Category Archives: Technologies

Digital Learning Week 2018, Second Level, Technical Troopers, Technologies

Primary 7 Digital Learning Week 2018!

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In P7 this week, we have completed lots of different exciting tasks using digital technologies to enhance our learning!

We completed a VR session with P1 and P3 all about space.  We looked at the International Space Station and taught our P3 buddies how to use the VR headsets.  We also looked at a variety of castles with P1.

Calum – “It was very fun teaching the P3s how to use the VR headsets and seeing their faces when it came up!”

Jamie – “It was good listening to what they thought about the VR headsets.”

Zachariah – “It was an immersive experience.”

We also had a teaching session from a young, budding teacher – Miss Murchison – who taught P7 and P3 about how to access and use Glow FORMS.  We learned how to create a range of questions, upload them our Yammer page and how to answer the surveys we had created focused on our transition to high school.

We also spent some time on our newly formed class Yammer page – which will be used until the end of term as an excellent way to share our learning and successes in P7.

#ndlw18

 

 

 

Maths & Numeracy, Primary 7, Sciences, Technologies

STEM workshops

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Primary 6 and 7 had a real treat this morning when they were visited by four parents working within STEM careers. The pupils had the chance to take part in two workshops, learning about different jobs through a variety of  presentations and activities. It was great to see the pupils learning about the world of work and engaging with issues they had little previous experience of. I’m sure many were inspired to keep learning about STEM subjects and build on the skills they have already developed. As discussed with one of our visiting parents, pupils are preparing for jobs that perhaps do not even exist yet! The world of work is constantly changing and developing. Thank you to all those involved in making the event happen and well done P6 and P7 for listening well and engaging with the workshops.

Health & Wellbeing, Maths & Numeracy, Nursery, Sciences, Technologies

The Nursery Bake Off!

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The boys and girls have been taking part in bake off sessions in the nursery. So far they have made crispie cakes, scones, top hats and shortbread. They have enjoyed learning how chocolate melts, how to measure ingredients, the feeling and smells they experience while baking. We have all enjoyed this learning experience…including the staff! Keep watching for more bake off updates.

Anytime Anywhere Learning, Expressive Arts, Outside of School, Technologies

Snow Day Antics and Building Ideas

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Move over George Clark and your Amazing Spaces TV programme. I hope some of you took up the Igloo Challenge. Did you manage to make a roof? How did you build it? How could you make it better next time? I know some people made an igloo that could fit ten people inside. How big would that need to be? What questions would you ask an Innuit about their igloo-building skills? What other small shelters are there in warm countries? There are great design ideas on the Tiny House/Homes website and in Scotland some people build huts in woods that can be very inventive so look at the Reforesting Scotland 1000 Huts Movement. How would you design a great den/hut?

I hope you are working on using French every day. In class we are using French colours and in P5-7 Spanish too. Use Google translate or YouTube to find ways to practise these – rouge, orange, jaune, vert, bleu, rose, noir, blanc.

Finally, I hope some of you tried to help others that may have found it difficult to get to the shops for milk and bread. For some people who are HOUSEBOUND this is a problem that faces them every day and not just a Snow Day.

Information for Parents, Internet Safety, Technologies, Useful Websites

A Guide to Social Networks: Advice for Parents

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O2 and the NSPCC have joined forces on a mission to help all children and their families in the UK stay safe online. They recently launched a website https://www.net-aware.org.uk/ which gives detailed advice and reviews of the different online social networks which young people use. It covers over 50 different apps including popular apps like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to lesser known apps such as Kik, Roblox and Musical.ly. It reviews the levels of risk associated with each app and also includes the views of different young people about each app and how safe they feel using it.

Early Level, Primary 1, Technologies

P1P Explore Farms through Digital Technologies

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LI: We are learning to use digital technologies to recreate aspects of a farm.

