QR codes and Plickers

Plickers

What is Plickers?

Plickers is a tool that can be used by students and teachers to gather real-time data.  Teachers can use Plickers  for diagnostic, formative and summative assessment. Plickers can be used for assessment, as a voting tool (for example deciding what sport students want to play for morning fitness) or in any learning area.

Plickers is linked to an app on the iPad or tablet. Students have a QR code and a series of questions to answer, depending on what they think the answer is determines which way they hold their QR code up. The teacher then scans the room with an iPad or tablet picking up all the students answers.

When I used Plickers in the classroom I displayed the questions and answers on the Interactive Whiteboard, that way the students could read and answer the questions. Once they had answered the question we could compare the data, we could look at a graph to see how many students got the answer correct or incorrect and we could compare percentages. Displaying the information on the Interactive Whiteboard allowed all the students to see if there QR codes had been scanned or not (their name would turn from red to green).

Plickers can be incorporated into all learning areas in different ways. I found incorporating it into mathematics was a great way for for me to assess students understandings, from there I could determine what needed to be taught in more depth and what students understood. Plickers was a great way for all students to participate because it was hands on, interactive and the answers were private.

Useful information for teachers

  • Pictures can be added to the questions
  • Only 4 options/ answers can be added
  • Plickers allows teacher to focus on teaching rather then preparing
  • It is free to sign up and the QR codes are provided

Year

  • Year 3 and Year 4
  • Year 5 and Year 6

Below I have given you the Australian Curriculum details for Year 3 and Year 4.

Subject: Digital Technologies

Strand: Digital technologies knowledge and understandings and digital technologies process and production skills

Curriculum Links

Digital Technologies

  • Recognise different types of data and explore how the same data can be represented in different ways (ACTDIK008)
  • Collect, access and present different types of data using simple software to create information and solve problems (ACTDIP009)
  • Plan, create and communicate ideas and information independently and with others, applying agreed ethical and social protocols (ACTDIP013)

General Capabilities

  • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Capabilities
  • Numeracy
  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative thinking

To get started and for more information about Plickers click the link below

https://plickers.com/

Coding for all ages

CODE

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year level: Year 3

Strand: Digital Technologies process and production skills

Substrand: Digital Implementations

Use visually represented sequenced steps (algorithms), including steps with decisions made by the user (branching) (ACTDIP011)

General Capabilities

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

What is Code?

Code is a website that allows people of all ages to complete computer science activities. Hour of Code allows students to access tutorials and learn how computer science works. Code Studio can be set up by a teacher so students can work their way through tasks and further their understandings of computer science. These tasks are great for students because they target the students needs (students can work at their own pace through the levels) and it also includes interest of theirs so it keeps them actively engaged in the learning. The code website can be used on laptops, iPads and tablets therefore students have the ability to easily click and drag the appropriate instruction where necessary, making the website extremely interactive. The Code website manages to incorporate games and movies into coding; examples of these include Minecraft, Star Wars and Frozen. Coding is a great way for students to build and use their problem solving skills.

For more information about this website and to start coding yourself click the link below

https://code.org/ 

Investigating Food and Fibres – Primezone

Investigating Food and Fibres – Primezone

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

SCSA – Food and fibre production

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 – The Journey of Food

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.

Teaching strategies used in resource:

  • Think, pair and share
  • Class brainstorm
  • Class discussion
  • Student reflection
  • Classroom games (Quiz chef)

Resource includes:

Resource snapshots

Teacher resource booklet

Power point resource snapshot 

Flash cards resource

Digital resources to accompany Paddock to Plate resource

  • http://splash.abc.net.au/res/teacher_res/3-paddock-plate.html
  • http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/106432/vegetable-gardens

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

 

 

Straw Scaffold

Straw Scaffold     

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Subject: Design and Technology

Year level: 3/4

Strand: Knowledge and Understanding- Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system.(ACTDEK011).

Strand: Processes and Production Skills- Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and decisions (ACTDEP015).

Children like to build, make and create. From building a tower or a city with lego or blocks, to building towers, this resource is sure to grab the attention of the students in the classroom. Straw scaffold provides the opportunity for the students to think carefully and creatively to produce a strong and stable scaffold, secure enough the hold a beaker of water. This challenging activity is sure to be a hit amongst the students, highlighting the design and technology aspects of their learning with a cross curriculum link to Mathematics.

