by haveringict on September 2, 2010 at 9:08 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Maureen McTaggart visits Scargill Junior where innovation with ICT is changing learning
Transfixed by the maths problem on her PC, Millie willingly demonstrated a point for me when asked by her teacher. But the 8-year-old’s body language said: “Let’s be quick. I’ve got the rest of the world to play with.”
She was desperate for an early finish to the tasks set by teacher, Karen Webley so she could claim her reward – the chance to compete in maths games with learners across the world using the Mathletics online service. Scargill Junior School, in Havering, London, is taking play to a new level.
Pupil engagement here is dramatic, and technology – particularly handhelds – reigns: there are pupils at PCs; a small group solves problems together, sitting on the floor, with Nintendo DS and Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) games consoles or smartphones; the murmur of a quiet conversation drifts from one corner.
Read the rest of the article at:-
http://agent4change.net/innovation/innovation/656-bring-your-own-ict-for-innovation-and-sustainability.html
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by haveringict on July 20, 2010 at 11:12 am · Filed under Uncategorized
We wanted to let you know of a new initiative launched this week that will make young people safer when they are using Facebook called the ‘ClickCEOP’ application.
If you have children or work with teenagers, you’ll know that many of them are active in this social networking site. You’ll also be aware that where children go online, so do those who seek to groom and abuse them.
CEOP and Facebook have developed a new free application or ‘app’ that will make young people safer within Facebook. ‘ClickCEOP’ is a new ‘app’ which links the young user and parent directly from their Facebook home page to help, advice and reporting facilities of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre
The ‘CLickCEOP’ app is a three stage application that asks young people to: -
• Add the app – and the ClickCEOP tab will appear at the top of your profile page
• Share the badge – and you can share the app with your friends via their newsfeeds
• Bookmark the app – and an icon will appear on your profile page making it easy for you to access the help and advice from the ClickCEOP app
By adding the app, young people and parents can get support from CEOP on a range of issues – viruses, hacking, dealing with bullying online and they can report someone who is acting inappropriately towards them online.
The ‘app’ is the outcome of collaboration between CEOP and Facebook who have combined Facebook’s expertise in connecting and communicating online with CEOP’s expertise in helping young people stay safe.
Once added to their profiles, young users will receive regular messages from CEOP and its partner organisations who operate ‘behind the button’ to make children safer. CEOP’s new Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ClickCEOP) will also contain polls, news alerts and status updates. The page will look at topics that teenagers care about, such as celebrities, music and exams and will link these subjects to questions about online safety. The move is also being supported by an advertising campaign on Facebook that will encourage take up. This will include an automatic advert appearing on every profile of users aged between 13-18 years inviting them to add the app.
We would like to ask you that if you have a Facebook profile, app, share and bookmark the app. If children in your care are on Facebook, get them to search ‘ClickCEOP’ in Facebook and give them to chance to be one click away from help – if they should ever need it www.facebook.com/clickceop
If you work with children or young people, please share the information with them and similarly if you have internal or external communications channels within your organisation, it would be great if you could help share this important message with colleagues and audiences of your organisation. There is some information below that can help you to share this important message and the CEOP Communications Team can support you in providing some further lengthier information if you so wish – just email press@ceop.gov.uk
Thank you for your support in making children safer online
Kind regards
CEOP
by haveringict on June 6, 2010 at 10:23 am · Filed under Uncategorized
In the following article Matthew Turk reviews 2simple’s innovative program ‘2Create-a-Super-Story’
Katie Hart of 2simple comments…
“I’m pleased to say that all feedback received from teachers and children so far on this program has endorsed its pedagogical qualities as has the Education Resources award 2010 win for Best Primary ICT Resource.”
