Although this game is targeting the curriculum for the younger years; unless you are experienced with playing the game I suggest it be used by years 3/4 to revisit the concepts learned in earlier years.
Strand
Technologies Contexts
Sub-Strand
Food and fibre production – Plants and animals used for production have basic needs, such as food/nutrients, water, space, protection (ACTDEK003)
From from the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA).
Can be purchased online for $10 through Big Fish Games; however, once it is purchased once it can be downloaded as many times as needed!
General Capabilities
Information and communication technology (ICT) capability and Critical and Creative Thinking.
Links to Other Learning Areas
Science, Literacy
Using this Resource
Plant Tycoon is perfect for classrooms that want to teach the values of planting a garden but simply do not have the space or resources. The game allows students to create their own garden in a virtual world. They can water and fertilise their plants while also making sure they are getting enough sun. Plant Tycoon also allows the students to experiment with cross-pollination – seeing how the DNA of plants can combine in a simple way and make new creations come to life. Although creating a physical class garden would be ideal, not every class can do this. Plant Tycoon allows the younger years to learn about the basic needs of plants and the production of growing different types in real time which is different to other garden-based virtual realities. It also incorporates the learning of sustainability and economics with plant production; displaying to the students how plants need to be bought and sold to increase revenue. This resource is cheap and its real-time running makes it feel more true-to-life. It is relaxing, challenging and students can create at their own pace.
A Quick Video
Below is a video of some in-game action. Don’t be deterred if it looks too complex – it is much simpler than it looks! From 0:00-1:20 the game shows how ‘people’ purchase the plants. This video is just to display how interactive the game is and how many different plants can be created; but as the teacher it is possible to restrict the game play to just growing the plants if you so desire.
Over four million people die each year after inhaling smoke from kitchen stoves and fires.
Most victims are women and young children. But these are deaths that could be prevented – using simple solutions.
Have you been looking for authentic content?
Technology as if people and planet mattered – catchy title? I was hooked…
Who would have ever known that the world of Technology was so HUGE! It’s not really enough to write just one or two blog posts for a university assignment, to reflect the distraction that all this new information has inflicted on my days.
With a strong passion for justice and equity I am thankful for the Australian Curriculum, General Capabilities for giving me permission to incorporate Ethical Understanding, Intercultural Understanding, Personal & Social capability and Creative and Critical thinking into my professional life as a teacher. Whilst I am thanking the Australian Curriculum, let’s say YAY!! for the Cross-Curricular Priority of Sustainability.
If you are looking to broaden your perspectives on Technology and its uses, check out this website. http://practicalaction.org
“Practical Action is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that uses technology to challenge poverty in developing countries.
We find out what people are doing and help them to do it better. Through technology we enable poor communities to build on their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions- transforming their lives forever and protecting the world around them”.
Subject: Design and Technologies
Year Level: Teachers of all year levels
Strand: Knowledge and understanding
Sub strand: Technologies and society
Technologies contexts
Engineering principles and systems,
Food and fibre production
Food specialisations
Materials and technologies specialisations
Strand: Processes and production skill
Sub strand: CREATE SOLUTIONS
Investigating and defining
Designing
Producing and implementing
Evaluating
Collaborating and managing
Using this resource…
Build your content knowledge and be supported with ready-made resources.
Practical Action is just one of many organisations promoting the positive use of technologies in developing countries. It offers many ideas and resources to use as inspiration for your technologies content. A free book (link below) on the subject of social justice is also available through their website. Supporting power point presentations and resources from Practical Action can be found on the TES website.
Investigating Food and Fibres by Primezone is a unit of work resource.
Resource Location: http://www.piefa.edu.au/units/foodandfibres.pdf
Cost: Free!
Resource description This unit encourages students to investigate how foods and fibres are produced. It includes sections on foods and fibres we use; how food and fibre are obtained; their production systems; and technologies and processes used to assist in their production and the contributions they make to societies. As the unit progresses, the emphasis shifts to investigating how the family and cultural group students belong to produce different foods or fibre. Students interview a member of their family to obtain this information and in turn share recipes, ingredients, methods and equipment suggested by the families with the class.
Year levels: 3 and 4
Design and Technologies Strand: Design and Technologies – Knowledge and Understanding –
ACARA Content Descriptor: Investigate food and fibre production and food technologies used in modern and traditional societies ACTDEK012
Types of food and fibre produced in different environments, cultures or time periods, including the equipment used to produce or prepare them (ACTDEK012)
Cross Curriculum Priorities – Sustainability
OI.2: All life forms, including human life, are connected through ecosystems on which they depend for their wellbeing and survival.
OI.3: Sustainable patterns of living rely on the interdependence of healthy social, economic and ecological systems.
Using the unit
The unit can be used in a number of ways. It will be of most benefit to teachers who wish to implement a sustained sequence of activities following the inquiry stages identified in the About the approach section of this unit and content descriptions in Years 3 and 4 in Design and Technologies as stated in the Australian Curriculum.
