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P3 / ICT GARAGE ACADEMY Online platform for Computing P5 / GIFS RE-BORN Making gifts and gifts in use P22 / CODING RESOURCES Apps, Programs and Websites for teaching coding and game design. P18 / COMPUTING and an NQT Surviving and Thriving with Computing as an NQT ISSUE 8 ICT in Practice www.ictinpractice.com Transforming education through sharing knowledge and practice Created by educators from around the world SUMMER EDITION JUL 2014 ISSN 2053-5104

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Page 1: ICT in Practice Issue 8

P3 / ICT GARAGE ACADEMYOnline platform for Computing

P5 / GIFS RE-BORNMaking gifts and gifts in use

P22 / CODING RESOURCESApps, Programs and Websites for teaching coding and game design.

P18 / COMPUTING and an NQTSurviving and Thriving with Computing as an NQT

ISSUE 8

ICT in Practice

www.ictinpractice.com

Transforming education through sharing knowledge and practiceCreated by educators from around the world

SUMMER EDITION JUL 2014

ISSN 2053-5104

Page 2: ICT in Practice Issue 8

Welcome to your space where we continue to share and learn in full gear!I would like to start with giving big thanks to the wonderful educators from across the Globe who have shared their experiences of using technology in education through their articles in this issue. YOU ARE AMAZING!I would also like to give a warm hug to Elliot Plumb as a new member of our Editorial board. I am sure his positive energy and endless creative ideas will create a dynamic buzz in our minds!

We have some exciting news. First, we now have an ICT in Practice Forum for you to come and speak out your mind about any issues related to the use of technology in teaching and learning. Just visit http://forum.ictinpractice.com/ and start chatting!

We have also decided to hold monthly Google hangouts to discuss some exciting ideas related to Technology Enchanced Learning. The first one will look at the ideas of using Minecraft in education. So watch our forum or follow us on Twitter to first find out about it. Any suggestions, just drop us an email.

I have met many people on the Internet over the years, some I clicked with, some I didnʼt get on well with. There are also people that when I met them made me say wooow! Assoc. Prof. Dr

Selcuk Ozdemir is one of them. I was so impressed with his work in Computer Science in Turkey, I felt the need to share it with everyone. This is how we connect with innovative minds from around the world. For me his work is invaluable. He is someone who has used extensive research to design tools to help young people to develop computational thinking. Most importnatly he did not do this to make a name or get fame, he did it for the young learners. He wanted to help them to develop skills that would be useful for life not only in specific subjects in school. I hope you will spend some time to read about his work.

Thank you for supporting us, you are our driving power. Please spread the word and let more people join our learning journey!

Yasemin AllsopEditorTwitter: @yallsop

Contents‘ICT Garage Academy ’by Assoc.Prof.Dr. Selçuk Özdemirpage 3-5

‘Gifs re-born’by Tim Brookpage 6-8

‘WEB 2 Tools in our Comenius Project ‘Citizen of Care-Land’ by Marijana Šundovpage 9-11

‘Using Desmos To Explore Taylor and Maclaurin Series in AP Calculus’by Daisy Zhang-Negrerie, Ph.Dpage 12-15

‘Children, mobile technology and eSafety’by Jamie Mortimerpage 16-17

‘Surviving and Thriving with Computing as an NQT’by Elliott Plumbpage 18-19

Scratch and Sniffby Ian Stephensonpage 20-22

‘Is technology damaging our children's Language Skills?’by Yasemin Allsoppage 23-24

“A quick evaluation of apps and Web Sites for Programming”by Yasemin Allsoppage 25-26

From the editor

Page 3: ICT in Practice Issue 8

ICT GARAGE ACADEMYBilisimGarajAkademisi.com

The  “God  Par6cle”  needed  to  transform  a  Download  Community  to  an  

Upload  Community:  

Bilisim  Garaj  Akademisi  (IT  Garage  Academy)  is  an  

online  portal  supplying  coding,  web  design,  3D  

design  and  robo@c/electronic  design  curriculum  for  

children  from  the  ages  7-­‐8,  9-­‐12  and  13-­‐16.  On  the  

portal,  Turkish  youths,  star@ng  from  7  years  old,  

learn:

*  coding  using  Scratch  or  MS  Small  Basic,

*  web  design  using  Notepad,

*  3D  design  using  Sketchup

*  robo@c  /  electronic  design  using  various  safe  

electronic  materials,

*  and  entrepreneurship  through  IT.

Why?The  slogan  of  the  plaSorm  is  “From  a  Download  

Society  to  an  Upload  Society.”  This  moXo  aims  to  

aXract  Turkish  people’s  aXen@on  to  an  important  

problem.  Turkey  is  one  of  the  top  countries  using  

social  media  and  mobile  internet.    For  example,  

Turkish  people  are  among  the  top  Facebook  users.  

On  the  other  hand,  Turkish  people  produce  ICT  

technology  much  less  than  they  consume.  To  

illustrate,  applica@ons  produced  for  mobile  devices  

such  as  smart  phones  and  tablet  PCs  have  the  

market  volume  of  65  billion  US$  around  the  world.    

Turkey’s  contribu@on  to  this  market  volume  is  

smaller  than  0.5%!  Another  example  is  that  Turkey’s  

annual  ICT  market  volume  is  36  billion  US$.  In  this  

volume,  high  technology  produc@on  including  

hardware,  sobware  or  embedded  technology  is  

smaller  than  1%.  The  volume  of  the  ICT  market  in  

Turkey  is  formed  by  mostly  communica@on  

technologies  such  as  GSM  operators  and  internet  

service  suppliers.  

The  youth  is  devoid  of  the  skills  required  to  produce  

with  IT,  because  the  educa@on  system  doesn’t  

equip  the  new  genera@ons  with  the  skills  such  as  

coding,  web  design  or  robo@c  design  especially  at  

primary  and  secondary  levels.  Gaining  produc@ve  IT  

skills  is  postponed  un@l  university  years.  In  the  

country,  the  general  percep@on  is  that  computer  

literacy  is  equal  to  computer  use.  However,  

computer  use  is  a  much  broader  concept  covering  

computer  literacy.  In  this  informa@on  age,  proper  

use  of  IT  in  educa@on  helps  students  to  gain  21st  

century  skills  such  as  cri@cal  thinking,  crea@ve  

thinking,  scien@fic  thinking,  collabora@on  with  

others  especially  in  a  problem  based  learning  

environment.

Page 4: ICT in Practice Issue 8

What?To  change  this  percep6on  and  increase  the  

awareness  of  the  concept  of  computa6onal  

thinking,  Dr.  Selçuk  Özdemir  started  the  

BilisimGarajAkademisi.com  portal  18  months  ago  

in  Turkey.  Now,  more  than  40  training  centres  

and  more  than  10  primary/secondary  private  

schools  use  his  curriculum.  

The  curriculum  used  in  BilisimGarajAkademisi.com  

has  two  dimensions.  The  first  dimension  (called  

Package  1)  aims  to  present  kids  with  their  first  

threshold  experience.  With  the  modules  in  the  

Package  1,  the  kids  realise  that  they  can  program  

computers,  design  web  sites,  3d  models  and  

robots/electronic  devices.    In  the  first  year  in  

Package  1,  the  kids  learn  all  of  the  four  subjects  

separately.  The  priority  in  the  first  year  is  to  show  

the  kids  who  is  the  boss,  because  the  students  

realise  that  they  can  tell  computers  what  to  do.

In  the  second  year,  the  whole  curriculum  runs  

around  an  entrepreneurship  problem.  In  Package  

2,  the  students  develop  solu@ons  for  a  given  main  

and  sub-­‐problems  using  coding,  web  design,  3d  

design  and  robo@c  design  and  programming.  The  

entrepreneurship  problem  helps  students  u@lize  all  

technologies  to  produce  many  related  solu@ons  for  

a  real  life  problem.  U@lising  this  holis@c  approach,  

in  addi@on  to  advanced  IT  skills,  the  students  have  

the  opportunity  to  gain  entrepreneurial  

competences  defined  by  European  Union.  These  

entrepreneurial  competences  are  classified  as  

knowledge,  skills  and  aitude.  The  students  learn  

about  “being  ini@a@ve  user”,  “self-­‐confidence”,  

“thinking  on  what  new  things  can  be  developed”,  

“being  op@mis@c”,  “leadership”,  “marke@ng”,  

“collabora@on”,  “the  importance  of  being  cri@cal  

and  crea@ve”,  “the  concept  of  supply  and  

demand”,  “concept  of  cost-­‐benefit”  and  “the  

importance  of  patents”.    

Star@ng  from  this  October,  the  students  will  gain  

more  than  50  entrepreneurial  competences  whilst  

they  develop  a  solu@on  for  the  problem  of  energy.  

The  students  will  be  informed  that  energy  

resources  come  to  an  end  and  the  world  needs  

new  and  clean  energy  resources  for  especially  

transporta@on.  In  four  modules  of  the  Package  2,  a  

student’s  task  is  to:

*  design  a  3d  model  of  an  electric  car  which  

consumes  solar  energy  (3D  design  module  of  the  

curriculum),

*  calculate  the  cost  of  the  produc@on  process  of  

the  solar  energy  car  and  protec@ng  the  

confiden@al  informa@on  (Coding  module  of  the  

curriculum),

*  produce  and  program  a  solar  energy  robo@c  car  

using  real  electronic  circuit  components  (Robo@c  

design  module  of  the  curriculum),

*  promote  and  market  the  solar  energy  robo@c  car  

(Web  design  module  of  the  curriculum).

