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P3 / CODE KINGDOMSKids, let’s get coding with Code Kingdoms!
P14 / ICT CURRICULUMHow to adapt your whole school ICT Curriculum
P31 / E-LEARNINGE-Learning in a Biology Classroom
P19 / MINECRAFTMinecraft; An unlikely tool to develop life-long learners
ISSUE 7
ICT in Practice
www.ictinpractice.com
Transforming education through sharing knowledge and practiceCreated by educators from around the world
SPRING EDITION APR 2014
ISSN 2053-5104
Yes, it is spring! Even out here is Shanghai one can hear the birds celebrating, their warbling notes muffled by their tiny air filtration masks. I love spring. It is the season of hope, of looking ahead to next year, despite the challenges that still lie ahead before the end of term. More honestly, it is that stretch of the calendar when everyone realizes that the apparent lack of time before IB, AP, and all other summative assessments, is real. Ahhhhhhhh! Peace! There is yet summer, forever immortalized by that singing snowman, Olaf, from
Disneyʼs Frozen. You may prefer Idina Menzelʼs “Here I Stand”, or perhaps you are mesmerized by the impressive CG, but for me, those images of summer sustain my soul. Of course, the reality seldom lives up the hype. If we are alike (I pity you that), then your summer itinerary is already booked with tech conferences, ICT presentations, LMS seminars, and one weeklong vacation wedged in between the others (really, just to say that you took a break). Did I miss a wedding? Oh, the stress of trying to relax is killing me!Donʼt cry for me, ICTers. The truth is I never tire of all these wild days, this mad existence (OK, Iʼll stop here, before the Evita copyright people come after me). Like you, I realize that my crazy schedule is of my own making. I know why I do it. I teach at the greatest school in which Iʼll ever
have the honor to serve, with the best administrators, the most magnificent colleagues (both F2F and online), all while teaching the most amazing kids. I refuse to miss a moment of it. And that is why you do it, too. So bring on the tech conferences, the seminars, sessions, unconferences, and more. I canʼt wait to try those new apps, websites, and services. A new LMS to roll out? Childʼs play! It is the most marvelous insanity. Who needs boredom? Here is to … wait for it … spring! (Ha! You thought I was going to say, “summer!” Didnʼt you?)Cheers to 2014-15!
Christopher CarterSocial Science Team Lead/Tech Coach/TeacherConcordia International School Shanghai, China
Contents
‘Kids, lets get coding with the Codekingdoms ’page 3-4
‘The princess is in another castle...Teaching?’by Vivian Lupage 5-9
‘How to adapt your whole school ICT Curriculum’by Taryn Hauritzpage 10-12
‘Games Based Learning - Making it Happen’by Paul Ladleypage 13-14
‘Minecraft; An unlikely tool to develop life-long learners’ by Elliott Plumbpage 15-17
‘Apps for learning’by Francisco J. Alfonso Domínguezpage 18-24
‘Using Technology in Primary Science’by Maggie Morrisseypage 25-26
“E-Learning in a Biology Classroom”by Mila Bulić and Daniela Novoselićpage 27-28
From the editor
Kids, let’s get coding with Code Kingdoms!www.codekingdoms.com
Meet Lacey, Ruffles and Paws, our
puzzle-‐savvy heroes ba@ling through
magic JavaScript planets in the Code
Kingdoms.
They’re out to save friends from hordes
of evil Glitches that have invaded, luring
them into spike-‐invested volcanoes,
navigaIng perilous traps and coding
their way to victory.
But the fun doesn’t stop there -‐ Kids use
the coding skills learnt in the game to
build their very own planets to challenge
mates. Code unleashes creaIvity in a
whole new way, allowing the Code
Kingdoms universe to take on a whole
life of its own. If your kids aren’t already
playing you’re missing out!
I met with co-‐founders Hugh and Ross
who explained more.
“Before we met, Ross and I were
teaching programming in our separate
ways: Ross was in schools with Intel
while I was helping my 8 year old
brother learn coding. He was obsessed
with MinecraR at the Ime so I started
building a game in a similar style so he
could code in a creaIve environment he
truly loved.”
The pair has been meIculous in
producing a gender-‐neutral design that
appeals to kids aged 6-‐13. They code
cute animals, pesky Glitches and other
interacIve objects in levels to make
exciIng challenges for their friends -‐ all
with an intuiIve drag-‐and-‐drop
JavaScript interface that develops with
the kids as they get more confident
about coding.
Ross and Hugh joined the startup
incubator Entrepreneur First, a
presIgious programme who last year
produced the likes of AdBrain and
Prizeo. They teach ‘The Lean Startup’, a
methodology for producing tech
companies by solving a problem with a
product.
The problem Code Kingdoms is solving
is the lack of fun and creaIve coding
resources for kids.
“When Ross and I met he took one look
at the prototype and jumped into
acIon. He knew this was exactly what
children wanted from his Ime teaching
coding. Within a couple weeks we were
working together and back in schools
tesIng the first prototype with kids.
In September 2014 coding is being
made compulsory in primary schools
across the UK -‐ not only is Code
Kingdoms free online and the app store
but they also produce free curriculum
materials for schools.
“We’re now looking to expand in to
homes and schools internaIonally.
Coding is something that every kid
should know; it’s the most empowering
skill in the 21st Century.”
