Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

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Puppet Pals App

Puppet pals

Image courtesy of Google Images

Resource: Puppet Pals

Subject: Design and Technologies

Strand: Knowledge and Understanding Technologies contexts

  •        technologies and design across a range of technologies context.

Year: 2-4

Content Description: 

Elaborations:  

  • exploring, playing with and testing materials for their appropriateness,
  • investigating materials, components, tools and equipment, including by using digital technologies, to discover their characteristics and properties, how they can be used more sustainably and their impact in the future,
  • developing new meanings for objects and action during play,

Links to other learning areas: English, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Science

Cross Curriculum Priorities: 

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

General Capabilities: 

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

Resource Link: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/puppet-pals-hd/id342076546?mt=8

Description: This is an interactive app available for ipod touch, iphone or ipad. The app is free however, you are able to purchase add ons. You are able to create and tell a story through design and creation. Students are able to choose backdrops, use characters and record their own voice to tell the story. To be really creative, they can even upload their own photos for backdrops or crop/cut the photo for characters. This is a fantastic app to create your own story or retell an old one. Upon completion of their stories they can be published or uploaded to the interactive whiteboard for viewing. This app is fantastic for both an individual activity or collaborative work.

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Emaze

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Emaze

 

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: Years 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 plus.

Strand: Digital Technologies processes and production skills.

Sub strand: Specification, algorithms, implementation and Creating and interacting online.

4.6 Design and implement simple visual programs with user input and branching.

4.7 Manage the creation, sharing and exchange of information with known audiences and apply agreed social protocols to protect people when communicating online.

6.7 Design and implement digital solutions using visual programs with user input, branching and iteration.

6.8 Use a range of communication tools and agreed social protocols when collaborating on projects and creating, communicating and sharing ideas and information online.

8.10 Manage the sequence of tasks, the types of processes and the resources needed to develop software that meets user requirements.

8.11 Select and apply generally accepted social and technical protocols when creating and sharing information online, and collaborating with local, regional and global audiences, taking into account social contexts.

Content descriptors:

  • Work with others to plan the creation and communication of ideas and information safely, applying agreed ethical and social protocols (ACTDIP013).
  • Implement digital solutions as simple visual programs involving branching, iteration (repetition), and user input (ACTDIP020).
  • Manage the creation and communication of ideas and information including online collaborative projects, applying agreed ethical, social and technical protocols (ACTDIP022).
  • Create and communicate interactive ideas and information collaboratively online, taking into account social contexts (ACTDIP032).
  • Plan and manage projects, including tasks, time and other resources required, considering safety and sustainability (ACTDIP033). 

Link to the resource:

Emaze. (2015). Emaze: Amazing Presentations. Retrieved from  https://www.emaze.com/#

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

Sustainability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding, Literacy, Numeracy, Personal and social capability, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Intercultural understanding.

Links to other learning areas:

History, Geography, English, Science, Mathematics and the Arts.

Information about this technology:

Emaze is an amazing online presentation software that is overtaking PowerPoint and Prezi when it comes to creating innovative and interactive new digital presentations. Emaze is free and easy to access and use and comes with over 42 ready to go 3D and 2D templates. This is a great digital resource to introduce your students to, which can be used in any learning area.

Some additional features that this technology includes are that: it has voice activated slide transitions. It has an automated translation tool. Cloud-Based presentation software which means you do not have to back it up and that you can access your presentations from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. It is HTML5 and can run on any browser flawlessly with the power of the newest technologies. You can add and create graphs, tables, animation, zoom features, video files, YouTube clips and audio files. So overall it is a great free digital tool for you and your students to use.

How to use this resource:

  • First you just follow the link above.
  • Then you register for free and create your new account.

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  • Then once you have signed in you just select ‘Create New Presentation’.
  • Then scroll down and find the template that you like the most and start!

Below are screen shots of three templates that would be great for any Learning Area for a Primary student. The Art Gallery Theme is 3D and you go all around the Gallery and zoom in and out of the information on the walls. The Newspaper and the Science Themed templates are both 2D and they just zoom in and out. If you wanted to you can also create your own from scratch. It’s a great digital resource for students to use to help consolidate and communicate their ideas using and developing their ICT skills.

 

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Engineered structures – Material Testing

Engineered structures- Material Testing

Subject: Design and Technologies

Year level: Year 5-7

Strand: Knowledge and Understanding & Processes and Production Skills

Sub strand: Materials and technologies specialisations, Engineering principles and systems & Creating designed solutions

Cross curriculum priorities: Sustainability, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders histories and culture. 

General capabilities:

  • Numeracy
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding
  • Literacy

Links to other learning areas: English, Mathematics, Humanities and Science, art.

