Digital Systems

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Kano

Kano

http://us.kano.me/

Year level: 4

Subject: Technology

Strand: Digital Technology

Description

Kano is a fantastic computer and coding kit for children ages 6 and upwards. Students actually get to make a computer, learn what’s inside, play with the code and hopefully spark a lifelong passion for computing and the arts! Kano is a Raspberry π based project, which also utilises Sonic Pi for the music coding component.

Below is a video introducing Kano…

As can be seen by the video, Kano has been constructed to engage students immediately, showing them how a computer is designed and engineered on a basic level. As stated by Luke, it’s like putting Lego together. Students once into the coding phase can then learn to code and create games, hack into well known platforms like Minecraft and make music.

Here is another great video showing Luke using Kano.

There are great resource packages designed and built for educator and schools, which can be aligned with the school curriculum and provide great levels of support and training for the teachers. There is also the ability for the students to share their work or projects through portals and also check out what other students have created!

Digital Technologies

Link to  SCSA (School Curriculum and Standards Authority)

Looking at the year 4 syllabus Kano could be introduced to explore digital systems in terms of their components and the other peripheral devices. Students learn how to manipulate and interpret data which allow students to develop the data to represent and communicate ideas. This helps to develop computational thinking.

Some Year 4 Content descriptors that would be covered by using Kano:

Knowledge & Understanding

  • Digital systems and peripheral devices are used for different purposes and can store and transmit different types of data (ACTDIK007)

Digital Implementation

  • Use simple visual programming environments that include a sequence of steps (algorithm) involving decisions made by the user (branching) (ACTDIP011)
  • Work with others to create and communicate ideas and information safely, using agreed protocols (netiquette) (ACTDIP013)

You can also easily see how using the Kano package can link in with the general capabilities:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • ICT
  • Creative thinking
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Tynker

 

 

https://www.tynker.com/

Subject: Technologies

Strand: Digital Technology

Year level: 1-6

 

Description:

Tynker is a creative computing platform where students are able to learn how to program and build Apps, games and more. It is self paced and is easily incorporated into the Western Australian school curriculum (School Curriculum and Standards Authority, Government of Western Australia) in the subject of Technologies particularly the strand of Digital Technologies.

Students are encouraged and engaged to create games and animated projects using visual coding and provides them with the knowledge foundations in programming and computational thinking which will then help their progress into mainstream object orientated programming. It has powerful kid friendly tools and guided, independent instruction for your students.

The resources and instruction that are available to teachers are also fantastic. It has ready to use, grade specific lesson plans and links to STEM project templates for Math, Science, ICT and English to name a few.

Tynker can be used across different PC platforms (Windows or Mac) and mobile devices running IOS or Android.

Links:

Below are a link to Tynker’s website which will allow a free initial sign up for schools to look at coding across Year levels 1 to 8. This will introduce your class to visual programming. In this course, students get introduced to basic programming as they create interactive stories, design animations, and make mini-games in Tynker’s game-like interface. Each lesson is designed for a class period of 45-60 minutes.

https://www.tynker.com/

https://www.tynker.com/school/courses/show?id=0-programming-100

https://www.tynker.com/play?p=518173ef75209f6e64000198

This is a great video explaining why everyone loves Tynker!

 Sub-strands and Content Descriptors:

Tynker’s courses cover sub-strands and many different Content Descriptors in each year group such as;

Year 1

Strand: Knowledge and Understanding

Representation of Data:

  • Data can have patterns and can be represented as pictures, symbols and diagrams (ACTDK002)

 

Strand: Process and Production Skills

Collecting, Analysing and Representing Data

Present data of any kind using a variety of digital tools (ACTDIP003)

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Kahoot!

Related image

Year: Middle to upper primary

What is it? Kahoot! is an online quiz game, in which students can either play individually or as teams from multiple devices. The teacher creates an account and can create customised quizzes relating to the content the class has been learning. The teacher projects the quiz onto the interactive whiteboard. This allows students to view the questions, as questions are only view-able from the teacher account. Each game has a unique pin-code, and the students log into the game using the pin-code. The quizzes are a multi-choice platform, where students answer questions via selecting the correct answer (represented by both colours and symbols) from their device. Students score points for accuracy of their answer and for the fastness in which they answer. It is a great resource to use to test students’ knowledge as a summative task while incorporating ICT. Images and videos can also be added to the questions.  At the end of each answer, students are provided with a graph of results, showing how many people chose what answer. These results remain completely anonymous to the students.

