Could Papa, Actually Get The Moon?

At the weekend, I watched an animation of 'Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me' for the first time. As I watched it with my own children at home, it struck a chord with me as my class are currently studying a unit in science about the Earth, Sun, Moon and our Solar System. So, today, I played the animation for my class. After I'd played it, I played it a second time and asked the children to write down anything in the video they thought was fictional rather than scientific fact.

In future years, I might use this task as a pre and post assessment. What do they think is fictional before some teaching and then afterwards. Nice story, nice animation and some good science learning...

Padlet in Reading Lessons

Yeah, Padlet again! I know, anyone would think we've got shares in it! Sorry, it's Liam - he just can't get enough of it. Padlet this and Padlet that...

Another post about something we've done a couple of times in the past, but never got around to blogging about. 

Here's an example of some Padlet group work:

Created with Padlet

We used the John Lewis Christmas advert 2015 as a focus for our reading lesson and used questions created by Lee Parkinson and shared on his blog. In the lesson, we played the video using QuiteTube and the children worked in groups with the 'scribe' having the iPad device in their hands. The group discussed their answers and then chose what would be submitted as a collective answer to the Padlet wall. 

It also works individually, with children submitting their own answers.

Created with Padlet

This works best as an independent task initially, followed by some time with an adult afterwards looking at the answers to each question and looking at which answers are right or wrong, which are the best or worst and how a better answer may be made by taking ideas from different children's responses. 

In both of these examples, the answers are made available for the whole class to see, to learn from, discuss, agree/disagree with. Much discussion, refining and explaining of answering technique can be gained from having the responses collected in one place. 

Make X in Maths

Earlier this year, we saw the following Tweet from Ben:

My class loved creating their own 'make 36' game based on the excellent @24game. Using & applying all 4 operations! pic.twitter.com/gM5kQLr6Yp

— Ben Caldwell (@bcaldwell_LDN) September 21, 2015

At the time of reading his Tweet, we'd not heard of 24 Game. However, as a result of Ben's Tweet, we've been using the rules of '24 Game' in our maths classes. 

We started by downloading the app that would allow a demonstration of 24 Game to the class. We also found the board game available online for UK delivery.The 24 Game website also has a Teacher's Tools page. In addition, there are many online examples of the game too.

The app has been excellent for children to work with numbers and the four operations. In addition, as Ben did, we've got our classes to make their own game boards to then give to a peer for them to solve. This creating of the game and then a peer trying to solve extends the number skills involved. And, as you may have already noticed, the total does not always have to be 24. 

We've been collecting some of the children's creations on a Padlet Wall.

This app demonstrates that playing cards could be used for the activity too.

Linked to this, we continue to use Quento and KenKen to work on similar calculation skills.

Padlet & Number Talks

Last week, I carried out a Number Talk with my class and needed some of the responses to use at an event with parents. While thinking of a way of capturing the childrens' work (photocopy whiteboards, run around with a camera etc.), an idea came to me. Children carry out their Number Talk as usual, but instead of vocalising their answers and methods, we'd upload them to a Padlet wall. 

If you've not come across Number Talks before, this may be a useful starting point. In brief, the teacher poses a question, that the children answer. Children share their answers and then, in turn, explain how they got to their answer. A range of methods are shown, misconceptions addressed and discussions held. 

Here's what I did:

- I set up a Padlet wall (http://padlet.com/Murphy/5den0yclatx);

- I posed the following question: 236 - 199;

- children calculated the answer using their chosen mental or written strategy;

- children uploaded an anonymous answer to the Padlet wall.

I then projected the responses and, in turn, we looked at each answer and the method used to arrive at that answer. The anonymous responses allowed a slightly more blunt discussion about the methods used, but naming responses would also have benefits.  

There you go, another post about maths and another that involves Padlet!

Live Working Walls

Last week, Colin replied to one of our posts about using Padlet:

@PrimaryIdeas @padlet Been looking at using the iPad app to provide a "live" working wall in Y5 next half term.

