ICT presentation and all the other essays, aagghhh!!

so although our medium term plan is the most detailed thing I have ever seen i am lloking forward to having to present this to the class, such joy for 3 hours of our day ;)
Been using the internet loads lately for essays and I am ow a pro at referencing websites and electronic journals for anyone who isn't, lol.
I calculate that this is the last blog that I need do for my ICT presentation and I must say I probably wil delete it after that. In a society where they have done studies saying how conversation skills are diminishing because of WEB 2.0 I'd like to think that i would still rather have someone tell me about their day and important things in their life than read about them. This does not mean I am not moving with the times just that I value my friends and conversations, the personal touch. And failing that there is always Facebook, hehe!!

Flowol - an aid to understanding flow charts

So currently sat in ICT doing something called a Flowol. Hmm the mobile one was fun as you didn't need to do it to any set order and i got to just mess around with it. This can help children grasp the concept of flow charts which I actually found difficult to grasp as a primary child. It would also be good to give children set instructions to follow to create the correct sequence.
Next week we have our ICT presentation I am so glad that we do it just in our class can you imagine comparing ours to the ICT groups... hmm would their's really be any better?!

resources for teachers Web 2.0

Websites
We all have been told that there are loads of websites for teachers to use and that we need to be saving them within are favorites, but some of us would have found more than other.Here are a few that I use quite often when in schools:-
www.splarklebox.co.uk
www.primaryresources.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk
These three are among many that I use, please feel free to add your own to this list.

super dooper music looper and our Podcast

So how much fun have our last 2 sessions been. First the music maker which is awesome, maybe a little limited on sounds but wow. Its like an easier version of the one on my phone, a sony ericsson. However, after that lecture talking to Thom he played me a tune from his phone that he'd made on it. Wow it was awesome like a proper dance track and it was on his phone. They maybe getting smaller but the technology is certaintly getting better.
Today we used our 'Jingle' on our podcast. The 5 of us had fun doing this coming up with iour own 'DJ' names. It was good being able to phase in and out the music and write up what you would like to say. This will really help children to be able to use it.
I hace definately become more confident in ICT during these seminar session. The lectures are interesting but I find myself really looking forward to what the next session holds.
Can't wait for next weeks session and to foniish our animation!

ICT I have seen in the classroom

Ok so the point of this blog is supposed to be so that we can discuss ICT as we have seen it or used it in the classrooms. In my recent TP I saw how ICT shouldn't be used and this inspired me when it came to my turn to teach to change things in the classroom. Simply letting the children come up and interact with the IWB was so exciting for these children. As a child I always loved being asked to come and write on the blackboard so I imagine this is the same feeling children have to do with a IWB.
I have also seen some amazing ICT used with children from making a class movie with digi blue to a class creating a short soundtrack of their own music to go with a short animation already in excistence.
Ihave worked with a child with Down's Syndrome on research skills and found this very interesting when it came to using and recording the information we found.

being taught by 7-8year olds.

Yey todays session went realy well. Rachelle did a fatastic storyboard for us ans Tin and I began to make the backgrounds. Hopefully we will get everything ready on tues ready to film on Thurs. I can't wait to see the final product of our poem. Hopefully it will be something we can take into schools and will be able to show ur children if doing something similiar.
Whilst on my 2nd TP in the first year I saw didg blue being used in a year 4 class that I observed specifically as they were using ICT. They were telling the story of the spanish Armarda so I know what the children taught me.

• you must make small movements and must take several frames of the same shot. My group decided 7 was the best number.

I used this information to help Tin when the video she took of Rachelle and I moved at super speed. Gotta love the fact that 7-8 year olds taught me something, lol.

The final product of the classes work was fantastic and the various staes of the journey that they had filmed seperately fitted together superbly. They ;ater put a voice over and music. The children learnt alot and so did I!!

Animation

Yeah animation this week. Liz suggested a history group project of how to practice safe sex but... Hope Tin and I can produce something amazing.

teaching ICT

Ooh and just for those of you who do check out this page the search bar on the left of this page if you type in teaching ICT comes up with some really good articles and resoyrces.
SO check it out!!

Ok so I just got home and was so excited that I had to show my house mates what we did in our seminar today. Becky is really looking forward to her seminar now and vows to be a 'follower' of mine. We are of to the Barbican for fish and chips and then home to do my PE diary. Can't wait to do our digital animation in next weeks seminar. :) xxx

My First Blog

Hmm so never done one of these before.
Hope those who come and view it aren't too disappointed, doubt mine'll be as impressive of the likes of Krys who seems to know everything about the internet! IMDB-wtf.
I can see how this would be a really good idea in schools as long as all children and parents understand that it is a secure, safe space environment.