Developing Writing in the Modern Classroom Conference 12th June!

June 14, 2015, 8:22 am

≫ Next: Alan Peat presents... Using Technology to deliver the New Primary Curriculum 4th June 2015 North Yorkshire

On Friday 12th June, Alan Peat and I led a BRAND NEW and UNIQUE conference - Developing Writing in the Modern Classroom.

It was the first time in over 15 years Alan had worked alongside someone and I was extremely grateful for the opportunity. We were both amazed by the response after selling out the venue in less than two months of advertising. I knew after planning with Alan that the day would be both practical and useful for all that attended. However, I did not expect the overwhelming response and feedback from all the teachers who joined us. We were even trending on twitter during the conference with our '#2Ps' hashtag.

I want to thank each and everyone for making the day fantastic and for all of the positive feedback. Along with Alan, I want to thank Julie and Simon for all her hard work in organising the great day.

The approach to this conference was simple - create a whole school approach to engaging and improving writing in the modern classroom. Combining low tech with high tech, teachers would leave with a wealth of ideas to both inspire and raise standards throughout a school. Making sure behind every strategy and idea was sound pedagogy that has been proven to improve writing across a number of schools.

Due to the amount of requests and interest about the conference, we are now planning on taking the day nationwide and beyond with details and dates to be revealed shortly. The next conference will be in Walsall on 13th October. To reserve a place, please email info@alanpeat.com. If you think we should come to an area near you, please also email. We have had interest from overseas including Australia and would love to take this overseas, so please do get in touch if you are know of schools or districts that will be interested.

Here are some of the wonderful tweets about the conference put together using Storify -

View the story "Writing in the Modern Classroom Conference" on Storify

For a more detailed outline of the course, please watch the following video -

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Alan Peat presents... Using Technology to deliver the New Primary Curriculum 4th June 2015 North Yorkshire

June 17, 2015, 8:24 am

≫ Next: Exploring our own Jurassic World!

≪ Previous: Developing Writing in the Modern Classroom Conference 12th June!

Thanks to all that came to the Swaledale Alliance conference on Thursday 4th June 2015. I had a great day sharing ideas and strategies to enhance the new curriculum using technology.

Thank you for all the positive feedback and lovely comments -

OMG! I knew it would be good, but wow! I was emailing my headteacher by 11am, asking to set up a blog, had planned next weeks Literacy by 2pm and been inspired by Augmented Reality for transforming displays by 3! Thank you so much and keep up the great work!

Excellent and inspirational. Would love to go into more depth and have more hands on time to play! I will talk to head re; cluster training. Thank you!

Lots of great ideas and practical tips/pointers. Entertaining, interesting and will definitely (i hope) improve how we use iPads in the classroom.

Very informative, inspirational and most of all enjoyable.

Very inspiring - Hope i can begin to use these ideas with my class soon. Will feedback at school for further training on the suggested apps so we get the best use of them. An enjoyable day! Thanks!

Thanks for a super day; lots to think about and use back in school.

Enjoyed course! Good ideas from Lee.

Very useful and full of ideas to go away and investigate and try in school.

Loads of great ideas to take away and inspire children.

Lots of really useful tips on what Apps to use, how to make use of iPads beneficial in class. Really interesting and engaging.

Totally inspired - cant wait to share with staff and children back at school!

This was a fantastic training session that really inspired me. I cant wait to go back to school and share the ideas! Thank you!

Fantastic day, lots to take in and think about how to implement! Great ideas and very passionate! Liked all the examples and the time to play on the apps.

Great opportunity to see inspirational and great ideas that are tried and tested by someone at the chalkface. Practical and brilliant. Will definitely put most of these ideas into practice! Thank you!

Lots of excellent ideas and suggestions. A thoroughly worthwhile and enjoyable day.

Remember you can book Mr P fo INSET and CPD at your school and for conference keynotes internationally, please email - Davyhulme.ipad@gmail.com for more details!

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Exploring our own Jurassic World!

June 17, 2015, 8:46 am

≫ Next: Making the most of our space!

≪ Previous: Alan Peat presents... Using Technology to deliver the New Primary Curriculum 4th June 2015 North Yorkshire

Last week, I blogged about working with a class and writing our own guides to Jurassic World using this website -

http://uk.jurassicworldintl.com/

You can read the blog post and see some of the children's guides here.

Since the release of the film Jurassic World, the website has updated to collate with the events of the film!

Today we continued to use the theme of Dinosaurs with some narrative writing. We first started by exploring the app Dino Park VR.

This free app works best with a Google Cardboard headset, but will also work in 2D mode on an iPad. You can read more about Virtual Reality by reading this blog post and this blog post.

