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Go Noodle

https://www.gonoodle.com/

Gonoodle is a fun interactive website and app that students and teachers can use in many different ways.

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: Kindy to year 6- This app is probably most rewarding for lower primary aged children, but all students can have fun with is and the meditation activities can be beneficial to all ages.

Strand: Knowledge and Understanding.

Sub Strand: Digital systems (hardware and software) are used in everyday life and have specific features(ACTDIK001)

 

Cato’s Hike: A Programming Adventure
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Cato’s Hike: A Programming Adventure

Cato’s Hike unlocks the hidden programmer in students of all ages by allowing them to use a range of programming commands to take their character on an adventure.  These commands range from beginner level commands such as; walk, jump or turn, to more advanced commands such as; loops, go-to , if/then, branches, and chaining. 

About Cato’s Hike

Cost: $7.99 or explore Cato’s Hike Lite FREE

Cato’s Hike is a visually appealing application centred around a little character (Cato) who cannot take steps and actions on his own. The purpose of this app is for students (or any users) to use basic programming skills to direct Cato on his hike and to help him overcome obstacles. It teaches children the fundamentals of programming and how to think about solving complex problems in such a simple way. The game begins with 12 clear step by step tutorials to teach the users programming techniques such as walking, jumping and turning, progressing on to the more complex techniques such as loops, branches and chaining. Children can then complete up to 60 current levels, ranging from beginners to more advanced levels. Each of these levels teaches new concepts about programming in such a way that children will not even know they are learning.

Some other features:

  • Colourful and clear designed ‘cards’ to use for programming
  • Visual manual for parents/teachers
  • Map editor to create your own maps and puzzles
  • Email puzzle solutions to share with others
  • Sound effects and music

Here is a short clip of the character following a programmed sequence:

Subject: Technologies
Strand: Digital Technologies
Substrand: Processes and production skills

Content descriptors

F-1: Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems (ACTDIP004)

3-4: Define simple problems, and describe and follow a sequenceof steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve them (ACTDIP010)

Implement simple digital solutions as visual programs with algorithms involving branching (decisions) and user input (ACTDIP011)

5-6: Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving sequences of steps, branching, and iteration (repetition) (ACTDIP019)

Implement digital solutions as simple visual programs involving branching, iteration (repetition), and user input (ACTDIP020)

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

Links to other learning areas

  • English
  • Mathematics

Application Link

Cato’s Hike-
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/catos-hike-programming-logic/id574335479?mt=8 

Cato’s Hike Lite FREE-
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/catos-hike-lite-programming/id580699267?mt=8 

 

 

Explain Everything!
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Explain Everything!

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year level: 5/6

Stand: Processes and Production Skills

Sub-strands: Designing

Content Descriptor: Develop and communicate alternative solutions and follow design ideas, using annotated diagrams, storyboards and appropriate technical terms

Cross-Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • ICT Capabilities

Links to Other Learning Areas:

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • HASS
  • Science

Platform: iPad, Interactive Whiteboards

Link to purchase:

Explain Everything

Also Available from the App Store

 

 

 

 

 

Overview:

Explain Everything is a design tool that allows the user to annotate, animate and narrate presentations. Students are able to create interactive presentations that can be shared across multiple devices for assessment purposes. Teachers are able create presentations for students to view or interact with on the Interactive Whiteboard. Students are able to record themselves or peers, explaining a concept for the purpose of peer to peer explanation or as informative texts for assessment.

In a classroom this app can benefit all students and learning abilities. Over the course of a HASS unit, students who may be learning about volcanos or other natural disasters are able to draw, insert images and annotate visuals to create animations explaining the process of a volcanic eruption or tsunami. They are also able to voice record information that can be playing in conjunction with their animation.

Reference: 

http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/p-10-curriculum/curriculum-browser/technologies/digital-technologies2

www.explaineverything.com

 

 

 

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Cork the Volcano – Hands on Coding for Primary Students

 

 

 

 

 

Introduce your students to coding and continue to develop their skills throughout their primary years!

Use Cork the Volcano to teach students coding and engineering skills. Designed to be played in pairs, students also learn the fundamentals of teamwork, collaboration and participation. Puzzlet’s ‘plan, program, play’ model combines physical manipulation with digital play.

