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Back to the Old School - Using 3D images as a writing stimulus

June 16, 2014, 3:53 am
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Sometimes it doesn't take much to spark children's imaginations. The iPad has proved to be a fantastic tool to engage children in their learning and something I really showcase through this blog, but here is another way to immerse children through an image.

About a year ago I presented at Teachmeet East Lancs, another presenter - @FrankFarrell, showcased the use of 3D images in class, it really caught my attention and was impressed with the idea here is his presentation:


The Anaglyph 3D glasses are available from Amazon for £1.50 for 3, meaning a class set will cost you £15.

A simple Google search will reveal hundreds of fantastic 3D pictures you can then use as a stimulus in the classroom with your 3D glasses.

The children can then really immerse themselves into the image which will spark their imagination, creating a real WOW moment that a teacher can harness into some quality writing.

Take this example (you will need 3D glasses) -

 

When you view this image with a pair of 3D glasses you really see the depth to this picture, giving children a real sense of size and scope of this setting. Children could write about the creature and travelling on it across the landscape describing the setting. 

Another example - 
 

Children could start by deducing what is happening here? What could have happened? How is the landscape different further back in the picture? Where would they prefer to live and why?

Again as a setting this picture would really immerse children and give them more to work with with a descriptive story. 

There are iPad apps that allow you to create your own 3D Pictures. i3D Photo - allows you to create a 3D version of your own photos. I can't say I am convinced the images are significantly improved, here is an example:
 

Another app, which I was shared to me by the great Tim Rylands, is Seene. This app allows you to take a photo and turn it 3D so when you move your device you can view the depth of the picture. Below is an example:


These 3D images allow children to view an image in a unique and different way. They can really inspire children to look beyond a normal image and use it to for some quality writing opportunities.

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Introducing the #go2team

June 22, 2014, 2:02 pm
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Yesterday, I travelled to meet Alan Peat, where I was introduced to other teachers he currently is working with on a number of projects.  Although not a exclusive group, the individuals were chosen as we each offer something different, but all have the same approach similar to Alan's philosophy of improving standards in the classroom with ideas that work!

I have been working as part of Alan Peat Ltd for nearly a year and the support and guidance both Alan and Julie have given me has been invaluable. I am very grateful to be working for and with them. My input to the #go2team is the training I provide in schools, clusters and conferences focusing on using technology to improve and enhance learning.

On Friday, I had my first conference at the Village hotel in Dudley - "Alan Peat presents USING TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER THE NEW PRIMARY & LITERACY CURRICULUM."

It was an incredible day with a room full of enthusiastic and eager teachers. The feedback I received was fantastic and I want to thank all who attended for their comments.

Of the 36 feedback forms completed, 34 rated the content and delivery of the training as Excellent with the other 2 rating it good. Here are some of the comments from the evaluation forms:

"Probably the best training event I have been on. My only 'criticism' is I want to go back to school and do EVERYTHING!""Fantastic amount of ideas which are easily usable, range of ages, good examples of children's work.""WOW! Amazing. Both awestruck." 
"What a fantastic day! So may ideas to use and take back. Feel so inspired, thank you." 
"Lots of practical advice!" 
"Nice real life examples." 
"Excellent ideas & suggestions." 
"A wonderful day full of relevant content delivered by a fellow classroom teacher not someone who has escaped from school life!" 
"Excellent and engaging." 
"Excellent, engaging speaker!" 
"Explanation given about the learning potential of the apps, modelling was very useful." 
"Very good, lots of useful ideas for resources and activities to use back in school." 
"Really inspiring." 
"Superb! Very useful. Excellent ideas which I will be applying at school." 
"Everything expected - great content, well presented and I have left with loads of ideas to use in the classroom." 
"A really interesting and informative day, thank you!" 
"Excellent course. Met all expectations & has provided us with lots of practical ideas that we can implement/use in school." 
"Fab! Very informative & useful." 
"I have found the ideas & tools discussed really useful and feel that I will have the confidence to try some of these in my classroom. I think it is particularly effective as you are showing your own practical experience. The day has been really inspiring." 
"Loads of ideas to take back into school. Great day!" 
"Excellent course with lots of ideas and tips for the school. Excellent examples of the work done by yourself and your school. Really find your blog useful and I am trying the ideas in school." 
"Practical ideas that I could do in class tomorrow. Great to meet requirements of new lit curriculum. Keep it up, our children are loving school!" 
"Absolutely superb, could not have wanted more! Plenty of practical activities to take back to school." 
"Excellent - very inspiring and engaging speaker."

I will be running similar conferences next term and all the details can be found HERE. 

Another inspiring teacher, who is running his first conference through Alan Peat Ltd next week, is Mat Sullivan aka @inspiredmind5. I have worked with Mat previously and his ideas are phenomenal. His upcoming conference - Improving writing through comics and exciting sentences, is SOLD OUT! It comes at the time that his first solo book - Developing writing through Comics, is released.

This book is an absolute must for any KS2 teacher whether they like comics or not. The ideas and activities suggested in this book will raise standards in the classroom and I have seen it myself when I visited Mat's school recently. Just look at his website - http://www.inspiredminds.eu/

Mat also co-wrote The Second book of Exciting Sentences with Alan and has a wealth of engaging and inspiring ways to make writing meaningful and enjoyable for children.

I was able to have a sneak peek of the book and I was blown away by both the content but also the incredible design and that was down to the very talented Simon Matthews.

Simon aka @SiTheDesignGuy, has been working with Alan Peat Ltd for a number of years and handles all the design on websites, books and other media. His work on the resource "Word Warriors," is fantastic and some of the design for Mat's book is stunning, just look at some of his tweets:


But it is his new project that really excites me! Onesworldwar.com is a new website that will be sharing extracts from a diary of a soldier throughout the First World War. The diary will be turned into a collection of podcasts shared on the website for free. The project also provides a monthly magazine full of information, links and lesson ideas from Alan, Mat and other teachers linked to the diary. The design of the website and magazine is amazing! A school can subscribe to the project - receiving each monthly digital magazine for only £50 a year. I believe there will also be an option to pay monthly. It is well worth a look as a cross curricular topic in class, it will be very useful!

