Session Three - 6th November 2012 : Digital Media and Computer Control Across the Curriculum

We've nearly reached the half way point of our ICT module aready!  How time flies when you're having so much fun learning and blogging!

The third session of the module was the first of a two parter on Digital Media and Computer Control.  It was even busier than the first two sessions.  We got to play with some great gadgets and, as always, I learnt a lot.

My learning from today's session included:

• Understanding the term 'Computer Control', which is about the computer being in control through its set of instructions that cause a machine to operate in a pre-determined way.
• Computer Contol is all around us - in machines such as microwaves, central heating systems, washing machines, traffic lights, barcode scanners and CCTV cameras.
• Thinking more about the reasons we use computers to control things: they don't get tired or lose oncentration, they don't make mistakes, they don't get bored by repeating the same thing over and over again and, of course, they are much cheaper than humans! 
• How programmable toys can support children's learning, especially devices like Beebots and Data Loggers.
• Understanding the term 'Computer Monitoring', which is about using sensors to take readings of the environment and to provide feedback for a control system.

The National Curriculum (2000) for ICT is no longer statutory for schools.  At the time it was written, it had this to say about Computer Control and Computer Monitoring:

At Key Stage 1 pupils should recognise that control is integral to many everyday devices. They should be taught how to plan and give instructions to make things happen, and describe the effects of their actions.
 
By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils will have been taught how to create, test, improve and refine sequences of instructions to make things happen and to monitor events and respond to them.

The best part of today's ICT session was when we got to play with the toys!

There were lots of devices to try out and reflect upon.  These included:

 - Beebots
 - Pippins
 - Data loggers
 - Digital microscopes 



Here are some videos I have uploaded from youtube to show you some of these devices in action:

Beebots
Data Loggers 
Digital Microscopes 

Also, here are two pictures we took in the session today when we used the digital microscope:

Reflections on implications for my teaching practice:
These devices are great for providing an exciting, memorable and multi-sensory learning experience for all year groups in a primary school.  I will make optimum use of them in my teaching practice. 
As an example of my reflections on how I could make use of the devices in my classroom, let's take the Beebot as an example:

 In which parts of the National Curriculum could this device be used?
The Beebot provides lots of cross-curricular opportunities.  It can develop counting, estimating, addition and subtraction skills in Mathematics.  It can introduce children to maps in Geography.  It can develop literacy skills and an understanding of words and the alphabet.  It can also develop children's social development skills through practice at taking turns and team working, for example.  Finally, and not to be forgotten, it develops children's ICT skills!

What is the key vocabulary that can be re-inforced through use of the Beebot? 
These include: backwards, forwards, right, left, right, clear, program, memory, control etc 

How could you differentiate the activity for less/more able children?
 Less able children would need to focus on simple comands like making the Beebot move forwards and backwards, right and left.  They might then progress to counting by making it move forwards two steps, then three etc.
For more able pupils, children could be tasked to get the Beebiot to make a shape eg a pentagon or to build a maze which it then has to be programmed to get out of.  I have worked with KS1 children on some of these tasks and the were very engaged, although struggled to take turns as team working does not come naturally to most six year olds! 

What opportunities are there to assess children's learning?
There are considerable opportunties to assess learning in core curriculum areas such as Mathematics and Literacy through the sorts of activities already outlined.  The devices are also an excellent means of developing and testing children's spatial awareness.

A more detailed lesson plan for the use of Beebots can be viewed at:
Beebot Lesson Plan

One last thing that I learnt in the ICT module today, which will please Anne - our Science tutor - as we're studying Light in our Science module soon.  I found out that Lux is a measure of light - a unit of measurement I've never heard of before.  As an example of brightness, sunrise or sunset on a clear day would give a reading of about 400 Lux.