I was back with Year One in my placement school today, which was fantastic! I was able to try out some of the new strategies and subject knowledge I have gained in university classes, and gain extra school-based experience before my formal GPP period begins. I will be writing much more about Computing in the school, but I wanted to write a quick post about the Computing lesson I was present for today. We introduced Book Creator, a school-friendly app which allows students to create their own books, comics, magazines and albums, in preparation for making our own superhero stories next week. The children have been learning about superheroes across the curriculum, and basing a lot of their work around the storybook Super Kid, by Claire Freedman. The class teacher was introduced to Book Creator at her previous school, and has been trained how to deliver the app to KS1. She used a link with the interactive whiteboard to demonstrate how you would open the app, start a new book, and choose a pen for drawing. The children were then sent away in pairs to share an iPad and work out the rest for themselves. This 'tinkering time' was highly effective - the children were immediately engaged and worked out how to use the app almost without any teacher-input. This example of self-directed, collaborative learning produced much greater results than I have seen in similar, teacher-led sessions. Within ten minutes, the children had worked out how to add sound, import photos, change colours and textures, and had started to turn their scribbled pages into 'stories'. This was very impressive, as my class teacher spent perhaps two minutes explaining on the carpet, and was then free to circulate the class for the rest of the session. I enjoyed using Book Creator, and look forward to our future computing sessions. The final superhero stories will be sent home, but I would love to use the app to produce books for the classroom, and include these in a reading corner. This is something I have seen in EYFS, where children are encouraged to make and consume their own books, but I have not seen this is KS1. This is something I will be researching and bearing in mind for my NQT year. Links Using Book Creator in School - www.bookcreator.com/education Apple Store Link - www.itunes.apple.com/gb/app/book-creator-for-ipad-create/id442378070?mt=8 Super Kid, by Claire Freedman - www.amazon.co.uk/Superkid-Claire-Freedman/dp/1407124064
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E-Safety, or keeping yourself safe online, is a big part of the new Digital Literacy curriculum. I have recently finished my online training module in E-Safety. This followed on from my Action Plan point that I should complete the online 'pick n mix' course. I rated the E-Safety module 5/5 for 'being helpful', and stated that I now feel confident to teach my class how to be safe on the internet. This links to my Computing Pledge, which can be found here. Schools have a very importance role to play in teaching e-safety, as teachers are usually the second most important adults in an child's life. E-Safety is part of the National Curriculum and also relates to wider issues of community cohesion, the promotion of respect and understanding, and safeguarding the welfare of all children. Participating in games, chat rooms and social media can make children very vulnerable, and it is important that schools and teachers help to mitigate this. It is also the responsible of the State to protect children from harmful material in the media and on the internet, as specified in Article 17 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The module introduced me to the Think U Know cartoon videos about Lee, Kim, and their friend Sid the superhero. Lee is a little boy who enjoys a computer game with a chat room element, whilst Kim is his little sister who enjoys to watch him play. Whenever they are playing online and there is a potential danger, Sid the superhero appears and helps them learn to recognise the potential issues with their actions or situation. In one episode, Sid demonstrates that people on the internet may not be who they say they are; the video uses the effective metaphor of masks, with one powerful 'unmasking' scene where a strange man is revealed to be posing as a child. Schools and parents can order their own versions of these masks, and I can imagine a series of lessons on e-safety built around role play, storytelling and drama. The videos are aimed at ages 5-7, which is a good age to catch children before they start to use the internet in a more widespread, unsupervised manner. Think U Know resources aimed at older children include booklets and printed material, an online game, blogs and campaigns. My top tips for children
My top tips for parents
Additional Links
E-Safety advice and resources - www.digital-literacy.org.uk CEOP - Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) - www.ceop.police.uk Online E-Safety storybook - http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/teachers/ks1/digiduck.aspx Fantastic E-Safety resources for parents and teachers, linking to the popular educational cartoon resource, The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew - www.childnet.com/resources/kia Advice on dealing with sexting amongst young people - www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/teachers-and-professionals/teaching-internet-safety/resources/sexting Think U Know - www.thinkuknow.co.uk Lee and Kim videos - www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxYily6t4LQ Video conferencing in schools is becoming an increasingly widespread teaching phenomenon. The technology brings exciting possibilities - students can talk to authors, famous figures, and other educators from a distance, connect with classrooms around the world, improve language skills, and access tutoring and distance learning with greater ease (Morgan, 2013). There is clearly an e-safety concern with video conferencing within the classroom environment, but if carefully managed, this can be a great tool for schools On 19th September 2016, my PGCE Primary Science class had the chance to watch a live stream of a Year 4 Science lesson from a primary school in Cornwall. The lesson was based around the KS1 topic of Sound, and