The app takes children on a short tour of a virtual dinosaur park and allows them to take a full 360 degree view of the surroundings. Children were instantly immersed in this world and discussed what they could see, hear etc.

Using the record feature on Airserver, I recorded one of the journeys the children went on in the app. This was shared and used as the background in Doink Greenscreen. The children then filmed themselves as if they were walking around the park, reacting to the environment.

This was all filmed in our newly developed media suite. The finished video was then viewed by the children and inspired some amazing writing.

The children had to try and make their writing fit the video and so this added a slight constraint which helped keep the children focused and to the point.

They then recorded themselves narrating their writing over their video in iMovie to create a fantastic finished digital story. They were so proud of their efforts and can't wait to share them so PLEASE comment on their work so I can inspire them further, thanks!

Tomorrow we will be using green screen but in a different way, hopefully bringing some dinosaurs into the playground! Watch this space!

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Making the most of our space!

June 17, 2015, 9:14 am

≫ Next: Jurassic School!

≪ Previous: Exploring our own Jurassic World!

We have recently embarked in a project to try and turn one of our ICT suites into a media suite. At the beginning of 2015 we had a KS1 ICT Suite and KS2 ICT Suite. I felt this wasn't the best use of the space and decided to reduce it to one whole school ICT suite.

I am often asked about whether schools should keep an ICT suite and I would say yes. I feel children need the opportunity to learn and use as many different forms of technology. If you replace an ICT suite because you now have iPads you will be deskilling children from using traditional PCs or laptops. In my experience, children are exposed to mobile technology more nowadays but it is still crucial for children to learn basic skills such as creating a file and saving it to a folder on a PC or laptop. Sometimes the iPad is more like a cheat machine and while it can do wonderful and marvellous things and save you time we still need to teach children the basics of using computers.

We still have a computing lesson one hour a week and encourage staff to get the children into the ICT suite to teach the computing science aspect of the curriculum. The information technology and digital literacy is embedded through the curriculum in the way we blog and use iPads.

Our traditional ICT suite

I had visions of turning the KS1 ICT suite into a media suite, with space for projects including greenscreen, stop motion animation and radio podcasting! We have therefore painted half of the room in green opening the door for so much quality speaking and listening through greenscreen activities. In the couple of weeks since the walls have been painted we have already done this and this.

At present, the room looks like this -

Our other ICT suite now a media suite

On the left-hand side, are some PCs alongside working stations for children. We are hoping to add a radio station alongside some stop motion animation studios. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of some of the Zu3D animation kits and Lego story starter kits to get going with this. On the right-hand side, you can see the huge greenscreen area we have.

I am on a mission to make the most of this room! I know it can easily fit a half class of children and know that with a focused and engaged activity the children would work independently in this area. I will update you on the progress with this and share other ways in which we use the space!

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Jurassic School!

June 20, 2015, 2:40 am

≫ Next: Math Shake - Brilliant for Word Problems!

≪ Previous: Making the most of our space!

I have been recently using the children's enthusiasm for the latest blockbuster - Jurassic World - to inspire writing.

With one class, we created guides to Jurassic World using Adobe Slate and then created films where we entered a dinosaur infested jungle!

With another class, we used greenscreen to bring a real-life dinosaur into our school. There are plenty of greenscreen apps on the app store but Doink Greenscreen is easily the best one I have used. This task was slightly different. We first started by downloading stock footage from youtube -

We were then able to film the dinosaur in different locations around the school. The children then used the greenscreen in our new media suite to film themselves in the scene too.

The finished video was then used to inspire a short narrative about a dinosaur in the school. The children were so engaged having the visuals of them with the dinosaur. The added element of acting the scene out first also helped children describe their feelings and reactions to the action. Knowing the writing was going to be transformed into a film also motivated the children to complete the task and do it to the best of their ability.

I love the ability to bring Hollywood style special effects into the classroom like never before and it certainly inspires children to write with the purpose. They would love a comment to know what you think of their work!

If you would like to know more, or have Mr P lead inset and training in your school, please visit this link.

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Math Shake - Brilliant for Word Problems!

June 22, 2015, 12:09 pm

≫ Next: Improving Reading and Writing Through Popular Children's Movies and Media....Friday 19th June 2015 Dudley

≪ Previous: Jurassic School!

When it comes to assessments in maths, it can be tricky for some children to be able to extract the number sentence from a word problem before they solve it. It is also hard for a teacher to be in 30 places at once to make sure the pupils have got it right. An app I have been using for a while now helps with both these problems!

Math Shake from @TopStoreyApps is a brilliant app to use in Maths. The app has six levels of difficulty and children can choose which operation to focus on or do all of them. They are then given a word problem and have to press on the key facts to build their number sentence. If they do not get it correct they are instantly told and, therefore made to check their answer.

