LAURA BAIN
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Why be a part of the Maker Movement? 

29/3/2017

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Knowledge is power. That's what they say. But knowledge without creation or application in a meaningful way, is merely useless facts and figures. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the acquisition of knowledge is a waste of time. I am a teacher after all. I place great value in the acquisition of knowledge. The point I am trying to make here is that knowledge really becomes powerful when it is used to create something and I think is what is driving the Maker Movement and STEAM programs in schools.  
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New Priorities

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There is an ever-increasing demand on schools to educate children in more than just what are viewed as traditional subjects. Social and emotional intelligence as well as 21st Century skills continue to be the trend in contemporary education. You always hear a *sigh* when you start talking about something new to teachers. I don't see this as an addition to an already overcrowded roster of expectations, but genuinely see making as a powerful vehicle for the construction of meaningful knowledge AND an opportunity to develop other essential skills. The obvious additional benefit of getting on the Maker Train is that making embraces and revamps the old "learn by doing" approach and is powered by children's natural inclination to play and explore, resulting in strong engagement. 

Mindset Matters

While we were a little slower on the uptake in our school and have only launched our Maker Space this year, it is important to note that the Maker movement is really about a mindset and not a physical space. Having a Maker Mindset is about being a person who is resourceful and thinks creatively to solve problems. Someone who is open to failure and sees it as essential to achieving success. A person who collaborates and communicates with others, a team player. Someone who identifies what they need to learn or finds a passion and chases after it with enthusiasm. Having a pretty place to do all these things is just a bonus.
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Introducing Little Bits

28/3/2017

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One of the most exciting features of our new Fab Lab this year is our littleBits Pro Library. I am completely new to littleBits and, admittedly, there are a number of components I have NO IDEA how to use yet! BUT I have been so excited to get started with them. 
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Over the last couple of weeks I have been running some rotations with the Year 6 students which aimed to give them experiences with electrical circuits before their STEAM unit next term. They involved rotations with littleBits, Makey-Makeys, Electric Brain Box Sets and a couple of related iPad apps. Its been a busy few weeks, but the students have enjoyed themselves immensely. 

What are Little Bits? The official spiel....

littleBits makes an open source library of electronic modules that snap together with tiny magnets for prototyping, learning, and fun. littleBits consists of tiny circuit-boards with specific functions engineered to snap together with magnets. No soldering, no wiring, no programming, just snap together for prototyping, learning and fun. Simply combine the different littleBits together and start creating your own design made of sensors, motors, input and output modules

What is littleBits? from littleBits on Vimeo.

Introductory Lesson with Year 6

At the start of the lesson I provided the group with a bowl with a power (9V battery) and output (LED). I discussed the anatomy of a bit, before moving onto the four categories of bits:
  • powers(blue)
  • inputs (pink)
  • wires (orange)
  • outputs (green)
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We explored how bits joined together magnetically and from there I encouraged the students to connect their power and see if they could get their LED (output) to shine. Following student successes, I provided each with an pink input. Each student had a different type of switch. I instructed them to add it to their circuit. Some added it to the end of their circuit and discovered that it had no impact on their output, this being a valuable discussion point. We moved on to discuss the order of bits. I set the challenge of creating a circuit with multiple outputs and inputs to control them. The majority of students took a little time to work on this but were all successful in the end. Without much in the way of prior learning to base their explanations, the students made connections and constructed a pleasing understanding. We ended the lesson by testing how the REG LED could be adjusted with the tiny screwdrivers from the littleBits Library.  
​The images below were used to support the lesson in our Class Notebook, which I found on the Resources for Education on the littleBits website.

Working with @littlebits today in the #makerspace with Year 6. Today was their introductory lesson. So much #fun! #edtech #aussieed #technologyteacher #electronics #circuits #science #sciencefun

A post shared by Laura Bain (@larubain) on Mar 27, 2017 at 11:18pm PDT

Sharing Learning with Class Dojo

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I love having the students record their learning on their Student Story on Class Dojo. At the end of the lesson, each student added a short video demonstrating the circuit they had created. It is a fantastic way to document their understanding and success with the activity as well as share with parents. The example (pictured) shows a student example and his parents encouragement. Always nice to see!










