YEAR 3 PROGRAMMING WITH APPS

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

 

Green Screen: It’s not just for superheroes or movie stars

A group of Year 3 students have been experimenting with the green screen as a means to share their learning  this term. These students have been considering ways to evaluate, reflect and report on reading.

These green screen movie reflections were created using a variety of apps on the iPad (using the video, camera, drawing and green screen apps).

  • Touch Cast
  • Green Screen by Do Ink
  • Doodle Buddy

This is what the students have thought about the process so far…

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See below for two reviews they have created. When the students create their next review (in Term Two) they will direct this (almost) independently, with the aim to become experts for the other students in the class, teaching how to use the green screen and its associated apps.

These reviews are not polished presentations but have been created in a short time frame as a tool to engage and enhance the learning experience.

Book Reviews

The Cats of Venus

Today the students were introduced to the concept of a book hook to ‘sell’ the book to another reader.

See “How to write a book hook” wiki how with pictures.

The Treasure Island: A Fun Map

The students shared why someone should ‘read’ this map.

As the students become more confident and self reflective, the presentations will become more diverse and ‘professional’.

 

Finally, students are presenting for an authentic audience.

 

 

 

 

AUTHENTIC AUTHORS: WRITING FOR A PURPOSE

featured writer header
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Using the iPad to create a background  for a story.

FEATURED WRITERS

One way to allow students to write for a purpose is through the creation of stories and the publishing of them. In the Junior School, I am supporting students to become ‘published’ through the use of apps and ICT tools in order to easily distribute their writing, motivating them and allowing for a wider audience to share in their work.

 

 

WANTED: Student stories

Step 1:

Email me the original story

  • Any age, any topic

Step 2:

Production and publishing of the story

  • We (the soon to be author and I) will decide on the best tool to publish the story.

Step 3:

Sharing the product – publishing for an audience

The story will then become available in the JS library, accessible via QR codes located on the shelves or through the promotion of Featured Writers.

The stories will be classified as Fiction or Non-Fiction and ‘shelved’ accordingly.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Featured Reader Scan Me

Choose your stories by browsing the shelves and looking for the QR codes.

Use a QR code app on a smart device to scan the code.

1) Load the webpage and ‘read’ the story, ‘hear’ the music and narration, or ‘see’ the illustrations and storytelling.

MORE STORIES

This year’s stories are HERE.

Exhibition 2014 and technology

The students have been engaging with a variety of ICT in order to present and share their learning journey. Below are the websites, apps and auras that were designed for the Exhibition 2014.

Additionally students have also created eBooks, iMovies, Keynotes and presentations in other formats using their iPads.

ART PIECE

The student art piece has been documented using the apps below and have been shared as auras (using Aurasma).

Art – Self Portrait Explained

Self portrait explained

WEBSITES AND APPS

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.

STOLEN GENERATION 6A WEBSITE
ARRANGED MARRIAGES 6A WEBSITE
TECHNOLOGY 6A WEBSITE
OBESITY 6A WEBSITE
STOLEN GENERATION 6B APP
STOP RACISM  6B WEBSITE
OBESITY 6B WEBSITE
RACISM 6B APP
PETS & WELBEING 6A WEBSITE

 

GAMES – CREATED USING SCRATCH

6A  SLEEP  GAME EXPLAINED

Sleepy bird Scratch game (created using Scratch)

SCREENSAVER

Designed using Pages and finalized using Comic Head app.

This has been added to the JS Library iPads.

Social Media screensaver

 

 

 

Resources shared: Create your own images with the iPad

IMAGES, CREATION AND AN IPAD

Susan Stephenson always has great ideas and demonstrates how to use technology authentically to examine literature and to support literacy development. Thanks Susan!
See Susan’s post “Ways Kids can Create Images with iPad” to glean some great ways to use an iPad creatively.
 Link to the original post 
View more lists from Susan Stephenson

Making Connections with apps

Making connections….

with what we do in the JS Library and what is possible in the classroom.

I believe that FOTOBABBLE is an excellent tool for Lower Primary classrooms as it is simple to use as it uses image and audio to create a shareable moment.

It is also web browser friendly, iPad friendly (using an iPhone app) and free!

This is an example of a fotobabble about new resources in the library and the connections to the PYP.

 

This tutorial about using FOTOBABBLE in the classroom explain the features, as well as some uses for FOTOBABLE in  the classroom.

 

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.