Once they have figured out the correct number sentence, they are automatically taken to a whiteboard with a range of maths tools they can use to solve the calculation. The app also has a record feature to allow children to record the screen as they calculate the answer. They can then enter their answer and again if it is wrong they are taken back to their working out and encouraged to check their work. When they get it correct, another word problem will show.

I highly recommend this app, it encourages children to work independently and helps them decode word problems. If you head over to my facebook page, we have 5 FREE codes up for grabs!! See the link below!

FREE APP GIVEAWAY!!! I am very excited to have 5 FREE codes for the BRILLIANT Math Shake app! It is a fantastic app to...
Posted by ICT with Mr P on Monday, June 22, 2015

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Improving Reading and Writing Through Popular Children's Movies and Media....Friday 19th June 2015 Dudley

June 24, 2015, 12:21 pm

≫ Next: Reading into Writing using Padlet!

≪ Previous: Math Shake - Brilliant for Word Problems!

Big thanks to all that came to the first day of our new conference yesterday. John and I, had a great day sharing ideas on improving reading and writing through popular children's movies and media.

25 Evaluations

23 rated the content of the speakers as excellent
2 rated the content of the speakers as good
22 rated the delivery of the speakers as excellent
2 rated the delivery of the speakers as good
1 rated the delivery of the speakers as satisfactory

Feedback

"This has opened my mind completely! One of the best CPD courses i have been on!"

"Loads of ideas that I will be using in school. All great for learning and child engagement. Just thanks - best course i've been on in a long time!"

"Fabulous! Brilliant ideas to take back to try in the classroom. Thank you!"

"Excellent speakers, fun, informative, knowledgeable! Thank you for a fantastic day with lots of ideas to use in school."

"Fantastic, inspiring, practical advice, clearly child centred. Thank you for inspiring me! I cant wait to set up a green wall back at school."

"Great ideas to use in class, some easily developed for younger children and different approach. Thanks for a super day!"

"Fantastic ideas to use in class to motivate writers."

"Wonderful ideas! Resources accessible and top tips from John. Inspiration throughout! Loved the up to date, relevance to the real world and minds of children."

"Brilliant content. So inspiring and exciting to be able to use in my classroom. Thank you!"

"Loads of fantastic ideas, very inspirational. Cant wait to share today's ideas with my staff!"

"Inspirational and innovative as ever!"

"Fantastic ideas, enthusiastic, funny and engaging!"

"Fantastic day! Very informative and inspiring!"

"Very creative, opened up a world of resources at your fingertips. Just very inspiring. Thanks!"

"Excellent delivery - learnt a lot that i will take back to school and share. A fantastic course, come to Doncaster!"

"Excellent, informative and enjoyable! Keep doing what your doing!"

"Fantastic practical activities to take back to school."

"Really engaging speakers, relevant and lots of great practical ideas to take straight into the classroom."

"Great course, thank you for all the ideas to help bring the love back for some disengaged children from the drudgery of meeting target demands!"

"Not what we expected but brilliant course. I feel that i can use lots of things back in the classroom. Excited about trying some of the ideas. Didnt get bored - makes a change on a course! "

"Excellent ideas. Have just had 60 iPads delivered and now not so scared to get them out! Inspired to go home and explore Garageband and iMovies!"

" Fantastic ideas and resources Lee. Thank you!"

"Great use of visual prompts with practical ideas that can be used in the classroom. It was great to see real life examples from children in classrooms."

"Well pitched with a range of ideas. Thanks!"

"Got lots of novel and interesting ideas. It was a great day!"

We are extremely pleased to announce we have confirmed another date for this course in the Autumn term.

We are VERY pleased to announce that we will be leading the 'Improving Reading and Writing Through Popular Children's Movies and Media' conference in Autumn term in the NORTH WEST. On Tuesday 6th October at Thornton Hall in Wirral. John Murray and Mr P will lead a conference described as 'the best course I've been on in a long time! Loads of ideas that I will be using in school. All great for learning and child engagement.'You can read all the feedback from the recent conference in Dudley and book your place for the Wirral conference here - http://mrparkinsonict.blogspot.com/2015/06/improving-reading-and-writing-through.html or email davyhulme.ipad@gmail.com to book a place.
Posted by ICT with Mr P on Wednesday, June 24, 2015

On Tuesday 6th October, we will be leading this conference at Thornton Hall and Spa in Wirral. You can book a place NOW by filling out the following form and watch the video below. Places are available for £150 per person + VAT.

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Reading into Writing using Padlet!

June 24, 2015, 2:02 pm

≫ Next: Playworld Superheroes! Fantastic writing stimulus!