They’ve captured the imaginaIon of
kids, parents and teachers across the
country.
“I feel we will be stuck with this game
for quite some Ime” Lee, parent of 2
Rose and Hugh
by Vivian Lu,Student at Concordia Interna5onal School Shanghai
As a child, I have been nagged 5me and 5me
again from both parents and teachers alike
claiming that games were a waste of 5me,
money, and effort. My mother would oAen bat
a controller from my hands and say I was
“going to get addicted, go clean your room
instead, why didn’t you do the dishes, you
never do anything for me,” etc. Gaming horror
stories were common and silly; some parents
would gossip that gaming could turn a child
into a hobo-‐parasite, forced into living in their
basement. Personally, gaming was a loved
pas5me for my brother and me, and
fortunately, a new trend of acceptance has
arisen, which has ushered in the era of gaming
as a medium for educa5on. The concept of
“Educa5onal games” has goKen more and
more popular, as parents and gamers have
now finally found a way to resolve the long-‐
las5ng conflict between the gaming
community and the “responsible ones”.
I was ini5ally against the idea of using games in
educa5on. How could “educa5on” be
“played”? Growing up in an Asian family, I have
constantly been under the stress of “doing well
in school”. Playing games was my only escape
from the day-‐long stresses of existence and the
obsolete nature of our species. Now games are
going to be contaminated with forced aKempts
at educa5on? Laaaame! The words “Fun” and
“Learning” seemed incompa5ble and did not
fit in the same sentence.
Recently, however, I have come to the
conclusion that gaming can be used for
educa5on, and very effec5vely so. However, it
must firstly be a good, enjoyable game. Some
educa5onal games have been quite successful
because they are a joy to play and experience.
However, placing a game into a classroom
seWng can instantly change its connota5on. It
is therefore important that games are
introduced and presented in a classroom in a
careful and sensi5ve manner.
What makes a truly successful game?
While some of the mul5player/compe55ve
games could be enjoyable to play, in my
opinion as a gamer, a truly “successful” game
should have a polished plot, a relatable or
likeable protagonist, and an effec5ve method
to engage further playing. Some of my
favorites are The Legend of Zelda and Portal.
The Legend of Zelda has a remarkable plot and
an admirable protagonist named “Link”.
The Princess is in Another Castle … Teaching?
Link has been canonically depicted as a young
child, a teenager, and an adult in different
games, so he is relatable to players of most
ages. The plot is generally the same, with
varia5ons in each game. Link goes on a quest,
encountering thousands of enemies and
bosses, exploring several temples, and
discovering new places and people, to defeat
Ganondorf, gaining glory and upgrades along
the way. The gameplay and plot is so
enjoyable, and many players are fond of the
series from their childhood days, which
provides ample mo5va5on for finishing the
game.
Portal is essen5ally a problem solving game,
blurring the line between educa5on and logic
training. Here, the player’s character is Chel,
who is a research subject for the abandoned
Aperture Science labs He has been trapped
there by the robot GLaDOS, who s5ll runs it.
GLaDOS forces Chel to undergo a series of
poten5ally fatal tests using technologies
developed by Aperture, which uses
increasingly difficult puzzles that must be
solved before the player can move on to the
next level. Ever-‐increasing levels further the
journeying experience, as explained by James
Paul Gee, “Good games operate at the outer
and growing edge of a player’s competence,
remaining challenging, but do-‐able, while
schools oAen operate at the lowest common
denominator. Since games are oAen
challenging, but do-‐able, they are oAen also
pleasantly frustra5ng, which is a very
mo5va5ng state for human beings” (Gee 2).
The sa5sfac5on of comple5ng a difficult level,
in addi5on to the incredibly amusing
interac5ons between GLaDOS and the player,
keeps the player playing and looking for a way
to defeat GLaDOS and escape the laboratories.
In summary, good games u5lize a relatable
protagonist, who can feasibly “win” or achieve
a goal, an engaging plot, and a mo5va5on for
con5nued play. They also mo5vate the player
by seWng the games at the “challenging but
do-‐able” level. This gamifica5on strategy
should work well in classrooms. Through
games, players can learn a variety of new
skills, such as cri5cal thinking, strategic
thinking, and crea5vity. Almost every
successful staple of game playing helps to
craA a beKer player in some way, be it cri5cal
thinking, reflexes, rhythm, health, etc. In fact,
Portal has been used in the classroom to teach
spa5al reasoning. The level creator mode is a
good way for students to enrich their
understanding by crea5ng puzzles themselves,
rather than merely solving them.
What makes a good educaIonal game?
“Games and interac.ve so1ware can help
pupils acquire complicated skills and rigorous
knowledge in an engaging and enjoyable way
… Britain has an incredibly strong games
industry, with vast poten.al to engage with
educa.on both in this country and all over the
wor ld . We ’ re a l r eady see ing these
technologies being used in imagina.ve
ways” (Ladley).
If normal games can already teach students
important life skills, they should be able to
teach kids academic things as well. Contrary to
earlier opinions held by teachers and parents
that gaming is addic5ve, a waste of 5me and
money, and an unnecessary distrac5on for
their children, a new perspec5ve has taken
hold: that gaming can be used effec5vely for
“formal” educa5on. There have been many
aKempts to reconcile educa5on and “good
gaming experience”, some of which were
disastrous, others incredibly enjoyable.
