Day 33 - Debugging the system

The more I teach the computing curriculum the more evident its relevance is. A great deal of the day to day normal daily routines that we unthinkingly carry out are based on following instructions. We are creatures of habit, programmed to timetables, specific ways of speaking or explaining a concept even down to the way we make a cup of tea. Rarely do we break the expected outcomes and debug our own systems. 

What have I used in the classsroom today? 

The year 1's have been enjoying computing building their knowledge of beebot and giving unambiguous instructions. Moving on to creating programs with a string of instructions for the beebot to successfully navigate a flower bed. Issues here were on visualising the direction of turn. So armed with a card bee that was used to make the movement more concrete for those struggling to orientate their pathways...year 1 were able to move onto complex strings of instructions, confidently able to identify problems when they occurred. Deleting and debugging efficiently. 

Debugging a program is tricky for the little ones to appreciate as everything they do is always correct- right? Even if they didn't quite mean to tap the forward arrow three times instead of two! The battery operated beebot were useful in showing the errors as the app can be sensitive to small fingers and not always work consistently  in making a reassuring 'click' in the correct place! 

Undeterred by small set backs, year 1 were challenged to have a go at the excellent www.naace.co.uk  site where they could control the U.N.I.T robot both on PC and iPad. 

This endearing robot enabled the children to apply the same skills they had with  Beebot  but this time allow for a degree of choice. Let's face it, variety is important and being tolerant to others preferences is a worthy life skill. However, when it comes to computing, debugging a program needs to be precise and specific. The program gave enough challenge to pose questions to those most able to program but conversely managed to allow mistakes to be highlighted without demoralising the students efforts, 

Debugging can be refreshing and liberating! As a teacher the wonderful "oh I see..." Comment is a sign that the children have total engagement in their task. But deeper than that, the task is in itself relevant and worth persevering at. The skills that underpin the inclusion of mobile technology in the classroom are for me responsible, connected and discerning. The process of debugging allows the students at what ever age to also be resilient and see the relevance of popping balloons with a robot holding a candle! 

Day 32 - Lovely dear - what is it?

An abiding memory of my own art lessons at school were the dreaded phrase " lovely dear but what is it? ". Needless to say I never pursued a career in art but have always felt misunderstood and as a result probably underestimate my artistic talent. 

As part of the the computing curriculum children need to have experienced digital design. This Christmas tree was the efforts of a year 3 pupil. The brief was to design a tile that could be repeated and create a piece of wrapping paper. The initial discussions centred around appropriate motifs and colour schemes. Then of course one or two children going pale at the thought of drawing free hand on a tablet without a stilus! The 3/4 class have been extensively working on  this half term and I wanted to reinforce their skills by using this as a medium for their art work. By using the shapes even the most artistically challenged child could drag out a square and add a bow! In fact the children were much more creative than I initially credited them with. The obligatory (ice) block of snowmen appeared as it featured in the example, rescued many a creatively inexperienced artist. The class were eager to try and the limited paint features matched the task perfectly, and the time limit! 

After a short while, the children started to broaden their minds and opened up to the possibility of adding their own quirky touches. The idea was to experiment with the possibilities not just settle for that's ok or will do. 

The children are used to sketching and doodling, and some times produce the most amazing creations, naive but charming and full of character! 

For a first submission these designs have promise, when repeated they could work effectively. This stage will be undertaken when the first comments are taken on board. Perhaps colours could be experimented with or the text made bold and repeated multiple times? My teacher feedback given on Showbie will inform their second attempt which drives the improvements and self esteem. 

The next app that the children are going to be introduced to is Keynote , so I wanted to ease them into the new app by getting them to use the skills they already have mastered. Adding a photo from the photos and editing it. Keynote will allow them to experiment with angles and size without losing their way in a never ending set of options. Sometimes we need to see an app in a different light in order to open up that it doesn't just do one job, like only make presentations! 

Day 31 - Feedback

Part of the learning process is learning from mistakes and the teacher can enable the learner to effectively move forward if the mistakes they have made are highlighted in a positive way. I'm always in search of opportunities to give individual feedback to students as it's only through the teacher connecting with each of her or his pupils that progress can be made. Having said that sometimes group activities and therefore global comments can enable learners to feel they are moving on with their peers. I use Showbie as a file sharing app because it is a very simple, effective and versatile way to give feedback.

