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...

Roads? Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads.

In 1989, a film was released. It made predictions about the future. We're now in the future! In 'Back to the Future', Marty and Doc travelled back thirty years to 1955 and at the end of that film, set off to a place (thirty years in the future) where they "...don't need roads." The date they visited in Back to the Future II was 21st October 2015. 

On 21st October, why not spend some time with your class investigating the predictions made? Flying cars, hover boards, self-lacing shoes and more. Then, look forward, what might October 2045 look like? Also, design some time machines: explain how they work and draw them. 

On Wednesday 21st October 2015, I plan to teach maths (time differences), English (explanation text on how a time machine works) and another lesson (writing a letter to the future or past). Want to join me? Please do…

I ask only to things: at some point play the “Back to the Future Overture” and share this from the end of Back to the Future III, “...your future hasn't been written yet. No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one…”, Dr. E. Brown, October 27th 1985.

In addition, if you're reading this after 21/10/2015, everything about above is still relevant. Still look at the predictions made. Possibly still look at how they've not come true (or how long after it took) and what technology we do have that wasn't predicted (smart phone anyone?).  

Update of what we got up to on the day...

Created with Padlet

More Estimation Displays

In addition to our recent posts about estimation in the classroom, we've now added some new displays to our year group.

We discovered the idea of using baby wipe lids for displays a long time ago via Twitter. We can't remember the origin, but are happy to add a reference if one is provided. As a new dad, I now have, for the first time, many, many baby wipe lids at my disposal. So, as they've become available, I've used them to set up estimation tasks around our year group and classrooms. Some are about the height and width of doors, others about the length of items and distances around the building too. 

 Image credit: Tesco

Got a baby? Know someone with a baby? Save up those baby wipe lids. Measure some items. Make some displays...

Plastic Wallet Organisation

I like being organised, I like lessons to run smoothly and that's just the way I am. I've always placed resources for the day in the middle of the table, so that when they're needed, the children can easily access them. However, I've often got frustrated when children make a mess (shocker) of these piles while looking for the sheet I want them to use. A solution came my way when I saw what was happening in another classroom (thank you Mrs. M.)...

1. A coloured plastic wallet per subject (for me; English, maths and other).

2. Enough plastic wallets for one per table.

3. At the start of the day, fill the relevant wallet with the relevant resources.

4. Place on the table.

5. At the appropriate time, ask the children to take the contents out of the relevant wallet.

6. They can even be used at the end of the lesson if anything needs collecting!

Simple, effective, tidy and efficient. 

What? No Date?

A few years ago, I can't remember where it came from (happy to reference if there is a source), we were asked to stop writing the date on the board each day.

Why?

Encourage children to 'know the date each day'.

Improve their independence.

Improve their spelling of days and months. 

Result?

Children use TV, newspapers, tables etc. to find out the date (like adults do).

Children are still able to date work and know what day /date it is.

Rather than just simply copying from the board, those who find spelling of days and months more challenging need to think more about, and remember, these words.

In addition, I save about 30 seconds per day, over 190 days. That's 80 minutes back per year! 80 minutes!

The Backwards Video Task

Last year, we wrote about 'Television - Beaming Ideas into your Livingroom!' We'll, the TV watching has come up trumps once again... 

While watching Taskmaster on Dave, I saw the following task being carried out by the contestants (audio not appropriate for a primary school classroom):

The concept is brilliant. Film something, that is impressive when watched in reverse. Below is the video we came up with...

As part of our start of year; group work, English teaching and getting to know equipment activities we gave the children in Year Five this same task. They worked in groups, thought about and planned their video before then going through the technological steps to complete the task.

An example of the planning sheet is below and some of the finished examples can be viewed here.

 

For our implementation of it, we used iPad devices to film, iMovie app to edit and Reverser - Backwards Video Maker with Reverse Cam app to reverse the video. If we find other ways of reversing videos, we'll update this post.

@PrimaryIdeas that's brilliant! Really glad to have helped in some way...

— Alex Horne (@AlexHorne) September 7, 2015

Math Duel League

In 2014, Lee Parkinson wrote an iBook to share ideas for iPad device use during the Football World Cup. This blog post builds upon one of Lee's ideas in that book. Incidentally, all of Lee's books are very useful (for both Apple and Android devices) and can be found both here and here. 

 Image credit: Lee Parkinson

In the book '15 iPad Lessons for the World Cup' Lee outlined an idea for using the Math Duel app in class to improve maths skills through a bit of healthy competition. This year, I plan to build upon this with the Math Duel League...

This is an idea I've been playing around with for a while and hope will work. I imagine it'll take a bit of tinkering with, and as I do, I'll update this post. As I'm writing the post before trying it out, any suggestions others have are most welcome.

We're in school for thirty odd weeks during the year and I have thirty children in my class. This is where the idea started. How about each child playing another child each week through the year and then, at the end of the year, have a completed league table. 

- Each child must play each other child 'home' and 'away' during the year. A copy of the class list for each child to tick off as they go will be useful for this.

- 'Home' is the child sat in their usual class seat. The 'away' child moves to sit with them. The child at 'home' inputs the settings (there needs to be a fair play agreement here). They then play their game.

- On Google Drive, there'll be a spreadsheet for children to input results into and the table can be created from this. The children will be able to access the Google Drive document from the iPad device once their game has finished. 

My main concern using thinking about this has been about the children who may finish bottom of the league. I'll not share the whole league table with the class. The 'home' and 'away' and the 'home child' being in charge of the settings should enable all children to win some games. Another thought was about handicaps based upon head starts or giving children certain times tables to work on. 

Image Credit: Ellie's Games

Math Duel is available for both Apple and Android devices.

I'll give it a go and see how it goes...