Category: Primary Computing

Issues affecting primary computing

Join us for the Hour of Code ™ 2016

  By , ,

The Hour of Code is Coming!

Girl with iPad

The Hour of Code with iCompute

Not long to go now for the Hour of Code (December 5th – 11th) and we can’t wait to see how many pupils and schools participate around the world this year.

iCompute are delighted to be involved by providing a selection of fun, creative, activities for schools to use as part of this event and throughout the year.  We’ve put together, free, cross-curricular computing activities that include Computing with English, Computing with Maths and Robotics with Sphero!

iControliJournalistiMathematician

We really hope you join us this year for The Hour of Code and introduce your children to the joy of creative computing!

Save

Save

Save

Save

iCompute and The Hour of Code

  By , ,

Hour of Code Lesson Plans & Resources

icompute-hour-of-code

The Hour of Code is coming…

We in England are very fortunate that Computing is now a statutory entitlement for pupils aged five and over, with the introduction of the National Curriculum for Computing in 2014.  We owe it to our children to equip them with the knowledge, understanding and skills that will enable them to fully participate in the modern digital world.  We lead the way in teaching and learning in computing science.  Elsewhere around the world there is not (yet) the same emphasis on preparing our children to – not just consume technology, but to – understand how computers and computers systems work.  In doing so, we set the next generation on a path to become the innovators and digital creators of our future.

I’m passionate about getting across the message that Computing is so much more than just ‘code’ – see this post for more on that.  At Computing’s heart, and the heart of the National Curriculum, is developing computational thinking.  A fundamental life skill in itself but, with regard to computing, computational thinking enables children to become effective problem solvers: teaching them skills to solve problems (as yet unknown) for technology that does not yet exist!  Find out more about computational thinking in this post.

The Hour of Code is a global movement by Computer Science Education Week reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries through a one-hour introduction to computer science and computer programming.  As I’m very keen for others to see the benefit of computing throughout the curriculum, I’ve put together three teacher-led cross-curricular activities as iCompute’s contribution to this year’s Hour of Code – scheduled to take place this December – find out more about that here.

Here’s a sneak look.  Watch this space as I might have time to contribute more…

iCompute for Hour of Code iJournalist

Click to find out more

iCompute Hour of Code iMathematician

Click to find out more

iCompute Hour of Code iControl

Click to find out more

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Digital Literacy and Primary Blogging

  By , ,

Developing Digital Literacy by Blogging with Primary Children

primary blogging

A Powerful Tool for Developing Digital Literacy

Blogging is a powerful tool for developing digital literacy in primary schools. It provides a responsive community-driven environment that gives pupil’s writing a voice, an audience and a platform.  When children share their world and their thoughts through writing, they understand how connected people are. They learn from each other, challenge one other, question and receive feedback.

My pupils love blogging and I often use it as a way to engage my reluctant writers.  See below some of the comments the children wrote about blogging in my classes.

love-conversation-1

blog-comment

When pupils know they have a genuine audience for their writing, especially when its other children, I see both an increase in motivation and in product; which in turn helps me more accurately assess their work.

To help other schools introduce primary blogging into their classrooms, I’ve developed six new units for iCompute primary computing scheme of work.  iBlog contains step-by-step primary blogging lesson plans and associated resources.  Existing iCompute Online schools have access to all new units at no additional cost.

I’ve also put together a free infographic about the benefits of blogging with primary children that you can download here.

primary blogging

Click to download

Periodic Table of Primary Computing Resources

  By ,

New Year, New Tech

Computing Resources

Some schools have been teaching primary computing since its introduction into the National Curriculum since 2014 and some have yet to really get going.  Either way, the very nature of Computing is that things change rapidly and it’s time to start doing something new.

One of the things I like best about Computing is that you can’t churn out the same old lessons year on year.  Technology’s rapid development demands we pay attention to change; that we learn; that we adapt and, most importantly, that we create.

