Mr P's ICT blog - Tech to raise standards!

Technology can be such a powerful tool to allow children to showcase their learning in creative ways. Especially for children who may not be able to articulate their ideas and learning as written text. Technology, such as the iPad, can remove these barriers allowing children to achieve. Recently, we have been using technology to allow children to document their problem solving in maths. A fantastic FREE app for this is Shadow Puppets Edu. Here was the problem set for the children: This is what the children produced through Shadow Puppets Edu. For step-by-step tutorials for how to do this with your class, make sure you sign up and subscribe to MrPICT.com

I am a huge fan of technology that can not only enhance learning but save me time. Over the past year or so, the one tool that has stood out has to be Learning By Questions. There is a paid element to the tool, which I think is well worth the money. I will explore these features in more detail in the near future. In this blog post, I just want to explore what you can access through Learning By Questions for FREE by simply signing up. I posted this video exploring the thousands of questions you can access to support learning in English, Maths and Science: For more information on the exclusive CPD content you can access as a supporter of my facebook page, watch this: View this post on Instagram Head over to MrPICT.com and sign up through Facebook so you can enjoy Mr P’s CPD from the comfort of your own couch 🛋 👍✅ A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Feb 15, 2019 at 10:51am PST

Today with Year 2 we were continuing out work on Money in maths. Rather than the suggested lesson from the scheme which involved a lot of time being spent printing, cutting out and photocopying. I decided to do something different instead: View this post on Instagram I had a great day in school today working with Year 2 looking at Money in maths. Using technology, I was able to create a lesson in a fraction of the time which worked brilliantly without any printing, cutting out or photocopying. I am not suggesting teachers do this all the time, but the key for me in balance and when the tech can help us #worksmarternotharder we need to embrace it. I have posted a step-by-step tutorial of the lesson for the supporters of my page. Sign up here - facebook.com/becomesupporter/ictwithmrp A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Jan 31, 2019 at 12:53pm PST The lesson worked fantastically well and the children were able to ac...

One of my eBooks - 15+ ideas for the emoji keyboard in the classroom explores how emojis can be used as a tool across the curriculum. I recently discovered a great page on Facebook that provides a fantastic starter or activity for a maths lesson. You can follow Solvemoji on: ⭐️ Facebook ⭐️ Twitter ⭐️ Instagram  ⭐️ Website  (here you can create an account and compete with others) I follow on Facebook and every day they seem to post some of these challenges. The also differentiate the challenges too. Here is a sample of what they create and share: I think it is a great way to challenge children applying their understanding of BODMAS and also introduce simple algebra. So give it a go! Stick one or two up on your whiteboard first thing in the morning, after break or after lunch and see how quick the children settle themselves into focusing and solving the problem.

Today I had the pleasure of working with Year 3. In maths, we were exploring 3D shapes. We discussed the different properties of 3D shapes such as faces, edges and vertices. The children were given the opportunity to explore the shapes physically and then were challenged to create a video sharing their understanding of different 3D shapes. We used the app Shadow Puppets Edu, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite apps for its versatility and simplicity. Here is a clip of what we got up to: Year 3 worked really hard today exploring different 3D shapes and then sharing that knowledge by creating videos explaining the properties of each shape in the app Shadow Puppets, here's a little snippet: A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Jun 15, 2017 at 7:44am PDT Once completed, the pupils uploaded their efforts to Seesaw. Here is a finished example:

Thanks to  @Gareth_Metcalfe  for this new app AlbertClock you can download on your devices! See it in action here: The AlbertClock app, worth a look for some extra maths practice! Thanks Gareth for sharing! A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Mar 13, 2017 at 12:10pm PDT

I am sure many of us will be planning and preparing for the upcoming SATs tests. While I am not in favour of the tests, I know ultimately children have to sit them and therefore teachers all over the country will be prepping their students to pass. One resource I love is the SATs pack from  @SparkyTeaching . They seem to echo my thoughts on the tests and so the pack tries to make the preparations more engaging and fun. This video sums it up - The following link will give you all the information about the pack including some free resources such as a video to share with your class and a letter for parents. THE SATs PACK from  @SparkyTeaching . The pack is priced at £37.99 and includes a range of ideas and resources supporting both English and Maths. There is also the Shine pack included which was designed to show your students that they are more than the sum of their test scores. It includes loads of resources and posters for you to use in class, for exampl...