I also met Gareth Metcalfe the creator of The Maths Apprenticeship resource, I am very excited about this as I received a copy of the pack and will be using it over the next couple of weeks, so watch for the blog post to follow. From reading Gareth's blog, the product looks a great way to really challenge higher ability mathematicians - read about it here. Gareth will also be running conferences through Alan Peat Ltd, all details can be found here.

I finally was able to meet Doug Stitcher aka @therenegade78, founder of Angel Applications. He has created the Pocket Curriculum app (left) as well as a range of other useful education apps.

I have been in contact with Doug for a while now as he is working his socks off creating an app for me. I am pleased to see it is in its final stages and should be available in the next month or so. Details to follow on that one!

He has also been coding the new range of apps from Alan, both of which are great resources for teachers.

Alan's first app is an interactive guide to his Exciting Sentences approach in writing. I have been using the exciting sentences in my teaching for nearly 4/5 years and can say they have had a phenomenal impact on writing standards. Through using them as a whole school we have gone through two OUTSTANDING Ofsted reports, with strengths in Literacy with Alan's approach being a key part to the winning formula. For only £1.49 this app is such good value for money considering the impact it will have on writing in your class.

The next app, which was released today, and currently heading towards the top of the Education App charts on iTunes. Again it is another fantastic resource for teachers looking for useful ways to teach punctuation. For only £1.99 it covers every punctuation mark with an array of different ways to embed the use of each one in children's writing. As a reference guide for teachers it is another useful app to add to the collection.

I felt very fortunate to be in such great company and thank Alan for the opportunity. From the first training session I attended, led by Alan it had a massive impact on my approach to teaching. As I head towards the end of an incredible year of my career, I am thankful for the opportunity both him and Julie have given me. With some very exciting projects in the pipeline, including a joint conference and ebook between both Alan and I as well as other apps he is working on the #go2team will be something to keep a very close eye on... stay tuned.


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Frog Conference - ICC Birmingham - #Frog14

June 24, 2014, 2:44 pm
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Today, I was lucky enough to be invited to present at the Frog Conference 2014 at the ICC in Birmingham. An incredible venue and some great speakers sharing some fantastic ideas. I presented a 45 minute presentation looking at ways in which I have used iPads to enhance the Literacy curriculum. Through blogging and using different apps, I shared examples of work that demonstrated how iPads can make learning real, relevant and interesting for children today. I have been offering training through Frog for about a year and have written a guide to Camouflage learning which is available through their website.


I was lucky to meet the inspirational Tim Rylands and Sarah Nield who finished the conference with their amazing keynote full of incredible ideas and free tools for teachers to use for an array of different lessons. It was great to hear their feedback on my session and thank Sarah for taking some pictures which I have shared below. You can read about their view on the conference here.

I was astounded at the amount of positive tweets I received after my session, so thank you to everyone who attended and contacted me afterwards, also a MASSIVE thank you to Frog for hosting and providing a fantastic day!

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Loom Bands Craze

June 27, 2014, 3:04 pm
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Unless you don't speak or look at your children, you will know about Loom Bands. The latest craze involved children creating different types of fashion items out of small coloured rubber bands. Even suit jackets have been put together using them!

My step son has been designing some of his own, self taught through watching youtube instructional videos.

It was discussing them with him that I realised the potential of using this craze in the classroom.

I asked them to explain what they were? How to make one? The enthusiasm he responded with got me thinking about how I could harness that in class.

I am sure many schools may have banned these accessories and can understand why however for this to work you may need to arrange a day or afternoon where you allow children to create and make some fashion accessories. You can pick up a set of the bands from Amazon for £2. Using loom bands could be a great DT lesson, either making bracelets or other objects -










To give children time to make something like this, will have them hooked and is an another example of the Camouflage Learning approach.

But it is the way you can then use this enthusiasm in different curriculum areas to get some great work from the children. For example:

Numeracy - 

Work out how many bands are used to create a ring. Then work out how many would be needed to make rings for one hand, two hands, two children, ten children or even a whole class.

Work out how many bands are used to make a bracelet. Work out how many would be needed for 5 bracelets, 10, 20 100 etc.

Link colours to ratio and proportion - if a bracelet was made from 40 blue and 30 green bands, how many bracelets can be made from 120 green bands? How many blue bands would then be needed?

Look at percentages - if I use 50 bands and 20 of them are blue what % are blue?

You could also look at cost per band. If you can buy 2000 for £2 you can work out how much 10 bands would cost and apply this cost to price up bracelets. Children could then look at profit gain if you were to sell the bracelets.

This could potentially become an enterprise project. Children could choose a charity and set themselves a £100 target for fundraising through making and selling loom band creations.

Literacy - 

With children being the experts on loom bands, the teacher can really focus on embedding text features when asking children to write about them, you could for example write:

  • A set of instructions for how to create a bracelet using Loom Bands.
  • An explanation text all about Loom Bands.
  • A letter to the Headteacher why they shouldn't be banned.
  • A persuasive advert why people should buy their designs.
  • Discussion text - Are loom bands good for children? Should loom bands be allowed in school?
With children who are obsessed and interested in a topic, they will be more inclined to write about it with passion.

Give it a go and please share any examples of work you produce with your children!







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Guest Blog Post - Whole School Math Duel World Cup

July 8, 2014, 2:22 pm
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At Brockwell Junior School (@brockwelljunior) we are lucky enough to have 16 iPad available for classes. The problem we have been facing is trying to stop them from being a 'simple' internet browser or only using them as an extension activity. What we needed was an app and an idea (iDea what a great name for an app) that could be used across the entire school and could be incorporated into lessons. The main purpose of this was to highlight to staff the potential of the impact the iPads could have.

