Download to read offline
![I asked of them. I had structured the lesson so that the looked at source material, answered questions
& then recorded their first video & so on. I think this worked well & the videos produced were really
good. I definitely think the scaffolding of the lesson was the key to it’s success. By having a 5 part lesson
(starter, dial up, broadband, wifi, plenary) pace was good & this helped engagement.
Ideally I would have liked all of the students to record their own videos & then use iMovie to edit
them together but this hasn’t really been possible because of time restrictions. However, it only took me
a few minutes to drop the videos onto the timeline & export them. If it wasn’t so close to the end of term
I would have definitely got students to edit their videos themselves.
I started with this video purely for the sound. The sound of dial up internet is so familiar to any-
one around my age or older but none of the students in my class could identify it or linked it to internet
access.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNaR6FRuO0]
I think most students were quite surprised at how internet access has progressed.
I also used these videos to scaffold the lesson:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3br3AdsjZbM]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytFW fz-2IM]
Why do I blog? misschambersict (2012-11-28 16:57:49)
[...] blogged myself for my own benefit. So, I set up this blog & posted my first post called Using iPads to Record
Videos’. Since then I have written a number of posts detailing the things I have done & how well they [...]
Creative iMedia – Unit 202: Assessment Objective 1 misschambersict (2013-01-18 11:04:08)
[...] using iMovie & the camera function on the iPad. This is something they’ve done twice previously & both
times it was a success. Again, the idea is that students make notes & then record [...]
Explain Everything misschambersict (2013-01-30 13:49:43)
[...] now I have started to look at using Explain Everything. In the past I have asked students to record videos to
show their understanding but this was suggested to me by a variety of people as an alternative [...]
6](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-6-2048.jpg)
![Describing key comic book characters (2012-07-18 19:34)
[1]
I have had another one of my hair brained ideas. So, in true ”Miss Chambers has lost the plot again”
fashion... My students are going to become a comic book hero.
I have taught unit 206 to two groups previously & they have always enjoyed it but I sometimes get
a bit bored with all of the worksheets & the endless story lines, page layouts & so on. I was talking to
my brother about a fancy dress party he’s attending where they’re all going dressed as superheroes &
suddenly realised that this was the perfect way to complete the assessment objective where students have
to describe key characters from comic books. Rather than students researching & writing about their
characters in a template format I’m going to get them to do the research, complete a Facebook profile
for their character & then record themselves as that character as if they’re doing an interview for the
news. That’s going to be the evidence they submit. I hope that this will, again, introduce the ’creative’
part into Creative iMedia but also make the lessons lots of fun for the students &, hopefully, make our
moderator smile too!!
I’ve just bought three masks from eBay which students can wear & I’ve been promised the full Ba-
nanaman costume ready for September too. I’ll be looking for other masks over the summer such as
Dennis the Menace, Iron Man, etc. any other ideas?
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/20120718-232508.jpg
1.2 August
iMovie (2012-08-31 20:22)
Today I have been working with transition students who are going to be starting Year 7 on Wednesday.
They were enthusiastic, cheerful, motivated & interested in EVERYTHING!! When I said we were using
iPads they were all very excited. It’s the first time I had properly used the iMovie app so I was quite
looking forward to it & hoping to experiment with it ready for future lessons.
The students were creating a trailer using the pre existing templates. I asked the students to create a
trailer for summer school; they had to advertise it & show what they had done in the week. After about
7](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-7-2048.jpg)
![an hours planning the students were allowed to use the iPads to create their trailer in small groups. It
was lovely to watch students being creative & inventive without too much input from me or any of the
other staff present. Normally, when teaching Creative iMedia, I provide students with a brief which they
have to follow. The brief provides students with a certain amount of freedom but it does limit them at
the same time because of the restrictions provided by the ’client’. Today students were just able to do
what they wanted providing they were advertising the summer school. All of the students were brilliant
at solving 99 % of the problems they faced. It was nice to see students troubleshooting & not relying on
my understanding; they were independent learners & I became a glorified camera woman for most of the
session!!
This afternoon we held a premier for the students & their parents/carers where they were able to show
their videos. I purposely hadn’t watched the completed videos before we showed them & I was amazed
by the quality of them, the inventiveness & the creativity. However, what surprised me the most was the
content. I had expected students would focus on the activities that they had done throughout the week;
Students had worked with a professional artist, travelled to the Centre for Life to use the 4D ride & the
other exhibitions, played sports, created art and much more. What they focused on the most was the
friendships that they had made. I think this is absolutely wonderful! The students have done so much,
and enjoyed it all, but what they valued was the friendships they had made & how this will help them
when they start next week. The trailers are brilliant & students are all going to get a copy of the videos;
who knows, maybe they will be a recording of when life long friendships started!!
1.3 September
Using Mobile Technologies in the Classroom (2012-09-10 09:16)
I recently had a discussion with my new Year 12 class about communication & technology. We were
discussing text speak & it’s rise to prominence. I felt fairly old when I had to explain how I was limited
to 150 characters due to the restrictions we had with mobile phones. They found this hilarious &, after a
few comments about me being ancient (I am 27 this week!!! Hardly old!), we began discussing their use
of mobile technology. When I was in 6th Form we were excited by the prospect of being able to change
the cover on our mobile phones; now, just 10 years later, students have iPhones, Blackberrys, etc which
changes how we can approach education.
This is something I have been interested in for awhile & I hope to do some action research on the
use of mobile technologies in the classroom this academic year. It seems ludicrous to me that we are not
exploiting the technologies students have to enhance their education. What I want to know is how you
use the technologies students already have within your lessons.
Do you allow students to use their mobile phones?
What do they use them for?
What are your experiences of mobile technologies?
I’d really appreciate some feedback so that I can begin my action research alongside colleagues from other
schools.! Thanks in advance for anyone who responds!
Clucking & Clapping (2012-09-10 19:17)
I have started to teach the new [1]Cambridge Technicals in ICT & have started with unit 1 which is all
about communication. If I’m being honest communication is not the most exciting of topics and it’s much
less popular than the web design unit they’re doing with other people in my department.
8](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-8-2048.jpg)
![We all understand the importance of communication in the work place but I am not sure how much
students value it as an essential work skill. To help them to understand this I decided to start off by
playing some communication team building games which had two purposes. Firstly, some of our students
are external students who have come for 6th Form; I was hoping that this could help to remove some of
the barriers between the students. Secondly, they’d have a bit of fun while realising they couldn’t do the
task without communicating with each other.
We started by playing [2]Cluck & Clap. Basically, students have to cluck when they see an X and
clap when they see an O. I started off by guiding them through it and then left them to their own devices!
I also made it much harder the second time! The audio on the video isn’t great so I apologise for that!
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/49167803 w=500 &h=375]
[3]Cluck & Clap - OCR Cam Tech in ICT: Unit 1 (P2) from [4]Laura Chambers on [5]Vimeo.
The students started off by being really independent & working in their little groups with everyone
doing their own thing but eventually started to chat. Firstly, they decided someone had to count them in;
this was successful and they all managed to start at the right time. However, that’s about as successful
as that got!! Eventually they had a discussion where half of the class would cluck and half would clap.
[6] We also played [7]Cowboys, Ninjas and Bears which is a 21st Century
version of Rock, Paper, Scissors and also way more fun! Students had to strike a pose after three and
the loser sat down. I used this mainly as an ice breaker and students seemed to really enjoy it. Even the
quieter students joined in and had a laugh.[8]
I found that this was the perfect starter for students to begin to work as a group, get to know each other
and to learn something. At first students were very reluctant and a bit shy; for that reason I am not
100 % sure how this would work with a small group. They might be too shy and might not want to
participate. I was definitely helped by the students who I know well (i.e. the ones who used to be in
my tutor group in Year 11) and the more outspoken members of the group. I believe this helped me to
have more informed conversation with the group and, with it being my first proper lesson with them,
helped me to engage them & loosen them up so they’d happily have the flowing conversation I like to
have with Year 12 and Year 13 students. Students were able to identify what they’d done and eventually
made the link to communication; they were able to apply their knowledge to the communication cycle
and write more detailed coursework. However, what they really benefitted from was a fun lesson with
a bit of silliness. They relaxed and had fun which is important and they bonded a little bit. Anyone
walking into my classroom would have had a shock though!! 25 Sixth Formers clucking & clapping or
pretending to be a ninja, a bear or a cowboy is definitely not what you expect in an ICT lesson!!
Other team games which I found which might be suitable are [9]Flip the Duck (which I was desperate to
play but couldn’t find a rubber duck!), [10]Bodyguard & [11]Circle Up
9](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-9-2048.jpg)
![1. http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/cambridge_technicals/it/it_l3/
2. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/Cluck%20&%20Clap.pdf
3. http://vimeo.com/49167803
4. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
5. http://vimeo.com/
6. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lesson-1-team-games-006.jpg
7. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/Bears,%20Cows,%20Ninjas.pdf
8. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lesson-1-team-games-007.jpg
9. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/FliptheDuck.pdf
10. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/Bodyguard.pdf
11. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/CIrcleUp.pdf
September 11th, 2001 (2012-09-10 21:10)
It’s been 11 years since 9/11 and I remember it like it was yesterday; I suspect most people do. I was 15
and I had just started Year 11 when I came out of school and my Grandad told me what had happened.
I truly believe that was the moment that I realised the world wasn’t the rosy little bubble I lived in.
In April 2005 I was lucky enough to travel to NYC with a friend. As a 19-year-old university stu-
dent I was keen to see everything, shop until I dropped and experience the New York life style. However,
my overwhelming urge was to go to Ground Zero and pay my respects to those who had died as well as
those who had suffered. [1] I think it was the quietest
moment of my life; I was in a busy city and all sound seemed to just disappear. I saw a giant hole in
the ground with metal still in there but what really got me was the messages on the fencing surrounding
Ground Zero; people who had lost loved ones had left the most touching messages. It’s something I will
never, ever forget.
In September last year I was a form tutor to a lovely group of Year 11 students. Ten years on from 9/11 I
remember thinking that these students were still in primary school when this tragedy happened. As we
sat and reflected on the horrific events I asked them what their memories were; some had vague memories
and some had none except for what they had been told by teachers or parents. I explained what I had
experienced both at the time and in the subsequent years including my visit to Ground Zero. In October
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![I was lucky enough to travel to NYC again. [2] Ground Zero had
changed hugely and, with the 10 year anniversary having been just a month before, the new memorial
was a fitting tribute. I also visited the museum housed next to the fire station which was situated next to
where the towers used to stand. Alongside my brother and our friend we read the stories and remembered
what we’d seen ten years earlier. Towards the end of the museum is an area to reflect and they also ask
you to write about your story. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought that I had a story but now I think
everyone who witnessed that day has some sort of story to tell. I sat and wrote about how I felt on that
day and how I felt ten years later discussing it with my form; it’s safe to say I shed a lot of tears. When I
returned to school I showed my form pictures and I shared my experiences with them. Most were very
interested and we chatted for a good hour about it.
This year I have a Year 7 form; 11 years ago most of them were not even born. Having debated
how to reflect on this event with them I’ve realised something; there’s a place for creative teaching, web
2.0 technologies and exciting lesson plans. However, there is also a place for just talking, sharing our
experiences and not trying to do anything flash. Tomorrow I am going to talk to my form, show them a
couple of pictures and see what they have to say. I love my exciting lessons and my slightly odd ideas but
sometimes it’s just not necessary. I don’t think this applies singularly to tragic events; sometimes it’s ok
to just teach something or chat about something rather than use tools to convey ideas. Technology is
wonderful but we don’t need it all of the time!
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ground-zero-2005.jpg
2. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/picture-222.jpg
Do we ever stop being a teacher? (2012-09-17 10:55)
While on holiday in Turkey this year I was sitting on my sun bed reading the newspaper and I came
across an article which was perfect for one of my lessons. When I mentioned this to my friend (who isn’t a
teacher) she sat up, took her sunglasses off, rolled her eyes and said ”do you ever just stop? Relax, you’re
on holiday; stop thinking about teaching!” This all made me think; do we ever actually stop?
I think that the answer to this is generally no. I don’t know any teacher who doesn’t draw on ex-
perience from their own lives or see something in a newspaper and be inspired. I was fortunate enough
to have a wonderful History teacher during my GCSEs and my A-Levels who had resources for EV-
ERYTHING! We always used to talk about how there wasn’t a subject which he hadn’t recorded a TV
programme for, found a newspaper article, collected a souvenir, etc. The vast amount of ’stuff’ that he
had collected through his teaching career was, frankly, immense. I never understood how he had so many
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![resources. However, now I get it; in my relatively short teaching career I have gathered a lot of ’stuff’ and
I dread to think how much I will have when I retire. I cannot shut off the teacher side of me; I constantly
see opportunities to help my students learn and to improve my lessons. Secretly, I am thrilled when I
find an article, buy a prop or simply have an idea (usually at the most random of times). Here are some
examples:
A few years ago I was in London with my Mam and I spent a long time taking pictures to supple-
ment my [1]Rules of Photography (originally for OCR iMedia) lessons and the PowerPoint that I used.
This PowerPoint has a couple of images on it which I think are great but there were loads more that I
printed and asked the students to sort into categories to test their understanding. I think using images
which aren’t from Google is much more interesting. Also, the images that I used sparked conversation
with students about travelling and culture; I think it’s important to take these opportunities when they’re
offered to us to expand on our schemes of work.
I also have my wonderful goddaughters to thank for a few lessons. When we’re talking about age
being a barrier to communication I love to show my classes pictures of the girls using the family iPad.
Tizz is just 5; she can, however, use an iPad to do certain things. She’s learning to read but she could do
this before she’d gone to school. Her younger sister, Lola, is great at finding Peppa Pig episodes without
any help from us. It’s a great way to demonstrate a point!
Last academic year I was teaching [2]OCR Nationals Unit 27 to my Year 13 class. e-Marketing is
something they experience everyday but don’t realise it. When you’re looking for an example there’s
never one to find! [3] I was thrilled when I found an example when one of my friends
liked a post by T in the Park. Perfect for demonstrating my point to the class and it just happened to be
EXACTLY when I needed it! For this unit I also like to use the cultural videos which were produced as
adverts by HSBC. There’s a whole range of them which are really useful to use and quite funny.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSLPEwvVvN0]
I love it when something comes along unexpectedly; last year my Year 12 students were studying
communication when [4]Blackberry services failed; everyone else was annoyed whereas I was thrilled (I
suspected if I had a Blackberry I wouldn’t have been quite so pleased!) as I was able to demonstrate my
point to my Year 12s easily. It also helped that most of them were suffering from a lack of technology!
Teaching has, simply, occupied every part of my life! In most situations this isn’t a bad thing. Last year I
was fortunate enough to have a wonderful ITT student, [5]@missdrydenICT, who worked hard, very hard!
When I told her to take a weekend off and enjoy herself she told me I was the pot calling the kettle black!
She’s right; none of us ever really stop do we?
1. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_MkIzbEw0OWppTVU
2. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/units/ocr_14983_unit_nationals_27.pdf?
3. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/liking-a-status.png
4. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/blackberry/8820075/BlackBerry-services-collapse-again.html
5. https://twitter.com/missdrydenICT
Designing a Character Profile (2012-09-21 08:30)
I am still teaching [1]Unit 206 (Storytelling with a Comic Strip) to my Year 11 Creative iMedia class. We
have come to the point where we have to think about our characters.
In the past I have always found it difficult to get students to think about what character they wanted to
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![create & I have struggled with students being able to write enough detail about their character. This
time I have approached it in a completely different way to how I would have previous; this time I asked
students to create a [2]Facebook profile for their superhero as a way of engaging them in the task.
The FB profile asks them to fill in certain things like:
• Name
• Status
• Birthday
• Relationship status
• Home town
• College/school
However, the part I was really interested in was the ’About Me’ section where students detailed their
characters’ super powers & their motivations for doing what they did. The students seemed to respond
well to this & it was more engaging for them.
There’s still a few things which we haven’t been able to complete yet which is a shame; I’d like to
add photos of the characters but that will have to wait a little bit longer. When the students have started
to complete the actual comic I will be asking them to add a picture.
Another use for the FB profile is for OCR Nationals L3. When I taught [3]Unit 27 I was struggling to get
students to fully understand target markets & the differences between them. Students were struggling
to grasp the diffrences in disposable income, likes, etc. I had students build a profile for themselves at
thirteen, eighteen & twenty five to show the differences in things such as email addresses, relationship
status, likes, dislikes, political & religious views, etc. Students benefitted from this & were able to draw
comparisions & see the changes over time &, therefore, changes in priorities.
1. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/units/ocr_40570_unit_qcf_206.pdf?
2. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_U0xhUlp0S3JtS2M
3. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/assess_mat/ocr_55974_sam_nationals_unit27.pdf?
1.4 October
Evernote (2012-10-17 20:29)
Last academic year I taught [1]Unit 27 of OCR Nationals to my Year 13 group & within that unit they
need to give a presentation about tactical e-tools. Part of the mark criteria directly relates to the quality
of the presentation as well as the delivery & this requires a witness statement from me.
[2] When I did this last year I used [3]Evernote to make notes for three
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![reasons; reason 1 was because students were giving their presentations using my desktop, reason 2 was
because my writing is appalling & I didn’t want to lose the paper I had written on & the final reason was
because I had just bought my iPad & wanted to play with all the apps. I did find Evernote to be useful
on this occasion but I hadn’t thought anymore about it than a useful way to avoid using paper.
I’ve just begun teaching unit 27 for the second time; I love this unit because it appeals to my Business
Studies background & I find marketing to be a fascinating subject especially with the growth of social
networking. However, I don’t think that last year I delivered it as well as I could & this was partly down
to it being the first delivery. With this in mind I was keen to audit all of the assessment objectives &
improve them for this cohort.
Assessment objective 2 is definitely not a student favourite; who at 17 or 18 really likes to stand
up in front of their peers & deliver a presentation? I’m not a big fan of it & I’m 27! However, in a lot
of ways this is one of the most important AOs because it teaches a skill as well as subject knowledge.
Presenting is a skill which we all need at some point in our lives & something pretty much all of us dread.
Last year my students hated it, did it & forgot about it. I diligently wrote witness statements & sent
them to students to read as feedback. However, I’m not even sure how many students actually read this
never mind reflected on their performance. This years have a plan & it involves Evernote again. This
year I intend to take notes & almost instantly I intend to email students with their feedback to type up
as a witness statement & give to me to sign. Students will also have to evaluate their own performance
too & identify what they’d do to improve their performance next time.
My hope is that students will have a better understanding of their own performance & will be able
to learn a skill as well as develop essential subject knowledge.
1. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/units/ocr_14983_unit_nationals_27.pdf?
2. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/evernote1.png
3. http://evernote.com/
Student feedback (2012-10-18 09:54)
A few years ago I took part in an action research project through the Catholic Partnership which we
are involved in as a school. Our main focus was feedback for students. I trialed the use of oral feedback
recorded using microphones & found it to be really useful especially when I was marking things like
websites. One of the principles that I took from this was that students then had to transcribe their
feedback & act on it. At the very least I knew students were forced to pay attention to my feedback.