Today I used the fabulous website www.echalk.co.uk which needs a subscription but is invaluable for excellent resources especially for numeracy and literacy. It also is iPad compatible which is an added bonus! I set the tasks up on Showbie to allow a tap and go with the tasks, wasting no time in getting straight into the task. With the Christsmas play rehearsal taking up time today, ithis feature was invaluable. The students had autonomy as they could set their own level of chilli challenge and get to feel responsible for their work. This always raises self esteem. The completed work was shared effortlessly back to their folder in Showbie through the open in another app feature. I was then able to give feedback in a variety of ways to suit the type of comment or the students needs.  Verbal through a voice note, written for clarity and drawn to illustrate a point. 

Finally, the voice note giving a personalised feedback to alert the pupil to the next step that they need to take can be added in seconds and uploaded simply. The ongoing dialogue between teacher and pupil builds a special relationship, one that I believe encourages the pupil to feel important and to create a honest conversation which can come into its own when the pupil is having difficulty. It's at these occasions when the pupil has to believe in their teacher and rely on their professional guidance. 

Day 30 - Independent Learner? Really?

Independent learner - what does that mean? 

If a teacher were to define an independent learner the definition would contain words such as self motivated, organised, methodical perhaps confident at tackling unknown skills by applying previously learnt concepts. Tenacity, self reliance and resilience.

However, if a Year 6 pupil had to write his definition perhaps it would differ... Something along the lines of copy someone else's text and drawing without the teacher realising. I know it's cynical but to be truly independent you must have first be taught how to think for yourself. Self reliance and resilience, possessing a can do attitude and the ability to say " I can't do this yet! " rather than saying "I don't get it" (which for me is as over used as the phrase "by mistake" . It's easy to say " I can't"  because all too often the students have been scooped up as the teacher anxiously tries to complete the lesson plan in the allocated time slot or for the sake of 'moving things on' & inadvertently gives the answer all too easily. Definitely, a case of mixed messages. 

Today, I was challenged by my colleague to plan a lesson that would support writing up a comprehensive maths investigation whilst hitting the English LO of using an instructional text. Coincidentally this evaluation of the gap in the forms learning had been borne out of a frustration of revisiting, three times, how to write up a comprehensive science experiment which used technical vocabulary and all the good features of hypothesis, testing, results and conclusions...I digress. 

So, with the aide of Popplet to map out ideas I went about deconstructing each stage, much like a cheesecake on MasterChef. 

Daunting sight right? But I decided to include this as a resource as I t's important for the class to know that this is a complex skill, that takes time to master and has many individual branches which when used systematically will bring success. You can tell my energy levels are high on a Monday! 

So, for the sake of teaching and clearer understanding, I turned to my iPad to see how it could provide a transformational approach to learning how to write up a maths investigation as well as be mindful of scaffolding the steps for those more reluctant to say..."I like to learn from my mistakes" 

So, step 1 was to break down the whole picture into each of the six steps to success. 

Then, dissect even further the individual stages but expand on the point to support thinking...not wanting to be faced with the blank page syndrome where no words flow...

 

But children learning by actually doing is key, so the first task was to look at an instructional a text and have a go at following it. Modelling the need for clear concise text and supporting diagrams. 

Interestingly, some pupils gave up immediately, having neither read or looked at the diagrams. They had already decided this was going to be too hard, (or they were too cool) to complete it.  But with perseverance and AirPlay  the task was successfully completed. Repeated and recorded on Showbie to annotate the features of an instructional text.  

The important aspect in terms of learning and in particular teaching here is what does success look like for the pupil? How does a teacher move the learning on from being overwhelmed by information to demonstrating mastery, or at least a deeper understanding? 

The class were then asked to use the steps to success with a writing frame to compose a maths investigation based on eggs and boxes. Where each step to success was emphasised and language focused on to incorporate the joint subject area LO. After the hand holding the exit ticket was for the children to create their own instructional t st for making a pentagon. The students confidently chose either Explain Everything or Book Creator. It was evident who had pieced the instructional text jigsaw together! Shared back effortlessly to Showbie means the individual feedback can be tailored to the needs of the child. 

The final end product... Next lesson we will combine the two shapes into a class paper football! 

