Crazy Talk

As I extend and enhance my knowledge of features of various types of software, including those which help find, organise, manage and access information, I can apply what I learn in different situations.

TCH 2-03a

This Curriculum for Excellence outcome represents what I have learned whilst using the Crazy Talk program. I feel that learning the new software and putting it into practice with the tasks we were given would help me in my future practice not only with the patience I am slowly gaining throughout the module but also as an opening stimulus for future lessons. 

We made two talking characters, one relating to our wiki and the other for introducing a writing task. These served two different functions. The character for our wiki was giving extra information on what has already been written whereas the character of 'Blackbeard' which introduced the writing task had the potential to be the beginning of a context. It could be expanded in a number of ways across the curriculum, much like the games based learning activities from previous inputs.

We used Kelly Holmes for our wiki as the theme is Healthy Lifestyle.

Blackbeard introduced a task for finding adjectives and verbs.



I feel both could be improved by using the microphones to use our own or others' voices instead of typing.

My New iPad :D

This week is my turn to explore the iPad, having had it for four days now I can safely say that I am addicted! There was an app which had already been downloaded called Virtuoso which is a touch keyboard style application. This is obviously useful for music and reminds me of a point Sharon mentioned about an app for a scientific calculator. The money it would cost for a calculator for every pupil would not need to be spent as it would not need to be spent on keyboards. It is one of the many apps which is included in the price of the iPad itself. I found it more engaging than a regular keyboard as it is a novelty to begin with, I started teaching myself new songs and testing out chords for songs I already knew. I felt a sense of achievement when I could play the songs and realised that what I had just seen as messing about was actually learning. There is an emphasis on playing for learning across the nursery modules which Erika and Brenda are teaching us, however this type of play could be spread throughout the whole school and expanded. From this app I found another called Music Drawing Lite which allows you to place a note on a scale and play it. Introducing the notes on a scale could be built upon with this app as pupils can practice through playing on this app. I would use this in my own practice by refreshing knowledge of musical notes including visual reminders on the interactive whiteboard, then I would write the notes of a popular song out in letters. The pupils would have to fill these notes in on the app and play the song. This will involve them matching the notes in letter form to the notes on a scale. I would then let them create their own piece of music which the app enables them to save creating a sense of ownership of the song.

As well as using the music apps, I downloaded games purely for the novelty of having the iPad, I though I may as well enjoy it!
I have become addicted to Bakery Story and Restaurant Story where you build a cafe/restaurant serve customers. The apps have a similar format to Farmville which has never attracted me before however these games were more appealing. At first I thought they were simply something to play but after reading Teaching With the Tools Kids Really Use by Susan Brooks-Young (2010) I realised that it could be more educational than I first thought.
According to Brooks-Young, 'Besides being highly engaging, imaginary worlds provide environments where students can learn to make sense of the real world as well. Increasing numbers of educators are experimenting with using virtual worlds to engage students in a wide range of learning activities.'
I agree with this point as I found the game engaging to the point of addiction!
Brooks-Young expands her point by stating that, 'students who could directly manipulate objects in animations learned better using a variety of problem-solving measures. Virtual worlds make it possible for educators to create environments where students can learn by manipulating objects in the environment to test hypotheses and see "what if?"'
This is very true of these particular apps as the progression of the virtual world is dependant on the actions of the user. Deciding what to cook, how much money to spend on furniture, how long the food will take etc are all decisions the user needs to make to move up levels and have a successful virtual business.
The Curriculum for Excellence outcome;
By experiencing the setting up and running of a business, I can collaborate in making choices relating to the different roles and responsibilities and have evaluated its success.

SOC 2-22a

relates to this sort of game. Pupils experience a taste of enterprising which can relate to projects within the classroom and school.

Animation!

Here is the video animation me and Kirsten made during a previous input.
As I have stated before, the patience it takes to make the video is very important. I find that this patience is sometimes lost on me as I personally prefer instant results however I do feel that looking back at my experience and the end product of it is very enjoyable and I feel that I have not only learned to be more patient but I have reflected on ho I would use this in my own teaching. I think that some people would respond to this activity the same way I did whereas others would appreciate the experience. Paying close attention to detail is a process certain people enjoy. Knowing whether a class would enjoy this comes with knowing the pupils. If I were to use this in education I would set the time frame for the activity at a rate which would suit my own class. We completed the animation in just a few hours as we were only testing and learning the processes ourselves. teaching this to children could become a mini topic which splits each aspect of the task up so completion of smaller tasks could be achievements in themselves. This could be expanded to blogging as each activity could be documented and blogged about e.g. taking pictures of plasticine characters, practicing with the Digital Blue camera technology and the final movies as well as taking pictures of the children during the process. Pupils could also reflect in the blog about how they found the activity. This would help them reflect on their own learning experience by self-assessing and inform the teacher's practice.

During the animation process I feel that the pupils would be working towards the Curriculum for Excellence outcome;
I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways.

TCH 2-04b

I feel that I have enhanced my skills in this area as well as practicing the skills involved in the Curriculum for Excellence outcome;

Using appropriate software, I can work individually or collaboratively to design and implement a game, animation or other application.

TCH 3-09a