Using Temple Run app as a stimulus for story writing.

In the last week, pupils have been looking at story structures and creative writing.  As a child myself, I struggled to think of ideas for my own creative writing. After looking at different techniques to allow children to be both engaged in their writing activities and develop their own distinct style (I found this technique on David Andrew's blog, thanks) I have decided to again look at gaming to inspire children to write creatively.

We looked at one of our favourites, Temple Run 2.  The pupils got a 5 minute blast on the app, then looked at writing techniques, story structure and descriptive language.  After developing a first draft, the children then used the Book Creator app to write their story, as we will be creating an iBook collection of Key Stage 2 stories.

As an extension of learning I have decided to set a homework below. Children will again use the Temple Run app as a stimulus to post an exciting opening paragraph.  Their success criteria is below.  Have a look at the comments section for their first drafts.

• Start with an opening sentence with a 'shock' to catch the reader's attention.
• Describe the characters.
• Describe the settings.
• WOW words.
• Mention the character's feelings.
• CORRECT PUNCTUATION - Proper nouns begin with capital letters. Names begin with capital letters.
• Read over your work to see if it makes sense.

Integrating meaningful Minecraft activities into the Curriculum.

 

 



 

Minecraft continues to be an impressive tool to ensure engagement from the pupils and develop opportunities for fantastic teaching and learning in the classroom. Along with the existing large number of apps and programs we use, it is making a positive impact on everyday teaching and learning. 

In my classroom we have both MinecraftEDU and the iPad app, Minecraft Pocket Edition.  As soon as I mention ‘workstations’ ‘iPads’ ‘Book Creator’ and the other apps we use the children are focused and engaged straight away.  I find this to be the case with Minecraft as well. Up until a year ago I thought Minecraft was just another game such as DOOM and FIFA as I had played as a child. However, over the course of the last few months I have been exploring the many opportunities for game based learning, in particular with Minecraft.

The best thing about implementing Minecraft into teaching and learning are the ideas from the children.  They are the experts in this game and nearly every day they are showing me new features and generating new ideas on how we can use it in school.  If you look at one of my previous posts, you can read about how we have linked up with the AmmA Centre in Armagh to design and build a 3D model of our school to scale with Minecraft and then use a 3D printer to create the model.  

Those new to the concept of Minecraft in education, as I was a year ago, will be wondering how it can be implemented in the classroom to maximise pupil engagement and deliver real and meaningful learning opportunities.  Some of my future posts will be dedicated to sharing these ideas.  For now please take a look below at the comments from the experts on how it can be used successfully in the classroom

Internet Safety Week in Primary 6.

 



This week is Internet Safety Week in our school.  There are lots of activities planned to raise awarenes of being safe online.  The theme this year is 'Lets create a better internet together.'  E-Safety is a major part of our School Development Plan and all the members of staff feel passionate about the safety of children while accessing mobile technologies.

I thought this could give us some inspiration for another blogpost in which the children can link the theme of Internet Safety with writing for different audiences. 

The children have taken part in a range of activities available on the Think You Know website.  They have accessed lessons from CEOP and they will benefit from an Internet Safety talk from the NSPCC.  These experiences should make the children more aware of how to be safe online.

In the comments section below, have a look at how the children have identified all the ways to be safe online and what they could do if they encounter an issue.

The children have had access to  http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/   throughout the year for Internet Safety projects.

Digital Learning project with the AmmA Centre.

An excellent morning of learning took place today with the beginning of our Digital Learning project with Daniel and Emma from the AmmA Centre in Armagh.  I applied to be part of this project last May and we were lucky to be one of the few selected to work alongside the AmmA Centre in a project using technology in the classroom.

As there are major building works taking place at my school, we thought that this would be a a good way to use technology and link it with real life contexts.  The final goal of the project will be to create a scale model of the school in the Minecraft World, then showcase it using a 3D printer.  The children are very excited with the prospect of this excellent opportunity to take part in high quality teaching and learning.

This morning, Daniel and Emma arrived to begin the planning process of the project with the children, using Minecraft Pocket Edition on the iPads.  It was a fantastic morning of learning with children linking the topics of area, perimeter and volume with the project. 

The children will tell you all about it.  Take a look at the comments section below for their thoughts on this morning.

Blurb blogging - Danny the Champion of the World.