The final word for teachers wanting to transform the learning is in determining how the digital aspects of iPad , in this case, can inhibit the need to write concise instructions. If you can video the process, it's clear, (as many Youtubers will appreciate) by pausing or rewinding you can achieve the finial product, in this case a folded pentagon. However, words need to do this job, so the appreciation that words have, if used effectively,  the capacity to fulfill the same role is important to reinforce. The power of words is elevated to maintain their status as still relevant in a fast moving digital world... 

So, did I fulfill my aim of teaching independent learning today? Partly yes, the pupils managed to move their understanding of information texts on and were able to exercise independence by using the scaffolded writing frames, the proof is in the assessment of the fully ndependent hot task at the end of the week , so fingers crossed! If the students use their Showbie accounts to guide them then I can tick that box! 

Day 29 - Super Worm and The Polar Bear

Endless curiosity and enthusiasm makes working with pre prep children an absolute joy. Having walked into school this morning to work with individual children on their specific targets I bumped into the reception teacher who wasn't feeling her best; full of cold as many teachers are at this time of year. We had a quick conversation about what teaching meant to us as individuals and we both agreed that to be able to provide learning experiences that are rich in creativity allowing individuals to access the curriculum was a shared belief of good practice. It's what makes teaching rewarding. She recounted to me her previous day at school when she had gone home feeling that she had done a really good job and the children had learnt in an optimal way and all of the gods of planning and circumstance and mood aligned to make the previous afternoon magical. I felt privileged to have had that conversation, as teachers we often dwell on the negative and the "could do better" comments and don't always listen and acknowledge to ourselves let alone others, when we do a good job.

So it was an absolute joy that today I could supplement her exceptional planning and provision for her reception children by adding in a digital twist. The school is at the very beginning of their journey with mobile technology and some of the well-known apps to time users en met with renewed excitement and anticipation. The reception children have to rehearse and verbal verbally tell a story, using a story mountain template with the start middle and end. The scaffolding that have been put into place meant that the two children I worked with had a very good grounding on what was expected of them and the skills that thy were rehearsing. So armed with an iPad and a newly loaded copy of the puppet pals app (Directors Cut) we began to make an animation of their individual stories, capturing the emerging vocabulary whilst providing the children with the skills to digitally manipulate their work. Whilst fulfilling i digital aspects of the computing curriculum at the same time.

One little girl sat in front of me with a basket containing a plastic Polar Bear, a lamb, a frog some hay and various assortment of sticks and cones. After discussing her story mountain template and talking through the story with this quickly got down to adding each of the animals as an actor on PuppetPals HD. I showed my pupil just once how to cut out the outline of the actor and with the enthusiasm that I wish I could bottle, she was away and had completed, unaided, all the other 'actors' in the space of a few minutes. The next hurdle was to set up each of the elements of the story as individual backdrop.  So I demonstrated how to take the first photo of the frog in the hay! My protégé then followed this up with a wooden tree and pinecone then finally some twigs that super worm was to rescue the lamb from. 

The fantastical and wacky story that was so real in this little girl's head came alive with her commentary as together we changed the backdrops and manipulated the actors on the iPad. The resulting 30second video was then air-played & shared with the rest of the class on their big screen, the audiences eyes were like saucers filled with admiration for the little girls skill as a story teller. The class were captivated by the video, especially hearing the voice of their friend and seeing the plastic animals come to life, it was all too much for some of them! (teaching assistant too..) The teacher was impressed because she could instantly see that the small task she had planned has been transformed into quite a different activity. The redefinition of the task was completed because of the ability to use technology effectively. Inspired by her pupils, she was brave enough to attempt to try duplicate the activity with the remaining year one pupils that same afternoon. Secure in the knowledge that she could call upon the little girl to guide and support her through this newfound discovery. Child focused and child led learning, pure magic.

Day 28 - Updating and iTunes U

iTunes U is a fantastic way in which to create courses and differentiate the curriculum for pupils. As our school is small with job shares and part time staff, you may think that it is not worth investing time in this method of delivering the curriculm. But, it is an ideal way to ensure that the teachers are catering for all the learners. 

• iTunes U is a powerful, collaborative teaching tool which allows students to personalise their learning.

• Students can access it on multi devices

• Work can be seen at the convenience of student or teacher. 

• General or personalised discussions with tutors or between students. 