One of my favorite games to play as a child
was Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego. This
game involved a player working as a rising star
agent with various partners to capture a great
thief throughout 5me. It had an incredibly
engaging plot with puzzles and characters that
made the game “fun”, with the added benefit
of all this occurring during the Mongol reign of
China or the inven5on of the first prin5ng
press by Johann Gutenberg. AAer every two
levels, the ‘Captain’ would promote the player
with a higher rank, and the player could then
tackle more challenges to capture all of
Carmen Sandiego’s goons. I played this several
5mes, and this game taught brief glimpses of
world history that have remained relevant all
the way up to high school AP World History.
As one can see, this game retained an
interes5ng plot, protagonist, and a mo5va5on
factor typical of most likable games, at the
same 5me being educa5onal.
There are many successful educa5onal games,
but some games, while educa5onal, do not
engage children at all. For example, Brain Age,
while it received a lot of aKen5on, was rather
ineffec5ve because it required an already
exis5ng mo5va5on for improving the brain,
and not many kids who bought it (or rather
whose parents bought it) enjoyed playing it.
Brain Age did not have a protagonist, an
effec5ve mo5vator, or a plot to make the
game interes5ng, making it not very fun to
play. Rather, it relied on the player’s own
consciousness of health and forced educa5on.
What a successful game has, aside from being
educa5onal, is that it is engaging and fun by
itself, both plot-‐wise and gameplay-‐wise,
subtly adding informa5on into the story so
that it is both relevant and interes5ng. “If
Games Based Learning (GBL) is to succeed, it
needs to be more than a bit of fun that
mo5vates students. It should be underpinned
with learning theory” (Ladley).
Forced educa5on in any way is irrita5ng and
bothersome, and this applies to games as well.
Games are oAen made first, and then later
repurposed for educa5on, such as the famous
MinecraA PC game. Building on what is
already a successful game or franchise has
helped many corpora5ons stay afloat, and
teachers have made excellent use of such
games in their lessons. Educa5on cannot
detract from the game itself, and some
teachers follow these guidelines in the games
they incorporate, such as using MinecraA in
teaching construc5on and geometry (Levin).
Essen5ally, games must first be concerned
with being fun, before being educa5onal.
How should games be used for
educaIonal purposes?
Discovering how educa5onal games should be
used in educa5on is one of the first steps
toward modernized, interac5ve educa5on.
First, there are key “game metrics” to enforce,
such as making sure there is an aKrac5ve
beginning and maintains the mo5va5on for
con5nued use of the game as a resource.
“Mo5va5on is the most important factor that
drives learning. When mo5va5on dies,
learning dies and playing stops.” (Gee 3).
Simply supplying a game is not going to keep
students mo5vated for very long. We need to
move “toward a more nuanced understanding
of exactly what in game play is mo5va5ng in
order to best understand how to engender
such engagement in the classroom” (Sandford
52). Based on my own experience, mo5va5on
i s affected great ly by enforcement ,
connec5ons based on interest, and relevance.
The enforcement and introduc5on of the
game will help students solidify their first
impressions of the ac5vity. Sufficient 5me
should be allowed for both teacher and
students to become familiar with the game.
The introduc5on should be clear and explain
to how the game is related to what is being
learned. For example, it would be more
effec5ve to students of my age group (age 15)
to explore a game with the teacher during
class 5me, rather than it being assigned as
homework. If I was not introduced to the
game during class, I would be less recep5ve to
it as homework assignment.
Another way to maintain interest is to connect
students’ lives with the content of one’s
classes through games, by rela5ng the topic to
something already famil iar to them.
Personally, if what I’m learning does not
interest me, then I will pay less aKen5on to it.
Connec5ons from outside the gaming universe
and the classroom help to reinforce what is
being learned and, especially in the more
eager youth, make them more enthusias5c
and open to learning. For example, the
difference between depic5ons of mythology in
popular media, such as Marvel Superheroes,
and the actual stories in myths can be an
interest factor.
Popular culture and common interests have
always been a good conversa5on starter, and
in the way interests connect people, it can
also connect learning and fun. If the content
of the game directly relates or is closely
related to knowledge learned in class, it will
be help students by reinforcing their
knowledge and interest in class as well. The
game should be related to the content of the
unit, not just the content of an ac5vity in the
unit. This not only ensures that students will
pay aKen5on, but it also helps them
understand the course beKer if they are given
mul5ple, yet differing, instances for learning a
par5cular event or subject. Encouraging
reflec5on and review at the end of class will
solidify what was learned from the game.
Most of all, it is important to prac5ce
understanding when challenges arise, be they
technological or carbon-‐based. If the class
does not turn out well, it is important to figure
out why it was unsuccessful, as well as test
out the technological side of things before
incorpora5ng it into class. Prac5ce makes
perfect.
To have a high quality educa5onal game, it
must be a high quality game by itself, and the
learning must be a part of the fun, instead of
no5ceable and forced, with a meaningful and
mo5va5onal plot and characters. To use
educa5onal games in the classroom, one must
give a posi5ve first impression and mo5va5on
for students to con5nue using the game as a
resource. This process of integra5ng
interac5ve entertainment in educa5on is
undoubtedly confusing and complex. In the
simplest terms, it is impossible to predict the
wants of the human mind, and “success” is an
en5rely subjec5ve measurement for a subject
that u5lizes so much guesswork. Regardless, it
is my hope that learning can be made into a
more crea5ve rather than standardized
ac5vity, a more enjoyable pas5me rather than
a chore, and more interac5ve rather than
passive opera5on. I believe the applica5on of
educa5onal games is the first step to fulfilling
that role, and it is certainly possible given the
right amount of care.
