Educational Origami

Source: http://travelblog.portfoliocollection.com/FeaturedImage/BBC-Africa1.jpg

The kids have just finished watching the final episode of the Brilliant BBC series Africa, hosted and narrated by David Attenborough. As we watch the last part of the last episode, Attenborough made a point about the importance of the wild places and the need for these to sustain the planet.

The series was predictably brilliant, and for those schools in New Zealand who subscribe to screenrights, you can record and use this legally in our classes.

But the point that Attenborough makes about the importance of preserving the wild places and their vital role in powering the planet is important, but unless you experience “the wild” then often this is a concept with out support and or experience. To be able to understand the beauty, scale, size, variety and critically importance of these wild places can only be touched on by documentaries like Africa. That is not to decry the brilliant cinematography, stunning vistas and awe inspiring settings. But the wild is not just visual, it is not just sound it is a holistic experience.

To gain an appreciation of the diversity and complexity of the outdoors, of the wild places, it is best to experience them, even if it is in a limited setting.

I am fortunate that my school takes all of our students out for an Outdoor education week, and we run outdoor education as a subject at senior levels. It encourages adventure sports, promotes the brilliant duke of Edinburgh scheme and happily supports the Roots and Shoots club based on the work by another legendary figure in Biology, Jane Goodall.  Outdoor education is a medium for understanding, experience and developing a passion for the wilder places, and the need to conserve them for not just our future generations but for our very survival.

Outdoor education as a subject, and as an event is potentially one of the keys to our survival.

 Screenrights - http://www.screenrights.org/content-users/new-zealand-services

The BBC website hosts a series of brilliant gems that are very useful to teachers. While many of us will be familiar with the news page which is accessable via the web or using apps on our phones, there is a whole lot more that’s worth exploring and using. Here are some of my favourites…

1. BBC Future - http://www.bbc.com/future this is a stimulating site that has some interesting and often challenging articles. The site matches well with ITGS and also TOK for the IB’s out there.
2. BBC Science and Nature - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/ and Nature home page – http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/ some great resources here including videos
3. BBC School - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ this is cool, stretching across the curriculum there are over 7000 resources here.
4. BBC Learning – http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/ this is learning for all ages from the very young to the not so young.
5. BBC bitesize http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ and GCSE bitesize http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ this is learning resources grouped by year level and subject area. Awesome.

source: http://store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com/2790/as-images.apple.com/is/image/AppleInc/ipad2012-step0-ipad-gallery-01-normal?wid=520&hei=410&fmt=png-alpha&qlt=95

The iPad and other gesture based tablets have capture the minds and fingers of many in education. Whether its in pre-K or senior classes these intuitive devices are making changes to how teaching and learning occurs in the classroom.

The combination of ease of use, cost effective applications, simple navigation and user friendlyness plus a generally lower entry price compare to a full laptop (rather than a netbook) make these the tools of choice for many schools. Its worth noting that for many people there is also a convenience and aesthetic factor as well.

As schools grasp with these devices its great to see people sharing their teaching practice. Here are some sites that I have recently stumbled across that are useful.

1. TCEA - http://www.tcea.org/ipad A useful list of applications broken down into curriculum areas

2. Apps in education  – http://appsineducation.blogspot.co.nz/ This site is broken down again into learning areas and has detailed lists of suitable applications.

3. ipad curriculum - http://www.ipadcurriculum.com/ this is a regularly updated blog on the use of ipads featuring a single app per post

4. ipad schools http://ipadschools.wikispaces.com/home this is a wiki on the use of ipads again detailing apps by learning areas

5. ipad multimedia tools – https://sites.google.com/site/ipadmultimediatools/home this google site is focused on the multimedia aspects of ipad use. It looks at the ipads apps by use rather than by learning area.

6. iPad as… http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/teaching-technology/mobile-technology-apps/ipad-as this is an excellent post examining the use of the tool rather than the curriculum area.

7. Bridging the gap – http://bridgingapps.org/ This is a site bridging the gap between applications and disabilities – they have reviewed a number of apps for suitability for special needs students, a very useful site.

Harry Dickens & I wrote the apps for learning book with scenarios from different subject areas to examine how the tools could be used from a variety of perspectives.

This is a very useful site with a great list of different iPad applications sorted by subject areas and then these are broken down in to different categories. The applications are both free and paid subscription/purchase.