≪ Previous: Improving Reading and Writing Through Popular Children's Movies and Media....Friday 19th June 2015 Dudley

On our recent conference 'Developing Writing in the Modern Classroom,' Alan and I demonstrated the importance of a reading into writing approach. Making sure that if you were teaching fairytales, children would be reading a range of fairytales in lessons, guided reading etc. I am planning on writing some Sci-fi adventure stories soon with a Year 4 class, so to try and discover different features seen in similar stories, we used padlet to collect examples.

Padlet is a web based tool, that allows a teacher to create an online notice board that anyone can contribute to. It is absolutely free and can be used in SO many different ways.

I decided to make four different padlet walls, one for a different feature - Openings, characters/settings, key words/phrases/sentences and problems/ending. I then shared these with the children through QR codes -

We then discussed what to look for to see whether a book is in the Sci-fi adventure genre. We listed -looking at the title, blurb and images. We visited the school library and encouraged the children to look for sci-fi themed books. They examined the books with their partners and discussed the content. Using the iPad they scanned the QR code, which took them directly to the Padlet wall and added some ideas.

I encouraged the children to try and analyse and explain what they found. What type of sentence was used? What effect did it have? Some children struggled with this, however when we look at all the padlet walls as a whole class next lesson, others will be able to give their opinion. It was a great way to get children to read and identify features but also think about the authors intention. Padlet was a great way to collate all the children's ideas for them to use for inspiration in their own writing.

As this was the first time the class had done this activity, some of their ideas weren't as developed as I would have hoped and some of their choices for 'Sci-fi' books weren't quite on point, however with regular use of this activity, it would be a great tool to improve children's understanding of specific genres and help develop more of a flow in their own writing.

Created with Padlet

Will you be joining us on 13th October in Walsall? Tickets selling quickly! Book your place now for the Developing...
Posted by ICT with Mr P on Saturday, June 20, 2015

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Playworld Superheroes! Fantastic writing stimulus!

July 1, 2015, 1:13 pm

≫ Next: More Pixar in the Classroom - Inside Out for Character Development!

≪ Previous: Reading into Writing using Padlet!

Another fantastic app that popped up on Apps Gone Free the other day was Playword Superheroes.

As a teacher who has seen first hand how using popular video games can both inspire and engage children to produce quality writing, this app is another great stimulus to use. It is a technique I call camouflage learning and you can read about how I have previously used other iPad games like angry birds and temple run here and, of course, Minecraft.

Often the problem is, most popular games aren't appropriate for the classroom. Playworld Superheroes is a fantastic way to inspire writing through a video game appropriate for primary school age children.

Here is a quick trailer for the game -

The game involves choosing a character and entering a treehouse to reveal a magic box. Children then find different cardboard items around the garden and can design it by colouring and adding attachments to create their own superhero outfit. Once completed, the children instantly transform into a real superhero! They eventually play the game as the superhero trying to defeat different enemies.

The design element to the game had the children hooked! All the accessories featured in the game can easily be obtained so children could physically re-create the design as a DT lesson. This opens the app up to lots of writing opportunities such as instructional texts.

The gameplay can inspire writing in so many different ways. Some I will blog as I carry on this topic with the class. It will also feature in the book I am currently writing - 50+ iPad lessons for Fiction. The 50 + iPad lessons for Non-Fiction is currently in design and should be ready for release in September - very excited!

Today in class we played the game. The children were hooked! We focused on the first part of the game where the child becomes a superhero - the origin story. We presented our stories in the form of a comic using the app - Comic Life 3.

There is more to come from using this app with my class, so please watch this space!!!

We are also pleased to have 5 FREE codes for the app which are being given away on my facebook page, just like and share the following post -

FREE APP COMPETITION!!!We have 5 FREE codes for the fantastic Playworld Superheroes app up for grabs! To be in with...
Posted by ICT with Mr P on Wednesday, July 1, 2015

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More Pixar in the Classroom - Inside Out for Character Development!

July 5, 2015, 10:53 am

≫ Next: Everything is Awesome when Lego is involved!

≪ Previous: Playworld Superheroes! Fantastic writing stimulus!

I am a massive fan of using Disney in the classroom and I have previously blogged some ideas here and here.

Anyone who attended my recent conference with John Murray in Dudley would agree that our approach to using Disney in the classroom both inspires and improves children's learning in lots of ways but isn't strictly exclusive to these movies. Read more about the conference here.

One idea we looked into on the day was using the latest Pixar film, Inside Out, to help write more effective characterisation in children's writing.

The film, which is due for release later this month, revolves around a group of characters that live inside a girl's head. Each character represents a different emotion. Here is the trailer -

Here is how I would use the characters from this film to help children when writing about different characters. Share the following image -

Explain to the class that these are characters from the latest Disney/Pixar film. Discuss that each one represents a different emotion. Can the children guess which emotion they are? This gives the perfect opportunity to collect as much vocabulary linked with an emotion. For the first character, the children may say - worried, shy, anxious, scared, fearful... generating plenty of useful vocabulary to link to emotions. After collecting ideas reveal which emotion they represent - fear, sadness, joy, anger, disgust.

