Sunday, 6 April 2014

Use YouTube with More Confidence

Here we go, a follow up to a previous post. Everything in the previous post is still relevant, but since, we've learned more.

We have found more ways of 'de-cluttering' YouTube:

1. QuietTube (via Julian);

2. SafeShare.TV (via Ben).

Also, we've found more ways of downloading from YouTube:


Short. To the point. Want to know more? Read the first post.

Friday, 28 March 2014

Crowdsource - Who Else Wants to Share?

In the past, we've contributed to other people's crowdsourcing. We decided to give it a go ourselves. Often, on social media, the term PLN (Personal/Professional Learning Network) is used. What is often not mentioned is that on Twitter, someone had two PLNs: The PLN they follow and get ideas from in their feed and the PLN they are followed by and can therefore ask for help. The two PLNs are very likely to be different!

This crowdsourcing focuses on those a Twitter user can ask for help. Your followers. In my classroom, we were preparing for some project based learning around the topic of Space. I decided the groups in my class would all produce a video, that could then be attached to a photo using Augmented Reality and share it with the world. I had some ideas, but wanted more...

So, I set up this document: 'Video Ideas'

I Tweeted it a couple of times and got responses. All of these responses were valuable and offered to the class as options for their video outcome. That document can now be kept and also shared with others. 

Tweet and Tweet often. Direct it at users you know will have ideas. Ask / hope for ReTweets. Share it on other social media too. Send it to friends, colleagues or someone in a certain sector of work. If people add, that's great. If someone has no ideas or can't contribute, nothing's lost. Of course, this does rely on having numerous followers or others choosing to share it further. Ensure you're direct about what you want to find out. It'll allow more space than a Tweet allows for someone to share an idea. 

Having a go? Let us know, we'll respond and, you never know, we may even help to spread the word...

Sunday, 16 March 2014

Create Your Own Interactive Resources

So, the curriculum's changing. Lots has been said, lots has been discussed. Some like; others don't like. Maybe you're a teacher very able when it comes to computational thinking, however you may be less au fait with this aspect of primary education.

We've both got an interest in computing. In recent years, we've run a Code Club and also ensured the coverage of computing in our junior school. 

Our latest development is to begin creating our own games and activities in Scratch to use in our classrooms and others across the school. Creating the resources yourself means they can the tailored to your own needs. Also, if you've got to teach and support children in computational thinking, it's a good idea to develop your own skills. Whilst developing those skills, create something that's useful to you!

Image credit: scratch.mit.edu

We're using Scratch because it's a reasonably easy place to start, projects and easily shared online and others can 'remix' the project to adapt it for their needs or wants. Other languages can of course be used too.

We began by creating this project to support this blog post. This uses Alan Peat resources and if you're using them too, why not remix the project to show the sentences you're wokring on?

Next, we created this project to accompany this blog post.

We're sure they'll be more to come from us. Our Scratch projects can all be found here: http://scratch.mit.edu/users/primaryideas.

Sunday, 9 March 2014

Two Sentence Stories

We saw a Tweet from @Bennett31:
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... 

Friday, 21 February 2014

Things We Wouldn't Know Without Twitter*

*or at least as easily as we have.


This post is probably a follow up to A Year on Twitter. It is certainly something for anyone hoping to Bring a Teacher to Twitter to share. Below are things we've discovered on Twitter over the past three years and now use in our Key Stage Two classrooms: 

Apps, apps and more apps - (@AppyMail, @ebd35, @TheiMums, #appFriday
There are many users sharing app ideas, particularly highlighting price drops (some of them even use Android). Most of the apps we use have come from Twitter suggestions. #ThanksAll 

Geography & History Encyclopedia - (@simonhaughton
An easy to use, straight forward, online encyclopedia for children to use. #ThanksSimon

Google Forms for Home Learning - (@raff31
Take a look at Peter's example or one we used for inspiration and explanation. Children complete online. Offers an assessment opportunity. Download responses as spreadsheet file. #ThanksPeter




Padlet - (@SwayGrantham
Using Padlet within a lesson to record childrens' work and thinking. #ThanksSway

Paint Chart Vocabulary - (@shornymorgan
Using paint charts to aid children's vocabulary development. #ThanksShorny 




QR Codes in Reading Journals - (@tombrush1982
We don't have positive postcards - so we adapted a little. When children's work is published online, a QR Code and accompanying TinyURL is stuck into their reading journal for parents to see. #ThanksTom

QR Codes Embedded in Pictures - (@ICTEvangelist
Combine a picture and a QR Code. Here's our example. #ThanksMark




Show YouTube videos without all the video recommendations and comments. http://tinyurl.com/p8ndabz #ThanksJulian

VGA switch - (@JoeDale
In assembly we often have two or more laptops on the go. The swapping was, well, less than seamless. Now it's smooth, crisp and highly professional. We got one for about a fiver online. #ThanksJoe

3x3 Home Learning Grid - (@tomhenzley
Look at the blog post. We've enjoyed using them, so have the children and it's something a bit different. #ThanksTim

7puzzleblog - (@7Puzzle
Daily maths puzzle to get your children thinking (and more). #ThanksPaul

So, there you go. Have a look at those. Did you already know about them? There's more too. This is just what came to mind. As a disclaimer: We're not saying the above were the originators of each idea or claim to have invented them - that's who we saw Tweet it first (they informed us about it).

Thursday, 6 February 2014