Turning Point with P3b Dunrobin Primary

April 20, 2011 User deactivated

Having previously used ActiVote handsets and ActivExpression software, I found Turning Point to be a far easier system to use, albeit less aesthetically pleasing or ergonomic.

I used Turning Point mostly to consolidate maths learning to end a week of lessons. Some of the existing slideshows (easily created in PowerPoint) were appropriate for me to use at first to introduce the children to using the handsets to vote. Creating my own slideshows and making them interactive was straightforward enough to figure out after the using the complex ActivExpression software. However, there are straightforward and detailed step by step instructions available to download to help with this and there is a good range of topics and stages covered by the existing examples.

The biggest success of Turning Point (or any pupil response system) is definitely the total engagement of every child; particularly effective for those who tend to daydream or default to their peers to give answers. They were motivated by the responsibility for their own answer and what I anticipated would become a race to answer first, actually turned out to cause some excitement and anxiety about whether they’d entered the correct answer. Regardless of the content of the slideshow, the bar-graph (or visual of your choice) of percentage answers given was a great way for the children to see practical uses of data handling and get used to doing instant comparisons of data.

I was particularly keen to use Turning Point as an assessment tool to track individual pupil responses to questions. However, although I’d allocated each of my 24 pupils numbered handset to be used for each session so that I could then identify them in the reports, only around 20 of the responses ever registered for each question. Also, it appeared that the responses were received and ordered by the computer chronologically and not according to the number of handset meaning that it was then impossible to identify a child’s individual responses. So, all very good in theory but unfortunately not the most reliable in the end!

Here are some responses from pupils about the effect Turning Point had on their learning:

“I really enjoyed using TP because it turned my brain on.”

“I think it helps my learning with 3 digit numbers and I’d like to use it for 4 digit numbers.”

“I enjoyed doing TP and I found it easy to use.”

“It made me work harder!”

“I think it helps my learning because if I got it wrong then I would realise the right answer when I saw it.”

“It was magnificent fun, very fun.”

iPod Touch

i-pod Touches in Thornlie

April 19, 2011 Mrs Steel

Thornlie Primary was lucky enough to get 8 i-pod touches out on load from the ICT Loan Service. They were an immediate hit with all the classes and ended up having to be timetabled to ensure that every class had an opportunity to use them.

They were used in a variety of ways depending on the class and the subject the children were doing.

In Primary 7 they were used largely for the purposes of research on their current topic allowing every child along with the use of the lapstops, to have the opportunity to independently research without having to share hardware.

In Primary three they were inspired by the Wallace and Gromit cartoon to create their own cartoon strip in the same style. In the infants the monster app was used as an inspiration for their imaginative writing.

We down loaded the i-Translate German app which added a new dimension to the German lessons, with children readily creating more complex and personalised conversations.

Across the whole school the maths apps were extensively used as extension and motivational activities. One child in Primary 2, who is de-motivated by maths ( especially addition and subtraction), could be happily found on level 32 of the Pop Math app, while another another’s was extended by the use of Maths Tappers to allow him to move on to more difficult time telling at his own pace.

The children found them not just a novelty but real learning tool. They embraced their learning when using them and engaged with their peers, sharing successes and creating their own goals of achievement. (Many challenged each other on some of the tables apps to achieve certain levels in specific time)

Support from the Computer Centre was excellent, helping us make the most of having them in the school.

When it become time to return the i-pod Touches we realised just how much the children had got from them. Excited by the endless possibilities we have now purchased 12 of our own.

These have been used to create short films, audio slide shows, extension activities, information gathering, art activities, topical games… the list is endless. Our only problem is keeping them charged to meet demand.

Nintendo DS

Brilliant Brains on the DSi’s at Thornlie

April 19, 2011 Mrs Steel

Our Primary 7/6 had the opportunity to have the use of 10 DSi’s with Braintraining from the Loan Service.

To start with we numbered them and allocated them one between two children. After taking a base ‘Brain Age’ the children were given the opportunity to use them on a daily basis at specific time to play the Brain Training Games. Every Wednesday each child recorded an updated Brain Age. These were recorded on a wall chart and progress was tracked.

At the end of our time using them the child who had improved their brain age the most won a small prize and got a ‘Best Brain” certificate.

At other times of the day the children were allowed to use the DSi’s to create animations, use the photo facility and ‘chat’ to friends.

The children found the DSi’s to be very motivational. They were amazed that their teacher encouraged them to play on the DSi.

Here are some of the comments from the children in the class.

The DSi’s are so much fun. The stuff in it is challenging and really makes you think hard and fast.

The thing I liked best about having the DSi’s is that you think your playing but your really learning.

I liked it best when you got your new Brain Age and you could see how you were getting better.

The thing I enjoyed the most was the maths tasks. They were quite tricky but you can amaze yourself at how well you do.

It’s sad that the DSi’s have to go back. Maths’s time hast been the best since we’ve had them.

iPod Touch

iPod touch- Sacred Heart Primary

April 15, 2011 John Johnston

Angela Harley writes:

In Sacred Heart we set for Maths. I used the i pod touched with the children in my group. I have a group of very bright P.7 children and a group of children from P4- P.6 who can be challenging to hold their attention.