Discuss how they represent that emotion. Look at body language, facial expressions, costume, height, body shape, colours. If they children have correctly guessed the name of the emotion, challenge them to explain why? Then build on this with more complex questions -

What is anger doing to show he is angry? Scowling his eyes, gritting his teeth, clenching his fist.

Why is disgust green? We link the colour green to envy and jealousy.

Why has sadness got that hair cut? Wearing large, round glasses and a thick wooly jumper?

Look at Joy's dress, what time of year would you wear it? Why would that be linked with Joy?

Of course, there are tonnes of other questions that can be asked and this is discussed in much more detail on the conference (including links with emotional literacy and helping vulnerable children identify feelings and the way these present themselves.) This can then be developed further in children's writing by linking it with pathetic fallacy and Alan Peat's Show not Tell approach. Rather than telling the reader how a character felt, show it through how the character acts and interacts in the story. If you use Alan and Mat's exciting sentences, it gives the perfect opportunity to develop the Tell: Show 3 examples; sentence. Take anger for example -

He was angry: scowling his eyes; gritting his teeth; clenching his fists.

For more information about the conference - Improving Reading and Writing through Popular Children's Movies and Media, watch the following video. We will be in Wirral on 6th October and places are selling quickly!

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Everything is Awesome when Lego is involved!

July 8, 2015, 1:36 pm

≫ Next: Broadcasting the news using Lego

≪ Previous: More Pixar in the Classroom - Inside Out for Character Development!

It has been a long wait but finally I was able to get my hands on the Lego Story Starter Kit last week! This was shown to me well over a year ago when I was talking to @InspiredMind5.

I am a massive fan of camouflage learning: bringing children's interests into the classroom to inspire writing. You will have seen plenty of ideas on my blog about using Minecraft to inspire writing and the premise is the same with lego - if children can construct a story they will be more inspired to write well about it.

The lego story starter kit involves children working in a group of 5 to build and construct scenes for a story, they can then use the visualiser app to create a comic strip or storyboard to help structure and then write the story. The kit comes with a curriculum pack crammed with useful lesson ideas.

Last week, I worked with one class and wanted to see how the story starter kit works. As we were limited for time, I challenged the class to choose a story they know well and build three scenes - beginning, middle and end. We would show the rest of the class using the iVisualiser app and try to guess what the story was. Can you guess some of their creations?

(Goldielocks, Romeo and Juliet and Little Red Riding Hood)

Today I got to work with Year 4 all day and so really wanted to see how the story starter kit can inspire writing.

We started by listening to some music, I have previously blogged about the power of music to inspire writing. Today we used the following track to help us visualise a story -

The music follows the pattern of starting postitive and twisting into a dark and menacing tone which finishes with a big climax. The following video explains the process the children went through after listening to the music -

I was really impressed with the writing the children produced and you can read their efforts by pausing the following video at any point -

In the afternoon, we looked at turning our writing into a film combining iMovie with Chatterkids, although we were slightly stretched for time, some of the children finished and were so proud of their creations! They would love to know what you think -

I have so many ideas about using the story starter kit over the next couple of weeks so please stay tuned! The story starter kit is by no means a cheap purchase, you can easily do the same activity if children were to bring in their own lego from home. However from the level of enthusiasm, engagement, collaboration, discussed and learning that took place today it will sure prove to be well worth the money!

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Broadcasting the news using Lego

July 9, 2015, 10:29 am

≫ Next: Goodbye Year 6!

≪ Previous: Everything is Awesome when Lego is involved!

Yesterday, I blogged about using lego to inspire writing, you can read it here. Today, I wanted to see other ways in which lego can inspire learning.

With Year 4, we looked at recreating the news. We first looked at some child-friendly news websites (newsround and first news) to look at different news stories to use. The children then extracted all the key information from the article and noted it onto a planning sheet. They used the lego to build a scene of the story. Using the Story Visualiser app, which is included as part of the story starter kit, they designed their own newspaper article. Next time, I may well use comic life as there are more options to use and the text is easier to manipulate.

Here are some of the children's examples -

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Goodbye Year 6!

July 22, 2015, 3:32 am

≫ Next: End of Year fun!

≪ Previous: Broadcasting the news using Lego

As we end the academic year, we say goodbye to another cohort as they embark on the next part of their journey.

I had a chance to work with one Year 6 class last week and so challenged them to use the Lego Story Starter kit to create a scene to represent their favourite memory from school. Here were their efforts -

This was the video created for the Year 6 leavers -

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End of Year fun!