Page 5: ICT in Practice Issue 8

How?Bilişim  Garaj  Akademisi  has  a  very  simple  and  

running  methodology:

Curiosity     Produc@on   Exhibi@on

Curiosity  is  core  to  the  Bilişim  Garaj  Akademisi  

curriculum.  Edgar  Morin  emphasizes  that  without  

curiosity,  learning  doesn’t  take  place.  In  each  

module,  the  students  are  presented  a  concrete  

task  to  complete.  The  students  create  a  new  

produc@on  in  each  hour  of  each  module.  Being  

able  to  create  new  things  helps  children  to  develop  

their  self-­‐esteem.  Finally,  children  love  

demonstra@ng  to  others  what  they  can  perform  or  

produce.  In  accordance  with  our  moXo  “from  a  

download  society  to  an  upload  society”,  the  

students  can  upload  their  own  works  to  the  

“Project  Gallery”  module  of  the  portal  so  that  

others  can  download  and  examine.

Finally:

Coding,  in  general  producing  with  IT,  is  the  “lingua  

franca”  of  the  new  age.  In  the  future,  all  

professions  will  need  to  do  something  which  

cannot  be  done  by  computerised  machines.  The  

new  genera@ons  have  to  be  equipped  with  

produc@ve  IT  skills  before  their  university  years.  

Thus,  they  will  be  aware  what  computers  can  do  or  

cannot  do.  This  awareness  will  help  them  to  see  

the  innova@on  opportuni@es  in  their  professional  

field.

Bilişim  Garaj  Akademisi  aims  to  be  an  interna@onal  

portal.  The  en@re  curriculum  is  being  translated  

into  English  and  the  English  content  will  be  

published  via  an  English  domain  name.  

Best  regards,

Assoc.Prof.Dr.  Selçuk  Özdemir

The  Founder  of  Bilişim  Garaj  Akademisi

[email protected]

@drselcukozdemir

Bilisimgarajakademisi.com

hXp://w3.gazi.edu.tr/~sozdemir/index_eng.htm

Page 6: ICT in Practice Issue 8

Way  back  in  the  mists  of  Web  2.0,  when  YouTube  

was  a  glint  in  Google’s  eye  and  Wikipedia  was  

Encarta’s  weedy  rival,  I  built  a  website.    I  had  

neither  the  finances,  nor  the  @me,  to  buy  and  learn  

to  use  Flash.  So,  to  give  my  site  a  bit  of  pizazz,  I  

used  a  fair  old  sprinkling  of  downloaded  Gifs.    Not  

too  many  because  they  can  be  preXy  distrac@ng  

and,  besides,  in  those  ISDN  days  they  slowed  page  

loading  to  a  speed  that  allowed  you  take  a  comfort  

break...

When  I  came  to  build  my  

new,  improved  site  I  had  

acquired  Paintshop  Pro  

which  came  with  an  applet  

called  Anima@on  Shop.    

Anima@on  Shop  lets  you  

create  or  edit  Gifs  frame  by  frame  or  by  adding  

effects  and  transi@ons  to  images.  You  can  

download  it  these  days  for  free,  and  it’s  s@ll  very  

useful,  although  the  user  interface  betrays  its  age  

and  it  possibly  won’t  run  on  Windows  8.    I’m  s@ll  

very  fond  of  some  of  the  Gifs  I  created  with  

Anima@on  Shop.

I  thought  liXle  more  about  Gifs  for  some  years,  

un@l  I  began  to  become  aware  of  a  re-­‐birth  through  

Tumblr  sites  I  was  visi@ng;  but  it  was  only  when  I  

chanced  upon  Zeega  that  I  became  really  

interested  once  more  -­‐  enough  to  start  making  gifs  

again.    Zeega  allows  you  to  acquire  gifs  through  

giphy  and  mix  and  match  them  with  text,  and  

Crea@ve  Commons  licensed  s@lls  and  music.    

Zeega’s  main  man  Jesse  Shapins  (of  luxuriant  

beard)  gives  an  excellent  starter  tutorial  here.    I  

was  par@cularly  interested  by  the  simple  way  

mul@ple  gifs  and  s@lls  can  be  made  transparent  and  

layered  allowing  crea@ve  combina@ons.  Completed  

zeegas  can  be  embedded  in  sites  and  blogs.  

The  great  advantage  of  the  gif  is  that  it  is  an  image  

format  not  a  video,  which  means  it  can  be  added  

directly  to  a  web  page  or  included  in  a  presenta@on  

without  the  need  for  video  uploading  to  a  host.  

Making  gifs  has  certainly  come  on  a  bit.  Complex  

and  sophis@cated  work  has  given  rise  to  the  idea  of  

gif  as  an  art  form    My  daughter’s  phone  made  a  gif  

from  a  series  of  pictures  

she  took,  without  even  

asking  her.  There  is  

currently  a  brief  history  

of  the  gif  on  Zeega  -­‐  all  

told  with  gifs,  of  course.

Googling   ‘making   gifs   online’   produced   a  swathe  of  sites,  all  offering  free  conversion  and  

edi;ng   of   online   videos.   The   ones   I   tried  

worked  pre?y  well,  but  when  I  got   interested  in  making  my   own   stuff   again,   I  wondered   if  

there   was   a   free   download   for   desktop   use.  Need   I   have   wondered?   Several   arrived  

complete  with  irrita;ng  toolbars  or  apps  which  

caused   me   to   uninstall   them   immediately   –  and   the   junkware…   (Note   to   self:   do   not  

download  free  apps  when  ;red).

GIFS RE-BORN by Tim Brook

Gifs  and  Me

Making  Gifs

Page 7: ICT in Practice Issue 8

Finally   I   came   upon   Instagiffer   freeware,   with   a  

pleasantly   func@onal   interface   and   all   the   video-­‐

to-­‐gif  func@onality  I  needed  -­‐  and  no  ads  or    -­‐  erm  

–   troubling   -­‐   toolbars.   It   allows   the   clipping   of  

online  video  or  will  convert  your  own  videos.  You  

can   also   capture   gifs   from   any   moving   item   on  

your  screen.  Clips  can  be  edited  from  your  chosen  

start-­‐frame   to   end-­‐frame   or   individual   frames  

removed  by  double-­‐clicking.    Size  and  quality  can  

be  adjusted.     Images  can  be  cropped.     There  are  

even   some   special   effects.     The   finished   gif   will  

save  to  a  folder  of  your  choice.    The  only  thing  I’ve  

found  missing  is  the  ability  to  iden@fy  the  number  

of  plays,  but  Anima@on  Shop  can  do  this  with  your  

finished  gif    if  you  wish  and  maybe  to  add  a  cross  

frame   fade  as  well,   to   smooth   the   characteris@c  

end-­‐of-­‐gif  ‘jerk’.  

Aber  giffing   about  a  bit  with  my  own   and   online  

videos,   I  wondered  about   screen   capturing   video  

from   other   tools   that   will   animate   images,   like  

Photo  Story  3,   for  example,    which  creates  a  ‘Ken  

Burns’  video  from  s@lls.      And   then  I   tried  screen  

capturing  from  Powerpoint.  

If   you   have   never   tried   Powerpoint’s   object  

anima@on   buXon   for   fear   of   having   your  

presenta@ons   sneered   at,   now’s   your   chance   to  

play.   The   custom   anima@on   sidebar   allows   a  

surprisingly   large   amount   of   flexibility   including  

drawing   paths   for   the   objects   to   travel   along,  

delays  and  mul@ple  anima@ons  at  the  same  @me.  

Do  choose  the  advanced  @meline  as  you  can  drag  

the  anima@ons  to  the  length  you  require.  You  will  

only   need   to   screen   capture   the   anima@on   Play  

preview  window  (rather  than  the  full  screen)  as  it’s  

plenty  big  enough  for  a  gif.  

Finally   it  occurred  to  me  that  by   inser@ng   the  gif  

you   had   just   made,   into   a  

Powerpoint  page,  and  adding  a  

mask   on   top   (a  picture  with   a  

transparent   hole   in   it)   you  

could   create   shapes   with  

animated   insides.   You   can   do  

this   too   with   the   Powerpoint  

anima@ons  themselves.   To  make  a  mask,   remove  

the   insides  of   a   simple   line   image.   This  easily  be  

can  be  done  by  using   the  ‘magic  wand’   selec@on  

tool   of   any   half-­‐decent   image   editor   (I   use  

Paint.NET).    Save  it  as  a  png.  or  gif,  as  JPEGs  don’t  

do  transparency.  Bring  it  to  the  front  of  your  stack  

of   Powerpoint  objects  with   the   anima@on  paying  

behind   the   ‘hole’.     Using   Instagiffer’s   screen  

capture  tool  you  can  end  up  with  a  TV  with  moving  

images  on   the  screen  or   a  boat   full  of   swimming  

fish.    My  current  personal   favourite  is  a   lightbulb  

with   a  firework   display   inside   i.e.   lots   of   brilliant  

ideas!  