With the Year 3 class I have been working with over the last couple of weeks we have been creating some information eBooks all about 2D shapes. It has been a great way to encourage children to share what they know about different shapes. It has also given them a purpose to learn the properties of 2D shapes they didn't previously know. We first started by using the app Shape Lab for the children to create different shapes. I have previously blogged about this app here.   The children were challenged to  create as many different triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons etc and then take a screenshot of each page - Using the app Book Creator , they then used all of their screenshots to create an eBook. On each page, they used the wide range of tools available including the text, drawing and audio tool. They had to label each shape and record a short audio clip explaining the properties of each shape. Here is one of their efforts as a video -  YOU CA...

Now this idea is nothing new, think of it more as a new take on a tried and tested activity. When I was in Year 4 at school, we had a teacher who every day would play the 'Beat the Calculator' game. He would ask us a times table question and we had to answer it before he could type it into a calculator. I was hooked! It was this one game that made me endlessly practice and perfect my knowledge of times tables. It is still a challenge today to get children to instantly recall different number facts. Today with children being exposed to so much more technology, calculators may not bring the WOW factor that it once did. One thing that does captivate children is the ever impressive 'Siri.' Siri is a " computer program that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator. The feature uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Web services." ...

Just start by saying a massive thank you for the support with my first live stream sharing the SPaG songs through Augmented Reality idea . The feedback was really positive and so I have streamed another session tonight with more ideas linked to using Music in the classroom. It discusses the app Literacy Jukebox from  @MrACDPresent  as well as some other ideas. Here is the vlog - Here is a link to the old blog post about using Music to remember Math Facts ! Here is a link to the nine times tables rap. And here is the music video for the doubling machine song - and follow this link for more information about the courses mentioned - Upcoming Courses. Make sure you are around on Wednesday night for another live stream!

Here is another fantastic idea from  @ghammondmaths , if you haven't already seen his previous work linked to Maths SATs revision guides please follow this link. Kids: Take Your Daily Maths Vidamins! Whether you are a teacher or a parent, you will always be concerned about your childrens’ maths “health”. Do they have a healthy appetite for maths? Are they improving, growing and exercising their mathematical brains regularly? Along with their 5-a-day fruit + vegetables, why not provide them with their 1-a-day maths Vidamin? These Vidamins (mini-videos) aim to build strength and fluency across different topics by providing a daily, short (5 minute) maths exercise and video solution.  This is a colourful and child-friendly PDF file containing hundreds of hyperlinks to Youtube videos on @ghammondmaths ’ Youtube Channel. In fact, there is one different Vidamin for every day of the year! The links could be used by teachers as daily starters in maths lessons or the f...

When it comes to assessments in maths, it can be tricky for some children to be able to extract the number sentence from a word problem before they solve it. It is also hard for a teacher to be in 30 places at once to make sure the pupils have got it right. An app I have been using for a while now helps with both these problems! Math Shake from  @TopStoreyApps  is a brilliant app to use in Maths. The app has six levels of difficulty and children can choose which operation to focus on or do all of them. They are then given a word problem and have to press on the key facts to build their number sentence. If they do not get it correct they are instantly told and, therefore made to check their answer.  Once they have figured out the correct number sentence, they are automatically taken to a whiteboard with a range of maths tools they can use to solve the calculation. The app also has a record feature to allow children to record the screen as they calculate the answ...

My favourite way to use iPad in maths at the minute is to provide real life situations for them to apply their maths knowledge. I have previously blogged about this here and here . Gareth Metcalfe's brilliant resources First Class Maths and The Maths Apprenticeship are great examples of this too. One of the best apps for this is Motion Math Pizza! A favourite with children as they have to run and manage their own pizza shop! Without knowing it, children are using their math knowledge in different ways in an engaging and purposeful manner.  Motion Math have recently released a new app - Cupcakes , which after using today is just as good if not better that Pizza! What I love about Cupcakes is that it works on different aspects of maths including two and three step word problems, co-ordinates, fractions and much much more! There is so much engaging content to hook children and again is a great example of Camouflage Learning!  Although both t...

A few weeks ago I received a tweet from  @GHammondMaths sharing this fantastic revision guide to Year 6 SATs tests. He had broken down every question into different categories. He then created a PDF of each category where every question had a link to a YouTube video tutorial that he had created! MIND BLOWN! Such a great idea and will help endless teachers up and down the country who will be building up to the SATs. The resource will help children work independently, take questions at their own pace and solve the problem of one teacher being in 30 different places. Here is an example of one of the PDF files about BODMAS - YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE PACKAGE OF PDF FILES HERE! What Gareth has also done now is add the YouTube tutorials to every past paper, as the example demonstrates - YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ALL OF THE PAST SATS PAPERS HERE If you have access to iPads in the classroom, download these resources to a shared Dropbox account so children can view on an iPad....