Link of resource:https://nrich.maths.org/8847

Links to other learning area: Mathematics- STEM design and technology

How to do this as a classroom activity:

Students are presented with a scenario in which they must produce the most efficient way of making a scaffolding

The only materials provided to the students are drinking straws and some sticky tape.

The straw scaffold must be able to hold a beaker of water and must stand alone without support.

The best design will be the scaffold which holds the greatest volume of water with the least amount of straws used. Students will record this.

Natasa Jovanovic

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Robot Turtles Resource- Emma Hoad

Robot Turtles Resource- Emma Hoad

Overview of the resource:

This resource is a game which can be used by students when learning about and employing com
putational thinking. ‘Robot Turtles’ is a board game which has been developed to teach children about the fundamentals of computational thinking through programming. The game is suitable for students in Year 1 to Year 3, as the game can be adapted to suit each of these year levels, according to their abilities and the degree of challenge and complexity. The game also does not a great depth of reading, therefore it is more accessible to all students, especially those who are still beginning and emergent readers and require additional support with reading tasks. 

The game would be suitable to use during group rotations during a lesson or if multiple copies of the game were to be purchased they could be used simultaneously by small groups in teams.

The game is very engaging, interactive and evolves as students’ knowledge, understanding and skills of programming ways of computational thinking develop. The game can be modified to have increased difficulty to challenge students’ computational thinking and understanding of programming. As described by the developer, “Just like real programmers, they mentally run their code and debug it. Then they get frustrated and just try it to see what happens… also like real programmers” (Dan Shapiro, 2014).

Cost– The board game can be purchased for $29 each or a class set of 10 for $240.

Link to resource-

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danshapiro/robot-turtles-the-board-game-for-little-programmer 

How to play the game:

The game has a maximum of 4 players
  • One student or the teacher supervising the group is to read out the rules of the game. This reader is called the “Turtle Mover” and is responsible for moving the cards.
  • The Laser and Function Frog cards need to be placed aside to used later when unlocked in the game.
  • Each player, a “Turtle Master” is to pick a turtle, and with this turtle they are given the accompanying deck of cards for that turtle.
  • Then stack the cards on the table, in piles, face up, and build a maze for each player out of walls and a jewel.
  • The “Turtle Mover” then reads out to the group 1. Put down instruction cards, one at a time. 2. Every time you put down a card, I will move the turtle for you. 3. Collect the robot jewels to win!
  • Students can then begin the game, with the youngest player going first. They place their card down and the Turtle Mover moves the card according to the image on the card. Note- the purple card turns the turtle toward the purple flower, the yellow card toward the yellow flower, etc
  • As they progress, they build their program up on the table. If they make a mistake, they can shout “Bug!” and debug it.

The Turtle Mover is like the computer, following directions of the Turtle Masters as they place their cards on the board and try to collect as many jewels as they can.

To read the instructions for the game by the developer, refer to http://www.robotturtles.com/instructions/

or view/listen to the instructions for the game as explained by Dan Shapiro, the developer of the game – see video below.

Note-  The unlockable cards which can be added to the game make the game more challenging, making it harder to collect jewels.  these cards are shown below:

Links to the curriculum:

Digital Technologies

Digital Implementation:

  • Use visually represented sequenced steps (algorithms), including steps with decisions made by the user (branching) (ACTDIP011).

Creating solutions by:

Investigating and defining
  • Create a sequence of steps to solve a given task.

General Capabilities:

Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as “In Digital Technologies, students develop an understanding of the characteristics of data, digital systems, audiences, procedures and computational thinking…[and]…Students learn to formulate problems, logically organise and analyse data and represent them in abstract forms. They automate solutions through algorithmic logic” (SCSA, 2016).

Literacy,  as students “…learn how to communicate ideas, concepts and detailed proposals to a variety of audiences; read and interpret detailed written instructions for specific technologies, often including diagrams and procedural writings…[and]…the importance of listening, talking and discussing in technologies processes, especially in articulating, questioning and evaluating ideas” (SCSA, 2014).

Critical and creative thinking, as students “develop capability in critical and creative thinking as they imagine, generate, develop and critically evaluate ideas. They develop reasoning and the capacity for abstraction through challenging problems that do not have straightforward solutions. Students analyse problems, refine concepts and reflect on the decision-making process by engaging in systems, design and computational thinking” (SCSA, 2014).

