Month: August 2014

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Giving a Voice with Voki

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: F-2

Strand: Digital Technologies processes and production skills

Sub Strand: Using digital systems and creating and interacting online

2.4 Identify, explore and use digital systems ( hardware and software components) for personal and classroom needs.

2.6 Work with others to organise and create ideas and information in the form of text, images and audio using information systems.

Link to the resource: http://www.voki.com/learn.php

Cross Curriculum priorities and General Capabilities:
Critical and creative thinking (CCT); Personal and social capability (PSC); Information and communication technology (ICT) capability; Literacy (LIT)

Links to other learning areas:
English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, The Arts

Classroom Activities:
This engaging and interactive software can be used as a great tool for classrooms. Students and teachers can create their own avatars that can speak through the user’s voice or through typed text. It encourages participation from less confident children and makes the learning more fun and interesting.

Avatars can be incorporated into presentations, lessons, online discussions/blogs, virtual interactive classrooms for collaborative learning opportunities and can even be embedded into blogs and websites. Teachers and student can also creatively design avatars for iconic literary figures and record the dialogue for these characters.

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Design your own Circuits

Subject: Design & Technologies

Year Level: 5 to 6

Strand: Design & Technologies Knowledge and Understandings

Investigate how forces or electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (ACTDEK020)

       
The images above demonstrate that it caters for a range of different learning abilities ranging from simple to the more advanced

Link:
To the Exploriments website, where there are other apps to investigate, that cover forces, fluids, motion, optics etc http://www.exploriments.com/ipad/SimElectrical_ParallelCombination.html

or is available directly through the iTunes app store

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/exploriments-electricity-simple/id490164401?mt=8

General Capabilities
Literacy
Numeracy
ICT Capability
Critical & Creative Thinking (CCT)
Personal and Social Capability

Cross Curricular Priorities
Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia

Link to other Learning Areas
Science

How to Use in the Classroom

This App, purchased through iTunes for $1.99 allows students to experiment with circuits by either using pre-designed learning circuits where students can begin expanding, adding devices, switches, connecting circuits the way they want to. As students click, drag, add and remove they are receiving instant feedback as to the success of the design. The App also has a built in support page which is full of ideas, tips and tricks for students. It allows the students to experiment with and combine  knowledge, gradually building on that existing knowledge as they experiment  through trial and error.

This App also allows students to design their own circuits using wires, switches, bulbs, fan and a host of electrical toys. You can select between three circuit arrangements – Series, Parallel 1 (3 branches), Parallel 2 (2 x 3 branches). The selected circuit arrangement combined with the ability to choose between a range of devices gives you almost unlimited variations leading to hours of endless exploration and learning. From here they can adjust, correct and improve their designs, seeing the results of any work immediately.

This is just one app, but exploring with the Exploriments gives countless apps that allow students to experiment with a range of concepts.

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Create a graph


Subject: Digital Technologies

Strand: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Years: 3 & 4
Collect, access and present different types of data using simple software to create information and solve problems (ACTDIP009)

Years 5 & 6
Acquire, store and validate different types of data and use a range of commonly available software to interpret and visualise data in context to create information (ACTDIP016)

Link to resource
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx?ID=c194cdc8c87849d99278f870e0d016a0

General Capabilities:

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • ICT
  • CCT

Cross Curricular Links:

  • Science
  • History (interpreting data)
  • Geography (Recording Data)

How to use in a classroom
This website is brilliant for examining different types of graphs, representing data, recording and input of data. It gives children the opportunity to input the data and display it in a number of different ways, recognising how to best represent the data and examine errors often associated with primary school children and graphing. It explores the key components of graphing .

As a teaching tool, teachers can input data through the computer, displaying the data on the IWB as it is entered; discussing with students the information this data tells them and questioning at the same time the types of visual representations they would expect.

It is very simple to use and can be used by children of all ages if supported by the teacher.

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Prototype Creation of an adjustable footrest.

Prototype Creation of an adjustable footrest.

My class (Year 6’s) have noticed that some of the junior students feet don’t touch the ground when they are sitting at the computer desks. This is not only bad for their posture, it can also cause damage to the computers when they swing their feet.

 

The first 6 weeks of D&T this term has been planned to accommodate the planning, testing and creating of a suitable, adjustable footrest to be used in the computer labs. A link to my visual lesson plan for lesson 3 is HERE.