Since then I have to say I haven’t used recorded feedback as much as I would like to but this is due to
restrictions such as where I am marking; when I’m in the staff room it’s hardly fair that I am yabbering
away when other people are working hard in their PPAs.
Since then I have been conscious of the type of feedback I am giving to my students & how they’re
reacting to it. We’ve also introduced a new whole school marking policy which has been implemented
since September. This has refocused me on marking & feedback.
With this in mind I have a new approach to my Year 13 students who, I think, are a little lax when it
comes to their feedback. I’m not really sure how much they actually take on board. The new process is:
1. They hand in their work.
2. I mark their work & electronically give them feedback using the editable PDFs supplied by [1]OCR.
3. They use their paper marksheets & the annotations on their work to write down 4 targets & their
current working at grade.
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![4. They make relevant improvements to their work to achieve their grade.
The first hand in for this group was yesterday & I will be spending Sunday evening marking the majority
of their work. The editable PDFs supplied by OCR are really useful as I can see the mark criteria & edit
them as & when I need to. Also, one motivation is that students won’t be able to lose their mark sheet as
I will always have a copy. I’ve marked one students’ work already which was fantastic; however, there was
still room for improvement & the process of recording her progress was really easy using the PDF file.
I will also put common areas for improvement onto their class blog to support them. This will pro-
vide students with a record of the areas which need improvement as a whole group which I think is
important; there’s always common mistakes in a group.
My hope is that they will consider the feedback they have received much more carefully & will be
able to identify common problems with their submissions (i.e. spelling, lack of print screens, poor sentence
structure, etc).
1. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/assess_mat/ocr_55974_sam_nationals_unit27.pdf?
1.5 November
Using Piktochart (2012-11-08 11:03)
Most of my Year 13 students have picked a business called Beach Break Live to study for their Unit 27
coursework which is pleasing. However, I need them to know everything there is to know about this
business & I was struggling with how to get them to display their research. I am getting a little bit bored
with Google Docs; I’ve done the collaborative working lessons several times &, while they’re of great
benefit, sometimes things need to change.
I’ve settled on getting them to do an infographic using [1]Piktochart to display their knowledge. Info-
graphics are about getting the key information displayed in an easy to read format which is perfect. I
will freely admit that I like the bright colour schemes that Piktochart offers & I do think they’ll look
fabulous on my walls when I get around to put them up. One advantage of Piktochart is that it allows
the students to download their infographics as image files which is great for their coursework.
Here are a couple of examples of the infographics that my students produced:
[slideshow]
Infographics seem like the perfect way to prevent the age old research technique - copy & paste! I’ve
often wondered just how much a student actually reads when they are required to research. I think it’s
genuinely very little. Instead they resort to the age old technique of a Google search & then start to copy
the information they have found & not in a concise manner.
1. http://piktochart.com/
Creative iMedia – Unit 202: Assessment Objective 1 misschambersict (2013-01-10 17:29:31)
[...] am in love with infographics as previous blog posts have shown. I think that they’re pretty & interesting!!
Again, I will follow the same [...]
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![Using Audioboo to conduct a SWOT Analysis (2012-11-15 09:38)
With my Year 13 OCR Nationals class we have been conducting a SWOT analysis of Beach Break Live
for their coursework (level 3, unit 27).
Some of my students have never studied Business Studies & others have. Therefore, there’s a dif-
ference in basic understanding between the students. I broke my lesson down into 4 parts to teach SWOT
analysis.
[1]
Initially we discussed strengths & weaknesses as a whole group using McDonald’s as a case study. For this
I used a wonderful website called [2]Marketing Teacher which I have found really useful for a number of
different ICT & Business Studies elements. To break up the lesson, I used a template sheet from [3]Mind
Tools (you can clearly see I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel) to get students to list the strengths
& weaknesses of BBL. Following this I asked students to create an [4]Audioboo of BBL strengths &
weaknesses. I repeated the process with opportunities & threats before students were asked to complete
their write-up.
[5] I haven’t ever used Audio Boo in a lesson before & found that this was a
great little tool for the students to break up the lesson & assess progress throughout. Students were
slightly hesitant to complete task initially for fear of embarrassing themselves but did, eventually, get into
it. What I really liked about this activity was its simplicity; students needed minimal instruction & they
were able to use their own handheld, mobile devices which, in my opinion, we should be utilising more
within lessons. By scaffolding the lesson & giving students just a short amount of time to complete their
Audioboo I think they stayed on task very well. With younger students in KS3 or KS4 I can see how
it would be tempting to stray off task & record things which they weren’t meant to; however, by using
timings & the planning sheet before recording, students had limited time & as they had to share their
outcome with me they didn’t have the opportunity to mess about.
Here are some examples of the Audioboo’s produced by students:
[gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Fau-
dioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1060291-swot-analysis.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=Dawnr
&mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm
%2Fboos %2F1060291-swot-analysis &mp3Time=07.36am+15+Nov+2012 &mp3Title=SWOT+analysis”
width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”]
[gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudio-
boo.fm %2Fboos
%2F1059803-bbl.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=D3W3Y467 &mp3LinkURL=http %3A
16](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-16-2048.jpg)
![%2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1059803-bbl &mp3Time=07.28pm+14+Nov+2012 &mp3Title=BBL”
width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”]
[gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http
%3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1059575-swot-analysis-bbl.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress
&mp3Author=rebeccabarton &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1059575-
swot-analysis-bbl &mp3Time=09.48pm+14+Nov+2012 &mp3Title=SWOT+analysis+BBL” width=”400”
height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”]
For anyone interested, I have included my [6]PowerPoint which I used in my lesson.
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/swot.png
2. http://marketingteacher.com/swot/mcdonalds-swot.html
3. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/worksheets/SWOTAnalysisDownload.htm
4. http://audioboo.fm/
5. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/audioboo.jpg
6. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_TlFJN0hqdk1pTFU
Using Audioboo to provide feedback | misschambersict (2013-02-24 21:19:10)
[...] an app which I have found particularly useful in the past & have blogged about previously [...]
Update on Evernote Feedback (2012-11-20 10:22)
[1] I recently published a post about how I intended to use Evernote as a
feedback tool in my lessons so I thought I’d best explain how it went.
I used Evernote while students were presenting for assessment objective 2 to take notes & then I emailed
it back to students for them to type up a witness statement (hopefully to save me time) & to perform a
self evaluation.
An example Evernote can be found [2]here. (NOTE: WWW stands for ’what went well’ & EBI stands for
’even better if’ which is something we do whole school when giving feedback. I decided it was better to
stick with this method when giving the feedback)
For me there were several benefits which I found; firstly, I realised that I could keep a record of their
feedback & avoid wasting trees photocopying various pieces of paper. I now know my feedback is secure
&, should something happen to one device, I have the a back up on the Internet & the app on my phone
& iPad. Secondly, I used to scrawl notes while watching presentations which would need to be added to
& rewritten after the presentation because they were not legible for the examiner & couldn’t serve as the
witness statement. I created a template in one note which I just copied & pasted to another until I had
the templates created for each individual student. Improving & arranging the notes was much easier & I
have forwarded the final copy to the students for them to see. The third major benefit is that I know the
students are going to have to read the feedback because they’re required to print it for me to sign & to
produce a self evaluation using the feedback I have provided & that other students have provided (I also
asked students to make notes using Evernote for each other). Overall,I found this method quick, easy &
secure.
17](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-17-2048.jpg)
![To me there are obvious benefits to the students. All of the presenters received their feedback within
two hours of delivering their presentation which was helpful to them as they want to know what they’ve
got grade wise. In addition to this, they’re able to start their self evaluation quite quickly. It’s always
easier to evaluate immediately after the event. Students also don’t need to worry too much about losing
feedback because they’ll always have access to it.
The only issues I did have was with the app crashing each time I tried to email the students’ their
feedback. However, this was easily solved by logging into the website. It proved to be more awkward
when I had a larger group presenting but it’s not the end of the world & nobody else seems to have had
this issue.
I have started to use this during my meetings with my ITT students too & it is something that I
find incredibly useful as I have a record of the meeting rather than just them. I often found that if
students weren’t bringing their meeting sheets to the next meeting then we couldn’t be as productive as
I’d have liked. That’s no longer a problem now.
UPDATE Jan 2013
Just as an update, I have started to use Evernote with my Year 12 classes who are studying Cam-
bridge Technicals. I have asked students to create a booklet about legislation which they have done. I
realised quite quickly that I had an issue; my printer was broken so I couldn’t get their work in a physical
format. Therefore, I have decided to use Evernote to make electronic notes & I have shared these using
the link option available of the web version. This has many benefits; firstly, I have saved an awful lot of
paper & secondly, I have been able to work from a variety of locations over the Christmas holidays. By
providing students with the link they’re able to see updated feedback as they go along. I will be adding
to this for the other parts of the LO as soon as I get the marking done. The other section is a Mediator
product so, again, it’s not a physical thing. I have shared the link via the blog by adding all students to a
document & sharing via Google Docs. Again, I am asking students to add a summary of the feedback to
their mark sheet so that they’re reading & summarising their feedback. This is something which I feel is
quite important.
If anyone has an other great note taking & sharing apps they’d like to recommend I’d be grateful
because I am looking to solve the crashing problem. It might start to irritate me soon!! Cheers
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/evernote.png
2. https:
//www.evernote.com/shard/s194/sh/9e5c470a-5c59-44cd-b45a-f9d48e1f03ce/3ce6ec61b4134de6c89b0f9aafda49a5
Careers Advisor: Personal Attributes (Unit 1, LO1, P1) (2012-11-22 14:04)
As many of you know, I am teaching the new [1]Cambridge Technicals qualification from OCR. Myself
& my students are finding Unit 1 quite dull & tiresome at this point so I am keen to find new & more
exciting ways to deliver the content.
At present we are on Unit 1 which is about communication & employability skills within the IT sector.
P1 is ”explain the personal attributes valued by employers”; I am sick of reading reports, discussing
formatting, etc so I have decided to deliver this using Mediator. Students were asked to create a Mediator
product which includes the following:
• A splash screen including an introduction
18](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-18-2048.jpg)
![• A page per attribute as highlighted in the specification
• Fully linked pages including navigation back to the splash screen on each page
• A definition of each attribute
• An explanation of the attribute
• Why employers value this attribute
Students are being assessed on this as part of their assessment week so I require them to consider the
aesthetics as well as the information included. I like that this has a more creative element (definitely more
my thing) & it teaches them additional skills even if it is just the basics.
To support this I have also asked out careers advisor, Anne, to come in & speak to students about
what employers are looking for. She addressed three key areas including personal attributes, job specific
skills & qualifications. Anne talked to students & carried out small activities including class discussions
which allowed students to explore the requirements of various jobs.
The video which she showed can be seen [2]here.
Students seemed to be very engaged in the lesson; in part, this was due to someone else being at
the front of the classroom. Students often react better when there is someone different leading the lesson
& this was obvious in this occasion. In addition to this, Anne was giving them real life examples which
she has picked up in her day-to-day activities. One of these examples was about an apprenticeship with a
well-known, national company which put into perspective the personal skills students would need if they
were to apply for a job. At no point was this all about IT jobs; I think that a generic approach to careers
is important especially considering the squeeze on Pastoral time. This was especially pertinent to a group
of students who, in the main, are looking for their first full time job.
1. http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/cambridge_technicals/it/it_l3/
2. http://www.btplc.com/Responsiblebusiness/Supportingourcommunities/Learningandskills/Majorprogrammes/
MovingOn/Brandyou/Whatdoemployerswant/index.htm
Kagan Manage Mats (2012-11-22 14:57)
[1] At the beginning of this academic year my Subject Learning Co-
Ordinator, [2]@gmcICT, introduced me to Kagan Manage Mats; Kagan is something he’s talked about a
lot over the last couple of years while I’ve been here.
[3]Kagan Manage Mats are great! They’re really useful within classroom situations to manage groups &
promote discussion & participation in classrooms. Over the last couple of months I have used/seen these
used in a variety of ways & all seem to have worked really, really well.
Manage Mats have been divided into four squares; number 1 is shaded blue & has a small A in the corner,
number 2 is shaded purple & has a small B in the corner, number 3 is shaded blue & has a small A in the
corner & number 4 is shaded purple & has a small B in the corner.
19](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-19-2048.jpg)
![• Today I was teaching a lesson on legislation for Cambridge Technical (Unit 1) & I used these as
a way to group students. All students sat in tables of no more than 4. I assigned each student
a legislation to quickly find out about giving them until the end of a song which I was playing
(Munford & Sons for those who are interested). When students returned to their seats I asked all of
the people who were ’1s’ (as indicated by the mat which was on the table in front of them) to stand
together, all the ’2s’ & so on. Then I asked them to share in their new groups & make notes on the
legislation. After 10 minutes of doing this, students returned to their original groups & explained
all of the legislation which they now knew to the group. Once this had been done all students had
written something about all of the pieces of legislation without having to research them.
• This worked because students were asked to work outside of their comfort zone with people who
they hadn’t worked with before by mixing up the groups. They were completely at random as
it depended on where students were sat in the classroom as to what number they got. Also, I
considered doing this as a Google Doc & asking each student to research one piece of legislation
but I wanted the discussion element. By summarising the legislation & writing it on paper students
weren’t able to just copy & paste the first answer they found & they had to be able to understand
it too as they had to explain it to other students.
I have also used this for a new version of think/pair/share which I call shoulder/face/share. The mats
have something called ’shoulder partners’ & ’face partners’ which means you talk to the person who is at
your shoulder & then people who are face to face with you. Instead of ’think’ I say ’shoulder’; students
talk to their shoulder person & jot down ideas, etc. Then instead of ’pair’ we have ’face’; students talk
to the person opposite them. This then followed by a discussion as a class. It’s just a new variation on
think/pair/share which I quite like.
As with any other tool it’s the scaffolding that makes it work. Today, I had sheets & timers to help
students stay on track & with shoulder/face/pair I have used an adapted version of the PMI sheet.
Without this it can become a little pointless.
I team teach a Year 13 class with [4]@gmcICT for OCR Nationals (unit 20 websites) & the mats
have been used a lot in these lesson. For example, when students are discussing things as a small group
they feedback to the whole group by selecting a number at random i.e. all of the ’2s’ stand up. They
then become responsible for feeding back to the whole group about what has been discussed in their small
groups.
There are loads of possibilities for this tool & I have found it really useful; it’s something so simple
which can be embedded into a lesson very easily. In fact, there is literally no effort needed!!
There’s another side to the board called ’Fan-N-Pick’ though this is not something I have used. If
anyone has I’d be really interested in hearing how it was used!
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/kagan-manage-mats.jpg
2. https://twitter.com/gmcICT
3. http://www.kagan-uk.co.uk/
4. https://twitter.com/gmcICT
Why do I blog? (2012-11-28 16:57)
This week when I received my TES I saw that there was an article called ’[1]Where it’s @’ about the rise
in teachers blogging & the increased use of Twitter for teachers to communicate, collaborate & network.
I’ll admit that after the first couple of paragraphs I was beginning to feel slightly concerned that the TES
was suggesting we only blog to vent & critisise. I kept reading & realised this was not what the article was
20](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-20-2048.jpg)
![about!! However, it did get me think about why I actually do blog. What’s the point? Why do I bother?
I started blogging myself in July 2012 after my Subject Learning Co-Ordinator, [2]@gmcICT, sug-
gested that I should. I had already done an action research project which focused on blogging to enhance
teaching which was a resounding success. However, I hadn’t actually blogged myself for my own benefit.
So, I set up this blog & posted my first post called [3]’Using iPads to Record Videos’. Since then I have
written a number of posts detailing the things I have done & how well they have worked. However, this
doesn’t explain the point of it or why I bother.
I’ve pondered this for a good few days now & I have come up with a number of reasons why I blog:
1. I blog because I like to. I guess that could be called self indulgent & perhaps it is but I like to
share the things that I have done. I often find the best ideas come from the things I read on Twitter or
the blogs that I have linked to through tweets from others. I don’t need or want to reinvent the wheel at
any point; I just want to teach lessons which inspire students & help them to achieve & I find that other
people’s experiences help me. Hopefully, at some point, my ideas or experiences might help other people.
2. I blog because it helps me to evaluate. When I write things down I can be a bit more honest
with myself than when I just turn things over in my head. I find that I am more analytical &, often, less
critical than I would be if I were to just think about things.
3. I blog to keep a record of what I’ve done. I often have good lessons & then ideas slip out of
my mind & I sometimes forget to do something again. Having this blog records what I have done, how
it’s worked & how I can use it again.
The article in the TES certainly made me think about what I am using this for. I don’t use this
to vent my frustrations on anything (except the failure of technology sometimes!!) or to critisise things
but I do like to evaluate my teaching regularly & this is a suitable tool to do this. As the blog must be
current I am made to do this in a busy world. It’s good to sit down & take some time out! At some point
I hope people comment on my blog & I can start a dialogue; perhaps someone would like to tell me how
they’ve approached something similar or completely differently!
1. http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6303473
2. https://twitter.com/gmcICT
3. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/using-ipads-to-record-videos/
21](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-21-2048.jpg)
![Chapter 2
2013
2.1 January
Creative iMedia - Unit 202: Assessment Objective 1 (2013-01-10 17:29)
Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I have been struggling to create a unit of work which
was interesting, challenging & enjoyable for [1]Unit 202 of Creative iMedia. My class has 7 boys in it
&, to be honest, the unit didn’t appeal to me nevermind them. They’re a lovely group who enjoy the
practical element of the course but are less inclined to do the written bits i.e. the research, the planning
& the evaluating. To be fair, I completely understand where they’re coming from; I am the same!
I have spent a lot of time talking to colleagues/friends (a special thanks to [2]@m115 bem for
her help) & borrowing their work & tweaking it for my class to incorporate a greater range of e-learning
tools, iPad activities, differentiation, etc.
Assessment Objective 1
My PPT for AO1 can be seen [3]here.
This was the AO I was/am most worried about; research audio software, research audio file for-
mats, etc, etc. This isn’t the most exciting thing to do!! The tasks which I have used have been varied.
The first couple of lessons were about getting students to get information onto paper. For 1.2 they
had to create a [4]Prezi to explain broadcast methods & platforms which can view digital media. I’ve
experienced a few issues with Prezi; firstly, the computers didn’t have Flash Player which was a problem
initially but easily fixed. The students quite liked Prezi but I did have to ban certain motion paths for
fear of being sick; it was like being on a rollercoaster!! Downloading the Prezis was a pain too. I’ve also
exported them as a PDF (using the print function) to be on the safe side for moderation as sometimes
things seem to stop working when I’ve checked them on Maps. Below is a copy of a Prezi I did as an
[5]example though as a PDF. When I can embed the Prezi I will!
[6]https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B VNEJVGK9k MFg5M282TFRPNEU
My next step is to approach 1.3; students need to research the capabilities & limitations of
sound software, still image editing software & moving image editing software.