We owe it to our pupils to keep abreast of pedagogical and technological change.  I’ve put together a selection of the fantastic tools and technologies that I use to teach Computing, some of which you’ll know but lots of which I hope are new and you’ll give a go.  Adapted from a previous post here, I’ve turned it into a periodic table of primary computing resources.  I keep banging on about this but Computing is more than just programming and lots of the resources listed here are for you to use with your pupils to teach the other strands of the curriculum as well as to use with cross curricular approaches.

Periodic Table of Primary Computing Resources

Click to download

There are many, many, more and I’d love to hear how you have been getting on teaching computing in your classrooms as well as hearing about the resources you’ve been using.

Full, progressive step-by-step, lesson plans and all associated lesson resources and worksheets are available for the tools and resources included in the table.  Visit our website for more information.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

A Computational Thinking Puzzle

  By , ,

Logical Thinking Puzzle for Key Stage 2 Computing

Here’s one of our computational thinking puzzles designed for independent work for pupils aged 7-11 to practise and develop the computational thinking skills that lie at the heart of the National Curriculum for Computing at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

To find out more about Computational Thinking and how puzzles can help children engage and develop analytical problem solving skills that will help them, not just in computing, but throughout their lives read this post.

To find out the answer, scroll down.  After you’ve had a go!

Puzzle 5

To reveal the answer click/tap ‘MORE’

Continue reading

Primary Computing and Digital Literacy

  By ,

Digital Literacy in Primary Schools

Digital Literacy

Teaching Digital Literacy

Now that Computing has been statutory in primary schools since the introduction of the National Curriculum for Computing at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in 2014, many schools feel that they have got to grips with the objectives and have a view, if not a plan, of how to meet them.  With computer science being at the core of the curriculum, its perhaps easy for schools to neglect the other aspects of it – including digital literacy.

Continue reading

Screencasting in the Classroom

  By , ,

A Powerful Tool for Assessment

I’ve covered a number methods for primary computing assessment in this post but, as I’ve been creating some pupil/teacher resources for video screencasting using, free, OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), I thought I’d go over the screencasting part of it again here.  You can download the pupil/teacher support card by clicking on the image in this post.

Potentially one of the most powerful tools for assessment in computing is engaging pupils in creating screencasts – recording computer screen video with audio narration.  Research indicates that by making learning visual and documenting thinking – through screencasting – pupils more naturally engage in self-assessment.  Even when recordings are made without any intended audience and in the absence of prompting, pupils automatically listen back to themselves, reflect, assess and adjust (Richards, 2014)

This promising tool could be used to further develop information technology and digital literacy skills whilst also engaging pupils in the assessment process by editing screencasts for an intended audience with audio and creating visual effects such as captioning.  The screencasts could then be uploaded to individual or class blogs, using categories and tags mapped to the appropriate strand of the National Curriculum for Computing, as evidence of learning or saved as a video file for storage on file servers either at school or in the Cloud.  Similarly, teachers could use screencasts to provide audio/visual pupil feedback by making recordings when reviewing work.  The screencasts could be cross-referenced against a project and uploaded into the pupil’s e-Portfolio.

screencasting card

Click to Download

 

References:

Richards, Reshan. One Best Thing. iBooks, 2014. eBook [Available here]

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

eSafety – Checking the Reliability of Websites

  By ,

Primary Computing eSafety

I’m writing a new six week unit for our primary computing scheme of work for Year 2 children about creating multimedia eBooks and thought I’d share one of the resources I’ve created for eSafety.  Most children, and many adults, think that the first result returned from a search engine is the best and likely to be reliable.