 

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Adobe Ideas

Year: 3/4

Strand: Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding

Sub-strand: Technologies and society

4.1 Recognise the role of people in design and technologies occupations and explore factors, including sustainability that impact on the design of products, services and environments to meet community needs

Link to resource: http://www.ipadsforeducation.vic.edu.au/education-apps/apps/2-adobe-ideas

Cross curricular priorities and general capabilities:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
  • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
  • Sustainability.

General capabilities:

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and communication technology (ICT) capability
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding
  • Intercultural understanding.

Links to other learning areas: Maths, English, ICT

Use in classroom:
This app allows students to brainstorm with one another from their desks. The teacher gives the students a topic to discuss and they then write their idea on the iPad. Once they have submitted it, it will go up on the smart board along with the other students.

Kidblog and Wartgames

Strand: Technologies / Digital Technologies

Years: 5 and 6

Substrand: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills
ACTDIP022 Manage the creation and communication of ideas and information including online collaborative projects, applying agreed ethical, social and technical protocols

Kidblog is a great tool for students to safely explore the digital and social online environment. Students are able to create a safe and secure blog of their own or a teacher allocated task.

Link to resource:
http://kidblog.org/home/

Strand: Technologies / Design and Technologies
Years: 3 and 4 /
Substrand: Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
ACTDEK011Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system.

The website allows students to safely explore through a number of different games, sites and videos to learn about force and motion.

Resource Link: http://www.wartgames.com/themes/science/motion.html

Screen Shot 2013-03-24 at 06.00.57Screen Shot 2013-03-24 at 08.18.50Screen Shot 2013-03-24 at 06.05.18

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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.

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Paper free excursion: Sonicpics

Buddy Holly
Photo Credit: Eric May via Compfight

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: 5-8

Strand: Digital Technologies processes and production skills

Sub strand: Managing and analysing data

6.4 Acquire, store and validate different types of data, and interpret and visualise data in context to create information.

8.4 Collect and acquire data from a range of sources and evaluate its authenticity, accuracy and timeliness.

Link to the resource:
http://www.sonicpics.com

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • Literacy

Links to other learning areas:

  • English
  • Science
  • History
  • The Arts
  • Geography

A classroom activity using this resource:

This is a great digital application to upload on your students iPads for excursions. You no longer have to worry about students either not writing down notes, not listening because they are writing down too many notes or loosing them when they do. Using the SonicPics application everything will be saved onto the iPad.

I have used this digital resource on an excursion to an Art Gallery and it was very effective! The students were given an iPad each and were asked to take photos of the artwork that they had been educated on throughout the day. At the end of the guided tour of the Art Gallery, we took the students to the learning room. Here I instructed the students to take out their iPads and collaboratively discuss the photos they had taken. Once the students felt that they had learnt at least five facts on each artwork they were each instructed to record their learning and their personal interpretations over the image. The steps taken were as below:

How to use this resource:

Step 1. Find the SonicPics APP on your IPad and open it
Step 2. You will see on the screen: Projects and a + in the top left hand corner – click on the + as you are adding a new project
Step 3. Click on Title – here you will be writing the title – write “Art Gallery Excursion”
Step 4. Click on Description – here you will be writing briefly what the images are about – for example ” Artworks created by Jimmy Pike that represent his culture, history and capture the landscape of Australia” – click done
Step 5. Click on Add + next to Images then select all the images you took of the artwork – click done
Step 6. Click record – here you will tap the red circle and speak aloud as you record what you can see in each image – use your finger to flick to the next image – click the pause symbol to stop recording
Step 7. Click on the arrow in the bottom right hand corner – click save
Step 8. Click share – then click email
Step 9. Click next with the To: column (write in teachers email address)
Step 10. Click send (this will then be sent to the teacher’s email address, who can collaborated the clips so they can be viewed one after another)

Click below to watch a youtube clip for  instructions:

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MystoryApp: Let your story come to life

Mystory

Subject:  Digital Technologies

Year Level: Years F-2

Strand: Digital Technologies processess and production skills

Sub strand: Using digital systems

2.4 Identify, explore, and use digital systems for personal and classroom needs

Link to the resource:
http://mystoryapp.org

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
  • Sustainability
  • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT
  • Literacy

Links to other learning areas:

  • English
  • The Arts
  • Science
  • History
  • Geography

A classroom activity using this resource:
This application allows students endless opportunities to become creative when constructing a story. I like to use this application for students who find it difficult to retell, whether it be a story, their day at school or a movie they watched. It aims to show them that they all have a sequence of events, that there is always a beginning, middle and end. Some students find it easier to write what they remember, some draw and some communicate it. This application provides students with an opportunity to use their preferred multiple intelligences, in combination with ones they may find a little more difficult.