Check out this gorgeous two part story made with 2CASS http://www.witchampton.dorset.sch.uk/classes/class2/class2.html
Also, have a look at the 2CASS archive here for lots of great ideas for using the software http://www.2cassarchive.co.uk/
Matthew’s Natter
About myself
My name is Matthew Turk and I suffer from a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy presenting with extremely weak muscles. This means my mobility is very limited and I am confined to an electric wheelchair. Due to these limitations obviously I cannot participate in normal activities, I’m sure Arsenal wouldn’t appreciate tyre marks from my electric wheelchair on the Emirates pitch. With special adaptations and programs I can however regularly use my computer and spend most of my time on there. Playing games, writing and chatting to my friends are my adventures in cyberspace. Everyone loves the Internet.
The program: “2 Create a Super Story”
“2 Create a Super Story” is a program which enables users to create a story using customisable animations. There are a number of categories for this program so I shall only review one of them and I will explain why later. I would like to say that this is my own personal opinion on the software and therefore it is not from a teacher’s perspective.
A follow on?
The reason I have given that heading is because I was very glad to be able to review 2DIY, another program from 2Simple, last year. From the initial feel of “2 Create a Super Story” and what I have read about it, it could very well be a follow on. The reason I say this is that it should give more freedom than 2DIY so users can let their imagination run wild. That is not a criticism of 2DIY because I thought it fulfilled its purpose very well, its just saying that on the first look, “2 Create a Super Story” offers more flexibility.
Throughout this review I may mention similarities or differences between “2 Create a Super Story” and 2DIY. If you wish to read my thoughts on 2DIY, please click here.
Installation
You do of course have to install the program which is no problem. The installation was fast and easy. It is always a bonus when an installation goes through without any problems. The space required for “2 Create a Super Story” on my hard drive is 142mb.
First use
Upon seeing the icon for “2 Create a Super Story”, I doubled clicked it and enjoyed seeing the familiarity of the layout. There are two screens, the fore screen gives the various story options while the back screen gives the drawing function. I decided to explore the program for a few minutes so closed the fore screen. On the left of the screen are different coloured pens which obviously represent the colours you can draw with, underneath those are a number of shapes which will bring up various drawing tools once clicked. In the centre of the screen is the drawing area and at the top are the recognisable “new, save, open” etc icons which everyone knows. There is an additional icon at the top which allows the user to change the text and arrows next to it which adjust the font size. Aside from the text icon, these features are familiar to 2DIY or even Microsoft paint, which means users do not have to relearn how to draw objects for each program. This makes things very simple and much easier obviously. On the right of the screen are various icons showing different objects and items but I will talk more about that later.
After discovering this familiarity, I decided to try out the categories. There are facilities to create a reference book where you click different tabs in the same way you would turn to a specific tab in a reference book, and add animations within each page. The background or full screen categories would allow you to import your own picture and you could create a story in this way.
It is here where I encountered a problem and would like to make an observation. I clicked on a random category and was presented with the drawing screen. Something did not feel right because it was literally just the drawing screen. No instructions or tips, just thrown straight into it. I looked at the help videos and to my initial surprise there were only six videos (bear with me) on the screen. I was very confused because, being honest, I did not know what I had to do next. I thought maybe I had done something wrong so I repeated the steps but still had the same results. No matter where I looked I could not find any more help videos. Then I watched the video on the official website and saw there was a drop down menu containing a list of more videos. It dawned on me that my on-screen keyboard (which I use to type) was blocking my view of the drop down menu which is why I could not access more help videos. This problem is not anyone’s fault and certainly does not affect the program itself. However, as I encountered this problem then it is entirely possible that others, who also use an on-screen keyboard, may have this difficulty as well. Ideally, perhaps the videos could be in one long list or change the layout of the help video screen in some way.
The decision
I made the decision to watch all of the help videos. I wanted to know how to do as much as possible before I started creating a story. There are many categories to choose from and most of them perform the same basic “storytelling” but just change the background (ref 1). For example there are opportunities to create reference books with clickable tabs or scroll based stories to give an ancient or pirate feel. For the purpose of this review however, I’m going to stay with a simple story.