As I detail in this post, I make eSafety part of everyday discussion with my pupils and advise the teachers I train and schools using iCompute to do the same.  Feel free to use the attached resource with your pupils to help them develop a little healthy skepticism about the information available on websites.

eSafety Do's & Don'ts

Click to Download

 

Primary Computing Glossary

  By ,

Computing Glossary of Terms

We Computer Scientists like our jargon but now (due to the National Curriculum for Computing) we are teaching pupils as young as five about how computers and computer systems work; teachers need to know – and be able to explain to children – what a plethora of confusing words mean.  As Kurt Vonnegut observed “if you are going to teach, you should either teach graduate school or fourth grade… and if you can’t explain it to fourth graders, you probably don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Here I’ve put together a computing glossary of terms that I hope are useful to computing teachers and are used in iCompute’s primary computing schemes of work.

iCompute Glossary

Click to Open/Download

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

No comments

Managing iPads in Schools

  By ,

Mobile Device Management

Having recently conducted some CPD for teaching computing with iPads, some of the teachers raised the issue of how best to manage their iPads in school.

iPads are 1:1 devices and were never intended to be used on networks or alongside file management systems.  When we first introduced iPads in my school, I researched many options and found  some quite sophisticated solutions out there but they came at quite a hefty price.

I’ve attached the following guides as to how I manage the iPads in my school that can be downloaded.  They may prove useful to those who are trying to manage iPads alongside a Windows-based school network.  I’d love to hear how you are managing yours so feel free to leave comments after this post to help other schools.

MDM

Click to Download MDM Guide

File Management Guide

Click to download file management guide

 

You may also find this post useful for some of my picks for iPad apps in the primary classroom.

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Primary Computing Curriculum Coverage

  By ,

Have you got it covered?

The primary computing curriculum has now been statutory since September 2014 with the introduction of the National Curriculum for Computing at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  All schools should now be teaching a broad and balanced computing curriculum that provides full curriculum coverage of the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum for Computing.  But are they?

computing-covered

Think you’re “doing” Computing?

There seems to be a wealth of resources available now to help teachers teach computing.  There’s lots of stuff online.  Even better, free stuff!  Gather all that; organise it (roughly) into year groups and that’s Computing sorted!

The trouble is, most of it is targeted to help schools in only one aspect of the computing curriculum: coding.  And Computing is so much more than just coding.

School’s really don’t have it covered if that’s all they’re doing. Or, even, if they’re doing some bits on eSafety too; or one lesson about networks before falling back to those old ICT units (Word processing, Spreadsheets and good-old Powerpoint) that someone – now long gone from the school – put together from the QCA ICT scheme of work back in 2000.  Or, even, if they bought a scheme adapted from an old ICT scheme with about twelve extra lessons on coding added in.  Schools are being let down. More importantly, they’re letting pupils down.

In what other subject is it okay for teachers to admit they know nothing about the subject they teach? To proffer copying answers and children teaching each other as the only pedagogical approaches?  In what other profession would teachers offer support and training whilst freely admitting you know very little?  Would it be acceptable for a maths coordinator to miss out all of the bits of maths they don’t understand? Or teach from outdated materials?  –  ‘Look, I don’t really like that the government want us to teach graphs and algebra and some other hard bits and I’ve got some really good stuff on counting with an abacus that I found on Wikipedia via the Ancient Chinese so I’m going to do that all year instead’.

I don’t care whose materials schools use or who helps teachers, as long as they’re good because what I do, passionately, care about is that children are taught computing well.  And I don’t think they are.  Most schools aren’t teaching it properly.  Schools need to give computing the status and comprehensive coverage it deserves.

The three strands of computing are:

  • Computer Science
  • Digital Literacy (incl. eSafety)
  • Information Technology
Computing Strands

Click to download iCompute’s breakdown of computing strands against NC objectives for primary computing

According to Ofsted inspection guidance for Computing:

Teaching

For Good or Better teaching, teachers have an enthusiasm and passion for computing.  Teachers use a wide variety of innovative and imaginative resources and teaching techniques.

Subject knowledge is excellent, continually up-to-date and demonstrates a high level of technical expertise.

Curriculum

The curriculum is broad and balanced and covers all three strands of computing.  It is imaginative, stimulating, progressive and set in contexts meaningful to the children.

Children use their knowledge, skills and understanding in realistic and challenging situations.  Pupils have comprehensive knowledge and understanding about how to stay safe when using new technologies.

Subject Leadership

High levels of subject expertise and vision with a strong record of innovation in computing.  CPD is well-targeted.

