Want to have a play?

Bee Bots supporting inquiry

We have spent some of our reward points from Scholastic Book Fairs and we have purchased some Bee Bots. Bee Bots are some programmable robots that are excellent to use across the curriculum (lower primary). These are hassle free ICT tools for supporting the Technologies curriculum as well.

In the JS Staffroom we have the Bee Bots on a world map ready for your explorations. We have ordered more maps – just waiting on delivery!

Bee Bots in action

See this blog post Beebots Downunder for some ideas about how these are being used in classes.

Great for literacy, maths, problem solving and geography! (Perfect for mapping UOI Year 2/3).

Name our beebots

We have six Bee Bots and they need names!

Please come and have a play with your class and suggest a name (and reason why).

Beebots (2)

 

Post your responses below.

 

Programming with Apps – Prezi and Thinglink

 

The links and support resources for teaching Programming with Apps for Teachers and Students.

More resources can be found at EdOffICT Programming page.
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This prezi is under construction – just an upload of PDF’s at the moment. Will be adding to it soon.

 

The below thinglink has the links to the apps used in the session and some additional resources.

ASK A LIBRARIAN and EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS

 

SEARCH – ASK – LEARN – CONNECT

ASK

Term 2 is focused on asking questions and what it means to ask questions.

Sometimes the question is more important than the answer.

What does this mean?

Students have been asked to ask me their questions (about anything) and I will endeavor to find an answer. Part of this process will be also demonstrating my research to find this answer (or answers).

STUDENT QUESTIONING

As a PYP school we encourage students to ask their questions and to direct their own inquiry.

One concept based on student questions is the PASSION PROJECT and GENIUS HOUR.

TEACHER QUESTIONING

Jamie Mackenzie has many books and blog posts about types of questions and how to formulate the right questions. This is the link to his QUESTIONING TOOLKIT.

This approach to developing effective questions is often coined as ungoogleable and it is essential that we support students “move beyond the cut and paste“.

DIGGO LINKS QUESTIONING

Read more about PASSION PROJECTS

 

FEATURE BOOK

FLOTSAM by DAVID WEISNER

This beautiful picture book has stunning images that will fascinate the reader. A story about a boy,the ocean without any words.

Caldecott medal winner.

Scan the QR code below to learn more about this book and author.

QRCode

Information for teachers.

Themes:

Open-minded. Creativity.

Beaches. Imagination. Other worlds. Photography. Voyages and travels. Imagination.

 

***Library Challenge***

Define: What is flotsam?

Navigation: Locate some books also by this author in our library.

See the library staff for your reward :).

SEARCH with QR codes – WELCOME TO 2013 JS LIBRARY!

WELCOME TO 2013 – SEARCH -ASK – LEARN -CONNECT

BEGINNINGS … We SEARCH…

Source
The Daring Librarian
http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/7125917627/

This year for my orientation to use of the PYP  library we are going to use some QR codes. I will have a scavenger hunt for students to orientate themselves but I am also looking for some higher order and creative thinking to be employed.

We will look at what a contemporary library is using the Y chart as a stimulus (looks like, sounds like, feels like) and consider how this is different from the library of the past using the PYP ATTITUDES and PYP LEARNER PROFILE as support materials.

Teachers and students will have a chance to look at the PYP  library using the QR CODE.

See the following links for more information.

http://jssalclibrary.wikispaces.com/HOW+TO+USE+THE+LIBRARY

http://www.diigo.com/user/jssalc/QR_codes

http://jssalc.wikispaces.com/Augmented+Reality

See the link below for a great example of QR codes being used in a Specialist class (PE).

http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/resources/skill-posters/

 

Finally, this glogster is an excellent introduction to QR codes in education.

 

Enjoy!

Mapping media to the curriculum

Media maps are workflow storyboards for multimedia products. What do you want to create with your students today?”

This website clearly sets out how to develop a workflow with ICT to support the curriculum.
Simple, yet effective examples that can be applied to the classroom.

Wesley Fryer created the “Mapping Media to the Curriculum” website to accompany and support his eBook, “Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing.”

Love it!

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Continue reading

Visual Literacy, iPhone app, iPad resources, and Glean

Literacy and Visual Literacy in particular are key areas in the Australian Curriculum and General Capabilities.

Recently I presented about some ways to incorporate Visual Literacy with an iPad at the recent Apps Galore joint Mini-Conference (BCE and Lutheran Education).

These resources can be found here.

iPhone App for the session

Visual Literacy resources (JSSALC wikispaces)

Apps

Additionally, the Glean website has some excellent resources to support the development of literacy skills in its various forms.

Glean Learning Tools are free information literacy, data literacy and math teaching tools produced by Public Learning Media, Inc.

 

See http://www.glean.org/information-literacy