Works Cited:
Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. New York, NY [u.a.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.
Ladley, Paul. "Games Based Learning Theory and Prac5ce." ICT in Prac5ce 1 Oct. 2013: n. pag. Print. hKp://www.ic5nprac5ce.com/2013/games-‐based-‐learning-‐theory-‐and-‐prac5ce-‐by-‐paul-‐ladley/
Sandford, Richard, Mary Ulicsak, Keri Facer, and Tim Rudd. "Teaching with Games Using Commercial Off-‐the-‐Shelf Computer Games in Formal Educa5on." Diss. N.d. Future Lab (n.d.): 1-‐62. Teaching With Games. EA, Future Labs. Web. 04 Jan. 2014.
Levin, Joel. "How my MinecraA Classes Work." MinecraA Teacher. MinecraA Edu, 24 Mar 2 012 . Web . 9 F eb . 2 014 . < hKp : / /m i ne c r aA t e a che r . t umb l r . c om/po s t /4057926292/how-‐my-‐minecraA-‐classes-‐work>.
HOW TO ADAPT YOUR WHOLE SCHOOL ICT CURRICULUM by Taryn Hauritz
The new compu5ng programme of study states
that “A high-‐quality compu5ng educa5on equips
pupils to use computa5onal thinking and
crea5vity to understand and change the world”.
Wow! This is preKy exci5ng stuff. But, if you’re
anything like me and don’t have a background in
computer science, where on earth do you begin?
Earlier this year I started to write a new
compu5ng curriculum for a family of prep schools
in London. Having taught ICT there for ten years, I
thought that this would be a fairly straight
forward process and I was excited about the
possibili5es. But, aAer several weeks of
researching and studying, I found myself going
round in circles. It was almost like there was too
much informa5on, but somehow not exactly what
I was looking for.
AAer aKending the BETT show in January, I
realised that I wasn’t on my own. There was
support out there and I just needed to be
proac5ve about it. So, aAer several years of
resistance I finally decided to join twiKer. I
started to build a network of experts and teachers
from primary educa5on in the UK and beyond and
I was blown away with how many amazing
resources and ideas were being shared there.
Taryn is an Australian born Primary School
teacher who has had a passion for using
learning technologies in the classroom since
she started teaching in 1998. In 2002 she
w r o t e " T e a c h i n g w i t h L e a r n i n g
Technologies: A Handbook for Primary
School Teachers", then moved to the UK to
take up a post as Head of ICT at Thomas's
C l a p h a m i n L o n d o n . A A e r
teaching Recep5on to Year 8 ICT for ten
years she then stepped out of the
classroom to become the Director of
Learning Technologies for Thomas's London
Day Schools. She is currently working on
developing a new compu5ng curriculum for
the family of four preparatory schools and
will be moving into freelance consultancy at
the end of September later this year.
Taryn Hauritz@tarynhauritz
www.tarynhauritz.com
I finally I felt as though I had my finger on the pulse
and was slightly embarrassed that it had taken me
that long to join. If you’re new to twiKer and are
grappling with the new compu5ng curriculum, I can
highly recommend following
these people as a star5ng point:
@ m b e r r y @ C o m p A t S c h
@ d e p u t y m i t c h e l l
@ d i g i t a l m a v e r i c k
@compu5ngchamps @DrChips_
@dughall @englandraider @esafetyadviser
@ianaddison @lordlangley73 @MissPhilbin
@naace @terryfreedman @yallsop @5mbuckteeth
@bobharrisonset @TimRylands @ZoeRoss19
@mwclarkson @suesentance @CodeBoom
@andrewtuson @ICTEvangelist @dan_bowen
@eyebeams @pegleggen @DrTomCrick @syded06
@ukedchat @tonyparkin @tarynhauritz
Alterna5vely, you could follow my “Compu5ng” list
@tarynhauritz where I have them all saved. There
are plenty of guides for new twiKer users online,
but the best thing to do is to jump in and start
playing. You’ll soon figure it out. Just don’t give up
too soon.
AAer some extensive networking on twiKer, I then
aKended a number of conferences and Compu5ng
At School events. I have learnt an awful lot about
the compu5ng curriculum over the last couple of
months and I have to say it’s all preKy exci5ng.
There’s no need to throw out your ICT plans
though, because so many of them will s5ll be
suitable. They will just need some “tweaking”.