Capture  with  Instagiffer  and  the  surrounding  blank  

page  area  can  be  cropped.  I  use  white  pages  most  

oben   but   you   could   colour   your   mask   the   same  

colour   as   your   page.   If   you   want   a   completely  

transparent  surround  for  your  gif  the  Online  Image  

Editor   (no  signup)  has  a  transparency  wizard  that  

will  do  this  for  you.

Page 8: ICT in Practice Issue 8

Two  more  gif  must-­‐havesIf   you  have  never  seen,   or  previously  wriXen   off,  

the  Pivot  Animator  freeware,  download  it  now  and  

start  playing.    Peter  Bone,  the  deviser  of  Pivot  has  

fairly  recently  produced  the  first  non-­‐beta  version  

4,  which   will   animate  objects   (sprites)   as  well  as  

s@ck  figures.    Pivot  anima@ons  will  now  save  as  gifs  

or  video.  There’s  a  good  support  site  too.

Microsob   Research   offers   a   free   download   of  

Cliplet   which   allows   the   crea@on   of   those  

anima@ons   with   s@ll   backgrounds   (known   as  

cinemagraphs).    It  comes  with  free  tutorials.    Some  

fairly  sophis@cated  anima@on  can  be  achieved.     In  

the  classroom  this  could  involve  detailed  planning  

and   edi@ng   while   using   very   short   ac@on   clips  

which   might   take   only   a   couple   of   minutes   to  

capture   saving   groups   wandering   around   with  

cameras   for   hours.     The   file   sizes   are   rela@vely  

small  as  only  part  of  the  screen  is  animated,  which  

means  you  can  have  pages  full  on  your  class  blog…

 Gifs in use                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        There  is  something  strangely  

compelling  about  the  animated  

gif.    Students  love  them.  There  are  some  truly  

beau@ful  gifs  out  there  as  well  as  a  fair  collec@on  

of  the  dull,  obscene,  sparkly  or  limp  -­‐  preXy  much  

like  the  rest  of  the  web.  They  certainly  add  visual  

interest  to  your  presenta@ons.  If,  like  me,  you  are  

a  fan  of  Inanimate  Alice  you’ll  have  some  great  

models  for  wri@ng  with  anima@on.

I’m  geing   interested  in  the  language  of   gifs.    All  

stories  need   some   form   of   punctua@on:   pauses,  

full  stops  or  slow  fades  for  example.  The  animated  

gif   sits   between   a   s@ll   image  and   video.   It   plays  

without   the  need   for  ac@on  on  the  viewer’s  part.    

Naturally  movement  is  key  but  in   a  story  perhaps  

they  need   to   loop  without  over-­‐obvious  junc@ons  

to  convey  a  sense  of   con@nuity.     Perhaps,   like  all  

punctua@on,   it   best   signals   a   changeover.     My  

Magic   Lantern   anima@ons   were   headings   which  

hinted  at  the  page  contents.  A  blazing  fire  could  be  

the   beginning   or   ending   of   a   piece  and   used   to  

symbolize   leaving   or   arriving   home;   ripples   on  

water:    dissipa@on  or  a  response  to  a  whim...  

Gifs   can   allow   for   close   observa@onal   wri@ng.  

Ac@on   clips   could   be   used   as   scenes   from   the  

middle  of  a  story,  for  which  students  can  suggest,  

or  write,  beginnings  and  endings.

Simple,  moving   diagrams  can  be  made  by  you  or,  

even   beXer,   students   collabora@ng   ,   to  

demonstrate  processes  in  Science,  Technology  and  

Geography  and  assembled  on  a  shared  Padlet  wall.

Now,  if   all  this  has  wheXed  your  

appe@te  but  the  techtalk  has  leb  

you  cold,   you’ll  perhaps  be  glad  

to   know   I’m   in   the   middle   of  

planning,  wri@ng  and  recording  a  

free  online   course,  DIY   GIF   ,  covering  all  this  and  

more.  It  should  be  finished  by  the  end  of   August.    

So   keep   your   eye   on   my   Digital   Glue   blog   for  

regular  updates  on  the  progress  of   the  work.    You  

could   be   making   some   lovely   autumnal   gifs   or  

maybe   even   moving   scenery   for   your   Christmas  

Produc@on.    

And  have  some  very  engaged  learners…

Tim  Brook

hXp://www.digitalglue.org/

Page 9: ICT in Practice Issue 8

WEB 2.0 TOOLS IN OUR COMENIUS PROJECT 'CITIZEN OF CARE-LAND' by Marijana Šundov

I work as a primary school teacher in Pujanke Elementary School for several years. I use modern teaching methods (Web 2.0 tools, E-learning, Moodle, E-twinning) with my pupils. Also, I have extensive experience with Erasmus+ international cooperation of European schools. I try to connect my pupils with pupils of other European countries, and empower them to use different web tools while they mutually communicate online and create various project activities together.

'You are only limited by your creativity'I  introduced  some  web  2.0  tools  in  educa@on  for  

our  commenius  project  mee@ng  in  Estonia  (March  

24-­‐29,  2014).  The  project  was  called  'Ci@zen  of  

Care-­‐land',  2013-­‐2015.  Teachers  from  12  

european  coutries  aXended  the  conference,  

amongst  them  my  school,  Pujanke  Elementary  

School.  I  decided  to  make  a  presenta@on  and  

show  it  to  the  teachers  in  order  to  bring  them  

closer  to  some  of  the  web  2.0  tools.    My  

main  aim  was  that  teachers  returned  back  

to  their  schools  and  disseminated  their  

findings  about  web  2.0  to  their  pupils,  as  

our  project's  aim  is  to  use  ICT  amongst  

teachers  and  pupils.  We  have  our  

Twinspace  (private  area  of  our  project)  on  

the  E-­‐twinning  plaSorm,  where  we  share  

all  project  ac@vi@es.  Teachers  and  pupils  

have  their  separate  areas  to  communicate  

with  each  other,  upload  and  share  photos,  

videos  etc.    Our  project  is  focused  on  pupils  

ac@vi@es;  pupils  make  presenta@ons  showing  a  

certain  ac@vity  and  then  present  them  at  each  

project  conference.    I  therefore  first  decided  to  

show  them  how  they  could  improve  their  

presenta@ons  by  using  Prezi  tools  for  crea@ng  

presenta@ons  instead  of  the  more  tradi@onal  

Power  Point.  

Page 10: ICT in Practice Issue 8

My   presenta@on   for   that   purpose  was   created   in  

Prezi,   and   it   was   interes@ng   that   teachers   could  

learn  how   to  navigate  with  Prezi  whilst   they  were  

watching  at  the  presenta@on  at  the  same  @me.  All  

of   the   teachers   were   in   front   of   the   computers,  

listening   to   me   and   following   the   steps.   First,   I  

explained   what   Prezi   is;   that   it   is   a   new   way   of  

crea@ng,   collabora@ng,   edi@ng   and   sharing   user-­‐

generated   content   online.   Prezi   allows   you   to  

design   your   own   dis@nc@ve,   eye-­‐catcing  

presenta@ons.  

I  also  showed  them  that  these  presenta@ons  can  be  

flowing;   that  they   can   arrange   text  and   images   in  

any  way   they  like,  they   can  also   choose  the  order  

and  amount  in  which  each  element  will  be  zoomed  

into.   I   then  explained   the  process  for   crea@ng   an  

account  on  Prezi.com  (I  suggested  seing  up  a  free  

account  for  the  first  @me).  Finally,   I  showed  them  

how   to   create   a   presenta@on   aber   crea@ng   an  

account  simply  by  clicking  on  'New  prezi'  and  using  

basic   tools  on  a  blank   canvas  (A   place  where  you  

create   your   presenta@on).   The   teachers   were  

fascinated   with   the   fact   that   they   become   like  

ar@sts   in   Prezi,   where   they   decide   about   the  

appearance  of   their   presenta@on.    I   showed  them  

'a  wheel'   that  gives  them  easy  access  to  all  of   the  

main  tools  where  they  simply   clicked  and  dragged  

what   they   wanted.   If   they   wanted   to   write  

something,   they   could   just   double-­‐click   anywhere  

to  begin   typing.  It  was  very   interes@ng  when  they  

realised   that   they   could   insert   files   (pdf,   power  

point,   video,   photos..)   into   their   Prezi.   I   also  

introduced   them   to   very   important   tools   in   Prezi,  

to   paths   that   allow   them   to   create   the   order   of  

their   presenta@on  aber   they  have  put  all  the  text,  

videos,  photos  etc.  Using  paths,  they  began  clicking  

on  the  element  they  wanted  to  zoom  into  first  and  

they  con@nue  clicking   on  each  object   in   the  order  

that   they   wanted   them   to   appear   in   their  

presenta@on.   I   highlighted   that   they   can   always  

edit   everything.   Finally,   I   showed   them   that   they  

can   edit,   delete   or   download   Prezi,   and   what   is  

more  important,  share  Prezi  using  'embed  code'  or  

copying   the   link.   We   shared   our   Prezis   on   the  

educa@onal  plaSrom  E-­‐twinning,  on  Twinspace.   In  

May,  during  our  Project  conference  in  Spain,  pupils  

had  the  task   to  create  presen@ons  about  'Women  

rights   in   Europe',   and   the   great   surprise:   -­‐   many  

presenta@ons  were  created  in  Prezi.  It  was  great!