Link to resource: http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/6448/6448_00.htm?Signature=%28bdd3de96-97aa-4455-a684-9603dfc429cc%29

Direct link: http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/6448/applets/tensile_tester.htm

Resource:

Engineered structures- Material Testing has been created as a virtual tensile tester.  Students can drag a range of different materials into the virtual tensometer to determine the strength and properties of a material. Students are given the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of a engineer and undergo test on material to fine materials with the properties best suited to the intended purpose.  An automatic graph is used to plot the load in comparison to the extension (mm). From here, students are required to use critical thinking skills to analyse data and make conclusions as to which materials would be best suited for particular purposes.

Instructions:

1. Select one of the four test specimens from the upper right corner.
2. Drag the specimen to the tensometer jaws.
3. When in position the jaws will close, locking the specimen in place.
4. Press the green Start test button to begin the test.
5. During the test a load/extension graph will be drawn.
6. A load will be applied until the specimen fails.
7. When the test is complete click on the print icon to print the graph.
8. Repeat the test for each test specimen.

 

Water Corporation of WA Website

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Subject: Design and Technologies

Year Level: 7-8

Strand: Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Sub strand: Food and Fibre Production

Analyse how food and fibre are produced when designing managed environments and how these can become more sustainable(ACTDEK032)

Link to the resource

http://www.watercorporation.com.au/home/teachers/lesson-plans-and-teaching-resources/lesson-plan-search/lesson-plan/make-a-model-of-a-community-catchment

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities

Critical and creative thinking (CCT),Personal and social capability (PSC),Literacy (LIT), Intercultural Understanding (ICU), Sustainability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

Links to other learning areas

English, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences

A classroom activity using this resource

Discuss catchments with the students- What are they? Why are they important? What do they look like? A brief video can be used to accompany this discussion. Students then plan and create their own model of a catchment using a variety of resources provided, ensuring to waterproof the catchments with varnish once complete. The catchment models can then be tested by pouring water through them and observing the pathway the water takes through the model.

Upon completion, students can reflect upon the task. Were their any complications? Can it be improved? How does the model help us to understand the effects of pollution? Students can also observe and critique the work of their peers.

How to use this resource

Upon visiting the Water Corporation of WA website, access can be gained to a number of teaching lesson plans and resources by clicking on the ‘Teachers’ Tab at the top, right hand side of the webpage. The plans include links to resources and support material necessary to conduct each lesson; specific learning outcomes; key vocabulary; and extension activities. Additionally, the lessons are linked to the Australian curriculum, in particular the cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

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Native Webquest and ShowMe app!

Brightness
 Photo Credit: Marina del Castell via Compfight

Subject: Design and Technologies

Year Level: 7

Strand: Design and Technologies – Processes and Production Skills

Sub strand: Using Digital Technologies

8.8 Generate, develop, evaluate and communicate design ideas, plans and processes for identified needs using manual and digital technologies and collaborative techniques.

Link to Source:
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/quests/nativeplants.html

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/showme-interactive-whiteboard/id445066279?mt=8

Cross curriculum priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

General capabilities: Intercultural understanding (ICU), Critical and creative thinking (CCT), Ethical understanding (EU), Personal and social capability (PSC), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Literacy (LIT), Numeracy (NUM).

Links to other learning areas: Science, History, Maths

Overview:
This activity integrates two digital technology resources: Web Quest and ShowMe app.

Firstly, in small groups students will take part in a Web Quest. The Web Quest is an authentic, fun and engaging activity that requires the students to take on different roles whilst encouraging higher order thinking, communication and cooperative learning skills. It is easily accessible for teachers and students and is free.  The Web Quest also offers a direct link to an online dictionary if the students find some of the words and reading challenging.

This Web Quest requires students to explore and investigate plants used by Australian Aborigines for food, shelter, medicine and utensils, and the technology they employed to fully utilise the resources available. Groups will then work as a team to design a garden for their school that will illustrate the native Australian plants and their uses by the Aborigines. During the Web Quest students are required to answer questions, take notes and highlight any important information that will assist them when deciding on the type of plants they believe should be included in their school’s garden e.g., some plants are easy to obtain and grow while others are very difficult because of climate conditions ( will they need a lot of shade or sun).

To create and present their garden, students will use the ShowMe app. This free and easy app allows students to record voices whilst presenting their presentation over a whiteboard. Students can draw or import images from the library, camera or from online resources. The ShowMe allows students to conveniently watch their presentations whenever they want and at any point they can pause or erase. These particular features make it convenient for the teachers to go back and ensure criteria has been met.

How to use the resources:
The Web Quest provides step by step instructions, however teacher scaffolding may be required depending on students needs. I recommend placing students into teams with varying learning abilities. Prior to the Web Quest I would ensure the students are familiar with the ShowMe app. Although the app is very easy to use, some students may need support.