Games based Learning and Computer Programming

Games based learning in the primary classroom

Computer programming is part of the ICT National Curriculum.

Computer modelling is similar to simulation- it allows children to to produce programmes through trial and error and children are able to explore 'what happens if'. In the real world we use trial and error techniques to create buildings, medicine and aircraft ect. It's important to try things out!!

We looked at a few programmes during our ICT lesson this week:  Purple Mash,  My Modelling Toolkit, Poisson Rouge and Tizzy's First Tool.

Purple Mash is useful for children to visualise 3D shapes, especially for those who find it hard to work with nets of shapes. With My Modelling Tool kit I designed a monster by choosing the body, colour, feet, eyes. You can then print off your monster or re-create it during an arts and crafts lesson using other materials. These highly visual programming tools are great for SEN/EAL children as text is minimal.


Scratch (left) is a user friendly tool to make short stories with easy to understand programmable language!

Logo is about more than moving mechanical bees, but is concerned about how a design is created and not the finished the product. As such, children can type instructions which will be obeyed, giving the user the opportunity to really think about how a shape is created.

So why should we use programmable games in the classroom? In answer is to aid the game designers of the future, but the majority of children in a class will not do this job, even if lots are interested in it. However, it can be used to design environments, such as classrooms, and can give children a chance to develop spacial awareness skills and abilities.

Kodu is a programming software suitable for children in KS3 or high ability KS2. Kodu seems a little more tricky to get the hang of than Scratch, which we looked at last week. At first glance it looks very much like the sorts of games children are used to playing. It’s a very sophisticated way of playing, where children can create the game they play.

Kodu’s programming language is a simple icon based programming user interface where the language are broken down into pages and rules. Kodu has a list of built in behavior that we can attach to an object to make them move around, shoot objects, and perform incredible combat move with one another. I went for the ‘shooting fish’ world.  The user is able to add characters, routes, rocks ect. You are able to programme each command to keys on your keyboard making it simple and easy to control. Kodu has a list of built in behavior that we can attach to an object to make them move around, shoot objects, and perform incredible combat move with one another.

   

                          

Kodu is free to download!



It was discussed in class that UK learners are some of the unhappiest and least engages in Europe :(
To help engane students we can make learning as fun and interactive as possible.....a great example of this is the Dance ( Dance to Advance) mats. these mats can be used as a cross curricular tool for ICT and PE.

It is the best way to challenge and test knowledge of students because it features amazing visual, kinesthetic and auditory stimuli.

Dance to Advance is very innovative and beneficial for students because by using it, students will have fun making their way to greater understanding and maintaining their concepts. Customized dance mat activities can be created and edited on any topic or subject using text, pictures or sound. In addition, you also have the option to choose from the range of numerous included ready-made activities. 
The charming game format features 1 or 2 player capability and allows for single, dual or sequential (A then B then C) responses. Dance to Advance allows students to personalize their learning experience by selecting from a range of characters, music and background scenes.
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Dance to Advance is the most inspiring tool for students as even the most shy and hesitant learner will be eager to join the fun. For those students with a physical disability-responses can be answered using the keyboard instead.

Speaking and Listening

This week in ICT we explored the way in which ICT can provide great opportunities for speaking and listening, developing children’s literacy skills. Developing speaking and listening skills is essential for children to become confident and effective communicators in all aspects of their lives. Children should be encouraged to share their ideas and listen to others. 

Various ways in which ICT allow for speaking and listening include:

•  Use of webcams and digital video- allow instant feedback and reflection.

•   Collaboration in ICT suites.

•   Transportable sound recording devices- emphasis on listening. These can be a good way of recording what a class said or did.

•  Talking Photo Albums - This is very easy to use and focuses on photo sequences, presentations, hiding and revealing pictures, word recognition. I thought that this device would be great to use for story-telling or phonics activities in class. The album is great to use with SEN/EAL children who benefit from visual prompts.

•  Talking Tins.- Are also very easy to use easy to use.  Again can be used for phonics, recording instructions, put onto display boards as part of a talking display, treasure hunts, or recording different noises outside of the classroom. The talk Tins aren’t waterproof, so it would be recommended not to take it outside in the rain.

• Time talking cards : These come in all different sizes. You can write messages on the whiteboard section, and record a narrative to go with the message. An example could be the written date with the recorded audio date.

• Podcasts are recorded and downloaded from internet. You can listen to them directly or subscribe to get latest each time. Podcasts are great because you can listen to them anywhere on your MP3. See examples of school podcasts here and here

• Digital Cameras- These are a highly useful resource in any classroom as teachers can use digital images in a range of work situations. Pictures can be used on the interactive whiteboard to prompt group discussions and further work. Cameras can also be used to create videos.