I am going to get students to create a table for sound, a podcast for still image editing soft-
ware & an infographic using [7]Piktochart for moving image editing software. I intend for students to
take one lesson for sound software, two for still image software & one for moving image software plus a
homework research task. Students will be provided with scaffolding for each lesson.
23](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-23-2048.jpg)
![Sound Software
As this is the first one that they’re doing I intend to get them to complete a [8]table which is
already in their work area. This table will be changed & printed for the other areas so that students are
following a familiar process. Students will be asked to find capabilities & limitations for one piece of
software (initially Audacity) & then feedback to the group. They will then be sent away to research one
of their own & then feedback to the group & so on until they have three pieces of software in their table.
Students who are MAT students might have the opportunity to add additional software to their table. I
will be providing some websites to help students & I have also printed some resources which I have found.
15/1/2013 - This has worked quite well. Students were fairly well engaged in the lesson which
was pleasing. Only a couple of students struggled which I expected due to their particular learning
difficulties. All the other students have managed to email me their work which I will check & feedback to
them ASAP.
Still Image Software
Students will be given a sheet with a table on similar to that for the sound software. Again,
the lesson will be structured so that students will have to gather information for one software and
feedback and so on. I intend to show videos & suggest possible websites (which I will share when I have
found them) to scaffold the lesson & prevent students from looking here, there and everywhere - or, as is
more likely, going to Wikipedia & no further. In addition to this, some students have difficulty reading so
I will be checking reading ages of sources, using video for auditory learners, etc.
Creating the podcast will be a second lesson where students will develop sound editing skills
which will be important later on in the unit. Taking this opportunity for a practice is important & allows
students to familiarise themselves with the software before the crucial piece of work. Before creating a
Podcast, students will be shown this video from YouTube (obviously not all of it):
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrBbczS9I0]
By using this video, I hope to push the students with better skills to play with the software
having given them a starting point leaving me to be able to assist the weaker students more easily. As in
the video, students will be using [9]Audacity to create their podcast.
17/1/2013 - In the first lesson, I carefully structured the lesson into 6 parts. I started with the
introduction & the starter activity which was the same as the previous lesson & then I moved on to
the first piece of software. The students looked at the capabilities & limitations of iPhoto as a photo
editing package using the information from the [10]iTunes website. The information is easily accessible
with this source especially considering the reviews which are available. I think this was important for
the less able students in the class because some other sources were very, very technical & it would have
been difficult to pick out the important parts. I had printed copies of these as well as the internet which
allowed students to choose which to use. After about 7 minutes the students & I discussed their findings.
This allowed students to add to their notes in preparation for the next step. I repeated the processes for
the other two software options (Fireworks & Photoshop) then allowed students to look for their own
which they later fed back to the group. Below are two images of some of the work produced:
24](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-24-2048.jpg)
![[11]
[12]
I am quite happy with the work students have produced for the first part of this task but I am
less happy with the quality of the resources I provided. I’d have liked to be able to check the reading ages
of the sources (something which we are covering in Twilight Training this week ironically) though the
iTunes source was pretty good & students were able to access that a lot easier than the other two sources.
If anyone has any good websites for checking reading ages I’d appreciate it if you could pass those on.
Behaviour can be an issue with this class & I find that lots of short, timed activities work really well &
this is something I have stuck to quite rigidly.
[13] Recording the podcast was a separate lesson which took place the
day after the research lesson. To record the sounds I gave each students a microphone. We use [14]Easi
Speak microphones which were originally designed for primary school children. These are really easy to
use & students had no problems with them. I asked students to create small audio files; they recorded
their capabilities & features for the first piece of software, started a new file for limitations & so on. This
reduced the likelihood of making mistakes & is something I have learned from previous lessons with
other groups. The best thing about these microphones is that they can transfer the sounds via a USB
port which meant the students could add them to their own workspace easily as & when they needed to.
There was some initial silliness from students which is a little bit disappointing but also to be expected.
All students had a really good grasp of how to use Audacity from studying OCR Nationals which made
the process smooth. I’d forgot that they had already used this software but the lesson at least provided a
25](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-25-2048.jpg)
![refresher for them. Below is an example of one of the podcasts which I uploaded using Audioboo.
[gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A
%2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1160495-still-image-podcast-1.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dword-
press &mp3Author=MissChambersICT &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudio-
boo.fm %2Fboos %2F1160495-still-image-podcast-1 &mp3Time=01.58pm+17+Jan+2013
&mp3Title=Still+Image+Podcast+1+” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true”
wmode=”transparent”]
Overall, I am quite pleased with how this lesson turned out. The work produced by students is
really good & easily meets the mark criteria for this section. Most importantly, students enjoyed this &
approached it with a positive attitude. This helped students with weaker literacy skills or EAL.
In terms of submitting this work through Maps, I have decided to take pictures of the sheets
students complete & upload those as well as the podcasts. I’m firmly in the camp of ”be on the safe side”
& it doesn’t cause much disruption as we are using Maps3 so multiple uploads are an issue &, as long
as students tag their posts, I am able to check everything off in one go (something which is a massive
improvement over Maps2).
Moving Image Software
I am in love with infographics as [15]previous blog posts & tweets have shown. I think that
they’re pretty & interesting!! Again, I will follow the same format though students will have done their
research at home (fingers crossed). They’ll have the opportunity in the starter to feedback to the group
& add to their table so that they’re gathering additional information which they can act upon.
1.4 - 1.7 - File Formats & Compression
As you’ll see from my PowerPoint, I was intending to do a Prezi with the students for AO1.4
but I was playing around with some apps which were suggested to me. [16]Video Scribe is a really easy
app to use & it is fun too! Below is an example of a video which I created in less than 10 minutes when
playing about. I haven’t added any sound or used any of the advanced features but for 10 minutes it’s a
decent video!
[vimeo 57595733 w=500 h=281]
[17]Video Scribe Example from [18]Laura Chambers on [19]Vimeo.
I am going to ask students to create a Video Scribe to explain audio file formats. I like how
this app exports to Dropbox & to the camera roll which is helpful. However, it can take a really long
time which is a shame & time consuming. I’ll have to sort this out after the lesson I think rather than
ask the students to do it. The video above took 20 minutes to create the video.
30/1/2013 - Initially I had planned for this lesson to take just one but that soon turned out to
be unrealistic. I gave students a number of resources to use which I had found on the internet.
Unfortunately, these were all printed articles because I have had real trouble finding videos, podcasts, etc.
which is a shame. However, I did check the literacy levels & the articles were definitely suitable for the
students. Again, I structured the lesson so that students had to read and make notes. We then discussed
it and students moved onto the second file format. An example of the work is below:
26](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-26-2048.jpg)
![[20]
Students all managed this task quite well and we moved onto inputting the information onto
Video Scribe. I am really pleased with how the students worked with the app. It is a little fiddly at first
but students got to grips with it quite well. They got a little bit obsessed with the images which could be
added but this didn’t distract students from what they had to do so I am pleased. They also had the
sense to make these animations smaller. That is definitely on of my top tips; when you’re exporting it
takes a long time so the preset drawings need to be made much quicker (some are up to 30 seconds).
Examples of student work can be seen below:
[vimeo 58536093 w=500 h=281]
[21]Jevon’s Audio File Formats from [22]Laura Chambers on [23]Vimeo.
[vimeo 58536156 w=500 h=281]
[24]Chris’ Audio File Formats from [25]Laura Chambers on [26]Vimeo.
AO1.5 is all about still image file formats. I am going to ask the students to create a short
movie using [27]iMovie & the camera function on the iPad. This is something they’ve done twice
[28]previously & both times it was a success. Again, the idea is that students make notes & then record
their videos, import into iMovie & render a video to create their evidence. This is something which takes
the pressure off students because they can create multiple takes if they need to. 5 out of 7 students in
this class have literacy issues & this does help them with these issues as they don’t need to write all of
the time.
I have used the following video as the prompt for students:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maqbhJx3H4E]
This is a really simple video for students to listen to & it doesn’t make things overly ’techie’
which is a problem with a lot of resources which I find, especially for this sort of thing! I liked this because
the slide is on the screen which is helpful for students to read as they are listening. This engages two
different types of learners; I especially think it’ll be helpful for a couple of my students. I am providing
students with a sheet which they need to fill in as the video goes along so that they can make notes in
preparation for their videos. The sheets can be seen below or you can see them as PDFs ([29]sheet 1 &
[30]sheet 2)
27](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-27-2048.jpg)
![[31]
[32] Ideally, I plan to have these sheets printed
back to back & blown up to A3 for the students. This class like things to be in colour too which is why
they’re so bright!
5/2/2013 - Today we finally got around to creating the videos & putting them together using
iMovie. Last week we watched the video above & then discussed the information the students had found
before they write their script. I think this was a really beneficial to the students & I was especially
pleased with the students that went away & did some additional research before writing their scripts. I
think the video helped them with a starting point before they looked at more complex sources.
The videos the students created were quite good and definitely covered the relevant points which allow
them to achieve the assessment criteria.
Students used the camera function on the iPad to record their videos (ideally in small sections)
then used iMovie to edit the videos together (simple drag & drop). In the past when I have done this I
have always asked students to film each other but some students are really shy when it comes to being on
camera so this time I printed off the icons & asked students to film them while talking. This made the
process much quicker than I expected so students carried on with their work from other units.
Below are two examples of the videos which were produced:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzuh3l139AM]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMvAjFcxor8]
As usual, I used the iPad exit tickets to find out what students said
”The iPads were fun to use. I found it better than writing stuff down in our books. However, it might be
28](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-28-2048.jpg)
![I have started to use a presentation style called ’Sketchbook’ which is available in Microsoft Power-
Point 2010 because I think the colours are professional & simple as well as being appropriate for the
students. Too often the templates are distracting for students. There are some other things which I have
started to do also:
1. Following the learning objectives, I have a slide with the keywords for the lesson displayed on them.
These usually link back to the objectives. The idea behind this is that students will be able to
identify key learning easier. The key words are highlighted throughout the PPT when they appear
to draw students to their & help them make links within their learning. With one class I am asking
them to keep a record of the keywords & later on we will use an app called [1]Wordsalad to create
an infographic to submit with their coursework. The idea is that they can use these keywords as
prompts when it comes to writing their review.
2. At the top of each slide is a box which contains the learning objective that that slide/task relates to.
This might be one or two objectives depending on the point in the lesson. This has helped me to
ensure that the lessons I am planning don’t vear off course at any point. In addition to this, it helps
students make the links between what they’re expected to learn & what they’re actually learning.
They can then self assess to see if they are meeting that objective too.
3. I have started to include a box at the bottom which contains the blog address for that class (if
appropriate) & a twitter hashtag. While Twitter doesn’t seem to have taken off in my classroom yet
(I am pushing it), I am hoping that students will begin to use it for when they need help or when
they’re at home & find a suitable resource, etc. I am also using it for starters & plenaries in some
lessons.
The video below was created using [2]Explain Everything (EE) on the iPad & uploaded to [3]Vimeo. This
is the first EE I have done so apologies for the poor quality but I was just testing it!
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/57144728 w=500 &h=375]
[4]Improved PPT from [5]Laura Chambers on [6]Vimeo. >
I think my new method of creating PPTs has it’s benefits; I am hoping that students are able to
make links more easily between what I have asked them to learn & what they’re doing. I am aware that
nothing I am doing is particularly new or exciting &, frankly, I have created the PPT templates from
taking the best practices of other people. My PPTs in the past have been well ordered but I think this
will improve their effectiveness within lessons.
1. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordsalad-your-salads-redefined/id545164778?mt=8
2. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8
3. file://localhost/mnt/ext/blogbooker/tmp/0qv41gjb/www.vimeo.com
4. http://vimeo.com/57144728
5. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
6. http://vimeo.com/
Explain Everything misschambersict (2013-01-30 13:49:37)
[...] the first time with students. I have used it myself in the past which you might have seen on my previous blog
post but today was the first time that I have used it with [...]
Differentiated Wordsearches (2013-01-18 12:11)
Yesterday after school we had a twilight session about literacy, differentiation & sharing best practice
across the school. In addition to this, we’ve had a recent book scrutiny which focused on marking policy
30](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-30-2048.jpg)
![& differentiation.
I have always struggled with differentiation for both higher & lower ability students particularly at
Key Stage 3. I am lucky; our KS3 schemes of work & resources are created for us. However, there’s a
need to adapt resources for my own classes & this is something I have become a lot more concious of this
academic year.
Last night I was trying to think of a suitable plenary for two Year 7 classes. One class is mostly
able with a couple of students who have SEN where as the other class has appoximately half the students
with SEN or EAL. This makes teaching quite tough at times & can make differentiation difficult also. All
I wanted was something fairly simple to end the lesson. I decided on a wordsearch of the key terms from
the lesson followed by a question & answer session as they’re exiting.
I have differentiated wordsearches before but last night I found a great site which made it even quicker &
easier to do. [1]Teachers-Direct is very easy to use & quick too which is most important for all of us in
our busy lives.
The first wordsearch I produced is for the [2]lower ability students who struggle with basic literacy.
I chose the basic worsearch option which just creates a list of words which they can search for. An option
is to pick which direction you’d like the words to go in so I’ve picked ’natural direction’ for this wordsearch
& then easy letters to surround the words.
The [3]middle to higher ability wordsearch is a little bit more complex. I’ve used an option to add
questions or phrases with the searchable words missing. Therefore, students have to answer the questions
before they can search for the key word. I have chosen for words to go in any directions & left the choice
of surrounding letters as medium.
What I liked most was the ability to save PDFs from this site. I now have two resources for the
next time I teach this unit. I haven’t expored any of the other features on this site as of yet.
1. http://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/resources/wordsearches/wordsearch-maker.aspx
2. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_VNEJVGK9k_UUM1Sjl1S0JqWE0/edit
3. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_VNEJVGK9k_UEJFUnRraXMzTjg/edit
Explain Everything misschambersict (2013-01-30 13:49:40)
[...] much more focused on & aware of over the last couple of months. I have already blogged about differentiated
wordsearches and now I have started to look at using Explain Everything. In the past I have asked students to [...]
Video Scribe (2013-01-23 10:49)
[1] [2]Video Scribe is an app which I have recently started to use & one which I have really
come to love!
The iTunes description states that it is a ”unique way to create engaging animated videos quickly
& easily”. This is definitely something I would agree with. I spent a reasonable amount of time creating
two videos so that I could learn to use the app. In all honesty, I only needed to create one as it is simple
to use but I was enjoying using the app & wanted to make a second video. There’s options to add sound
to the videos & to import your own images or record your own sound. I haven’t used these features yet
but I suspect they’ll be fairly simple as with all of the other features on this app. The app allows you to
export directly to the camera roll. Dropbox, Youtube or your mail (though all videos I have created have
31](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-31-2048.jpg)
![been far too big for this option) which makes sharing really easy.
There are only two disadvantages that I can find so far:
1. When you enter text it appears on one line regardless of whether you add line breaks which is a
shame. If you want text on a different line you need to add a second piece of text. It works best for
information to be in really small chunks but this is good for most presentations.
2. Creating a movie can take a very long time. The two videos below took between 20 & 30 minutes
to export to a movie which wasn’t overly convinient but I did just go away & make a cup of tea
while this was happening!
Below are the two videos I have created so far. Both have been uploaded to [3]Vimeo for you to be able
to see them.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/57595733 w=500 &h=281]
[4]Video Scribe Example from [5]Laura Chambers on [6]Vimeo.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/58004225 w=500 &h=281]
[7]Video File Formats from [8]Laura Chambers on [9]Vimeo.
I intend to move forward with this by making videos for things such as: course overviews (for open
evenings, etc), generic expectations guidance (for things like essay writing, literacy, etc) & for helps sheets.
I hope this will engage learns a bit better than traditional methods such as paper hand outs.
I can see how Video Scribe can be used, from a teachers point of view, across a variety of subjects:
• Science: creating a ’how to’ video for an experiment
• Maths: reminders of key terms or rules for formulas
• English: literacy rules or ’how to’ for writing to persuade/inform/argue/etc
I am sure there are way more & I’d be really grateful if you could suggest ways which this could be used
in your own subject. I can also see this being a useful revision tool; create a video which gives the key
topics for a unit with some key points added. This could be added to a VLE, blog, etc for students to
look at at home when revising.
Using Video Scribe with Students
I have also asked students to produce Video Scribes to show their understanding of a topic. Below
is two examples of student’s work which details their understanding of audio file formats.
[vimeo 58536156 w=500 h=281]
[10]Chris’ Audio File Formats from [11]Laura Chambers on [12]Vimeo.
[vimeo 58536093 w=500 h=281]
[13]Jevon’s Audio File Formats from [14]Laura Chambers on [15]Vimeo.
32](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-32-2048.jpg)
![Students responded well to their task and created videos which met the requirements of the assess-
ment criteria. They found the app a little bit fiddly & sensitive at first but were soon solving their own
problems & getting their work done. I’m really pleased with this app & think it’s quite an easy one for
students to use once they’ve got the hang of things.
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/videoscribe250.png
2. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/videoscribe-hd/id505464331?mt=8
3. file://localhost/mnt/ext/blogbooker/tmp/0qv41gjb/www.vimeo.com
4. http://vimeo.com/57595733
5. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
6. http://vimeo.com/
7. http://vimeo.com/58004225
8. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
9. http://vimeo.com/
10. http://vimeo.com/58536156
11. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
12. http://vimeo.com/
13. http://vimeo.com/58536093
14. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
15. http://vimeo.com/
Explain Everything (2013-01-30 13:49)
[1] Today I used [2]Explain Everything for the first time with students. I have used it myself
in the past which you might have seen on my [3]previous blog post but today was the first time that I
have used it with students.
My Year 11 OCR Nationals class are studying Unit 21. Within this class I have a number of
learning difficulties, many of which include literacy problems. Within our school, and most others, we
have had a drive to improve literacy standards & it is something I have become much more focused on &
aware of over the last couple of months. I have already blogged about [4]differentiated wordsearches and
now I have started to look at using Explain Everything. In the past I have asked students to [5]record
videos to show their understanding but this was suggested to me by a variety of people as an alternative
especially when students are talking about a product. My class has some students in it which severely
struggle with the written aspects of the course and this was an alternative to writing their evaluation.
Initially I had decided to use this at the end of the unit when they had put together their final graphic
rather than at each stage. However, another member of staff showed how she had used it with a Year
7 student & I was so impressed with how it had worked for her that I have decided to do it at every
step (i.e when they’ve built their buttons, their banner and their navigation bar then again when it’s put
together in a web page).
Video 1
[vimeo 58535819 w=500 h=375]
[6]Explaining the Creation of Buttons for Unit 21 - Kamil from [7]Laura Chambers on [8]Vimeo.
This video was created by a student who has EAL. His spoken English is excellent & his writ-
ten English is pretty good too though sometimes he needs support. I’ve found with this video that he
33](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-33-2048.jpg)
![has spoken very well about what he has done & I am pleased about this but I don’t think he’s used the
features of Explain Everything very well which is a shame. I’d have liked to have seen more of this to
help him to add more detail but this is sufficient. He hasn’t used the text tools, the drawing tools, etc
though I will encourage him to do this with the other elements of the course.