• Link multi media assignments  with ebooks, podcasts, time specified videos, text, note taking ability, grading if desired…

 
I could go on so what's the drawback?  The whole school needs to be on board and commit to this method of delivery for it to truly succeed.

Why I have chosen to introduce iTunes U.

As a catalyst for change it enables the preparation of inspirational resources whilst enabling an institution to reach learners at their own level. Providing achievable differentiation with graded tasks being handed in is possible to achieve a holistic approach to work flow

So far,  the computing courses are the only ones available to the children but as a advocate of digital fluency, it's important to my role to model good practice in the classroom & for others to see its influence and effectiveness. The reason why it may not be taken up quickly in schools' is the initial overwhelming amount of text on the page. Any future updates to iTunes U I feel, would benefit from a little more of an image friendly interface. Perhaps icons depicting the inevitable imperative verbs of watch, read, write so that younger users are encouraged to navigate posts easily. 

I have one cautionary warning, if your school has a set of managed iPads under the newest Apple iD free version, then enrolling onto a course means that you have to create a generic Apple iD for your learners to access to course. 

So how well have the courses been received in class today? 

Year 5&6 - the pupils were excited (and slightly impressed) that they could view their whole years course at one go. For all you teachers that have just fainted at the thought of that... the course  doesn't have to be populated by all your resources at the beginning. With a skeleton of the LO's written in as posts, I like to work a half term in advance, which also allows me time to source rich content for my learners. As they develop, so does my choice of resources which is the flexibility that I require to be an effective teacher. It also allows those who are keen to look ahead and perhaps dabble in areas that take their interest...remembering that I have the ability not to release tasks until I am ready ensures that I have control on pace and exposure to the learning materials. 

Year 3&4 - the pupils reacted with their usual acceptance in seeing the course. They did need additional guidance through locating posts but allowing the time to learn new procedures and discover new ways of working is essential to moving on in our mindset and not, in my mind, wasted time. The pupils are used to Showbie, so the fact that they could download their resources quickly was not new. However, the fact that they could chose the level of demand of their task was. This is the area that will reap the highest benefits, as the pupils develop their self confidence and begin to push the boundaries of what they expect of themselves, this will be the true measure of progress and self evaluation. Learning with no limits is achievable. 

Year 1&2 - the course has been built specifically to allow the youngest students to participate but I'll have to update you on the success if this as it is not as yet been trialled. 

What Have I used in the classroom today? 

1. iTunes U - introduced the computing aspects of the curriculum (see above) 

2. Explain Everything - to illustrate how to make a net of a 3D shape with voice overs and video excerpts for additional tutorials. 

3. Notes - to support writing a recount text to reinforce algorithms with inexperienced pupils with no prior knowledge of the under pinning skills now required by the computing curriculum. 

4. Book Creator - to gather together the self assessments of the children's Shang Dynasty games, referencing how to improve and the sticking points encountered by the pupils. 

5. Flashcards - to make a collaborative class set of cards based on 2D and 3D shapes. 

Flashcards [⁛] by NKO Ventures, LLC

https://appsto.re/gb/MbmJC.i

6. Beebot - first steps into programming to reinforce algorithms 

Day 27 - Focused Fun - individual, creative and owned.

Some days as a teacher, you really feel like you have done a good job. Today was one of those days.

My class of 33 year 3's and 4's were up for a challenge. Having planned the day meticulously, aware that the teaching assistant was out on a course, so the jammed packed morning was looking ominous. However, the students rose to the challenge and I had the most enjoyable time in the classroom alongside them. 

So reflecting on the day - what was it that made the difference?  I believe it was the iPad. Every child has access to a device as today they were asked to take control of their learning. 

What did I use in the classroom today?  

www.bbc.co.uk/Newsround , I decided to start the day by showing on the class large screen, the live updates of the children's topical news programme Newsround. With the shocking events in Paris over the weekend, it was positive to face the tragedy and answer questions raised. Sensibly, advice for those affected by the story was responsibly spoken of.  This episode also mentioned the hugely popular Minecraft game and the 'ghosting' which can take place when an unknown player decides to be unkind and inappropriate when playing online. The best known Minecrafter spoke about how to deal with this type of cyber bullying, which was timely and important. This class is hooked by Minecraft and it's important to send a message to the students that I as their teacher recognise that. 