For Example – Language Arts apps has sub categories for

• literacy
• reading practice
• hand writing
• spelling
• grammar
• graphical organisers

This is a useful reference site - http://www.tcea.org/ipad

It is also worthwhile reading the Educause – Seven things you should know about iPad apps for learning. This is another excellent synopsis that helps clarify the use of iPads in the classroom.

For the Scientist, here are some free iPad applications that I have recently added to my laptop:

• Owl pellets lite – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/owl-pellet-activities-lite/id413711518?mt=8
• Chemistry Formula practice lite – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chemistry-formula-practice/id422958981?mt=8
• Building atoms, ions and isotopes – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/building-atoms-ions-isotopes/id437001161?mt=8

Here are a set of resources from Microsoft for working with Windows and MS office in the classroom. This is useful set of materials.

1. accessibility in the classroom - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/Accessibility.aspx
2. Mathematics 4.0 in the classroom _ http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/Mathematics-guide.aspx – this includes a step by step guide, plus links to the download of the product as well
3. Bing (Microsofts search engine) in the classroom  - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/bing.aspx
4. Windows 7 in the classroom - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/windows-7.aspx this also has videos as well to help you out.
5. One note in the classroom - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/one-note.aspx again with videos to support the professional development.
6. Microsoft Office in the classroom - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/microsoft-office-system.aspx  - videos and other resources.
7. Digital Storytelling in the classroom - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/digital_storytelling.aspx
8. Free tools from Microsoft - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/free-tools.aspx – this is Autocollage, photo synth and Movie maker live
9. Product How to’s - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/how-to/Pages/index.aspx
10. Microsoft Free Products - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/Pages/free-products.aspx some interesting software here like the chemistry add in for word, the mathematics add in, flash cards, songsmith, Kodu game lab and more. Check out this as well - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/faculty/Pages/free-software.aspx 
11. Templates - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/Pages/templates.aspx This is an interesting set of templates, some of which are quite useful.
12. Critical thinking in the classroom - http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/critical_thinking.aspx – This is an interesting one with set of lesson plans, students hand outs and teacher resources for:

• Searching
• Plagarism
• Citing web resources
• Validity and reliabilityt
• Civil Discourse

They call this the new wonders of the world but these are interesting and useful resources which give a 360 degree perspective on some of the fascinating places most of us will never visit. Check these out:

1. Colosseum - http://www.panoramas.dk/7-wonders/colosseum.html
2. The Great wall of China - http://www.panoramas.dk/7-wonders/great-wall.html
3. Petra - http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen2/full24.html
4. Taj Mahal - http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen/fullscreen23.html
5. Machu Picchu in Peru - http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen6/f2-machu-picchu.html
6. Christ the redeemer in Rio de Janeiro - http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen6/f40-rio-de-janeiro.html
7. Chichen Itza in Mexico - http://www.panoramas.dk/7-wonders/Chichen-Itza.html
8. There are more in the archive - http://www.panoramas.dk/archive.html

Source: BBC website - http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57818000/jpg/_57818371_cubetoys.jpg

Can you imagine how your classroom would be changed if the students could make the models and products they design there and then in the classroom? I am not just talking about a design or technology classroom. Consider the science classroom as the students are constructing models of molecules, protiens or strings of RNA or DNA. Or the art suite where digital sculpture becomes real, the biomechanics class in physical education. The humanities class where designing a game to show understanding of ancient civilizations takes a new dimension of representation. The potential is endless, but I unreachable.

Well, that no longer seems to be true. CES 2012, the consumer electronics show has affordable 3D printers. In a BBC news article they have detailed affordable and easy to use 3D printers.

Affordable? Under US$2000. This is not affordable as in every classroom has one, but it does make 3D printing something that its within the reach of most schools. And the benefits/learning outcomes are huge.

Here are a list of the sites mentioned in the article:

Base article 3D printer makers rival visions of the future – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16503443

TinkerCad – Online free 3D modeling tool - http://tinkercad.com/

Thingiverse – sharing digital designs - http://www.thingiverse.com/

Cubify – makers of the Cube - http://cubify.com/cube/index.aspx

3D Systems – makers of personal and professional 3D systems - http://www.3dsystems.com/personal-3d-printers

Google Sketchup – 3D modeling software - http://sketchup.google.com/

FabLab Model Maker – paper based model maker - http://www.aspexsoftware.com/download_modelmaker.htm

I have been enjoying this summer break and having a little technology downtime. However the kids have been playing quite extensively on the iPads as the weather has not always been conducive to swimming and playing around outside.