He shoots…HE SCORES
As you can gather, my story will be football orientated. I will create a simple three page story. Drawing the pitch and stadium was easy enough and despite the goal net appearing to be lifted off the ground, everything was satisfactory. Next I added one player, on the right of the screen I clicked the purple person and then dragged the icon with the green limbs onto the “drawing area”. These green areas are the animation points, you can test them by clicking the icon on the left which relates to the animation you would like. I wanted the player to kick so I dragged the icon representing “right leg up” into slot one at the bottom of the screen, then “right leg down” into slot two. There are ten slots available for each page but I believe you can have unlimited animations within each slot (ref 2). Multiple icons of the same type increase the amount of movement and speed of the desired animation. I wanted his kick to be faster so I dragged the same icons into the slots again. By mistake, I dragged a third icon into slot one and I could not find a way to delete it (ref 3), I shall compensate for this by dragging a third into slot two. I have created two more players and drawn a ball. I shall now animate these other objects. I’m very happy to make a comment on the dotted lines which you draw within, not only are they the animation areas but they are also a drawing guide. Should you draw outside of these dots then the colour disappears and is deleted, which is very helpful for me considering my occasional “mis-control” of the mouse.
A series of unfortunate mistakes
Whilst animating these objects I made a number of unfortunate mouse clicks (because of my condition) with regard to the follow path function but this is not a reflection on the program in any way. The humorous side of my hand tremor is that the first player does appear to lift his leg so high when kicking the ball that he knocks himself out. When the other player receives the ball he flies off into the stand. On this note, I am watching the “moving objects” help videos again. I shall delete all objects and start afresh with the pitch. The help video has made me realise that if I used the follow path function and put a “step” higher or lower than the previous or starting point, the object will rotate in the correct direction. This is for stories where you program an object to travel over a hill, for example. I had planned to have a goalkeeper try to make a save in the final “page” of the story, now I realise that when he goes to make the save, his body will move in the correct direction but he will end up making the save with his feet – in mid air. I have just tested this using a very basic drawing and the goalkeeper only rotates when there is more than one “step”, otherwise he stays absolutely vertical. Now I have discovered green rotate buttons on the left menu mentioned earlier. On this function I may be wrong but I cannot recall the rotate buttons being mentioned thoroughly in the help videos (ref 4).
I have considered changing the category and starting afresh but as I understand it, only the layout of the story would change (unless you do activity which in this case is not appropriate).
Perhaps I have tried to do too much of a complicated story, having many objects moving and following paths etc or perhaps I selected the wrong category. I just feel very confused right now about how to make my story work. Perhaps that is the key point for the end of this review.
Previously mentioned
The help videos do mention some of the other categories including activities and full screen. I am sure all of the functions are available for each category and you can create different branching stories, for example give the user the choice of going into the woods or going down a busy road, and create new pages for each decision. The drawing tools are familiar and the command buttons at the top are also recognisable with the addition of the undo function. Adding sound is also familiar from 2DIY – simply click the blue speaker once you have selected an object to create and then choose a built-in sound clip or record your own by clicking the microphone.
Comments
The program itself is very good and users could potentially create their ideal story – with guidance. The first comment I have about “2 Create a Super Story” is that you may find users asking themselves “how do I do this?” on certain things. “2 Create a Super Story” does not seem to have the pick up and play option that other programs have. You need to take time to learn everything if you want to avoid confusion and I wonder how many pupils would have this amount of time and interest. However, if a teacher is guiding a specific story to a class step by step then there should not be any problems.
My second point is about customisation.
The existing preset animations within a template are excellent for what they are designed to do and can fulfil the desired tasks. The number of animations within a template is somewhat of a let down though and I will explain why – if we take a horse, you can move the legs and tail, you cannot however move the head and neck (ref 5). If a user wants to go as far to animate the legs and tail, you can be reasonably sure they will want to animate the head too. Adapting the area of animation within a template is easy though, click the wrench in the bottom right corner of an object you are drawing and adjust the desired points accordingly.
However, there is no facility to create your own template and animations at all. If a user decides to include a spider or a fire engine with three ladders (as children’s imagination can run wild), they can easily draw these items but cannot add any movement to them. You also can not create new animations within an existing template (ref 5).