Enter @ICT_MrP and MathDuel (@ElliesGames). Lee wrote an incredibly useful 15lessons eBook for the World Cup. One of the lessons was about setting up a MathDuel World Cup in your maths lesson. This was a fantastic idea but we felt it could go even further. So we decided to run a whole school World Cup competition.

Each class had to complete a league of 8 matches (each match is 2 minutes long, a goal is scored when the progress bar reaches one players side and stars cascade). After a few practises a number of rules were established.
For example,
1 No touching your opponents board - yellow card
2 No setting your levels too easy - match fixing
3 You cannot play the same “team” (classmate) more than once.

Click here for a copy of the league score sheet.

The results were entered into a quick spreadsheet, which quickly identified the top two players from each class / league. This was done by awarding the usual 3 points for a win 1 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. In the event of players being level on points it would then be decided on goals scored. The top two players from each “league” (class) were then put through to the knock out stages of the tournament. 


The top 16, semi-final and quarter-final matches were played in a very similar format but these were best to 3. If there was no clear winner after 3 matches then it went to a golden goal (next goal wins the match.)



During the tournament Erik Bye from @ElliesGames contacted me asking if he could sponsor us and we jumped at the chance! In addition to this school purchased four trophies of various sizes for the four finalists.


As the excitement grew around school for the tournament we decided to televise it, as all World Cup finals are broadcast. To do this we used a USB and @ReachWildlife's live streaming service. We let the finalists battle it out in the library away from distractions and had the entire school watching LIVE on the big screen in the hall. This helped create a real World Cup atmosphere. 

After the third and fourth place matches were played our players entered the hall to rapturous applause. However this was nothing compared to the thunderous support from the spectators during the final match. The finalists could hear the cheers echoing down the corridors, providing a real “match day” environment. I have never heard such vocal support, and enjoyment, for the four number operations. When Aaron claimed the title of #MathDuelWorldChampion the cheering could be heard in an adjacent building.






#MathDuelWorldChampion - Aaron
#MathDuelWorldSecond - Amelia
#MathDuelWorldThird - Ben
#MathDuelWorldForth - Lewis

Stats
8 classes of 30 children played 8 games = 1024 games
Top 16 8 x 3 games = 24
Semi-finals 4 x 3 = 12
Quarter-finals 2 x 3 = 6
Finals 2 x 3 = 6

In total, across the whole school, approximately 1072 competitive MathDuel games were played (not including practises or friendlies). If the average game consisted of 20 questions (well below the real number I suspect) then over the duration of the tournament 21440 questions were answered.

Conclusion
With very little effort we managed to raise awareness of such a powerfully simple app and hopefully it will be 'played' in class long after Brazil 2014 has finished. This is a fantastic way to engage children and staff and showcase the power of the iPad. It also shows that sometimes the simple apps can often be the best. A simple app with a slight creative twist can become an incredibly exciting and rewarding learning experience. 

Pros
Lots!
Ability for student to set questions to their own level
Student centred learning
Students from different year groups can compete simultaneously on the same iPad
Whole school engagement
All students can succeed
Competitive Numeracy lessons ensuring all boys focused
Fun
Maths, maths and more maths

Cons
Very few!
The noise level during the final matches may result in future tinnitus
Students cheering for one classmate (in the finals) may hurt opponents feelings
If you would like any help or advice in managing your own #MathDuelWorldCup please don't hesitate to get in touch. We would be more than happy to share any of our resources such as spreadsheet leader boards, game score cards and world cup wall charts. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did. 

@MrWilBaker
@danpower85

@brockwelljunior


- Thank you so much to Mr Will Baker for this. A fantastic example of how a simple idea can be adapted to engage, inspire and improve children's learning. In the ebook, the lesson talks about using the app in a class, which I have done plenty of times to great effect. To see a whole school take part is wonderful and the enthusiasm, support and enjoyment from all the children is a wonderful thing to see!

Thank you again!
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Poetry in the New Curriculum

July 9, 2014, 2:25 pm
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Never before has Poetry had such a big focus than in the New Primary Curriculum. Learning poetry by heart, reciting and performing poems is prevalent throughout the new Literacy curriculum:

Year 2 POS -
"..continuing to build up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some, with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear."
Year 4 POS - 
"...preparing poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action
recognising some different forms of poetry."
 Year 6 POS - 
"...learning a wider range of poetry by heart."

Something that we have been doing for the past 3 years at Davyhulme Primary School is a whole school Choral Poetry competition. The idea is that the children learn and perform a poem with winners for EYFS, Year 2, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2.

The competition runs in an X Factor style, where the judges (Head, Deputy and yours truly,) give feedback after each performance. Paying particular attention to the arrangement, use of props, use of voice for effect, movement, volume and creativity.

The children love this competition and the performances are outstanding.  Now we will be able to link this to most of the poetry focused objectives. Here is this year's competition:



As a school that loves to promote and share children's work through our blog and social media pages, it gives us access to contact the poets who wrote the poems performed by the children. Not all the poets were on twitter, but the ones who were ALL replied and left some inspiring messages for the children.

When shared with the classes, the impact is fantastic! For the children knowing their hard work has been seen and appreciated by the professionals who created them is simply... Awesome!

There are some fantastic poets and authors who I have contacted and they have left a comment for children here are some we received from this year's poetry competition.









One poet - Ian Bland went one step further! Being so grateful that the children chose and performed one of his poems, he personally signed one of his books and sent it to the class:




I recently sat in on one of Ian's poetry sessions as part of the Literacy Shed and was really impressed as not only does Ian perform his poetry, he teaches children how to write poetry through workshops and can also provide CPD for teachers and build their confidence in teaching poetry. You can find out more here - www.ianbland.com.