Video 2
[vimeo 58535667 w=500 h=375]
[9]Explain Everything - Aidan from [10]Laura Chambers on [11]Vimeo.
Again, this student hasn’t used as many of the features of Explain Everything as I’d have liked
but the video is successful. As you can see, it’s significantly longer than the first video with more in depth
analysis.
There are two things which I would do differently:
1. I’d provide students with a framework of questions which they needed to answer for each button
such as: what canvas size is the button, what colour code is the button, what font did you chose,
why did you chose this? This is a small list but I definitely think this would make an improvement
to the overall video.
2. I’d demonstrate, using an Apple TV, how to use the app as I didn’t have the opportunity to do this.
We have a couple in school but I didn’t plan ahead and organise changing rooms - completely my
own fault!
I think we might have another go at this and produce a second, more detailed video for each student.
Feedback from students was very positive. We have something called an ’exit ticket’ which staff complete
after using the iPads and on it is a section for student voice. I asked a student to fill this section in for me
& they said, ”The app worked better than actually writing it up even though it was embarrassing listening
to my own voice. I found the app to be more productive and fun as some of the features were cool.” I am
really pleased with this feedback! I think it’s important that students enjoy their learning! Sometimes
with things like this they’re not actually recognising that they are learning which is half the battle!!
I am really happy with this as a way to help students who struggle with their literacy. I know other
members of staff do this with their students and I think it is definitely an alternative. I am still a firm
believer that we need to help students with weaker literacy skills learn to read and write the old fashioned
way (i.e. with a pen and paper or a computer) as this is vitally important for their future. However, I
think if we break things up and make things more interesting for students they’ll be more inclined to
write when they’re actually asked to.
I have produced a video for my students to help them use Explain Everything which can be seen
below or found [12]here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBhkpnQ3U8]
I’ve also made the video available through the [13]TES if you’re not able to access YouTube in school or
if you need a different format.
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/explain_everything.png
2. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8
3. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/improving-powerpoints-for-students/
4. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/differentiated-wordsearches/
5. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/using-ipads-to-record-videos/
34](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-34-2048.jpg)
![6. http://vimeo.com/58535819
7. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
8. http://vimeo.com/
9. http://vimeo.com/58535667
10. http://vimeo.com/user12555791
11. http://vimeo.com/
12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBhkpnQ3U8
13. http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/How-to-use-Explain-Everything-6322759/
2.2 February
Improving Literacy: Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar (SPaG) (2013-02-05 10:30)
As you already know, we have been focusing on literacy a lot within St John’s & I have become quite
obsessive about find ways to help students to improve their literacy or overcome barriers to learning.
Yesterday I was browsing Twitter & came across a [1]resource tweeted by @TESPrimary. Initially,
I thought that this would be a suitable resource for the lower ability students in KS3 but, after more
thought, I’ve decided that it’s very useful as a reminder to all students.
From this resource I decided to make it a bit more suitable for my subject & used [2]Video Scribe
(yes, I know I am obsessed!) to create a video.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aray QFvsX4 &w=560 &h=315]
This video has been slightly updated from the resource I initially looked at & made more specific
for ICT with the inclusion of software in the capital letters section. My intention is that I can play this in
lessons before asking students to make amendments to their work (i.e. self evaluation). I also intend to
include the link in their ICT booklets & would like to add an image version to some of their homework
sheets.
I have also added this to my blogs for various groups including my form group & both sixth form
classes.
1. http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/-6317165
2. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/videoscribe-hd/id505464331?mt=8
Using Audioboo to provide feedback (2013-02-24 21:19)
[1] Audioboo is an app which I have found particularly useful in the past &
have [2]blogged about previously also.
35](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-35-2048.jpg)
![This time I have used Audioboo to provide feedback for Year 13 students for their website. I can’t
say this was my idea but it is something I have done in the past. Approximately 3 years ago I took part
in an action research project where I looked at providing feedback to students & I chose to use audio
feedback. To be honest, I found it incredibly useful then but I had forgotten all about it & this reminded
me of the benefits!
In the past I used a microphone & I had to download the files & send them along to the students
but Audioboo has made this much easier than that. I am able to upload them to the Audioboo website
which students can access & I can embed onto the class blog or tweet the links too. This level of ease has
definitely improved things! I’m definitely keeping this up as I need to ease my marking load. I think this
is something I could do for whole class feedback too. I always add [3]generic feedback to my class blogs
when I mark an assessment criteria but I could do this verbally in the future.
[gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudio-
boo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170911-
jamie-allison.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=MissChambersICT &mp3LinkURL=http
%3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170911-jamie-allison &mp3Time=12.36pm+23+Jan+2013
&mp3Title=Jamie+Allison” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”]
[gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize
player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170917-ryan-kelly.mp3
%3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=MissChambersICT &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudio-
boo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170917-ryan-kelly &mp3Time=12.40pm+23+Jan+2013 &mp3Title=Ryan+Kelly”
width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”]
There’s two major benefits for me over written feedback:
1. Students get a lot more feedback from me than if I write their feedback. Using Audioboo I can
record up to 3 minutes of spontaneous feedback as I am going through work which is especially
helpful when we’re talking about practical work like websites, sounds, etc. & this is probably a lot
more than I’d write. It’s easier for me too - anyone who saw my earlier tweet will know I had a sore
hand from writing - because I can be more descriptive & more verbose.
2. When I provide the feedback in this way I always ask students to listen to it & translate it to their
mark sheets. This means the students are forced to listen to their feedback & I have a written
record of what they’ve been asked to do to achieve the next grade. Basically, I am forcing students
to pay attention & when I did this as part of the action research I definitely noticed that students
were not needing as much time to complete their coursework & I wasn’t having to harp on at them
about following the advice I’d given them.
Of course there are downsides to verbal feedback! I struggled to find a quiet place to record feedback &
tried to do it with others in the room but their voices over powered mine as I was trying to be quiet so I
didn’t distract or cause an issue. Also, it’s slightly embarrassing recording your own voice at times. I
know I sound completely different in my head to what I do out loud but it’s something you just have to
accept as being the way it is!
One of the issues I found was that the iPad app is not particularly useful compared to the [4]iPhone app.
Therefore, I have downloaded the iPhone app rather than the other option. It’s much more user friendly!
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/audioboo.jpg
2. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/using-audioboo-to-conduct-a-swot-analysis/
3. http://stjohnsnationalsunit27.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/advice-for-making-improvements-to-ao5/
4. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audioboo/id305204540?mt=8
36](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-36-2048.jpg)
![2.3 March
How to...! (2013-03-05 20:40)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBhkpnQ3U8 &w=420 &h=315]
[slideshare id=16972474 &w=427 &h=356 &sc=no]
[1]Uploading a video to YouTube from [2]misschambersICT
1. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT/uploading-a-video-to-youtube
2. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT
Cambridge Technicals in IT - Unit 1: LO3 (P5, P6, M2 & D2) (2013-03-06 10:45)
Like many I’ve been teaching OCR’s new [1]Cambridge Technicals in IT. If I’m being honest I have found
the course difficult to teach though not in terms of content but more in terms of making it interesting. I
recently attended a course run by OCR which really helped me to get to grips with unit 1 & made me
feel a lot more comfortable with the content. I really wish this course had come much sooner than it did
but that can’t really be helped. I’d recommend the course to anyone!
Learning objective 1 & 2 weren’t too bad though really dry. I tried to make it interesting & I
know I’d teach it very differently a second time though (look out for a post with a draft scheme of work
on it!). Students kind of got to grips with it.
Learning objective 3 requires learners to be able to us IT to communicate effectively. It was al-
ways obvious to me that students could take evidence from other places to achieve the Pass criteria and
then explain & justify their use of IT. However, I also think that this criteria can be used to make things
a little more interesting across the unit & add something else into it to engage students.
Creating an app
I decided to ask students to use [2]App Inventor by MIT. With my Year 8 students I am cur-
rently building apps & they have used help sheets to practice. I had just decided to create video guidance
for next academic year & then I had a brainwave! Why should I create the videos when I can ask my
Year 12 students to do so! I gave my Year 12s the brief to create a video using Wink for Year 8 students.
To be honest, this hasn’t gone as well as I’d have hoped as there have been problems with App
Inventor & students got quite frustrated. They’ve also not used their problem solving skills to make
the best possible Wink video which has frustrated me. Those who have finished their videos to a good
standard have created an .SWF which I was hoping to pop onto YouTube but this hasn’t been possible
yet. When I convert the videos they begin to run far too fast which is a shame.
I’m definitely going to do something similar next year with a new cohort but I will be using an-
other software such as Screenr or Jing so that students have a better experience. Either that or I’ll be
doing a lot more work on how to use Wink.
Creating an Explain Everything video
The second task I asked students to do was to create a guide for OAPs showing them how to
use the basic features of email. This was a change of audience and purpose and we had a lengthy
37](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-37-2048.jpg)
![conversation about audience and purpose, effective communication & so on.
The students really worked hard to produce their videos & some are very imaginative such as
”email for old dummies” as a take on the dummies series of books. Two examples are below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddrIHsG6e48]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2PyygLJN4g]
I gave the students a double lesson to complete the work & most were able to create a video
within this time frame though, as expected, some students approached this with a more mature attitude
than other. All students h[3] ave definitely achieved P5 & P6.
This was really easy for me to manage because I exported all the videos to YouTube & tweeted
the students with the link. They’re going to convert the link into a QR code to put on their essay so that
the moderator will be able to find it easily. I think this will also aid with internal moderation because I
won’t need to locate the student’s videos and pass those details onto my colleague; they will just need to
scan the work to see what the student’s work is like.
What will I do next?
The next step is to complete M2 & D2 where students explain and justify the choices of IT.
They will also look at the infographic they produced for unit 12 (websites) and discuss this too. I’ve
provided the students with some [4]questions to answer as a guide and to help them to achieve the
Distinction criteria. The advice from OCR is that a Distinction can be achieved by expanding on the
detail given for a Merit & I think most students will manage to achieve this.
What will I do in the next academic year?
It occurred to me that this might be a good place to start with students who are new to the
course. Firstly, it’s quite engaging; if I give students an iPad in their first couple of lessons they’re more
likely to be interested in the course. Secondly, the criteria lends itself to initial assessment. As there
is Pass, Merit & Distinction criteria involved in this learning objective it becomes much easier to level
students and judge their literacy skills and time management skills. Also, I find that classes change a lot
at the beginning of Year 12 as students decide what they want to do & what they’d prefer not to do. A
task like this is easy for them to catch up on if they miss the first couple of lessons.
1. http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/
cambridge-technicals-it-level-3-certificate-introductory-diploma-diploma-subsidary-diploma-extended-diploma-05347-0534
2. http://appinventor.mit.edu/
3. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/ee-qr-code.png
4. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uPbw-PHBKM7Oj72TFjFxNciUfoQx4EeNsSa-R2QmiB8/edit?usp=sharing
38](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-38-2048.jpg)
![SmartArt Evaluation Templates (2013-03-11 13:32)
I often find that students struggle with evaluations especially if they come at the end of a lengthy project.
This is something which always happens with Creative iMedia students and I have tried various ways of
getting them to write comprehensive reviews which are detailed.
One thing which I have been trialing with my current group is a key questions sheet for students
to make notes on using Smart Art within Microsoft Word. It’s a really simple but effective tool to create
a flow chart for students.
Sheet 1
Below is an image of the first sheet which I give to students. In this case I designed the sheet for
students studying Unit 202 for Creative iMedia where students had to manipulate three assets.
[1] As you can see, the students have to answer questions in a
set order so that they’re working through the assessment criteria and so they’re thinking in a logical
manner. As a group we sit & discuss their work and the project process so that students are helping each
other to remember problems that they had had. Students just need to make notes in bullet point format
before they go away to their computer & expand on the points by writing in full sentences and including
relevant screen shots to support their answers.
Sheet 2
[2]
The second sheet helps students to make the link back to the client brief and identify where they’ve done
well and where they need to make improvements.
This definitely works; when I did this with students for their Pre Production unit their reviews were
much more detailed. The class I currently have are weaker in terms of literacy that the classes I had last
academic year but their reviews were much more detailed & informative as well as structured appropriately.
Students find the whole class discussion really beneficial and this could be done in small groups or as a
whole class. I think students like this because writing a review/evaluation can seem really, really daunting
and difficult but this breaks it down into smaller chunks and allows when to bullet point first which
makes it easier to write full & detailed sentences. I have also done this to help students to analyse the
requirements of a task. It’s quite versatile!
One of the benefits of SmartArt is the bright colours which can be altered to fit your needs. I love
the bright, cheerful nature and I know students are also attracted by this which is really good. I feel
39](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-39-2048.jpg)
![this loses some of it’s impact when it’s not printed in colour & you can say things like ”we should all be
completing the blue box now” which is helpful.
Another thing to consider is that this is really easy to do. In this day & age we’re all really busy
& need things to be simple, quick & effective. This doesn’t have the all singing, all dancing, flashy nature
of using an iPad or something but it is effective & it does what you want it to do: promote discussion,
give confidence and allow students time for thought.
1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/smart-art1.png
2. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/smart-art2.png
Continual Reviews/Evaluations (2013-03-11 14:19)
Students studying Creative iMedia often find that they are struggling to remember the problems they
encountered throughout a project when they come to writing their final review. I can understand! It’s
difficult to look back at and remember something which you might have done 6 to 8 weeks ago or longer
if there’s a holiday in between.
With this in mind, and because I was doing action research, I asked students to create an individ-
ual blog where they could record their progress in each lesson. Below are some of the links to a couple of
blogs.
• [1]Emily’s blog
• [2]Brogan’s blog
• [3]Shannon’s blog
• [4]Hollie’s blog
Students were asked to edit images to produce a final product which could act as a poster for a travel
company or be printed onto promotional material such as cups, t shirts, mouse mats, etc. As you can
see from the image gallery below the students produced some amazing work & used some very advanced
features within Photoshop.
[gallery type=”slideshow” ids=”584,586,587,583,588,589,585,590”]
I knew that this would cause some students problems in terms of technical ability as well as remembering
what they were asked to do. Therefore, the blogs became really useful. As you can see from the blogs
above, students recorded their progress with individual images as and when they needed to. Students
were able to demonstrate their understanding & document any issues which they’d had and how they had
over come these.
What was the final impact?
This was the fifth project that students had done for Creative iMedia so I knew that the reviews
would be more effective than previous ones simply because students had had more practice. However, I
was impressed with the final pieces of writing which students had done. I definitely noticed that I wasn’t
offering suggestions for improvement as readily as I had been and I knew students had been looking back
at their blog to complete the review.
I used their blogs as a starter for some lessons. Students looked at their blogs and said what they
40](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-40-2048.jpg)
![needed to do in the lesson & set their own objectives based on their previous blog post. This worked
quite well because the students were naturally at different points throughout the project and it was hard
for me to set whole lesson objectives. Obviously this naturally lends itself to a built in plenary to most
lessons too.
A benefit which hadn’t occurred to me was the ability to get students to give feedback to each other and
for me to give feedback at various stages. I liked this because I could do it in the car on the way home
(don’t worry I car share, I wasn’t driving!!) or while I was watching TV or during a break duty, etc. It
made life much easier especially if I needed to devote time to the students Photoshop skills within lessons
rather than spending my time acting as a client. Also, I asked students to post any problems they had so
that others could give them the solution. This was brilliant for me because, to be honest, I don’t always
have the answer & students often know more than me. I asked colleagues to feedback to students too
which was nice. Unfortunately, none of the blogs above show these things as I can’t remember who did
get feedback from staff!!
[slideshare id=17103815 &w=479 &h=511 &sc=no]
[5]A02 ao4 pdf from [6]misschambersICT
Were there any problems?
Something which I found really annoying was the issue of submitting the blog as evidence. I hadn’t really
considered that OCR say that nothing external can be looked at as it needs to be secure within Maps
to be moderated. This lead to a lot of copying & pasting on my part which was a shame. I hadn’t even
though about it until it was too late to ask students to do it!! At times it was quite difficult to get students
to put their images onto the blog & write about it. I think this is mainly down to their enthusiasm for
Photoshop though!
All of this has entered my head because I am starting unit 113 again next week with my current
Year 11s. I’ll definitely be asking the group to do the same thing (starting next week) but I am going
to look for a way for them to create a PDF or something when they’re done; it was too time consuming
for me to do. If anyone has any suggestions of how I might go about this I’d be really grateful. I’ll be
using blogger again with the students as this appears to be one of the more accessible blogging sites for
students.
Just because I am proud of their work I have added an image of one of the final products. For some
students we printed their work onto cups, etc to show them what they’d be like in the end and to use
during parent’s evenings and such like.
[7]
1. http://emilymasongraphicsediting.blogspot.co.uk/
2. http://brogandobsoncreativeimediaunit113.blogspot.co.uk/
3. http://shannongoldbergcreativeimedia.blogspot.co.uk/
4. http://holliewatson113.blogspot.co.uk/
5. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT/a02-ao4-pdf
6. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT
7. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/product.png
41](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/blogbooker-130311111641-phpapp02/75/Blog-Booker-41-2048.jpg)
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- 1. From Blog toBook. misschambersict.wordpress.com
- 2.