Additional information
I have always felt that when I write a review it should be done in order and if a particular piece of information would be useful but discovered after the initial writing, it should be added at the end. There are a number of points I would like to add here and firstly I would like to praise the staff at 2Simple for their assistance and excellent support.
Reference 1:
There are many categories to choose from as stated earlier, but some do offer unique attributes. The activity selection offers the user more choice with objects and their interactivity. The journey categories allow the user to create a story which a character or object can travel through. Flip match allows the user to create three horizontal strips which flip back and forth. Magic AR paper will enable you to draw something or import an image, choose an animation, print it and once the paper is placed in front of the webcam and you are on the correct webpage, the image will appear to animate on the paper.
Reference 2:
With regards to the number of animations you drag into the bottom squares, the timeline, there are a number of specifics to be stated. The user can have a maximum of forty-one animations within the entire timeline, nine animations for each slot, and six animations in the click feature but this was not mentioned in my review. The click function enables a particular task to be performed once the object is clicked.
Reference 3:
The recommended screen resolution is 1024×600, or greater, as stated in the user manual. This is why, for this review, the bin was obscured because I was using 800×600. I did just install “2 Create a Super Story” assuming it would use 800×600 and overlooked the manual.
Reference 4:
The help videos do indeed go through the basics. It is my view though that they should demonstrate every animation or action available. I say this because I know children can learn through observation and if they get into trouble on a certain aspect of “2 Create a Super Story”, a help video demonstration would be advantageous especially if the teacher is unavailable.
Reference 5:
There have been times where I have said you can’t create your own animations or change existing ones. This is half true and also a difficult point to consider. If you use a programming language called Actionscript then you can add new animations and alter existing ones. You do however need this program and know how to use it. I have to consider who “2 Create a Super Story” is aimed at – the children or the teachers. I feel it is aimed at the children and on this basis the use of Actionscript would be far too advanced for the children. A child would still be unable to create their own animations or change existing ones, a teacher could do so but would they have the time to implement every child’s requests?
Overview
There are so many possibilities with “2 Create a Super Story”, so much that you can do. I have to wonder though if the quantity does work against it because there is so much you have to learn, perhaps play around with many times, before you get the hang of it. I would worry (and this is just my opinion) that if a pupil wanted a project for lunchtimes or something to do, they would find the depth of “2 Create a Super Story” a little overwhelming and walk away from it. I think this can be highlighted with the two help videos in the “page animation” section, there is so much to take in regarding zooming, panning and fading etc, that you have to watch them a few times to keep up. You can look at it in a positive way though, that children have so many preset animations and options to create their story from.
I mentioned earlier about 2DIY. “2 Create a Super Story” is a very different program, however whilst 2DIY had more limitations and more rigidity in its program, it offered a pick up and play factor – you could dive in and explore whereas “2 Create a Super Story” takes some time to get used to.
Conclusion
“2 Create a Super Story” could be a useful addition if you want to teach pupils very basic programming steps (with regards to path following) and engaging story telling. However, in my opinion you would need to have someone in the vicinity, experienced with the programme, to give advice in case a pupil gets into difficulty trying to do a task.
by haveringict on May 8, 2010 at 10:52 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Find out about the Laptop Library project, a simple and innovative scheme that puts parents in touch with their child’s learning.
Parents of pupils are loaned IT equipment, namely laptops, and must attend an associated six-week course at their children’s school. Subjects studied range from desktop publishing and internet use to film making and animation.
This programme shows how Laptop Library is making huge inroads into bridging the digital divide between learning in the classroom and learning in the family home, where learning should also be fostered and cultivated.
Find out how the project has had a positive impact on students – particularly those vulnerable to falling out of the education system – by inspiring them in their studies. It also enables parents to gain confidence with technology, and take a real and tangible interest in their child’s education.
Laptop Library projects are run by Lambeth City Training in primary and secondary schools, funded via Adult Learning, and are available to all schools.
http://www.teachers.tv/videos/26184