Page 11: ICT in Practice Issue 8

The  second  tool  that  I  wanted  to  introduce  to  them  

was  Voki,  a  speaking   avatar  that   is  a  great  tool  for  

classroom   ac@vi@es   and   makes   learning   fun.   I  

wanted   teachers   to   incourage   their   pupils   to  

communicate  with   pupils   from   different   countries  

using   Voki.   Voki   can   easily   be   embedded   on   our  

Twinspace,   so   we   decided   to   create   virtual  

presenta@ons  with  Voki  tools.  Voki   is  a  very  simple  

tool,   on  www.voki.com  you   create  your   username  

and   login.   When   you   enter,   you   decide   upon   the  

appearance  of  your  Voki  character  (you  can  choose  

a  character  that  is  similar  to  you  or  not),  and  when  

you  click  'Customize  your  character'   you  can  change  

the  colour  of  its  eyes,  clothes,  even  the  colour  of  the  

skin  etc.  The  most  important  is  to  give  your  Voki  a  

voice,  and  you  can  select  from  a  few  op@ons  how  to  

do   it   (recording   with   a  microphone,   uploading   an  

audio   file  or   the   easiest  op@on   –   you   just   type   in  

your  text).   Aber   you  have  typed   the  text,  you   can  

even  choose  the  language  and  the  voice  and  accent  

of   your  avatar.  Sharing  Prezi   is  also   great  (you  can  

email  your  Voki,  copy  the  link  or  embed  the  code).  

Our  pupils  use  Voki  to  communicate  with  each  other  

about  ceartain  topics,  they  like  it  very  much  as  they  

find  Voki   interes@ng   and   funny.   Our   teachers  have  

made  their   own  Vokis   too  and  shared   them   on   E-­‐

twinning  to  present  themselves  to  other  teachers.

My   final   tool   was   Glogster   –   online   interac@ve  

posters   that   allows   you   to   combine  text,   pictures,  

graphics,  video  and  audio  into  an  interac@ve  poster.  

I   wanted   to   introduce   this   tool   to   teachers  in   the  

project,  because  in  our  project  we  have  pupils  visits  

other  countries,  not  just  the  teachers.  

Pupils   from   one   country   host   pupils   from   another  

country   in   their   home.   I   found   this   tool   great   for  

introducing  each  other,  making  a  poster  of  him/her,  

and   he/she   can   write,   draw,   add   videos   and  

everything   else  that  chracterises  him  or  her.   In   this  

way,  our  pupils  learned  about  each  other,  and  made  

closer  connec@ons  before  their  visit.  They  enhanced  

many   skills   using   this   tools-­‐crea@vity,   effec@ve  

communica@on,  student  collabora@on,  literacy  skills  

etc.   It   can   be   done   in   a   short   @me,   so   our   pupils  

used  this  tool   .You  simply   register   at  Glogster  edu,  

write  some  info  about  yourself  and  start  playing  by  

clicking   and   dragging   text,   image,   graphics,   video,  

sound  etc,   and   share   your  Glogster   on  website  or  

somewhere  else.  Our  pupils  shared  their  Glogsters  

on   the   Pupils'   area   on   Twinspace,   and   through  

email.

I   encourage  my   colleagues   all   the   @me   within  my  

school,  within  the  project  and  my  pupils  to  use  ICT  

as  it  is  fun,  crea@ve,  and  pupils  learn  faster  through  

games   without   realising   that   they   are   actually  

learning  at  the  same  @me.

Page 12: ICT in Practice Issue 8

I   am   a   fan   of   Desmos,   a   web-­‐based   graphing  

calculator   completely   free   and   accessible   at  

www.desmos.com.  There  is  no  download  needed,  

and  it  is  extremely  easy  to  use  –  the  func@ons  are  

well  organized,  and  all  are  available  at  the  click  of  

a  mouse.  Most  of  my  students  learned  how  to  use  

the   calculator   within   15   minutes,   by   using   the  

site’s  tutorial.  

Even  though  Desmos  does  not  contain  as  broad  a  

variety   of   func@ons   as   a   tradi@onal   graphing  

calculator   (e.g.   TI-­‐84)   does,   I   do   appreciate   its  

dynamic  feature  of  a  built-­‐in  slider,  as  well  as  the  

colored  graphing   lines,   the  much  faster  speed  of  

carrying  out  calcula@ons,  and  the  ability  to  project  

the   image  on  the  whiteboard   in  a  classroom.  All  

these   features   make   Desmos   superior   to   the  

handheld  TI  graphing  calculator.  

“Infinite  sequences  and  series”  is  one  of   the  last  

topics   covered   in   the   AP   Calculus   (BC)   course.  

Personally,   I   find   it   is   an   exci@ng   topic,   the  

content  of  which  touches  on  all  the  fundamental  

concepts  of   calculus,   i.e.  evalua@ng   limits  (in   the  

ra@o  test),  finding  deriva@ves  (in  construc@ng  the  

Taylor  series),  and  applying  all  the   techniques  of  

integra@on   (the   integral   test   to   determine   the  

convergence   of   a   series),   and   taught   during   an  

exci@ng   @me  –   one  month  before  the  AP   Exam.  

Therefore,   it  serves  as  a  natural   bridge  between  

wrapping  up  the  learning  por@on  and  moving  into  

the  review  por@on  for  the  big  Exam.  

Unfortunately,  students  oben  find  the  content  of  

this  chapter  unforgivingly  abstract,  and  the  @ming  

of  it  effec@vely  shakes  their  confidence.  For  years,  

I   have  been   trying   to   find  a  way   to   improve  my  

teaching   methods,   including   leaving   more   @me  

for   it   and   giving   more   exercise   for   prac@ce,  but  

the   results   were   no   more   than   marginally  

posi@ve.    

The  discovery  of  Desmos  revolu@onized  the  way  I  

teach   this   chapter,   and   as   a   result,   students’  

learning  experience,  as  well  as  the  learning  result,  

was  improved  by  leaps  and  bounds.  In  this  ar@cle,  

I  share  some  examples  of   using   Desmos  to  teach  

the  Taylor  and  MacLaurin  (a  special  case  of  Taylor  

series  with  a=0)  series.  

In   the   first   example,   students   were   asked   to  

construct  the  Maclaurin  series  of  ,  wri@ng  out  one  

term  at  a  @me  first  and  then  express  the  series  of  

y=  sin  (X),  with  the  sigma  nota@on.  Students  were  

asked   to   type   out   the   1st,   3rd,   5th,   and   10th-­‐

degree  Taylor  polynomial  as  a  func@on  in  Desmos,  

and  have  each  func@on  ploXed  out  (Figure  1).  

As   Figure  1   shows,   each   func@on   is  color-­‐coded  

corresponding   to  its  graph.  Students  were  guided  

to  discover  that:

1.  The  one-­‐term  Maclaurin  polynomial,  y=x,  gives  

a  very  poor  representa@on  of  the  sine  curve,  with  

no  matching  at  all  except  for  the  point  at  x  =  0  .  

2.  As  the  number  of   terms  increases,  the  area  of  

superposi@on   between   the   curve   of   the  

polynomial   and   that   of   the   sine   expands  

symmetrically  on  both  sides  of  x  =  0  .  

3.   As   the   number   of   terms   approaches   infinity,  

the   polynomial   curve   is  foreseen   to   match  with  

the   sine   curve   in   the   en@re   region,   extending  

f r om     -­‐  to    

4.   Based   on   observa@on   3,   the   interval   of  

convergence,  which  is,   in  other  words,  the  group  

of   x   values   that   yield   the   same   y   values  by   the  

infinite  series  as  the  original  func@on  y=   sin(x),  is  

surely  

Using  Desmos  To  Explore  Taylor  and  Maclaurin  Series  in  AP  Calculus

by  Daisy  Zhang-­‐Negrerie,  Ph.DConcordia  International  School,  Shanghai

Page 13: ICT in Practice Issue 8

The  second  step  in  this  exercise  is  to  take    

Similar   tasks  were   to   carry   out,   such   as  wri@ng   out   each   term   in   the   Taylor   polynomial,  expressing   the   polynomial   in   sigma   nota@on;  construc@ng   the   2nd   and   4th-­‐degree   Taylor  polynomial   and   ploing   out   the   expressions   in  Desmos  (Figure  2).  In  addi@on,  a  slider   func@on  was  incorporated   in   this  exercise,  where  the  number  of  terms   was   set   as   a   variable,   ,   and   was   scanned  through   from   1   to   15.   Students   were   guided   to  observe  that,1.  Each  mathema@cal  expression  of   the  polynomials  in  the  new  series  is  visibly  different  from  that  in  the  Maclaurin   series.   The  ones   in   the  Taylor   series  are  

even   func@ons,   while   those   in   the  Maclaurin   series  are  odd  func@ons.    2.  The  area  of  superposi@on  expands  as  the  number  of   terms  increases,  same  as  in  the  Maclaurin  series,  except   that   in   this   case   the   area   expands  

symmetrically  around   .  