Image result for kahoot

Image result for kahootTeacher Link: https://getkahoot.com/

Student Link: https://kahoot.it/#/ 

Application in classrooms via the use of the curriculum: I believe that this app would be most effective for students in middle to upper primary, but could possibly be modified for use in year 2. We will be looking at year 3-4.

Subject: Technologies

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub-Strand: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Content Descriptor: Plan, create and communicate ideas and information independently and with others, applying agreed ethical and social protocols (ACTDIP013)

This content descriptor was chosen because aspects of the website can relate to this. Students canhelp plan and create quizzes with teacher help and test their peers.

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The Social Robot Toolkit

Subject:  
Technologies

Year Level:
F – 2

Strand: 
Digital Technologies

Sub-Strand:
Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Content Descriptor:
Recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose (ACTDIK001)

Link to the Resources:
https://thejournal.com/articles/2015/03/12/preschoolers-practice-programming.aspx
http://robotic.media.mit.edu/portfolio/social-robot-toolkit/

Cross-Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:
Literacy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability and Critical and Creative Thinking

Links to other learning areas: 
English

A classroom activity using this resource:
The Social Robot Toolkit works specifically with an interactive robot called Dragonbot. The purpose of the social robot toolkit is to teach students about social communication with the assistance of playful interaction. This coding device allows children, between the ages of 4 and 8, to experiment with computational concepts. The toolkit gives students the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills through the assistance of storytelling. The Social Robot familiarises students with interpersonal and computational concepts. Edith Ackermann, a developmental psychologist, highlights that the programming of the robot is done so highlight relational interactions.

 

How to use this resource:
The Social Robot Toolkit comes with:

  • Dragonbot
  • An A3 laminated sheet comprising of a blue triangle and a green square.
  • A series of vinyl stickers that represent triggers and events.
  • Tablet

The children place a sticker on the blue diamond, which is the action they are to complete, such as clapping their hands. Followed by a sticker on the green square, which is the action for Dragonbot to complete, such as smiling. Placing a black arrow between the two events creates the sequence.

Once the students have created their sequence they show Dragonbot. The teacher then uses the tablet provided to input the sequence created by the child. When Dragonbot acknowledges the sequence it nods its head and says, “I’ve got”.

At that point children will complete the trigger action which results in Dragonbot executing the chain of command.

 

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Lego Boost – A hands on approach to coding in the classroom!


Subject: Digital Technologies

Strand
: Design and Technology

Sub-strand: Design and technologies process and production skills

Bands: 3 to 7

 

 

Boost is Lego’s latest introduction of Lego robotics to 2017. Boost is a step up from Lego’s Mindstorms and WeDo 2.0 robotics kits, introducing movement to Lego. Boost gives students the opportunity to engage in the active learning process, whereby students construct their own learning. Boost is not only fun, but it’s also educational. Using the software available on the Lego Boost website, teachers can tailor learning experiences which are relevant, hands on and fun, while learning the fundamentals of coding and computational thinking.

 How?

Boost has over 60 different coding activities available. Teachers can select the activity they would like to incorporate into their learning experience from the Boost App, available for most Android and Apple devices. Coding with Lego is easy, students demonstrate their problem solving skills and ability to think critically by programming their Lego Boost creation to suit the learning task. Boost Lego has special bricks including a motor and sensors, which gauge surrounding colours and distance from objects in its path.

 

LEGO Boost isn’t available until August 2017, however children and adults are bursting to try this new technology!

Content Descriptors

Year 3 to Year 4

  • Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP015)
  • Select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and use safe work practices to make designed solutions (ACTDEP016)
  • Plan a sequence of production steps when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively (ACTDEP018)

Year 5 to Year 6

  • Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
  • Select appropriate materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and apply safe procedures to make designed solutions (ACTDEP026)
  • Develop project plans that include consideration of resources when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively (ACTDEP028)

Year 7 to Year 8

  • Critique needs or opportunities for designing and investigate, analyse and select from a range of materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to develop design ideas (ACTDEP035)
  • Select and justify choices of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to effectively and safely make designed solutions (ACTDEP037)
  • Use project management processes when working individually and collaboratively to coordinate production of designed solutions (ACTDEP039

General capabilities 

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Science
  • Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social capability
  • Information and Communication Technology

 

Further Information

Lego Boost CNN Report

LEGO Boost Official Website

LEGO WeDo Official website

Bits and Bricks

Youtube – Boost LEGO in Education

Youtube – WeDo LEGO in Education

Lego Computer Coding Activities

 

 

By Emily Richardson

Scratch – Coding to learn!
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Scratch – Coding to learn!

