ICT Week 6- M Learning and Games

ICT Week 6- M Learning and Games

 

This week in ICT we were exploring how we can approach game based learning in the primary classroom and how mobile technology has implicated and developed teaching and learning. It was identified that we need to get UK learners enjoying and engaging in lessons far more. It is evident that gaming sells and children are great a consumer of these products e.g. Wii, Xbox, PSP, and Nintendo DS the list is endless. It has since been addressed that why not use gaming in a way which will encourage children’s learning in the classroom (EDP 4123, 2012).

 

What is M Learning?

Previously it was all about e-learning however that is now regarded as old hat! And the future is M learning which stands for mobile learning. We know that nowadays the latest technology fit in our pockets and growing interest in utilizing these technologies to encourage accessible and engaging learning is seen as very appealing to educational professionals.

 

One M learning tool that has been used in classrooms is the IPOD Touch which is very accessible and useful in the classroom. Below is a link to show how beneficial a school in Burnt Oak found this M Learning tool.

 

http://blip.tv/learn4life/what-happens-when-you-give-a-class-of-8-year-olds-an-ipod-touch-each-2634277

 

 

Kudo
Is a programming software which allows children to create their own game including the aim of the game, the characters and the actions that the characters carry out. I could see how children could get drawn into this imaginary world which they had made as there seemed to always be the opportunity to develop the Kudo world a little bit more. As discussed in last week’s blog programming gives children to learn through trial and improvement and Kudo is no exception.

Dance to Advance

This gaming software is a perfect example of how programming activities can be used in all areas of the curriculum. During the session the class were given the opportunity to develop their own Dance to Advance activities, this showed us that the tool can be used for all different curricular activities for example; I created one on changing decimals to fractions whereas others in the group concentrated on literacy, history, geography and science activities. Dance to Advance gives teachers the chance to develop exciting and engaging lesson starters, direct independent tasks as well as plenaries. You think of a topic that you want to question the children on and input the questions into the computer program as well as variety of possible answers. When the children think they know the correct answer they hit the square on the dance mat which corresponds with the answer on the IWB. Teachers could allow children to develop their own Dance to Advance questions and answers and get them to test them out on their classmates or at the end of a topic as a form of assessment. Children will love to engage with the Dance to Advance activities as it probable they will recognize them from the funfair or arcade as well as enjoy the active element of them.

 

Online simulation games

 

In many respects these are very similar to the modelling software as they are helping children to investigate ‘what if’ scenarios and experimenting with different approaches in the virtual environment.  

 

Kent ICT has a whole section of simulation games which can be used in the classroom and are accessible to all primary year groups. They have even divided the games into the curricular area they can be used in. The website also addresses why and when online simulations are better to use then the real life experiences.

 

I looked at a food chain simulation game which allows you to see over time how food chains change this would be a great tool to use with Key Stage 2 as you can observe the changes in pictures as the amount of plants, rabbits and foxes increases/decreases over the years. When you finish looking at the food chain you can observe the information in both a graph and as a biomass grid this simulation tool is good as it allows for differentiation as the first part of the task would be accessible to low ability and the other steps would keep the task engaging for the more able. Although it is important to use practical science experiments it would not be possible to observe the changes in a food chain over a long period of time without books or a computer resource like this one.

 



Simulation of food chain

 

graph of food chain results

 

Biomass grid of food chain

 



We also looked at Voki.com this give children and teacher the chance to make their own speaking avatars which they can choose the face, hair, clothes and make up of as well as decide what they want it to say.  The avatars can be beneficial to both children and adults as it gives them somewhat of a separate identity. Some children may become more confident in speaking to the class or the teacher particularly those who may be SEN or EAL. The teacher can also use the avatars as different subject characters like maybe a nutty professor for Science or a beautiful princess to read a fairy tale in English. Children of all ages will enjoy using the Voki avatars as they are accessible and the children have control over what they do.

 

I tried to uploaded my talking voki but I had some problems so here is what she looks like.

 

Overall I think it can be acknowledged that M learning and the various learning tools can be used effectively to develop children's learning in all areas of the curriculum, if addressed in a correct and organised manner.