We have a wide selection of games on the iPad for the “kids” enjoyment and a couple leap to mine as useful tools that could be applied to learning. Why would I want to use games for learning, well they are engaging, self motivating, rewarding and have instant feedback. So here are a couple that I think have potential:

Simple Physics. Here you are required to build structures for a specific task. In the image below its a bomb shelter. The task is to build a shelter that withstands three explosion and remain within budget. The lower the cost the more points. To build it you must consider angles and strength, direction and force. Its fun and engaging. But its more than a bomb shelter, you build dams cranes, tree houses, submarines and staircases.

URL: http://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/simplephysics/id408233979?mt=8

Here is a screengrab

Tinkerbox – this is a similar physics game to Simple Physics. Here you use logic, force, motion and mechanics to solve a series of problems. The game is supported by a tutorials (see below) that assist you in developing your solution. They are not easy either, there is considerable challenge involved in this game.

URL: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tinkerbox-hd/id415722219?mt=8

Rush Hour – this is a change of style and genre, but is an excellent learning and thinking game. This is a computer simulation of the real game of the same name. The objective is to move the cars in a sequence to allows you to release the red car from the grid lock it is in. The number of cars and the complexity of the sequence varies from easy to hard. Its a great game for developing logic and process. .

URL: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rush-hour/id336542036?mt=8

W.E.L.D.E.R. This stands for Word Examination Laboratory for Dynamic Extraction and Reassessment. Yea its a triffle ostentatious, but behind this mouthful lies a great game for the english student. Simply rearrange the letters and add in a few to create words (they have over 15000 loaded in the dictionary) Spell the word correctly, score the points and the letters are removed. It is a very addictive game.

URL: http://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/w.e.l.d.e.r./id471056941?mt=8

Its easy to overlook the potential of games for learning. Find a game that matches your learning objectives, that reinforces a concept, that provides a different mode of understanding and you can unlock a world of engagement and fun.

WHAT GAMES HAVE YOU FOUND THAT COULD BE USE IN CLASS? I would love to hear about them.

For the last year, Harry and I have been working on the ipad applications book for high schools. The Book is called Apps for learning, and is published as part of the 21st Century Fluency series with my Colleagues Harry Dickens, Lee Crockett and  Ian Jukes. This book has been a huge amount of fun to write. I had a great excuse to by numerous applications and try these out. The book details what we consider to be the best applications for high school at the moment.

Some people have criticised the ipad, and the same criticism could be leveled at any of the new genre of touch screen devices, that these are consumption devices. I disagree emphatically. I put my money where my mouth is and wrote ALL of my contributions to the book on the iPad using pages. I editted ALL of my pictures using Adobe Photoshop Express. I planned and brainstormed for the book using iThoughts HD.

You only need to look at the increasing list of schools adopting the ipad or its kin as their primary mobile learning device to see the huge potential for this tool when used properly. It is the use of the tool that is critical, deliberate and considered, meaningful and purposeful use to enhance teaching and learning.

Here is the link to the book - http://www.amazon.com/Apps-Learning-iPhone-School-Classrooms/dp/1463612850/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314830290&sr=1-1.

Also worth checking out is book number three - literacy is not enough which is available on line from Corwin Press.

I love seeing so many school starting to adopt technology and recognising that the use of technology can be motivating and engaging, especially in light of the “More ladders,fewer  snakes” report from the independent think tank the New Zealand institute - http://www.nzinstitute.org/

What is critical is that the presence of technology by itself is not a panacea  or the ills of engagement or more accurately student disengagement. Rather the technology is a tool or perhaps a medium for motivating and focusing our students learning. Our use of technology in the classroom must be DELIBERATE and PURPOSEFUL. Then and only then will the improvement make meaningful impact on teaching and learning.