Access to computing equipment is outstanding and the school is likely to have promoted the use of mobile technologies.

There is an engaging, age-appropriate e-safety curriculum in place.

E-safety is a priority within the school and promoted throughout.  Staff receive regular training and rigorous policies are in place.

How are you doing?

reflecting on computing

Reflective Practitioner

Children have a statutory entitlement to a high-quality computing education.  I encourage you to reflect on the practice and provision within your school.

In doing so, here are some questions you could use as a basis for reflection:

Staff

Do all staff have:

  • good or better subject knowledge?
  • good or better subject pedagogy?
  • the ability and time to develop comprehensive, progressive, computing curricula?
  • high expectations of learning in computing?

Curriculum

Do you have a computing curriculum that:

  • provides full coverage of the National Curriculum for Computing at Key Stage 1 & 2?
  • is broad, balanced and meets the needs of all learners?
  • is engaging and inclusive?
  • uses a rich and varied range of software, tools and technologies?
  • supports teaching and learning with comprehensive assessment guidance?

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

iCompute with Sphero – Free Primary Computing Lesson Resources

  By ,

Teach controlling physical systems

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have recently written a primary programming robotics scheme of work as part of my role as a primary computing master teacher with Computing At Schools and having been kindly loaned five Sphero.  @cas_lancaster will be lending these lesson plans and resources out as part of their equipment loan scheme and the complete unit and associated resources, assessment guidance etc, now forms part of the iCompute for iPad scheme of work.

Today, I presented at #CASLancaster16 conference about my experiences of teaching with Sphero.  Check out my posts elsewhere on this blog for tips on teaching with physical systems and visit iCompute Free Stuff to download the free robotics resources I contributed to support The Hour of Code.

Also, check out this post which is an updated version of my teaching experiences with Sphero SPRK+ Edition.

sphero cover

Visit iCompute to find out more about primary robotics

 

 

Computational Thinking Puzzles for Primary Pupils

  By , ,

Develop Primary Computational Thinking Skills With Puzzles

Computational Thinking Puzzle Book

Computational Thinking Puzzle Workbooks

Computational thinking is at the heart of the statutory programme of study for Computing:

“A high quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world” (DfE).

Since the introduction of the National Curriculum for Computing in 2014, schools now teach computing from the age of 5 and have developed curricula to meet their statutory obligations; however many lack a focus on developing computational thinking skills favouring, instead, to concentrate on the programming, or coding, objectives. In this post, I discuss computational thinking in more detail and how teaching it helps children become problem solvers which is important not just in computing but is an essential life skill.

There has been much research into the benefits of puzzle-based learning. Puzzles help children develop general problem-solving and independent learning skills.

According to Badger et al. (2012) engaging in puzzles means that pupils:

  • take personal responsibility;
  • adopt novel and creative approaches, making choices;
  • develop modelling skills;
  • develop tenacity;
  • practice recognition of cases, reducing problem situations to exercises.

Additionally, in solving puzzles pupils use and apply a range of strategies that cross disciplines in entertaining and engaging ways.

So what does any of this have to do with computational thinking? By selecting the right variety and complexity of puzzles, children will independently practise and develop computational thinking skills.  Computational Thinking is about transforming a seemingly complex problem into a simple one that we know how to solve.  It involves taking a complex problem and breaking it down into a series of smaller, more manageable parts (decomposition). Each part can then be looked at individually, considering how similar problems have been solved in the past (pattern recognition), and focusing only on the important details whilst ignoring irrelevant information (abstraction). Next, simple steps or rules to solve each of the smaller problems can be designed (algorithms).  Once we have a working solution, we then use evaluation to analyse it and ask – Is it any good ? Can it be improved? How?

Computational Thinking

Computational Thinking

This will enable them to find solutions and apply those already found to different problems, in different contexts. All of this helps lay the foundations for pupils to become effective problem solvers.  Skills that are increasingly important, as discussed in this post, given the digital world we live in and the need to prepare pupils to solve as yet unknown problems using tools and technologies that do not yet exist.