So as Poetry is becoming a more important part of the Literacy curriculum, how will you promote and encourage children to appreciate, enjoy and learn different poems? If you have any other ideas, please leave them as comments to this post or tweet them to me. If not, give the choral poetry competition a try, it is a fantastic way to celebrate poetry throughout the school!



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It is nearly summer!

July 12, 2014, 3:06 pm
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It is nearly the end of the year and where we you would expect everything to be winding down, it seems to be the most busiest time of the year for many teachers! Sports days, Year 6 productions and reports are just some of the things that creep up on us this time of year! This doesn't mean that teachers aren't looking forward to the imminent break! This is perfectly reflected in this little treat for our Year 6 from the staff at Davyhulme Primary School.

A fantastic way to show that we don't take ourselves too seriously, have hidden talents and are willing to go to "embarrassing" lengths to entertain and put smiles on our children's faces!!

Please feel free to share, like and tweet! Even grab staff from your school, have a go at your own and share the #summerjoy!


I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their incredible support this year. Looking back to this time last year when I decided to drop to part time and be a part time trainer/consultant, I could have never imagined this year would have been so successful! That has only happened due to the wonderful support of everyone who has viewed the blog, followed me on twitter and booked me into their school. I am looking forward to a lovely break in the summer with some exciting projects lined up for next year!
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One's World War - Ready for launch!

July 15, 2014, 11:25 am
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I have been waiting eagerly for the launch of this fascinating project from the Alan Pear team!

One's World War is a project that will last a number of years and will chronicle the diary of a soldier throughout World War 1.

Alan Peat acquired the diary a few years ago and alongside Simon Matthews has been putting this project together for over a year.

The diary belongs to a gentleman called George Beale–Browne, a Gloucestershire man who, at the start of the war, was a Lieutenant in the 61st Company of the Advance Service Corps (1st Army). By the end of the war he was a Major commanding a G.H.Q. Supply column. What is unique about the diary is that it reads as a continuous narrative looking at all the different aspects of war from someone who lived through it.

To bring the diary alive, the team have put together the website onesworldwar.com, each month the website will feature a free podcast which runs alongside a digital magazine. The digital magazine is available through different subscriptions options, such as a monthly £6 subscription, 6 monthly at £30 or yearly subscription of £50.

I was able to have a sneak peak of the first issue and it is stunning. The design aspect from Simon is incredible, well on par with the fantastic design he did on Mat Sullivan's Developing writing through Comics book.

The digital magazine is a great resource for teachers. Packed with information, which links to the corresponding month and podcast from the diary. Lesson plans aimed at Primary level written by some inspirational teachers. Both Alan Peat and Mat Sullivan provide lessons for the first issue. Then there are links to books, websites, apps will be very useful in the classroom. This description doesn't do justice to the wealth of information provided in the magazine!

What I love about this project is that it is a great mix of something historical and important told through exciting, engaging and modern storytelling tools.

I feel both schools and teachers will find tonnes of useful ideas, resources and inspiration. Subscription is available from July 10th with the first issue being published on August 4th, which will be exactly 100 years to the date of the first diary entry.

So make sure you subscribe before the end of the school year to avoid missing the first issue!





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My Holiday Reads!

August 8, 2014, 1:57 pm
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I have just returned from a lovely week away, where I had chance to really sit back relax! It meant I was able to read and I really took advantage of this opportunity! I thought it might be a good idea to share what I read and hopefully inspire others with a book to read over summer or even blog and share what they have read.

The first book I read was @HywelRobert's 'Oops! Helping Children Learn Accidently,'

This was recommended by @missrobinson82, who thought the approach is very similar to some of the projects I have shared through the blog and training. I have to agree, I thought it is a superb book and something I fully support and try to use. An example would be the Blackfish project, something that started from nothing but eventually grew beyond anything we could have hoped!

The book is written with a humorous tone and has some fantastic ideas. I haven't met Hywel but have heard great things about the training he provides and I hope to attend one in the future.



The next book was 'Death at Seaworld,' by David Kirby. I have wanted to read this for a while since watching the film Blackfish to read more about this issue that really interests me. If you were inspired by the film, I would highly recommend this book.

It delves into issues that the film didn't get chance to discuss and demonstrates further the reasons why we shouldn't keep these highly intelligent, social animals in captivity.

The film Blackfish, inspired one of the best class projects I had the pleasure of being involved in. You can read more about what we did with this issue here.







I also managed to finish both autobiographies of one of my lifelong heroes - Sir Alex Ferguson.

'Managing my life,' and 'Alex Ferguson: My autobiography,' chronicles Sir Alex's life from childhood up to his retirement after 25+ years as the manager of Manchester United.

Both books were fascinating! As an avid United fan, I got a real insight into the wonderful mind of one of the most successful managers in football history!



The last book I read was Shooters by Ben Black. This book looks at the gang culture that ravaged Manchester in the early 00s. This seems to pick up where another book - Gang War by Peter Walsh - finished. I read Gang war on my previous holiday and this was another insightful book on Manchester gang culture. For someone who has lived in Manchester all my life, it interests me to know about the criminal underground within the city.

So the question now is what have you read and what would you recommend?

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Guest Blog Post by Nick Vose - Plastic Peril

August 8, 2014, 2:27 pm
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Phone contract over- Brick gone! New iPhone so set up Twitter account. @DeputyMitchell helps set up Class Blog - http://radcliffe6v.primaryblogger.co.uk/

Then attend @LiteracyShed Conference Old Trafford. Superb use of videos from Rob Smith for creative writing. Impressed to find them all in one place rather than trawling YouTube myself.

Next up @ICT_MrP. Inspirational ideas when using i-pads and camouflage learning. Liked Blackfish. Store that for future reference!

