be confident with incorporating ICT in the classroom. Children also need to be aware of staying safe online and this part of the module has been very helpful as teachers have a responsibility to promote online safety and protect children. 

Thank you for reading my blog! 

Week 7: Games Based Learning, Simulation and Programming

“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.”

Abraham Maslow, American psychologist, 1908-1970

Welcome back to my blog!


Today we explored games-based learning in the primary classroom, considering developments in mobile technologies. we also looked at the implications these applications have on teaching and learning.

We found out that research suggests that UK learners are some of the unhappiest in Europe and perhaps the least engaged. There is an abundance of software and games that can encourage enthusiasm in the classroom and we looked at a few today.

Kodu

It all looked complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, it really is a fantastic tool for learning. Kodu lets kids create games on the PC and XBox via a simple visual programming language. Kodu provides children with the opportunity to:

• Narrative creation and storytelling
• Be creative
• Encourage critical thinking, breaking a complex goal into manageable steps, and iterate on the design process 
• Use logic and understand problem solving of programming
• Understand and use conditions and sequences, which teaches cause and effect
• Be co-operative

The video below is a tutorial of creating a game using Kodu - very useful!

Dance to Advance

We then moved onto explore Dance to Advance.

Dance to Advance includes at least 2 dance mats and so features 1 or 2 players. Children can personalise their learning experience by selecting from a range of characters, music and background scenes. However, there are only 8 possible answers in each game so you have to be more creative with the prompts/questions as the repetition can be obvious! It is important to consider that despite how fun and aerobic the activities can be, the less extroverted and physically/visually able students in the class may have doubts about getting involved.  It is an activity software that can be used across the curriculum. Using visual, kinaesthetic and auditory stimuli, it’s an ideal way to challenge and test pupils’ knowledge. The dance mat activities can be customised or alternatively, sample activities are also included. Any subject or topic can be covered, as each stimulus and answer can contain text, sound or a picture. There are also many samples online that can be downloaded.

Voki

This is a create your own avatar programme that can be used as an effective language tool. The characters are incredibly engaging and you can get more information here. Voki is ideal for learners looking to improve literacy skills. Students can research a topic or character that they intend to speak about using an avatar and then write a script based on this.

Wordle 

Wordle is great for literacy! It is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words 
that appear more frequently in the source text. You can 
tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color 
schemes. It can be used to find out what children have learnt at the end of the topic. 

M - Learning

We then moved onto mobile learning or M-learning is essentially classroom or off-site teaching using handheld devices such a smart phones, MP3/4 players or tablet computers and the related learning ‘universe’ of apps that accompany these sorts of technology. There are some aspects to focus on when considering its overarching value:

• It is important to bring new technology into the classroom.
• It is using more robust and light weight devices compared to books, PCs, etc.
• Mobile learning can be utilised as part of a learning approach which uses different types of activities (or a blended learning approach).
• Mobile learning supports the learning process rather than being integral to it.
• Mobile learning needs to be used appropriately, according to the groups of students involved.
• Mobile learning can be a useful add-on tool for students with special needs.
• Good IT support is needed, especially true if using ‘off-site’ e.g. on field trip.

(Source: Pachler,N & Daly, C (2011) Key Issues in e-Learning. Continuum, London).

We watched a video on how one school was using the ipod touch, to enhance and support pupils learning. It can be used in all subjects!

As a teacher, i will need to apply these game based learning ideas to a classroom context and plan a curriculum-based activity that will enable all to achieve, whether they are using games as a stimulus or creating their own games. I will also think about the age and ability. I will need to try to think of ways of scaffolding the game-making experience for example, by working with a limited selection, by solving a problem within a game, by continuing to develop a a pre-made game, by changing the characters, setting or theme, or by introducing one new aspect to the game such as enemies. I feel that the use of tools such as the examples above are a brilliant way to get the children involved in their education and they are all adaptable to suit the different needs of the class, and can be used for an array of subjects.

Week 6: Game Based Learning and Computer Programming

Hello again and welcome to week 6!

It is no secret that children like playing games and what better way to succeed at school than by having fun along the way? Combining playing games with learning allows children to learn and achieve at the same time. 

By games, i do not mean the educational benefits to the wii or the x box!!! I mean the educational benefits of modelling software and we got to explore a variety of modelling software.

ICT modelling is a term used for children to explore "what happens if...." and can support us to make decisions before committing ourselves to the real thing.

There are many different examples that can be used in the classroom:

• My modelling toolkit
• Purple Mash
• Tizzy tools
• My world
• 2Simulate
• 2Do-It-Yourself

Purple Mash

I had the chance to play around with the features of Purple Mash which provides a fantastic range of resources:

• 2Investigate
• 2Design and Make
• 2Paint Projects
• Mashcams
• 2DIY 3D
• Postcards
• 2Publish Projects
• 2Type 

This program has many benefits such as children having the chance to develop ICT skills, is regularly updated with seasonal activities and encourages independent learning. 

The video shows how to use 2Design and Make in purple mash

Scratch

Scratch is a website that allows children to create and share their own interactive stories, games, music and art. It allows for more decision making. There are many opportunities for creativity and gaming. Children will really engage with the big ideas of programming - problem solving, thinking mathematically and using logic and reasoning. Being able to learn the basic skills of writing simple computer programs is useful to understand how computers do what they do. It is a fantastic piece of software that all children should have the opportunity to learn how to use. 

The video below is an example of scratch in action!

LOGO 

We finally got the chance to to explore the LOGO program. This was quite difficult to understand at first as there were codes that needed to be typed up accurately for the command to proceed. LOGO is important to learning because:

• It involves more than just moving a turtle or using mathematics. It involves thinking about processes and being aware of how you know what you are doing. 
• The process of creating the product is more important than the finished product.

These tools are all great ways for children to learn without realising it so they will definitely be used with my future class. They are also advantageous in including each child!