ERA 2017 Award

Best Educational Book

UPDATE: iCompute’s Computational Thinking Puzzle Workbooks 1-4 have been shortlisted for prestigious ERA (Education Resource Awards) 2017 for Best Educational Book.

 

 

 

 

References:

Badger, M., Sangwin, C, J., Ventura-Medina, E., Thomas, C, R.: 2012, A Guide To Puzzle-Based Learning In Stem Subjects, University of Birmingham.

Save

Save

Primary Computing with Sphero

  By , , ,

Controlling Physical Systems – Robotics

 

As part of my role with Computing At Schools (CAS) as a Primary Computer Science Master Teacher,  I have recently been fortunate enough to teach using Sphero, having been lent a set by @cas_lancaster.  The task was to produce a set of step-by-step Sphero lesson plans and associated teacher and pupil support materials for primary teachers to use.  That is all now done and I’ve had great fun creating our new robotics unit – iCompute with Sphero – which forms part of our iPad pack , as well as being available separately.  It will be lent out to other local schools by @cas_lancaster.  Teaching progressive lessons using Spheros enables primary schools to meet a number of the objectives of the National Curriculum for Computing at Key Stage 2 Specifically:

  1. design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts
  2. use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output
  3. use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs
  4. select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information
sphero cover

Visit iCompute to find out more about primary robotics

iCompute Features Flowchart

iCompute – Features Flowchart

Here, I share my experiences of using Sphero 2.0 with primary pupils and give some general advice and classroom tips about how to use them effectively, engage and challenge your pupils.  See this post which details my more recent experiences of teaching using Sphero SPRK+ edition.

What is Sphero?

Sphero is a robot ball with several features that can be controlled though apps and also includes the facility for pupils to create their own computer programs. The main features are:

  • Rolling – Sphero can roll at specified speeds and directions
  • Colours – Sphero can light up to a specified colour
  • Bluetooth – Sphero connects to mobile devices through wireless Bluetooth

Preparation

As Spheros are connected to iPads via Bluetooth, preparing to use them in your classroom before your roll up brandishing them and creating general hysteria is vital!  Make sure all are fully charged and that your have paired each to a particular tablet in advance.  Each Sphero flashes a unique sequence of colours when they are ‘woken’ which can be used to identify them.  A Sphero will appear on your tablet’s Bluetooth list using the initials of the three colours it flashes in order, Eg. Sphero-RGB for a colour sequence of Red, Green and Blue.  Update: Connecting Sphero to tablets is much easier and more reliable since Sphero SPRK+ edition has been released (which I now have and teach with).  Here, you simply hold Sphero close to your iPad to make a connection.

For Sphero 2.0, I added stickers to each of the Spheros with their unique name, as ‘YGO’, ‘RGW’ etc., and also to the corresponding tablet I’d paired it to. This made distributing them and the iPads much easier when in class.  This isn’t necessary if using SPRK+.

Environment

You need lots of space to use these.  I used the school hall.  I refer back to ‘Preparation’ for this as it may be something you need to organise. I forgot on my first session and arrived with a very excitable class to a hall full of lunch tables. The first half of my lesson therefore involved getting those out of the way.

You can also buy covers called a ‘Nubby’ for outside use.

Sphero Nubby Cover

Sphero Cover

I tried this with one of my classes and we had to come back inside as it was sunny and therefore impossible to see Sphero’s tail-light: essential to be able to aim it to move in the direction you want it to go.  Also, we had iPads and the children couldn’t see the screens.  When our school went on to buy the SPRK+ edition of Sphero, we didn’t bother buying the covers.

 Lesson Ideas

Now on to the good stuff.   My specialism is teaching primary pupils aged 3-11.  I think coding with Sphero is suitable for Key Stage 2 pupils, children aged 7-11.