With the P.7 children they took ten minute slots each on the maths games pre loaded on the i-pods, daily. The aim was to challenge their mental maths skill and for them to beat their own scores and times. The children had a great deal of fun and it encouraged independent working. The children kept their own records of scores and made sure the allocated times was shared among the group.

With my other group they also used the pre-loaded games but at a less challenging level. My aim was to use the i-pods to encourage the children to work smarter and maintain their focus on their work. Each day the children had to be at a certain point in their work before they got their slot on the i-pods. This worked well and the children aimed to complete tasks to get their go, This group of children were not fully aware that the games I asked them to go on were in fact improving their mental maths skills.

In my own class I also used the i-pods as an incentive to promote positive behaviour. The children opted to use the i-pod touches for their Golden Time. The condition was that they had to have their full Golden Time by the end of the week. This seemed to work well especially with boys who display negative behaviours in the class. If they did lose Golden Time then they worked greatly on the positive side to earn it back. On this occasion I let the children use any of the pre-loaded games and some connected to the internet.

Flip Camera

Flip Cameras – Kildrum Primary School

April 10, 2011 Miss Smith

Background
I used the flips cameras with my P2/3 class across a variety of curricular areas to aid peer and self assessment.

Impact on Teaching and Learning
Literacy
The children used the cameras to record each other doing a paired fluency read on the second day of their reading programme. I then played the recordings back on the smartboard and used them to model and discuss how to improve reading and give feedback to their partner concentrating on pace, expression etc. This helped the children have a clearer idea when giving feedback to their partner.

Interdiscplinary Learning
The whole school had been learning about The Far East as an interdisciplinary project. As part of the assessment of this I asked the children to show their understanding by fliming each other talking about what they had learned. This was a good way of assessing the knowledge of the less able children who often struggle with written tasks. Some of these video clips were then used to make a cross school DVD which was shown to children and parents.

PE
The children filmed each other’s gymnastics sequences and then self assessed using the success criteia. They then tried to improve their performance based on their self assessment. The children really enjoyed this and found it was benefical. Quite often they had thought they were bending their knees to land etc. but when they watched it back realised that they weren’t.

Impact/Conclusion
I found the flips really beneficial across the curriculum. I did have some problems, however, playing back the video on some of the computers.

Nintendo DS

St Brigid’s Primary DSi loan experience

March 31, 2011 User deactivated

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 21.50.54 — St Brigid's, Newmains

Here are the comments of some of our Primary 6 class in St Brigid’s Primary in Newmains on their experiences with the DSi.

It has been an honour to use the DSi. They have helped me in my maths, reading and remembering words. It was very extraordinary to use the DSi because when you’re using it you don’t even know you’re learning because it’s such fun! I would love to have them again but for longer.

I really enjoyed the DSi, it has been an honour having them in our classroom. I had so much fun that I didn’t realise that I was learning. It has helped me with my maths and memory. It also helped us understand I.C.T. and demonstrate my progress. It is really challenging and it feels like a competition. I wish we had more time.

It was a honour using the DSi it helped us with our maths and our education. It was so much fun I didn’t even know I was learning it even helped me with I.C.T I really like using the DSi I wish they could stay.

What is great about the DSi? The DSi is amazing because you can learn and have fun at the same time. On Brain Training I really liked 20x calculation. I will miss you.:(

Over the past few weeks we have been using the DSi and it has been helping us with our spelling, maths, and memory. It was fun too and we didn’t even know that we are learning! It helps us with our times tables and it is a great way because we are trying to beat our brain age and it gets competitive. There was more than one game, my favourite was head count and I also like low to high.

I love DSI !!! Not only are they bags of fun these DSI help us with our schoolwork. The DSI has helped us understand ICT. We would have liked to have used the World Wide Web on them. It helped us with our maths, it demonstrated our progress. Everyone wanted to be the youngest so it made everyone work harder.

For the past few weeks we have had great fun with the DSI. They taught us lots of things and helped us with all our maths and mostly helped us with our tables. Most of the time we didn’t even realise we were learning anything. Every time we brain train we get less brain age because we get better and better at it.

For the last few weeks we have been using the DSi, and it has been a great experience. The DSi has been helping us understand I.C.T, they have also helped us with our maths they are brilliant. They are a fun way to learn interactively, and one of the weirdest things is that we have had so much fun we haven’t realised we have been learning. I really enjoyed using the DSi!!

Over the past few weeks we have been using the DSi from North Lanarkshire’s I.C.T base. The DSi helped most of our class with our maths, it also showed us what we had to work on. It is a fun and interactive way to learn. We would also like to access the web with the DSi. We really enjoyed using the DSi and we hope to use them again and experience more.

Over the past few months we have been using the DSI from North Lanarkshire Council. They have been helping us to learn our maths better. The DSI is a fun way to learn it also helps us to try harder to get the smallest brain age. When we went on the DSI we did not even know we were learning. I cannot believe that my brain age to start with was 80 and now it is 40. I loved to learn with the DSI and I am sad that they have to go back.

Feedback on ICT Hardware in the classroom