Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Sub-strand
Designing
Content descriptor:
Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques(ACTDEP015 – Scootle )
What is it?
Popplet is a fun and engaging graphic organiser tool for students to organise and represent their ideas. Students create digital mind maps based on what they are learning in class and create relationships between these ideas. Students personalise their own graphic organiser by allowing them to insert images, texts and videos as well as selecting different colours, shape and positions of ideas. The mind-map can be saved, exported and shared on other types of digital platforms.
How do I access it?
Popplet can be accessed on a computer using the Internet – whether this be laptops or desktops. It can also be accessed using iPads through the use of the Popplet application. There are two applications you can choose from that include the free version, Popplet Lite, and the paid version of $7.99. The Popplet Lite is limited to one Popplet while the paid version lets you create an unlimited number of Popplets.
Cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities
Literacy, Numeracy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking.
Links to other learning areas
Popplet can used for any subject. It can focus on one or multiple.
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
Popplet is a tool for the iPad and web to capture and organize your ideas.
Use within classroom:
In the classroom and at home, students use Popplet for learning. Used as a mind-map, Popplet helps students think and learn visually. Students can capture facts, thoughts, and images and learn to create relationships between them.
The resources strength lays in it’s ability to be used on both portable Apple devices such as iPads and online. This means students are not limited to be tied to a computer when mind mapping, great for small group work.
Price: $7.99
Digital Technologies
Year Levels: Year 3 Sylabus
Strand:Knowledge and understanding – REPRESENTATION OF DATA
Different types of data can be represented in different ways (ACTDIK008)
Cross Curricular and General Capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
The app is of course not limited to these aspects of the digital curriculum, or even the digital curriculum.
Strand: Knowledge & Understanding and Processes & Production Skills
Sub-strand: Digital Systems, Investigating and Defining, Evaluating
Possible Curriculum Links:
Digital systems have components with basic functions and interactions that may be connected together to form networks which transmit different types of data (ACTDIK014)
Define a problem, and a set of sequenced steps, with users making decisions to create a solution for a given task
Develop collaborative criteria to evaluate and justify design processes and solutions
Link to the Resource:
https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms
Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:
Critical and creative thinking
Personal and social capability
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Numeracy
Cross-curriculum links:
Mathematics
What is it:
Lego Mindstorms EV3 is a system that allows students to build, program and command which are easy and fun to used. The package comes with bricks, motors and sensors to create one of 17 types of robots that can shoot, drive, slam, crash and spin with control from a range of devices including smart phones and tablets. Students can also further program the robots with on computer coding program for more features. The robot can be deconstructed and formed into any of the other 16 models for more missions and actions.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/about-ev3
How to use it in the Classroom:
one example of how Lego Midstorms EV3 can be used in the classrooms is the students programming a robots to respond to the sense of touch through lights, sounds, colour and movement. the robot can be displayed in a public area, for example the front office or staff area, with a sign next to it “Do Not Touch”. The robot recorded data every time it was touched within a space of an hour. the students can then graph and analyse this raw data to investigate trends as well as self-control of adults.
Marvellous Medicines Creations
Influenced by Roald Dahl’s, George’s Marvellous Medicine
Subject: Technologies
Year Level: 2
Strand: Digital Technologies
Sub-Strand: Process and Production skills
Content Descriptors: ACTDIP003– Collect, explore and sort data, and use digital systems to present the data creatively ACTDIP004– Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems
Cross Curriculum Priorities
-Sustainability
General Capabilities:
-Literacy
-Critical and Creative Thinking
-Information and communication Technology (ICT) Capability
Links to other Learning Areas – Literacy
ACELA1470 Understand the use of vocabulary about familiar and new topics and experiment with and begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit audience and purpose
Can use on a:
– PC
– APPLE products such as MacBooks and Ipads
Digital devices must have word and or powerpoint (Which ever you chose)
Overview of activity:
The unit of work is based from the text: Roald Dahl: George’s Marvellous medicine.
Students will be developing the concept of informative texts throughout reading the text and ability to create their own marvellous medicine. Students will use multi modal representations to show the instructions on how to make a marvellous medicine that they have created. This unit of work integrates digital technologies and links with Language, giving students a broader context of literacy components including capital letters, commas and full stops; as well as writing instructions with appropriate audience in mind.
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:
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.
