11/12/12 - The Presentation

The final installment of my blog is on the assessment. The assessment was peer assessed making it slightly less daunting. I was paired with two other classmates where we assessed each others work. The presentation topic I choose was senses in science. All the presentations that I saw were fantastic, which all had a great variety of Smart Interactive Tools. 

All in all, this module has had a few twists and turns but in the whole it has fulfilled all the requirements. It has been fun, educational, informative and interactive helping consolidate all the ICT resources and tools that we can bring in to the classroom.

Those of you following my blog, thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and progress in this module. 

For now auf wiedersehen, sayonara, namaste and goodbye for now!!!

04/12/12 - Games and Mlearning

This seminar was a continuation of last weeks session. The focus this time was more on the games aspect. 

Kodu – Game Lab

Kodu is a software which allows you to create a game from scratch. You can create everything from backgrounds to characters. A little example of what I have done in a short space of time using the software is below. UK students are some of the unhappiest in Europe. If there is anything that can help engage the students interest, it will be quite beneficial which I believe work with games can do.

RM – Dance to Advance is an interactive game designer which can be used with a games dance mat. The games can be made out of anything as the example of something I made in class shows below. It is a very fun and interactive game. As the example below shows, the questions and answers need to be created. This is another example of when the how the game is created can be more valuable than the final product. This tool can be used to assess the children without them feeling the pressure of a class test as it is in the form of a game. 

There are many games out  there which are similar to this such as Endless Ocean and Professor Leyton’s Brain Training.

Simulation games - Myst 3 – Exile – game can encourage students, in particular boys to express ideas and can be a great idea for literacy, for example getting the children to do a running commentary on the game. This can be used with any games that children are playing as this will get them engaged in the classroom. Simulation games support modelling as the gamer can simulate or model different outcomes to the same situation learning the outcomes from their actions. Children should therefore use simulations to make and explore predictions and to identify patterns and relationships. There are many simulation games out there which you can do similar things with such the popular World of Warcraft, Football Manager and The Sims. These sorts of games provide help develop problem solving, creativity and challenge skills. Also please see the links below for more simulation games. 

Kenttrustweb.org.uk – Progression in modelling and simulation.

http://www.clusterweb.org.uk/kentict/kentict_soft_simul.cfm

27/12/12 - Computer Programming and Games Based Training

The aim of this seminar was to develop an understanding of the education benefits relating to 
the use of modelling software in the classroom. I believe this was done successfully.

What modelling means in the context of ICT is to investigate the 'what if..' 

Modelling is used everyday by manufacturing companies to test out their products at the initial concept stages of their designs. Any thing from a basic drinks carton to a something such as a car go through a modelling process before they are released to the world.

The use of modelling in schools has been supported by the National Curriculum as the two extracts below show.

Key stage 1

2d. Developing ideas and making things happen

Pupils should be taught to try things out and explore 
what happens in real and imaginary situations [for 
example, trying out different colours on an image, 
using an adventure game or simulation].

Key Stage 2

2c. Developing ideas and making things happen to use simulations and explore models in order to answer ‘What if … ?’ questions, to investigate and evaluate the effect of changing values and to identify patterns and relationships [for example,simulation software, spreadsheet models].

Logo and Scratch

As you can see from the example below, Logo allows you to create interesting patterns by setting commands. Logo is more than using mathematics to create patterns. Logo enable you to think about how 
you are doing what you are doing. Constructionism is a key theory to Logo as the process of the creation is more valuable than the final product as it is believed that the how a design was created provides more educational understand than the design itself. Scratch can be described as more interactive and sophisticated tool than Logo but in a sense does the same thing. You can insert many commands for your avatar to follow. With scratch you can create interactive stories and games which can be shared online. 

Logo

                                                                                            

Scratch

These are very simple tools which give children the opportunity to do computer programming at the simplest level.

13/11/12 - Digital Media: Speaking and Listening

Schools have the ability to incorporate technology in the learning of speaking and listening. There are many tools out there that assist this concept of speaking and listening. I will be going through a small range of these utilities.

