‘Makey Makey’ makes kids go crazy!

‘Makey Makey’ makes kids go crazy!

Ever wanted to become an inventor? Ever seen children bored out of their minds when they have the perfect opportunities to create imaginative play or craft something amazing like you did in your childhood? Well, look no further than the tool ‘Makey Makey’. ‘Makey Makey’ is just like an electrical board, or square piece of metal with different ports in it which have alligator clips extending from it to link to other objects. It is sure to engage our 21st-century tech-savvy children!

The idea is simple. Plug the board into a laptop or computer using the USB cord attached. Then, connect ANY object which can conduct even the smallest amount of energy (I..e bananas, pens, water bottles, playdough) to the alligator clips, and ta-da you have a unique keyboard! This device can create any object into one which controls your laptop games and apps. Check it out via this video:

 

To implement this amazing piece of technology into your classroom, I have the following tips for you:

  • Follow the ‘Primary Connections’ Physical Sciences program, and extend their understanding of forces and electrical energy by allowing students to play with their ‘Makey Makey’. This device specifically links to Grade 6 Physical Sciences Primary Connections Textbook “It’s Electrifying!’ however it is able to be used by all middle to upper primary aged students. Lower primary students may need extra support and supervision.
  • Allow students to play with the device themselves first, and grouping them in small groups to not only develop their investigative thinking skills but also their personal and social capabilities, which is a general capability from ACARA and SCSA curriculums.
  • This device allows students to use all the Processing and Production skills from the Technologies curriculum on SCSA as well as links directly to the grades 4, 5 and 6 curriculum links in the Engineering Principles and Systems Design and Technology context (ACTDEK020 – ACTDEK020). It also directly links to the grade 6 curriculum of Science (ACSSU097).
  • Remember to explain and directly teach safe handling of ‘Makey Makey’
  • Give students goals to work towards in small groups (I.e. make the biggest piano you can) to enhance students general capabilities of critical and creative thinking, and Information and Communicative Technologies (ICT)

 

Follow this link to view the different apps which ‘Makey Makey’ can link to:

www.makeymakey.com/apps

Other unique technologies created by the same inventors:

Drawdio – make anything you draw become a sound system! www.web.media.mit.edu/~silver/drawdio

Singing Fingers – the app which uses your sounds to paint pictures! www.singingfingers.com

Have fun exploring the world of inventing and inspiring your students!

Link to an overview of the Design and Technology Curriculum by Caitlin Phoebe: http://https://www.mindmeister.com/826317863

 

 

 

 

Kidblog – The New School Social Media

As teachers, we are constantly searching for unique ways to engage our students in their content knowledge and methods to allow students to express their understandings suited to their individual skillsets. This can be a very difficult challenge for even the most experienced educators to overcome. However, thanks to new technologies and the internet, teachers can rest easy!

 

KidBlog is a website where teachers can create a class group blog. Students are given their own webpages to create and space to express their understandings via writing, videos, photos or podcasts. Teachers are given control over the students activity online to ensure safety, and the student’s work must be previewed by the teacher before it is published online. Students are linked together as their blogs are a part of an online community which includes only their classmates, teaching staff and parents. This enables students to give each other constructive feedback and interact in a virtual manner. It is safe, authentic and a fun way to assess students’ knowledge!

 

 

(www.kidblog.org/home)

This resource links specifically to the Design Technologies ‘designing’ production skill, and may be applied in any Design Technologies context! It is suitable for grade 2-3 plus and also has strong links throughout the English curriculum of all grades. Specifically it links to the following English strands and sub-strands:

  1. Language: language for interaction, text structure and organisation and language variation and change
  2. Literature: Responding to literature and creating literature
  3. Literacy: Interaction with others, interpreting, analysing and evaluating texts, and creating texts

 

It also links to the following General Capabilities:

  1. Literacy
  2. Critical and creative thinking
  3. Personal and Social capabilities
  4. Informative and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Follow this link to be transferred to the homepage of KidBlog and register for free now!

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Link to Design and Technology Curriculum Outline by Caitlin Phoebe:

MindMap Design and Technology Curriculum