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: K-5

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub-Strands:

Knowledge and Understanding Digital Technologies:

  • Explore components of hardware and software, and their use
  • Structure and representation of data

Process and Production Skills:

  • Collect, explore and sort data
  • Follow, describe and represent algorithms

Content descriptor examples:

  • exploring and identifying hardware and software components of digital systems when creating ideas and information (ACTDIK001)
  • experimenting with different ways of describing a set of instructions, for example writing two versions of the same simple set of instructions for a programmable robotic device (ACTDIP010)
  • applying the principles and elements of design to a set of requirements in order to produce a user interface for a system that addresses an identified need (ACTDIP018)

 

Why use Cork the Volcano in your classroom?

  • Students begin to think in ways they are not accustomed to while engaging in a game that extends their learning beyond a screen
  • Students have the opportunity to physically manipulate their codes and see the results of their plan
  • Availability to curriculum links and lesson plans here

Platforms:

Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Cost:

App is free

Packages start from $99.99

Cross-Curricular Priorities:

  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Literacy

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Move The Turtle

Screen Shot 2016-08-09 at 8.40.32 pm

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: 1-5

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub Strands:  

  • Process and Production Skills

Content Descriptors Examples:

  • Use data to solve a simple task/problem (ACTDIP003)
  • Share and publish information in a safe online environment, with known people (ACTDIP006)
  • Use visually represented sequenced steps (algorithms), including steps with decisions made by the user (branching) (ACTDIP011)
  • Create a sequence of steps to solve a given task

Cross Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy

Links To Other Learning Areas:

  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • The Arts (Media Art)

Click here to visit the Move the Turtle webpage.

Platform: iOS (iPad, iPod and iPhone)

Cost: $2.99

Move The Turtle in the Classroom:

Screen Shot 2016-08-09 at 9.20.38 pm
Move the Turtle is a fun and engaging way to learn programming procedures. Each new level of achievement increases in difficulty and teaches a new command that directs the turtle to make a sound, draw a line, reach a star etc. It also has a free play ‘compose’ option which allows students to move the turtle however they want.

By completing the sequenced tasks, students learn:

  • How to plan complex activities composed of simple elements
  • How to reuse previously completed work
  • How to use graphics, spatial orientation and sound in programming
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Robozzle

robozzle

Resource: Robozzle

Ages: 6+

Curriculum Links:

Digital Technologies – Processes and Production Skills

Design and Technology – Processes and Production Skills

Content Descriptors:

Collect and present different types of data for a specific purpose using software (ACTDIP009)

Use simple visual programming environments that include a sequence of steps (algorithm) involving decisions made by the user (branching) (ACTDIP011)

Define a sequence of steps to design a solution for a given task

Identify and choose the appropriate resources from a given set

Select, and safely use, appropriate components and equipment to make solutions

Use criteria to evaluate and justify simple design processes and solutions

Cross-Curricular Links:

Literacy

Numeracy

Information and Communicating Technology (ICT) Capability

Critical and Creative Thinking

Description:

This is a great resource for computational thinking. The app allows the user to program the games using simple commands. There are multiple puzzles that the user can manipulate and learn from.

Link to resource:

This resource can be downloaded on iTunes. More information can be found at http://www.robozzle.com/

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Night Zoo Keeper

Title – Night Zoo Keeper1

Year Level – 1-6

Subject – Design and Technology

Strand – Processes and Production Skills

Sub strand – Designing

Develop, communicate and discuss design ideas through describing, drawing, modelling and/or a sequence of steps

General Capabilities

  • Literacy
  • ICT
  • Creative and critical thinking

Link to Resource

https://www.nightzookeeper.com/

 

 

What is it?

This resource is a digital learning tool which provides students with a fun and engaging way to get involved in creative writing. Students are given the chance to design and create their own magical creatures whilst also drawing, reading and writing their own stories.

How to use it

Schools can purchase this resource for one or more classes in the school which becomes manageable by each classroom teacher. Logins are then provided and access from school and home is available. A range of writing tasks and activities are then provided to teachers for various year levels.  Students are engaged as they complete their writing exercises to design more and more unusual and exciting creatures for their zoo. As students progress through these tasks set by their teacher they unlock various chapters of the game. Every participating individual has the opportunity to have their written work featured in the “Night Times” where other schools have access to reading what they have written. A range of competitions are also provided for students to compete in regularly.