So that you can adapt your current ICT curriculum
for September I have created the following
algorithm (see what I’ve done there?) to get you
started:
STEP 1: Read “Compu5ng in the na5onal
curriculum: A guide for primary teachers” This
guide is priceless. It explains everything you need
to know to get started.
hKp://www.compu5ngatschool.org.uk/data/
uploads/CASPrimaryCompu5ng.pd{Kp://
www.compu5ngatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/
CASPrimaryCompu5ng.pdf
STEP 2: Download the “Compu5ng Progression
Pathways”. Familiarise yourself with each of the six
strands. It’s important to note that primary
children are expected to reach the end of the blue
strand.
hKp://community.compu5ngatschool.org.uk/
resources/1692
Alterna5vely, you could download the Progression
Pathways divided into three strands: Computer
Science, Informa5on Technology and Digital
Literacy:
hKp://community.compu5ngatschool.org.uk/
resources/1946
STEP 3: Get out your current ICT curriculum and use the strands above to iden5fy any areas of weakness in your current scheme of work. I actually found it easiest to download the child-‐friendly
version (see step 7) and s5ck the descriptors on my yearly overview.
STEP 4: Join Compu5ng At School and use the website to find resources (including CPD) to help you
plan any new units of work to “fill in the gaps”. If you need more 5me to do this properly, plan to teach these units next summer.
www.compu5ngatschool.org.uk
STEP 5: Adapt the units of work you’d like to keep for the new curriculum by upda5ng your medium
term plans with the new Programme of Study and the progression pathways indicators in step 2. Usually it’s just about adap5ng the vocabulary and finding the relevant new PoS statements.
STEP 6: Add Computer Science Unplugged ac5vi5es to as many of your units of work as possible. They really help encourage computa5onal thinking across the curriculum and are great for kinaesthe5c
learners.hKp://csunplugged.org/
STEP 7: Download the child-‐friendly compu5ng progression pathway statements from the CAS website and use them for pupils’ self and peer assessment. I would also use them for an interac5ve display so
that you and your pupils can reference them regularly.hKp://community.compu5ngatschool.org.uk/resources/1744
STEP 8: Design some compu5ng badges for your children to earn for each of the six strands. An even beKer idea would be to get your children to design them in class.
hKp://www.makebadg.es/badge.html
My final advice to you is to “Reach Out”. Keep
networking and discussing ideas with as many colleagues as possible -‐ a problem shared is a problem
halved and together, we really can change the world!
Taryn Hauritz and colleagues working
on the new compu5ng curriculum
Paul is an innovative learning professional, games based learning & gamification expert, project manager and instructional designer with over 20 yearsʼ commercial experience acquired on corporate, public sector and education projects. He is MD of pixelfountain which designs, develops and delivers workshop-based learning simulations (serious games). pixelfountainʼs games-ED (http://www.games-ed.co.uk) brand provides games based learning for schools, colleges and universities. He also blogs at http://www.games-based-learning.com
Games Based Learning - Making it Happen by Paul Ladley
How can teachers ensure that their investment in games based learning
(GBL) delivers desired learning outcomes? This ar5cle looks at five
aspects of GBL that ought to be considered when introducing GBL into
the classroom. These five aspects are: design, delivery (usage),
technology & support, outcomes and cost.
Design considera5ons (GBL needs to be fit for purpose):
Is the game fit for purpose offering a relevant context and ac5vi5es?
Is the game pitched right in terms of complexity and age level?
Does the game support mul5ple learning styles?
Delivery considera5ons (GBL needs to work in typical educa5onal
seSng):
Is the game focused on learning suppor5ng collabora5on, conversa5ons
and teacher-‐led interven5ons and scaffolding?
Does the game provide a challenge that generates learning flow?
Can the game fit into a standard lesson, but also be used for events /
term topics?
Technology and support considera5ons (GBL need to u5lise typical kit
and offer support):
Will the game work on classroom computers?
Is support provided in the game and via communi5es / guides /
resources?
Outcome considera5ons (GBL need to reach the parts tradi5onal
teaching doesn’t):
Will the game engage the pupils, including reluctant learners?
Will the game solve problems that tradi5onal learning finds difficult?
Is the game linked to the curriculum and does it support assessment?
Will the game improve generic and employability skills?
Cost considera5ons:
Is there enough money in the budget, not forgeWng hidden costs such
as consoles and mul5ple licences?
Does the game offer value for money?
Any particular games based learning product or
lesson does not need to answer all of the above
questions and it is important to realise that the
aspects are not mutually exclusive; for instance,
a well-designed game is more likely to deliver
better outcomes. Therefore, scoring reasonably
well across the board is more important than
excelling in one area.
A Games Based Learning Analysis and Planning
Tool (which expands on and makes use of the
five aspects outlined above) can be found
at hKp://www.games-‐ed.co.uk/resources-‐
contact.html. The tool has been developed by
pixelfountain / games-‐ED who’s experience
has been built up over a decade of designing
and delivering serious games / games based
learning in both the adult and educa5on
sectors. The tool also takes, some inspira5on
has come from:
•Becta report (2010) on games based learning;
•The RETAIN Model -‐ Gunter; Kenny and Vick
(2007);
•And finally a debt is owed to Jan Herrington
and Ron Oliver, who have wriKen on situated
learning and mul5media, and have inspired
games and simula5on designs.
The Games Based Learning Analysis and
Planning Tool has been developed by games-‐
ED to help educators select and u5lise games
based learning. It can be used to:
•Create buy-‐in for games based learning;
•Help when choosing a par5cular supplier /
product;
•Plan the use of games learning;
•And, if we can be so bold, to help developers
design games based learning.
Conclusion
Like all aspects of educa5on, GBL needs careful
planning. This tool will hopefully bring some
rigour to that planning and so ensure the GBL
can deliver on its promises.