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Another student captured video, which I also shared on Instagram is below.
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A post shared by Laura Bain (@larubain) on Mar 27, 2017 at 11:46pm PDT

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The Difference between the ICT Capabilities and the Digital Technologies Curriculum

27/3/2017

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In Australia, the ICT Capabilities were released prior to the Digital Technologies curriculum. Many teachers are confused by the purpose of the Digital Technologies subject area and how it differs to the ICT Capabilities. In this blog entry, I will discuss the aims of both and what makes them different.
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The ICT Capabilities

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The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capabilities are one of the seven General Capabilities outlined by ACARA. They are considered to be the skills and competencies that students need to "live and work successfully in the 21st century" (ACARA).

Ideally, they are to be addressed THROUGH the content of the learning areas. They are designed to enrich student learning across subject areas. The ICT capabilities are more focused on skills and using those skills to achieve curriculum objectives.
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Some content descriptors explicitly identify the inclusion of technology as essential, as can be seen in the Year 2 English example below. Other content descriptors identify the role of ICT as a potential way to enrich the content descriptor. An example of this is the example from Year 5 Science. Additionally, ICT presents a natural partner in the collection and representation of data in Mathematics. An example of this is also pictured below.

The Digital Technologies

The Digital Technologies makes up one half of the bigger Technologies content area, the other half being the Design aspect. 

The Digital Technologies subject focuses on the deeper ideas and underlying concepts of computing. Prior to the introduction of this subject, we were teaching skills with technology that would become outdated in a matter of years. Technology will continue to change in the classroom and the ways we investigate, create, and communicate with it will too. This subject aims to teach the fundamentals of computer science itself and these are concepts that are not going to change as technology evolves. It aims to build knowledge about such things as digital systems, the representation and transmission of data, computational thinking, abstraction and algorithmic thinking. These then form a basis for the creation of digital solutions.
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The Difference

Digital Technologies is the natural home for the ICT Capability BUT it is important to understand that the content area deals with the deeper concepts of technology. The ICT Capabilities are about using and working with technology, while the Digital Technologies is about understanding technology and developing a particular way of thinking.

The common misconception is that the Digital Technologies curriculum replaces the need for teachers to try and integrate technology into their classrooms. I would argue that it in fact will drive the role of technology in the classroom to new heights as our students become increasingly skilled and knowledgeable. 

The Digital Technologies Hub is a fantastic resource for teachers getting started with the Digital Technologies subject. They have produced an excellent poster (shown below), which you can download here. It provides a clear comparison of the ICT Capabilities and the Digital Technologies subject area. 
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Daily Recaps on Class Dojo

16/3/2017

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A lovely idea for Class Story on Class Dojo has come out of one of the classrooms of a late Class Dojo adopter. It is always pleasing as the Class Dojo Mentor to see people getting on board and having success. We now have all of our classes using Class Dojo on the Primary Campus.

This teacher has used Class Story to post his "Daily Recap". This is a great idea for combating the "What did you do at school today?" question parents often ask their children at the end of the school day. 

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I love how this idea makes learning transparent for parents but also how it makes students accountable for their own learning. 
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I'd love to hear about how other teachers are making use of Class Story. Please feel free to comment below!
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OneNote Examples - Year 4 Science Field Study

16/3/2017

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The students at my school start working 1:1 with a device from Year 4. There is a lot to learn and this is big step for sure, but I strongly believe that the students are up to the challenge and can do amazing things when you put the skills in their hands. 

I was so delighted to see this lovely example come out of a Year 4 Science Lesson this week. These students are only 8 and 9 years old! After learning how to add a picture and doing some work with tables in one of my Digital and Design Technologies lessons the previous week, the classroom teacher decided to go digital with her Science lesson this week. The students conducted a field study of erosion in the school grounds. They utilised the skills learnt previously and applied them to a new situation by creating a table of their observations and adding photographic evidence. The teacher was thrilled with what the students achieved and the ability to add pictures to their field study notes enhanced the activity for the students. 

I have to say I was thrilled also. It is always pleasing knowing you are having an impact in your role, but also seeing the independent transfer and application of skills in another subject area - YAY!

