Category Archives: Digital Technologies

Robotics Rule:Sphero

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SPHERO MAZE CHALLENGE

JSL Makerspaces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TASK:

  • Design a maze for the sphero to travel through.
  • Consider the ways that the other teams can gain or lose points.
  • Challenge another team to complete your maze.
  • Use any of the sphero apps on the iPad to complete this challenge.

Sphero Challenge

 

 

 

 

SPHERO YR 5 & 6 MAZE CHALLENGE

AIM:  You and your team are challenged to complete the Sphero Maze.

As a team are trying to collect points along the way. You have a limited amount of time per group. The team with the most points wins. This is a game of challenge and strategy.

You will be given time as a team to consider the best approach to achieve the most points.

Consider the below:

1) Is it better to collect points or complete the challenge in the fastest time?

2) Collaboratively decide on the best course of action. Assign a driver and support team.

Mazes sourced: Big Activities

Time Allocation: 1 MINUTE PER GROUP

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Will you take the challenge?

Cubelets: ICT Mentor Led Sessions

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Cubelet Challenge

 

 

 

 

JSL Makerspaces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SELECT 3 CUBELETS (one from each category)

  • THINK block
  • SENSE block
  • ACT block

Q: What does this cube do and when connect a ____?

 What happens? 

cubelts set

CUBELET YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

Select the link to play all the videos tagged as “cubelets”.

MORE RESOURCES

DIIGO CUBELETS LINKS

YEAR 3 PROGRAMMING WITH APPS

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Programming with Apps

On Monday 27th April, select students from Year 3, with the support of the Year 6 ICT Mentors participated in a PROGRAMMING WITH APPS session.

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The students were introduced to the following concepts:

  • What a program is
  • How a computer ‘thinks’
  • Computer languages and visual programming

 

They experimented with following instructions and thinking computationally through the use programmable Bee-Bots and the Bee-Bot app.  These tools are excellent for reinforcing directional and procedural language.

Through the use of visual programming apps, the students also learnt to create simple programs. Apps like Daisy the Dinosaur and Kodable support students to learn to code by solving puzzles. The ability to problem solve is a critical and creative skill for students to develop.

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The students were now ready to create their own program using Scratch Jnr. This app has a drag and drop interface designed specifically for programming with younger children.

The students were given the task to collaboratively design a simple story, selecting an appropriate setting and writing an interaction between characters. This task made connections between the story writing process and computer literacy through programming. The ICT Mentors supported and directed the younger students exceptionally well at this stage.

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All these apps are available for free. More apps can be found at Programming for Primary Students.

If you would like to learn more, read some of our blog posts about programming on the JS Library blog or come and see the Bee-Bots in action during first break in the JS Library.2015-04-27 20.49.01

 

APP CREATION- JS MAKER SPACE

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App Creation ICLT Day

Could you design an app or a website?

Your challenge is to produce an app designed teach another person about a topic for which are an ‘expert’.

You might select a topic that you have inquired into this year at school or from a previous year’s unit of inquiry.

 

OUR PROGRESS

Students had their first information session today about the upcoming day. In one week we will be finalizing our topics and beginning to gather information for our apps.

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THINKING TASK

Students have been assigned the following task.

What topic or subject matter are you going to choose to create your first app?

Consider what makes a good information app?

What would you consider to be the most important information to include?

Who is it written for?

What is the purpose?

INQUIRY

BEGIN YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE INFORMATION APP USING THE RESOURCES BELOW

PLANET BLIPPIT 

DIIGO LINKS

CREATIVE COMMONS IMAGES & RESOURCES

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THE DAY – IN REFLECTION

It is seems that “the best day ever” is how the students viewed the day.

See our published apps on PLANET BLIPPIT.

It was a challenging and exciting day. Looking forward to the students sharing their knowledge with others.

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#blippit  #appcreation #salcICLT #ICLT

Please note: the apps created with Blippit are no longer active.

As of March 2014 Blippit has changed to Blippit IO App Maker.
To retain the work of the students this presentation was created.

Maker Spaces, Design Thinking & STE(A)M

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Ideas in the making…. Just some thoughts

Creating a Maker Space is just one way that we can connect what happens in the library to the real world.
There are many versions of Maker Spaces. In reality it depends on many variables such as money, space and time.
The Horizon Report 2014 (preview)  has identified  some topics that are clearly relevant and met by the use of Maker Spaces, Design Thinking and STE(A)M approaches to Innovative Teaching and Learning.
  • Significant Challenges Impeding K-12 Ed Tech Adoption 
  • Difficult Challenges: Those that we understand but for which solutions are elusive
  • Complex Thinking and Communication 
  • Integrating Personalized Learning 
  • Solvable Challenges: Those that we understand and know how to solve
  • Creating Authentic Learning Opportunities 
See the MAKER SPACE@THE LIBRARY PINTEREST for some curated resources on this topic.
Makerspace@TheLibrary
DIIGO LINKS – MAKERSPACES
Like most things, being creative and open minded can allow you achieve success and value add for our students.
I am looking at ways we might do this as SALC. The Australian Curriculum – Technologies allows us to do this authentically and to fulfill the requirements of the curriculum (win win!).
In the past students have participated in exploratory sessions with programming, designing apps, game making and digital story telling. I would like to further scaffold this with a design thinking approach, where the students design their own inquiry, rather than it being a structured teacher led experience.
Some ideas:

MINI DESIGNERS

KIDSTHINKDESIGN

CODE.ORG

K-8 CS course

GET UNBORED

PS: This week I visited PIMPAMA STATE SECONDARY COLLEGE and saw their design thinking in action. Looking forward to seeing the next stage of their journey.

Design Minds EXPLAIN from State Library of Queensland on Vimeo.

ICT Mentors’ Explorations, AC and Digital Technologies

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Today I had an ICT Mentor meeting with students who have nominated to be involved in this leadership group.

The students have been tasked with the role of introducing Beebots to the students and supporting the younger students inquiry. The students will work in pairs to teach and support the younger students learn about basic programming using the Beebots.

We have purchased a variety of ‘maps’  to support this inquiry, as well as the Beetbots and iPads with the Beebot app.

Street map

BB road map 3

 

World map

BB world map 2

and we have a ‘blank’ map with 15x 15 size squares. Sparkle Box has many fantastic resources for the blank map.

Later in the term these students will work with the younger students to use the Beebots. One possible approach to conducting these sessions is to connect with a picture book and then use the Beebots as a supporting tool.

1) Students will read the book (or use a video of it being read).

2) Students teach the basics of the Beebots and the commands.

3) Students use the blank map to explore the concepts further.

For example, adapt the ‘I went shopping’ game and  turn it  into ‘One day the Hungry Caterpillar ate _____’.

This photo below has the templates for The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

VHC map

Looking forward to this!

Additional note:

These skills and processes not only connect to developing students’ leadership skills, they also support the Learner Profile and Attitudes of the IB Primary Years Programme. From the teacher perspective this will link into many curriculum  areas. Finally, it provides us with ways to introduce the TECHNOLOGIES curriculum (for Digital Technologies) to students and staff before implementation in 2014.

Specific to the Digital Technologies curriculum

Digital Technologies processes and production skills

Foundation to Year 2 Content Descriptions

Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems (ACTDIP004)

Year 3 and 4 Content Descriptions

Define simple problems, and describe and follow a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve them (ACTDIP010)