Background

We borrowed the easi scopes to use with our senses topic. We were looking at the variety of materials that feel different to touch and taste.  We participated in sensory guessing games and then investigated these materials under the easi-scope to get a better look at how the material was made.

How ICT supported learning and Teaching
The children worked in small groups to take turns to examine different materials and take still pictures of their findings.  We used the easi-scope as part of the investigative area during Purposeful play. Each small group had a different set of materials to examine.
We initially started using the easi scopes to get a better look at some materials that we had available to us in school but soon we used the scopes to examine different foods we eat.  The children were fasinated by the different images they could gather from the one piece of food or material.  They really enjoyed using the scopes to examine their own clothing and skin.

Some of the P7 pupils also had the opportunity to use the easi-scope to look at skin pigmentation and finger prints as part of their CSI transition.

Background

We borrowed the Easi-scope equipment as a useful tool to supplement the learning and teaching of our Science topic ‘Investigating Plants’.

How ICT supported learning and teaching

The Easi-scopes were used enable the pupils to explore the various parts of flowers in greater detail and record the intricate make-up of flower parts.  This coincided with the class picking their own flowers to dissect from the school grounds and then deciding which part of the flower they wanted to firstly research and then place under the microscope.

Impact / conclusion

The pupils thoroughly enjoyed looking at the parts of the flowers in greater detail and were amazed at the textures and colours they could se under the microscope.  They also extended their knowledge and understanding of I.C.T. and worked co-operatively with others to achieve their goals.  After taking still pictures under the microscope, the pupils were then able to upload them onto the class Blog (through GLOW) and left evaluative comments on what they thought of each other’s pictures.

Evidence

Background
We had initially borrowed the easi scopes to use with our nature topic. We were looking at the variety of wildlife/plantlife that can be found in our local environment and were going on to compare different types of habitats.

How ICT supported learning and Teaching
The children worked in small groups to gather items and record the area that they had been found in. Each small group had a different area to examine.
We initially started using the easi scopes to get a better look at some of the natural that we were finding out in our playground. The pupils quickly realised that there was so much more to them than the naked eye could see. They were amazed at the variety of textures and smaller details that they had been totally unaware of.

However, one of the groups discovered that the different textures on the human body were pretty interesting. This led on to the children looking at the different textures and details that were on the Human Body. Since this was a topic that they had completed in the previous year we decided to spend some time on this. The pupils had chosen to take their learning down a new path. They were very enthusiastic and were able to relate their new learning to knowledge that they had previously gained.

Conclusion
The easi scopes are very easy to use and all of the pupils were able to use them independently.
The pupils were able to discover for themselves just how detailed, patterned or textured things are. They literally have had their eyes opened to the fact that although our human eyesight is amazing it can also be very limiting. Several of the children have since spoken about how they have examined items at home using magnifying glasses and shared their learning with others at home.