As you may have read in my last post about the benefits of blogging in the classroom and in homework, I am very impressed with the written work my class have produced over the last few weeks.  The children should take the credit for their writing with the effort they have been putting in.  Using the iPads in class is also a major advantage as the children have access to the blog at their fingertips.

Children are currently undertaking a Novel Study, focusing on one of my favourites, Danny the Champion of the World. They have been:

Learning about the form and function of a blurb.

Writing their own blurbs for the book.

Writing for different audiences.

The success criteria for a good blog (which the children had a hand in negoiating themselves) was:

They are short in length.

They use attention-grabbing words and phrases. (WOW words if possible!)

They tend to use question and exclamation marks.

They often use three full stops at their ends (an ellipsis) to leave the reader asking questions...

Blogging gives the children the perfect opportunity to showcase their blurbs and show awareness of writing for an audience.

Have a look in the comments section below at some of their early drafts.

Using iPads in our Reach for the Stars theme.

Flipped Classrooms.

In the last week it has been full steam ahead with our theme, Reach for the Stars. The children have been looking at the planets and other celestial bodies. I have been looking at ways to implement a 'Flipped Classroom' and I found that using the app Book Creator is a perfect way to do this.  In the classroom we have a range of non-fiction fact books. The children looked at the layout of these books, the images, captions and how text and facts are presented clearly. After looking at this initial information provided by myself, the children took charge of their own learning by creating digital fact books about a planet in the Solar System. They were able to access content online as well as from a range of traditional texts available in the classroom. Have a look below at some of the fantastic pages they created.

Coding and Programming.

In my class we are always trying be as innovative as possible and use iPads and other technologies to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. The range of coding and programming apps is growing, however it was good to get back to basics this week and use one of our favourite apps, Scratch Junior. It has a very simple user interface and allows children a number of options to control their sprites. A great thing about the app is the multiple number of backgrounds and sprites related to Space. The children were able to develop their problem solving skills by making their Astronaut sprites disappear into a spaceship before it blasted off out into the atmosphere. This required them to write a number of scripts for the movement of multiple sprites. Have a look below at some of their simple scripts. It was an excellent way to implement programming through our theme.

Space themed blogging homeworks to improve writing.

Since I introduced this blog last October, the improvement in the children's writing has been amazing.  The children are now understanding that they are writing for an audience - a pretty big audience hopefully made up of whoever across the world reads this blog!  They are very keen to ensure that their writing is clear, concise, interesting and contains correct spelling and grammar. 

This has definitely translated into children's everyday classroom practice as their creative written work shows fantastic improvement as the weeks go by.  I am begged everyday to set more and more homeworks using the blog by the children in the class.  You can probably see it that it adds an extra dimesion to homework.  I hope it makes it more enjoyable for the children to complete and that they pick up new information from the activities that I set.

Tonight the children will continue to learn about Space by conducting some research of their own to answer the following questions.  Have a look at the comments below to see their responses.

1)What was the first creature sent into space?

2)Who was the first astronaut?

3)Who was the first man on the moon?

4)What other interesting facts can you find?

Digital Leaders 2015 Applications.

As it is January, it is time to begin the process of appointing our Digital Leaders. Last year was the first year we introduced Digital Leaders and it was a huge success as the children got the chance to develop their leadership skills. They helped to promote and inspire ICT in our school by teaching groups of children, implementing e-safeguarding, reviewing technologies and encourage others to use ICT more effectively.

This year there will be responsibilities added to the position of Digital Leader.  Children will have to present information to parents regarding E-Safety, monitor the use of iPad apps across the whole school and help with the planning and organistion of Minecraft across the school.

To be considered for interview stage, the children have had to answer the following questions.

1. Why do you want to become a Digital Leader?

2. Give an example of something that you are responsible for at home or in school.

3. What skills do you have that would make you a good Digital Leader?

4. What is your favourite thing about ICT either at home or at school?

Take a look at the children's applications in the comments section below.

Check in again to see who has made it to interview stage.

Collaborative planning for Reach for the Stars theme.

In preparation for our new theme, Reach for the Stars, the children have been collaborating both online and in groups.  They have been thinking about what they would like to know about Space, the planets, stars and even celebrities as they 'Reach for the Stars' themselves. Today the children set the agenda and wanted to find out more about space travel. 

