Engaging Animations

My current role is as support teacher implementing an online reading program that targets students individually or in small groups. Therefore, opportunities for me to incorporate engaging animations using ‘Sock Puppets’ and ‘Puppet Pals 2’ in my teaching role are extremely limited.

However, I’m beginning to work with a few students and the classroom teacher from the adjoining class to learn how to use these apps so they can be incorporated into learning tasks where applicable in her classroom. The teacher and selected students will mentor fellow students in follow-up tasks using the apps.

Some ideas we have discussed for incorporating the use of puppet apps in her classroom for individual and collaborative tasks are as follows:

•         Recount an experience such as a class activity, excursion, sporting event
• ·       Write a script & prepare animated storyline
•         Brainstorm ideas on a topic in a group & present to the class
• ·       Research & present a report on a topic of study
• ·       Interview a guest visitor to present a point a view on a study topic
• ·       Present a book report or review
• ·       Historical recount of events
• ·       Describe a timeline
• ·       ESL students use the characters to practice speaking and listening skills to develop their oral language skills
• ·      Reluctant speakers to crowds use the puppets as their oral presentation for an assignment
• 
  

Create a comic strip

Create and share a comic strip combining a number of your images from the iPhoneography section of this project. Reflect on the process and discuss potential uses of this app in teaching and learning practices.

Using 'Snapseed', I modified a few fun family photos using 'Snapseed' in preparation for creating the comic strip. Then, using 'Strip Designer' I proceeded to create my fun strip of a family wedding.

The process took a substantial amount of time as it was my first project using strip Designer. It was trial and error particularly when adding and aligning text boxes on images within the comic strip. In the classroom it would be time consuming and challenging to teach the skills required for all individual students to create their own comic strip. Initially, due to time restrictions, I will start by creating collaborative group comic strips with each student in the group creating one frame within the comic strip. 

After reading the article '10 Easy Ways To Get Started with iPads', I agree there are numerous ways to use Strip Designer as an app for presenting a range of student work as well as for teaching aids such as posters, procedures, timelines, reports, etc. More ideas on how to incorporate Strip Designer in teaching and learning would develop as proficiency in the use of the app improves for both teacher and students.

Children will definitely enjoy the adding text boxes, speech bubbles, captions and other effects to their photos to illustration a series of steps in a procedure, to present a book review, to report on a visiting presentation, to present a pictorial recount of an excursion, to create a timeline or to simply create a comic strip of ideas featuring photographs of student illustrations. Ideas for use are only limited by combining practical ideas, creativity and skill development in the use of the app. I will endeavour to incorporate the use of this app in a couple of student activities next term, probably as a procedure and also as a report on the school presentation or function for the school newsletter.

iPhoneography - Getting the most from the camera

Samples of my experimentation with Snapseed - as a keen amateur photographer I really enjoyed experimenting with this app. I took the original photos around Darwin and South Australia over the past four months. My efforts using Snapseed features are shown in contrasts with the original photo (bottom pics). Feedback welcome.

Pending storm

Geese grazing

Friendly war games

"Hey mate, what about me?"

Dusk At The Wharf 

Childhood Joy

Life At The Waterfront 

'Just Tied The Knot'

Stormy Seas

Precious Water

More on 'iPad Games Based Learning'

^{Explore 'A Must Have Guide to Gaming in the Classroom' then read 'Can Gaming Change Education?'. Discuss some of the key points from each resource.}

^{'A Must Have Guide to Gaming in the Classroom'}

^{The ‘dizzying pace of tech evolutions’ is a major challenge for teachers and administrators. The financial and personnel demands resulting from the tech evolution and the need to remain relevant to today’s students are both challenging and daunting. The purchase of new technologies for classrooms and the training of educators in the use of new technologies is an ongoing financial cost that is frequently beyond the budgets available to schools. In our school finances are so limited that it is paramount that wise choices are made when making technology purchases which factor in staff training and maintenance costs.}

^{The research indicated that it is important for schools to use technology to support learning with educational games. Engaged students are motivated to learn and motivating students can be challenging particularly for reluctant learners. Schools and administrators represented in the article overwhelming agree that tech games motivated students and a majority believed that they also allowed for learning to be personalised to the learner’s needs which makes tech games valuable for achieving individualised outcomes.  Today’s children have grown up with tech games making them familiar technologies that they enjoy. Thus the inclusion of tech games in education certainly makes sense!}