If I was to recommend a list of products for use on ipads in Junior or middle school I would recommend the following:

• iWorks pages, numbers and keynote – while these are reduced versions of the core applications for the mac, they tools will suit the average needs of the average user for word processing and simple desktop publishing, data processing and as a presentation medium.
• iThoughts HD – this is a simple to use yet powerful mind mapping tool
• Garageband – a nice and flexible music creation tool
• imovie – video production tool – this is great as the back camera of the ipad 2 gives nice clean footage.
• Adobe Photoshop express – simple image editor and free. You already have Photo Booth as a standard tool on the ipad 2
• Mathboard and Spellboard – great easy to use learning tools for mathematics and spelling
• Comic Life – this is the ipad version of Plasq’s winning tool. An absolute must from my perspective
• PuppetPals HD – this is a great animation tool, its well worth purchasing the master pack of resources which makes the product come to life. The kids love this and it will produce great videos that can be exported.
• eClicker Host and eclicker client – this is a student response system that will cost you a tiny amount. Also accessible from the web interface, this is great and so cost efficient. (well once you have purchased your idevices to run the clickers on)
• Google earth – while not as powerful as the PC or mac based Google Earth Client, this is still a useful and powerful learning tool. the students enjoy using this and can easily and intuitively manipulate the tool.
• Puffin web browser – this browser supports FLASH (YAY!!!), so mathletics is easily accessible from the ipad (you need to use the menu to access the keyboard to type in numeral/text answers).
• BrainPOP  – my kids love this, its quirky slightly off beat, but it has great resources and they enjoy it. Video and interactive media resources.
• Dictionary.com – this is a great dictionary tool. Useful, I wished more of my students used a dictionary.
• Sentence Builder – this is a useful tool for english and language arts. recommended by an amazing classroom practitioner – thanks Harry.
• Play2Learn – this is a language vocabulary tool. Its fun, visual and covers a range of languages. Well worth considering for schools that have a foreign language program. I have to put in my personal bias here ALL primary schools should be teaching ATLEAST 2 languages to their students and the younger the better.

There are more but this is just a start.

What would you add to this list and why?

This update is a mixed bag with some interesting stuff for the iPad, video resources (ideal for media studies and English teachers) and some good stuff for IT students (and teachers) for developing web pages.

1. Best ads http://www.bestadsontv.com/ This website hosts examples of the best advertisements from a variety of medias. The advertisements range from Television, to radio and print to outdoors. A good resource for teachers of English and Media studies.

2. Idea Wallet Apps – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ideawallets-remember-every/id364240349?mt=8# iPad applications This is a series of applications that are essentially thinking tools. The reviews are mixed as they are apparently buggy, but the developers are working on this. However they are free, clean and quite simple to use. Here are the three I am playing with:

• SWOT – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swot-by-ideawallets/id390703853?mt=8
• Brainstorming – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/brainstorming-by-ideawallets/id385752154?mt=8
• Free thinking – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-thinking-by-ideawallets/id385747141?mt=8

3. Veritasium http://www.veritasium.com/ (thanks @Simoncrook) Veritasium is a science blog that hosts some neat little science videos. This is a useful resource to troll through and find the videos for science classes. This is what they say about themselves : “Veritasium is a science video blog which aims to present topics in all areas of science from the simplest to the most complex. The goal is to make scientific ideas clear, accessible, and interesting. Veritas is Latin for truth, and the ending ‘ium’ makes it into an element – the element of truth.” Source: http://www.veritasium.com/p/about-veritasium.html They have their own YouTube channel as well – http://www.youtube.com/user/1veritasium

source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HanXVwUBzxM/TV043W3AshI/AAAAAAAAACE/OKeOiw4KoU4/s1600/Veritasium2.jpg

4. Web Development resources – http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/07/massive-compilation-of-designer-tools/ – these are some of the sites that I have cherry picked from the web designer depot post:

• CSS property index - http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/css/propindex/all.htm
• CSS Shorthand guide – http://www.dustindiaz.com/css-shorthand/
• Colour scheme – http://www.dhtmlgoodies.com/scripts/color-schemer/color-schemer.html
• Adobe Kuler – http://kuler.adobe.com/#themes/rating?time=30

Source: http://www.spiderscribe.net/img/site/logo.png

Next an online mindmapping tool – http://www.spiderscribe.net/ I like mind mapping tools they are a great way to visualize the relationships within information. Here is another useful one that is worth examining and considering. The last word goes to this twitter info graphic – http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/twitter_history_0410.jpg?w=640