- 3. Contents 1 2012 5 1.1 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Home! (2012-07-13 09:18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 About me! (2012-07-13 09:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Using iPads to record videos (2012-07-13 09:34) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Describing key comic book characters (2012-07-18 19:34) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.2 August . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 iMovie (2012-08-31 20:22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.3 September . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Using Mobile Technologies in the Classroom (2012-09-10 09:16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Clucking & Clapping (2012-09-10 19:17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 September 11th, 2001 (2012-09-10 21:10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Do we ever stop being a teacher? (2012-09-17 10:55) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Designing a Character Profile (2012-09-21 08:30) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 1.4 October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Evernote (2012-10-17 20:29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Student feedback (2012-10-18 09:54) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1.5 November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Using Piktochart (2012-11-08 11:03) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Using Audioboo to conduct a SWOT Analysis (2012-11-15 09:38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Update on Evernote Feedback (2012-11-20 10:22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Careers Advisor: Personal Attributes (Unit 1, LO1, P1) (2012-11-22 14:04) . . . . . . . 18 Kagan Manage Mats (2012-11-22 14:57) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Why do I blog? (2012-11-28 16:57) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2 2013 23 2.1 January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Creative iMedia - Unit 202: Assessment Objective 1 (2013-01-10 17:29) . . . . . . . . . 23 Improving PowerPoints for Students (2013-01-10 17:34) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Differentiated Wordsearches (2013-01-18 12:11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 3
- 4. Video Scribe (2013-01-2310:49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Explain Everything (2013-01-30 13:49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 2.2 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Improving Literacy: Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar (SPaG) (2013-02-05 10:30) . . . 35 Using Audioboo to provide feedback (2013-02-24 21:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 2.3 March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 How to...! (2013-03-05 20:40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Cambridge Technicals in IT - Unit 1: LO3 (P5, P6, M2 & D2) (2013-03-06 10:45) . . . 37 SmartArt Evaluation Templates (2013-03-11 13:32) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Continual Reviews/Evaluations (2013-03-11 14:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 4
- 5. Chapter 1 2012 1.1 July Home! (2012-07-13 09:18) About me! (2012-07-13 09:19) When I began my teacher training back in September 2008 I was introduced to a course called iMedia. I very quickly fell in love with the course & the numerous opportunities for students & staff alike. When I applied for my first job I was lucky enough to be employed by a school who already ran with iMedia & I was given the opportunity to develop the new Creative iMedia when it became available. Since then I have developed a passion for delivering Creative iMedia using a range of Web 2.0 technologies. In recent months I undertook action research into using blogs to enhance literacy & develop student reflection. This was a resounding success so I have decided to set up a blog to show & explain my use of technology in & out of the classroom to enhance my students’ learning. Within the next academic year I am hoping to trial the use of mobile devices within the classroom & use the tools which students have available to them all day, everyday. I intend to chart the successes & the failures here & I hope to learn from others too! Using iPads to record videos (2012-07-13 09:34) I have a class who love the creative element of Creative iMedia but the research part is less interesting for them. I can sympathise & some of the topics aren’t the most interesting. On Tuesday I was delivering a lesson about internet connections which from past experience has not been the easiest thing to deliver or one that has produced the best quality work. I decided within the lesson to use iPads which have just been bought by the school to record the students speaking about dial up internet, broadband internet & Wi-Fi. This turned out to be much more productive than previous lessons on the same topic! I had anticipated that the students would use the iPads to mess about with the numerous apps in- stalled on them but they were brilliant! All of the students remained on task & completed the work that 5
- 6. I asked ofthem. I had structured the lesson so that the looked at source material, answered questions & then recorded their first video & so on. I think this worked well & the videos produced were really good. I definitely think the scaffolding of the lesson was the key to it’s success. By having a 5 part lesson (starter, dial up, broadband, wifi, plenary) pace was good & this helped engagement. Ideally I would have liked all of the students to record their own videos & then use iMovie to edit them together but this hasn’t really been possible because of time restrictions. However, it only took me a few minutes to drop the videos onto the timeline & export them. If it wasn’t so close to the end of term I would have definitely got students to edit their videos themselves. I started with this video purely for the sound. The sound of dial up internet is so familiar to any- one around my age or older but none of the students in my class could identify it or linked it to internet access. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNaR6FRuO0] I think most students were quite surprised at how internet access has progressed. I also used these videos to scaffold the lesson: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3br3AdsjZbM] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytFW fz-2IM] Why do I blog? misschambersict (2012-11-28 16:57:49) [...] blogged myself for my own benefit. So, I set up this blog & posted my first post called Using iPads to Record Videos’. Since then I have written a number of posts detailing the things I have done & how well they [...] Creative iMedia – Unit 202: Assessment Objective 1 misschambersict (2013-01-18 11:04:08) [...] using iMovie & the camera function on the iPad. This is something they’ve done twice previously & both times it was a success. Again, the idea is that students make notes & then record [...] Explain Everything misschambersict (2013-01-30 13:49:43) [...] now I have started to look at using Explain Everything. In the past I have asked students to record videos to show their understanding but this was suggested to me by a variety of people as an alternative [...] 6
- 7. Describing key comicbook characters (2012-07-18 19:34) [1] I have had another one of my hair brained ideas. So, in true ”Miss Chambers has lost the plot again” fashion... My students are going to become a comic book hero. I have taught unit 206 to two groups previously & they have always enjoyed it but I sometimes get a bit bored with all of the worksheets & the endless story lines, page layouts & so on. I was talking to my brother about a fancy dress party he’s attending where they’re all going dressed as superheroes & suddenly realised that this was the perfect way to complete the assessment objective where students have to describe key characters from comic books. Rather than students researching & writing about their characters in a template format I’m going to get them to do the research, complete a Facebook profile for their character & then record themselves as that character as if they’re doing an interview for the news. That’s going to be the evidence they submit. I hope that this will, again, introduce the ’creative’ part into Creative iMedia but also make the lessons lots of fun for the students &, hopefully, make our moderator smile too!! I’ve just bought three masks from eBay which students can wear & I’ve been promised the full Ba- nanaman costume ready for September too. I’ll be looking for other masks over the summer such as Dennis the Menace, Iron Man, etc. any other ideas? 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/20120718-232508.jpg 1.2 August iMovie (2012-08-31 20:22) Today I have been working with transition students who are going to be starting Year 7 on Wednesday. They were enthusiastic, cheerful, motivated & interested in EVERYTHING!! When I said we were using iPads they were all very excited. It’s the first time I had properly used the iMovie app so I was quite looking forward to it & hoping to experiment with it ready for future lessons. The students were creating a trailer using the pre existing templates. I asked the students to create a trailer for summer school; they had to advertise it & show what they had done in the week. After about 7
- 8. an hours planningthe students were allowed to use the iPads to create their trailer in small groups. It was lovely to watch students being creative & inventive without too much input from me or any of the other staff present. Normally, when teaching Creative iMedia, I provide students with a brief which they have to follow. The brief provides students with a certain amount of freedom but it does limit them at the same time because of the restrictions provided by the ’client’. Today students were just able to do what they wanted providing they were advertising the summer school. All of the students were brilliant at solving 99 % of the problems they faced. It was nice to see students troubleshooting & not relying on my understanding; they were independent learners & I became a glorified camera woman for most of the session!! This afternoon we held a premier for the students & their parents/carers where they were able to show their videos. I purposely hadn’t watched the completed videos before we showed them & I was amazed by the quality of them, the inventiveness & the creativity. However, what surprised me the most was the content. I had expected students would focus on the activities that they had done throughout the week; Students had worked with a professional artist, travelled to the Centre for Life to use the 4D ride & the other exhibitions, played sports, created art and much more. What they focused on the most was the friendships that they had made. I think this is absolutely wonderful! The students have done so much, and enjoyed it all, but what they valued was the friendships they had made & how this will help them when they start next week. The trailers are brilliant & students are all going to get a copy of the videos; who knows, maybe they will be a recording of when life long friendships started!! 1.3 September Using Mobile Technologies in the Classroom (2012-09-10 09:16) I recently had a discussion with my new Year 12 class about communication & technology. We were discussing text speak & it’s rise to prominence. I felt fairly old when I had to explain how I was limited to 150 characters due to the restrictions we had with mobile phones. They found this hilarious &, after a few comments about me being ancient (I am 27 this week!!! Hardly old!), we began discussing their use of mobile technology. When I was in 6th Form we were excited by the prospect of being able to change the cover on our mobile phones; now, just 10 years later, students have iPhones, Blackberrys, etc which changes how we can approach education. This is something I have been interested in for awhile & I hope to do some action research on the use of mobile technologies in the classroom this academic year. It seems ludicrous to me that we are not exploiting the technologies students have to enhance their education. What I want to know is how you use the technologies students already have within your lessons. Do you allow students to use their mobile phones? What do they use them for? What are your experiences of mobile technologies? I’d really appreciate some feedback so that I can begin my action research alongside colleagues from other schools.! Thanks in advance for anyone who responds! Clucking & Clapping (2012-09-10 19:17) I have started to teach the new [1]Cambridge Technicals in ICT & have started with unit 1 which is all about communication. If I’m being honest communication is not the most exciting of topics and it’s much less popular than the web design unit they’re doing with other people in my department. 8
- 9. We all understandthe importance of communication in the work place but I am not sure how much students value it as an essential work skill. To help them to understand this I decided to start off by playing some communication team building games which had two purposes. Firstly, some of our students are external students who have come for 6th Form; I was hoping that this could help to remove some of the barriers between the students. Secondly, they’d have a bit of fun while realising they couldn’t do the task without communicating with each other. We started by playing [2]Cluck & Clap. Basically, students have to cluck when they see an X and clap when they see an O. I started off by guiding them through it and then left them to their own devices! I also made it much harder the second time! The audio on the video isn’t great so I apologise for that! [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/49167803 w=500 &h=375] [3]Cluck & Clap - OCR Cam Tech in ICT: Unit 1 (P2) from [4]Laura Chambers on [5]Vimeo. The students started off by being really independent & working in their little groups with everyone doing their own thing but eventually started to chat. Firstly, they decided someone had to count them in; this was successful and they all managed to start at the right time. However, that’s about as successful as that got!! Eventually they had a discussion where half of the class would cluck and half would clap. [6] We also played [7]Cowboys, Ninjas and Bears which is a 21st Century version of Rock, Paper, Scissors and also way more fun! Students had to strike a pose after three and the loser sat down. I used this mainly as an ice breaker and students seemed to really enjoy it. Even the quieter students joined in and had a laugh.[8] I found that this was the perfect starter for students to begin to work as a group, get to know each other and to learn something. At first students were very reluctant and a bit shy; for that reason I am not 100 % sure how this would work with a small group. They might be too shy and might not want to participate. I was definitely helped by the students who I know well (i.e. the ones who used to be in my tutor group in Year 11) and the more outspoken members of the group. I believe this helped me to have more informed conversation with the group and, with it being my first proper lesson with them, helped me to engage them & loosen them up so they’d happily have the flowing conversation I like to have with Year 12 and Year 13 students. Students were able to identify what they’d done and eventually made the link to communication; they were able to apply their knowledge to the communication cycle and write more detailed coursework. However, what they really benefitted from was a fun lesson with a bit of silliness. They relaxed and had fun which is important and they bonded a little bit. Anyone walking into my classroom would have had a shock though!! 25 Sixth Formers clucking & clapping or pretending to be a ninja, a bear or a cowboy is definitely not what you expect in an ICT lesson!! Other team games which I found which might be suitable are [9]Flip the Duck (which I was desperate to play but couldn’t find a rubber duck!), [10]Bodyguard & [11]Circle Up 9
- 10. 1. http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/cambridge_technicals/it/it_l3/ 2. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/Cluck%20&%20Clap.pdf 3.http://vimeo.com/49167803 4. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 5. http://vimeo.com/ 6. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lesson-1-team-games-006.jpg 7. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/Bears,%20Cows,%20Ninjas.pdf 8. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lesson-1-team-games-007.jpg 9. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/FliptheDuck.pdf 10. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/Bodyguard.pdf 11. http://thefoodproject.org/sites/default/files/CIrcleUp.pdf September 11th, 2001 (2012-09-10 21:10) It’s been 11 years since 9/11 and I remember it like it was yesterday; I suspect most people do. I was 15 and I had just started Year 11 when I came out of school and my Grandad told me what had happened. I truly believe that was the moment that I realised the world wasn’t the rosy little bubble I lived in. In April 2005 I was lucky enough to travel to NYC with a friend. As a 19-year-old university stu- dent I was keen to see everything, shop until I dropped and experience the New York life style. However, my overwhelming urge was to go to Ground Zero and pay my respects to those who had died as well as those who had suffered. [1] I think it was the quietest moment of my life; I was in a busy city and all sound seemed to just disappear. I saw a giant hole in the ground with metal still in there but what really got me was the messages on the fencing surrounding Ground Zero; people who had lost loved ones had left the most touching messages. It’s something I will never, ever forget. In September last year I was a form tutor to a lovely group of Year 11 students. Ten years on from 9/11 I remember thinking that these students were still in primary school when this tragedy happened. As we sat and reflected on the horrific events I asked them what their memories were; some had vague memories and some had none except for what they had been told by teachers or parents. I explained what I had experienced both at the time and in the subsequent years including my visit to Ground Zero. In October 10
- 11. I was luckyenough to travel to NYC again. [2] Ground Zero had changed hugely and, with the 10 year anniversary having been just a month before, the new memorial was a fitting tribute. I also visited the museum housed next to the fire station which was situated next to where the towers used to stand. Alongside my brother and our friend we read the stories and remembered what we’d seen ten years earlier. Towards the end of the museum is an area to reflect and they also ask you to write about your story. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought that I had a story but now I think everyone who witnessed that day has some sort of story to tell. I sat and wrote about how I felt on that day and how I felt ten years later discussing it with my form; it’s safe to say I shed a lot of tears. When I returned to school I showed my form pictures and I shared my experiences with them. Most were very interested and we chatted for a good hour about it. This year I have a Year 7 form; 11 years ago most of them were not even born. Having debated how to reflect on this event with them I’ve realised something; there’s a place for creative teaching, web 2.0 technologies and exciting lesson plans. However, there is also a place for just talking, sharing our experiences and not trying to do anything flash. Tomorrow I am going to talk to my form, show them a couple of pictures and see what they have to say. I love my exciting lessons and my slightly odd ideas but sometimes it’s just not necessary. I don’t think this applies singularly to tragic events; sometimes it’s ok to just teach something or chat about something rather than use tools to convey ideas. Technology is wonderful but we don’t need it all of the time! 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ground-zero-2005.jpg 2. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/picture-222.jpg Do we ever stop being a teacher? (2012-09-17 10:55) While on holiday in Turkey this year I was sitting on my sun bed reading the newspaper and I came across an article which was perfect for one of my lessons. When I mentioned this to my friend (who isn’t a teacher) she sat up, took her sunglasses off, rolled her eyes and said ”do you ever just stop? Relax, you’re on holiday; stop thinking about teaching!” This all made me think; do we ever actually stop? I think that the answer to this is generally no. I don’t know any teacher who doesn’t draw on ex- perience from their own lives or see something in a newspaper and be inspired. I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful History teacher during my GCSEs and my A-Levels who had resources for EV- ERYTHING! We always used to talk about how there wasn’t a subject which he hadn’t recorded a TV programme for, found a newspaper article, collected a souvenir, etc. The vast amount of ’stuff’ that he had collected through his teaching career was, frankly, immense. I never understood how he had so many 11
- 12. resources. However, nowI get it; in my relatively short teaching career I have gathered a lot of ’stuff’ and I dread to think how much I will have when I retire. I cannot shut off the teacher side of me; I constantly see opportunities to help my students learn and to improve my lessons. Secretly, I am thrilled when I find an article, buy a prop or simply have an idea (usually at the most random of times). Here are some examples: A few years ago I was in London with my Mam and I spent a long time taking pictures to supple- ment my [1]Rules of Photography (originally for OCR iMedia) lessons and the PowerPoint that I used. This PowerPoint has a couple of images on it which I think are great but there were loads more that I printed and asked the students to sort into categories to test their understanding. I think using images which aren’t from Google is much more interesting. Also, the images that I used sparked conversation with students about travelling and culture; I think it’s important to take these opportunities when they’re offered to us to expand on our schemes of work. I also have my wonderful goddaughters to thank for a few lessons. When we’re talking about age being a barrier to communication I love to show my classes pictures of the girls using the family iPad. Tizz is just 5; she can, however, use an iPad to do certain things. She’s learning to read but she could do this before she’d gone to school. Her younger sister, Lola, is great at finding Peppa Pig episodes without any help from us. It’s a great way to demonstrate a point! Last academic year I was teaching [2]OCR Nationals Unit 27 to my Year 13 class. e-Marketing is something they experience everyday but don’t realise it. When you’re looking for an example there’s never one to find! [3] I was thrilled when I found an example when one of my friends liked a post by T in the Park. Perfect for demonstrating my point to the class and it just happened to be EXACTLY when I needed it! For this unit I also like to use the cultural videos which were produced as adverts by HSBC. There’s a whole range of them which are really useful to use and quite funny. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSLPEwvVvN0] I love it when something comes along unexpectedly; last year my Year 12 students were studying communication when [4]Blackberry services failed; everyone else was annoyed whereas I was thrilled (I suspected if I had a Blackberry I wouldn’t have been quite so pleased!) as I was able to demonstrate my point to my Year 12s easily. It also helped that most of them were suffering from a lack of technology! Teaching has, simply, occupied every part of my life! In most situations this isn’t a bad thing. Last year I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful ITT student, [5]@missdrydenICT, who worked hard, very hard! When I told her to take a weekend off and enjoy herself she told me I was the pot calling the kettle black! She’s right; none of us ever really stop do we? 1. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_MkIzbEw0OWppTVU 2. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/units/ocr_14983_unit_nationals_27.pdf? 3. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/liking-a-status.png 4. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/blackberry/8820075/BlackBerry-services-collapse-again.html 5. https://twitter.com/missdrydenICT Designing a Character Profile (2012-09-21 08:30) I am still teaching [1]Unit 206 (Storytelling with a Comic Strip) to my Year 11 Creative iMedia class. We have come to the point where we have to think about our characters. In the past I have always found it difficult to get students to think about what character they wanted to 12
- 13. create & Ihave struggled with students being able to write enough detail about their character. This time I have approached it in a completely different way to how I would have previous; this time I asked students to create a [2]Facebook profile for their superhero as a way of engaging them in the task. The FB profile asks them to fill in certain things like: • Name • Status • Birthday • Relationship status • Home town • College/school However, the part I was really interested in was the ’About Me’ section where students detailed their characters’ super powers & their motivations for doing what they did. The students seemed to respond well to this & it was more engaging for them. There’s still a few things which we haven’t been able to complete yet which is a shame; I’d like to add photos of the characters but that will have to wait a little bit longer. When the students have started to complete the actual comic I will be asking them to add a picture. Another use for the FB profile is for OCR Nationals L3. When I taught [3]Unit 27 I was struggling to get students to fully understand target markets & the differences between them. Students were struggling to grasp the diffrences in disposable income, likes, etc. I had students build a profile for themselves at thirteen, eighteen & twenty five to show the differences in things such as email addresses, relationship status, likes, dislikes, political & religious views, etc. Students benefitted from this & were able to draw comparisions & see the changes over time &, therefore, changes in priorities. 1. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/units/ocr_40570_unit_qcf_206.pdf? 2. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_U0xhUlp0S3JtS2M 3. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/assess_mat/ocr_55974_sam_nationals_unit27.pdf? 1.4 October Evernote (2012-10-17 20:29) Last academic year I taught [1]Unit 27 of OCR Nationals to my Year 13 group & within that unit they need to give a presentation about tactical e-tools. Part of the mark criteria directly relates to the quality of the presentation as well as the delivery & this requires a witness statement from me. [2] When I did this last year I used [3]Evernote to make notes for three 13