References:

Robot Turtles | The Board Game that Teaches Programming to Kids. (2017). Robotturtles.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017, from http://www.robotturtles.com

Kahoot

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year level: Years 1 – 6

Strand: Digital Technologies processes and production skills

Years 1- 2: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Share and publish information in a safe online environment, with known people (ACTDIP006)

Years 3-4: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Work independently, or collaboratively when required, create and communicate ideas and information safely (ACTDIP013)

Years 5-6:Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Create and communicate information, including online collaborative projects, using agreed social, ethical and technical protocols (codes of conduct) (ACTDIP022)

Link to the resource: https://getkahoot.com/

Cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  • Literacy (LIT)
  • Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT)
  • Personal and Social Capability (PSC)
  • Intercultural understanding

Links to other learning areas:

Kahoot can be incorporated in all learning areas including; Literacy, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Society and Environment, Religion and Science.

A classroom activity using this resource:

Kahoot! can quickly become a go-to for teachers looking for an engaging way to run checks for understanding, act as an assessment tool or act as a concluding lesson activity. This engaging, motivating and interactive resource allows students’ to develop their computational and critical thinking by analysing and organising data. This resource allows students to either collaborate with peers or work individually.

Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform, that makes learning fun and engaging for all subjects, languages, ages, abilities and on any device. This resource is used to create quizzes, class discussions or even surveys. Students are able to easily access the application by logging in with a specific game pin, generated by a teacher once they have created or selected a classroom quiz. Students have the opportunity to create their own quizzes which can also be shared (Kahoot, 2017).

I have seen this resource implemented within a classroom and I was extremely impressed with how engaged and motivated all students are when completing the task. Kahoot! created a social, fun and game-like learning environment for all.

How to use this resource:

 

Reference List

Kahoot! learn happy, learn loud (2017). Retrieved from https://getkahoot.com/how-it-works

Create your own Flappy Bird game

Create your own Flappy Bird game

Create your own Flappy Birds game

https://studio.code.org/flappy/3

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: 3/4

Strand: Digital Technologies

Overview:

Flappy Birds is an iconic game that can be downloaded from the app store on android or apply. This coding version of Flappy Birds allows students to create their own take on the game by using coding blocks to make the bird fly, make noises, dodge pipes and hit targets. This game is an interactive fun way for students to make decisions independently. Each level increases in difficulty and builds on from previous levels to progress children’s skills, allows them to use prior knowledge to solve problems and use deeper level thinking.

Content Descriptors:

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

Content Elaborations:

Implementing programs that make decisions on the basis of user input or choices such as through selecting a button, pushing a key or moving a mouse to ‘branch’ to a different segment of the solution

Cross Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • Designing, Implementing and Evaluating

Platform: PC

Help Moana

Help Moana!

http://partners.disney.com/hour-of-code/wayfinding-with-code?cds

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: 3/4

Strand: Digital Technologies

Overview:

Moana is a Disney movie that has recently been released into movie theaters. This app is a fun and engaging way to enable students to critically think, analyze and problem solve how to help Moana catch fish. They do this by moving the movement blocks together to create an algorithm such as forward, turn left, turn right, jump and catch fish. This coding game is an individual, self paced activity that teaches and scaffolds students how to code prior and during the game.  Each level increases in difficulty with more commands and obstacles and builds on from previous levels. Once all levels are completed, students will receive a digital copy of a Moana badge that can be printed and coloured in.

 

Content Descriptors:

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

 

Content Elaborations:

Implementing programs that make decisions on the basis of user input or choices such as through selecting a button, pushing a key or moving a mouse to ‘branch’ to a different segment of the solution.

 

Outcomes:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • Confidence in ICT and planning future outcomes
  • Problem Solving
  • Develop ICT capabilities

 

SCRATCH

 

Year Levels:

Year 1 to Year 6

Subject Areas:

Language, science, social studies, math, computer science, and the arts

Why Use Scratch: 

Scratch is great for all student levels, both beginner and advanced. Keep in mind, however, that the tool is best used by educators who have at least a basic programming background. This is especially true when fielding student questions or helping those who are struggling with project execution.

With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community.

Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.

Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge.

Using Scratch In The Classroom.

Determine the story’s ending.