Scratch

Scratch is a click-drag-and-drop programming environment that is exceptional for introducing students to programming concepts via Windows and Mac OS X . Students can use Scratch to code their own interactive stories, games, and animations. In the process, they learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively, which are essential skills for society and the classroom.

Target year level:  Year 3-6 (Also recommended for high-school students)

Curriculum learning area: Digital Technologies

General Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Critical and Creative Thinking

Developed by: Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab

Why use scratch in your classroom? Scratch introduces students to programming without the daunting pressure of understanding coding/programming language. Beginners are often ‘put off’ when faced with errors in coding, as many programmers are quite abstruse in their language, however scratch aims to overcome this barrier by using a drag-and-drop technique that is readily available to young ages. Scratch uses visual programming language that can be used to construct games, presentations, tutorials, animations, interactive stories and more to create a conceptual understanding or digital materials.

About this resource: Scratch has provided a educational resource for teachers that provides a digital platform for teachers to engage in and share stories, experiences, resources and meet fellow educators via the Scratch Educator Meetups. Note: These meetups are USA centralized.  Scratch also provides teachers with an educator account to help manage classroom projects and student programs.

Links to other learning areas: 

  • Art – Drawing experimentation with colour
  • Mathematics – Plot, graph, demonstrate and application of mathematical concepts
  • Science – Simulation and experimentation
  • Languages – Simple quiz input/output, including the recording of sound for feedback
  • English – Develop a narrative, plot points, characters and actions
  • All learning areas – Demonstrate a deeper, conceptual understanding of fundamental ideas

Mitch Resnick – Computer Scientist

Mitch Resnick is the director of the Life Long Kindergarten Group and LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at MIT Media Lab. Resnick aims to engage students with technology, encouraging them to create and experiment using coding with digital resources. You can find more information about Mitch Resknick here: https://www.media.mit.edu/people/mres/overview/

Scratch program snapshots

Scratch interface home page

Scratch background editor

Scratch character script

Scratch game/ challenge programming code

Programming in Schools using Scratch: A CS4HS: Iterate Workshop by Bruce Fuda

Download this resource to view a complete written document that maps out the Scratch program layout and how you can download/use it in your classroom

 

 

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LEGO Autobots, roll out!

Subject: Digital Technology

Year level: 3-6

Strand: Knowledge & Understanding and Processes & Production Skills

Sub-strand: Digital Systems, Investigating and Defining, Evaluating

Possible Curriculum Links:

Digital systems have components with basic functions and interactions that may be connected together to form networks which transmit different types of data (ACTDIK014)

Define a problem, and a set of sequenced steps, with users making decisions to create a solution for a given task

Develop collaborative criteria to evaluate and justify design processes and solutions

 

Link to the Resource:

https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

Critical and creative thinking

Personal and social capability

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Numeracy

Cross-curriculum links:

Mathematics

What is it:

Lego Mindstorms EV3 is a system that allows students to build, program and command which are easy and fun to used. The package comes with bricks, motors and sensors to create one of 17 types of robots that can shoot, drive, slam, crash and spin with control from a range of devices including smart phones and tablets. Students can also further program the robots with on computer coding program for more features. The robot can be deconstructed and formed into any of the other 16 models for more missions and actions.

https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/about-ev3

 

How to use it in the Classroom:

one example of how Lego Midstorms EV3 can be used in the classrooms is the students programming a robots to respond to the sense of touch through lights, sounds, colour and movement. the robot can be displayed in a public area, for example the front office or staff area, with a sign next to it “Do Not Touch”. The robot recorded data every time it was touched within a space of an hour. the students can then graph and analyse this raw data to investigate trends as well as self-control of adults.

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Jessica Mann – A Healthy Lifestyle is a Good Lifestyle

FoodSwitch

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: Year 5

Strand: Digital Technologies – Processes and Production Skills

Sub-Strand: Collecting, Managing and Analysing Data – Collect, store and present different types of data for a specific purpose using software (ACTDIP016)

Accessing the App:

Cross-Curriculum Priorities:

  • Sustainability

General Capabilities:

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Links to Other Learning Areas:

  • English
  • Numeracy
  • Health and Physical Education

How can an app lead us to a Healthier Future?

Bupa and The George Institute have created the app ‘FoodSwitch’. This app is used to help people find the healthiest brand for a desired food item. It helps individuals and families make healthier choices by giving alternatives (or ‘switches’) for different items based on the quantities of sugar, saturated fat, salt and kilojoules. It helps to take away the overwhelming feeling of reading food labels to decide which is the healthiest food by comparing the foods for you after simply scanning the products barcode!