A few examples of devices that are good for children to use to develop speaking and listening include:

  

These products are very inclusive and are a great way to encourage children to become effective listeners.

 A good place to find podcasts for children is www.recap.ltd.uk/podcasting/schools Here you can find educational podcasts from all over the world. www.radioanywhere.co.uk lists all stations no matter where you are. In class we listened to children from a school Birmingham reading poetry. Through these Podcasts children can connect with the world, giving them a voice and an audience. Audacity- free programme to download.

The easy to use Tuff-cam is a hardy resource that children can use, they record videos, take photographs and can be used as a web cam. In the workshop.

These products help develop speaking and listening skills in a fun and exciting way! Kids love to learn using a mixture of stimuli, experimenting with sounds and images and they can do this by experimenting with the easy to use products mentioned.

Week 2: Interactive Whiteboards

This week we looked at interactive whiteboards and how effective they are as a resource in Primary Schools. Most classrooms nowadays have one, but are teachers using them as interactive boards, or simply as whiteboards? I have used interactive whiteboards before, but I don't feel as though I have used them to their full potential at all! At the start of the lesson we watched a small video that really brought to life the endless potential an interactive board can bring inside the classroom. At a touch, the teacher has access to an array of resources that previously would have taken years to accumulate, and cluttered a lot of cupboards!

Advantages

·         Development of discussion skills- you can put a key question up/ or a video/ any stimuli and use it as a starting point for discussion.

·         Adaptable to all types of learners- Visual/auditory/kin aesthetic

·         Keeps a record of what's happened in the classroom

·         Provides good support for EAL/SEN children

·         Good for developing thinking skills- gets the children to think out loud, and as part of a group

·         Save time scribbling

·         Increased class participation

Disadvantages

·         Placement- can everybody see the board? Is the board reachable to all students?

·         Less personal

·         Issues of reliability- technology isn't always reliable, always have a back-up plan!

·         Lighting- need for blinds etc.

·         Text visibility

·         Expensive

Have a look at a few more here

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Interactivewhiteboards.pdf

During the lesson we experimented with a few tools using the SMART notebook software programme. I played about with the random number generator tool-

You can customize this tool, adjusting the minimum and maximum range values. Once you click on the white space a random number will appear. You can then drag this number anywhere across the board. I thought this tool would be great to use in a maths lesson when practising times tables, or playing number bingo.

Personally I think interactive whiteboards are a fantastic resource to use in schools, but teachers need to have the right training in order to really use them to their full potential. They are a great way to engage pupils learning, and can be used across the curriculum. However, it’s important we still venture to the great outdoors and experience the world through our own eyes, not just through images and videos alone.

Web 2.0 week 2

Week 2 –  Web 2.0 and Blogs

This week in ICT we have been looking at the term ‘Web 2.0’ and considering ways in which blogs can be used in schools.

Do you have a Facebook account? Do you regularly watch the latest music video on YouTube? Or maybe you follow your favourite celeb on Twitter? Web 2.0 refers to the trend in the use of the world wide web technology and web design, that aims to facilitate creativity, information sharing and collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web based communities and hosted services, such as social networking sites and blogs. Web 2.0 refers to the change in the ways software developers and end-users use the web.

One of the most fascinating tools that has emerged from the Internet cloud is the blog. Having never written a blog before, it was interesting to see the ways in which people can use them. An online publishing tool, blogging allows people across the globe to easily publish their loves, passions, dislikes, discoveries, and insights. Blogs are fantastic resources that are being increasingly used in schools. Teachers believe that students develop better communication skills when they are authentically communicating.

Blogs enable children to show their work to family members all over the world, encourages them to write more ‘freely’, and can give children increased confidence in their ideas and writing.

Yet there are mixed reviews on the use of blogs and internet in schools which link to the issues around E-safety. Of course we want our children to be safe whilst online, but it is important to recognise that there are ways in which schools can use the internet in a safe way to write blogs. In the video we watched during class the blogs pupils wrote were not able to be commented on. Children only published their first names, and never gave out any personal information. Such as their school name or addresses.

Writing a blog can be a way of giving children a voice, who may otherwise feel voiceless.

E-safety Week 1

Week 1- E-safety

During ICT this week we considered health and safety issues, including those relating to the use of the internet in Primary Schools. We looked at who is responsible for E-safety in schools. There are a number of websites that provide information for parents and teachers surrounding the issue.

http://support.securus-software.com/user/71/281667.pdf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/help/web/staysafe

E-safety is a massive issue in school but there are ways on which to combat it, and encourage responsible online behaviour. Children are encouraged to keep personal information private, consider the long-term implications of any content posted online, do not post inappropriate or offensive content, and to read and adhere to any website's terms of conditions of use.