@InspiredMind5. #geektastic. Book for Village in Ashton. Order Comics in the Classroom. Start collecting resources for September.

Next to Davyhulme Primary for iPads in the Classroom training from Mr Parkinson. More inspirational ideas to take back to class and start using with my 15 iPads. Children don’t see it as work, all motivated and working together, sharing and bouncing ideas of each other.

New IPC Unit  of 'Climate Control.' Watched Midway – Message From The Gyre with my class. Stunned silence. Tears rolling down some faces, both adults and children! What can we do in Radcliffe about that?

Write about it? Discussion/Argument Text? Boring! Inspired by Mr P's Blackfish project- Can we do something similar? Left children to plan and each came up with question. Each came up with answer. Sort into order of importance. Use images from film as backdrop. Film each student reading question. Film each student giving response. Harry (Digital Leader) edit using i-movie. Add music – Albatross/Fleetwood Mac (Only bit I did!) Watch and post on class blog. 



Enter for Primary Earth Summit. Enter for Totally Green School Award. Enter for TCSC Oscar Awards. Wait and see.
http://radcliffe6v.primaryblogger.co.uk/school-news/we-are-a-primary-earth-summit-winning-school/

Visited Richmond Primary School in London, with Harry, Mediah and Heather for training with BBC presenters. Harry came for editing film. Mediah and Heather as they prepared the best speech for why they should represent class at Parliament. 

Day spent at The Houses of Parliament will be one that none of us will ever forget! So proud to see our Year 6 telling MP’s they need to tackle plastic pollution in the ocean. Mrs B (Class TA) cried all the way through their speech!






Awesome probably sums up the whole experience from start to finish. My thanks to Lee for sharing so many wonderful ideas on his blog, without which, this experience would not have been possible.


- Many thanks to Nick for this, great to see how an idea can be adapted and used for another topic. It is fantastic to see how far the video went and the success you had from it. I am sure the class will remember this exciting project and the inspired work that they produced!
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Creating effective then and now pictures

August 12, 2014, 1:44 pm
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Last weekend I received these tweets:

This was my response:


Just in case you see other tweets sharing this idea, I just wanted to show when I mentioned it first. I hope that most followers of this blog and anyone who attends my training agree that I always credit any teacher if an idea starts with them, I just think it is fair to acknowledge where the initial inspiration for an idea comes from. I am more than happy to let people share ideas from my blog, that is the main reason for it! I am always extremely happy and proud to see people who tweet me to say that they have used an idea. I appreciate every time someone does share something from my blog and when they acknowledge where it came from. I can never prove whether a teacher genuinely thinks of an idea themselves and like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but to me it doesn't take much to mention and credit other peoples ideas.


Instashake was an app I downloaded through Apps Gone Free a while back. It is a great way of combining two different mix in different patterns. It is really straightforward and provides a great way to compare pictures of the past to the present.

It provides a great visual stimulus for children to then use to compare and contrast or even describe.

An example would be to take some pictures of the D Day landings contrasted with what they look like now (you can find some examples here) you can then use Instashake to combine two of these pictures to create a really effective then and now contrasting image:




Other ways could be to compare your local area, take this example of a picture of Market Street, Manchester in 1877 alongside Market Street 2002:


Or the evolution of Dubai - 1991 - 2003:


And it can also work the other way, look at current war zones and see how they use to look before the outbreak of war. Take this example of a street in Syria in 2011 and 2013:
 

This would show the devastating effects of war. 

You could even use it to look at the changes in children, or compare a self portrait with the original. If the children have replicated a famous painting in an art lesson it can then be blended with the original. Here is an example of me now contrasted to me as a baby (it fails to show the little difference mentally!):


Another idea, suggested by @RedgieRob would be to have a superhero with their alter ego. This could be done by the children creating their own superhero and creating an image that shows both sides of the character, here is a quick examples I put together -




Instashake is currently £1.49 but keep an eye out if it goes on Apps gone free again. If you have another other ideas for how to use this app, please tweet or add the ideas within the comments.

Already lots of ideas coming through thanks to twitter! Rob created this which could be a great stimulus for writing - 

 

Other ideas include - contrasts in weather/seasons, make your own animal by combining different parts of others (@SimonHaughton) or the opening setting with the setting at the end of a narrative (@BrynGoodman) Environmental changes (@WatsEd)

Thanks for all the suggestions! 




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Inspring and Motivational Quotes for the Classroom!

August 13, 2014, 2:01 am
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The internet is full of amazing quotes and speeches that can inspire and motivate. I want to try and collate as many that can be used in the classroom to help children focus and reach their potential. All you have to do is fill in the form below, if possible please try to name who originally voiced or penned the quote. However I know this is an issue on the internet, in that quotes can be referenced to someone who didn't actually say or write it.

It maybe a quote, speech, poem or even a link to a video. Thank you in advance for all your suggestions. It will also be a great way to build your PLN as you will be able to follow the contributors by searching their twitter handle.

Once I get a few suggestions, I will blog different apps you can use to create different posters to then display in your classroom.



CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESPONSES

Here are the responses for you to read and use:

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Create instant writing prompts using PhotoFunia

August 19, 2014, 1:06 pm
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PhotoFunia is a great free app and website that allows to take a photo and really jazz it up!

With over 350 different effects you can transform a simple picture into a work of art or display a picture on an advertising billboard!

Some of the effects include pictures, others just text and some are a combination of the two.

The professional finish to these effects can provide a stimulus that children will believe is real, leading to some really effective and purposeful writing. There are some limitations - for example - you cannot add any punctuation marks into the text, so choose your words wisely!