Minecraft; An unlikely tool to develop life-long learnersby Elliott Plumb
Introduc5on
As a newly qualified teacher, it is usually a
case of survival to reach the end of the year.
Jump four months into the year and I, the
NQT, am at the tail end of an extremely
exci5ng and successful compu5ng project.
The project was to be a blend of my
Compu5ng Co-‐ordinator’s knowledge of
gaming and my knowledge of local history.
‘Forty Hall’, a local landmark, was ripe for the
picking when deciding on a building to
develop on the MinecraA program. Having
just opened as an educa5onal centre, the
Hall welcomed us with open arms.
At the beginning I was unsure of the benefits
but this project has come to reveal the
extensive range of learning opportuni5es
that MinecraA has to offer to children in
schools today.
The Children’s Prior Knowledge
The children’s passion for the MinecraA
project was nothing short of overwhelming. If
the children did not play it at home already,
they had heard their classmates talking or
reading about it. Interes5ngly, there was a
huge amount of prior knowledge amongst
my class when it came to MinecraA. This is
where any teacher afraid to take on such a
task could develop a pupil-‐led project that
would allow the teacher to learn-‐as-‐they-‐go.
Even so, what became clear was that
although there was some strong prior
knowledge, some children had no experience
using the game. The ini5al lesson, where I
allowed the children to explore the MinecraA
program gave me the opportunity to assess
those who were confident and those who
needed scaffolding. I then grouped the
children according to experience and
knowledge of the program. Each group had a
confident learning leader who could lead and
keep their group focused. This helped to
keep the learning as pupil-‐led as possible.
ll
The Learning Journey
Part 1: The History curriculum in England
demands that children study a local landmark.
We visited Forty Hall to engage closely with the
history and the structure of the house. I divided the children into four differen5ated groups.
These groups gathered resources that would enable them to build on MinecraA later on. The
children were able to sketch, use measuring
instruments and take photographs to build up a bank of evidence and tools that they could use
when it came building on MinecraA. By collec5ng their own resources, children could
take ownership of their learning. Higher ability
children were required to calculate ra5os and make links with their mathema5cs skills. This is
one of many ways in which the project was cross-‐curricular.
Part 2: AAer visi5ng the hall, the children had a strong knowledge of Forty Hall and had access
to a host of tools and resources that they had
collected themselves. In the second phase of the project, children were able to collaborate in
their groups to decide which resources they would keep to help assist them when it came to
build all the par5cular details. The learning
leaders then had to organise which task each child would take during the project. The groups
then mind-‐mapped a plan and this saw each child take ownership of a sec5on of the build.
The children were then ready to begin!
Part 3: This sec5on of the learning saw the
most progress with the majority of the
successes of the project becoming clear at this
point. Closing all the gaps in the children’s learning and addressing misconcep5ons was
aided significantly by using a three-‐part lesson
structure.
The lesson StructureThe lessons were taught in three parts. A refocus at the beginning of each lesson
encouraged the children to collaborate and verbalise their task for that lesson. Children
would then spend up to an hour building and
collabora5ng with their group, making sure they u5lised the chat func5on to talk to and
guide each other. Learning leaders would assess situa5ons that would arise and problem
solve accordingly. As the teacher, I could assess
all children in the game from a computer and offer encouragement and advice if they
desperately needed it. Fundamentally, as it was a pupil-‐led project, I would be looking for great
collabora5on and effec5ve problem solving
from the learning leaders and the class members. Having a ‘revisit, review and
improve’ session aAer each compu5ng lesson gave the children some 5me to discuss the
successes in that lesson but it also gave them
the opportunity to draw up where they were going next in their project. This was wriKen up
on a poster and kept to be put on display in the next lesson. Children were constantly reminded
that they had to refer to this to move forward
with the project.
Learning and ProgressAAer just two months engagement with the project, the children have had the opportunity
to develop, prac5ce and apply significant learning and skills that stretch beyond
Compu5ng. In the beginning, the learning
leaders were the trouble-‐shooters, the strong self-‐reflectors and would guide the project to
the next stages. AAer approximately six to eight lessons, I was beginning to see more children
take on the responsibility of problem solving for
other members of the class. In addi5on, encouraging children to use the chat func5on
on MinecraA would be a target in the ini5al lessons. As the project matured, the children
naturally collaborated through the chat and
would offer each other advice, problem solve issues and revise their construc5on work
together to make sure they were achieving an accurate replica of Forty Hall.
As a result of MinecraA, the children have had the chance to prac5ce and develop their ability
to become suppor5ve and helpful collaborators, successful problem solvers. At the same 5me,
they have been given the opportunity to take
responsibility for their own learning. The MincecraA project has given the children a
chance to develop skills which, with con5nual prac5ce, will allow them to become life-‐long
learners. Fundamentally, the children can apply
these skills in not only Compu5ng but within all subjects across the curriculum.
Eliot Plumb is a Year 5 teacher at Wilbury
School in Edmonton. He graduated in Educa5on from the University of Cambridge in
2013 and enjoys inspiring children through teaching Compu5ng, Dance and History.
