Scratch Junior

I have been using Scratch Junior with my class for the past two years. It is a great way to introduce coding to young learners.  It is a simple block programme that is easy to use and introduces students to the basics of coding. Students can programme their own interactive stories and games, while learning to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively.
Here is a group of students learning how to use it for the first time during i-explore time.
 

Shadow Puppet

This is a great app that allows students to upload photos and record their voice in a short presentation. Shadow puppet allows you to pause at the end of each image, review that sound bite and rerecord if needed.  It is very user friendly.

Augmented Reality

http://clyderoom6.blogspot.com/2017/09/storytelling-using-augmented-reality.html

Using Augmented reality to inspire writing. Click on the picture above to visit our blog and listen to the stories about "The day my picture came to life", by Year 1 and 2 students.

Voicethread, Storybird and Youblisher

When I was archiving some of my photos and videos I came across a few clips that I recorded for my ACET portfolio. The clips show a few programmes that I have used in my classroom to encourage student engagement in literacy.

Voicethread - oral language, sharing science ideas



Storybird - using images to inspire writing




Youblisher - Sharing writing on our class blog

Making Maths Video

A great way to share learning with family and encourage games to be played at home, is to share learning via video.Here are two examples.

Looking for tens

  
Counting on from the biggest number
 

Showme i-pad app

Showme is a free i-pad app where children can record their ideas, explain their thinking or tell stories. It is simple to use and children pick it up really quickly.

 

I have taught my year 1&2 students how to use keynote slide record to retell legends. Once they have recorded we saved them as quicktime movies.  In the example below the children wrote their stories first and then read them. They worked with a buddy, who clicked on to the next slide for the reader.

By AndrewSaulEllieLukeEmerZavierTahlia CurtinHannah

VideoScribe

Before You Speak Think

Cool Tools For School

Click on the link above to visit a wikispace that has some great ideas for using ICT in the classroom.

FlickerCC

Creative Common - Using images that do not have copyright.

FlickerCC has photographs that are free to use. Click below to visit flickerCC

Slidely

Slidely is an on-line photo sharing site. It creates movies with your photos.

Test by Slidely Slideshow

Word Mosaic

These images were created in imagechef.com

Storybird

This week we used halloween images from 'Storybird' as inspiration for writing.  The images were used for shared writing before children used the same images for their own writing.

Voicethread

I was looking for a way to brainstorm ideas with children that didn't require them to write or type.  I have been exploring Voicethread and think that it has many possibilities for use in junior school classrooms.  
Prior to using Voicethread we created avatars. Then I uploaded these images onto my Voicethread account, so that when I recorded children their picture would appear.  

Voicethread for recording learning
Our first attempt at using Voicethread was to record what we had learnt about school life in the 1860's.  I used photographs from our "Old School Day" as prompts for ideas.  

Voicethread for Questioning

Yesterday the class used Voicethread for the second time.  

During writing time we used a short film clip called 'Bubbles', written by Gabby Zapata.  I e-mailed her to ask if we were able to embed her video into our blog and also if she would be happy to answer some questions that we had about her film.   From her blog we had already learnt that she was now working for Disney as an artist and animator.  We recorded our questions as a voicethread and e-mailed it to her.  We are looking forward to her reply.

Quicktime

Quicktime player is a great application to teach children how to use.  With the click on a few buttons they are able to record themselves reading a text during guided reading time, which you can then listen to and discuss with them later.  It is great for children who are working of fluency.
Click on 'Quicktime player', then 'audio recording'.  Click the record button to start and end recording. To save the recording, click on the red button at the top left of the recording.  This will prompt you to give your recording a name and then save it.

Keynote for Recording Voice

A really quick way to record a child's story is to use keynote. Insert artwork, click on 'File', then 'record slideshow'.  
After recording, export as a quicktime movie file.  It is very simple to use, which means that children pick it up very quickly and will be able to record independently within no time.

Avatars

There are lots of good sites for creating avatars.  The one I used was manga.  It was a simple website for junior children to navigate around.  Once you create an avatar you simple screen capture the image and upload it.

Soundcloud

Soundcloud is a audio recording tool.  It is fairly simple to use and the kids love that you can add their avatars along with their recording.

Interactive Whiteboard and photographs

Use the image capture button, in the 'tool kit' setting 
to select a particular part of an image.

Draw around the image and it will appear on your flip chart.

You can merge images or add a background to create new images.  A fantastic way to motivate children to write. 

Other examples;-

  

 

Activinspire course notes