Here are a few ways in which you can use this app in the classroom -

Create a headline to inspire writing.
Tell the class you took this picture this morning while you were having your breakfast. Share some of the facts from the article. Allow the children to then write the newspaper report, or write a first person recount as the person who made the discovery.
Work in pairs and use hot seating to interview the witness.
Write a description of the artefact, what if it was haunted? Write a spooky tale about it haunting the school.
Lots of opportunities to then use other iPad apps to develop ideas.


If your school won the lottery, what would the children want the money spent on?
Could they come up with a proposal list and budget?
Write a letter to the Headteacher proposing what the money should be spent on.
Can they map out a new playground? design a new classroom?


This image was made by @Redgierob after reading a previous post here.

Children could write descriptions about the day aliens landed.
This can be linked with this previous iPad lesson.
Children can write in role as the aliens, visiting Earth and the school for the first time - what would they think? Could they come up with different names for objects?


There are loads of other effects you can use! Here are a few other ways in which you can use PhotoFunia in class -

When children draw, paint or create pieces of art work, use the app to create the illusion that the piece of art is being displayed in an Art gallery.

Children will love to see pictures as if their work is being displayed in different Art Galleries.



If you have an assembly, performance or show coming up, create an effect like this to share via twitter or Facebook with parents.

If the children have created an animation or film on their iPad, create a similar image as the opening titles for their film.
Do you have a star of the week? Publicise their achievement by creating the effect of the news being featured in a magazine! This could be the "Super Pupils,""Best children weekly," or something along those lines to make the child feel that the reward is being shared and valued.



This next example was made through the website - http://photofunia.com/ as the app doesn't allow the video effects to work on the iPad.

But this is an animated effect which allows you to choose some of your favourite examples of writing and turn them into a book. This could be a great way to showcase the writers of the week!


These are just a few examples of the 350+ effects available on the app or website. Not all the effects would be usable in class but if you have any other ideas please let me know in the comments below.

Here was an idea shared by @larnawhatwhat on twitter. This will be used with her Roald Dahl unit of work -






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50+ iPad lessons for Exciting Sentences!

August 25, 2014, 2:41 pm
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I am extremely pleased to announce that my first printed book will be released in early October. The book, 50+ iPad lessons for Exciting Sentences, promises to be, an idea rich addition to the Exciting Sentences series. The book is co-written with Alan Peat, who created and wrote the first Exciting Sentences book. If you don't have a copy of the original books, follow these links - Exciting Sentences, Second book of Exciting Sentences. These are a MUST for the primary classroom and I have seen first hand how it has transformed and improved children's writing. I am also proud to have Simon Matthews on design for this project, his amazing work on previous books including Mat Sullivan's, 'Developing Writing Through Comics,' is phenomenal. Simon's latest project is the wonderful onesworldwar.com, which you can read about here. It is a fantastic resource and well worth a look.

The forthcoming book will aim to support teachers who use the Exciting Sentence approach and have access to mobile technology. Although it is primarily iPad based, there are links to alternative Android apps so it will be useful to any teacher with a mobile device in the classroom. The book consists of 15 key apps, from which a range of different lesson ideas to help children deepen and further their understanding of using Exciting Sentences in their writing. The book contains links to the new Primary Curriculum and contains plenty of REAL classroom examples.

The book will be available in both printed and digital form. The digital eBook will be updated regularly if any of the apps are updated and redesigned. There will be an opportunity to buy the digital copy at a discount if you buy a printed version. 

This will be the first in a series of books both myself and Alan will be working on. The next will be 50+ iPad lessons for Non Fiction writing. It will be another book that will show the potential of using the iPad to enhance and transform writing into a range of multimedia digital media. This will accompany another non-fiction publication from Creative Educational Press written by Mat and Alan. 

Many of the ideas and lessons from the book are discussed on INSET and training I provide, if you are interested, please visit this link, if you are interested in upcoming conferences click here. After the success of my first eBook '15 iPad lessons for the World Cup,' I also have my next eBook currently in edit, which I am hoping will be ready in the next couple of weeks. 

If you are interested in purchasing the book and would like to be added to the Alan Peat Ltd Newsletter group so you receive emails for all the latest news including - apps, books, courses and conferences, please add your details below:

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Using an iPad as a Visualiser

September 12, 2014, 6:36 am
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A few years back, I managed to acquire a visualiser through collecting Tesco vouchers. I was to trial using it in class with the intention of then purchasing them for other classes if worthwhile. It quickly transformed my teaching! Being able to demonstrate examples through shared writing, share children's work with the whole class, uplevel and edit children's work were just a few ways I used it to enhance my teaching. It led to the school buying a visualiser for each class teacher - each costing approximately around £200-£250 each at that time, this may now have changed.

About a year later, we made the decision to invest in iPads (costing around £250 each at the time, the same price or even cheaper of a visualiser,) and this made the visualisers almost redundant along with the interactive whiteboard. One of the many great features of the iPad is that it can easily become an interactive visualiser, but what sets it apart, is the fact it is mobile and therefore gives teachers the ability to have a visualiser in their hands wherever they are.

There are a few ways in which to connect your iPad to your projector for display - either through software on a computer or hardware connected directly to the projector. This fantastic poster from the inspirational @iPadWells demonstrates some -


Here are some ways to turn your iPad into a visualiser -

1 - Airserver (Approx £7) - For me, this is the best software to mirror your iPad screen. Available for both PC and Mac this works brilliantly well (most of the time!) The recent update now allows you to record your iPad screen too which provides teachers with a great way of creating tutorial videos. For the price it is fantastic and as long as your wifi is strong and allows access for it to work, I don't think there is anything better. Your PC will need Windows 7 or above for it to work but here is a short video demonstrating how it works -


2 - Apple TV (Approx £80) This is a piece of hardware that will connect directly into a projector/screen or TV. This again relies on Wifi to allow the Airplay option from your device. For me, the cost is what makes me lean toward Airserver. You could potentially put Air Server on every teacher's PC for the same price as an Apple TV. Both rely on your Wifi to handle the bandwidth and make sure it isn't unblocked.