1) Showbie - to set up the resources and scaffold the different levels of expectations for the learners in each year group. 

2) Book Creator - to store and expand onh e understanding of what email is and how to use it safely and responsibly.  The star is to protect identity. 

3) Webster's Bedtime - By Hannah Whaley  having read the previous books in this wonderful series, this book backs up that devices have a time and place, they too need to be recharged and chat resulting from sharing this book can open discussions about when it's time to switch off from technology ! 

It was also the inspiration for the second part of our lesson today, which was the question 'what would a device say about sending emails...if they could talk?'  What advice would they give - a lesson in personification. 

4) Yak-it Kids - this fun animation app really appealed to this age group. They were transfixed by the example and eager to see how they could make their own version. The incredible part of this process was that the class found a renewed enthusiasm for writing with their pens in their English book (and joined up too!)  , as part of the deal today was that a scripted speech needed to be prepared before the app could be opened...I've never seen the students write in such a focused way! 

Th drawback for some of the students with this app was that their scripted speech lasted longer than 15secs (a limit in this the free version of the app) so they worked on creating their animation in Adobe Voice  and produced some excellent examples of extended animation, full of character, completely individual and expressed their understanding in their own words. This part was transformational in this classroom , 

SAMR is a model designed to help educators infuse technology into teaching and learning. Popularised by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, the model supports and enables teachers to design, develop, and infuse digital learning experiences that utilize technology.9 Nov 2013

Day 26 - Pack it in!

Today I really packed in the tech...  Mobile technology can free students mind and help them to express themselves in a more creative way. However the skills of learning how to improve your skills as a learner, made teaching. This is where many schools fall down and classes become confused. A lesson with an iPad available to use is different to an iPad lesson. My belief is that the driving force of any lesson is the learning objective. Any resource that is used to support the students in achieving the lesson objective should be used when appropriate. This does not change when you include an iPad into the equation. The iPad is the tool in which learning is furthered - it's not an end in itself.

With a class brimming with 33 individual needs to be met the teachers ability to give timely support is a skill that is not always achieved. However, with iPad and a little time management and patience this can transform a classroom into one that is pupil centred and led. The latter is achievable and the benefits are clear once the initial teething problems are overcome. 

Skills the children require and acquire:

- to be able to follow instructions 

- self check their work and moderate for quality. 

- be open to suggestions from others

- flexible, responsible and motivated

- creative and good at overcoming difficulties (resilient) 

- open to new ideas and willing to take risks and try something new (flexible & creative) entrepreneurial 

- work to deadlines

So far none of these  skills would be disputed by a teacher as being beneficial. They also are skills that aren't necessarily stated in any learning objectives of primary school children let alone secondary school children. However having a mobile device in the classroom allows the teacher to specifically teach and promote these skills appropriately for the age group they are teaching. The 2015 Nesta report recently underlined the need for the country to invest time to train a workforce with transferable digital skills, I would argue that these are the most valuable learning objectives and the ones that will make a difference to our students a they mature and inevitably join the workforce. So how is this achieved? 

What I have used in the classroom today?

In order to give the children autonomy with their work they have to be given an overview of the tasks in hand. The best way to achieve this is with a file sharing such as Foldr  or Showbie. It can also be achieved by using iTunes U. If iTunes U courses are used in the school this is the optimal way of teaching the skills that digital citizens will need. 

1) iTunes U course. 

Each of the year groups computing curriculum is delivered as an iTunes U course. It allows me to develop resources, differentiate for each individual and collectively, collect and grade work and give individual feedback. It also gives the opportunity for my students work to be peer assessed and for them to further their understanding through the discussions option. It also allows me to change the course easily and update my resources. 

2) Yak-it Kids animation app which gives an additional way to quickly ascertain the level of individual learning. I used this as a exit ticket challenge. The short 15 second recording limits words so the student had to script a speech that succinctly explained email etiquette. 

3) Hopscotch - today we finished our Shang Dynasty games - each pair published their game the Hopscotch website which means they have the opportunity to hold their skills up beside their peers and to receive the critical feedback to help them further their learning into future projects. 

4) Explain Everything : the students revisited their own series of animations which depicted multiplication methods and chose their preferred method to complete their work this week. It showed just how vital it is that in maths students are able to articulate their learning and this enables them to truly understand the concepts.