I can’t think of two more appropriate words to describe First Class Maths than curious and challenging. It’s been designed to truly stretch the most able primary mathematicians, and also to captivate the imagination of these young learners. I believe it fulfils the vision of mastery within mathematics, giving children the opportunity to apply learning in deep and non-standard contexts. The resource is comprised of 24 tasks, from extended mathematical problems to complicated logic puzzles. The tasks are quirky, designed to surprise and intrigue as much as to challenge and extend. For example, one task asks the question ‘What percentage of the water in the pool is inside of the bodies of the swimmers?’ Here are some snippets from a range of the tasks. Each card starts with a context-based prompt. ‘The Supernest’ task, for example, explores number systems with different bases by bringing to life an argument between insects who count on their legs: The children are then pre...

I have been meaning to blog about the Osmo since I received one in the summer. It is only after seeing so many people rave about it from #Bett2015 it reminded me to share this amazing tool! To give you a taste of what Osmo is and what it can do here is a short video -   The Osmo costs around £50 but it has great potential in the classroom, the three games included cover core subjects in Literacy and Maths and help children develop their spellings, shape recognition and problem solving in a fun and engaging way. My only criticism would be to have the letters in lower case rather than upper case as children recognise these easier. I understand the team behind Osmo are working on other games and activities using this hardware so am excited to see what they come up with. Having an Osmo in the classroom will come in great use for group work or independent activities with primary children. You can order your own Osmo here.

Last week, I blogged about a few apps I have discovered that challenge the children to apply their understanding and knowledge in real life situations. YOU CAN READ THE BLOG POST BY CLICKING HERE. Today I tried a couple of them with our Year 3 children who relished every minute using these apps! In Numeracy, we used Motion Math: Pizza!  This app is brilliant! The children were instantly hooked! There are so many aspects of this game that get children thinking carefully. They start with a budget of £50 have to buy ingredients, design a pizza and then decide how much it should be sold for in comparison how much it cost to make. They then have to deal with customers who buy different amounts of pizzas. They have to answer quickly before the customer loses their patience and leaves. The children may run out of ingredients, have customers who feel the pizza is overpriced. After each day the children are shown what profit they have made and can then buy more ingredients and make mor...

I am a massive fan of using real life situations for children to develop their learning in different ways. Having a real life stimulus makes learning relevant for children. The ' Mathematics Apprenticeship ,' by Gareth Metcalfe  is a perfect example of this. A fantastic resource for gifted and talented mathematicians to apply their skills into real word contexts. I have previously blogged about the use of simulation apps as a stimulus in class here. I have come across a couple of apps that have great potential for cross curricular real life projects. The first is KeyPlan 3D . This short little video will demonstrate what the app entails - The potential to this app in the classroom is incredible! Children have to apply their knowledge of measurements if they were to redesign the classroom or create a replica of a room. They could use it for a project to design their own house, contact an estate agent to price up the property and even read then write some adverts for the...

The latest app from the fantastic team at Shiny Things (the team behind the great Quick Math bundle) is Shape Lab . This app is fantastic for children learning about different shapes, their properties and measurements. When looking through the new Numeracy curriculum and the objectives for properties of shape and position & direction, most can be covered using this brilliant app. Children can simply draw their own shapes using their own fingers and the shape will appear. Children can choose from a range of backgrounds include centimetre paper, four quadrants, dotted papers and triangular graphed paper. When shapes are created, they are filled in a colour which can be made transparent making it easy for children to work out the area of the shape with the cm paper as the background. Images can also be added as the background meaning children can clearly identify a range of different shapes within a picture. Children can easily create Tangrams and then also work o...

Top Trumps is a popular game enjoyed by millions worldwide! The new free app 'Top Trump it,' give you the ability to make your own set of Top Trump Cards. This can be used as a tool in so many different ways! I want to share a few! For plenty of other ideas on using Top Trumps in the classroom, especially in Numeracy, check out The Numeracy Shed's Page here.  When you load the app you have to create a username and password, you can then make a top trump by adding a picture, using the camera or choosing from the photo library. Then you can add a title and add three stat and values. It would be great if you could add more, but it is just limited to three currently. There is a range of different backgrounds you can pick from before saving the card to the camera roll. Here are a few quick ideas, that came to mind when playing with this app: Literacy Why not test children's understanding of a story by asking them to make Top Trump cards for characters in their...