Learning Technology Monthly Update #3
On Monday October 30th, Year 6 students from BHS took part in the ESF 50th Anniversary Minecraft competition to design a school of the future. We were very proud of the team who won first place in the competition as ESF Minecraft Champions. Congratulations to Couleur Yoong, Justin Lee, Katie Lui, Ryan Yeung and Nivana Lam. Photos of the event are below:
Students in Year 1 have been investigating building creations from different parts to perform a particular job. They have built robots and created fantastic animals using Tinybop apps on the iPads. The students were able to identify the parts that work together to make something able to walk, fly or perform a certain task.
In the coming weeks we will be using spheros and other controlled robots to further study how we can control the parts of an object. We will also introduce Scratch Jr as a way for students to control characters using a set of instructions.
Students in Year 2 have been becoming much more proficient at signing in to their Google accounts to access files and document creation tools. We have been spending a little time over the last couple of weeks using Shadow Puppet Edu to tie up with their current unit about waste. Students have created video explanations about where rubbish in the schools go and also looking at how we can explain simple scientific observations.
We will be returning to further look at creation with web based tools after this and the students will learn how to share and collaborate on a document.
Students in Year 3 have been using Book Creator on their Chromebooks to construct a simple guide book. This has taught the students how to get screenshots, bringing items to the front or back of a document, formatting text and how to upload images.
The students will be completing their books over the next two weeks and then learning how to share them online with others.
Students in Year 4 have had an exciting time being our first students to use our new BBC Micro:bit devices. Micro:bit is a tiny microcontroller designed for education that allows students to make tech-infused creations like wearables, robots and machines. In Year 4 we have been investigating wearable technology by ‘Hacking our shoes’. Students have, so far, added a step counter to their shoes and also added flashing LED lights using the accelerometer to detect movement. Videos below:
In the coming weeks each group will look at coding different colours and patterns of LEDs and then use the knowledge they have gained to permanently modify a pair of shoes (school provided shoes, not their own!).
Year 5 have been very busy starting a new Maker Centred unit around game design and control. To begin this they have been taking apart video game controllers to understand how different parts of a designed object have different purposes and how they can combine to create complexity.
Students will continue this design and systems thinking approach as they start to design a controller of their own that will be used to control a Scratch game that they create. The controllers will be built with a variety of materials and integrate simple electronics and the use of a Makey Makey device.
Students in Year 6 have been developing agency by exploring different presentation tools and then creating their own video tutorials that will be shared with all other students in the school. We want the students to recognise that choosing apps to use when presenting is a skill and that they can learn these from tutorials and their own exploration. Students have already begun or completed recording and will then edit them to make them more appealing and clear to those using them.
Once the tutorials are complete students will be using some time within Learning Technology lessons to create and make digital objects and artifacts for their upcoming Civilisations unit.