5) The zoom function that can be found in accessibility. A few students like to have their work made cleared due to failing eyesight. 

But many like to have the work that is modelled on their iPad to have clarity. By activating the zoom function in settings/general/ accessibility/ zoom the three finger tip tap can make all the difference to following instructions. 

Day 25 - Creative Connections

The joy of mobile technology is how every student can put their own spin on a creative task. They surprise themselves with how much fun it is and how effective and professional the results can be. This is especially true for the students that struggle with writing or expressing their ideas on paper. 

What did I use in the classroom today? 

1. Maths - Year 5&6, investigating methods of multiplication. Having last week looked at Explain Everything for the first time, this weeks investigation based on www.nrich.maths.org  was the catalyst for the lesson.  Taking one sum 23x21 and seeing how many different ways this could be multiplied. The methods ranged from the usual column multiplication to the mindblowingly whacky lines method. 

The students task was to make a series of slides showing the calculation in each method and then trying out their own multiplication sums using their preferred method. 

Asked why this way of investigating would help one girl said " I know if I get stuck on a different sum, I could replay the video and it will help me get started again. " Exactly!  The magic nature of the lines method always raises a gasp...

The animated nature of the slides showing how to deconstruct each stage is transformational in learning. It allows the student to take control of how they learn , even down to what they say and how they say it...powerful stuff! 

2) English Grammar - Year 5&6 Book Creator

Having to explain onomatopoeia is one of life's great mysteries. It's easy when the word is accompanied by the sound because it makes sense. So today year five and six made examples of phrases using onomatopoeic words but added that own sound this also gives as a starting point a useful support in their hot writing task later in the week when they will need to compose their own poetry.

3). Using Adobe Voice with Year3&4. Setting up email. 

Adobe voice is to Resik app easy to use intuitive and quick. All the attributes you need for a successful digital classroom based activity. Today in the class we managed to set up everybody with an email and a password. In year three this was no mean feat! Part of the computering curriculum asks that the students have experience of email its usage and for me for their safety online education, it's misuse. I first read to the class Websters email which is a fantastic way to open the topic of conversation on communication and its limitations. Collaboration in classroom is championed but we also need to be mindful that children also need to know when best not to use and share their information.

It was important for my lesson to make sure that the children understood that and email address was a way of tagging you as a person and it is that way that many companies use to track your movements on the Internet. Adobe voice requires each child to have an account. Therefore each child has to have an email account attached to their profile. In itself this is acceptable. However I would ask that companies like Adobe voice realise the power of their app within the classroom and to make it more accessible to the whole school. By the end of the lesson every child had signed up to Adobe voice using that email and they're protected password, they had looked at the tutorial and started to make their own version of a short animation explaining the virtues of email.

 

Day 24 - Shine!

'

If differentiation is the ultimate aim for every teacher then it follows that it's also important to allow opportunities for every child to feel successful. I believe including mobile technology in your classroom allows you to achieve this. Today there was another example of how the iPad gave a student a voice. It is now them to express themselves in the classroom in a way that may not have been possible previously. In a class of 32, sometimes individuals can be lost. Today four students shone brightly. We were using Hopscotch and the idea the task was to code a game with a partner based on the Shang Dynasty. This is a topic in key stage two which has not had very much time to excite teachers and their ability to match it to the curriculum is quite weak. Many teachers wish they could still study World War II. So they have a wealth of resources to draw upon. In out classroom, we made our own!

We celebrated the fact that the children were able to work with a partner and the tutorial (as well as peer guidance ) to make a game for this specific topic. The use of the text and then the emoji keyboard allowed them to use appropriate symbols in their game. The latest iOS update gave some invaluable additional material for them. 

What as a teacher I was particularly pleased with was the two children that produce this game were not those that easily are the best at maths, grammar, handwriting, science or in fact any core subject. But with computing they were able to code their game with ease and aplomb. The smiles on their faces as they shared their work by publishing it onto the hopscotch site for all their peers to play was priceless. Almost as shiny as their Headmaster award sticker! 

The added bonus to publishing this particular game on to the Hopscotch website was that it spurred on the rest of the class and motivated them to also want to feel as they like the designer of a game. It increase motivation to finish the task but also to complete it to the best of this skill and to make it as accurate and the code as complicated as they could manage. In a busy day, fraught with noise and incidences, the 45 minutes that the students were coding with their partner on their iPads was focused, quiet, concentrated bliss! 

