Programmable toys and other technology (Week three)

Our next session was on control and monitoring technology. This often refers to programming a set of instructions into a computer or machine to make it do something. As media and technology is becoming cheaper and more affordable,  schools are more able to buy devices and so we will see more of them in schools we work in and need to know how best to use them.

There are many devices in our everyday life that are controlled by computers for example, the central heating in your home is controlled by a computer and so are traffic lights. This shows the range of items that we come across all the time that are computer controlled and "children should be able to understand how things operate and work automatically. The use of programmable toys is a first introduction to this area of ICT." (Byrne, J & Sharp, J 2002 p.27)

Why use computers to control things? Well to name a couple reasons, they never get tired and they never lose concentration.

As mentioned above, there are loads of technologies that can be used in schools to develop children’s skills and support their learning. For example there are many programmable toys, sensors, digital microscopes and flexi-scopes.

During the lesson I had a go at programming a Beebot which is a programmable toy. By pressing the buttons on top you direct which way the Beebot moves. This could be used in Geography when teaching coordinates or looking at maps and also in Maths lessons for example, in topics related to shapes.

I spent most of the session using the flexi-scope. This is very similar to a digital microscope except that it has a flexible neck which can make it easier to use for some children than the microscope. It also has a light on the end which could aid pupils with visual impairments as well as make items clearer for all children. The flexi-scope can take pictures and videos of items so children can keep copies of work done for displays, exercise books, to take home or for assessment by the class teacher. Flexi-scopes can be used not only in ICT and Science but also History and R.E when children are looking at objects or artefacts that contain small details. It can also be used as part of Geography when looking at different types of rocks for example. The flexi-scope is easy to set up to a computer and easy to use, however it may not always work if the software is not installed on the computer properly or there are any other problems with the software. Apart from this I think flexi-scopes are a good tool to aid children’s learning in the classroom.

The increasing use of technology in teaching in primary schools are a fun and exciting way to support learning and a method to spark children’s interest.

Reference:
Byrne J & Sharp J (2002) Using ICT in Primary Science Teaching Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd

The infamous Interactive Whiteboard (Week two)

Hiya,

So my second ICT session was on Interactive Whiteboards (IWB). I thought the session would be about the ways you can use one but it was more to do with using the Smart Notebook software to create resources to use in class. The resources are used to make lessons more interactive with children taking an active role. However, "some teachers tend to restrict the interactivity to their demonstrations" (Allen, Potter, Sharp & Turvey 2007 p.198) as many have found that continually bringing children up to the board can have a negative effect on the pace of the lesson

We were split up into groups to each create a different resource:

• Magic Tunnel
• Magnifier Glass
• Checker Tool
• Click to Reveal
• Erase to Reveal
• Random Generator
• Pull Tabs
• Balloon Pop Tool

Once we created the resource each group presented theirs to the group so that we all knew what each of them do.

Random Generator
The group I was in was given this resource to look at...I must admit we found it a bit difficult at first but as we rapidly ran out of time we worked under pressure to create a simple demonstration.
This resource can be used in a number of ways as there are different generators. There is a word generator which is a useful way to help you ask questions to children in your class. Put the names of all your class in the list and when you click it will give you their names at random, or if you want the names to come out in a specific order all you have to do is type them in that order and uncheck the 'random' box. Then it will generate the names in the order you have listed them.
For our demonstartion we used the number generator, with this one you set the number range (for example we had the range of numbers 1-10 only) and then when you click the generator it will randomly give you a number between your range. We decided to use this resource to help children learn counting on from 10. We had the question 10 + __ = and used the generator to give us the second number in the question.

So the answer here would be 19.







To find the generators, in Smart Notebook go to Gallery- type 'generator' into the search box and then click on 'interactive and multimedia' and this will bring up the different generators for you to choose from.
Some of the other resources required more creativity and thought so I'll probably choose one of the others to base my assignment on!  :0) 
Could have done with more tips on how to use the actual IWB as we all had some problems with that part but as we ran out of time I might ask about this when we have our next session.

Until next time, thanks for reading :0)


Reference: 
Allen, J. Potter, J. Sharp, J. & Turver, K (2007) Primary ICT: Knowledge, Understanding and Practice 3rd Edition Exeter: Learning Matters.

Joining the world of blogging!! (Week one)

Hiya,

I am a student who has just started the PGCE and this is my first ever blog!!

Although I use the internet regularly and participate in some social media, I soon came to realise that my knowledge and use of the internet was actually very limited and that primary school aged children would run circles around me! Thank goodness the course includes a module on ICT as to be honest I also have no idea how to use an Interactive Whiteboard...it was blackboards and chalk when I went to school...
 

In my first ICT session we were taught how to blog amongst other things such as what is web 2.0 which I will tell you about in this post.

Web 2.0
This is a new use of the web. Whereas in the past the internet was just used to take information and content from, now it is largely being used the other way round in that people are adding content. The term refers to the way that it is now being used for things such as information sharing, networking sites and blogs amongst other things. This is an amazing thing but does also have a few down sides. For example, as content is added by the 'regular Joe' it means not everything on the web now is always accurate...so take what you read with a pinch of salt unless you know it's a trustworthy source.





There's also the issue of copyrighting and these laws being breached, which reminds me...am I allowed to copy and paste all these pictures that I found via google???


 





Another point that is important...especially when children are using the internet, is e-safety! E-safety refers to making sure the things that children see and do when they are online is safe and suitable to their age.

There are a number of things that parents/carers and schools can do to improve e-safety for children and there is lots of information and many websites that can explain what to do and how to do it. I have listed a couple below that I found from simply googling 'e-safety' which shows how easy it is to find help in this area:

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ This one is great as it has pages directed to the children themselves according to their age and also pages with information specifically for parents/carers and schools. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/topics/stay-safe is a great one for kids as it makes learning about e-safety fun by using characters they already know.

Tops tips mentioned on these sites include:

• Telling children not to give out any personal information about themselves such as their address, mobile number or where they go to school.
• Not to meet people you have met online in person.
• Not to open emails from people or email addresses that you don't recognise or open any attachments as they could be viruses or trying to find out your personal information (phishing emails).
• Parents should try to locate the computer in a family area of the house so they can be aware of what's going on.
• Check and set security levels within Internet Explorer.
• Parent's should show an interest and talk to their children about what they are doing online.

Think that's enough for my first attempt...got to leave you wanting more otherwise you won't come back! Think our next session is on the infamous Interactive Whiteboard!!