- 14. reasons; reason 1was because students were giving their presentations using my desktop, reason 2 was because my writing is appalling & I didn’t want to lose the paper I had written on & the final reason was because I had just bought my iPad & wanted to play with all the apps. I did find Evernote to be useful on this occasion but I hadn’t thought anymore about it than a useful way to avoid using paper. I’ve just begun teaching unit 27 for the second time; I love this unit because it appeals to my Business Studies background & I find marketing to be a fascinating subject especially with the growth of social networking. However, I don’t think that last year I delivered it as well as I could & this was partly down to it being the first delivery. With this in mind I was keen to audit all of the assessment objectives & improve them for this cohort. Assessment objective 2 is definitely not a student favourite; who at 17 or 18 really likes to stand up in front of their peers & deliver a presentation? I’m not a big fan of it & I’m 27! However, in a lot of ways this is one of the most important AOs because it teaches a skill as well as subject knowledge. Presenting is a skill which we all need at some point in our lives & something pretty much all of us dread. Last year my students hated it, did it & forgot about it. I diligently wrote witness statements & sent them to students to read as feedback. However, I’m not even sure how many students actually read this never mind reflected on their performance. This years have a plan & it involves Evernote again. This year I intend to take notes & almost instantly I intend to email students with their feedback to type up as a witness statement & give to me to sign. Students will also have to evaluate their own performance too & identify what they’d do to improve their performance next time. My hope is that students will have a better understanding of their own performance & will be able to learn a skill as well as develop essential subject knowledge. 1. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/units/ocr_14983_unit_nationals_27.pdf? 2. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/evernote1.png 3. http://evernote.com/ Student feedback (2012-10-18 09:54) A few years ago I took part in an action research project through the Catholic Partnership which we are involved in as a school. Our main focus was feedback for students. I trialed the use of oral feedback recorded using microphones & found it to be really useful especially when I was marking things like websites. One of the principles that I took from this was that students then had to transcribe their feedback & act on it. At the very least I knew students were forced to pay attention to my feedback. Since then I have to say I haven’t used recorded feedback as much as I would like to but this is due to restrictions such as where I am marking; when I’m in the staff room it’s hardly fair that I am yabbering away when other people are working hard in their PPAs. Since then I have been conscious of the type of feedback I am giving to my students & how they’re reacting to it. We’ve also introduced a new whole school marking policy which has been implemented since September. This has refocused me on marking & feedback. With this in mind I have a new approach to my Year 13 students who, I think, are a little lax when it comes to their feedback. I’m not really sure how much they actually take on board. The new process is: 1. They hand in their work. 2. I mark their work & electronically give them feedback using the editable PDFs supplied by [1]OCR. 3. They use their paper marksheets & the annotations on their work to write down 4 targets & their current working at grade. 14
- 15. 4. They makerelevant improvements to their work to achieve their grade. The first hand in for this group was yesterday & I will be spending Sunday evening marking the majority of their work. The editable PDFs supplied by OCR are really useful as I can see the mark criteria & edit them as & when I need to. Also, one motivation is that students won’t be able to lose their mark sheet as I will always have a copy. I’ve marked one students’ work already which was fantastic; however, there was still room for improvement & the process of recording her progress was really easy using the PDF file. I will also put common areas for improvement onto their class blog to support them. This will pro- vide students with a record of the areas which need improvement as a whole group which I think is important; there’s always common mistakes in a group. My hope is that they will consider the feedback they have received much more carefully & will be able to identify common problems with their submissions (i.e. spelling, lack of print screens, poor sentence structure, etc). 1. http://pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/assess_mat/ocr_55974_sam_nationals_unit27.pdf? 1.5 November Using Piktochart (2012-11-08 11:03) Most of my Year 13 students have picked a business called Beach Break Live to study for their Unit 27 coursework which is pleasing. However, I need them to know everything there is to know about this business & I was struggling with how to get them to display their research. I am getting a little bit bored with Google Docs; I’ve done the collaborative working lessons several times &, while they’re of great benefit, sometimes things need to change. I’ve settled on getting them to do an infographic using [1]Piktochart to display their knowledge. Info- graphics are about getting the key information displayed in an easy to read format which is perfect. I will freely admit that I like the bright colour schemes that Piktochart offers & I do think they’ll look fabulous on my walls when I get around to put them up. One advantage of Piktochart is that it allows the students to download their infographics as image files which is great for their coursework. Here are a couple of examples of the infographics that my students produced: [slideshow] Infographics seem like the perfect way to prevent the age old research technique - copy & paste! I’ve often wondered just how much a student actually reads when they are required to research. I think it’s genuinely very little. Instead they resort to the age old technique of a Google search & then start to copy the information they have found & not in a concise manner. 1. http://piktochart.com/ Creative iMedia – Unit 202: Assessment Objective 1 misschambersict (2013-01-10 17:29:31) [...] am in love with infographics as previous blog posts have shown. I think that they’re pretty & interesting!! Again, I will follow the same [...] 15
- 16. Using Audioboo toconduct a SWOT Analysis (2012-11-15 09:38) With my Year 13 OCR Nationals class we have been conducting a SWOT analysis of Beach Break Live for their coursework (level 3, unit 27). Some of my students have never studied Business Studies & others have. Therefore, there’s a dif- ference in basic understanding between the students. I broke my lesson down into 4 parts to teach SWOT analysis. [1] Initially we discussed strengths & weaknesses as a whole group using McDonald’s as a case study. For this I used a wonderful website called [2]Marketing Teacher which I have found really useful for a number of different ICT & Business Studies elements. To break up the lesson, I used a template sheet from [3]Mind Tools (you can clearly see I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel) to get students to list the strengths & weaknesses of BBL. Following this I asked students to create an [4]Audioboo of BBL strengths & weaknesses. I repeated the process with opportunities & threats before students were asked to complete their write-up. [5] I haven’t ever used Audio Boo in a lesson before & found that this was a great little tool for the students to break up the lesson & assess progress throughout. Students were slightly hesitant to complete task initially for fear of embarrassing themselves but did, eventually, get into it. What I really liked about this activity was its simplicity; students needed minimal instruction & they were able to use their own handheld, mobile devices which, in my opinion, we should be utilising more within lessons. By scaffolding the lesson & giving students just a short amount of time to complete their Audioboo I think they stayed on task very well. With younger students in KS3 or KS4 I can see how it would be tempting to stray off task & record things which they weren’t meant to; however, by using timings & the planning sheet before recording, students had limited time & as they had to share their outcome with me they didn’t have the opportunity to mess about. Here are some examples of the Audioboo’s produced by students: [gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Fau- dioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1060291-swot-analysis.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=Dawnr &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1060291-swot-analysis &mp3Time=07.36am+15+Nov+2012 &mp3Title=SWOT+analysis” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”] [gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudio- boo.fm %2Fboos %2F1059803-bbl.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=D3W3Y467 &mp3LinkURL=http %3A 16
- 17. %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos%2F1059803-bbl &mp3Time=07.28pm+14+Nov+2012 &mp3Title=BBL” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”] [gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1059575-swot-analysis-bbl.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=rebeccabarton &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1059575- swot-analysis-bbl &mp3Time=09.48pm+14+Nov+2012 &mp3Title=SWOT+analysis+BBL” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”] For anyone interested, I have included my [6]PowerPoint which I used in my lesson. 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/swot.png 2. http://marketingteacher.com/swot/mcdonalds-swot.html 3. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/worksheets/SWOTAnalysisDownload.htm 4. http://audioboo.fm/ 5. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/audioboo.jpg 6. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_TlFJN0hqdk1pTFU Using Audioboo to provide feedback | misschambersict (2013-02-24 21:19:10) [...] an app which I have found particularly useful in the past & have blogged about previously [...] Update on Evernote Feedback (2012-11-20 10:22) [1] I recently published a post about how I intended to use Evernote as a feedback tool in my lessons so I thought I’d best explain how it went. I used Evernote while students were presenting for assessment objective 2 to take notes & then I emailed it back to students for them to type up a witness statement (hopefully to save me time) & to perform a self evaluation. An example Evernote can be found [2]here. (NOTE: WWW stands for ’what went well’ & EBI stands for ’even better if’ which is something we do whole school when giving feedback. I decided it was better to stick with this method when giving the feedback) For me there were several benefits which I found; firstly, I realised that I could keep a record of their feedback & avoid wasting trees photocopying various pieces of paper. I now know my feedback is secure &, should something happen to one device, I have the a back up on the Internet & the app on my phone & iPad. Secondly, I used to scrawl notes while watching presentations which would need to be added to & rewritten after the presentation because they were not legible for the examiner & couldn’t serve as the witness statement. I created a template in one note which I just copied & pasted to another until I had the templates created for each individual student. Improving & arranging the notes was much easier & I have forwarded the final copy to the students for them to see. The third major benefit is that I know the students are going to have to read the feedback because they’re required to print it for me to sign & to produce a self evaluation using the feedback I have provided & that other students have provided (I also asked students to make notes using Evernote for each other). Overall,I found this method quick, easy & secure. 17
- 18. To me thereare obvious benefits to the students. All of the presenters received their feedback within two hours of delivering their presentation which was helpful to them as they want to know what they’ve got grade wise. In addition to this, they’re able to start their self evaluation quite quickly. It’s always easier to evaluate immediately after the event. Students also don’t need to worry too much about losing feedback because they’ll always have access to it. The only issues I did have was with the app crashing each time I tried to email the students’ their feedback. However, this was easily solved by logging into the website. It proved to be more awkward when I had a larger group presenting but it’s not the end of the world & nobody else seems to have had this issue. I have started to use this during my meetings with my ITT students too & it is something that I find incredibly useful as I have a record of the meeting rather than just them. I often found that if students weren’t bringing their meeting sheets to the next meeting then we couldn’t be as productive as I’d have liked. That’s no longer a problem now. UPDATE Jan 2013 Just as an update, I have started to use Evernote with my Year 12 classes who are studying Cam- bridge Technicals. I have asked students to create a booklet about legislation which they have done. I realised quite quickly that I had an issue; my printer was broken so I couldn’t get their work in a physical format. Therefore, I have decided to use Evernote to make electronic notes & I have shared these using the link option available of the web version. This has many benefits; firstly, I have saved an awful lot of paper & secondly, I have been able to work from a variety of locations over the Christmas holidays. By providing students with the link they’re able to see updated feedback as they go along. I will be adding to this for the other parts of the LO as soon as I get the marking done. The other section is a Mediator product so, again, it’s not a physical thing. I have shared the link via the blog by adding all students to a document & sharing via Google Docs. Again, I am asking students to add a summary of the feedback to their mark sheet so that they’re reading & summarising their feedback. This is something which I feel is quite important. If anyone has an other great note taking & sharing apps they’d like to recommend I’d be grateful because I am looking to solve the crashing problem. It might start to irritate me soon!! Cheers 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/evernote.png 2. https: //www.evernote.com/shard/s194/sh/9e5c470a-5c59-44cd-b45a-f9d48e1f03ce/3ce6ec61b4134de6c89b0f9aafda49a5 Careers Advisor: Personal Attributes (Unit 1, LO1, P1) (2012-11-22 14:04) As many of you know, I am teaching the new [1]Cambridge Technicals qualification from OCR. Myself & my students are finding Unit 1 quite dull & tiresome at this point so I am keen to find new & more exciting ways to deliver the content. At present we are on Unit 1 which is about communication & employability skills within the IT sector. P1 is ”explain the personal attributes valued by employers”; I am sick of reading reports, discussing formatting, etc so I have decided to deliver this using Mediator. Students were asked to create a Mediator product which includes the following: • A splash screen including an introduction 18
- 19. • A pageper attribute as highlighted in the specification • Fully linked pages including navigation back to the splash screen on each page • A definition of each attribute • An explanation of the attribute • Why employers value this attribute Students are being assessed on this as part of their assessment week so I require them to consider the aesthetics as well as the information included. I like that this has a more creative element (definitely more my thing) & it teaches them additional skills even if it is just the basics. To support this I have also asked out careers advisor, Anne, to come in & speak to students about what employers are looking for. She addressed three key areas including personal attributes, job specific skills & qualifications. Anne talked to students & carried out small activities including class discussions which allowed students to explore the requirements of various jobs. The video which she showed can be seen [2]here. Students seemed to be very engaged in the lesson; in part, this was due to someone else being at the front of the classroom. Students often react better when there is someone different leading the lesson & this was obvious in this occasion. In addition to this, Anne was giving them real life examples which she has picked up in her day-to-day activities. One of these examples was about an apprenticeship with a well-known, national company which put into perspective the personal skills students would need if they were to apply for a job. At no point was this all about IT jobs; I think that a generic approach to careers is important especially considering the squeeze on Pastoral time. This was especially pertinent to a group of students who, in the main, are looking for their first full time job. 1. http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/cambridge_technicals/it/it_l3/ 2. http://www.btplc.com/Responsiblebusiness/Supportingourcommunities/Learningandskills/Majorprogrammes/ MovingOn/Brandyou/Whatdoemployerswant/index.htm Kagan Manage Mats (2012-11-22 14:57) [1] At the beginning of this academic year my Subject Learning Co- Ordinator, [2]@gmcICT, introduced me to Kagan Manage Mats; Kagan is something he’s talked about a lot over the last couple of years while I’ve been here. [3]Kagan Manage Mats are great! They’re really useful within classroom situations to manage groups & promote discussion & participation in classrooms. Over the last couple of months I have used/seen these used in a variety of ways & all seem to have worked really, really well. Manage Mats have been divided into four squares; number 1 is shaded blue & has a small A in the corner, number 2 is shaded purple & has a small B in the corner, number 3 is shaded blue & has a small A in the corner & number 4 is shaded purple & has a small B in the corner. 19
- 20. • Today Iwas teaching a lesson on legislation for Cambridge Technical (Unit 1) & I used these as a way to group students. All students sat in tables of no more than 4. I assigned each student a legislation to quickly find out about giving them until the end of a song which I was playing (Munford & Sons for those who are interested). When students returned to their seats I asked all of the people who were ’1s’ (as indicated by the mat which was on the table in front of them) to stand together, all the ’2s’ & so on. Then I asked them to share in their new groups & make notes on the legislation. After 10 minutes of doing this, students returned to their original groups & explained all of the legislation which they now knew to the group. Once this had been done all students had written something about all of the pieces of legislation without having to research them. • This worked because students were asked to work outside of their comfort zone with people who they hadn’t worked with before by mixing up the groups. They were completely at random as it depended on where students were sat in the classroom as to what number they got. Also, I considered doing this as a Google Doc & asking each student to research one piece of legislation but I wanted the discussion element. By summarising the legislation & writing it on paper students weren’t able to just copy & paste the first answer they found & they had to be able to understand it too as they had to explain it to other students. I have also used this for a new version of think/pair/share which I call shoulder/face/share. The mats have something called ’shoulder partners’ & ’face partners’ which means you talk to the person who is at your shoulder & then people who are face to face with you. Instead of ’think’ I say ’shoulder’; students talk to their shoulder person & jot down ideas, etc. Then instead of ’pair’ we have ’face’; students talk to the person opposite them. This then followed by a discussion as a class. It’s just a new variation on think/pair/share which I quite like. As with any other tool it’s the scaffolding that makes it work. Today, I had sheets & timers to help students stay on track & with shoulder/face/pair I have used an adapted version of the PMI sheet. Without this it can become a little pointless. I team teach a Year 13 class with [4]@gmcICT for OCR Nationals (unit 20 websites) & the mats have been used a lot in these lesson. For example, when students are discussing things as a small group they feedback to the whole group by selecting a number at random i.e. all of the ’2s’ stand up. They then become responsible for feeding back to the whole group about what has been discussed in their small groups. There are loads of possibilities for this tool & I have found it really useful; it’s something so simple which can be embedded into a lesson very easily. In fact, there is literally no effort needed!! There’s another side to the board called ’Fan-N-Pick’ though this is not something I have used. If anyone has I’d be really interested in hearing how it was used! 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/kagan-manage-mats.jpg 2. https://twitter.com/gmcICT 3. http://www.kagan-uk.co.uk/ 4. https://twitter.com/gmcICT Why do I blog? (2012-11-28 16:57) This week when I received my TES I saw that there was an article called ’[1]Where it’s @’ about the rise in teachers blogging & the increased use of Twitter for teachers to communicate, collaborate & network. I’ll admit that after the first couple of paragraphs I was beginning to feel slightly concerned that the TES was suggesting we only blog to vent & critisise. I kept reading & realised this was not what the article was 20
- 21. about!! However, itdid get me think about why I actually do blog. What’s the point? Why do I bother? I started blogging myself in July 2012 after my Subject Learning Co-Ordinator, [2]@gmcICT, sug- gested that I should. I had already done an action research project which focused on blogging to enhance teaching which was a resounding success. However, I hadn’t actually blogged myself for my own benefit. So, I set up this blog & posted my first post called [3]’Using iPads to Record Videos’. Since then I have written a number of posts detailing the things I have done & how well they have worked. However, this doesn’t explain the point of it or why I bother. I’ve pondered this for a good few days now & I have come up with a number of reasons why I blog: 1. I blog because I like to. I guess that could be called self indulgent & perhaps it is but I like to share the things that I have done. I often find the best ideas come from the things I read on Twitter or the blogs that I have linked to through tweets from others. I don’t need or want to reinvent the wheel at any point; I just want to teach lessons which inspire students & help them to achieve & I find that other people’s experiences help me. Hopefully, at some point, my ideas or experiences might help other people. 2. I blog because it helps me to evaluate. When I write things down I can be a bit more honest with myself than when I just turn things over in my head. I find that I am more analytical &, often, less critical than I would be if I were to just think about things. 3. I blog to keep a record of what I’ve done. I often have good lessons & then ideas slip out of my mind & I sometimes forget to do something again. Having this blog records what I have done, how it’s worked & how I can use it again. The article in the TES certainly made me think about what I am using this for. I don’t use this to vent my frustrations on anything (except the failure of technology sometimes!!) or to critisise things but I do like to evaluate my teaching regularly & this is a suitable tool to do this. As the blog must be current I am made to do this in a busy world. It’s good to sit down & take some time out! At some point I hope people comment on my blog & I can start a dialogue; perhaps someone would like to tell me how they’ve approached something similar or completely differently! 1. http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6303473 2. https://twitter.com/gmcICT 3. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/using-ipads-to-record-videos/ 21