3.   The   interval   of   convergence   is,   again,   the   en@re  domain  Students  are  further  guided  to  conclude  that:1.   The   Taylor   series   with   different   a   value   are  seemingly  different,  but  each  represents  the  original  func@on  and  therefore  they  are  equal  to  each  other.2.  The  a  value  corresponds  to   the    value  where  the  matching   area   expands.   The   graph   helps   one  

visualize   what   it   means   by  “expanding   about   x=a   ”   in  Taylor  series  containing   the    

.

3 .   T h e   i n t e r v a l   o f  convergence  (as  well  as  the  radius   of   convergence)  remains   the   same   and   is  independent  of   the  a  value  for  the  sine  func@on.

Figure  1.  Graphs  of  and  its  Maclaurin  series  containing  1,  2,  3  or  10  terms.

Figure  2.  Graphs  of  and  its  Taylor  series  (),  containing  2,  3,  or  10  terms.

Page 14: ICT in Practice Issue 8

The  second  example  was  a  logarithmic  func@on,y=In(x+1).    Students  were  asked  to  repeat  what  they  did  in  the  previous  example.  Through  this  exercise,  students  were  guided  to  observe:1. As  the  number  of  terms  increases,  the  area  of  matching  increases.2. As  the  number  of   terms  becomes  sufficiently  big,   the  interval  of   the  matching  area  is  restricted  to  between  

,  which  agrees  with  the  interval  of  convergence  predicted  by  the  ra@o  test.  

3. The  Maclaurin  series  cannot  be  used  to  express  they  y=In(x+1)    func@on  outside  of  the  interval.  

Figure  3.  Graphs  of  and  its  Maclaurin  series  containing  1,  2,  3,  4,  or  23  terms.

Figure  4.  Graphs  of  y=In(x+1)  and  its  Taylor  series  (a=1),  containing  1,  2,  3,  4,  or  30  terms.

Page 15: ICT in Practice Issue 8

The  second  exercise  in  this  example  was  to  construct  the  Taylor  series  a=1  .  The  graphs  are  shown  in  Figure  4.  Results  help  students  conclude  that  the  interval  of   convergence  is  (-­‐1,  3),  twice  as  big  as  that  in  the  Maclaurin  series.  This  observa@on  is  in  sharp  contrast  to  the  sine  func@on.

The  third  exercise  was  to  explore  the  rela@onship  between  the  interval  of  convergence,  by  seing  the  value  as  a  

variable  and  using  the  slider  feature.  This  exercise  helps  students  to  visualize  the  rela@onship  through  seeing  the  

playing  out  of  how  the  intervals  expand  as  the    value  increases.    

Students   were   assigned   addi@onal   problems   containing   more   complicated   func@ons   to   be   ploXed   out   in  

Desmos,  and  where  then  tasked  to  write  up  their  observa@ons.  Students’  feedback  of  these  exercises  indicated  

that  they  were  finally  able  to  visualize  the  radius  and   interval  of  convergence,  what  the  value  of    “means  and  

does”  in  the  series,  and  the  fact  that  each   func@on  can  be  represented  by  an  infinite  number  of   Taylor  series,  

but   not   all   Taylor   polynomials   represent   every   point   equally   well.   Their   feedback   signifies   their   deep  

understanding   that  any   teacher   can  be  proud   of.  Another   bonus  of   this  exercise  is  that   students  aberwards  

became  experts  in  deriving  the  terms  in  the  Taylor  polynomial  as  well  as  wri@ng  the  sigma  nota@on,  thanks  to  

the  interac@ve  nature  of  the  Desmos  graphing  calculator.  Any  wrong  terms  will  be  immediately  recognized,  with  

“debugging”  involving  coming  up  with  the  correct  term  or  sigma  nota@on  un@l  the  curves  match.

I  hope  this  ar@cle  encourages  AP  Calculus  teachers  to  try  out  Desmos  in  classroom  and  develop  new  projects  

around  the  capacity  of  this  sobware.  If  you  would  like  to  discuss  this  topic,  or  exchange  @ps,  please  feel  free  to  

contact  me  at:

daisy.zhang-­‐[email protected].

Figure  5.  Graph  of  the  Taylor  polynomial  of    y=IN(x+1)  with  a=7    in  a  dynamic  exploration  of  the  relationship  between  the  interval  of  convergence  and  the  value  of  a.

Page 16: ICT in Practice Issue 8

CHILDREN, MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND E-SAFETYby Jamie Mortimer

Children  and   young   people   love  our   phones.   I   don’t  

mean   landlines,   a   prac@cally   obsolete   piece   of  

technology  that  we  all  rent   for  a  monthly   fee  just  so  

we   can   then   pay   another   monthly   fee   to   get   an  

internet   connec@on.   I’m   talking   about   our   mobile  

phones,  and  more  specifically  our   smart   phones.   It’s  

not   a   surprise.   From   the   moment   our   children   are  

born   they   see  us  holding   them,  looking  at   them  and  

talking  to  these  liXle  shiny  boxes.  The  same  applies  to  

tablets.  When  we  grew  up  we  used  to  see  our  parents  

reading  the  paper,  reading  a  book,  using  a  telephone,  

wri@ng   leXers  and   having   a  cup   of   tea  with   friends.  

Now  we  do  all  of  these  things  on  our  phone  or  tablet.

My  son  is  nearly  7  years  old.  One  of   the  first  phrases  

he   uXered   when   he   was   liXle   was,   ‘oo   tube’.   He  

knows   that   Facebook   is   a   website.   He   knows   that  

people  post  messages  on  twiXer.  He  knows  that  you  

need   a   wi-­‐fi   connec@on   to   get   on   the   internet.   He  

knows  what  the  internet  is.  He  knows  that  an  iPhone,  

an   iPod   and   an   iPad   all   use   an   iTunes   account.   He  

knows  what   an  account   is   and   why   you   would   give  

your  personal  informa@on  to  create  an  account.

So  when  he  was  6  he  was  given  an  iPodtouch  and  I’ve  

stuck  to  a  few  very  simple  rules  when  it  comes  to  him  

using   it.  Let’s  start  with  the  device.  Its  setup  using  my  

iTunes  account,  which  means  I  get  the  email  invoices  

for   all   purchases   once   a   week.   So   what   did   I   lock  

down?   I  kept  it  straight  forward.  No  Safari;  that’s  the  

internet  browser,  so  he  can’t  get  on  to  websites  with  

his  device.

Jamie  Mor@mer  is  a  husband  and  father  of   two  boys   and   has   a   real   passion   for   technology,  learning   and   the   outdoors.   Once   a   week   he  volunteers   with   his   local   Scout   Group   as   a  Beaver  Leader  and  loves  introducing  children  to  technology  in  new  and  exci@ng  ways.

He   graduated   from   Newcastle   University   in  1998   with   a   degree   in   Mapping   Science   and  since   then   has  held   a  number   of   roles   in   the  sobware   and   technology   industry.   In   2009  he  took   up   post   as   Computers   and   Technology  curriculum   manager   for   Community   Learning  and   Skills   Development,   Adult   Learning   in  Suffolk,  where  he  completed  his  PGCE   and  has  led   the   curriculum   to   a   recent   good   Ofsted  Inspec@on.

He  was  part  of  a  collec@ve  that  established  the  Suffolk   E-­‐Safety   Strategy   and   currently   sits  on  the  Advisory  Panel  for  the  Jisc  Regional  Support  Centre   in   the   Eastern   region,  who   support   FE  and  Skills   in   the  use  of   technology   in   teaching  and  learning.

uk.linkedin.com/in/geekylearner

@geekylearner

jamie.mor;[email protected]

Page 17: ICT in Practice Issue 8

A  password  is  required  to  purchase  apps;  this  includes  

free  apps  as  you  s@ll  have  to  technically  ‘purchase’  the  

app.   No   Face@me   or   iMessage   app;   that   means   no  

video  chaing  or  text  messaging  to  anyone,  and  that’s  

it.  He  can   then  do   preXy  much   anything  else;   I   don’t  

need  to  block  content  based  on  age  ra@ngs  or  content  

as  he  can’t  get  access  to  it  anyway.  You’d  be  surprised  

how   easy   it   is.   You   just   go   in   to   the   seings   and  

restric@ons  and  you  literally  toggle  the  apps  on/off.

We  have   just  two   rules.  Firstly,   I   look   aber   it   and  he  

has  to   ask  when  he  would   like   to  use  it.  The  second  

and  most   important  rule   is  that  he  only  gets  to  use  it  

downstairs.   I’ll   explain.   I   need   to   monitor   what   he’s  

doing   on  it  and   his  behaviour  or   how  he  responds  as  

he  plays   games  or   reads  books.   It’s  my   job   to   make  

sure  I  promote  acceptable  behaviour  and  make  sure  he  

isn’t   accessing   inappropriate   content.   When   he   gets  

older  and  I  do  grant  him  access  to  the  internet  I  want  

us  to  have  formed  a  rela@onship  of  open  trust  when  it  

comes  to   discussing  what  he  has  read  and  viewed  on  

the   internet.  Once  he   has  access  to   the   internet   it’s  

going   to  be  crucial  that  he  isn’t  using  his  device  on  his  

own  in  his  bedroom.  If   he’s  been  allowed  to  use  it  like  

that   before,   he   isn’t   going   to   want   to   change   his  

behaviour  because  ‘he’s  always  been  allowed  to  do   it  

that  way  and  it  isn’t  fair’  and  he’d  kind  of  have  a  point.

