https://www.smore.com/nhvry-learning-to-fly
Category: Digital Technologies
Robotics Rule:Sphero
SPHERO MAZE CHALLENGE
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.
- Instructable: How to draw a maze
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
Will you take the challenge?
Cubelets: ICT Mentor Led Sessions
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?
CUBELET YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
Select the link to play all the videos tagged as “cubelets”.
MORE RESOURCES
DIIGO CUBELETS LINKS
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.
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.
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.
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.
JS Library Vision 2015
https://www.haikudeck.com/e/q8JjM6dJAW/?isUrlHashEnabled=false&isPreviewEnabled=false&isHeaderVisible=false
LIGHTS-CAMERA-ACTION – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
APP CREATION- JS MAKER SPACE
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.
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
CREATIVE COMMONS IMAGES & RESOURCES
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.
//padlet.com/embed/zqj8rz9j4nb9
#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
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.
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:
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.
THE YEAR SO FAR…
Maps, Programming and Literacy Rotations
Year 2 have been looking at maps and understanding directions and procedural language for their Unit of Inquiry.
Today, some students put this knowledge into practice using the Beebots and the maps we have purchased.
ICT Mentors’ Explorations, AC and Digital Technologies
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
World map
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.
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)
Innovation and eLearning 