I suggest your first session focus on teaching the children how to wake Sphero, Orient (aim) it and control it using the standard Sphero app. Each Sphero (2.0 version) comes with, amongst other things, a pair of ramps and once the children have got used to moving Sphero forward and backward with reasonable accuracy, add the ramps and other obstacles to make things interesting and develop accuracy further.  The SPRK+ edition, doesn’t have ramps but has tapes and measures instead.

Sphero App icon

Sphero App

A lesson, including step-by-step instructions for both teacher and pupil for this are available in our robotics pack.

iCompute with Sphero Lesson Plan

iCompute with Sphero

 

 

 

The following lessons progress to using the drive function of the Sphero Edu app enabling the children to gain greater control and begin to understand that Sphero can be controlled to perform specific actions.

I then move things on for the rest of the unit to programming Sphero using Sphero Edu.

We created quizzes that the children programmed Sphero to move and change colour to answer.  This presents great cross-curricular opportunities.  We create algorithms and program Sphero to be our dance partners for Physical Education. Also, mazes to navigate with excellent links to Mathematics for distance, direction and angle work.  The children also program Sphero to travel the globe, linking to Geography, using a free floor map from National Geographic.

Using robotics in the primary classroom presents creative and engaging opportunities for the children to extend what they have learned about algorithms and programming in Computing by understanding that physical systems can be controlled too.  With the right blend planning and imaginative resources, using Sphero’s in your classroom has the potential to inspire the next generation of software designers and systems engineers!  The possibilities are exciting…

Visit icompute-uk.com for primary computing lesson plans.

Primary Computing Assessment

  By , ,

How to Assess Primary Computing

Summary

  1. Evidence – Use e-Portfolios such as SeeSaw or maintain individual folders on the school network for each pupil to contain digital work
  2. Teacher Feedback – Face-to-face or using digital ‘marking’ strategies such as adding text comments in digital work or adding audio of your comments
  3. Self/Peer – Blogging, Vlogging or Video Screencasting provides excellent opportunities for pupils to reflect on work
  4. Diagnostic Testing – Creative online interactive quizzes (e.g. Kahoot) provide engaging opportunities to assess pupil understanding and bring a gamification aspect to assessment
  5. Assessment Projects – Using end-of-unit open-ended project tasks allow pupils to demonstrate learning
  6. Progress Tracking – Understanding where pupils are and planning next steps to meet age-related expectations

Continue reading

Computational Thinking – Primary Computing

  By , ,

Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum

Computational Thinking is a life skill for everyone. It’s analytical problem solving: finding solutions to ‘problems’ using logical reasoning and systematic approaches.  By ‘problem’ I mean something you want to achieve.  This could be anything from designing and building a physical structure to creating a piece of art.

CT Poster

Click to download the poster

Fundamentally, Computational Thinking is about transforming a seemingly complex problem into a simple one that we know how to solve.  It involves taking a complex problem and breaking it down into a series of smaller, more manageable parts (decomposition). Each part can then be looked at individually, considering how similar problems have been solved in the past (pattern recognition), and focusing only on the important details whilst ignoring irrelevant information (abstraction). Next, simple steps or rules to solve each of the smaller problems can be designed (algorithms).  Once we have a working solution, we then use evaluation to analyse it and ask – Is it any good ? Can it be improved? How?

Computational Thinking

Computational Thinking

Teaching computational thinking is not teaching children how to think like a computer.  Computers cannot think.  Computers are stupid.  Everything computers do, people make happen.  It’s also not teaching children how to compute.  It’s developing the knowledge, skills and understanding of how people solve problems.  As such, it absolutely should not be confined to computing lessons and should be used throughout the curriculum to approach and solve problems and communicate and collaborate with others.

Search our blog for our free cross-curricular computing resources and try six free units from our cross-curricular computing scheme.

No comments

QR Codes in the Classroom – Enabling Mobile Learning

  By

QR Codes – A Tool for Teaching and Learning

QR Code

QR Codes – A multitude of classroom uses

With Computing now firmly part of the primary school curriculum, more and more teachers are exploring ways to use technology in the classroom and enable mobile learning.

Quick Response Codes (QR Codes) are everywhere, but how can they be used as a tool for teaching and learning?