— Colin Grimes (@MrGPrimary) October 27, 2015

This got us thinking about how we could use them too as a Live Working Wall. In our classrooms, we have Working Walls and on them we place examples of work, screenshots, photos and other items related out our current learning in English, maths and other subject areas. That Working Wall (in my room) sits at the back of the classroom and can be seen by the children for the five hours a day they're in class. It'd be more useful to have one they can access more frequently...

As previously identified, Padlet would be excellent for this, but so could a Google Doc or Slides, Lino and other similar online tools. Ideally, this would be in a 1:1 device setting and all pupils could update the Wall as and when they need to. In another setting, pupils could update the Wall when they have online access. In another class, there may be one computer or tablet available to update the Wall. Alternatively, the focus could be on the children adding to it in their own time. 

Whichever is used, the children are creating their own resource for them and their peers to utilise. Again, depending on devices available, they can then use it to aid their learning in a variety of ways. 

Here's an example of a similar 'Live Working Wall' we've previously shared (was originally on Wallwisher!): 

As always, should you have any additional ideas, resources or feedback on this idea, we'd love to hear from you...

Live Blog with Padlet

As part of our computing lessons this year, we wanted to be able to live blog some events in our classrooms. We currently do not have class blogs and were wondering how our goal of Live Blogging could be met. 

We decided Padlet would be a good platform, that the children are familiar with, to give Live Blogging a go. 

So, we set up a Padlet page. We stuck a large QR Code linking to the page on the wall of the classroom. First thing in the morning, we handed the first child in the register an iPad device and gave them an instruction of, "Scan that code and in the next twenty minutes, write about what you do. After that, pass on the iPad device to the next person in the register."

It worked very well. Using one Padlet wall allowed the day's event to all be in one place. The children's familiarity with QR Codes, iPad devices and Padlet allowed them to blog unaided. The results were good and we even got some comments from those who came across our Live Blog. The posts to the page were moderated by the class teacher.

Here's Year Five's day from 18/05/15:

Created with Padlet

One class, who came across our Live Blog, also chose to carry out their own a few days later and that can be seen here. 

If you give it a go, we'd love to see the outcome. 

Follow our live blog http://t.co/shcRColVeL thanks @ThisIsLiamM for the idea.

— Robin Smith (@RAS1975) May 20, 2015

Writing on iPad (Tablet) Devices*

*or any internet enabled device

This is the second post of two. In the first, we wrote about writing using a tablet as a prompt for writing and now follow it up with a post about writing on a tablet.

1.

We've written many times about using Padlet.com as a tool for sharing writing. Those posts can all be found here. Padlet offers many levels of privacy for the walls created and can be easily accessed from a tablet with a camera using a QR Code. 

2.

TitanPad is an online collaborative writing tool that does not require a login. Again, easiest way to access would be through a QR Code. Collaboration could be within a class, across classes in a school or even between schools. We have used it to collaboratively write a text (instructions, story, recount), list features of a text type, improve a piece of writing, to practise sentence structures and more...

3.

Most recently, and based upon an idea from L Parkinson, we have used the tablet devices for peer assessment of written work. After writing, children take a photograph of their work and then, using Pic Collage (or similar), the children write comments about the work directly on to it and next to the part of the text that is being commented upon. 

4.

The iPad most recently comes pre-loaded with the Pages app, which is a powerful word processing application for writing on a tablet.

Padlet Bombing

Collaboration and working online is great, engaging and enjoyable. Last week, Robin Smith shared with the world the Padlet wall his class were going to be working on during their lesson. I clicked his link and up came the Padlet wall. Thought nothing more off it, until...

 

Image credit: padlet.com

... the next day. A child asked me a question and we were about to use the internet on my teacher iPad device to access the internet, when up came the last site I looked at. Yep, you guessed it: Robin's Padlet wall. So, what did I do? We passed the iPad device around my classroom, reading his childrens' work (as they wrote) and adding some ideas of our own.

I then Tweeted Robin saying that I hoped he didn't mind my "gatecrashing". He replied, coining the phrase, "Padlet Bombing".

I realised in advance that Robin had been looking for collaboration and wouldn't mind someone joining in. However, anyone sharing an open document online is looking for collaboration, aren't they... 