July 22, 2015, 3:45 am

≫ Next: Bring The New Premier League Season into Class!

≪ Previous: Goodbye Year 6!

As most schools have finished for the year, it seems to have become a tradition for staff members everywhere to create an amusing and funny video to celebrate the summer and put a smile on the faces of all their pupils.

I have a tradition of doing a video at Christmas however last year our staff did this -

We decided to do a live performance this year so haven't followed up this year, however, it seems schools up and down the country have created their own end of year video! I have had tweets and facebook messages sharing some of these fantastic efforts and so want to share some here -

Firstly, St Mary Magdelene and their rendition of Uptown Funk with a cameo from none other than myself -

A brilliant effort from Haveley Hey Primary School with Taylor Swift's 'Shake it off!' -

Halterworth's version of Reach by S Club 7 -

Have you made one? If you want to share it with me, I will add it in here.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support over the past year! It has been incredible to travel, share, inspire and learn with so many teachers and schools around the world! I am looking forward to a break before another busy term in September!

Enjoy the summer and thank you again!

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Bring The New Premier League Season into Class!

August 8, 2015, 2:48 am

≫ Next: Google Spotlight Stories - another immersive app to inspire writing!

≪ Previous: End of Year fun!

Today starts the new Premier League season! Both children and adults up and down the country will be eagerly watching and hoping their teams get off to the best start possible.

What most football fans will have been pondering over for the past couple of weeks is who will make their fantasy football team!

So it got me thinking, why not create a fantasy football league for your classroom or school?

The Fantasy Premier League site allows you to create your own team and league for FREE - http://fantasy.premierleague.com/. Once a league has been created, the code can be shared with children to join. There is also an app available too.

You could give a couple of weeks at the beginning of the year for children to sign up and create their team. This could be done at home encouraging parents to get involved or as an ICT lesson. It promotes children to use the internet in a constructive way. There are plenty of other benefits for running a fantasy football league in school -

It is all about the numbers! Children have to handle a simple budget, work out who will best fit their team based on goals, appearances and value.
Develops children's decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Gives the opportunity to reward and celebrate achievements with weekly awards or certificates.
Provides the perfect opportunity for debates and discussions about players, teams and selections backed up with children's access to statistics and facts.
Above all, a great way to involve all children, parents and teachers with something fun!

We will be starting a league at our school and printing certificates weekly for children who gain the most points. Here is how my team will line up -

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Google Spotlight Stories - another immersive app to inspire writing!

August 10, 2015, 2:09 pm

≫ Next: Why you need Ditty app in your life!

≪ Previous: Bring The New Premier League Season into Class!

I am a massive fan of using film to inspire writing in class. I am also fond of immersive apps where children can discover and navigate around a virtual world. Spotlight Stories combine both to give you an amazing immersive movie experience.

The app has a showcase of these wonderful short films that include 3D animation alongside 360º spherical video!

At the minute, there are four films available and I am excited about other films that will be added in the near future.

My favourite is 'Help,' a film where a meteor shower turns into an alien invasion. I can see straight away how this would inspire some amazing writing in upper KS2. What is so interesting is that each child would see something different depending on what or who they focused on when watching the film. It would encourage them to really concentrate and focus on details then rewatch the film again and see something completely new.

The immersive experience would give children so much more to work with if they were to write a recount of the film or descriptive story.

Other films like Windy Day and Buggy Day would be great for KS1.

This will be something I will be using when we get back to school so stay tuned to see what the children produce after being inspired by this fantastic app!

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Why you need Ditty app in your life!

August 12, 2015, 1:28 am

≫ Next: Social Media Resources - Guest Blog post by Michelle Ainley

≪ Previous: Google Spotlight Stories - another immersive app to inspire writing!

I have seen first hand how powerful music can be in helping children remember facts. For a number of years, our school has used the Number Fun Songs by Dave Godfrey to help children remember important maths facts. I have previously blogged some ideas for using these in class here.

Last night @Raff31 introduced me to a new app - Ditty. His colleague @lowndees89 was first to share an example and I was quick to download and get playing with it.

It is very simple to use - type a message of 50 characters and choose your tune or jingle and watch the text be transformed and sang to the melody.

This gives the teacher the ability to turn any short fact or instruction into a catchy song which is sure to grab the attention of the children in your class.

There are so many ways in which you can use this app and some of the great people on twitter have already shared plenty!