“iPad is changing the learning experience, making it more engaging, interac.ve and completely mobile. With features you won't find on any other educa.onal device, iPad inspires crea.vity and hands-‐on learning. Powerful apps let students engage with content in interac.ve ways, find informa.on in an instant, and access an en.re library wherever they go. iBooks textbooks involve students in a dynamic, Mul.-‐Touch experience full of interac.ve diagrams, anima.ons, photos and video all designed specifically for iPad.”
www.apple.com
I think for an app developer one of the best ways of developing apps appropriate for educa5on is to establish strong links with schools and educators so that they can provide feedback to develop their product further. Luckily online communi5es provide us with such links. This is how I met Francisco J. Alfonso Domínguez from www.e-‐imaxina.com . Over the next pages I will be sharing some of the apps that they have created. This is not an adver5sement or product marke5ng, it is merely sharing some interes5ng apps that you may find useful for teaching and learning. What is marvellous about Francisco is, he wanted to hear the sugges5ons, as he wanted to keep making his designs beKer and more appropriate for learners.
Chispas is an interactive story that will delight your children whilst teaching them the importance of respect for animals and emotional intelligence as a foundation for the understanding of oneself and others.
Roberto Maquieira García is the author of this magnificent story. As an experienced educator and school counsellor, Roberto uses short stories in order for children to learn about the importance of certain values and emotional resources to help them understand the small things that bring joy to peoples’ lives.
www.e-imaxina.com
An educational application about the vital role of the relationship of man.Through the nervous system’s response to external stimuli, we relate to other living beings and to our surroundings. Our senses receive stimuli; the nervous system processes the information and responds in the most appropriate manner; then, the musculoskeletal system implements the action.
Available in English and in Spanish, the development of this application was supervised by educational and medical professionals to explain the workings of THE SENSES, the NERVOUS SYSTEM, and the MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM in an enjoyable and entertaining way.
A complete educational application, focused on the human body´s cycle of life.Available in both English and Spanish, its creation has been supervised by professionals in the fields of education and medicine. In a fun and entertaining manner, it explains the secrets of fertilization, gestation, and human growth.
THE RACE OF LIFEThe application is rounded out by a fun educational game: You must help a tiny sperm navigate through the female reproductive system. Your mission: fertilize the egg. To do this, you must complete five exciting phases, loading up on energy and speed to overcome all of the difficulties you will find along the way.
A complete educational application about the vital role of human nutrition.We get the energy necessary to live, the materials necessary for tissue construction and regeneration, and the substances which regulate the body´s internal reactions through the role of nutrition. These functions are carried out in the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems.
Available in English and Spanish, the development of this application has been supervised by educational and medical professionals to explain the functions of the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, the RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, and the CIRCULATORY SYSTEM in an enjoyable and entertaining way.
Throughout my teaching career I have enjoyed using technology in educa5on, especially in science lessons. As an ICT coordinator I introduced teachers, teaching assistants and children to a variety of digital resources such as: data loggers, digital microscopes and simula5ons to help support the teaching of science.
As an independent primary consultant I now provide training for primary teachers on how to develop their teaching of science. During each course I ask teachers to outline the posi5ves or nega5ves of teaching this subject. There are oAen many posi5ve comments about science especially on how it engages young children. The nega5ves prove very interes5ng. Other than worries about subject knowledge and finding resources, teachers oAen say how much they and the children dislike the recording or wri5ng up of their work. Here are two typical comments:
‘The poor way in which experiments and results are recorded, kills enthusiasm’
‘Marking books and having to give wriPen feedback takes too long but it’s our OFSTED target’
I believe this over reliance on wri5ng hinders not just the enjoyment of the subject but also
the development of other science skills such as argumenta5on. Furthermore, what about dyslexic children who struggle with wri5ng?Will the wri5ng process truly reflect what these children know? Finally, remember our younger scien5sts, whose recording skills will be hampered by their age.
Talk in ScienceTalk for wri5ng is becoming increasingly popular in schools so what about talk for science? Teachers are oAen encouraged to illicit children’s ideas at the start of a science topic to find out what misconcep5ons or understanding they have, but what happens to this talk? As Robin Alexander points out:‘Talk is temporary and unless par3cularly interes3ng, it soon fades with par3cipants o:en forge;ng what has been said.'
In a busy classroom with lots of ideas and thoughts being produced, how can the teacher and even the children reflect on the discussion? During this process, do we as teachers really know what each child understands? In addi5on, what impact is our ques5oning having on the children’s ideas? As part of my MA I am researching how technology can help. Here are some ini5al ideas.
Using Technology in Primary Science by Maggie Morrissey
h`p://www.technologytoteach.co.uk/
Video RecordingThis can be used both at the start of a topic and as
the topic develops. Placing the video camera so
that it can pick up the whole class; the starter
question and initial ideas can be recorded. This
recording could be used for the teacher to truly
reflect on what the children truly know and identify
any misconceptions they may have. It can also be
returned to during the work so that the children can
reflect on how their ideas and knowledge have
changed. This is also a valuable opportunity for a
teacher to reflect on their own questioning skills.
Recording devicesThere are now a variety of mp3 audio recorders
available to be used in classrooms. These are
excellent for recording discussions in small groups.
They are fairly simple to use and some can record
up to four hours of sound. The recordings can be
played back and stored on your computer. The
main problem is the files can build up quickly so a
good system for naming and filing these is
essential. Children can go on and edit their work
using free software such as audacity and post their
discussions into other digital applications.