@RAS1975 Think you invented a new phrase. Like it!
— Liam (@ThisIsLiamM) October 19, 2014

Two Sentence Stories

We saw a Tweet from @Bennett31:

@alanpeat @redgierob @InspiredMind5 @ICT_MrP horror stories in two sentences! I like this idea http://t.co/b0XuEDvgqP
— MrB (@Bennett31) February 28, 2014

We thought it was an excellent idea! So, we gave it a go...

Stasy: Silently, I crept down the stairs- bare feet freezing cold on the hard, stony floor... My heavy breathing totally drowned out every other sound,except the strange, banging thump from above, I was petrified...

Owen: When I turned the light on, I still couldn't see anything.

See the rest here: http://padlet.com/wall/2SentHorr

Next, we plan to have a go at Two Sentence Romance, Sci-Fi, Crime, Action... 

Not all Displays are for Children (Part 2)

The Part 1 of this blog post came almost two years ago now. In December, we finally got around to putting something in place we'd been meaning to 'get around to' for a while. We wanted to place a display on the outside of our classroom for, other classes, parents, grandparents and general passers by to see (and interact with). We posted the picture below to our Twitter account.

The picture and idea was well received so we have decided to write about it in more than 140 characters.

The purpose of the display? Advertise what the class have been doing. Generate website / blog traffic. Show off a bit.

The first thing added was a word cloud. Each member of the class was asked for a sentence to describe their year so far. They only wrote positives. :-)

Next, some QR codes were added. These link to the class website (containing examples of work, recounts of events and photographs) as well as Padlet walls and other examples of children's online work. The QR Code provides a quick link for anyone with a mobile device and should the QR Code not work for any reason, each has a TinyURL below as a back up or alternative.

Our most recent addition is some augmented reality. Using Aurasma, we created a link to a slideshow of photos from a recent school trip. This is probably the 'show off bit'. 

When parents and other family members come into the classroom they look at displays, ask to see children's work and enjoy seeing what's being done. Now they can do it from outside and (if QR Codes are used) realise they can also do this from home.

We've since presented about this as part of a TeachMeet.

Padlet Your Thinking

After reading a blog post by @SwayGrantham about her implementation of iPad devices I decided to give one of her ideas a go. This would work on any internet enabled device.

In maths, we spent two days working on a real life investigation looking as redesigning the school's garden. The task was the culmination of our work about 2D shapes and their properties.

Image credit: Padlet.com

I set up a Padlet wall and asked the children to post ideas, thoughts, help, suggestions and photos onto the Padlet wall for others around the classroom to see. The wall can be found here. The children completed the task, whilst sharing their knowledge and learning from each other. It's also created a good digital record of the lesson.

E2BN TeachMeet 2013

In June 2013 we presented at the E2BN TeachMeet:


Presentation 1: "Every Day in Just Three Words"

Get the presentation here.

See a blog post from us here.


Presentation 2: "What Can I do With my Google Login?"

Get the presentation here.

See a blog post from us about Padlet.


See a blog post from us about Google Forms.

Padlet Beats Sugar Paper

Have you seen Padlet (was WallWisher)? It's on online 'wall' where sticky notes can be added. It allows anyone with the link to the page to add to the content of the wall.

Here are three examples of its use:

http://padlet.com/wall/BHJRLMLiteracy 

http://padlet.com/wall/BHJRLMMaths 

http://padlet.com/wall/TudoriDiscover

My newest idea for using Padlet is as a replacement to sugar paper. How often do children in your class work collaboratively while huddled around a piece of sugar paper passing a marker pen between them to add content? How about providing them a Padlet wall to write on? Either one for the whole class, or one per group. Start with a blank wall or possibly start with a prompt in the middle (a photograph for example). Then at the end, the class teacher can project the results or get each child in turn to visit the other walls to see what's been written. Also, there's no need to store rolls of paper for future reference. Just keep the links!

The walls above are on going throughout the year and therefore all posts are moderated. If I was using a wall within one lesson I'd probably leave it unmoderated so results were put live instantly.

If you have other uses for Padlet please let us know.