How does the FoodSwitch app work?

  1. Download the app from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or from Google Play for FREE
  2. Once in the app, you can select the filter you would like. There is a generic FoodSwitch option as well as SaltSwitch, EnergySwitch, FatSwitch and SugarSwitch option. Each shows the healthier option (in a traffic light system or Health-Star rating way) listed first based on the nutritional value of the product scanned. GlutenSwitch is also a filter which shows gluten-free alternatives. *FILTER CAN BE CHANGED WHENEVER DESIRED

Image shows options of the filters on the FoodSwitch app

  1. After selecting a filter, under the scan button, you can scan any food products barcode. Alternatives are then given to this product (the different nutritional values are shown in a traffic light system or by the Health-Star ratings)

Image shows how products nutritional value is shown in a traffic light system. Seen below are healthy alternatives for the product scanned (healthiest at the top).

  1. As many items as desired can be scanned and all appear under the ‘Recents’ button
  2. Underneath the scanned product, alternative brands are listed  with healthier choices to ‘switch’ the scanned product with being listed at the top

FoodSwitch Benefits for Students:

  • Improves design thinking. Students are required to create an outcome (based on healthy food options) that will benefit people
  • Students are reading data (using mathematics knowledge)
  • Students can use it in a cooperative working group so learn how to work with others and take turns
  • Students can use the app at home to educate their own family on healthy food options
  • Students are learning a easy way to make healthy food options
  • Students understand how a healthy lifestyle is sustainable for their lives as an app as simple as this can be used to provide healthy alternatives

Classroom Activity using FoodSwitch:

This is an engaging way for students to increase their digital technologies knowledge while learning about healthy food alternatives. FoodSwitch can be used by students of all ages to promote healthy eating. This app encourages students to compare data and base judgements on this data. Younger students can use this app to simply compare the different nutritional areas of food products and decide which are healthier alternatives. Older students can use this app in conjunction with a case study. They can have information about a ‘family’ and use this app to scan different food products and decide which would be most beneficial and improve their ‘families’ health in necessary areas. This app can be used in individual, partner and group work settings and works with any tablet or iPad. Students can use knowledge they learn through this app to educate their own family about healthy eating and healthy food alternatives.

Further information:

Accessed on: http://www.bupa.com.au/health-and-wellness/tools-and-apps/mobile-apps/foodswitch-app

*This app requires access to wifi*

 

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Classroom Designs

What does your classroom look like?

Subject: Design and Technology

Year: 2

Strand: Process and Production

Sub-Strands: Designing

Content Descriptor:
ACTDEP006 – Generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling
ACTDEP007 – Use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions

Cross-Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:
–Sustainability
-Numeracy
–Critical and Creative thinking
-Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

Links to Other Learning Areas: Mathematics
ACMMG037 – Compare and order several shapes and objects based on length, area, volume and capacity using appropriate uniform informal units

Platform:
iPads
Website: http://classroom.4teachers.org

Overview:
This activity helps to develop students concept of designing a classroom using shapes to outline objects. The activity would be completed in a geometry lesson and looking at students recognition of shapes. Students will look at objects around the room and position them on their own template by incorporating various shapes to represent different objects. Once students have drawn their objects, they then need to use shapes in the website classroom architect to represent a layout of a classroom. The app allows you to print the final products to assist in assessment.

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Become your own Virtual DJ

v8_2decks.jpg

Subject: Digital Technology

Year level: 5/6

Strand: Knowledge & Understanding and Processes & Production Skills

Sub-strand: Collecting, Managing & Analysing Data and Digital Systems

Possible Curriculum Links:

Collect, sort, interpret and visually present different types of data using software to manipulate data for a range of purposes (ACTDIP016)

Collect, store and present different types of data for a specific purpose using software (ACTDIP016)

Link to the Resource:

http://www.virtualdj.com

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

Critical and creative thinking

Personal and social capability

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Cross-curriculum links:

The Arts: Music

 

What is it:

Virtual DJ is a computer program that allows students to create their own music mixes or mix together already existing songs to create a new track. It allows students to experiment with speed, tempo, loops and crossfading. This program also enables the students to mix videos to go in addition with their music track including fading and transitions.

How to use it in the Classroom:

One example of how this program can be used in the classroom is to teach students about different way to represent data through sound. students would use the program to create an end product by mixing together existing sounds. this teaches students that sound is a type of data and that they are able to manipulate it. This shows their understanding that sound is made up of data.