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

The Year 1/2 class I work with had an extremely enjoyable day today when they discovered Aliens in the Classroom! Using the App String, children were able to scan a picture and see an alien moving around the classroom - an amazing WOW moment! String is a AR showcase app, there are plenty on the app store and they really inspire some great writing opportunities. To see examples of this - click here . The children then wrote short description about their new classmate and drew a picture. Using the iPad children then interviewed their alien using Morfo and also created a news report using Tellagami. Then using Aurasma , the children's iPad work was then linked to the children's work. The children's writing was used as the trigger image: Here is a link to all the other descriptions or trigger images that link to the children's videos - click here. To view the Auras, you will need to open the Aurasma app, click search - find davyhulme and follow or l...

I have previously used the app Doodle Buddy for children to sort data into a Carroll diagram - I have blogged using the app for data handling activities here. Today I used another app to create a Carroll Diagram. The app Pic Collage is an app used a lot in schools but not always used to enhance learning, rather substitute what can be done on paper with colourful posters. I have previously blogged about different ways to use Pic Collage to enhance learning here.  Today I used it with a class of year 1/2 to create some Carroll Diagrams. First the children set their background as the blank Carroll Diagram then using the iPad camera took pictures of children in the class and sorted them into the necessary sections. The children loved the activity to create and sort data, the results were fantastic! It wouldn't just be carroll diagrams that pic collage can be used for, venn diagrams and pictograms could also be created. Children may not necessarily need to tak...

I have to start by thanking  +David Mitchell  ( @deputymitchell,)   @Cherise_Duxbury  and  @HGJohn  for their ideas and inspiration with this fantastic tool. Coveritlive is a web based live blogging tool that can be embedded into your school blog. It can be used in so many different ways in the classroom and as a whole school. You can sign up for a free account and then upgrade to an education account which gives you all the features for free. I first came across Coveritlive after seeing it used with @Deputymitchell  and  @PieCorbett . The idea that children can have a live writing session with a real author and have some of their ideas commented on and be given feedback immediately. You could see instantly the immediate impact it had on the children and their writing and the quality coming through. For some examples of session from David and Pie - Click here and here . I have tried some live writing with a number of classes all to a gre...

Each week, I work with a split Year 1/2 class. Since September I have been using the iPads to try and enhance learning in all the subjects I have been asked to cover. Although most of the children have access to iPads or similar technology at home, it has been a tough task getting quality work from the class using iPads. Even though most children can navigate around an iPad, turning the children from consumers to creators has been the challenge. It has been a journey from September which has been more about getting children to follow instructions and working with independence. But with perseverance, I feel we are now at a stage where children are creating quality on the iPads. The recent topic for the class has been "9 to 5." A topic based around working and different jobs. The children went on a trip to a local Krispy Kreme shop. To recount what the children did on the trip, they created slideshows using the app Shadow Puppets. This app allows you to add pictures and r...

Over the past half term I have been working with a Year 4 class at Cheadle Heath Primary School in Stockport. I have been trying to inspire the children by using the iPad to create digital stories. I wanted the children to develop their methods of story telling using different skills through a range of different apps. For each part of the story, the children used a different app to bring their story alive. All the content was then put together using the app Book Creator . Here is a video explaining how our stories were created and examples of the children's work: The following apps were used to create the stories: CloudArt Epic Citadel iMovie String AR Comic Life Puppetpals Doink Animation  Doink Greenscreen Book Creator The children absolutely loved the range of apps used to tell their story. They were engaged, motivated and felt they really achieved something special with their finished eBooks. By using the apps to really bring their writing to life gave e...

Selfie : noun   informal A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website: "occasional selfies are acceptable, but posting a new picture of yourself every day isn’t necessary." It was deemed Word of the Year in 2013 - Read here . It is everywhere, people taking selfies literally anywhere and everywhere! Whether it annoys you or not, the fact is incorporating this in the classroom will grab children's attention.  I decided to create a #readingselfie video of the children and their reading books. Firstly, to promote reading, make it look cool and show how I as a teacher and we as a class value it. Secondly, for others to see which books we are reading. I would repeat the video in a few weeks and again see which other new books are popular in the class. To make the video I used the app Flipagram . This FREE app allows you to create slideshows in the matter of seconds, simply se...

This week celebrates World Book Day (Thursday 6th March,) although I hoped to share these ideas a little earlier, I have been stuck in bed ill for the past few days so have been unable to do so. However here are 10 ideas for celebrating World Book day using iPads. Well not all are strictly iPad based, but more incorporating some aspect of technology into your World Book Day theme. 1. Extreme Reading - This was something we did as a whole school last year. The idea is that you ask parents to take pictures of children reading in the most weird and peculiar place. We had over 200 entries and children really enjoyed creating and sharing their efforts. It really promoted how we value reading as a school and the two massive displays within the school reflect this. 2. Blog a Book Review - Fairly straightforward for those schools who blog, but get your class to choose their favourite book and blog a book review. Remind the children that when it is blogged it will be shared w...