Welcome to the second ICT Best Practice Seminar of the 2012-13 academic year. Click here to download an Agenda for today's Seminar. Michael Moore's Presentation
Gareth Jones -Hotwells Primary School - Lego WeDo or
Lego WeDon't?
An introduction to Lego WeDo -
What is it and is it worth the investment? This session is for teachers who are
looking for imaginative ways to incorporate Control Technology across the
curriculum.
Here are some of the resources/links/information that you requested during the ICT Best Practice Seminar. Voki Tutorial Using Voki to edit writing Youtube video http://youtu.be/Y9gHpIH9RTA
Naace 3rd Millennium Learning
Ofsted E-Safety Information Click here to view the Ofsted Briefing and Information page 2012. To access the E-safety information unzip the file and select 'Inspecting E-Safety'.
David Mitchell - Quadblogging Watch the videos below to learn about the Quadblogging movement.
David Mitchell reflects on the impact of blogging.
'It was well documented by BBC1 last year that boys in my class were writing 70,000 words in one year on their blog. Not only this, but a shift from 9% Level 5 to 60% Level 5 in 12 months with ALL pupils making 2 years progress in 12 months for the last three consecutive years in Year 6 shows that this was working! ' http://deputymitchell.com/boys-love-writing/
Image from: http://evernote.com/evernote/ Notosh Reflection on using Evernote for assessment. Learning with ipads reflection on using Evernote for assessment.
Twitter for CPD - To Tweet or not to Tweet! - (A Personal Reflection).
or why tweet at all?
For me the answer to this question is quite simple. I subscribed to Twitter just over 2 year ago to follow people of interest and to build personal CPD networks (alternatively called Personal Learning Networks PLN). As teachers we are just too busy to spend all of our time trawling through the world wide web looking for new inspirational ideas or to find answers to existing problems.
I started by following Tom Barrett on Twitter (@tombarrett) just over 2 years ago and have not looked back since. By looking at Tom's Twitter streams I was able to identify other people of interest. Pretty soon I had built my own Personal Learning Network (PLN), which is continually growing and diversifying. Furthermore, it is thanks to my PLN that I have kept updated on new ways of using ICT to support my own and others' teaching and learning. It has progressed my knowledge significantly and provided a forum to 'ask ' for advice. However, this is not just a one sided arrangement, I regularly answer requests for advice/help and hopefully make a difference to other professionals PLN's. Through using Twitter to create PLN's knowledge and skills are shared and built upon in real time. People who before the advent of the internet and Twitter would never have interacted now are able to collaborate and build links.
So Why use Twitter to develop PLN's?
Well there are obvious alternatives especially with the introduction of Google+, however for me Twitter's word limit of 140 characters forces people to be concise, which makes it easier to quickly sift through posts and decide which are most relevant. I also like the way Twitter informs you of other people who share similar interests or follow the same people as you do.
CPD...The Future...
I hope that in the future teachers will be able to personalise their own CPD through building Personalised Learning Networks. Furthermore, I hope that CPD will not be something that 'happens' a couple a times of year (if you are lucky!) but will instead be a continual cycle of reflective practice involving the professionals that 'do' the job every day! Nearly two years ago I started this blog with the aim of sharing not only my own knowledge and skills, but that of others! There are so many outstanding ideas that teacher have but remain hidden behind locked classroom doors. So why not sign up to Twitter today and start building your own Personal Learning Network...The best form of CPD that I ever signed up to!
Here are some of the people I follow on Twitter as part of my Personal Learning Network (I have included part of their Twitter profile header).....
@tombarrett
Inspiring and engaging learners with (and without) great educational technology. Currently working as a Senior Consultant with Notosh.
@simfin
Presenter and guide on e learning, new technologies and e safety.
@timbuckteeth
Web 2.0 researcher, author of The Digital Classroom, Associate Professor of learning technology, international speaker, disruptive activist.
@stevebunce
VITAL CPD Leader for NE England. Digital Storytelling, Game-based learning, consoles in schools. Play, Creativity & Fun. Apple ADE, Google Certified Teacher GCT.
@primarypete
UK Primary School Teacher interested in innovation, creativity and collaboration. ICT AST.