This example of student work illustrates two points I want to make:
  • When it comes to new ideas or pedagogical practices the biggest influence on teachers are OTHER TEACHERS! Seeing her students learning these simple skills in my lesson, prompted this teacher to try it herself. The bonus here of course is that the students get to practice these skills again and become more confident. 
  • We can underestimate the ability of our students sometimes. I have literally had people laugh when I say I use OneNote with Year 4 students. Not only can these kids navigate a complex class notebook full of section groups for different subjects, but they can also add pictures, tables, draw, add text, create their own pages and sections - and its only the 7th week of school! You cannot throw technology at kids at expect that they can just do it, but give them the skills, the time, the support and they will dazzle you! 
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End of lesson EMOJI for Student Reflection

9/3/2017

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I love working in our Class Notebook. With the ability to distribute pages to all the students in the class with the click of a button I have literally forgotten what a worksheet is.....seriously! The school printing budget must be flush!

With all the digital work flying around in my classroom, it felt a little backwards handing out paper exit slips or student reflection sheets. I also wanted to try something a little more current than the old traffic light system. In my casual browsing, I came across the use of emojis for student reflection and loved the concept. 

I dropped my own version into the activity I distributed in my Digital Technologies lesson today and the kids loved it! They actually put some thought into their selections and many even wanted to share their reflections with the whole class.

Do you have another method for digital student reflection in your class? Leave a comment below and tell me what you do!
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#emoji student reflection in #OneNote class notebooks. I wanted to put a modern spin on the old traffic light system and found this idea online. The kids loved it! #teachersfollowteachers #teacherideas #education

A post shared by Laura Bain (@larubain) on Mar 9, 2017 at 12:57am PST

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Gamifying Learning with Kahoot

2/3/2017

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I officially LOVE Kahoot! It is such a fun way to get students interacting and engaging with content. Children of all ages love Kahoot too. It's interface is simple and effective across a wide range of devices. The best thing about Kahoot is that it is FREE and that setting up your own Kahoot is a piece of cake for teachers. Additionally, searching the library presents you with a variety of pre-made Kahoots, saving teachers precious time.

What is Kahoot and how do I use it?

Kahoot is a platform that allows you to create your own multi-choice quizzes, discussions or surveys. The way that students engage with Kahoot is social and interactive - a bit like a game show! Students can join the game from any device via the internet or via the app on iPad or android. They enter the game pin shown on the classroom screen. Once the teacher starts the game, students respond from their devices by pressing one of the four coloured buttons. The interaction is shown in real time with results displayed after each question. Points bring a fun competitive edge, but are done cleverly, only showing the top 5 participants in the class and not making someone feel bad for coming last. 

If you are looking for a fun way to liven up the delivery of content in  your classroom, I would highly recommend Kahoot. You can get started at https://getkahoot.com or find out more at https://getkahoot.com/how-it-works.

Six reasons to love Kahoot

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Find out more at https://getkahoot.com/how-it-works

Using @getkahoot to revise concepts in our Digital and Design Technologies lesson. The children just love this fabulous tool. It's so engaging and lots of fun! #gamification #makelearningfun #edtech #technologyteacher #digitaltechnologies #aussieed #ipaded #primaryschool #education #educationalfun

A post shared by Laura Bain (@larubain) on Mar 1, 2017 at 9:28pm PST

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Sphero Powered Paper Lanterns

1/3/2017

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Today in Code Club, Year 6 students created Sphero powered paper lanterns. This activity was a spin off of the Jack-o-lantern task in the Blocks 2 Activity in the Sphero Lightning Lab. 

Today we discussed loops, sounds and the different lighting effects that can be achieved through the fade and strobe features. 

A group of boys took the original Jack-o-lantern code and made a "good and evil" themed lamp as you can observe in the video below. 

See the original post on Instagram.
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A screen shot of the code in the Lightning Lab app for iPad

#spinoff of a @sphero Lightning Lab activity. Our #codeclub made paper lanterns using the loop control, sounds and light actions in the app. #ipaded #edtech #sphero #lightninglab #evillaugh #kidscreate

A post shared by Laura Bain (@larubain) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:36pm PST

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    Laura's Blog

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Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational  -  George Couros
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