Day 23 - As easy as breathing?

Any measure of success for embedding technology into a curriculum is whether the technology is invisible. Do the learners feel they have a capacity to utilise technology when it's the best tool for the job, as a normal accepted every day occurrence - this is a goal that is worth pursuing. 

It seems however that most technology needs to be overtly encouraged. Perhaps the is a need to make a fuss in order to validate the cost, the time spent introducing the new method of learning or the simple fact that the devices are available. So, as teachers we feel a compulsion to 'shout' about it every time the device is turned on. That certainly doesn't happen with times tables practice, an essential life skill yes, but one that is repeated everyday without any special attention or recognition. Perhaps using an iPad in school is still not mainstream enough not to be singled out and highlighted. A little like a student receiving Ritalin for ADHD! 

A five star project will take into consideration the following:

1) Accepted aims that are embraced by the staff, pupils and wider stakeholders.  

2) Access to training and advice to support ideas which continually encourage on-going CPD 

3) Appropriate use of apps, ones that encourage free thinking and creativity and do not stifle or restrict the students ability to make decisions about the information presented to them. 

4) Attitude of the students and staff, whether as part of a 1:2:1 or shared set model, can students choose when to use the devices? Is it when it's the best tool for the job or only as a 'special occasion' 'one off' when directed by the teacher? 

5) Availability of band width - does the wifi and other parts of the infrastructure support the activity in the classrooms. Air printing, up dated devices working in optimal conditions to make picking up the device as natural and easy as breathing...

The final A star would be awarded when the students and staff have the ability to celebrate and share their work, through blogs, a website or in house, on presentation screens that stream an ever changing  series of examples of good classroom practice. This cherry on the cake can be provided by Trilby TV, a simple but effective presentation module that is compatible with Apple TV and allows the students to upload their work in real time to a presentation area or screen. Just sit back and watch the self esteem rise! 

What I have used in the classroom today? 

1) BBC. CBeebies Nina and the Neurons - Go Digital Year 1 computing. 

2) BBC Bitesize Dance mat Typing for improving touch typing skills to make typing efficient and fast! 

3) iTunes U bespoke course to deliver the links for the computing curriculum to Year 1&2. 

4) Puppet Pals - to animate stud nets own versions of Roald Dahls Revolting Ryhmes. 

5) Adobe Voice - to record the treasure hunt for computing devices around us. 

6) Book Creator - to record the research facts on toilets to inform about the African charity. 

7) Book Creator - for the ongoing digital profile to capture evidence of progress. 

The iPad can provide many opportunities to include rich resources into teaching and learning, as long as the wifi is robust enough for the job... 

Day 22 - Counting Chickens

  

Sometimes it's the simple things that you take for granted. Take online safety for instance. The year 1's and 2's are like sponges for information. They have a curiosity which makes them hang on every word of a story. Clicking Chicken by Jeanne Willis made them laugh audibly but also voice their disapproval at the fluffy yellow fellow's antics. They understood the principles of strangers online in 20 pages of simple text and illustration. 

I too, had taken the simplicity of Showbie for granted. It rates as one of my favourite apps to make classroom organisation simple, that is until today. Having been a trial blazer for the new non Apple ID MDM, we were feeling rightly chuffed with ourselves for being able to say we had put our faith in the technology. For the most part our courage was well founded. However, today after updating the iPads the only app not to respond was Showbie. It crashed in every case. Teasing us into thinking it would work but fading away at every attempt. This caused some major difficulties. Mainly, it highlighted just how simple Showbie makes sharing, navigating to websites and effortlessly delivering differentiated tasks to individuals. I had begun to take it for granted. Perhaps it's time to evaluate Seesaw? 

If the filesharing app doesn't work, the alternative of typing in website addresses and navigating a complex work flow plainly stilits learning. Mis spelt words, a dot instead of a dash, can seriously frustrate both pupil and teacher...notwithstanding the waste of time in the lesson gathering the correct resources. ( At this point,  I am trying to forget the planning time put in to adding all the resources on to Showbie in the first place)  Secondly, how is it all marked? Notwithstanding the aide of the grading and voice annotation of the bespoke formative and individualised comments that make the difference to progress. I almost gave myself a hernia lifting the 33 exercises books into the back of the car!  