Selecting activities
At each stage several activities are suggested from which you are encouraged to select the most appropriate for your purposes. Not all activities in each stage of the unit need to be used. Alternatively, you may add to or complement the suggested activities with ideas of your own. It is suggested that teachers create a hyperlinked unit. Organise the digital resources for your class’s use on a website or wiki or provide them on your interactive whiteboard.
Additional information
The flexibility of this resource facilittes the teachers ability to target the learning to her class and differentiated abilities within the class. Although the resource is specifically designed for the one SCSA, ACARA outcome it is noted that it can be adapted for use in other year levels. Furthermore, the resource is easily adapted to include the Digital Technologies curriculum.
For example,
Year 3 – Digital Technologies
Knowledge and Understanding:
Different types of data can be represented in different ways (ACTDIK008)
Processes and production skills
COLLECTING, MANAGING AND ANALYSING DATA
Collect and present different types of data using simple software to create useful information (ACTDIP009)
Create and communicate ideas and information safely (ACTDIP013)
Investigating and defining
Create a sequence of steps to solve a given task
Designing
Develop and communicate ideas using labelled drawings and appropriate technical terms
Paddock to Plate: Where does my food come from resource
This inquiry based resource to food and fibre production and food technologies allows students to investigate the journey of food production in Australia and all over the world. Students understand where their food comes from, how it is processed via farming contexts and how producers/ consumers respond to and influence each other in supply and demand of today’s growing society. This resource provides teachers with a step-by-step learning outcome and activity booklet, questioning and responding power point package and farm to factory printable flashcards. The final presentation will require students to present their own paddock to pate journey using Prezi, power point or any digital resource. Students then reflect on how sustainable their process was, and discuss how they can create a more sustainable food process.
Target year level: Year 3-4
Learning area: Technologies
Strand: Technologies/Design and technologies
Content Description: Design and Technologies Plan a sequence of production steps when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively (ACTDE018)
English Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY 1676)
Learning Outcomes:
Explore the journey of paddock to plate and the food production industry.
Investigate the role of past and present production and food technologies.
Learn about the different roles of individuals in the food production industry.
Develop an understanding of the sequence of production and processing steps.
Consider the difference between short and long food journeys and different foods.
Create more sustainable and productive paddock to plate journeys for food items.
You can find the whole resource readily available online here: http://www.primezone.edu.au/item_details.php?item_id=170&item_type=resource&content_list_id=2
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)
Can be accessed and downloaded on the App Store (iPad/iPhone) or on Google Play (Android) for FREE
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?
Download the app from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or from Google Play for FREE
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
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).
As many items as desired can be scanned and all appear under the ‘Recents’ button
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.
Construct your very own moving toy through an engaging hands on activity using recyclable and low-coast materials. Students will need to critically think about their design mechanisms, in order to successfully create a moving toy.
How is this useful: Designing a moving toy requires many skills for the students to do so. Students will need to consider and incorporate various design principles and problem solve. Collaboration with peers is essential, as well as self-reflection to consider the design process, planning and outcome.
Things to consider whilst designing:
Shape
Size
Presentation
Materials needed
Safety (e.g. sharp edges on the toy)
Year Level: 4-5
Learning Area: Technologies – Design and Technologies
Strand: Process and Production Skills
Sub-strand: Designing
Content descriptor: Develop and communicate design ideas and decisions using annotated drawings and appropriate technical terms
Link to Other Learning Areas: English, Mathematics and The Arts
Cross-curriculum priorities: Sustainability
General Capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Literacy, Numeracy, ICT capability.
Strand: Knowledge and Understanding, Process and Production Skills
Substrand: Food and Fibre Production
Content Descriptor Example: Types of food and fibre produced in different environments, cultures or time periods, including the equipment used to produce or prepare them (ACTDEK012). Past performance, and current and future needs are considered when designingsustainable food and fibre systems for products (ACTDEK021).
Cross-Curriculum Priorities:
Sustainability
General Capabilities
Literacy
Critical and Creative Thinking
Personal and Social Capability
Ethical Understanding
Links to other learning areas
Health and Physical Education
Science
English
Mathematics
Art
Click the picture above to open the ‘creating a food garden’ resource
The Junior Landcare website provides teachers, students and parents with information about how to improve and look after the current and future environment. It is easy to read and navigate through the website. There are a heap of resources and links providing you with more ideas and inspiration. This resource is perfect for integrating Sustainability into the classroom and developing students ethical understanding. Landcare Australia also have a Youtube channel where there are a number of videos about Australia and the environment we live in. Perfect to guide student discussion developing knowledge and understanding.
What is Junior Landcare?
Junior Landcare was created by Landcare Australia in 1998. This was created to encourage young people to play an active role in conserving current land to ensure a safe future environment. Junior Landcare encourages young people to be accountable for their actions and take responsibility of their future environment. Junior Landcare provide a range of days where students can volunteer and assist in creating a better future. The best thing about Junior Landcare, is that it links straight in with the curriculum. So you know that the students will benefit academically from the experience. The L.I.F.E website also provides event days where students can volunteer or you could create your own event to get people together. Discover more in the video below.