@deputymitchell
Deputy Head at HeathfieldCPS in Bolton UK, Google Certified Teacher, Quadblogging founder & hooked on getting kids blogging to a GLOBAL audience
@nickynewbury
Currently Y5 teacher, moving to Y4 in Sept. ICT co-ordinator in Wiltshire, mum of four who loves GBL and sharing ideas and all things ICT.
Reading around the subject, I found a number of interesting case studies where teachers have used Game-Based Learning to achieve some or all of the objectives mentioned above. I would recommend reading the following blog posts if you are interested in implementing Game-Based Learning strategies.
In this blog post Tom describes how he has used the Endless Ocean Wii game to stimulate descriptive writing with his class. Marc Faulder-http://twitter.com/marc_faulder
Using Kinectimals to Support Play in the Early Years Classroom
http://edte.ch/blog/2011/02/20/using-kinectimals-to-support-play-in-the-early-years-classroom/ Marc used an X-Box Kinect and the game Kinectimals as a stimulus for a project looking at animal homes. Marc created a blog entry to reflect on how his Game-Based Learning strategies impacted on children's learning and his own professional practice. (If you have not seen the Kinectimals game before - see the YouTube video below!)
Another case study from the Learning and Teaching Scotland website exploring how the game 'Myst' can be used to engage and motivate reluctant writers. Tim Rylandhttp://twitter.com/timrylands I find that I spend hours sieving through Tim Rylands website/blogs/Twitter posts for inspirational ideas. Tim Ryland- the story so far.... http://www.timrylands.com/html/the-story.html If you are looking for ideas of how you can use Game-Based Learning/Digital Literacy to raise standards then look no further. There are enough ideas here to last you a whole academic year!
This game can be used to consolidate Maths, English or Science skills. I really like the way children can compete against each other safely online either at school or at home. There is an option to design your own Avatar which the children seem to really enjoy. By entering a Class League name you can create a 'virtual room' where up to 30 children can compete against each other. The graphics and sounds are super and I particularly like the league position update after every round. I have thought about using this for homework as a Saturday morning challenge!
Another similar on-line program is Tutpup which follows the same strict e-safety rules, but allows children to compete against peers from around the world. I also like the 'Hall of Fame' and 'Certificate' area which enable children to work through progressively more difficult levels. I have not trailed this with my class properly yet, but intend to do so during the summer terms.
Kodu -http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/kodu/ Kodu is a free program produced by Microsoft which enables users to design, build and play new games. The completed games are visually stunning and are completely created using the tools within Kodu. Completed games can be uploaded to X-Box Live and played either on a PC or X-Box. You can even control your Kodu characters using an X-Box controller. I have experimented using this program with a lunch time technology club that I run and have been amazed with the results. This type of Game-Based Learning challenges children to develop many of the essential 'learning to learning' skills that we hope will make them successful life long learners. Follow the links below to find out more about the educational benefits of using Kodu and for ideas of how to use it in the classroom.
Another great thing about Kodu (especially for those of us who are not yet confident using Game-Based Learning strategies) is the large selection of video tutorials which are available on-line.
If you are thinking about planning a Game-Based Learning experience, I would suggest you consider the following points:
-Game-Based Learning experiences need to be well planned
-Children need to have a clear set of rules/expectations.
-School Leaders must ensure that parents/carers understand the educational benefits of this type of learning.
-Teachers need to understand the technology being used.
Groff et al (2010)
Articles which I hope you might find interesting/useful
I am pleased to report that the Primary ICT Subject Leaders' Meetings will continue this year under a new name and format. The meeting will now be entitled the 'Primary ICT Best Practice Seminar' and will be jointly planned by a School Improvement Officer (Michael Moore), Primary AST (Chris Unsworth) and school colleagues.
The seminar are designed to:
update subject leaders on developments in ICT nationally and locally.
support fulfilling the role of subject leadership in ICT.
show case successful practice and strategies used in schools.
explore the impact of the new Ofsted framework.
provide CPD sessions that will be certificated for you to use as part of your personal CPD programme.
All three ICT Best Practice Seminars will have a different agenda.
