Little Monkey App and Interactive Whiteboard


Digital Resource 1- Little Monkey App

Year level: 3/4

Strand:
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Sub-strand

  • Engage confidently with and responsibly select and manipulate appropriate technologies; materials, data, systems, components, tools and equipment; when designing and creating solutions
  • Respond resourcefully to a range of design and computing problems and situations using creative and innovative ideas to realise solutions.

Link to resource – http://www.littlemonkeyapps.com/australian_curriculum

Cross-curricular priorities and general capabilities:
Literacy, numeracy, ICT capability,

Links to other learning areas:
Society and Environment, Numeracy and Literacy (verbal communication and collaboration literacy skills)

How to use in the classroom:
This App can be purchased on an iPad or other educational device and allows the students to actively participate in a beneficial experience. The Monkey apps put a sense of culture into the students learning (e.g. The character is a monkey and he has to work towards getting the largest amount of bananas) as well as an alternate fun way to practice difficult math skills. This could be used as an individual activity which the student works through at their own pace, or it can be done with a partner or small group to help encourage group discussion and collaboration, which therefore includes peer help and explanation thus allowing the clearing up of any misconceptions.

Website and Interactive whiteboard

Year level – all year levels

Strand

  • Design and Technologies, in which students use design thinking and technologies to generate and produce designed solutions for authentic needs and opportunities.
  • Digital Technologies, in which students use computational thinking and information systems to define, design and implement digital solutions.

Link to resource;
 http://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-games

Cross-curricular priorities and general capabilities;
Sustainability, literacy, numeracy, ICT

Links to other learning areas:
Health, Literacy, Numeracy

How to use this in the classroom:
This educational device is very innovative in the way in which it covers different sections of health and also offers a wide range of ways in which the learning purpose can be achieved. The concept I like most about this device is the varied ways and opportunities offered and it allows for students with strengths and weaknesses to practice and avoid at the same time.  This allows students who have poor coordination to do other activities based around the same concept.

This device I would suggest should be used as an individual investigation however it could be beneficial if the whole class was together and they worked through the different tasks, as it would also cover social collaboration and create a positive fun environment.