QR Codes are codes that can be scanned by any device with a camera, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops or PCs.  QR Codes can direct you to a web page; display text on a device; send an email, show map locations, access videos and much more…  In order to scan the codes devices need a QR Reader app and there are a wealth of free ones on the market to choose from.  A quick internet search will reveal just how many!

I like to create my own QR Codes, both for pupil use and to assist me as a teacher (see image).  I customise them by design and colour to make them more visually appealing and engaging and many QR Code Readers allow you to do that for free.  I used Unitag for this one.

Not sure?  Here are some ideas you could try in your classroom:

Shortcuts

Ever watched a KS1 pupil painstakingly type a long URL only to discover they’ve entered it into the search box of an internet search engine instead of the browser address bar?  I have, several times, and whilst that itself can be a valuable lesson it’s often not the objective and I need to get the children to the online resource quickly and efficiently.  I generate, print (and sometimes laminate) a set of QR Codes that I can use again and again.  The children pass them around the classroom scanning the codes taking them to the online resource with speed and ease!

Assessment

Many teachers I know are not sure how to provide evidence of progression when some of the children’s work is online.  This is particularly troublesome for primary computing but applies, or I hope it does, in other subjects too.  QR Codes can be generated to link to the children’s digital content.  Each of my pupils have a physical folder containing any worksheets, designs, assessment tasks etc. that are in pen/paper and they also generate and print QR codes that can be used to access their online work.  See also ‘Rewards’.

You could also use the fantastic Plickers app to question/poll your pupils and collect, compare and track responses.  This blog post has some great suggestions of how Plickers can be used for assessment purposes.

Rewards

Celebrate achievement by creating QR Codes that can be handed out to pupils when they reach milestones.  Directing children to a website to collect a digital badge is an obvious choice but you could also invite your pupils to design their own online badges using any digital drawing application.  This has the benefit of involving your pupils in the assessment process by having them help decide what constitutes achievement in a particular area and also what needs to be done to earn the reward.  ‘Badges’ could then be uploaded and added to your school website with each having their own webpage that the QR Code points to for children to collect.  Alternatively, the web page could simply let them know they’ve won a pen/pencil/rubber etc.

Scavenger Hunts/Quizzes

Compile a set of questions on a theme and encode each with a QR Code that you put out either around the school or, preferably, outside of it.  When the code is scanned, the text containing the question is displayed on the device.  Your pupils could respond using various methods – verbally; pen/paper or audio/video recording.

The children could also design their own quizzes and create QR Codes for them which could be used for self/peer assessment (see ‘Assessment’).

I’ve also used codes for KS1 literacy by encoding simple CVC words, spreading the codes out around the classroom and having the children scan, read and arrange the codes into sentences that make sense.  Obviously you could adapt that idea for any number of other activities – e.g. The Water Cycle, planet order etc.

Differentiation

Create different QR Codes that point to easier/core/harder online resources/support or contain different levels of questions according to pupil ability.

Extension/Enrichment

Provide QR Codes containing further activities for pupils to engage with after completing their core tasks.

Responding

Use QR Codes to collect pupil responses.  Generate and display around the classroom potential answers to multiple-choice questions (e.g. A, B, C, D) and get your pupils up and moving scanning their responses to your questions – also see ‘Assessment’.

Checking Work

Have your children check and mark their own work by giving them access to QR Codes they can use after they have completed their task.

Homework

Print QR Codes for the children to take home that direct them to online content to assist with homework research and/or to engage with other online activities as homework.

QRCode

QR Codes are more than a gimmick.  They enhance teaching and learning and have the capacity to hold an enormous amount of data that can be accessed with the click of a digital camera.  We teachers embrace technology when we see the clear practical benefit of using it for ourselves and for our pupils.  Now that most schools have access to some form of mobile technology we can take learning far beyond the confines of our classrooms.

Open your mind to the potential of QR Codes as a powerful aid to teaching and learning and don’t pan IT, scan IT!