Here’s  the  warning   shot  across  the  bows  though.  We  

all  know  technology  changes  at  an  ever  increasing  pace  

and   that’s  where   I  was  caught  out   very   recently.   His  

favourite  game  at  the  moment   is  Sonic  Racing   and   it  

pops  up  that  there   is  an  update,   so  he  updates  it.  He  

even   tells  me  he’s   got   an   update   and   he’s   going   to  

download  it.  Brilliant!  Thanks  for  telling  me;   I’m  really  

pleased   you   told   me.   Well   the   next   day   I   can   hear  

machine   gun   fire.  Mobile   gaming   is   shibing   towards  

more  free  apps  with  ‘in-­‐app’  purchases  to  enhance  the  

game  play.   This  means  games  allow  you   to   purchase  

tokens  to  buy  extra  content  and  features,  and  to  draw  

you   in   (and   generate  adver@sing   revenues)   they   give  

you   free   tokens   for   watching   adverts.   These  adverts  

typically   promote  other   apps   you  might  want   to   buy  

and  download  and  there  is  always  one  for  a  game  that  

requires   you   to   blow   the   head   off   something   or   a  

zombie  dripping   in  blood.   It  may   only   be  20   seconds  

but  its  20  seconds  you  don’t  want  your  7  year  old  to  be  

viewing,   at   least   not   for   a   few   more   years.   He   now  

knows  he  must  not  view  the  adverts  and  thankfully  we  

are  well  on   our  way   to   developing   a  healthy   respect  

towards  technology  together.

Community   Learning   and   Skills   Development   delivers  

courses  across  Suffolk   to   complete  beginners    to  gain  

confidence  in  using   technology  and  the  internet  safely  

and  also  to  support  parents  or  carers  with   promo@ng  

safe  use  of   technology   to  children  and   young   people.  

To   register   your   interest   or   enrol   on   a   course   in   a  

centre  near  you  contact  us  on  0300  456  2050  or  at  our  

website:  www.clsd.org.uk.

Happy  and  responsible  gaming!

Jamie  Mor4mer

uk.linkedin.com/in/geekylearner

@geekylearner

jamie.mor;[email protected]

Page 18: ICT in Practice Issue 8

Surviving and Thriving with Computing as an NQTby  Elliott  Plumb

3 ways you can engage primary

pupils in ‘Computing’ during your

first year of teaching

Whether  you  are  about  to  enter   teaching  or  you  

have  just  finished  your  first  year,  there  are  always  

subjects   that   you   feel   you   haven’t   sunk   your  

teeth  into  as  much  as  you  may  have  wanted  (P.E.  

for  me!).  There  may  have  been  @metable  clashes;  

a   lack   of   resources   or   it   may   be   a   lack   of  

confidence   in   the   subject   (Again,   P.E.   for   me!).  

Compu@ng  can  some@mes  be  that  subject.  2014  

will   see   huge   changes   for   the   Compu@ng  

curriculum.  ICT  has  evolved  into  ‘Compu@ng’  and  

with  the  name  change  comes  a  huge  shib  in  the  

content   we   are   required   to   teach.   Out   go   the  

PowerPoint   presenta@ons  and  spreadsheets  and  

we  welcome  coding   and   algorithms.  This   ar@cle  

aims   to   provide   three   ways   in   which   you   can  

make  the  new  Compu@ng   curriculum  easier   and  

more  engaging  for  the  children  in  your  class.

Resource Awareness:A   fantas@c   aspect  of   teaching   is  the  community  

you  are   immersed   in.  As  an  NQT   most  teachers  

are   willing   to   help   and   assist   you   with   your  

prac@ce.   The   same   goes   for   the   borough   you  

work   in  and  any  educa@on  centres  that  you  may  

be  fortunate  enough  to  have  in  close  proximity.

Before   you   begin   swea@ng   over   all   of   the  new  

technical   vocabulary,   go   along   and   see   your  

Compu@ng   co-­‐ordinator.   If   there   is   not   a   co-­‐

ordinator,   ask   your   phase   leader.   Some   schools  

have  a  Compu@ng  suite  and  some  have  trolleys  of  

iPads   and   laptops.   Importantly,   every   school  

should  have  a  range  of  technology  that  you  could  

incorporate   into   your   lessons.   Flip   Cams,  

Raspberry   Pi’s   and   a   whole   host   of   useful  

programs   could   all   be   available   in   your   school.  

Don’t  forget  to  ask  staff  for  successful  Compu@ng  

lessons   they   may   have   completed   in   the   past.  

They  may  even  offer  you  the  planning  they  used.  

You  don’t  ask,  you  don’t  get!

Looking  beyond  your  school  is  also  a  great  way  of  

finding  useful  Compu@ng   resources.  There  are  so  

many   different   (free)   resources   available   to  

schools  from  your  local  borough.  Some  boroughs  

have   centres  with   computer   suites   that   can   be  

used   by   local   schools   for   free.   This   could   be   a  

brilliant   opportunity   if   your   school   lacks   the  

resources   you   might   be   looking   for.   Do   your  

research  and  search  wide  for  what  free  resources  

are  available  to  you.

Lastly,   Educa@on  Officers   and   Advisors   that   are  

spread  across  your  borough  can  be  a  great  help.  

These  people  come  in  many  forms;  some  work  at  

local   museums,   some   are   class   teachers   and  

some  work  at  your  local  Civic  Centre.  Developing  

strong   links   with   the   local   council   can   provide  

amazing   opportuni@es.   They   oben  have  a  great  

vision  and  access  to  resources  that  you  might  not  

have  thought  existed!  

ll

Page 19: ICT in Practice Issue 8

Cross Curricular Planning

Another  way   in  which  you  can  flex  your  Compu@ng  

muscles  is  to  assure  that  you  consider  Compu@ng   in  

all  aspects  of   your   planning.  Whatever   the  subject  

may   be,   ask   yourself   –   Could   I   incorporate   any  

computer   skills   here?   From   Literacy   through   to  

Geography,  you  could  take  your  topic  of   choice  and  

make  links  with  the  new  Compu@ng  curriculum.  Not  

only  will  the  children  enjoy   it  but  it  could  also   give  

them   a   chance   to   consolidate   learning.   Children  

could  make  a  game  using   ‘Scratch’,  they  could  build  

Lego   robots   or   you   could   use   iPads   to   make  

anima@ons  or  films.  The  possibili@es  are  endless.  

Pupil Involvement:Finally,   you   must   not   underes@mate   the   prior  

knowledge   that   the  children  of   today  have  when   it  

comes   to   technology   and   computers.   Pupils   have  

been  an  invaluable  resource  for  previous  projects  as  

u@lising  their  knowledge  has  benefiXed  everybody.

Ways   in   which   you   can   involve   children   in   the  

teaching  of  the  subject  can   range  according   to  how  

comfortable  and  confident  you  feel  about  your  class  

and  their  knowledge  and  behaviour.  Discussions  as  a  

class   about   their   knowledge   before   you   begin  

planning   can   be   an   extremely   informa@ve   guide.  

Genera@ng  a  discussion  can  draw  out  how  much  the  

children   know   already.   This   allows   you   to  

differen@ate   into   ability   groups   and   also  

differen@ate  the  ques@oning  in  your  planning.

Pupil-­‐led   compu@ng   sessions   whereby   par@cular  

children  take  the  lead   in  groups  and   troubleshoot  

issues  that  may  arise  is  worthwhile  not  only  for  the  

pupils,   but   for   the   teacher   too.   Being   brave   and  

leing   the   children   guide   the   learning   and   the  

discussions   can   be   hugely   beneficial   and   more  

enjoyable  for  everybody.  

2014   will   see   almighty   changes   across   the  

Compu@ng  curriculum.  Many  schools  are  ready  for  

this   change   and   can   offer   fantas@c   opportuni@es  

and   resources.   If   you   are   applying   for   a   post   or  

interested   in   taking  on  Compu@ng   in   your   current  

school,  ask  a  plethora  of  ques@ons  about  resources  

and   where   the   school   is   going   next   with  

Compu@ng.   Compu@ng   is   taking   an   extremely  

exci@ng  new  direc@on  and  rather  that  shying  away,  

embrace  it  and  let  the  children  run  with  it!

Eliot  Plumb  is  a  Year  5  teacher  at  Wilbury  School  in  

Edmonton.   He   graduated   in   Educa@on   from   the  

University   of   Cambridge   in   2013   and   enjoys  

inspiring   children   through   teaching   Compu@ng,  

Dance  and  History.

Page 20: ICT in Practice Issue 8

Scratch and Sniffby Ian Stephenson

———————————————————————————————————

As  a  university  lecturer  in  a  computer  related  subject  I  as  invited  last  year  to  run  a  CPD  workshop  for  compu@ng  teachers  from  local  schools,  introducing  them  to  some  technologies  that  they  might  use  on  STEM  projects.  I  hope  they  learnt  something  from  the  sessions,  but  what  I  learnt  from  them  was  that  they  were  very  excited,  but  also  apprehensive  about  the  new  compu@ng  curriculum.