I found some great online clips from the Discovery Channel website about how space travel has evolved since the 1950s.  After initial discussions in class, I set the children the task of thinking of a few questions they would like to ask about space travel.  This will spur them on to take charge of their own learning and try to find the answers from a range of digital and traditional texts.  Have a look at the comments below to see their questions.

New Year Resolutions.

 

 

 

It was the first day back today and as with it being the New Year, it is time for some New Year resolutions. 

 

First of all the children spent the morning composing their holiday tweets.  They had to write down their favourite moments from the Christmas break and compose them in a 'Twitter' post of 140 characters or less. Take a look at how the children developed their Digital Literacy skills while writing their 'Tweets' above.

In the afternoon I set a homework activity involving New Year resolutions. The children had to log on when they got home and reply to this post with their New Year resolutions.  Have a look at the comments below.

How to set up MinecraftEdu on the C2K network.

With the turn of the new year, and after having a brilliant couple of weeks off with my wife and 7 month old son Anraí, thoughts will soon turn towards the new term at school.  The theme of the next few weeks in my class will be Space, the Solar System and Reaching for the Stars.  I will shortly begin planning the integration of opportunities of digital learning across all areas of the curriculum, but particularly looking forward to using iPads, continuing programing / coding activities and using MinecraftEdu throughout our exploration of Space.

In the last few weeks I have received requests on how to install and run MinecraftEdu on the C2K system in school.

First of all I have to thank Paul Wade from St.Mary's College Derry and Daniel O'Reilly from the AmmA Centre for their advice on how to download and install the program across the network, thanks Paul and Dan.

As with any installation of new software, I had a good look at the minecraftedu.com website to guide me through the purchasing stage. I bought one server licence to manage MinecraftEdu throughout the school, costing $41 (American website) and 11 client/student licences costing $18 each.

As MinecraftEdu can only be used in educational institutions, I had to provide them with evidence that it was in fact going to be used in a school. I sent off a few screen dumps of the school website and my user account within the C2K system. A few minutes later I received confirmation of my purchase and I was ready to download MinecraftEdu on the C2K system. 

Excitement spread like wildfire around the children in school with the news that MinecraftEdu was nearly available to use.

I had to first of all download the Multiplayer Server licence on to my computer in the classroom.  I installed it into the C:/ drive to ensure it was permanently installed on my computer, but I also copied the server installation software onto my desktop.  This meant that when I logged on to other laptops and desktops in the school, the server licence would be easily accessible on my desktop and the installation program just had to be copied into the C:/ drive of each computer. 

Above is the installation screen for the server licence. I only had to install one server licence so the MinecraftEdu Server Tool box was checked when installing on my workstation. When installing the student licences on other workstations the Minecraft Server Tool was left unchecked. 

Below is the Launcher Menu where children can access the MinecraftEdu world.

After setup was complete, it was just a matter of logging into MinecraftEdu as a teacher, jotting down my Minecraft Server IP address, then logging into MinecraftEdu as a student on another workstation and entering the Server IP address which means that 11 users can simultaneously work on the same activity in the Minecraft World.  As a teacher I can also access the world at the same time, have complete control over the settings and monitor the children's progress.

As you may have seen in my previous blog posts, the children and I had been having a MinecraftEdu trial in December, even using it as the basis of a movement and direction Numeracy lesson for a visit from the ETI.

So far it has been very successful in allowing children to embrace technology as a tool to aid learning in all areas of the curriculum. I expect this to continue in the new year.

Building our temporary classroom with MinecraftEdu.

The children started to integrate MinecraftEdu very quickly into their learning during our introductory period in December. With the building work commencing at Phoenix in Term 1, the children decided to join in with the construction work. As we are in our temporary classroom, the children thought it would be a good idea to make a scale model of the temporary classroom in our first class world. With very little direction from myself, the children used laptops and workstations to collaborate with each other through Minecraft. I was very impressed with how well they worked with each other, using the scale of 1 metre to 1 block in the MinecraftEdu class world.

Sharing learning with parents - morning workshop.

On Thursday 18th December the children's parents were invited to the classroom to share in a morning of learning using iPads.

The children took the lead in the session, showing their parents how to use Book Creator to create a digital storybook for the children in P1 and P2.  The parents got the opportunity to take photos from traditional storybooks, insert them into the Book Creator app, record their voices and add text.

The children and parents then published their books to iBooks so that the Foundation Stage children could enjoy traditional stories on iPads in a digital format.

