Teachers

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Technology as if people and planet mattered

Technology saving millions of lives.

As simple as a smoke extraction system?

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

  1. Engineering principles and systems,
  2. Food and fibre production
  3. Food specialisations
  4. Materials and technologies specialisations

Strand: Processes and production skill

Sub strand: CREATE SOLUTIONS

  1. Investigating and defining
  2. Designing
  3. Producing and implementing
  4. Evaluating
  5. 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.

https://www.tes.com/member/PracticalAction

“A powerful new book sets out the need for looking at technology from human and environmental perspectives, and how to change the status quo”.

http://practicalaction.org/rethink-retool-reboot

Free download of the book at this address

http://www.developmentbookshelf.com/doi/book/10.3362/9781780449043

An article on Technology perspectives from Simon Trace – author of Rethink, Retool, Reboot

https://www.eiuperspectives.economist.com/simon-trace

 

Did you know?

‘that burning an open fire in your kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour”

Dr Kirk Smith – Professor of Global Environmental Health.

BE CHALLENGED AND BE INSPIRED

 

 

                                            

 

 

Investigating Food and Fibres – Primezone
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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

 

 

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Botlogic in the Classroom

 


Computers are amazing inventions! They allow us to complete multiple tasks through out our daily lives. However, computers do not magically know how to complete tasks, they need to be told  what to do and how to complete the task. This is what we call programming and Botlogic is a great way to introduce children to this concept. Children are able to understand that they have control of the computer and need to tell it what to do.
Botlogic is a great resource to get students thinking about decision making. Students are learning about programming as they work through a repetition of movements in order to move their robot to the required destination. Botlogic is perfect for children at all different levels, as it allows children to work at their own pace and move through twenty different stages.

Below i have provided a video that gives viewers a quick and simple walk through of Botlogic.


Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: F-2

Strand: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Sub-strand: Digital implementation

Use data to solve a simple task/problem (ACTDIP003)

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:
Literacy
Numeracy
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Critical and creative thinking

Links to other learning areas:
English
Mathematics

 

Link to resource:
http://botlogic.us/play

Cost:
Free

A classroom activity using this resource:

Incorporating this resource into the classroom helps students develop their logical thinking, problem-solving skills and gives them a chance to explore their creativity as they trail different methods to solve simple tasks/problems. Students are able to work independently on this task as its provides you with an in depth tutorial on how to conduct the game. This resource would be great to use as an extension activity for when students complete their math or science tasks in class. Students need to use their mathematical skills to think about how many steps they need to use in advance and which way they need to turn (left or right). Students are also able to use their English skills by reading and following instructions.

How to use this resource:
The first thing you will need to do is press ‘Start game’ or if you have not played this game before then if you wish, you may click to view the tutorial. You also have the option to choose a level to start on if you have already complete some previously.

Once you have started the game, you will see command keys (arrows) to you left of the screen. These keys (arrows) are what you use to navigate your robot to the required destination. The game gives you a certain amount of moves, which you cannot exceed. However, the aim of the game is to complete the task using the least amount of commands.

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Bringing Vlogging into the Classroom

Kidzvuz is a free and safe online vlogging site. Kidvuz makes sure participants on their site are safe by being complaint with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Parents need to approve their child’s account before they are able to have access to uploading videos. Participants personal information is never given out online and none of their personal information is  sold to out side companies.

Kidzvuz allows students to express their opinions and review the things they love. Kidzvuz gives children a sense of community, as they are surrounded by other children who have similar interests. The average age of the participants on this site range from seven to twelve, making this resource suitable to use in the classroom.

The following video gives you a little insight into what KidzVuz is all about.


Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: F-2

Strand: Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Sub-strand: Digital systems

Digital systems (hardware and software) are used for an identified purpose (ACTDIK001)

Link to resource:
http://www.kidzvuz.com/

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Critical and creative thinking

Links to other learning areas:
English
Health and Physical Education

Cost:
Free

A classroom activity using this resource:

This resource is great  because it allows students to experiment with  hardware devices in recording videos (Ipad, Laptop, Computer) and software programs to upload the videos (Kidzvuz). A great way to incorporate this resource into the classroom is to have the children read a book over a set time frame. It could be to read at least one book every week, every fortnight, every month. Whatever is best suited for the class. At the end of the time frame, students can review the book/s they have read and upload them onto Kidzvuz. This resource not only allows students to use hardware and software to create an item but they are also developing their comprehension skill. Therefore, this activity can strongly be linked with English.

This resource could be used to incorporate internet safety into a health lesson. If students are going to be uploading a video of themselves online, then they need to know the basics of internet safety and the correct etiquette to use.

This resource is a great tool to use in English, but this resource is not restricted to that subject has endless possibilities. You are able integrate this resource into many other curriculum subjects and tailor it to meet your criteria.

How to use this resource:
1. All participants will need to sign up to the website and fill in the information provided in the picture below.
2. The next step is to click on ‘Submit a video’ in the top right hand corner.

3. You will then see a new window pop up. On this window it asks you to fill in the box with what you are planning to review.

4. The last step is to press record on the next screen and record your review. The video must be no longer than 2 minutes. After this time frame, the recording will cut off. You then press submit and then your review is uploaded.

 

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Paddock to Plate: Get your hands on my food.

Subject: Design and Technologies

Year Level:3-4

Strand:Design and Technologies – Knowledge and understanding

Sub strand:Food and fibre production

Yesr 3 – Types of food and fibre produced in different environments, cultures or time periods, including the equipment used to produce or prepare them

Year 4 – Types of technologies used in food and fibre production or processing, including how they are used to help meet consumer needs

Link to the resource

http://www.primezone.edu.au/item_details.php?item_id=413&item_type=resource&content_list_id=2

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.

 

Kodable

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: Pre-primary-5

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub Strands:  

  • Process and Production Skills
  • Knowledge and Understanding

Content Descriptors Examples:

  • Digital implementation – (year 3) Use visually represented sequenced steps (algorithms), including steps with decisions made by the user (branching) Create and communicate ideas and information safely
  • Representations of data – (pre-primary) Data can have patterns and can be represented as pictures and symbols

Cross Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy

Links To Other Learning Areas:

  • Mathematics
  • The Arts (Media Art)

 

 

Kodable is a fun and engaging coding website designed for use by teachers and parents (click HERE to launch the Kodable website). It can be set up for use as a class technology teaching tool where students can work through coding levels that gradually increase in difficulty. The results are recorded and can be easily accessed by the teacher to monitor the individual students progress.

It is easy to set up and use and the bright graphics and easy to follow instructions make it very user friendly. Students use directional symbols in the correct order to instruct the Kodable monster which way to move throughthe maze. Reward coins can be collected along the way and use to purchase new monsters

There are structured lesson plans for each year group for the teacher to follow and detailed resources that support the lessons. Each child has an individual login so the site can also be accessed at home.

The “Kick start” introductory offer contains 6 weeks of lesson plans and online activities. After this time the cost is $300 for 42 weeks of student lessons and scaffolded curriculum (US curriculum).

Plickers: The new way to assess

 

 

 

Resources: Plickers

Ages: 6+

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: Yr 1+

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub strand: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

 

Link to the resource: https://www.plickers.com/

Cross curriculum priority & General Capabilities: 

  • Information and communication technology capability
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Numeracy
  • English

Links to other learning areas: This resource can be used in any learning area.

Content Descriptors: This resource can be linked to any content descriptors in the curriculum.

Overview of Resource: Plickers in an online assessment tool that teachers can use to quickly and efficiently gather information on students knowledge on a topic. The teacher creates a quiz on the plickers website and then uses an iPad or mobile phone to gather the information from students. This is done by distributing flash cards to each students that have a QR code on them. Students turn the R code to represent the letter they wish to use to answer the question on the quiz.