 

ICT Week 5- Modelling and Computer Programming

Before this week’s lesson I was fully aware that children around the world played all different kinds of computer games on a regular basis; however I did not realize that now have the power to use modelling and programming to come up with their own games and ideas.

What is modelling?

For children modelling gives them the opportunity to explore ‘what happens if’ situations. There is large variety of modelling software available for children which they will find exciting and fascinating to use.

Some examples of software/online tools that you may want to use in the classroom;

·         My world

·         2simulate

·         2Do-It-Yourself

·         Tizzy’s Tools

·         My Modelling Toolkit- which can provide a useful link to Design Technology.

·         Logo- a free download

·         Scratch- also a free download

·         2simple- available at purplemash.com

 

Using computer modelling tools can be beneficial to children in the following ways;

·         It allows them to develop their own ideas and think for themselves.

·         Encourages them to make links and observe patterns.

·         Gives the opportunity to partake in an investigation e.g. to make predictions.

·         To understand grouping, sequences and cause and effect.

·         To acknowledge the appropriate method to dealing with a problem.

·         To engage in new experiences and dealing with challenges that may occur along the way.

·         To use the process of trial and error.

 

In the lesson we were given the opportunity to explore two of the main software programs My Modelling Toolkit and 2simple which allow children from a very young age to develop modelling skills.  Both programs have various activities were children can explore imaginary and real life situations.

When using My Modelling Toolkit children can build their own alien, dress a baby or design rooms in a house, these activities provide fantastic cross curricular links. For example I made my own alien which you could link to literacy were a child could write their own story about the alien they had designed earlier that day in ICT or in a Mathematics lesson were all the children could sort their aliens into different groups depending on how many heads, arms, legs etc. . My Modelling Toolkit is very accessible and designed in a way that would be very appealing to children from a young age.

 

The other software we looked at was 2simple on purplemash.co.uk similarly to My Modelling Toolkit it has a wide variety of software that could be used a cross the curriculum. I looked at 2count which allows you to make pictograms with a range of different pictures including shape, animals and fruit. This would obviously be beneficial in Mathematics lessons but also if trying to collect data from Geography or History research.

 

The 2simple software has a lot of programs which would be useful for all Primary Key Stages. Many of the programs can be adapted to be effective tools across all ability groups.  As well as My Modelling Toolkit and 2simple there are unlimited modelling resources online. Two others which were discussed in class were Poissonrouge.com and kenttrust.web.org.uk which similarly to the previous two discussed will provide ample opportunity to develop skills across the curriculum.

 

Computer Programming

 

After we had addressed computer modelling we then went onto look at computer programming, you may remember when we discussed computer programmable devices previously (Beebot, Pixie and Pippin). This week we looked at software available which allows children to create and play games they made themselves.

 

2go 2simple

The class firstly identified that we could 2go on the 2simple software to initially introduce children to making games not just using them. Children can choose their own scene and characters dependent on their preferences. On the program Foundation stage and Key Stage 1 can learn that by inputting directions using the keyboard their character will do what they want it to. This is a good way of getting children to learn how to develop basic programming skills.

 

Microsoft Logo

Microsoft Logo is a download which is available freely, you input information such as the direction, how far and what degree angle you want the ‘turtle’ to go into make specific shapes or patterns. The importance of using Microsoft Logo is to teach children about the importance of the steps you are following to create the end product, as it is of more educational benefit to understand and observe how a pattern was made than to just look to the end result. Although the emphasis is on the process of producing the end result some of the designs are incredibly intricate and very pleasant to look at. It is also a good tool to use as it helps develop children’s spacial awareness, shape and degrees knowledge and could be used in both Key Stage 1 and 2 as the process can be both simple and complicated depending on the age range it is addressing.

 

Scratch

Is the final computer programming tool we looked at, it allows children to create interactive stories, games and activities which they have an overall control of. This free download allows children to pick their own Sprites (characters) and get the Sprites to move and make noises that would fit it into their story. The children then can choose a setting to put their character in for example if their Sprite was a fish they could put it in an underwater setting.

 

 

The computer programming software has many links to all areas of the curriculum, from my own experience of using the programs I believe most primary school children would fully engage and enjoy the activities as they would feel they were in control of their learning.