In this modern error of technology, it is a rarity to see someone without a MP3 device, namely an Ipod. This bit of equipment has allowed people to listen to mass amounts of audio through a little device. Audio that people can listen to varies from music, audiobooks to podcasts.

A Podcast is generally an episodic series of audio recordings, that are downloadable from the internet. They are generally similar to radio shows and have now become very popular in schools. They can be extremely beneficial in the classroom as it can provide a voice for children and bring them confidence in another form of communication. Examples of this can been seen from children who lack writing skills. Although they may not know how to put their pen to paper this does not specifically mean that they do not have an opinion or have not gained any prior knowledge from class learning and discussions. These children can voice their opinion via a different medium. This can also be used as a good tool for getting children to work in groups and learn key skills in discussion. There has now been a prominence in the amount of schools that are creating their own radio stations which they distribute via the internet on sites such as www.radioanywhere.co.uk. There is free software available on the internet such as Audacity which enable you to make recordings which can then be saved as common audio files such as MP3 and Wave. This therefore provides you with a great free and fun resource which can be used in the classroom. 

Key points to think about and discuss before starting to create podcasts

•What audience are we targeting?

•What language is appropriate to the audience?

•Who has responsibility for the material broadcast?

•Who monitors what is said?

•What quality control is there?

•What happens if someone says something libellous?

•E-safety

o  Copyright

o  Protecting child identify

o  Acceptable use

•The importance of not revealing personal information

Digital Imaging can be a very fun and interactive tool in the classroom. An example of the advantages of having digital imaging in the classroom can be seen in the below stop motion video clip. To create this clip we used a digital camera, some Plasticine and a free software downloadable of the internet called Photostory 3. We made some models and then took a series of pictures. We then decided to think about what the characters would be doing and saying in each section of the clip. I believe doing something like this can be extremely advantageous in the classroom as it is first of all fun and brings different subjects together, such as English and Design technology. 

Digital Videos are used in schools more and more these days. Many schools have webcams in the classroom which is a very useful tool as it can be used in many different ways. Webcams can be used for observation studies such as looking at a snail tank and monitoring the behavior of the snails. It can also be used in a similar way to podcasts where the child can record the there thought and opinions of a specific lesson in the day. The possibilities of the modern digital media is endless. 

06/11/12 - Control and Monitoring Technology

This weeks ICT workshop revolved around control and monitoring technology. What is meant by computer control is when a set of instructions have been programmed in to a machine to produce a predetermined action e.g programming your alarm clock to alert you at a specified time. There are devices which are programmable in the class room such as Roamers in particular Pixies and Pips.

The roamers allow you to put in simple instructions to make it move forward, back and turn left or right.These device can be useful when teaching a number of subjects such a geography and Maths as you can teach the children how to use co-ordinates in relation to a map and also put in some angle knowledge into it as well  There is also the scope to teach shapes to children as with some of these devices, you can insert a pencil and get the device to draw an image in relation to your co-ordinates. This may also be beneficial in art by drawing interesting shapes and patterns.

Computer Monitoring is when you use a scientific measuring tool to record information about environmental changes over a period of time. We experimented with a tool called a Data Logger. The data logger was a nifty bit of equipment as it recorded sound levels, temperature and light. A couple of my class mates and myself took the Data Logger around the university testing different surfaces and areas for temperature and sound level. We found that the water by the fountains near the Grove building had the coolest temperature and was the quietest place that we walked (everywhere else had noisy students). We then took the device back to the class room and connected it to a computer which provided a lot of data about our journey.

 

We also used a Flexiscope which is a digital microscope which works through USB on a computer. You can take various pictures of the objects that you put under the lens. Have a look at the pictures below and tell me what you think they are?