I’d love to hear your ideas for QR Codes in the classroom so please tweet them to @iComputeUK or leave a comment below.

ERA Awards 2016 Finalists – Primary ICT

  By

Finalist – Education Resource Awards – ERA Primary ICT

ERA Awards 2016ERA 2016 FinalistWe are delighted to announce that for the second time this academic year we have been shortlisted for a prestigious award in education.  iCompute leads the way in providing schemes of work and innovative digital resources that support the teaching of primary computing.  The nomination for an ERA Award in Primary ICT recognises the contribution we make in education and we are especially thrilled as this is the first time our new cross-curricular computing resources will be looked at by a judging panel alongside our whole-school primary computing and iPad schemes.

Organised by Brilliant Marketing Solutions and The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), The Education Resources Awards (ERA) are now in their 18th successful year and are firmly established as the premier annual event to celebrate outstanding success for the suppliers and teaching professionals of the education sector throughout the UK.

The awards highlight and reward the quality and diversity of educational products, resources, services and people as well as the best educational establishments and the most dedicated members of the teaching profession. The ERA’s aims to encourage the raising of educational services & product standards throughout the industry and is recognised throughout the sector as the Accolade of excellence.

Winners will be announced on Friday 18th March 2016 at the awards ceremony at Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham and we’ll have our fingers crossed!

For further information on the ERA Awards, please visit: www.educationresourcesawards.co.uk

For a short video about iCompute for Primary Schools, visit here.

Cross Curricular Computing

  By , ,

Enrich learning with cross curricular computing

cross curricular computing

Authentic cross curricular links

Computing is one of the most fundamentally cross curricular subject areas in education.  It’s about using technology, logic, creativity and computational thinking to solve problems that cross all disciplines.  It requires the systematic breakdown (decomposition) of both the problem and the solution.  We need to prepare pupils for how to live in an increasingly digital world by equipping them with the knowledge, understanding and skills to solve as yet unknown problems using tools and technologies that do not yet exist.  We can work towards achieving this by using computing as a means of making sense of the world and using what the children learn in computing across the curriculum.

The best primary practice includes blending thorough, discrete, subject teaching with effective cross-curricular work.  “…high standards are best secured when essential knowledge and skills are learned both through direct, high-quality subject teaching and also through this content being applied and used in cross-curricular studies.” [Rose, 2009]. Both approaches are needed for effective learning to take place, to enable children to make links between subjects and to set learning in meaningful contexts.  Using computing throughout the primary curriculum offers a way to enrich and deepen learning through engaging, interconnected, topics.

Our cross-curricular computing pack is designed to complement our whole school primary computing scheme of work.  It provides pupils with an engaging exploration of computing through a rich variety of media and technologies set within other subject areas.  It supports teachers with step-by-step cross curricular computing lesson plans and cross curricular computing resources.

We’ve put together some free cross curricular computing resources for embedding computing in other subjects.  Visit: www.icompute-uk.com/news/cross-curricular-computing-resources/

Visit www.icompute-uk.com to find out more about our highly acclaimed primary computing schemes of work.  iCompute is used by thousands of teachers around the world and features on BBC Bitesize for Primary Computing and the Hour of Code (code.org).

References:

Rose, J (2009) Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum, Nottingham: DCSF (pdf)

 

Primary Computing Podcast Resources

  By ,

Computing and History – Podcast Support

I’m writing a cross-curricular computing scheme of work and one of the best parts of doing that is creating the resources to support the step-by-step lesson plans.

Here are some free resources that I created to embed Computing within History by creating a podcast of an interview with a child evacuated during World War 2.  The materials for using Audacity to edit audio, add backing tracks, effects etc. support pupils’ podcasting and the guide for conducting an interview help pupils construct open questions.

Could easily be applied elsewhere within the curriculum.  Check out the other free resources on my Blog and enjoy!  Our cross-curricular scheme of work (iCompute Across the Curriculum) is coming soon – find out more here

Interview tips for a podcast

Click to download

Support for using Audacity to podcast

Click to download