SC: I can work with others
I can share my ideas with others
I can plan and create simple programs/designs
I can use Purple Mash to create a picture of a farm.
I can animate a farm scene using Scratch JR

Today, P1P recalled their learning from last week’s technologies lesson during our IDL ‘On the Farm’. We used what we had learned from tinkering with Scratch JR to recreate and animate a farm scene. We were able to change the movement, size and speed of characters. Some of us even managed to record our own voices and add them to our characters.

We then explored Purple Mash for the first time to recreate a farm using clip art and animations. P1P were able to explore the app and come up with their own ideas.

Junior Leadership Teams, Maths & Numeracy, Sciences, Technologies, Uncategorized

STEM Competition Preparation!

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As part of our Junior Leadership Team, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) group decided that they would like to learn about the construction of the new Queensferry Crossing. We spent some time in our sessions researching and watching videos around the construction of the bridge.

The children then decided that they would like to organise and run a STEM competition for the whole school as part of the upcoming British Science Week from the 9th to the 18th of March 2018.

Over the past few weeks we have been designing posters and experimenting with different ways and materials to construct bridges. We will now arrange a timetable for each class during British Science week to run the competition with each class, taking on a leadership role.

Primary 1, Technologies

P1W get technology savy!

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Learning intention:

We are learning to experiment and develop our understanding of the tinkering and programming skills when using an Ipad.

Success criteria:

I can use ScratchJr to design a simple sequence of instructions.

I can develop an understanding of appropriate behaviour and digital language.

I can experiment with and identify icons and symbols of ScratchJr.

Last week, P1W worked in small groups to develop their awareness of the tinkering and programming skills while using ScratchJr “Under the Sea” on the Ipads. The children worked as a group to experiment and play about with the different symbols to control the movement of each of the four sea creatures. Each group reported and fed back to the class about what they had discovered about the different symbols and buttons. Then using what they had learned they created a simple sequence of instructions for their chosen character and shared it with the class.

Some of the children were able to work out not only how to move the character but how to make them grow or shrink, disappear and re-appear and change the speed of their movement all by using their tinkering skills! Well done P1W!

Internet Safety, Primary 7, Technologies

Internet Safety in P6, P7/6 and P7

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This morning, P6, P7 and P7/6 had the opportunity to take part in a live GLOW meet with Police Scotland all about internet safety. This was part of Safer Internet Day 2018. This topic is a core part of the Technologies curriculum:

I can explore online communities demonstrating an understanding of responsible digital behaviour and I’m aware of how to keep myself safe and secure. (TCH 2-03a)

Pupils joined with thousands of others across Scotland to listen to police officers talk about a range of online safety strategies and then opportunity was given for questions to be answered afterwards.

Hopefully all of us have learned a little bit more about staying safe online and about how our own conduct online can affect others.

English & Literacy, Interdisciplinary Learning, Primary 3, Technologies, Uncategorized

An Avalanche of Arctic Advice

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We are learning about the Arctic
I can describe the climate of the Arctic
I can describe the living things found in the Arctic
I understand how the climate and the landscape affects the living things

This week, a special delivery arrived for Primary 3. We used our skills of prediction to guess what was inside the box, using the clues on the wrapping to help us to make a realistic prediction. That is how we met Gamba the Giraffe. Gamba was lost and needed our help to find his way home. First of all, we had to use our research skills to find out where Gamba came from. We used iPads and netbooks to discover that we needed to help him get back to Africa, then we sent him on his way.

However, we soon heard back from Gamba to let us know that he hadn’t quite made it back home. He asked for our help to find out about this strange land that he had arrived in. He needed to know about the climate, landscape and living things that he might see in, what we quickly discovered was, the Arctic. Again, we used our research skills to find out new information, using key words to help us find out the facts quickly and easily.

We then used our Glow accounts to email Gamba to tell him what we had found out and give him advice about what to do next. We learned how to add a recipient, include a subject heading and how to layout an email.

We can’t wait to hear back from Gamba to see if he manages to get back home…