My final lesson in ICT

Presentation Time......

In this lesson I was with two other students and we were presenting a 10 minute example of a starter or plenary to a lesson for Ks1 or Ks2. I decided to do a plenary on Light Sources for a year 1 class. I used random word generator, click to disappear and balloon pop. I found this last day really fun and interesting watching my group present different topics.
I just want to say good bye and see you in wide WEB world!!

Games and M Learning

 KODU

This is a visual program specifically designed for making games - it is designed for children (but I had a great time on it!) so i really is enjoyable for anyone.
Here is the game I made....




This software is appropriate to the National Curriculum 'Developing ideas and making things happen'. It states that in key stage 1 children should be taught to try things out and explore what happens in real and imaginary situations (Ks1 2d). Here is a link which may be helpful in why it is useful in primary schools: Teach Primary it explains how it can engage children and that 'Kodu in the Classroom is a set of resources that have been developed for education to help you introduce Kodu as either a one-off experience, or as a sequence of lessons'.

Dance to Advance

 

I then went on to test and create my own 'Dance to Advance' game. This is designed to be interactive and really fun. A question will appear in the middle box and the player must select the correct answer from a choice of 8 answers. The pack comes with two dance mats so that children can step on the correct answer - without the use of mats it is just as fun on the computer keyboard. I created my own game based on number bonds to 10. In my middle box a number such as 4 will drop down and children must select the right answer - in this case 6...

M Learning
What is M learning?
A hand held device which allows children to record, take pictures, GPS and games. It is great for outdoor learning... gone are days when you use paper, it starts to rain and all your work is ruined and becomes impossible to use. With these devices you can use in almost any kind of weather, have the work recorded so that you can pick up where you left off or use it as a quick and easy way of reminding yourself on the work that was previously done.

Computer programming & Modelling

Using software for modelling in the classroom is important because it teaches children about reaching a decision based on trial activity before we commit ourselves to the real thing. This is an important skill for children to develop because the idea about 'what will happen if....' is important for children to think about.
Modelling is also very fascinating for children and their are lots of program examples that are good to look into such as Tizzy's Tools.
Modelling is also seen in the National Curriculum: in KS1 children should be taught to try things out and explore. In KS2 children should be taught to develop ideas and make things happen, to use simulations and explore models in order to answer 'What if...?'questions.

LOGO
Programmable toys like Logo are important to learning because according to Papert's Philosophy - the essence of logo involves thinking about processes; about how you are doing what you are doing.

This can also help with children's learning as it develops their mathematical skills with shape and number. It is also more interesting to really see how a design was created rather than just seeing the finished product.

Speaking and Listening

ICT provides children with the opportunity to use certain technologies that provides them with what can be argued as a more enjoyable way of learning. For example the use of ordinary talk does not give children the chance to remember and refer back to, so with recording devices children can record conversations and use it for various activities and different days.

Devices such as Mp3s or Mp4s enable children to listen on the move and can as a result provide a more practical lesson witch might have been restricted to four walls previously.








Talking Photo Albums:
Personally I found these rally exciting!! They support speaking and listening skills on the literacy framework by focusing on:

• photo sequences
• presentations
• hiding and revealing pictures
• word recognition

This is can be really useful in a Primary classroom, especially if you are working SEND or EAL children who may find it hard to access the curriculum with verbal o written instructions. The Talking Photo album can also be really good for use in Science - children are able to take pictures of an investigation at each stage and then provide explanations using speech over the pictures.

Digital Media

There is so much out there in the Digital Media world! I will explain some of the things you can experience.

What is Computer Control?

It is a set of instructions that you (the human) put into a machine which then causes it to operate in a predetermined manner.

So basically we actually experience this daily. Here are some examples:

• In the home we will find things such as, Washing Machine, Microwave, Security Alarm, the list goes on.
• Outside the home we will find things like; Traffic Lights, Car's Central locking, Sprinklers, and so on. 

There are many benefits with these machines; they never lose concentration, they don't make mistakes (well if they do then it's purely human error!), they can repeat the same instruction over again, in exactly the same way each time, and they are much cheaper to employ than humans... It doesn't look like us humans are as important and useful as we all thought....

There are some really cool programmable toys for children too. I have been looking at things such as Beebots

These are toys that do as you tell them (well not everything...) you put in instructions like; forward, back, left and right. You have to put, in numbers, the amount of forwards, backs, rights and lefts you want it to do. This can allow children to estimate distances and how many turns to do (which has the idea about degrees without explicitly saying degrees, if you used it with small children), because it doesn't move right it just turns 90 degrees. 

Here is a video of a group of us having a go at it: 

Interactive Whiteboard!

Interactive Whiteboard!

Well this was very interesting to learn about!! There is so much you can do!

Here are some of the benefits to teaching using the interactive whiteboard: 

First of all it's all in the name.... It is Interactive! 

Children can come up, out of their seats and physically engage with the teaching. They can present their answers in various ways using the resources provided on the whiteboard. This then helps with all the different ways children learn; auditory learners, kin esthetic learners and visual learners are all involved as a whole class!

It's not just excellent for children's learning, it also helps the teacher - the teacher can save previous lessons and switch between them, so there isn't any time wasted sorting through previous paper work!

Another good aspect to it is for the Child in your class who is learning English as an additional language - you can provide parts of the lesson in their home language, how great is that to not make them feel left out! 

So I can not find a fault with this teaching tool and I hope I have made you see just some of the benefits to it! 

 

eSaftey

I am going to present answers that I have researched to some questions asked about eSafety. So here we go...

1. Who is responsible for eSafety in a school, and what are they key features?

www.ofsted.gov.uk/news/students-safest-using-internet-when-they-are-trusted-manage-their-own-risk

This is a good website which focuses on how important it is for pupils to use managed online systems (systems that have fewer inaccessible sites so require students to take responsibility for their own safety), which in tern will educate them on how to stay safe when using the internet. It states that the most effective schools had an active approach to keeping pupils safe when they are online.

All members of staff are responsible for eSafety which may be monitored through a maintained site.

2. How are parents and carers informed about eSafety? Where can parents find out about health and safety issues regarding their children's use of the internet?

www.thinkuknow.co.uk

www.blaengwawr.co.uk/website/downloads/policies/e-safety.pdf

Many schools provide parents with information about what their children are doing in ICT and eSafety, along with the schools policy regarding the internet. Most of the information will be on School websites, or a letter will be sent home which would outline eSafety in ICT.

3. What are the rules about photos of children on a school website?

Here is a website of one school's rules about photos of children: www.brookesideprimary.co.uk

This schools policy states that if they are to put a picture up of a child there must be consent signed by parent or guardian. The child must be suitable dressed, and only first name of the child should be disclosed. 

www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/school_report/47799//.stm

This website states that for child protection purposes only the first name of a child should be used, not the surname and this also applies to blog entries, as above, it also states that signed consent must be provided. 

4. How long should you allow a child to work on a pc (in health and safety terms)

www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/haveyoursay/2010/07/how_do_you_stop_your_child_bec.html

There isn't much information that I could find about any specific time limit, however this website states the negative affects of long periods of time infront of a computer.