Using the Plickers app, the teacher scans the classroom and the app will scan the students answers and record them online. After completing the question the teacher can show students a poll of the answer and can ask questions to clarify why people may have answered incorrectly.

Results can be saved as a PDF and printed off for future reference and to assist in planning for future lessons.

How to use resource in the classroom:

  • This resource can be used to check students understanding of any topic in the classroom.
  • Quickly and efficiently gather assessment record to inform future teaching.
  • Assess students in a fun and engaging way.

 

 

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Gamestar Mechanic: Learning to Design Video Games

Screen Shot 2016-08-09 at 8.18.50 pm

Gamestar Mechanic

Subject: Technologies

Year Level: 3-7

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub Strands:  

  • Digital Systems
  • Representations of Data

Content Descriptors:

  • Digital systems and peripheral devices are used for different purposes (ACTDIK007)
  • Different types of data can be represented in different ways (ACTDIK008)
  • Digital systems have components with basic functions that may connect together to form networks which transmit data (ACTDIK014)
  • Data is represented using codes (ACTDIK015)

Cross Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy

 

Links To Other Learning Areas:

  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • The Arts (Media Art)

Click here to visit the Gamestar Mechanic Website.

Platform: Web

Cost: $2 per student

Gamestar Mechanic in the Classroom:

Screen Shot 2016-08-09 at 8.14.56 pmGamestar Mechanic is a game based digital learning resource designed to teach the guiding principles of game design and systems thinking in a highly engaging and creative environment. Gamestar teaches students to design their own games by completing different self-paced quests while learning to build game levels. Gamestar Mechanics perfect for educators seeking to introduce designing or programming to students and there is no requirements for previous study in this area. Gamestar Mechanics was designed with the understanding that game design is an activity that allows learners to build technical, technological, artistic, cognitive, social, and linguistic skills suitable for the current and future world. Another benefit of using Gamestar Mechanics as a resource in the classroom, teachers do not need to be experts in game design. The resource comes with a curriculum that can be used to scaffold a class, with the teachers taking a role of guide and mentor. The lessons are designed to spur a range of interactions between students and the game, and students and each other. teachers serve as a facilitator for student discussion, reflection and ideation.

It has been designed to work in both formal and informal learning environments.

 

Click here to access the Gamestar Mechanic Teacher Pack.

 

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Minecraft and Computational Thinking

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.
Screen Shot 2016-08-07 at 7.52.09 PM

 

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!

Continue reading →

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Night Zoo Keeper

Title – Night Zoo Keeper1

Year Level – 1-6

Subject – Design and Technology

Strand – Processes and Production Skills

Sub strand – Designing

Develop, communicate and discuss design ideas through describing, drawing, modelling and/or a sequence of steps

General Capabilities

  • Literacy
  • ICT
  • Creative and critical thinking

Link to Resource

https://www.nightzookeeper.com/

 

 

What is it?

This resource is a digital learning tool which provides students with a fun and engaging way to get involved in creative writing. Students are given the chance to design and create their own magical creatures whilst also drawing, reading and writing their own stories.

How to use it

Schools can purchase this resource for one or more classes in the school which becomes manageable by each classroom teacher. Logins are then provided and access from school and home is available. A range of writing tasks and activities are then provided to teachers for various year levels.  Students are engaged as they complete their writing exercises to design more and more unusual and exciting creatures for their zoo. As students progress through these tasks set by their teacher they unlock various chapters of the game. Every participating individual has the opportunity to have their written work featured in the “Night Times” where other schools have access to reading what they have written. A range of competitions are also provided for students to compete in regularly.

Skills Developed

This resource encourages students to use their imagination while also assisting students to develop their creativity and literacy skills.download

  • Inspires creative writing
  • Encourages digital drawing skills
  • Motivates young reader, writers
  • Wonderful resource for teachers to both motivate and assess in line with the curriculum