PodcastingPodcasts are digital media files mainly audio but
can include video. I currently use Audioboo but an
alternative is Soundcloud. Subscription to both is
free. They give the children the chance for their
science work to reach a wider audience. They can
post directly to the site or upload their work from
their recordings after editing. Needless to say they
would still have to write and plan for this. Having a
real audience for their work would make that writing
process far more interesting and relevant.
Whether you decide to go for some of these
options or incorporate all of them I do not think you
will be disappointed. Not only will your children
become more enthusiastic about their science work
but you as a teacher will have a greater
understanding of what your children know, making
your assessment more reliable. This is going to be
extremely relevant when the new curriculum
commences in 2014.
Links and references Audacity - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Audioboo - http://audioboo.fm/
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/
Lgfl: http://podcast.lgfl.org.uk/
Robin Alexander – Towards Dialogic teaching
A modern man of the 21st century should, in addi5on to tradi5onal language skills, possess a
wealth of knowledge, environmental, health,
economic, social and computer skills in order to lead a high-‐quality lifestyle. As our students are
a part of a digital society with access to a wide range of informa5on provided using informa5on
and communica5on technology (ICT), it is
important to include ICT in the educa5onal process as well. In order to make this possible,
schools should not only have the necessary infrastructure and adequate space, but also
computer literate teachers who are able to
create diverse teaching scenarios and use ICT in the classroom. In Croa5a there are few
individual examples of good prac5ce in using e-‐learning in teaching science, therefore teachers
should be made aware of the possibility of using
modern technology in class, as well as being addi5onally educated through professional
training.
Moodle and BiologyThe e-‐learning project using the Moodle system (a free web applica5on for on-‐line learning)
began with the development of the digital
materials necessary for teaching the Body composi5on, reproduc5on and development
unit for the 8th grade of elementary school biology classes. Various addi5onal prac5ce
materials as well as quizzes designed to test the
students’ acquired knowledge were developed to be used aAer finishing each of the four
lessons: Structure and func5on of sexual organs, Concep5on and development before birth, Life
periods of human life and Responsible sexual
behavior. Through Moodle the teacher monitored each of the students’ logins, his or
her work on the given lesson, forum and discussions ac5vity and quiz results.
Twenty-‐four students par5cipated in the e-‐learning project. They were all eighth-‐graders
aKending the Pujanka Elementary School in Split, Croa5a. The project was conducted at the
beginning of the spring semester, in the school
year 2012 – 2013. The 24 selected students made up the experimental group which learnt
using the digital materials on Moodle on computers in the school’s IT lab. At the same
5me, the biology teacher taught the same unit
to another group of 24 eighth-‐graders aKending the same school (A control group), using the
tradi5onal teaching approaches and various knowledge sources, as well as various teaching
methods.
The digital teaching materials on Moodle were arranged in a way to ensure a simple and user
friendly interface for the students (Figure 1).
Figure 1. User interface on the Moodle index
E-Learning in a Biology Classroomby Mila Bulić and Daniela Novoselić
Before the e-‐learning project began, the students had been introduced to the Moodle interface and an e-‐mail address had been given to them by the biology teacher in case any of the students needed addi5onal help resolving problems or ambigui5es. Students also had the opportunity to ask ques5ons on the News Forum available to all users. It was interes5ng to no5ce that the students preferred to ask for help individually via e-‐mail rather than using the forum, which confirms their unwillingness to publicly share their own thoughts, ques5ons and problems.To ensure that the student’s were independent and given thorough e-‐learning, the materials were divided into smaller units listed in the Lesson menu, located on the leA side of the user interface. The students accessed these units by simply selec5ng the desired topic. Also, various audiovisual and visual sources, pictures, illustra5ons, graphs, 3D models, videos and anima5ons were added to the textual materials (Figure 2).
Figure 2. A Moodle page containing educa5onal materials and a video
Various prac5ce materials were available at the end of each lesson. At the end of the unit the students took a quiz that included different types of tasks (Figure 3) such as matching short answers, true/false ques5ons, matching pairs, mul5ple choice, embedded answers, short answers and calcula5on tasks.
As the objec5ve of this project was to determine the efficiency of e-‐learning compared to
tradi5onal teaching, at the end of the Body composi5on, reproduc5on and development unit the acquired knowledge was tested both in the control group, taught in a tradi5onal classroom, as well as in the experimental group, taught through e-‐learning. The results of the test were compared and all students were surveyed about the learning methods they used. The survey shows that students are sa5sfied and have posi5ve feelings toward e-‐learning, as the mean value of 80% of the answers given to statements are above 4,5 showing complete student sa5sfac5on with using e-‐learning in a biology class. The students pointed out that the textual and visual descrip5ons were highly helpful during the learning process, but they were also aware of the addi5onal effort needed for successful e-‐ learning. Namely the experimental group’s quiz results were not significantly beKer than the control groups’ results. However, students’ sa5sfac5on with the learning process itself should certainly be a source of mo5va5on for teachers.
Figure 3. The Moodle quiz page designed to test acquired knowledge
These already designed and implemented e-‐learning projects should be a mo5va5on for teachers to con5nue crea5ng digital teaching materials and various digital ac5vi5es which will ensure that students develop skills allowing them to recognize and solve real life problems concerning health and sustainability.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Yasemin [email protected]
Christopher [email protected]
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