3 - Reflector (Approx £8) This is another piece of software that is very similar to Air Server. I have tried both and prefer Air Server. It just seemed to be more reliable however reflector does work on Windows XP. Below is a YouTube video comparing Reflector and AirServer - 


4 - VGA Adapter (Approx £10 for iPad 2 or £35 for newer iPads) The VGA cables are very reliable and I always have one to hand as we can never always rely on Wifi! The problem, is that is becomes static, you can only display your iPad from the front of the class where you have attached the iPad to the whiteboard.

This infographic from the great Tony Vincent compares most ways to mirror your iPad to a display board (Click here for original post) - 

There are also apps that work the other way, allow you to control your PC computer from your iPad. Splashtop app or Hippo Remote are a couple I have used. Both require the software to be downloaded on the PC and also the app on your iPad. 



The next app to be released by Alan Peat Ltd will be the 'iVisualiser,' app. If you are able to mirror your iPad to your projector or screen this app will be extremely useful. Using the iPad camera within the app, it provides a range of useful tools to help teachers annotate and highlight directly onto the screen. The fact this can be done live or a freezeframe can be taken and children or teachers can annotate the screen and save it as a photo truly makes the iPad a great mobile visualiser. 

When you consider that a standard visualiser now costs near the same as an iPad mini I think there is no question what would be a more worthwhile purchase. If you are unsure as to what else an iPad can do, please read through this blog. 


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Musomic - The Future of Comic Creation!

September 15, 2014, 2:22 pm
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I rarely look forward to an app as much as I did when I first heard of Musomic. After working alongside Mat (@inspiredmind5) and reading his fantastic book (pictured) I quickly realised the potential of using comics in the classroom. There are plenty of comic apps available on the iPad, my favourites being Comic Life, Strip Designer and Comics Head. Musomic, however is completely different and provides a whole range of fantastic literacy opportunities!

Here is a video showing the basics of the Musomic app:



There are a range of different themed packs that you can purchase and download. For the next couple of days, all of the content is FREE so be quick and get them downloaded! But it is the fact that you have professionally designed images to work with in creating your own comics is such a fantastic tool. It can inspire writing in so many ways, from planning stories, investigating characters, retelling stories, creating comics and classroom posters to name just a few ideas that jump in my head. I just know that children will relish using this app as a storytelling tool and it will inspire so many creative stories! 

The other aspect to this app that sets it apart from other comic apps out there is the use of music! I am a massive fan of how important music can be in telling a story. I have previously blogged about how you can use music to inspire story writing and you can read it here. The fact that children can add drums, melody or SFX to each page of their comic add a whole new level of creativity to the storytelling process.

This is an app I am excited to use in the class, so stay tuned to see some of the wonderful comics the children make over the next few weeks!

If you haven't yet got your copy of the app - DOWNLOAD IT HERE NOW!
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15 iPad lesson ideas for 'The Tudors'

September 17, 2014, 10:04 am
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I am very proud to announce that my new eBook - 15 iPad lesson ideas for 'The Tudors' is now available on the iBook store!


This brand new eBook will share 15 inspiring and engaging lessons using the iPad to bring the Tudor topic alive in the classroom. 

With cross curricular link and references to the New Primary Curriculum, the book will help teachers looking for ways to enhance learning through the use of mobile technology. 

‘The Tudors’ is one of the most popular topics covered in the Primary Curriculum. Despite not being directly linked in the New Primary Curriculum there are still opportunities to cover this fascinating topic in class.

Even if you don't teach 'The Tudors,' most of the ideas shared in this eBook can easily be adapted for any topic in the new History curriculum.

Featuring a range of apps including - Lino, Thinglink, Puppetpals to name a few! The eBook also links to Android versions of apps wherever possible.

All of the lessons have been tried and tested in a primary classroom and examples of work children have produced are shared on many of the pages. 

You can download the book from the iBook store for just £1.49. If you do download please leave a review.



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Alan Peat presents... Enhancing the New Primary Curriculum using Technology

September 23, 2014, 6:44 am
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The course on Monday 22nd September at the Village hotel in Whiston near Liverpool. Over 92 teachers attended and the atmosphere was fantastic! The aims of the day were to provide teachers with a range of ideas and strategies to successfully use technology through different web tools and iPad apps to enhance learning in Numeracy, Literacy and other cross curriculum subjects.

This conference is being repeated in the following places -

4th November - Middlesborough

18th November - Peterborough

8th December - London

27th January - Walsall

Places are available on all the above courses and just follow the link for details to book.

The feedback from the conference was incredible, I am so thankful to everyone for their kind words, was lovely to hear how much you enjoyed it!