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- 23. Chapter 2 2013 2.1 January Creative iMedia - Unit 202: Assessment Objective 1 (2013-01-10 17:29) Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I have been struggling to create a unit of work which was interesting, challenging & enjoyable for [1]Unit 202 of Creative iMedia. My class has 7 boys in it &, to be honest, the unit didn’t appeal to me nevermind them. They’re a lovely group who enjoy the practical element of the course but are less inclined to do the written bits i.e. the research, the planning & the evaluating. To be fair, I completely understand where they’re coming from; I am the same! I have spent a lot of time talking to colleagues/friends (a special thanks to [2]@m115 bem for her help) & borrowing their work & tweaking it for my class to incorporate a greater range of e-learning tools, iPad activities, differentiation, etc. Assessment Objective 1 My PPT for AO1 can be seen [3]here. This was the AO I was/am most worried about; research audio software, research audio file for- mats, etc, etc. This isn’t the most exciting thing to do!! The tasks which I have used have been varied. The first couple of lessons were about getting students to get information onto paper. For 1.2 they had to create a [4]Prezi to explain broadcast methods & platforms which can view digital media. I’ve experienced a few issues with Prezi; firstly, the computers didn’t have Flash Player which was a problem initially but easily fixed. The students quite liked Prezi but I did have to ban certain motion paths for fear of being sick; it was like being on a rollercoaster!! Downloading the Prezis was a pain too. I’ve also exported them as a PDF (using the print function) to be on the safe side for moderation as sometimes things seem to stop working when I’ve checked them on Maps. Below is a copy of a Prezi I did as an [5]example though as a PDF. When I can embed the Prezi I will! [6]https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B VNEJVGK9k MFg5M282TFRPNEU My next step is to approach 1.3; students need to research the capabilities & limitations of sound software, still image editing software & moving image editing software. I am going to get students to create a table for sound, a podcast for still image editing soft- ware & an infographic using [7]Piktochart for moving image editing software. I intend for students to take one lesson for sound software, two for still image software & one for moving image software plus a homework research task. Students will be provided with scaffolding for each lesson. 23
- 24. Sound Software As thisis the first one that they’re doing I intend to get them to complete a [8]table which is already in their work area. This table will be changed & printed for the other areas so that students are following a familiar process. Students will be asked to find capabilities & limitations for one piece of software (initially Audacity) & then feedback to the group. They will then be sent away to research one of their own & then feedback to the group & so on until they have three pieces of software in their table. Students who are MAT students might have the opportunity to add additional software to their table. I will be providing some websites to help students & I have also printed some resources which I have found. 15/1/2013 - This has worked quite well. Students were fairly well engaged in the lesson which was pleasing. Only a couple of students struggled which I expected due to their particular learning difficulties. All the other students have managed to email me their work which I will check & feedback to them ASAP. Still Image Software Students will be given a sheet with a table on similar to that for the sound software. Again, the lesson will be structured so that students will have to gather information for one software and feedback and so on. I intend to show videos & suggest possible websites (which I will share when I have found them) to scaffold the lesson & prevent students from looking here, there and everywhere - or, as is more likely, going to Wikipedia & no further. In addition to this, some students have difficulty reading so I will be checking reading ages of sources, using video for auditory learners, etc. Creating the podcast will be a second lesson where students will develop sound editing skills which will be important later on in the unit. Taking this opportunity for a practice is important & allows students to familiarise themselves with the software before the crucial piece of work. Before creating a Podcast, students will be shown this video from YouTube (obviously not all of it): [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrBbczS9I0] By using this video, I hope to push the students with better skills to play with the software having given them a starting point leaving me to be able to assist the weaker students more easily. As in the video, students will be using [9]Audacity to create their podcast. 17/1/2013 - In the first lesson, I carefully structured the lesson into 6 parts. I started with the introduction & the starter activity which was the same as the previous lesson & then I moved on to the first piece of software. The students looked at the capabilities & limitations of iPhoto as a photo editing package using the information from the [10]iTunes website. The information is easily accessible with this source especially considering the reviews which are available. I think this was important for the less able students in the class because some other sources were very, very technical & it would have been difficult to pick out the important parts. I had printed copies of these as well as the internet which allowed students to choose which to use. After about 7 minutes the students & I discussed their findings. This allowed students to add to their notes in preparation for the next step. I repeated the processes for the other two software options (Fireworks & Photoshop) then allowed students to look for their own which they later fed back to the group. Below are two images of some of the work produced: 24
- 25. [11] [12] I am quitehappy with the work students have produced for the first part of this task but I am less happy with the quality of the resources I provided. I’d have liked to be able to check the reading ages of the sources (something which we are covering in Twilight Training this week ironically) though the iTunes source was pretty good & students were able to access that a lot easier than the other two sources. If anyone has any good websites for checking reading ages I’d appreciate it if you could pass those on. Behaviour can be an issue with this class & I find that lots of short, timed activities work really well & this is something I have stuck to quite rigidly. [13] Recording the podcast was a separate lesson which took place the day after the research lesson. To record the sounds I gave each students a microphone. We use [14]Easi Speak microphones which were originally designed for primary school children. These are really easy to use & students had no problems with them. I asked students to create small audio files; they recorded their capabilities & features for the first piece of software, started a new file for limitations & so on. This reduced the likelihood of making mistakes & is something I have learned from previous lessons with other groups. The best thing about these microphones is that they can transfer the sounds via a USB port which meant the students could add them to their own workspace easily as & when they needed to. There was some initial silliness from students which is a little bit disappointing but also to be expected. All students had a really good grasp of how to use Audacity from studying OCR Nationals which made the process smooth. I’d forgot that they had already used this software but the lesson at least provided a 25
- 26. refresher for them.Below is an example of one of the podcasts which I uploaded using Audioboo. [gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1160495-still-image-podcast-1.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dword- press &mp3Author=MissChambersICT &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudio- boo.fm %2Fboos %2F1160495-still-image-podcast-1 &mp3Time=01.58pm+17+Jan+2013 &mp3Title=Still+Image+Podcast+1+” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”] Overall, I am quite pleased with how this lesson turned out. The work produced by students is really good & easily meets the mark criteria for this section. Most importantly, students enjoyed this & approached it with a positive attitude. This helped students with weaker literacy skills or EAL. In terms of submitting this work through Maps, I have decided to take pictures of the sheets students complete & upload those as well as the podcasts. I’m firmly in the camp of ”be on the safe side” & it doesn’t cause much disruption as we are using Maps3 so multiple uploads are an issue &, as long as students tag their posts, I am able to check everything off in one go (something which is a massive improvement over Maps2). Moving Image Software I am in love with infographics as [15]previous blog posts & tweets have shown. I think that they’re pretty & interesting!! Again, I will follow the same format though students will have done their research at home (fingers crossed). They’ll have the opportunity in the starter to feedback to the group & add to their table so that they’re gathering additional information which they can act upon. 1.4 - 1.7 - File Formats & Compression As you’ll see from my PowerPoint, I was intending to do a Prezi with the students for AO1.4 but I was playing around with some apps which were suggested to me. [16]Video Scribe is a really easy app to use & it is fun too! Below is an example of a video which I created in less than 10 minutes when playing about. I haven’t added any sound or used any of the advanced features but for 10 minutes it’s a decent video! [vimeo 57595733 w=500 h=281] [17]Video Scribe Example from [18]Laura Chambers on [19]Vimeo. I am going to ask students to create a Video Scribe to explain audio file formats. I like how this app exports to Dropbox & to the camera roll which is helpful. However, it can take a really long time which is a shame & time consuming. I’ll have to sort this out after the lesson I think rather than ask the students to do it. The video above took 20 minutes to create the video. 30/1/2013 - Initially I had planned for this lesson to take just one but that soon turned out to be unrealistic. I gave students a number of resources to use which I had found on the internet. Unfortunately, these were all printed articles because I have had real trouble finding videos, podcasts, etc. which is a shame. However, I did check the literacy levels & the articles were definitely suitable for the students. Again, I structured the lesson so that students had to read and make notes. We then discussed it and students moved onto the second file format. An example of the work is below: 26
- 27. [20] Students all managedthis task quite well and we moved onto inputting the information onto Video Scribe. I am really pleased with how the students worked with the app. It is a little fiddly at first but students got to grips with it quite well. They got a little bit obsessed with the images which could be added but this didn’t distract students from what they had to do so I am pleased. They also had the sense to make these animations smaller. That is definitely on of my top tips; when you’re exporting it takes a long time so the preset drawings need to be made much quicker (some are up to 30 seconds). Examples of student work can be seen below: [vimeo 58536093 w=500 h=281] [21]Jevon’s Audio File Formats from [22]Laura Chambers on [23]Vimeo. [vimeo 58536156 w=500 h=281] [24]Chris’ Audio File Formats from [25]Laura Chambers on [26]Vimeo. AO1.5 is all about still image file formats. I am going to ask the students to create a short movie using [27]iMovie & the camera function on the iPad. This is something they’ve done twice [28]previously & both times it was a success. Again, the idea is that students make notes & then record their videos, import into iMovie & render a video to create their evidence. This is something which takes the pressure off students because they can create multiple takes if they need to. 5 out of 7 students in this class have literacy issues & this does help them with these issues as they don’t need to write all of the time. I have used the following video as the prompt for students: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maqbhJx3H4E] This is a really simple video for students to listen to & it doesn’t make things overly ’techie’ which is a problem with a lot of resources which I find, especially for this sort of thing! I liked this because the slide is on the screen which is helpful for students to read as they are listening. This engages two different types of learners; I especially think it’ll be helpful for a couple of my students. I am providing students with a sheet which they need to fill in as the video goes along so that they can make notes in preparation for their videos. The sheets can be seen below or you can see them as PDFs ([29]sheet 1 & [30]sheet 2) 27
- 28. [31] [32] Ideally, I plan to have these sheets printed back to back & blown up to A3 for the students. This class like things to be in colour too which is why they’re so bright! 5/2/2013 - Today we finally got around to creating the videos & putting them together using iMovie. Last week we watched the video above & then discussed the information the students had found before they write their script. I think this was a really beneficial to the students & I was especially pleased with the students that went away & did some additional research before writing their scripts. I think the video helped them with a starting point before they looked at more complex sources. The videos the students created were quite good and definitely covered the relevant points which allow them to achieve the assessment criteria. Students used the camera function on the iPad to record their videos (ideally in small sections) then used iMovie to edit the videos together (simple drag & drop). In the past when I have done this I have always asked students to film each other but some students are really shy when it comes to being on camera so this time I printed off the icons & asked students to film them while talking. This made the process much quicker than I expected so students carried on with their work from other units. Below are two examples of the videos which were produced: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzuh3l139AM] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMvAjFcxor8] As usual, I used the iPad exit tickets to find out what students said ”The iPads were fun to use. I found it better than writing stuff down in our books. However, it might be 28
- 29. difficult for somepeople to get the hang of using the iPads.” I think this is a very valid point; some students might find it more difficult than others. However, I do think that students are very tech savvy and with some being experts it does make it easier for me to help others who are struggling more. As usual I have asked the students to upload their scripts to Maps so that there is additional evidence ’just in case’ ! 1. http://ocr.org.uk/images/81594-level-2-unit-202-digital-media-skills-for-asset-production.pdf 2. https://twitter.com/m155_bem 3. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_VNEJVGK9k_SDNBZnFmVWl3WlU/edit 4. file://localhost/mnt/ext/blogbooker/tmp/0qv41gjb/www.prezi.com 5. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_MFg5M282TFRPNEU 6. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_MFg5M282TFRPNEU 7. http://piktochart.com/ 8. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_VNEJVGK9k_UEJTU19GWmdOaEk 9. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ 10. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/iphoto/id497786065?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2 11. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/still-image-software2.jpg 12. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/still-image-software1.jpg 13. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/microphones.jpg 14. http://www.tts-group.co.uk/shops/tts/Products/PD1727034/Easi-Speak-MP3-Recorder-Player/ 15. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/using-piktochart/ 16. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/videoscribe-hd/id505464331?mt=8 17. http://vimeo.com/57595733 18. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 19. http://vimeo.com/ 20. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/audio-ff.jpg 21. http://vimeo.com/58536093 22. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 23. http://vimeo.com/ 24. http://vimeo.com/58536156 25. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 26. http://vimeo.com/ 27. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id377298193?mt=8 28. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/using-ipads-to-record-videos/ 29. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_VNEJVGK9k_YUxCWkNaOTZOZGs/edit 30. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_VNEJVGK9k_Y2VibUJra1NlWTQ/edit 31. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/help-sheet-1.jpg 32. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/help-sheet-2.jpg Improving PowerPoints for Students (2013-01-10 17:34) I’ve spent a lot of time recently working with student teachers on developing resources & teaching aids. It made me think a lot about how I create my resources & I began to think more closely about my own PowerPoints & how they aid & how they hinder learning. I was always told during my teacher training that one of the best tools I had at my disposal was what I put on the board as it would help me to progress through my lessons. I’ve always found it easier to create a PPT than a lesson plan & often do that first when planning for a lesson before I write an LP (when I have to do so). However, I have begun to think that my PPTs aren’t going the extra mile &, sometimes, are pretty poor. So, after much consideration & a look at other people’s PPTs, I have redeveloped most of my teaching resources. 29
- 30. I have startedto use a presentation style called ’Sketchbook’ which is available in Microsoft Power- Point 2010 because I think the colours are professional & simple as well as being appropriate for the students. Too often the templates are distracting for students. There are some other things which I have started to do also: 1. Following the learning objectives, I have a slide with the keywords for the lesson displayed on them. These usually link back to the objectives. The idea behind this is that students will be able to identify key learning easier. The key words are highlighted throughout the PPT when they appear to draw students to their & help them make links within their learning. With one class I am asking them to keep a record of the keywords & later on we will use an app called [1]Wordsalad to create an infographic to submit with their coursework. The idea is that they can use these keywords as prompts when it comes to writing their review. 2. At the top of each slide is a box which contains the learning objective that that slide/task relates to. This might be one or two objectives depending on the point in the lesson. This has helped me to ensure that the lessons I am planning don’t vear off course at any point. In addition to this, it helps students make the links between what they’re expected to learn & what they’re actually learning. They can then self assess to see if they are meeting that objective too. 3. I have started to include a box at the bottom which contains the blog address for that class (if appropriate) & a twitter hashtag. While Twitter doesn’t seem to have taken off in my classroom yet (I am pushing it), I am hoping that students will begin to use it for when they need help or when they’re at home & find a suitable resource, etc. I am also using it for starters & plenaries in some lessons. The video below was created using [2]Explain Everything (EE) on the iPad & uploaded to [3]Vimeo. This is the first EE I have done so apologies for the poor quality but I was just testing it! [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/57144728 w=500 &h=375] [4]Improved PPT from [5]Laura Chambers on [6]Vimeo. > I think my new method of creating PPTs has it’s benefits; I am hoping that students are able to make links more easily between what I have asked them to learn & what they’re doing. I am aware that nothing I am doing is particularly new or exciting &, frankly, I have created the PPT templates from taking the best practices of other people. My PPTs in the past have been well ordered but I think this will improve their effectiveness within lessons. 1. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordsalad-your-salads-redefined/id545164778?mt=8 2. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8 3. file://localhost/mnt/ext/blogbooker/tmp/0qv41gjb/www.vimeo.com 4. http://vimeo.com/57144728 5. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 6. http://vimeo.com/ Explain Everything misschambersict (2013-01-30 13:49:37) [...] the first time with students. I have used it myself in the past which you might have seen on my previous blog post but today was the first time that I have used it with [...] Differentiated Wordsearches (2013-01-18 12:11) Yesterday after school we had a twilight session about literacy, differentiation & sharing best practice across the school. In addition to this, we’ve had a recent book scrutiny which focused on marking policy 30
- 31. & differentiation. I havealways struggled with differentiation for both higher & lower ability students particularly at Key Stage 3. I am lucky; our KS3 schemes of work & resources are created for us. However, there’s a need to adapt resources for my own classes & this is something I have become a lot more concious of this academic year. Last night I was trying to think of a suitable plenary for two Year 7 classes. One class is mostly able with a couple of students who have SEN where as the other class has appoximately half the students with SEN or EAL. This makes teaching quite tough at times & can make differentiation difficult also. All I wanted was something fairly simple to end the lesson. I decided on a wordsearch of the key terms from the lesson followed by a question & answer session as they’re exiting. I have differentiated wordsearches before but last night I found a great site which made it even quicker & easier to do. [1]Teachers-Direct is very easy to use & quick too which is most important for all of us in our busy lives. The first wordsearch I produced is for the [2]lower ability students who struggle with basic literacy. I chose the basic worsearch option which just creates a list of words which they can search for. An option is to pick which direction you’d like the words to go in so I’ve picked ’natural direction’ for this wordsearch & then easy letters to surround the words. The [3]middle to higher ability wordsearch is a little bit more complex. I’ve used an option to add questions or phrases with the searchable words missing. Therefore, students have to answer the questions before they can search for the key word. I have chosen for words to go in any directions & left the choice of surrounding letters as medium. What I liked most was the ability to save PDFs from this site. I now have two resources for the next time I teach this unit. I haven’t expored any of the other features on this site as of yet. 1. http://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/resources/wordsearches/wordsearch-maker.aspx 2. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_VNEJVGK9k_UUM1Sjl1S0JqWE0/edit 3. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_VNEJVGK9k_UEJFUnRraXMzTjg/edit Explain Everything misschambersict (2013-01-30 13:49:40) [...] much more focused on & aware of over the last couple of months. I have already blogged about differentiated wordsearches and now I have started to look at using Explain Everything. In the past I have asked students to [...] Video Scribe (2013-01-23 10:49) [1] [2]Video Scribe is an app which I have recently started to use & one which I have really come to love! The iTunes description states that it is a ”unique way to create engaging animated videos quickly & easily”. This is definitely something I would agree with. I spent a reasonable amount of time creating two videos so that I could learn to use the app. In all honesty, I only needed to create one as it is simple to use but I was enjoying using the app & wanted to make a second video. There’s options to add sound to the videos & to import your own images or record your own sound. I haven’t used these features yet but I suspect they’ll be fairly simple as with all of the other features on this app. The app allows you to export directly to the camera roll. Dropbox, Youtube or your mail (though all videos I have created have 31
- 32. been far toobig for this option) which makes sharing really easy. There are only two disadvantages that I can find so far: 1. When you enter text it appears on one line regardless of whether you add line breaks which is a shame. If you want text on a different line you need to add a second piece of text. It works best for information to be in really small chunks but this is good for most presentations. 2. Creating a movie can take a very long time. The two videos below took between 20 & 30 minutes to export to a movie which wasn’t overly convinient but I did just go away & make a cup of tea while this was happening! Below are the two videos I have created so far. Both have been uploaded to [3]Vimeo for you to be able to see them. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/57595733 w=500 &h=281] [4]Video Scribe Example from [5]Laura Chambers on [6]Vimeo. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/58004225 w=500 &h=281] [7]Video File Formats from [8]Laura Chambers on [9]Vimeo. I intend to move forward with this by making videos for things such as: course overviews (for open evenings, etc), generic expectations guidance (for things like essay writing, literacy, etc) & for helps sheets. I hope this will engage learns a bit better than traditional methods such as paper hand outs. I can see how Video Scribe can be used, from a teachers point of view, across a variety of subjects: • Science: creating a ’how to’ video for an experiment • Maths: reminders of key terms or rules for formulas • English: literacy rules or ’how to’ for writing to persuade/inform/argue/etc I am sure there are way more & I’d be really grateful if you could suggest ways which this could be used in your own subject. I can also see this being a useful revision tool; create a video which gives the key topics for a unit with some key points added. This could be added to a VLE, blog, etc for students to look at at home when revising. Using Video Scribe with Students I have also asked students to produce Video Scribes to show their understanding of a topic. Below is two examples of student’s work which details their understanding of audio file formats. [vimeo 58536156 w=500 h=281] [10]Chris’ Audio File Formats from [11]Laura Chambers on [12]Vimeo. [vimeo 58536093 w=500 h=281] [13]Jevon’s Audio File Formats from [14]Laura Chambers on [15]Vimeo. 32