@ICT_MrP @raff31 Having too much fun with this at this late time during the school holidays... Thanks for the find! pic.twitter.com/D01e3k2fod
— Mrs Boon (@MrsEBoon) August 11, 2015

@grahamandre @raff31 @WatsEd @gazneedle @MrHeadComputing @bryngoodman @ICT_MrP @JennaLucas81 pic.twitter.com/upC9h4QcCM
— Rob Smith (@redgierob) August 11, 2015

@ICT_MrP @redgierob @grahamandre @raff31 @WatsEd @MrHeadComputing @bryngoodman @JennaLucas81 Inv commas for speech 😄 pic.twitter.com/7SvZzSXuIb
— Gaz Needle (@gazneedle) August 12, 2015

@raff31 @gazneedle @grahamandre @ICT_MrP @redgierob @WatsEd @MrHeadComputing @bryngoodman so many uses pic.twitter.com/pfMCIrS2gh
— Beth Bennett (@bethben92) August 12, 2015

So plenty of uses for Maths, English and behaviour! Here are a few that I have created -

Thank you to everyone on twitter who shared some examples! Also, check out The Numeracy Shed for some more.

If you use this app make sure you share your examples by tweeting me - @ICT_MrP or posting it on my facebook page - facebook.com/ictwithmrp

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Social Media Resources - Guest Blog post by Michelle Ainley

August 13, 2015, 1:53 am

≫ Next: Epic For Educators - Epic Win!

≪ Previous: Why you need Ditty app in your life!

Over the last two years there has been significant changes and new policies for how computing, technology and online networks are explored and used in schools; however in July 2015 we saw the new revised version of Keeping Children Safe in Education.

This had me thinking - don’t get me wrong there are some excellent online e-safety activities out there, however none that fully address the issues with social media- both educationally, behaviourally and more specifically how to teach children real skills which keep them safe (and I don’t mean DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS)

Online expertise is a huge spectrum, you may well know of that child in year 2 who know more and can do more online than another child in Year 6, or those children who are left to fend for themselves on mobile devices as the technology has advanced their parents.

So, whilst I pause to breathe and enjoy the summer holiday (and I don’t normally work through my summer holidays I promise!) I began to think of a way to engage in some powerful learning about social media which is accessible for all phases - even EYFS - and here it is. https://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/social-media-and-staying-safe-online-11088500

The sheets I have created are more a structure for questioning and activities to engage in as opposed to a prescriptive independent paper activity. I haven’t included a lesson plan as I’m sure you are fabulous teachers who can make it work for you and also, your school probably has its own planning format. I have however included links to the computing curriculum and the Keeping Safe in Education Document.

I began in my comfort zone with upper key stage 2 - possibly where children begin to explore their online presence more independently. Some of the case study scenarios are completely fictional however many I have taken from the media and real life events to make it more meaningful. The case studies are designed to challenge thinking, I want the children to realise that their actions may not affect them, or only themselves, the scenarios are thought provoking and deal with some deep issues, but I believe that exposure with opportunities to discuss issues are more meaningful than shying away and avoiding key issues.

The key stage one resources begin to teach the children about social media, what apps are, how they are used and how they can be used positively. In the EYFS resources it gives the children the opportunity to be surrounded by vocabulary and images of devices they may encounter every day (such as iPhones) to use in role play activities.

The resources refer to Windows and Apple operating systems as many children are switching between these systems when using mobile devices.

I haven’t included sexting references in my resources as this is something I want to add in at a later date. I also want to further research extremism before I develop a resource for primary to support that. Keep an eye on my TES account for those! (Https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440450/How_social_media_is_used_to_encourage_travel_to_Syria_and_Iraq.pdf)

Instead of using your working school Twitter account, you may also decide to set up a Facebook or twitter account purely for children to navigate around during these lessons, this makes the learning as real as it can be in a controlled environment, a simulation if you like.

Overall, the resources are designed to challenge the children, exposing them to applications, vocabulary and software which they may never have used or seen before. There are extensive opportunities to discuss social media and how it is used and how to guide children to learn about the issues with online security.

- Thank you so much to Michelle for this! I try to really promote the use of Social Media on my training to engage parents but give children a real purpose for their learning. These resources are a great way to start discussing responsible use of different social media platforms.

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Epic For Educators - Epic Win!

August 17, 2015, 12:47 pm

≫ Next: Use technology to start the new year with a Bang!

≪ Previous: Social Media Resources - Guest Blog post by Michelle Ainley

Epic is an online reading library available on iOS, Android and through the web. It gives you access to a wealth of different online books. Many of the books have a 'read to me' feature that allows children to listen and look at the story.

There is a HUGE range of books available from first readers to non-fiction to enjoy. The app also provides incentives through badges and achievements given when children reach a certain goal.

Probably the best thing about Epic is that for teachers it is completely FREE!

All you have to do is visit the website and create an account and then download the app! Log in once the app is downloaded and you have access to a wealth of online books!

Here is the link to create an account - Epic Website

Here is a link to the iOS app - Epic for iPad

Enjoy!