was fully integrated in their cross-curricular topic of Vikings. The class investigated Viking battle horns, how they were made and how they produced scary, loud sounds. They tested out different instruments and worked out which would be the loudest, scariest, and easiest to plan. The lesson also involved the introduction and discussion of key concepts such as amplitude, pitch, and working scientifically. Although very enjoyable for the Science content, the lesson was very interesting from a Computing point of view. We were using Skype to connect with the class, in an example of the way in which video conferencing is being used in modern classrooms to connect children, practitioners, and professionals. The quality of the video call was not fantastic, and it was difficult to hear the children's responses, but it was fantastic to be able to watch the lesson from the comfort of our university classroom. I was also surprised that the call did not seem to be too much of a distraction for the teacher or students; although there was some jumping around at the beginning, this stopped after a few minutes, and the children did not seem to notice that the Skype session was still active. The video call also gave us the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the lesson - trainees moved to the tutor's laptop and directed questions at children who had volunteered. I asked a question about whether or not a child found it useful to have 'talking time' with a partner in class, and why. His answer, that it was 'useful to find out what other people think, as it is usually different to you', ties very nicely into our current focus on Dialogic pedagogy in English (see Alexander, 2000). Technology was also fully integrated into the lesson. The child used iPads to record their investigations and research the topic, with each table assigned a 'Resource Manager' to collect and use the device. The teacher used another iPad to record individual children and group work, which were to be compiled as a video record of achievement for each child. This is something I have not seen before, and it seems an exciting, if time-consuming, avenue I could explore in my own classroom. The teacher also explained that there is a Tech Club that runs at lunchtimes, and the children who attend are appointed 'Digital Leaders'. These students help trouble-shoot issues for their peers in lessons, and reduce the burden on the class teacher. We were able to view these children moving to help others with their iPads during the session. This initiative is a great way to give children extra skills, responsibility and ownership within the school environment, and fits into the Citizenship and British Values element of the National Curriculum and Section 2 of the Teaching Standards. The session was very exciting and rewarding for me as a trainee, especially as it came so early in my PGCE year. It was fantastic to be able to learn good practice from an Outstanding teacher, and observe an excellent Science lesson delivered with tech integrated throughout. It gave me a lot of ideas for my own future lessons, and this seemed to be shared by my fellow trainees, as there was a real buzz both during and after the session. Additional Links
Microsoft's guide to using Skype in the classroom - www.education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview Interesting ideas for Skype in the classroom - www.edudemic.com/skype-in-classroom Unofficial guide to collaborating with other schools via Skype - www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6573 A teacher's blog about using Skype in schools - www.blogs.skype.com/2016/08/25/a-teachers-journey-with-skype-in-the-classroom Skype and the study of English in Japan - how Skype is used to facilitate conversation and language skills - http://www.camtesol.org/Download/Earlier_Publications/Selected_Papers_Vol.5_2009.pdf#page=174 Messner, K., (2009) 'Met Any Good Authors Lately?' - how Skype can be used for virtual visits from authors- www.slj.com/2009/08/programs/met-any-good-authors-lately Bibliography Morgan, H. (2013), Technology in the Classroom: Using Skype for Exciting Projects Childhood Education Vol. 89 , Iss. 3, Pages 197-199 Available online - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00094056.2013.793076?journalCode=uced20 I have been scouring charity shops for interesting children's books to help enhance my literacy course. One of the books I picked up was 'Stampy's Lovely Book' by Joseph Garrett (2015) an activity annual themed around a character from Minecraft. Stampy the Cat shares games, online tips, recipes and offline activities related to his 'Lovely World' within Minecraft.
My Action Plan
Bee-Bots are cheerful, yellow, programmable floor robots. They can be used to teach logical reasoning, directional language, debugging and many of the skills associated with the new Computing curriculum. They are very popular in schools, especially in KS1, where they can be used as an early introduction to the sequencing skills required for coding. Bee-Bots can be used to help achieve two particular aims of the KS1 National Curriculum - creating and debugging simple programs, and using logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs. There is a growing body of academic research into the impact of using programmable toys in early education, something which I hope to study in depth as I move through the Computing course.
I was lucky enough to borrow a Bee-Bot from the University before I start my GPP Placement, and have spent some time researching how they can be used in the classroom. There are many educational videos on YouTube showing a Bee-Bot or Bots in action. I was especially impressed by the ability of the Bee-Bot to be used across the curriculum - from helping children learn to PSED skills, to angles and position in Maths, and map skills in Geography. After reading the Barefoot Computing guide to Bee-Bots and watching some great video content, I was inspired to create a physical floor maze, and create a sequence of commands which would allow my Bee-Bot to travel around the maze without knocking into walls or getting lost. You can buy mats with pre-drawn maps or mazes, but I made a basic series of walls with pens and objects as obstacles.