- 33. Students responded wellto their task and created videos which met the requirements of the assess- ment criteria. They found the app a little bit fiddly & sensitive at first but were soon solving their own problems & getting their work done. I’m really pleased with this app & think it’s quite an easy one for students to use once they’ve got the hang of things. 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/videoscribe250.png 2. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/videoscribe-hd/id505464331?mt=8 3. file://localhost/mnt/ext/blogbooker/tmp/0qv41gjb/www.vimeo.com 4. http://vimeo.com/57595733 5. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 6. http://vimeo.com/ 7. http://vimeo.com/58004225 8. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 9. http://vimeo.com/ 10. http://vimeo.com/58536156 11. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 12. http://vimeo.com/ 13. http://vimeo.com/58536093 14. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 15. http://vimeo.com/ Explain Everything (2013-01-30 13:49) [1] Today I used [2]Explain Everything for the first time with students. I have used it myself in the past which you might have seen on my [3]previous blog post but today was the first time that I have used it with students. My Year 11 OCR Nationals class are studying Unit 21. Within this class I have a number of learning difficulties, many of which include literacy problems. Within our school, and most others, we have had a drive to improve literacy standards & it is something I have become much more focused on & aware of over the last couple of months. I have already blogged about [4]differentiated wordsearches and now I have started to look at using Explain Everything. In the past I have asked students to [5]record videos to show their understanding but this was suggested to me by a variety of people as an alternative especially when students are talking about a product. My class has some students in it which severely struggle with the written aspects of the course and this was an alternative to writing their evaluation. Initially I had decided to use this at the end of the unit when they had put together their final graphic rather than at each stage. However, another member of staff showed how she had used it with a Year 7 student & I was so impressed with how it had worked for her that I have decided to do it at every step (i.e when they’ve built their buttons, their banner and their navigation bar then again when it’s put together in a web page). Video 1 [vimeo 58535819 w=500 h=375] [6]Explaining the Creation of Buttons for Unit 21 - Kamil from [7]Laura Chambers on [8]Vimeo. This video was created by a student who has EAL. His spoken English is excellent & his writ- ten English is pretty good too though sometimes he needs support. I’ve found with this video that he 33
- 34. has spoken verywell about what he has done & I am pleased about this but I don’t think he’s used the features of Explain Everything very well which is a shame. I’d have liked to have seen more of this to help him to add more detail but this is sufficient. He hasn’t used the text tools, the drawing tools, etc though I will encourage him to do this with the other elements of the course. Video 2 [vimeo 58535667 w=500 h=375] [9]Explain Everything - Aidan from [10]Laura Chambers on [11]Vimeo. Again, this student hasn’t used as many of the features of Explain Everything as I’d have liked but the video is successful. As you can see, it’s significantly longer than the first video with more in depth analysis. There are two things which I would do differently: 1. I’d provide students with a framework of questions which they needed to answer for each button such as: what canvas size is the button, what colour code is the button, what font did you chose, why did you chose this? This is a small list but I definitely think this would make an improvement to the overall video. 2. I’d demonstrate, using an Apple TV, how to use the app as I didn’t have the opportunity to do this. We have a couple in school but I didn’t plan ahead and organise changing rooms - completely my own fault! I think we might have another go at this and produce a second, more detailed video for each student. Feedback from students was very positive. We have something called an ’exit ticket’ which staff complete after using the iPads and on it is a section for student voice. I asked a student to fill this section in for me & they said, ”The app worked better than actually writing it up even though it was embarrassing listening to my own voice. I found the app to be more productive and fun as some of the features were cool.” I am really pleased with this feedback! I think it’s important that students enjoy their learning! Sometimes with things like this they’re not actually recognising that they are learning which is half the battle!! I am really happy with this as a way to help students who struggle with their literacy. I know other members of staff do this with their students and I think it is definitely an alternative. I am still a firm believer that we need to help students with weaker literacy skills learn to read and write the old fashioned way (i.e. with a pen and paper or a computer) as this is vitally important for their future. However, I think if we break things up and make things more interesting for students they’ll be more inclined to write when they’re actually asked to. I have produced a video for my students to help them use Explain Everything which can be seen below or found [12]here. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBhkpnQ3U8] I’ve also made the video available through the [13]TES if you’re not able to access YouTube in school or if you need a different format. 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/explain_everything.png 2. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8 3. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/improving-powerpoints-for-students/ 4. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/differentiated-wordsearches/ 5. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/using-ipads-to-record-videos/ 34
- 35. 6. http://vimeo.com/58535819 7. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 8.http://vimeo.com/ 9. http://vimeo.com/58535667 10. http://vimeo.com/user12555791 11. http://vimeo.com/ 12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBhkpnQ3U8 13. http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/How-to-use-Explain-Everything-6322759/ 2.2 February Improving Literacy: Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar (SPaG) (2013-02-05 10:30) As you already know, we have been focusing on literacy a lot within St John’s & I have become quite obsessive about find ways to help students to improve their literacy or overcome barriers to learning. Yesterday I was browsing Twitter & came across a [1]resource tweeted by @TESPrimary. Initially, I thought that this would be a suitable resource for the lower ability students in KS3 but, after more thought, I’ve decided that it’s very useful as a reminder to all students. From this resource I decided to make it a bit more suitable for my subject & used [2]Video Scribe (yes, I know I am obsessed!) to create a video. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aray QFvsX4 &w=560 &h=315] This video has been slightly updated from the resource I initially looked at & made more specific for ICT with the inclusion of software in the capital letters section. My intention is that I can play this in lessons before asking students to make amendments to their work (i.e. self evaluation). I also intend to include the link in their ICT booklets & would like to add an image version to some of their homework sheets. I have also added this to my blogs for various groups including my form group & both sixth form classes. 1. http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/-6317165 2. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/videoscribe-hd/id505464331?mt=8 Using Audioboo to provide feedback (2013-02-24 21:19) [1] Audioboo is an app which I have found particularly useful in the past & have [2]blogged about previously also. 35
- 36. This time Ihave used Audioboo to provide feedback for Year 13 students for their website. I can’t say this was my idea but it is something I have done in the past. Approximately 3 years ago I took part in an action research project where I looked at providing feedback to students & I chose to use audio feedback. To be honest, I found it incredibly useful then but I had forgotten all about it & this reminded me of the benefits! In the past I used a microphone & I had to download the files & send them along to the students but Audioboo has made this much easier than that. I am able to upload them to the Audioboo website which students can access & I can embed onto the class blog or tweet the links too. This level of ease has definitely improved things! I’m definitely keeping this up as I need to ease my marking load. I think this is something I could do for whole class feedback too. I always add [3]generic feedback to my class blogs when I mark an assessment criteria but I could do this verbally in the future. [gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudio- boo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170911- jamie-allison.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=MissChambersICT &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170911-jamie-allison &mp3Time=12.36pm+23+Jan+2013 &mp3Title=Jamie+Allison” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”] [gigya src=”http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize player.swf” flashvars=”mp3=http %3A %2F %2Faudioboo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170917-ryan-kelly.mp3 %3Fsource %3Dwordpress &mp3Author=MissChambersICT &mp3LinkURL=http %3A %2F %2Faudio- boo.fm %2Fboos %2F1170917-ryan-kelly &mp3Time=12.40pm+23+Jan+2013 &mp3Title=Ryan+Kelly” width=”400” height=”160” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”] There’s two major benefits for me over written feedback: 1. Students get a lot more feedback from me than if I write their feedback. Using Audioboo I can record up to 3 minutes of spontaneous feedback as I am going through work which is especially helpful when we’re talking about practical work like websites, sounds, etc. & this is probably a lot more than I’d write. It’s easier for me too - anyone who saw my earlier tweet will know I had a sore hand from writing - because I can be more descriptive & more verbose. 2. When I provide the feedback in this way I always ask students to listen to it & translate it to their mark sheets. This means the students are forced to listen to their feedback & I have a written record of what they’ve been asked to do to achieve the next grade. Basically, I am forcing students to pay attention & when I did this as part of the action research I definitely noticed that students were not needing as much time to complete their coursework & I wasn’t having to harp on at them about following the advice I’d given them. Of course there are downsides to verbal feedback! I struggled to find a quiet place to record feedback & tried to do it with others in the room but their voices over powered mine as I was trying to be quiet so I didn’t distract or cause an issue. Also, it’s slightly embarrassing recording your own voice at times. I know I sound completely different in my head to what I do out loud but it’s something you just have to accept as being the way it is! One of the issues I found was that the iPad app is not particularly useful compared to the [4]iPhone app. Therefore, I have downloaded the iPhone app rather than the other option. It’s much more user friendly! 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/audioboo.jpg 2. http://misschambersict.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/using-audioboo-to-conduct-a-swot-analysis/ 3. http://stjohnsnationalsunit27.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/advice-for-making-improvements-to-ao5/ 4. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audioboo/id305204540?mt=8 36
- 37. 2.3 March How to...! (2013-03-05 20:40) [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBhkpnQ3U8 &w=420 &h=315] [slideshare id=16972474 &w=427 &h=356 &sc=no] [1]Uploading a video to YouTube from [2]misschambersICT 1. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT/uploading-a-video-to-youtube 2. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT Cambridge Technicals in IT - Unit 1: LO3 (P5, P6, M2 & D2) (2013-03-06 10:45) Like many I’ve been teaching OCR’s new [1]Cambridge Technicals in IT. If I’m being honest I have found the course difficult to teach though not in terms of content but more in terms of making it interesting. I recently attended a course run by OCR which really helped me to get to grips with unit 1 & made me feel a lot more comfortable with the content. I really wish this course had come much sooner than it did but that can’t really be helped. I’d recommend the course to anyone! Learning objective 1 & 2 weren’t too bad though really dry. I tried to make it interesting & I know I’d teach it very differently a second time though (look out for a post with a draft scheme of work on it!). Students kind of got to grips with it. Learning objective 3 requires learners to be able to us IT to communicate effectively. It was al- ways obvious to me that students could take evidence from other places to achieve the Pass criteria and then explain & justify their use of IT. However, I also think that this criteria can be used to make things a little more interesting across the unit & add something else into it to engage students. Creating an app I decided to ask students to use [2]App Inventor by MIT. With my Year 8 students I am cur- rently building apps & they have used help sheets to practice. I had just decided to create video guidance for next academic year & then I had a brainwave! Why should I create the videos when I can ask my Year 12 students to do so! I gave my Year 12s the brief to create a video using Wink for Year 8 students. To be honest, this hasn’t gone as well as I’d have hoped as there have been problems with App Inventor & students got quite frustrated. They’ve also not used their problem solving skills to make the best possible Wink video which has frustrated me. Those who have finished their videos to a good standard have created an .SWF which I was hoping to pop onto YouTube but this hasn’t been possible yet. When I convert the videos they begin to run far too fast which is a shame. I’m definitely going to do something similar next year with a new cohort but I will be using an- other software such as Screenr or Jing so that students have a better experience. Either that or I’ll be doing a lot more work on how to use Wink. Creating an Explain Everything video The second task I asked students to do was to create a guide for OAPs showing them how to use the basic features of email. This was a change of audience and purpose and we had a lengthy 37
- 38. conversation about audienceand purpose, effective communication & so on. The students really worked hard to produce their videos & some are very imaginative such as ”email for old dummies” as a take on the dummies series of books. Two examples are below: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddrIHsG6e48] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2PyygLJN4g] I gave the students a double lesson to complete the work & most were able to create a video within this time frame though, as expected, some students approached this with a more mature attitude than other. All students h[3] ave definitely achieved P5 & P6. This was really easy for me to manage because I exported all the videos to YouTube & tweeted the students with the link. They’re going to convert the link into a QR code to put on their essay so that the moderator will be able to find it easily. I think this will also aid with internal moderation because I won’t need to locate the student’s videos and pass those details onto my colleague; they will just need to scan the work to see what the student’s work is like. What will I do next? The next step is to complete M2 & D2 where students explain and justify the choices of IT. They will also look at the infographic they produced for unit 12 (websites) and discuss this too. I’ve provided the students with some [4]questions to answer as a guide and to help them to achieve the Distinction criteria. The advice from OCR is that a Distinction can be achieved by expanding on the detail given for a Merit & I think most students will manage to achieve this. What will I do in the next academic year? It occurred to me that this might be a good place to start with students who are new to the course. Firstly, it’s quite engaging; if I give students an iPad in their first couple of lessons they’re more likely to be interested in the course. Secondly, the criteria lends itself to initial assessment. As there is Pass, Merit & Distinction criteria involved in this learning objective it becomes much easier to level students and judge their literacy skills and time management skills. Also, I find that classes change a lot at the beginning of Year 12 as students decide what they want to do & what they’d prefer not to do. A task like this is easy for them to catch up on if they miss the first couple of lessons. 1. http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/ cambridge-technicals-it-level-3-certificate-introductory-diploma-diploma-subsidary-diploma-extended-diploma-05347-0534 2. http://appinventor.mit.edu/ 3. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/ee-qr-code.png 4. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uPbw-PHBKM7Oj72TFjFxNciUfoQx4EeNsSa-R2QmiB8/edit?usp=sharing 38
- 39. SmartArt Evaluation Templates(2013-03-11 13:32) I often find that students struggle with evaluations especially if they come at the end of a lengthy project. This is something which always happens with Creative iMedia students and I have tried various ways of getting them to write comprehensive reviews which are detailed. One thing which I have been trialing with my current group is a key questions sheet for students to make notes on using Smart Art within Microsoft Word. It’s a really simple but effective tool to create a flow chart for students. Sheet 1 Below is an image of the first sheet which I give to students. In this case I designed the sheet for students studying Unit 202 for Creative iMedia where students had to manipulate three assets. [1] As you can see, the students have to answer questions in a set order so that they’re working through the assessment criteria and so they’re thinking in a logical manner. As a group we sit & discuss their work and the project process so that students are helping each other to remember problems that they had had. Students just need to make notes in bullet point format before they go away to their computer & expand on the points by writing in full sentences and including relevant screen shots to support their answers. Sheet 2 [2] The second sheet helps students to make the link back to the client brief and identify where they’ve done well and where they need to make improvements. This definitely works; when I did this with students for their Pre Production unit their reviews were much more detailed. The class I currently have are weaker in terms of literacy that the classes I had last academic year but their reviews were much more detailed & informative as well as structured appropriately. Students find the whole class discussion really beneficial and this could be done in small groups or as a whole class. I think students like this because writing a review/evaluation can seem really, really daunting and difficult but this breaks it down into smaller chunks and allows when to bullet point first which makes it easier to write full & detailed sentences. I have also done this to help students to analyse the requirements of a task. It’s quite versatile! One of the benefits of SmartArt is the bright colours which can be altered to fit your needs. I love the bright, cheerful nature and I know students are also attracted by this which is really good. I feel 39
- 40. this loses someof it’s impact when it’s not printed in colour & you can say things like ”we should all be completing the blue box now” which is helpful. Another thing to consider is that this is really easy to do. In this day & age we’re all really busy & need things to be simple, quick & effective. This doesn’t have the all singing, all dancing, flashy nature of using an iPad or something but it is effective & it does what you want it to do: promote discussion, give confidence and allow students time for thought. 1. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/smart-art1.png 2. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/smart-art2.png Continual Reviews/Evaluations (2013-03-11 14:19) Students studying Creative iMedia often find that they are struggling to remember the problems they encountered throughout a project when they come to writing their final review. I can understand! It’s difficult to look back at and remember something which you might have done 6 to 8 weeks ago or longer if there’s a holiday in between. With this in mind, and because I was doing action research, I asked students to create an individ- ual blog where they could record their progress in each lesson. Below are some of the links to a couple of blogs. • [1]Emily’s blog • [2]Brogan’s blog • [3]Shannon’s blog • [4]Hollie’s blog Students were asked to edit images to produce a final product which could act as a poster for a travel company or be printed onto promotional material such as cups, t shirts, mouse mats, etc. As you can see from the image gallery below the students produced some amazing work & used some very advanced features within Photoshop. [gallery type=”slideshow” ids=”584,586,587,583,588,589,585,590”] I knew that this would cause some students problems in terms of technical ability as well as remembering what they were asked to do. Therefore, the blogs became really useful. As you can see from the blogs above, students recorded their progress with individual images as and when they needed to. Students were able to demonstrate their understanding & document any issues which they’d had and how they had over come these. What was the final impact? This was the fifth project that students had done for Creative iMedia so I knew that the reviews would be more effective than previous ones simply because students had had more practice. However, I was impressed with the final pieces of writing which students had done. I definitely noticed that I wasn’t offering suggestions for improvement as readily as I had been and I knew students had been looking back at their blog to complete the review. I used their blogs as a starter for some lessons. Students looked at their blogs and said what they 40
- 41. needed to doin the lesson & set their own objectives based on their previous blog post. This worked quite well because the students were naturally at different points throughout the project and it was hard for me to set whole lesson objectives. Obviously this naturally lends itself to a built in plenary to most lessons too. A benefit which hadn’t occurred to me was the ability to get students to give feedback to each other and for me to give feedback at various stages. I liked this because I could do it in the car on the way home (don’t worry I car share, I wasn’t driving!!) or while I was watching TV or during a break duty, etc. It made life much easier especially if I needed to devote time to the students Photoshop skills within lessons rather than spending my time acting as a client. Also, I asked students to post any problems they had so that others could give them the solution. This was brilliant for me because, to be honest, I don’t always have the answer & students often know more than me. I asked colleagues to feedback to students too which was nice. Unfortunately, none of the blogs above show these things as I can’t remember who did get feedback from staff!! [slideshare id=17103815 &w=479 &h=511 &sc=no] [5]A02 ao4 pdf from [6]misschambersICT Were there any problems? Something which I found really annoying was the issue of submitting the blog as evidence. I hadn’t really considered that OCR say that nothing external can be looked at as it needs to be secure within Maps to be moderated. This lead to a lot of copying & pasting on my part which was a shame. I hadn’t even though about it until it was too late to ask students to do it!! At times it was quite difficult to get students to put their images onto the blog & write about it. I think this is mainly down to their enthusiasm for Photoshop though! All of this has entered my head because I am starting unit 113 again next week with my current Year 11s. I’ll definitely be asking the group to do the same thing (starting next week) but I am going to look for a way for them to create a PDF or something when they’re done; it was too time consuming for me to do. If anyone has any suggestions of how I might go about this I’d be really grateful. I’ll be using blogger again with the students as this appears to be one of the more accessible blogging sites for students. Just because I am proud of their work I have added an image of one of the final products. For some students we printed their work onto cups, etc to show them what they’d be like in the end and to use during parent’s evenings and such like. [7] 1. http://emilymasongraphicsediting.blogspot.co.uk/ 2. http://brogandobsoncreativeimediaunit113.blogspot.co.uk/ 3. http://shannongoldbergcreativeimedia.blogspot.co.uk/ 4. http://holliewatson113.blogspot.co.uk/ 5. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT/a02-ao4-pdf 6. http://www.slideshare.net/misschambersICT 7. http://misschambersict.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/product.png 41
- 43. BlogBook v0.4, L TEX 2ε & GNU/Linux. A http://www.blogbooker.com Edited: March 11, 2013