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Use technology to start the new year with a Bang!

August 24, 2015, 3:31 pm

≫ Next: E-Safety Self Portraits

≪ Previous: Epic For Educators - Epic Win!

As we near the end of the summer break, most teachers will be preparing themselves for the start of another busy year. Many will be thinking of how to start the year to engage and inspire their students! Using technology positively and to its potential, can transform learning in so many ways. I always try to share and promote ways in which technology can do this. For the teacher, technology should eventually save time and in some cases money. The problem for some teachers is that when they embrace technology it doesn't replace something else and becomes another job on top of what seems a never ending pile!

Here are a few ideas for how you can use technology from the start of the year and transform learning in your classroom -

1. Create an online platform for your class

In simple terms... BLOG!!! Blogging has been one if not the most powerful tools in my classroom. I was surprised that it wasn't included in the new curriculum and so many schools don't do it. There are a few myths with blogging that can discourage teachers -

It is pricey - You can create a blog for free, PrimaryBlogger will allow you to create a blog for free and you just pay if you want storage.
It is hard to do - Yes initially setting up the blog may take a while but once it is up and running using an app such as Easy Blog Jr makes it incredibly easy to blog from an iPad or iPhone.
It is unsafe - Make sure you update your school policy and gain permission from parents to put images on your blog.

Blogging works for so many reasons, this brilliant image from @sylviaduckworth sums up a few -

If you are blogging, use the blog to replace other tasks. Use it for weekly newsletters and homework tasks. Flip your classroom and create video tutorials that are shared on the blog for children to access prior to the lesson.

Other alternatives to having a school blog, could be using Google Classroom. This FREE service allows teachers to set up accounts for their class with emails and unlimited cloud storage. It also gives you access to all the google apps including docs, sheets and slides. Here is a quick video all about it -

Another alternative, if you have access to tablets would be the app Showbie. This fantastic app can turn your classroom paperless, saving you so much time and printing costs. After setting your class up you can set assignments for children to submit, in class or at home, and give feedback in a variety of ways. This video from the fantastic @digitalroadtrip explain how Showbie works, however, the app has been updated since.

The key to a successful blog is an enthusiastic teacher! You have to really make a fuss when children blog at home, introduce a blogger of the week award or get parents involved. Be pro-active in getting your student's work seen, which brings me onto my next point.

2. Embrace Social Media

If you want your blog to work, you need to get it seen. This means sharing the good work! This can be done by having a class/school twitter and facebook account. You are not encouraging children to use these sites, instead demonstrating safe and positive use by sharing their work with the world. Save time by using tools to automatically link your blog to your twitter or facebook page. The website DLVR.IT provides this service.

A couple of useful tips - update your policies if you are going to have a school/class twitter or facebook account. Make it clear that it is a one-way communication tool for parents and not a forum for discussion to avoid negative or unnecessary comments.

3. Create a digital portfolio for your class

One of my favourite apps is SeeSaw. This brilliant app allows students and teachers to create digital portfolios to show progression using a range of different media. This can be shared with parents but essentially allows you as a teacher to gather and collect evidence of pupil's learning throughout the year. It is fantastic for certain objectives that cannot be assessed by a written piece of work in a book. For example -

En4/2.2a develop positive attitudes to reading, and an understanding of what they read, by:preparing poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action

Using SeeSaw this can be easily evidence using the iPad camera. Here is a quick tutorial of the app -

4. Integrate Show and Tell with Technology

I was excited to see the release of a Padlet app over the summer and it is a fantastic tool for the classroom. The app/web tool allows you to create interactive online sticky note board that allows anyone to contribute and share ideas relating to the question asked. I have used Padlet for so many different uses including an online Remembrance Sunday wall or a collection of opening lines from children's books.

Why not create a padlet wall for show and tell, giving children the ability to upload or create videos or pictures about a trip or object they want to discuss in class. Encourage them to use different apps like adobe voice, vidra or shadow puppets to create a video that can be added to the padlet wall. During the show and tell session in class, display the padlet wall on your whiteboard, watch the content and allow the student to elaborate or do a Q&A.

5. Start a video diary using 1 second everyday.

The 1 second everyday app is a great way to create a video diary. I have previously blogged about all the possibilities here. Start on the first day using the app to snap different moments throughout the day. Before the day ends, share what you have recorded with your class and ask them to choose which moment will be chosen for that day. This is a great way to promote positive relationships within the class. By the end of the year, you will have a 6 minute video that shows the journey of your class throughout the whole year and provides the children with a great keepsake!

I hope you find these ideas useful and would love to hear how you get on using them in your class. If you are interested in other ways in which technology can raise standards in the classroom, Mr P can provide INSET and training sessions for staff. More details can be found here.

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