An example of using MyStory Application was with a Grade 2 class. I discussed the features of a book. That it begins with a cover that includes a title, author and illustrator, then the story has a beginning, middle and ending. I then told the students to listen to the story and try remember the sequence of events that take place. After reading 3 quarters of the story to the children, we discussed as a class the sequence of events so far. I stopped reading just before the ending allowing the students the chance to expose their creative side and decide on an ending they felt seemed appropriate. It was now the students turn to re-tell the story with their own ending through illustrations, text and audio.

The great things about the MyStory application as well is that once the students had finished their re-tells, they then selected to share their stories on MyStory and it sent it through to my  email.  I could then open the students stories up onto the interactive whiteboard to share with the class.

How to use this resource:
Please view the youtube clip below for instructions:

 

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Resource website reviews: ecokids, republicofcode

In this blog post, I will explore and review two websites that I consider suitable for teaching aspects of the Australian technologies curriculum. My first website will focus on:

Design and technology

  • Examine and prioritise competing factors including social, ethical and sustainability considerations in the development of technologies and designed solutions to meet community needs for preferred futures (ACTDEK029) – Year 7 to 8 Australian Curriculum.

www.ecokids.ca is a terrific website brimming with information and activities that move toward educating children on a more environmentally sustainable future. Boasting a wide variety of activities, games and information for children, this website explores different issues regarding sustainability and addresses many ways children can help and contribute. All of the information is packaged into fun, easy to understand subheadings that include: recycling, biodiversity, and climate change, just to name a few. Children are provided with easily digestible information about a number of environmental issues around the world and are encouraged to contribute to a better future.

www.ecokids.ca discusses causes and solutions for an expansive list of issues and even invites comparison and cause between older technologies (including safe disposal) and new (such as renewable energy). Intuitive and educational, this website opens with two entry point options: students and teachers). Making it a useful tool not only for children to explore, but for teachers to apply to appropriate activities within the classroom.

Children can play educational games, get homework assisting information, ask questions, enter contests, and learn the many ways they can take action in moving toward a more sustainable tomorrow. A fantastic website for teachers and students alike that will provide hours of fun and useful information.

Digital technologies.

  • Investigating how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system (ACTDEK011) – Year 3 to 4 Australian Curriculum.
  • Explore how technologies use forces to create movement in products (ACTDEK002) – Foundation to year 2 Australian Curriculum.

3DS max is a piece of 3d rendering software created by Autodesk. It allows it’s user to create, animate, and render a vast variety of three-dimensional shapes, ranging from basic stationary models (such as a simple sphere), to advanced moving environments (such as those seen on Toy Story/Ice Age etc). Physics and force reaction play an instrumental role in creating movement within this software. Such movement is assisted by plug-ins such as ‘reactor’, a physics-based plugin that helps determine material characteristics and force application. Reactor allows the user to dictate surface, density, and even gravity – giving the rendered products a lifelike response.

www.republicofcode.com is a website brimming with a range of information and tutorials offering (amongst other things) step-by-step instruction on how to apply 3DS max and reactor in order to play around with and learn the relationship of forces and how they affect a host a materials. Although seemingly advanced, www.republicofcode.com simplifies the process and could be used as an effective teachers assistant in getting students started with this intriguing piece of technology that harbours both creative and practical application (Autodesk also provide rendering software for a variety of pre conceptual object rendering). Furthermore, younger students not ready for such in-depth use could still be considered. A teacher could apply the knowledge from this website to render a variety of different reaction scenarios on a smart board, having the children play an active role in which variables to change before each render such as making the rolling ball heavier/lighter/rougher/wetter etc.

Such a website possesses valued learning tools for students of all ages. This involves: following instruction, critical and creative thinking, and expression, and opens the door to an aspect of technology with assured future application.