Skills Developed

This resource encourages students to use their imagination while also assisting students to develop their creativity and literacy skills.download

  • Inspires creative writing
  • Encourages digital drawing skills
  • Motivates young reader, writers
  • Wonderful resource for teachers to both motivate and assess in line with the curriculum
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Hopscotch App

Hopscotch App

Ages: 9-11

Curriculum Links: 

Digital Technologies – Processes and Production Skills

Content Descriptors:

Collect and present different types of data for a specific purpose using software (ACTDIP009)

Use simple visual programming environments that include a sequence of steps (algorithm) involving decisions made by the user (branching) (ACTDIP011)

General Capabilities:

Literacy

Numeracy

Information and Communicating Technology (ICT) Capability

Critical and Creative Thinking

Description:

Hopscotch is an app that allows the user to create computer programs. The app is targeted towards children ages 9-11 but older age groups will also be able to use it. Users create their own games to play using coding rules. The games can be uploaded on the app which allows others to play them and evaluate them.

The Hopscotch App is useful for teachers as it allows them to teach basic coding to students that is fun and simple. The developers of Hopscotch have created a curriculum for teachers to use for digital technology instruction (http://hopscotch-curriculum-files.s3.amazonaws.com/Hopscotch%20Curriculum%202015.pdf). The Hopscotch curriculum addresses the American Common Core Standards but it also aligns with the Western Australian Curriculum as it can be used for technologies as well as mathematical thinking.

Link to resource:

https://www.gethopscotch.com/about-us

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Book Creator
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Book Creator

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Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: K – 6

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub strand: Digital Systems

Content Descriptor 

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

Link to the resource

http://www.redjumper.net/bookcreator/

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities

Information and Communication Technology (ICT),Literacy (LIT), Critical and creative thinking, Numeracy.

Links to other learning areas

English, Science, Numeracy, Art, HASS.

About this resource

Book Creator is a simple app that allows you to create ebooks, comics and pdfs which can be used for a variety of purposes. Book Creator can be used for educational purposes where students can create, manage and store information onto an ipad. In book creator students are able to communicate information in a creative and digital format. This app can be used to cater for student diversity which may be hindered by various literacy capabilities, all students will be able to communicate their ideas, findings and creations. Book creator could potentially be used in any year level and all learning areas for appropriate purposes.

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Teaching digital technologies through the arts

 

acapella logo

 

 

Acapella from PicPlayPost

 

 

 

Acapella is an app to create music. It is easy to use and is very flexible as a classroom tool. Creating music is a skill that requires many thinking skills. After the creative idea then comes the problem solving and this app helps the user to analyse what they have recorded and work out how they can record other parts which match in with that track. It can be used simply by students who have had no musical tuition through to adult musicians.

Year Level:  2 – 6

Subject: Technologies

Strand: Digital technologies processes and production skills.

Sub-strand: Creating solutions by implementing all five strategies: investigating and designing, designing, producing and implementing, evaluating, collaborating and managing.

 

Link to the Resource:

Apple app: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/acapella-from-picplaypost/id924635678?mt=8

Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.mixcord.acapella&hl=en

More information: http://www.mixcord.co/

 

General Capabilities: Literacy, numeracy, ICT, critical and creative capability, personal and social capacity and ethical understanding.

 

Links to other learning areas:

Music: Students can create music or play music written for them. They can work in small groups of 3 or 4, playing an instrument they are learning, singing or playing a percussion instrument that needs no experience to play. They collaborate to create a melody and harmonies that will go with it. The play back feature allows them to listen critically to match each other in beat. It allows exploration of the elements of music as additional parts can be analysed and judged for which part works and which part doesn’t. These creations can be shared, which is normally impossible to do without a concert event.acappella app

Literacy: The recording features could be used with a text with one student reading orally and others joining in with sound effects, actions or contributing greater volume by choral reading. This app allows for the critical appraisal of timing matching lyric with some other visual or auditory aspect.

 

In the classroom: Write an advertisement for your school fete of 1 minute length. All group members need to be involved with recording a part. The four parts could include: acting, showing illustrations, written speech and song.  Anything would work for a track, providing that it will fit together and match the message being delivered. This could be done with a year 4, 5 or 6 class. It could be a competition with the winning group being shared with the school community as an advertisement for the upcoming school fete.

 

How to use this resource: The free version will allow for a four part 1 minute production. This would be adequate for many uses. Four tracks allows for four participants which is a good number for collaborative group work. You select the layout plan you want and then record one part at a time, by tapping on the panel where the next clip is recorded. There is a count-in to help mark time and a metronome beat that continues if you are using app for music. Headphones may be worn so you can hear other tracks playing while you record your contribution. You can easily listen and watch it back to make critical appraisal; from this you can keep or delete. This method of listening, appraising and matching specific actions to other participants work is computational thinking in action.

To see a demonstration from Mixcord: https://youtu.be/q1m8eE6JZ04

 

How to Use the Acapella App Step By Step: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mULMfha3TmE