^{The explanation of how games help children learn makes a logical argument for including tech games in education. Tech games engage students in learning that has been designed to be interactive for the learner, with the learner in control of their actions and engaged in the educational task. Gaming activities are thought to stimulate the brain to produce dopamine which orients attention to the activity and allowing for better connections to be made between neurons. These connections in the brain are what learning is based on. Additionally teachers recognised that gaming activities developed teamwork and life skills such as problem solving, communication, collaboration and negotiation.}

^{The points raised in the article certainly support the inclusion of tech games in education across multiple ages, learning areas and educational environments.}  

^{‘Can Gaming Change Education?'}

^{With the advances in technology, cheaper prices, and a growing market for video games, children, young adults and even some seniors are playing video games more than ever, thus allowing greater acceptance by a broad range of the community. From a personal perspective I can state that I’m a late comer to gaming, only beginning to participate when I purchased my iPad as a means of learning about my iPad. Prior to this, being time poor, I had no real interest in investigating tech games as part of learning, relying on familiar board games.}

^{In the article, it was stated that ‘games don’t just affect enthusiasm’ and it stated that ‘research suggests that playing action games on a regular basis can alter a player’s attention skills’. In a control study it was deduced that regular games had ‘better focus and better visually selective attention’. It was also deducted that ‘action games push the speed of learning’. I found this extremely interesting.  Additionally, the concluding statement that indicted that the use of tech games are ‘not sufficient in and of themselves for a course of study’ but are valuable to reinforce learning of facts and procedures that may continue beyond the completion of classes. I have studied many subjects over the years where my knowledge has been short lived due to lack of a ‘need to know’ and therefore not of long term value. It is interesting to consider how learned facts could potentially be retained longer via the use of tech games.}

^{I am familiar with all the barriers discussed regarding the inclusion of tech games in education. All are relevant barriers to inclusion in my school environment and present the need for careful consideration mostly by senior school personnel. I have mentioned the financial barrier to purchase and maintain technical equipment, as well as the support for teacher training in tech game equipment and genres and their implementation in the classroom. I am therefore appreciative of the current professional training in ICT that has recently been provided. My ongoing challenge, and that of my colleagues, is the time factor necessary for course participation and personal skill development in the demanding environment of teaching.} 

iPad Games Based Learning

What are your initial thoughts about using iPad games for education? 

My initial thoughts are that using iPad games for education would have advantages for learners because they engage learners in an educational task, particularly reluctant learners. We know that play based learning is active learning and that play is the basis of children’s learning. It allows for learning to occur naturally at the developmental stage that is correct for the individual child. I believe that if learning experiences are presented in an irresistible way such as games, children will participate enthusiastically in the learning activity. Games allow for mistakes so learning is safe and non-threatening for the learner. The complexity of the games’ tasks increase as the learner works through challenges within the game, thus maintaining motivation for the learner. Play based learning through games should not replace traditional targeted teaching but instead compliment, reinforce and enhance learning. The issue is to select appropriate games as well as balance the use of games to achieve the desired educational outcomes as per curriculum requirements.

eBooks

Obviously there are some significant differences between traditional paper-based books and books in electronic format.

What do you think about iBooks and some of the book apps that were mentioned?

o    Is there a place for electronic books in education?

o    How might you using interactive electronic books in the classroom?

o    How might you use electronic books in the classroom?

I think iBooks are brilliant. They are a virtual bookshelf that provides access to multiple books, any place and at any time, via a single, portable device, making iBooks perfect for travel, study, etc. I enjoy the convenience of being able to readily purchase a book on iTunes and commence reading immediately rather than waiting until I can visit a bookstore.

The ability to create selections and categories is a helpful feature, providing a personalised filing system for readers.

Images are engaging in iBooks because you can expand the images to enable closer inspection of aspects of an image. This is especially useful when images are small or vision is poor. Enlarging font size or changing font is also use for reading when there is a vision issue. I have heard of people with deteriorating vision enjoying reading again because they can read enlarged print using iBooks. By changing the screen brightness it is also possible to improve reading conditions which is helpful.

A great option when reading is the ability to define words using an in-app dictionary. If further clarification is needed, the reader can search into the web or use Wikipedia. Highlighting sections of text as you read through a book is ideal for identifying key points of interest. Tracking back through the highlighted sections later provides an efficient means of targeting and summarising text. The option of altering the colour of the highlights enables highlighted text to be categorised. Additionally, highlights can be easily removed which makes texts available for use by others in their original form, thus ideal for educational purposes.