The image in the top left is blonde hair, top right is cardboard, bottom left is bubble wrap and the bottom right is metal. Did you get any of them right? As you can see from this small activity, the flexiscope can be a fun, interactive and learning tool for all to enjoy. Not only is this a useful tool for science by looking at small organisms and cells, it can be used in DT to show natural patterns, structures, etc. All schools should have this device in their schools so use it as often as you can.

30/10/12 - The Interactive Whiteboard

So this week we started class tutorials on using the Interactive Whiteboard. My class was split in to different groups each having to create a resource for the Interactive Whiteboards. The groups were split up as follows:

Group 1 ­ Magic Tunnel

Group 2 ­ Magnifier Glass

Group 3 ­ Checker Tool

Group 4 ­ Click to Reveal

Group 5 ­ Erase to Reveal

Group 6 ­ Random Generator

Group 7 ­ Pull Tabs

Group 8 ­ Balloon Pop Tool

Me and a 2 of my classmates were group 3, therefore we were required to create the Checker Tool. What this required was for us to create a calculation and then have a tool which checked to see what the correct answer was. As demonstrated below. We did the simple calculation of 10 x 10 with the following answers a) 100 b) 1000 c) 200. As you can see the bellow tool which has "Drag Text Here" written on it. We had to first select the arrows and put the correct answer, written as a) 100 in to the tool and save. So when you drag an answer in to the tool, you will either get a green tick for a correct answer or a red cross for an incorrect answer.

We then had to present how we created this resource to the rest of the groups and they in turn had to present theirs to us. This was a fairly enjoyable task. Learning these skills to bring in to the classroom is very beneficial as they make the lesson more enjoyable and interactive with the children.

My reflection of ICT so far...

23/10/12 - Well, where do I start...

I am 25 years old and am currently a trainee teacher. I was born and breed in LDN with my ancestral history from the spiritual land of India.







































I am currently studying @ Middlesex University (AKA MDX) in Hendon. My first month has been very challenging in regards to balancing my social and educational aspects of life which are both as important as each other....











I am a big football fan and follow the greatest team on the planet, Manchester United. I know i'm a Londoner who supports Manchester United, how original. Why I support Manchester United started in the summer of 1995. I went to stay at my uncles house in Aston-Under-Lyne in Greater Manchester. My cousins were huge supporters of Manchester United and explained the history of this great club, telling me everything from how Man United were the first English team to lift the European Cup (now called the UEFA Champions League) and the tragic story of the infamous 'Busby Babes'. This was all I had to hear before I pledged my allegiance to the men in red. My favourite football player of all time is Ryan Giggs as he has created so many great memories for me. The amazing run in the 1999 FA Cup Semi Final against our bitter rivals Arsenal where he scored after taking on literally the whole squad will be forever ingrained in my memory.




The Digital Era

From the first computer as early as the 1980's , man has thrived in the digital technology era. From the early technologies of the Atari and the Commodore 64 we moved over to the Internet and now we have some of the most advanced gadgetry ever created. As the children of today are all too familiar with the Ipad's and the Playstation's it makes sense in incorporating this technology in today's education. Many schools are committing themselves financial to provide as much technical aids in the classroom as possible. This has brought in the astonishing Interactive Whiteboards in to almost 95% of all schools. This technology has rejuvenated the classrooms giving an interactive element to lessons in the classroom. Teachers now have the ability to share online resources and have interactive tasks such as number grids for Mathematics and Audio-books for English and tips of their fingers. On top of this, children in schools are encouraged to introduce Blogging, Podcasting and Vodcasting on the World Wide Web. This has therefore put a great importance on e-safety. Schools have now got to appoint someone to be responsible for e-safety.  The role of e-safety entails preventing the children from the following:

• viewing unsuitable content e.g. hate material, adult content, sites that endorse unhealthy behaviour
• giving out personal information
• arranging to meet an online 'friend'
• becoming involved in, or the victim of, bullying, identity theft, or making and sending indecent or illegal images
• spending too much time online (internet addiction), which can effect concentration, sleep and health
• copying information from the Internet or buying work from other people to use as their own.