Cross curriculum priority and General Capabilities:
Literacy (LIT), Numeracy (NUM), Critical and creative thinking (CCT) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
Links to other learning areas:
English, mathematics and science
Content Descriptors: Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems
Content Elaboration: experimenting with very simple, step-by-step procedures to explore programmable devices. For example providing instructions to physical, virtual objects or robotic devices to move in an intended manner such as following a path around the classroom
About this resource: The Code-a-pillar App hones in on the players ability to problem solve through a fun and engaging introduction to coding and sequencing. By the clever use of a familiar character and with splashes of vibrant colour, the player is easily immersed in the fundamental lessons that the App offers. Available for free download on a number of devices including iPhone, android, iPad and Kindle Fire, this App allows the player to command the code-a-pillar through a maze-like playing field. Reaching the target is the key, done so by manoeuvring the code-a-pillar via various tap and drag commands. These commands are to be carefully thought through, as if a mistake is made the player will need to locate it, and remedy it. A typical level construction will see each maze increase in difficulty, challenging the players ability to adapt and develop different strategies.
Snapshots from the “Think & Learn Code-a-pillar” App.
Accompanying the Code-a-pillar App is a Code-a-pillar robot. It is a colourful, bright and engaging motorised caterpillar that comes with 8 additional tail pieces and a red target disk. Each tail piece can be added to the caterpillar to make it perform different actions, including turn left or right, straight and pause. Extra tail pieces can be purchased to make the code-a-pillar travel further. The same style of logic is required by the user, who needs to achieve the target by implementing the correct sequence of commands in the form of the various behaving pieces.
Resource used in the classroom:
Using the Code-a-pillar app and robot in the classroom will enable students to develop an understanding of the foundational skills of coding, problem solving, and sequencing.
Large clear placemats with multiple squares can be used to develop students coding. A picture can be placed under one of the squares. Starting at the bottom of the placemat, students will attempt to correctly code the caterpillar so it reaches the picture.
During mathematics students can make predictions of how far the caterpillar will move for every time they make it travel make it go forward.
Students can write about the code-a-pillar in literacy.
By Felice Crisp
References:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2016). Taken from website:http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/https://youtu.be/iYEKD1Befg8
Content Descriptor: Implement and use simple visual programming environments that include branching (decisions), iteration (repetition) and user input (ACTDIP020)
Link to the Resource:
https://twolivesleft.com/CargoBot/
Cross Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:
Literacy
Numeracy
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT)
Personal and Social Capability (PSC)
Links to Other Learning Areas:
English
Mathematics
Science
A Classroom Activity Using this Resource:
Cargo-Bot is a fantastic tool to introduce your students to coding through everyone’s favourite form of gambling; the claw machine. That machine that always look so easy to play, so easy to win, how could you possibly lose?
Claw machines aside; Cargo-Bot is an intuitive piece of software that sees your students applying simple movement commands in a sequence to reach a target or end goal. This follows the simple path of what coding is. A list of commands that will result in a specific outcome.
This piece of software introduces students to these basic concepts. They have to apply certain understandings to reach the end goal.
The students can explore and interact with the software in a safe environment as it provides a visual learning experience; you can see what commands are being performed and you can adjust where needed to complete the correct series of commands.
How to Use this Resource:
Cargo-Bot is exclusive to Apple iPad formats.
Once you have downloaded the app.
Launch the app on your device.
The software follows a progressive system in that it the levels start of simple and become more complex as your progress through the levels.
You can monitor your progress and improve on your previous scores by achieving efficient commands.
Play in collaboration with others or individually to reinforce specific skills.
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.
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.
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.
Link to resource: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cargo-bot/id519690804?mt=8
Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities: Critical and creative thinking (CCT) Information and communication technologies (ICT) Numeracy
Links to other learning areas: Numeracy
A classroom activity for this resource:
Students can download this app onto their iPad for free, or the school can organise to sync it onto all student iPad’s. This app involves students working through a series of levels to depict the code and obtain the right solution to go through to the next round. It is a puzzle game that challenges the user and helps them develop skills for programming concepts. The students ‘teach’ the robot how to move the crates using codes and symbols to find the best and fastest solution to the problem. Students can use this app in the classroom as a full lesson and reflect on what they have learnt about coding and programming, or it can be a start off warm up activity or an early finishers task.
How to use this app:
Firstly you need to download it from the app store using the link above. Then students follow the prompts onscreen, complete the tutorial on how to play and use the game; then they are ready to work their way through the levels at their own pace.
How it develops computational thinking:
Each level produces a problem that students need to apply critical thinking to in order to pass that round. Students need to come up with the best and fastest solution for the robot to move the crates.