How you could use Junior Landcare in the Classroom
There are multiple resources on Junior Landcare that would be useful in the classroom. An activity that would provide multiple linked activities as well as benefit the actual school is to create a food garden. Creating a food garden involves multiple steps that can incorporate many other learning areas. Students would begin with investigating and defining when discussing potential ideas to create a food garden. Write all of their ideas down and discuss why some things might work better than others. Involve Mathematics by designing a to scale 2D drawing of a food garden including labels and technical terms. Now its time to produce and implement the design to create the food garden with the safe use of tools and equipment. Incorporate Science where students evaluate the growth of the food garden and ask questions like, ‘what could be done to improve the growth’. This will provide students with a collaborative and hands on experience. After the garden is created you can involve Art by drawing a birds eye view of the garden or involve English by writing a procedural text on how to create a food garden. There are so many possibilities with creating a food garden.
TIPS
Gather extra helping hands! Engage with parents and the school ground keeper to see if they can help create the masterpiece.
Create a rotating roster for students to water and look after the garden. Otherwise you will spend half the afternoon everyday doing it yourself.
Something extra…
Download and have a read of the Teacher’s Resource Guide.
Check out this classroom blog where they have created their own food garden for inspiration and ideas.
Junior Landcare. [2015]. Retrieved from https://landcareaustralia.org.au/junior-landcare/
Landcare Australia. (2015, March 26). Junior landcare hits our tv screens [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEwFAwmdAoQ
Landcare Australia. (2014, December 3). Landcare is for everyone [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoVv_RMrDzk&t=34s
Landcare Australia. (2016, November 28). Love our Aussie land [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6sGGdIQ2SU&t=1s
School Curriculum and Standards Authority. [2014]. Design and Technologies. WA: Government of Western Australia. Retrieved from http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/p-10-curriculum/curriculum-browser/technologies/design-and-technologies2
Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities
Critical and creative thinking (CCT),Personal and social capability (PSC),Information and Communication Technology (ICT),Literacy (LIT), Sustainability
Literacy
Numeracy
Critical and creative thinking
Personal and social capability
Ethical understanding
Intercultural understanding.
Links to other learning areas
English,
Science – Science understandings – Chemical Science – A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat (ACSSU046)
Science – Science as a Human Endeavour – Nature and development of science – Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE050)
A classroom activity using this resource
This is a well structured resource that allows the teacher to teach a lesson exploring the process of food from the paddock to the plate. It involved the students working through learning stations where they explore the ways in which food changes from the raw state to make it suitable for consumption. The stations offer different processes such as chemical changes in food or the processing of a food item. The stations are inquiry based and hands on allowing for addressing student misconceptions and creating thought and discussion to promote ideas.
How to use this resource
This useful learning resource includes the lesson plan, power-point and all the printable classroom support resources to match. It is very easy to follow and provides opportunities for extension activities and further research. It is clearly laid out with suggested assessment and student reflection sheets for reporting the groups findings back to the class. This lesson links well with the Science curriculum when investigating states of matter and the changes that occur.
Minecraft is interesting from lots of different perspectives. It is a familiar and engaging gaming platform where kids can spend hours building and modifying virtual worlds. Whilst doing things that they consider to be entertainment they are inadvertently learning key computational thinking skills.
What is Computational Thinking?
“Computational thinking is a way humans solve problems; it is not trying to get humans to think like computers. Computers are dull and boring; humans are clever and imaginative. We humans make computers exciting. Equipped with computing devices, we use our cleverness to tackle problems we would not dare take on before the age of computing and build systems with functionality limited only by our imaginations; ” Jeanette M Wing
Minecraft happens to be a fantastic sandbox game to explore computational thinking. Minecraft provides a platform in which 21st century literacy skills can be explored and developed to cater for the learning objectives in the Australian Technology Curriculum. Educators have the option to utilise the existing user interface or subscribe to the new and improved Minecraft:Education Edition which makes implementing this amazing learning tool into your existing curriculum as easy as clicking on a mouse.
Using Minecraft as an Educational Tool
Read on further to discover how Minecraft can address the four cornerstones of computation thinking and the lesson plans offered in the Minecraft: Education Edition!
Sustainability is a focus within Australian schools as they work within the current curriculum. One way to support this priority is to find ways of reducing the amount of consumables within the classroom. The challenging and free app, Binary Burglar, allows students to practise converting decimal numbers to binary code and back again, multiple times, without the use of paper and pen.
Subject: Technology
Year Level: 5
Strand: Digital technologies – Knowledge and understanding
Sub-strand: Representations of Data “Data is represented using codes” (SCSA, 2015)
Using an iPhone or iPad connected to a smart board and use the tutorial within the app to introduce binary numbers.
Tutorial
Then students may solve codes as a whole class or split into teams and compete to see which team “cracks” the most codes. Students may also play the game individually.