60 Evaluations –
58– Rated the content and delivery as Excellent
2 – Rated the content and delivery as good.

Simply... WOW! 
 Thank you so much for today... My head is buzzing and I've not felt so pumped about my job as I do tonight for a long time!  Just need to persuade the SLT that a QR code qualifies as evidence in books!! You obviously love your job and it's so refreshing to have CPD from someone who is still in the classroom and practices what they preach! The children you teach are very lucky! Thanks again  
Oh my goodness. I’m worried some thing will fall out of my head on the way home! This was the most valuable training I have had as a teacher, computing co-ordinator and school senior leader. I just wish I know everything that Lee knows!  
Some fabulous ideas and excellent range of low cost apps that will enhance the learning and feedback for children. 
 Funny and engaging! Feeling inspired and can’t wait to try things out. An outstanding day with so much shared! Incredible ideas for us to use in the classroom. Every teacher in Britain needs this training! 
 Amazing. Just fantastic, I am so envious that your school has such a talented teacher on staff! Well worth the journey. 
Incredibly inspiring! Excellent delivery, very inspiring and lots to now think about. Thank you for a very engaging, thought provoking day. 
Was brilliant! Will be looking out for courses by him for the rest of our staff! Thanks for a brilliant day! Excellent, inspiring day full of engaging and practical ideas to use with the children. 
Really enjoyed today. Never downloaded so many apps! Can’t wait to use them at school with the children. Really clear and interesting content – loads of things I want to use! Loved clear instruction of iMovie – thanks!  
Fantastic!!! Has really made me think about how to CHANGE my teaching using ICT. I’m hoping to make my lessons more inspiring and engaging for the children.  
Outstanding! Really inspirational and links to real projects show the direct impact, not of the iPads but the creativity and the thought behind the use of the gadgets.  
Fantastic day – Lee was a great course facilitator who kept everyone engaged and interested. Made the day much more enjoyable – Thank you!  
Fabulous, one of the best training days I have ever been on. So useful, inspiring and enjoyable too! 
Brain frazzled by the amount of superb info and guidance, ready to use in the classroom, massive thanks! I would highly recommend to every teacher.  
Fast paced. Engaging. Stimulating, lots of practical ideas to use in the classroom. Loads of cracking ideas which I can’t wait to use back in the classroom. 
Lots of creative uses, just need to disseminate. Really interesting ideas for moving forward with technology to enhance learning in the classroom. 
Going to enjoy sharing this with my colleagues. Lots of very useful apps discussed, ready to disseminate back in school. Really useful apps to use in class. Great bank of ideas now on how to enhance the children’s writing using iPads.  
Fantastic course and delivery! Thank you! 
Fantastic training! I have taken loads of ideas away. It’s wonderful to listen to an inspiring teacher. Thank you! Look forward to telling all the other teachers in my school about the fantastic tools we can use! Really great ideas – creative and practical!  
Found it very useful as someone at the Nursery stage. It has given me more confidence to have a go. 
Super ideas, very informative! Fantastic sessions. Wonderful ideas which can be used across the whole school! Informative, friendly and fun. 
 Very inspiring lots of useful ideas. 
Fantastic day! Good ideas and great hand out etc. Brilliant speaker, fantastic ideas. An excellent course – just need more iPads in school. Lots of wonderful cross curricular links.  
Very inspiring leader. Great use of examples to demonstrate ideas. Great to see examples from children’s work and lesson ideas. Excellent ideas and info. Fantastic delivery of course content! Excellent and inspiring Lots of practical advice that can be taken back into the classroom.  
Just what we needed as a school. How we use our iPads from today will change dramatically thanks to your expertise and introduction of all our useful apps and how we can use them in our class. 
Lots of excellent ideas shared in a clear and informative session.  Super course, great resources and content – followed on twitter and blog for a while and use resources. Excellent Course – Far too many ideas! Where to begin!? Thanks a million!  
Loads of ideas about which apps to buy and how to use them in a creative way. Lots of superb apps! Lots of good practical ideas! 
 Excellent! Practical! Mindblowing! Excellent! Very inspiring to take teaching and learning into the 21st Century! Lots of fantastic ideas to inspire the children and hopefully other staff.  
Thank you He has been brilliant! Great ideas! Great day with useful ideas, thanks!Very confident and knowledgeable. 
Had a good rapport with the room. Very useful, thank you! Absolutely amazing! Can’t wait to try! Fantastic, practical ideas, thank you! Very inspirational, lots of great ideas to use in the classroom. 
WOW! Very useful course, thank you. Very useful and informative. Practical ideas that can be used. Speaker very good, engaged throughout. Very useful and informative. Will take ideas back to school.  
Great course with lots of useful ideas for the classroom! Thank you – a great day! Very useful – fast paced and informative. Great for the new cross-curricular approach. A wide range of ideas to use across KS1 and KS2. 
Very inspirational. Lots of practical ideas – Excellent delivery. Lots of great ideas

And for those on the course the picture above hopefully sums it up!


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Mr P is going International!

September 24, 2014, 2:44 pm
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I am very happy to announce that I will be leading a two day course for schools in Dubai in October 2014. Working alongside IT Training and Consultancy, I will be sharing different ideas, apps and strategies to make the most of using iPads to enhance learning in the curriculum. Please contact Shama for more information and to book a place.


It seems there maybe some technical difficulties with the email address provided. If so, please send through any details/questions to davyhulme.ipad@gmail.com




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There is no app for that!

September 28, 2014, 1:27 am
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On Friday, I presented at the Literacy Shed Conference in Bury alongside @redgierob, @bryngoodman and @readingexplorers. The two day conference focused on all things Literacy with John Murray demonstrating and sharing his unique insight into developing key reading skills. Rob shared his ideas and strategies to develop a visual literacy curriculum. Bryn share his first hand experience in using the Shed and the impact it had. I then discussed all things iPad and how to use the internet to have a real impact on children's learning.

The real star of the two days though, didn't even present! @gazneedle, is a KS1 teacher at St Josephs in Shaw. I have done some training at his school and he is a true gent. But I was in complete awe of his notetaking ability. Armed with a notepad and pencil case he went to work producing some stunning cartoon like notes throughout the two days! I don't know how he managed to do it while keeping up with what was being shared!


After the conference, I sat and read through his notes which covered all the main ideas shared in such a visual and impressive way. Gaz also has a blog - http://friendlyneighbourhoodteacher.wordpress.com/ which he shares some of his doodles, such as visual tweets - 


motivational Quotes -


Or making Twitter profile pics - 


Make sure you follow Gaz on twitter - @Gazneedle and I know already teachers have enquired about whether he can do a workshop with their class. But if you need a illustrator, or hosting a teachmeet/conference and want someone to create a live stream of visual notes, Gaz in your man!

Some of the feedback from the #litshedconf was fantastic, so thank you to everyone who tweeted! Here is a Storify with some of the feedback - 


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