There  seemed  to  be  a  preXy  good  consensus  that  at  KS2  the  go-­‐to  tool  was  Scratch.  Both  teachers  and  pupils  loved  it  and  were  keen  to  show  off  any  number  of  fun  projects  they’d  produced.  They  loved  the  immediate  feedback,  and  being  able  to  build  programs  from  simple  blocks.

However  this  relaxed  confidence  disappeared  abruptly  somewhere  around  KS3.  At  this  point  there  was  a  vague  no@on  that  they  should  move  on  from  Scratch  to  something  more  serious,  but  there  was  no  clear  plan  as  to  what  that  might  be.  There  were  mumblings  that  Raspberry  Pi  was  supposed  to  help,  but  no  real  idea  what  it  was  good  for.  Python  seemed  to  emerge  as  a  grudging  consensus,  but  not  with  any  enthusiasm  -­‐  rather  that  people  had  heard  that  other  people  were  using  it  and  they  probably  should  be.

Both  staff  and  children  appear  to  be  geing  lost  in  the  transi@on  from  Scratch  to  “real”  programming.  To  address  this  we  need  to  consider  why  and  when  we  transi@on  from  Scratch,  and  subsequently  why  children  who  were  happy  and  enthusias@c  working  with  Scratch  fail  to  successfully  transi@on  to  (for  example)  Python.

Why  Stop  Using  Scratch?

The  first  ques@on  “Why  stop  using  Scratch?”  is  actually  quite  tricky.  Why  isn’t  Scratch  suitable  for  KS3,  KS4  and  beyond?  The  obvious  answers:  “Because  its  just  for  beginners”,  or  “its  not  powerful  enough”,  are  quite  simply  wrong.  While  its  true  that  Scratch  has  limita@ons,  most  seriously  with  respect  to  data  structures,  children  in  KS3  are  almost  certainly  not  scratching  the  surface  (sorry!)  of  what  it  can  do.  It’s  possible  to  implement  many  degree  level  algorithms  in  Scratch.  In  fact  Scratch’s  model  of  parallelism  is  far  in  advance  of  most  other  common  programming  languages.

It  may  be  that  Scratch’s  worst  enemy  is  it’s  logo  -­‐  the  same  cat  that  made  programming  friendly  in  KS2  looks  childish  to  the  cynical  minds  of  KS3.  Scratch  simply  looks  like  a  KS2  program.  It  would  be  interes@ng  to  compare  how  older  children  would  approach  a  version  of  Scratch  with  more  age-­‐appropriate  art  work.

However  artwork  alone  isn’t  enough  to  keep  Scratch  viable  for  more  experienced  users,  regardless  of  age.  The  real  reason  to  move  on  from  Scratch  is  that  graphical  programming  is  tedious.  Like  a  menu  in  a  restaurant  it  provides  helpful  sugges@ons  as  to  what  you  might  choose,  but  if  you  already  know  what  you’d  like,  then  looking  for  it  in  the  list  of  available  meals  is  tedious.  New  Scratch  users  can  browse  the  tools  paleXes  un@l  they  see  something  they  think  might  help,  but  experienced  programmers  become  frustrated  looking  for  the  block  they’ve  already  decided  they  need.

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Why  Not  Python?At  a  certain  point  programmers  become  sufficiently  experienced  that  they’re  ready  to  write  code  rather  than  choose  it.  So  why  might  they  fail  to  transi@on  to  Python?  It  would  be  easy  to  pick  on  Python  here,  and  note  that  it  has  a  number  of  problems.  It  also  doesn’t  help  that  Python  has  aXracts  the  type  of  programmers  who  love  to  show  off  all  its  quirks  and  features.  All  the  strange  features  you  can  do  that  Python  advocates  love  are  best  kept  away  from  children.  (If  you  Google  “python  hello  world”  the  current  top  result  is  a  post  asking  why  the  exact  code  recommended  in  the  second  search  result  doesn’t  work.)

However  the  real  problem  isn’t  Python’s  fault.  The  real  issue  is  that  any  mainstream  programming  language  would  be  big  leap.  We’re  asking  novice  programmers  to  go  from  “choosing  from  the  menu”  to  “invent  your  own  meal”.  While  they  should  be  ready  to  do  that  (if  not  s@ck  with  Scratch),  they’ve  been  training  to  “pick  their  own  Pizza  toppings”,  and  suddenly  they  find  themselves  in  an  Indian  Restaurant.  Not  only  are  they  asked  to  create  a  meal  by  themselves,  but  the  whole  meal  structure  is  completely  different  to  what  they’ve  seen  before.  Scratch  programmers  ready  to  move  on  from  choosing  to  wri@ng  are  ready  to  write  Scratch.  It’s  a  big  leap  to  go  from  choosing  in  Scratch  to  wri1ng  in  Python.

Wri4ng  ScratchIf  Scratch  is  more  powerful  than  we  give  it  credit  for,  and  the  only  obstacle  to  wri@ng  more  complex  programs  in  Scratch  is  the  graphical  programming  paradigm,  then  the  obvious  next  ques@on  was  “what  is  it  like  to  write  Scratch?”.  What  would  Scratch  look  like  if  you  took  the  blocks  and  GUI  away,  and  just  kept  the  bare,  text  based  language?  The  short  answer  is  surprisingly  powerful  and  nice  to  work  with!

I  implemented  a  compiler  which  would  handle  text  files  containing  almost  exactly  the  same  words  

found  on  the  Scratch  blocks.  The  new  programming  language  “Sniff”  implements  all  of  the  blocks  from  Scratch  1.4,  with  the  excep@on  of  those  rela@ng  to  sprites,  as  these  of  course  don’t  exist  without  the  GUI.  The  only  significant  change  is  that  variables  are  now  declared  as  being  either  numbers  or  strings  (or  lists  of  number/string)  as  this  allows  the  code  to  run  efficiently  and  effec@vely  on  low  powered  machines.

Programs  like  the  above  are  essen@ally  iden@cal  in  Scratch  and  Sniff,  which  means  pupils  bring  their  Scratch  experience  with  them,  and  can  immediately  

start  crea@ng  in  Sniff.  In  fact  the  transi@on  can  happen  gradually,  and  at  the  students  own  pace.  Long  before  Sniff  is  formally  introduced  teachers  or  children  are  likely  write  something  similar  to  Sniff  on  the  board,  without  sugges@ng  its  anything  other  than  Scratch.  It’s  perfectly  reasonable  to  support  both  languages  in  parallel:  either  moving  stronger  children  to  Sniff,  while  others  retain  the  support  of  Scratch,  or  even  allowing  children  to  build  code  fragments  in  Scratch  before  typing  them  into  Sniff.

Being  Engaging  in  a  Screen  Based  WorldWhen  I  got  my  first  computer  the  first  program  I  wrote  printed  my  name  on  the  family  TV  set.  Its  impossible  to  overstate  how  big  a  thing  that  was.  Televisions  were  the  only  screens  we  had,  and  TV  was  something  that  was  sent  to  us  by  “the  powers  that  be”.  To  have  your  name  on  television  was  totally  subversive,  and  was  in  a  very  real  way  the  first  steps  to  the  screen  based  environment  we  have  today.  While  broadcast  television  is  s@ll  important,  developments  from  those  first  home  computers  (and  first  home  computer  users)  have  democra@sed  our  screens  to  the  point  they’re  ubiquitous.  Unfortunately  this  also  means  the  appearance  of  a  screen  is  no  longer  exci@ng  in  the  way  it  was  when  home  computers  were  new.

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Sniff  can  be  run  on  a  desktop  computer,  but  it  most  of  the  work  is  targeted  at  Raspberry  Pi  and  Arduino.  To  flash  an  LED  on  an  Arduino  the  Sniff  code  is:

make  LED  digital  output  13

when  start.forever..set  LED  to  on..wait  1  secs..set  LED  to  off..wait  1  secs

which  takes  us  effortlessly  from  the  GUI  based  Scratch  into  physical  compu@ng.  Being  able  to  engage  with  the  real  world  beyond  the  screen  creates  real  opportuni@es  to  integrate  compu@ng  into  the  wider  curriculum,  controlling  robots,  controlling  stage  ligh@ng,  displaying  a  heart  beat    logging  weather,  and  measuring  the  speed  of  toy  cars  have  all  been  implemented  in  Sniff  with  only  a  few  lines  of  code,  and  provide  a  jumping  off  point  to  explore  other  issues.  Wri@ng  code  to  “actually  do  things”  rather  than  just  display  things  on  screen  is  perhaps  the  most  important  tool  for  promo@ng  compu@ng  engagement.

Ge;ng  Involved

Sniff  is  free  to  download,  and  currently  runs  on  Mac,  Linux,  and  Raspberry  Pi.  Compiled  programs  can  be  run  on  the  host  plaSorm,  or  on  an  Arduino  board.  While  Arduino  is  ideal  for  physical  compu@ng,  you  can  also  use  the  Pi’s  GPIO  ports.  Wri@ng  code  to  handle  Pi  boards  such  as  the  PiBrella,  and  7Seg  is  oben  easier  in  Sniff  than  using  the  provided  Python  library.

I’m  in  the  early  stages  of  taking  the  system  out  into  schools,  so  if  you’d  like  to  get  involved,  download  an  install  the  code  from  www.sniff.org.uk.  There’s  demo  code  there,  including  a  bunch  of  physics  experiments  just  wai@ng  to  be  turned  into  lesson  plans.  