Minecraft Update in Primary 6.

There is great excitement in Primary 6 for the new year as we have been trialling MinecraftEdu since the beginning of December. The children have been studying the topic Passport to Europe. Can you identify the European Landmark they have been building on Minecraft?

Keep an eye on the blog for further Minecraft updates in the new year.

Hour Of Code In Primary 6.

An excellent morning of coding took place today. We used our iPads to access resources on code.org. We spent our morning writing code for a new Angry Birds game. We are learning to be programmers for the future!

Mr Black and Phoenix in bid for Green Teacher of the year!

On Thursday 13th November 2014 we will be attending the MAC Theatre in Belfast for the Green Teacher of the Year awards. Our very own Mr Black has been nominated and we really hope he wins the award.  Have a look in the comments section of this post for some of our thoughts on the hard work Mr Black does in Phoenix along with the whole school community.

New arrival Phoenix at Belfast Zoo.

Today we were amazed to learn that recently at Belfast Zoo, the first Red Panda has been born in 18 years.  Even more astounding was that it was named Phoenix! This is great news as this year is our 10th Anniversary.  We have been busy researching facts about the Red Panda.  Have a look in the comments section.

Young Enterprise.

We had a great morning working with Young Enterprise and Bank of Ireland! We learned about the countries where our everyday products come from.  We got a chance to make our own products, trade with different countries and save money in the World Bank.

10 Year Celebration Memories.

Here are a collection of our favourite memories from our time at Phoenix so far.

My best thing about Phoenix was starting Year 4.  I met new friends . Chloe.

MY FAVOURITE MEOMRY IN PHOENIX WAS IN YEAR 1 WHEN I MET MY TEACHER MRS GRAYDON . ELLIE-MAE.

My favourite memory at Phoenix was in Year 5 when Miss Sinnamon took us to Lagan Valley swimming pool and we all had fun. Katy.

My favourite memory was in P4. We had an end of year water fight and it was so fun.  We all got drenched from head to toe. It was the best water fight I ever had.  Caleb.

The best memory I had in Phoenix is starting P1 and meeting new friends and the teacher Mrs Graydon she was really kind. Rachel.

My favourite memory at Phoenix is having a water fight in P4.  We drenched Miss Major.  It was one of my favourite water fights ever. Stefan.

My favourite memory in Phoenix was in Year 4. We had a water fight. We got bins and a hose and water guns and we soaked Miss Major and Eddie.  Aimee.

My favourite memory at Phoenix so far has to be in Year 2 when our teacher was off having a baby and we had Miss Hurson.  On her last day everyone was crying and we got some treats.  Emma.

My favourite memory at Phoenix was our water fight with Miss Major . Charlie.

My favourite moment at school is having water fight with Miss Major. Matthew.

My favourite moment was playing the recorder with Miss Sinammon. Keegan.

My favourite moment was when I first joined Phoenix and Year 1 was that I got 2 new friends, Nikola and Matthew.

My favourite moment was when I met my first friends in P1.  His name was Stefan and he helped me out a lot. Codie.

My favourite moment was when I came to this school and I had friends on the first day. Reece.

My favourite moment was when I started Year 1. I was so nervous but when I had a little look around I felt like I has at home. Molly.

My favourite memory is when I started school in P1.  It was scary at first when I didn’t know anybody.  A couple days later I made new friends,  Molly and Charlie. Emma.

My favourite memory of Phoenix was in Year 1 when I made friends with Rachel and Emma.  Ellie.

My favourite memory is meeting my friends in Year One. Emily.

My favourite memory was having the water fight in Year 4. Calum.

My favourite memory was in Year 1 when I got to meet my new teacher and to meet my new friends.

My favourite memory is when we had a water fight in Year 4 and when Mr Black took a bucket of water and threw it at us. Nikola.

My favourite memory is my first day in Phoenix. I met new friends and my teacher.  Joshua.

My favourite memory was meeting all the teachers. Louise.

My favourite memory of Phoenix is all the great PE we have had in the playground. Nathan.

Welcome to our new Class Blog!

Katy, Emma, Louise, Emma, Calum, Chloe, Matthew, Ellie, Rachel, Charlie, Molly, Sky, Nikola, Reece, Caleb, Ellie-Mae, Kristians, Emily, Keegan, Codie, Stefan, Joshua, Nathan, Leah, Aimee.