Author: Mrs McKechnie

Haggis Holidays Challenge Task

In January 2023, we set Falkirk schools a new challenge task for Burns night – to use Maps and MarkUp on their Connected Falkirk devices to create design a Haggis Holiday photo. Find out more about the challenge itself and the fabulous results below.

The Challenge

Challenge Cards and Extension Activities

Tutorial Video

The Results

Celebrating Success – Holiday Scrapbook

Twitter

Creative Activities for Kids: Festive Edition

Feeling festive?  

Introducing Connected Falkirk’s 2022 Creative Activities for Kids: Festive Edition. This involves eight short practical and creative tasks which can be picked up and completed by pupils throughout the month of December. These activities are all designed to let pupils use the core apps on their device for a bit of festive fun. They can be completed using 1:1 devices or P1-5 pupils might complete them as a team with their 1:5 devices.  The activities are suitable for big and small pupils alike and teachers are free to use them in any way they might like to (there are no right or wrong ways to complete these tasks).

Please do share your festive creations with us via Twitter by tagging @ConnectedFalk

Get started now! 

You can download a copy of our Creative Activities for Kids: Festive Edition below. (To download click on the ‘…’ and click ‘Download PDF File’).  This includes our eight festive activities, short instructions for each and links to short recorded videos to help you get started! 

You can view the recorded videos for each activity by accessing the Festive Creative Activities playlist below.

These activities are inspired by and drawn from Apple’s 30 Creative Activities for Kids and 30 More Creative Activities for Kids

Retrieval Practice

Our brand new series Pedagogy In Practice aims to provide CLPL on how to digitally embed evidence-informed teaching practices into your classroom using your Connected Falkirk devices.

Session 1 – Retrieval Practice

The first session in this series focuses on the phenomenon of retrieval practice and how it can be used in classrooms to build learners’ confidence and raise attainment. It also introduces and explores a range of digital tools that can be used to embed retrieval practice into your classroom.

Below you will find support materials that were linked to within the 2022/2023 ‘Pedagogy In Practice: Retrieval Practice’ in-person CLPL session.

Downloads

1-Page Summary

You can view an online copy of a 1-page summary of retrieval practice here on Canva. Or you can download a copy below. (To download click on the ‘…’ and click ‘Download PDF File’).  This includes summaries of what retrieval practice is, why it’s important, key features it should include, why technology is useful to utilise for retrieval practice and some examples of digital tools that can be used to embed it into your classroom.

Interactive Library

You can view an online copy of the interactive retrieval practice library here on Canva. Or you can download a copy below. (To download click on the ‘…’ and click ‘Download PDF File’). 

Worksheets

You can view an online copy of the ‘retrieval-based tasks for your classroom’ worksheet bundle here on Canva. Or you can download a copy below. (To download click on the ‘…’ and click ‘Download PDF File’). If you’re unsure how to get started with these tasks, see the video tutorial below.

Session Recording

As this session was held in-person there is no recording from the day. However, in preparation for the session a shorter recording of the main content, without the interactive tasks and discussion, was created and can be viewed on the Connected Falkirk YouTube channel here. The Keynote presentation from the session is also displayed below.

How To Use…

This basic video tutorial takes you through how to download and use the ‘Retrieval-Based Tasks for your Classroom’ booklet above, including how to edit and share the tasks with your pupils.

Getting Started With…

During this session a number of great digital tools for retrieval practice were mentioned. If you want to learn more about how to use these tools within your classroom, I’ve created short ‘Getting Started With…’ tutorials for five of my favourite tools (Quizlet, Quizziz, Carousel Learning, Classkick and Curipod). You can view an online copy of a booklet containing these videos here on Canva. Or you can download a copy below. (To download click on the ‘…’ and click ‘Download PDF File’). 

thank you to all the researchers and educators whose ideas and literature were referenced or referred to within this session or the associated materials. Specifically, thank you to Kate jones and other twitter educators for a lot of the ideas that were adapted for the ‘retrieval-based tasks for the classroom’ worksheets.

Connected Falkirk Quick Guide

What is it?

We have created this new quick guide to cover all of the main details of the Connected Falkirk project. This guide can be given to new staff or can be used to jog the memory on processes and procedures for existing staff in primary and secondary schools. 

How do I access it?

You can view an online copy of the interactive guide here on Canva. Alternatively you can view or download a copy below. (To download click on the ‘…’ and click ‘Download PDF File’).

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