About  the  author

Ian  Stephenson  is  a  lecturer  at  the  Na;onal  Centre  for  Computer  Graphics  at  Bournemouth  University  where  he  teaches  compu;ng  within  an  art  based  framework.  Through  the  University's  Centre  for  Excellence  in  Media  Prac;ce,  and  STEM  outreach  programs  he  is  also  lead  developer  on  the  Sniff,  post-­‐Scratch  programming  language.

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IS TECHNOLOGY DAMAGING OUR

CHILDREN’S LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT?by Yasemin Allsop

———————————————————————————————————

Recently  I  read  many  ar@cles  on  the  internet    

blaming  technology  for  children's  lack  of  language  

skills.  I  can't  say  I  am  surprised.  I  agree  that  

technology  is  changing  the  way  we  use  language.  I  

am  sure  that  you  have  spent  @me  trying  to  

understand  your  child's  text  messages.  I  certainly  

did.  When  I  receive  text  messages  from  my  son,  I  

some@mes  have  to  google    them  or  phone  and  ask  

him  exactly  what  he  meant  with  all  these  acronyms  

and  abbrevia@ons.  

Looking  at  my  own  teaching  prac@ce,  I  have  used  

wikis,  blogs,  anima@ons,  films,  podcas@ng,  web  

design,  game  making  and  many  other    technology  

tools  to  teach  over  the  years.  Each  one  of  these  

mediums  offers  great  opportuni@es  for  children  to  

develop  their  language  skills.  I  remember  when  our  

Year  5  students  wrote  their  own  children's  rights  

raps  and  recorded  them  using  their  backing  music.  

They  didn’t  just  create  their  songs,  they  spent  a  

long  @me  discussing  their  ideas  before  deciding.    I  

also  remember  our  web  design  ac@vi@es.  Where  

children  had  to  create  their  own  content  and  use  

html  to  design  websites  to  present  their  work.  The  

amount  of  reading  and  wri@ng  they  had  to  do  and  

not  even  one  complained.

So  what  is  the  problem  here?  Are  we  s@ll  thinking  

of  technology  as  a  magical  wand  designed  

specifically  to  solve  our  long  standing  issues  in  

educa@on.  We  need  to  abandon  this  idea  by  now  as  

technology  never  had  such  a  claim.  Technology  

appeared  in  our  classroom  as  a  teaching  tool  used  

by  teachers,  remember  our  IWBs,  then  it  swibly  

changed  posi@on  and  became  a  learning  tool  in  the  

hands  of  our  learners.  I  believe  this  was  more  

confusing  for  us  than  the  learners.  Our  learners  

quickly  adapted  into  their  new  role.  But  us  teachers  

we  are  s@ll  thinking  about  where  we  fit  into  this  

scene.  If  the  learners  are  holding  the  tool,  what  are  

we  going  to  hold?  How  are  we  going  to  teach?  Do  

we  need  to  teach?  Do  they  need  us?  Are  they  

listening?  Are  they  learning?  How  do  I  manage  the  

classroom  now?  We  all  go  through  these  endless  

worries.  I  think  the  reason  for  this  confusion  is  that  

we  don't  exactly  understand  how  children  learn  

with  these  new  technologies  and  we  haven't  got  

the  @me  to  find  out  about  it.  So,  why  not  blame  the  

technology?

Once  one  of    my  tutors  told  me  that  a  pencil  is  also  a  technology.  

It  didn't  make  sense  to  me  at  the  9me,  but  when  I  think  about  it,  

he  was  right,  a  pencil  is  also  a  technology  tool.  

You  can  use  it  for  different  purposes;    for  wri9ng  stories,  for  drawing,  for  taking  notes  or  

mixing  your  tea  which  I  have  done  many  9mes.  But  if  your  hand  wri/ng  is  not  very  good,  

would  you  blame  the  pencil  for  it?  Something  

to  think  about!

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Let's  go  back  to  our  conversa@on  about  language.  For  many   years   language   was   seen   as   just   a   tool   for  communica@on.   This   approach   today   is   s@ll   very  current  and  impacts  on  our  pedagogical  approach  to  learning.   But   I   am   thinking   about   my   own  observa@ons  of  children  learning  using  technology  for  the   last   10  years.   Especially   over   the  last   few   years  where   we   have   focused   a   lot   on   computer   game  design,  there  is  a  clear  shib  in  the  use  and  purpose  of  language.    I  watched  children  touching  the  computer  or   tablet   screen   and  mumbling   when   making   their  own  computer  games.  I  observed  them  planning  their  work-­‐some@mes   aloud   when   crea@ng   their   own  world   in   Minecrab,   or   ques@oning   their   own  decisions   when   crea@ng   websites.   What   was  interes@ng  is  that  as  the  task  became  more  complex,  the   percentage   of   children’s   self-­‐talk   ac@vi@es   also  increased.   It   seems   to   me   that   they   did   not   use  language  merely  as  a  tool  to  communicate,  it  become  a  func@on  in  their  minds.  For  my   learners,   language  became  a  func@on  to  think  with,  a  func@on  to  decide  with,  a  func@on  to  regulate  their  own  learning.  This  is  not   a   new   concept   either,   Vygotsky   men@oned  private  speech   in   the  1970s.  He  argued   that  private  speech  is  form  of   thinking,  problem-­‐solving  and  self-­‐regula@ng.  All  this  self-­‐directed  talk  helps  my  learners  to   focus,   plan,   make   decisions,   organise.   In   other  words   it   supports  them   to   process  tasks  using   their  cogni@ve  resources.  

Another   issue   is   that   we   don't   seem   to   grasp   how  new  technologies  impact  on  our  learning  behaviours.  Look  at  the  image  below,  does  it  look  familiar  to  you?  Probably  not.  This  is  a  travelling   library  for  people  in  Turkey  during   the  1940’s.  It  was  aimed  to  help  those  living   in  rural  areas  to  have  an  opportunity  to  read.  I  recently   found  out  about  this  and  I  am  so  fascinated  by  the  idea.  I  am  not  familiar  with  it  as  I  was  brought  up   in   a  city,   not   that   I   have   been   to   the   library.   I  didn't  even  know  what  it  meant.  But  my  friends  have  seen   these   government   librarians   travelling   from  village  to  village  on  a  donkey.    What  kind  of   learning  habits   would   they   have   developed   when   they  accessed   knowledge   through   this  way?   What   would  

they  do  with  what  they   had   learned  from   the  book.  Have  a  discussion?  Create  things?   I   don't  know,  but  today   when   our   learners   in   their   expression   'can  touch  their  learning'  on  their  smart  phones  or  tablets,  you   can   imagine   they   would   have   completely  

different  learning  habits.

When  will  we  realise  that  learning  is  not  an  outcome,  it  is  a  process  and  the  process  doesn't   just  stop  with  an   end   product.   Learning   is   a   quest   powered   by  endless  adventures  spur@ng  out  from  every  corner  of  one's  mind  on   the  way.   It  is  the  next  stage  of   what  learners   do   with   what   they   have   learnt   that     is  remarkable.   They   use   their   experience   to   share,  make,  or  to  create  something,  in  other  words  go  on  a  new   learning   journey.   Look   at   the   videos,  podcasts,  photos,   stories,   songs,   games   shared   online   by  children,   young   adults  and  adults.  Surely  we  are  not  learning  in  the  same  way  as  we  did  before.

So   let's   go   back   to   our   ques@on   'Is   technology  damaging  our  children's  language  development?.  My  answer  is,  it  depends  on  which  specific  technology  is  used  and  how.  If  we    focus  on  how  technology  shapes  our   learning   habits   rather   than   poin@ng   fingers   at  technology,   we   could   develop   beXer   strategies   to  support  our  learners.  

But   the   magical   key   is   to   teach   people,  young  or  adult,  how  to  learn  and  love  to  learn.

Page 25: ICT in Practice Issue 8

A BIG LIST of apps, programs and websites

for teaching coding and game designby Yasemin Allsop

Web  based  Programs

http://www.crunchzilla.com

http://appinventor.mit.edu

http://www.playmycode.co.uk/

http://scratch.mit.edu/

http://www.sploder.com/

Programs  for  your  PC/Mac

http://www.kidsruby.com

http://hackety.com

http://www.appdesigner.com

http://gamesalad.com/

http://education.mit.edu/projects/starlogo-tng

Page 26: ICT in Practice Issue 8

iPad  and  Android  Apps

for  teaching  kids  coding

Hopscotch-­‐  iPad                                                                                                                            Daisy  Dinasour-­‐  iPad

Scratch  Jr-­‐  iPad  (soon)                                                                                      Move  the  turtle  -­‐iPad

A.L.E.X  -­‐iPad                                                                                                                              i-­‐LOGO-­‐iPad

KineScript  -­‐  iPad                                        Cato’s  Hike-­‐iPad                            Light  Bot  for  iPad  and  Android

Page 27: ICT in Practice Issue 8

http://forum.ictinpractice.com/

Page 28: ICT in Practice Issue 8

EDITORIAL TEAM

Yasemin [email protected]

Christopher [email protected]

Elliott [email protected]

Des [email protected]

Published byictinpractice.com

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