I know the future is with mobile technology, and I am prepared to swallow a bitter pill of progress if the lessons are learnt and the feedback is received by both app developers and MDM proponents. Sometimes you have to push the boundaries to improve. As the Headteacher said - it can be comforting staying in the safe 'known' world of what you have always done because at least you know what your problems will be...but for our school, we are embracing that the steps we are taking into the future will ultimately help the children to become better equipped learners and digital citizens. 

Day 21 - Café Culture CPD

With a cup of coffee and a chocolate digestive in hand the the teaching assistants were invited to attend a 20 minute 'spotlight on digital skills' session. They had all been released together from their usual duties so that they could increase their own skill level using iPad.

In order for any digital strategy to fully embedded in the school needs to be embraced by the whole staff. More and portly it needs to be understood and accepted as part of the vision for the school. Therefore, the development plan or the digital strategy needs to have been discussed and agreed by staff so that they can understand why it is they are being asked to change or modify their skill set. In my experience if this has happened change is managed much more smoothly and with understanding.

It is in this climate that our first digital skills session was held. Last week all the school's iPads were taken in under the umbrella of the MDM. Although the staff enjoy greater flexibility and less restrictions on their iPads they are part of the schools agreed use a policy and therefore need to appreciate how they work in the classroom with the students to educate them to be responsible and discerning digital citizens.

Our first app was Book Creator (those of you following my blog will also have seen the myriad of ways that the creator is utilised within the curriculum already). The best way to learn any new skill is by doing. So using airplay in one of the classrooms we set about creating our own book from a temp late. After just 15 minutes, and a lot of laughter, each of the TA's had completed a page of their book using all of the features on the + menu. 

 We also had looked at searching for images with the correct usage rights as it's important that the TA's to reinforce the responsible use of the technology whether they are on iPad, a PC or another device at home.

Having shared and published our very brief new book our allotted 20 minutes were up. The attendees went away with the confidence to have a go themselves - and with half term coming up it's a timely opportunity to explore the possibilities of using this particular app. 

An added bonus in this close quarter training is that one of the ladies wanted to ask a 'how do I?' question. She wanted to show a slideshow of images of the work the class had been doing. This was easy as in Photos once an album is created the option to show as a slide show is inbuilt. Having showed the TA's this feature,  I was very pleased that on walking past the year two classroom on their screen was being air-played a slideshow of images of the proud students making salt dough. An activity that they had undertaken that very morning! I'd call that on side! 

Day 20 - Vertically Grouped Opinions

The school which I currently work has three classes of children which are vertically grouped. This has huge benefits when deciding to discuss individual topics and support new ideas. It also can be limiting in its capacity to provide each specific year group with the learning outcomes that they require.

I was confident that year 1 could build on the foundations of their introductory familiarisation with the language of coding lesson and go on to perform much more complex and demanding tasks.

Today, was their second lesson on the introductory steps to coding. Last week we talked about giving unambiguous instructions. I based it on the perennial favourite of making a jam sandwich. To my amazement the children were really enthusiastic about being able to sample a jammy piece of bread at the end of the lesson! So much so,  that I thought this would prevent them from understanding the concept of an algorithm. I was happy to be proved wrong.

This week, we began our lesson by rearranging a large set of photographs from each stage of the algorithm that we created last week. The Year 1's were very proficient at recalling the steps even being able to recall when a mistake or bug was discovered. But why should this be useful in vertically grouped Year 1&2 class?

With my Year 2's, who also have not, as yet, had a great deal of experience using the language of computing. I modified the jam sandwich task for them. They had to debug the set of images Year 1 had taken depicting their jammy algorithm. 

The class were able to proficiently identify where mistakes were made but also to discuss with their year 1 counterparts the likelihood of an algorithm actually working even with a different variable... Was the knife always needed before the butter was opened?

Discussion about the way the bread and plate, knife and jam needed to be organised gave rise to the opportunity to deepen the understanding of each year group. Providing me and them with a rich experience in the need for clarity.

I was impressed by the way the children were able to discuss and move their own learning on through the discussion of the different variables.  Photo Collage app allowed me to very quickly collate the series of images into a format that could be used by one group and debugged by a second.  

The foundations have been laid for this group of children to move into comprehending simple programming. Beebots here we come!