Most younger students adore choose-your-own-adventure books. This activity brings that concept to the computer screen. Have students outline, write, design and animate their own adventures with multiple outcomes. They can even craft a game in which outcomes depend on positive character and good decision-making.

Example:Choose Your Own Adventure” remixed by PokemonGardevoir
Create a video game.

Do your students want to make their own version of Super Mario Brothers®? How about the next side-scrolling video game? Let kids use a classic video game or their own imaginations to design new games. For an added challenge, have them incorporate educational components, such as solving critical-thinking riddles to defeat enemies or answering math problems to accelerate a car during a race.

Examples:Perfect Elastic Physics” by ProdigyZeta7 and “Flappy Bird” by KingLiam3
Produce an animated film.

Do you have a class full of storytellers or artists? If so, let students create an animated film. Draw inspiration from classic fables and fairy tales, or write an original story to illustrate a moral lesson. Animate the film with a theme in mind and remind kids to consider the type of story they’re telling.

Example:Simpsons 3D” by ProgrammingLover
Make an instrument.

Let students make their own interactive digital instruments. Scratch lets users work multiple controls and shortcuts into the instrument’s functionality and design. Have kids try to recreate an existing instrument. Even better, encourage them to invent their own (first, they should think about the types of sounds they want to produce and how they want the instrument to be played).

Example:Piano” by Natalie
Remix it.

With almost 5 million projects on Scratch, it’s easy for students to find one to play around with. Pick one to remix with your class and have fun!

Example:Invisible Remix” remixed by FastBridge

Why choose Scratch?

Scratch is fun!

This project was done during the school holidays and had to be enjoyable. I also believe that there are many benefits to learning in a fun environment. Children are motivated and see learning as a satisfying enjoyable experience. Students engage with learning better when they are intrinsically motivated. Completing Scratch projects requires persistence but because students are working on projects that interest them, they are motivated to overcome challenges and frustrations.

Scratch is easy

The Scratch language and the development environment are designed to be intuitive and easily learned by children without previous programming experience. Frustration involved in getting started is minimal because writing a first animation is easy but the more advanced features offer scope for experienced users to write complex games and animations.

Scratch is based on sprites which can be moved and manipulated. Code fragments are represented by coloured blocks that are organized into 8 groups: movement, looks, sound, pen, control, sensing, numbers, and variables. The blocks are dragged into the scripts area to make scripts for each sprite. Syntax errors are avoided because the blocks are shaped to click together with appropriate blocks. When testing, variables can be displayed to assist in debugging and understanding how the scripts are working. Variables and blocks can be changed while the program is running.

Scratch is creative

Scratch encourages creativity, both thinking of ideas for projects and finding ways to overcome difficulties in implementing them. Many different types of projects can be done. Music can be added to Scratch or even written within Scratch. Photos and graphics can be imported and edited.

Scratch encourages sharing

Completed projects, including code, can be uploaded to the Scratch website where they can be viewed by anyone. Scratch users can download the code and modify or extend it to make their own project or to learn new techniques. There also forums and opportunities to add comments, etc.

Scratch is free and readily available.

Scratch can be downloaded for free. It has minimal system requirements and downloading and installation is quick and easy. There are many tutorials and other resources available online. This means that students, who learn Scratch in school or other lessons, can continue to work with Scratch and teach themselves at home.

What skills does Scratch teach?

The report Learning for the 21st Century produced by the Partnership for the 21st Century identifies nine types of learning skills divided into three key areas: Information and Communication Skills, Thinking and Problem Solving Skills and Interpersonal & Self-Directional Skills.

The document Learning with Scratch, 21st Century Learning Skills written by the creators of Scratch highlights the ways Scratch supports the development of these 21st Century learning skills.

See also these summaries from the official Scratch website: Learning with Scratch Creating with Scratch Programming with Scratch
Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age Technological FluencyLearning by Designing (PDF) Research papers about Scratch

 What programming concepts does Scratch teach?

Scratch supports these concepts: sequence, iteration (looping), conditional statements, variables, threads (parallel execution), synchronisation, real-time interaction, boolean logic, random numbers, event handling and user interface design.

 

Reference:

Papallo, J. (2014). Educatio World Social Media Editor
Our scratch Patch. (2016). Retreived from: https://ourscratchproject.wikispaces.com/

By

Candice Ambrose