The sequence is inputted via chunky buttons on the top of the robot. The Bee-Bot has the capacity for 40 commands, which can also be cleared if the student wishes to start again. Sound effects, light up eyes and bright colours make the Bee-Bot an attractive resource for children to use. To demonstrate the Bee-Bot in action, I have created a short video using iMovie.
I previously worked as a TA in EYFS, and observed the use of Bee-Bots in our computing sessions. However, it had been a little while since I had used one, and so I was careful to look up instructions and watch some demonstrations before I got started. The process of learning how to use the Bee-Bot was incredibly easy - I felt proficient within 10-20 minutes of playing around and getting to grips with how it worked. I solidified my understanding by teaching a friend how to use the Bee-Bot - I first explained that coding and sequencing were now part of the National Curriculum, demonstrated how the controls are used to create a sequence, and set them off to play with it themselves. My friend had never used a programmable floor robot before, but was able to navigate around the maze after only a short while. Allowing my friend to play with the Bee-Bot and understand how it works via independent investigation was a deliberate pedagogical choice based on my understanding of constructivist education - allowing children to learn through experience and self-directed activity. I would use my simple maze activity with a KS1 class, although this could easily be adapted for KS2. Hopefully I will get the chance to try this out on my GPP placement! Additional Links TTS website - www.tts-group.co.uk/bee-bot-rechargeable-floor-robot/1001794.html General guide to Bee-Bots - www.odigo21.educacion.navarra.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BeebotguideA4v2.pdf Code-It six-week lesson plan - www.code-it.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/y1beebotplan.pdf Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How?' - www.dei.unipd.it/~emg/downloads/SIMPAR08-WorkshopProceedings/TeachingWithRobotics/pekarova.pdf Early Mathematics Learning through Exploration with Programmable Toys -http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.688.897&rep=rep1&type=pdf#page=198 The Effect of a Classroom-Based Intensive Robotics and Programming Workshop on Sequencing Ability in Early Childhood - Kazakoff, E.R., Sullivan, A. & Bers, M.U. Early Childhood Educ J (2013) 41: 245. doi:10.1007/s10643-012-0554-5 Brief Overview of Constructivist Education Theory - www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom The Computing National curriculum - www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/primary_national_curriculum_-_computing.pdf
I have picked up my Bee-Bot and started to explore how it works, so please look out for a forthcoming post on that! I had great fun this evening playing around with the Stop Motion app on my iPhone, after my audit revealed that I need to explore more educational apps.
The Stop Motion app has been designed to allow children to make fun videos. It is very intuitive, and connects to the camera and microphone on a mobile device. Users are required to take a series of photos in sequence (something which could be linked to sequencing in the Computing NC), and these are linked together at the chosen speed to create a basic video. The simple interface and controls means it could be seamlessly integrated into a lesson, as a hook or as the main focus. I hope to be testing this out at my GPP placement school! This app could easily be used across the curriculum - from projects for Art and D&T, to filming Drama performances and Maths problems. I will be posting about cross-curricular use of Computing at a later date.
Please note - I am not responsible for any content hosted on Youtube beyond my personal channel.
My experience of ICT at school was poor, to say the least. Long, dull projects around the uses of Excel or database software, designing a bloated PowerPoint about the European Union, producing endless posters for topic work; although I enjoyed using IT outside school, within the curriculum it was something I wished I could have avoided! However, vast changes in the technology curriculum in the last few years mean that the new 'Computing' course is something to which I have been actively looking forward.
Focusing much more on computer science and digital literacy, although still preparing students for the workplace with ICT elements, the new Computing Curriculum is a huge overhaul of the old regime. Rather than users, students are now creators. This is incredibly exciting for me as a trainee teacher - I can help to shape the future of tech through my students! Computing can also teach vital problem solving and maths skills, can be fitted into any area of the curriculum, and will help to future-proof our children's skill sets. A lot of the ICT I learnt at school is now obsolete. I have an ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) in Microsoft Office 2003, a qualification which took months and is no longer relevant in 2016. However, the new Computing Curriculum should be able to weather any technological advances, as it teaches general skills rather than software-specific knowledge. Our first computing lecture explained the three strands of the new curriculum - Computer Science (programming, understanding networks, analysing problems), Information Technology (using tech and generating digital content) and Digital Literacy (ensuring students are confident, competent and safe users of tech). I am most excited by the Computer Science element of the course, and have started off my self-directed learning by borrowing a Bee-Bot from the university. This is a small floor robot which can help teach programming and directional language to children as young as 3. I will be investigating how it works and having a go myself, before I'm let loose on a classroom. Watch this space to see how I get on! Links The Computing National Curriculum (KS1/2 focus) - www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/primary_national_curriculum_-_computing.pdf Bee-Bots - www.bee-bot.us Today marked the first day of my PGCE course at the University of Manchester, and my first Computing lecture. I am very excited to see what my Initial Teacher Training will hold!
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