There is the option with iBooks to add notes as the reader progresses through a book, allowing for key notes and summaries to be made, thus also an ideal educational feature. At any time the reader can go back and review notes and provides access to the relevant highlighted section by tapping on the notes. Notes can be edited as well as selected and shared with colleagues or teachers via email or printed hardcopy. This feature makes iBooks ideal for collaborative tasks in education and business.

There are iBooks available that have audio and video features. The read-aloud feature has a narrator read the book to you with some books even highlighting the words as you read along, making them ideal interactive texts for children.

There is definitely a place for iBooks in education. The features outlined above make them ideal for fields of education, from early childhood to tertiary.

The interactive nature of iBooks engages reluctant readers to have-a-go. Students can be support in their reading journey with audio texts that highlight the words being read so they can read along. Options to define words with an in-app dictionary, bookmark information, highlight text, create notes, track and share summaries make iBooks excellent teaching resources.

The mobility of iBooks makes them user friendly, providing texts that are easily accessed via one device, thus eliminating the issue of carrying heavy, bulky textbooks around.

The wear-and-tear factor that occurs with repetitive use of traditional paper-based books is avoided with the use of iBooks. However, consideration of the cost and maintenance of the iPads needs to be factored in when financing iBook purchases.

We currently use interactive electronic books in our school using the Raz-Kids program. We use the Raz app for reading sessions for individual student reading support, in groups for guided reading and individually by students for sole reading. This reading program provides students with a levelled reader that has listening, reading and comprehension components. It is interactive, supportive and captivates even the most reluctant reader.

Electronic books are also being used as whole class studies focussing on targeted literacy outcomes.

Other ideas for using electronic books include follow-up literacy tasks such as an author study, creating a class eBook with a theme variation, create a reader’s theatre or play based on the book, grammar study by highlighting grammar with different colours, study genre structure, source definitions of new vocabulary, as a digital big book on a smart board, eBook mapping for geography combining eBook and a world globe, create illustrations to reflect story and create a class picture book, write an present a report based on an eBook, to support a literacy circle of activities, for reading assessments and as a readers corner for quiet reading.

Investigate the options of Email and Dropbox for managing files on an iPad.

      As a beginner to iPads I found it necessary to google reviews and articles in an attempt to understand both email & Dropbox features relevant to an iPad. I’m not sure I have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of each for file management but I have a better understanding than before I researched this topic. Anyway these are my conclusions…..

What are the pros  / cons for each option?

Dropbox

Pros

o   allows management of all your data files by storing in a single, secure place

o   data files stored on external cloud based service

o   works across platform and devices – Mac, pc, tablet, smart phone

o   data files available on all synced devices – work computer, home computer, laptop, iPad, smart phone

o   changes to files are automatically synced

o   automatically backs up your files on all synced devices

o   allows storage and access to files that are too large to store or transfer on email

o   free and simple to set up

o   easy to use, fast and free to storage quota of 2GB

o   teaching / learning tool – share file access for teacher and multiple students to share files, add files, download content, store visual presentations too large to email, time stamp submissions

Cons

o   access to internet / wifi  required for use

o   data is stored on a device you don’t own so you no longer have total control – target for hackers

Email on an iPad

Pros

·         allows management of all your data files by storing in on an email service such as Gmail

·         data files stored on external server

·         data files available on several devices – work computer, home computer, laptop, iPad, smart phone via Gmail

·         free and simple to set up

·         easy to use, fast and free to 10GB on Gmail

Cons

·         access to internet / wifi  required for use

·         data is stored on a device you don’t own so you no longer have total control – target for hackers

·         changes to files are not automatically synced

·         not shared access for teacher and multiple students to share files, add files, download content, store visual presentations too large to email, time stamp submissions

With my very limited experience in using iPads and after reading up on email on iPads, I have concluded that one major difference between the use of Email and Dropbox for managing files is the size limit of files. With emailed files many servers have an emailable size limit, so files containing images can be too big, thus not allowing access to large files via email. Using Dropbox allows storage and access to these larger files on an iPad. Also you still can’t save emails directly to your iPad.

In my current work setting Dropbox will allow me to: -

·         Move files and folders between my home computer, work PC, laptop and iPad

·         Extend the effective storage space of your iPad as I create files containing many images using iPad apps

·         Give access to resources via a single link such as training and lesson preparation. Currently at my school, Dropbox sharing isn’t used between colleagues or students.

·         Access email files easier with my iPad from my laptop, home pc & laptop

·         Storing resources that I will use in lesson and training

       With email, ntschools mail could be accessed via ‘Safari’ on an iPad but it would seem a less direct way to access email than using my laptop and then saving relevant files to ‘Dropbox’.  I will access my personal files on Gmail with my iPad.