M Learning

Technology is changing fast, and so is the way children are learning. In todays session we looked at m learning, a term I was previously unfamiliar with. The term mobile learning (m learning) refers to the use of mobile and handheld devices such as mobile phones, i pads, i pods, laptops and tablets, in teaching and learning. So, any sort of learning that happens on mobile technology can be seen as m learning. Mobile learning offers fun, playful, interactive games which allow you to tap into what children already enjoy doing and add an educational value to it.

In an in-depth report, Pockets of Potential, from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Carly Shuler highlights five opportunities to seize mobile learning's unique attributes to improve education:

1. Encourage "anywhere, anytime" learning.                                                                              Mobile devices allow students to gather, access, and process information outside the classroom. They can encourage learning in a real-world context, and help bridge school, afterschool, and home environments.
2. Reach underserved children.                                                                                                  Because of their relatively low cost they are accessible to children from economically disadvantaged communities.
3. Improve 21st-century social interactions.                                                                                 Mobile technologies have the power to promote and foster collaboration and communication, which are deemed essential for 21st-century success.
4. Fit with learning environments.                                                                                               Mobile devices can help overcome many of the challenges associated with larger technologies, as they fit more naturally within various learning environments.
5. Enable a personalized learning experience.                                                                                   Not all children are alike; instruction should be adaptable to individual and diverse learners. There are significant opportunities for genuinely supporting differentiated, autonomous and individualized learning through mobile devices.

In todays lesson we got to explore some of the games-based learning that takes place in the primary classroom. First I had a go at making a Voki, see above, Voki is a site that lets you create a speaking avatar which you can export and use anywhere you like. They are a great way to motivate students to participate, improve message comprehension, introduce technology in a fun way and can be used as an effective language tool as it changes text to speech in over 25 languages.


We also looked at Wordle, which is a site that lets you create your own word cloud from text that you provide. It is very simple to use and the result is effective. You can edit your clouds with different fonts, colour schemes and layouts. It is a great way of mind mapping with children. In the class room you could use it in literacy with describing a character using adjectives. Here is one i made in class today!

Another piece of software we looked at was Dance to  Advance, which is an interactive, fun dance mat that come with software enabling you to create your own games and quizzes using visual, kinaesthetic and audio stimuli. Dance to Advance is an easy to use and fun way children can personalise their learning.






All the resources we looked at are great examples of how fun, inclusive and effective m learning can be. I for one am looking forward to using them in the classroom.

Speaking, Listening and Digital Imaging

This week we looked at using ICT for speaking, listening and digital imaging. Like last week this session was very interactive and hands on and we got to explore a lot of the technology that is used in classrooms to enhance children's learning. Webcams, podcasts, digital video and images and transportable sound recording devices all provide greater opportunities for talking. They also allow for instant feedback, reflection and interactivity. Below are some of the devices we looked at.

Talking Postcards

These are recording, talking postcards which are great resources for all children, especially SEN. The Postcards can come in various sizes and offer different recording times. They can stick to the wall so are good for displays, children can record themselves talking about their work.

Talking Tins 

This is a really good device that helps children with their speaking and listening skills. Like the Postcards they allow you to record and playback your own voice messages or sound effects. This video explains many of the uses for Talking Tins. They are incredibly versatile and can also be used for storytelling, treasure hunts, in displays, for relaying instructions and are particularly good for SEN children as it allows them to record what they want to write.

Podcasting

A podcast is an online broadcast a bit like a radio station, except a podcast is recorded and then uploaded to the internet. Podcasts are very inclusive and give children a voice and an audience. The link below shows The Downs Primary School, which is a great example of children using podcasts, digital imagery and blogs.

http://www.downs.kent.sch.uk/page/?title=Home&pid=1

There are a number of issues that need to be considered and discussed before children begin to make podcasts, such as:

• What audience are they targeting?
• What language is appropriate to the audience?
• Who has responsibility for the material broadcast?
• What quality control is there?
• E-safety: protecting the child's identity and the importance of not revealing personal information.

Digital Imaging

Digital cameras are an invaluable resource in any classroom, they are simple to use and provide a vast number of uses in the educational setting to benefit both the teacher and the children. Here are 1001 uses for a digital camera that can be used in the classroom. Taking photos is a great way for children to tell a story using their own pictures. In todays lesson we got to do just that, in groups we took some photos and imported them to Photo Story. Photo story is a fun program that helps bring still images to life. You can add text and customise each picture as well as adding music or recording someone telling the story.

Digital Video

We also looked at the possibilities of using digital video in the classroom, in particular stop-motion animation. We used a Digital Blue camera which is great for taking still photos, taking video clips and creating animations. We used plasticine to make models and took frame shots to make a stop-motion animation.  Morph and Wallace and Gromit are great examples of stop-motion animation, and by getting children to make their own animations really helps them to understand how they make the digital media they love to watch.

                                            

Computer Control

In this session we looked at how digital media and computer control can be used across the curriculum. Computer control is a set of instructions programmed into a machine, which causes it to operate in a predetermined manner. Our day to day living is made a lot easier thanks to control technology. Some examples of objects which use computer control inside and outside the home:

• Traffic lights
• Washing machines
• CCTV
• Cookers
• TV remote controls
• Alarms

It's amazing when you think about the enormity of devices that use computer control in our everyday lives. So, why use computers to control things? There are a number of reasons, the main being that it is more effective and quicker. Using computers is cost effective and they don't lose concentration! It also reduces the margin for error. It is important to remember that for a computer controlled device to work it has to be programmed. To make things happen there has to be a procedure or sequence of instructions that happen in order. The Central Processing Unit in a device stores these instructions so it is able to repeat the action when instructed to.

Programable Toys and Robots

We looked at a number of programable toys that can be used in the classroom which get children thinking about; angles, direction, distance and spatial awareness. 

The Bee Bot 

The Bee Bot is a really good way to get children started on programmable robots, it's easy to use and very effective. It has buttons to programme it to go forward, backwards, left and right and comes with lots of activities. It's a great device that gets children learning about directional language, control and programming.

                                                                                                                                The Pippin

                                                                                                  

The Pippin is similar although it has a lot more buttons! If you want it to turn you have to put in the angle. I would say the Pippin is designed more for Key Stage 2, whereas the Bee Bot can be used with Key Stage 1. You can programme a procedure so that it can repeat it. A great feature about the Pippin is that it has a hole in the middle where you can put a pen, this enables you to programme the robot to make a shape which then draws it. Below is a video of me and my course mate Thomas Acton Bishop programming a Pippin to draw a square.

Some other examples include:

                            

                                                                                                  

                                                             


The Roamer                                                                                                    The Pixie

Click the link below to have a go at programming Unit the robot.

http://www.mape.org.uk/startower/unit/index.htm

With the world today relying so much on computer programming to aid us in our everyday lives it is only right that we embrace this technology and that children are encouraged to use it.