Tablet Integration

So far the use of our tablets has been off and on. We have had some issues regarding different log on states and, before the new server was installed, very slow speeds.

I was asked to compile a list of uses by the Headmistress, I don't think the following is too bad currently, given the restrictions also detailed.

Highfield Tablet Use 12/13 I have put together these notes now, they are not very explicit but 

I have made progress with the tablets but it has been slow. The issues surrounding the set up and server issue affected the tablets and i think peoples perception. The fact that the signal is also poor in the discovery room has also hampered their use as I would have had them out much more, as would XX

Science - Research about a subject using the internet. BBC bitesize and learning clips websites have been used. We set up an example for an open morning. 

ICT - all classes Y1 - 6 have used the tablets to take photos, explore google maps and get used to the touch interface. I have used them in club to take photos and videos that we would some day like to edit, once XX finish the server install and put the video editing software back onto the computers. I have also used the tablets with Y1 to practice the control of the tablet, playing movements based games and trying typing practice. I did a lesson with Year 2 and 3 on finding information. Using the tablets to explore web pages and share information with others in the class. 

Y2 - Intended to use the tablets to research their topic, using a website about the great fire of london. I think connection issues might have affected this pre-server update.

Y3 - used the tablets to find information about characters in the WITW story, navigating web pages.

Y4 - have used the tablets to find out information about a range of topics, searching the internet for useful pages. I would like to use for more, problems occurred pre-server update regarding a steady signal. 

Y5 - Sarah tried to use the tablets for times tables lessons, did not look at them before lesson and was not able to use them. 

Y6 - used the tablets and the maps to use co-ordinates as part of their geography work with Nicola. 

Girls have used the tablets in homework club fairly often, being able to research their work and on many occasions access their ICT work that they wished to continue with. 

Mobile Computing / Tablet Skills

Following on from my previous post about KS1 skills, I am also now keen to begin to develop tablet skills within the school. This might be an opportunity to encourage other staff to better use the tablets as well as to provide a framework for what we want the girls to actually be able to do with them at each stage.

Currently this is in the format of a list of skills. It will grow as I realise the postential for the devices within the school.

Key Skills; Tablets
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlZVRvdllIWVlMV2c/edit?usp=sharing

KS1 Work

It is now time to begin work looking at the skills used by, and taught to, Years 1 & 2 within the school. My plan is to begin with a list of skills that I feel they require in order to continue the rest of the curriculum. This is largely then, a reflection on the skills that the girls have already, questioning how they got them, and what extras I believe would be useful.

Topics or objectives can then become a cycle, for example, using shapes to create pictures. This works to develop dragging and dropping skills, inserting shape skills and mouse skills in the lower part of the school, but is then built upon in Year 5 to create 2D images, changing properties of shapes and as a build up to modelling in 3D.

My initial thoughts are contained within the following document. This will hopefully be updated over the coming weeks and into the Christmas holiday.

Key Skills for KS1
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlLUFHWWJCcFJWTjA/edit?usp=sharing

ICT Delivery

I have decided that, having completed a year of work at my school, I shall now upload the lessons I delivered last year. These will change drastically as we move forward but they were a good finish I feel.

The planning is a very watered down version of my delivery of lessons, it is largely notes but they should give an impression of the work that we have completed.

AUTUMN DELIVERY 2012 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlX3NSRmlaR1VwckU/edit?usp=sharing

SPRING DELIVERY 2013 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlb1IzZjRDRmVycDg/edit?usp=sharing

SUMMER DELIVERY 2013 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlNnVnb3FBZ3FKM0U/edit?usp=sharing


Skills compared against the Chris Q criteria - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlaWM5cWt3em5EOGs/edit?usp=sharing

Teacher Assessment Pages

I have now been running my scheme of work alongside some assessment pages that I created back in the last academic year. My assessment pages should be attached to a page elsewhere on this blog for viewing.

These pages are essentially a set of 'I Can statements' for years 3-6. I have automated the sheet to highlight each section in colour to show how confident I feel each child is. Ultimately I would hope that the majority of the sheet is completed and we can go through filling in gaps, raising confidence in certain areas.

Please excuse the size of the writing, my aim was to get everything on one sheet. It is possible to still read each heading, just, if the page is printed onto A3.

The I can statements are picked from the headings within each year group's self-assessment pages. The statements in these then aim to meet the Chris Q criteria highlighted in the Scheme of Work pages. Thus making a complete curriculum, I hope.

BLANK ASSESSMENT GRID - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlbzM4YWk2RTF2LTQ/edit?usp=sharing

PUPIL ASSESSMENT PAGES - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlb3laQVhuMXdoNlU/edit?usp=sharing

ASSESSMENT PAGES WITH ANNOTATED YEAR GROUPS - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHla0F6VmVHYjVtQ0E/edit?usp=sharing

Creating Radio Shows

I have just begun to be able to develop some new ideas for ICT clubs and am currently working to create a 'school radio show' with my current group.

Previously in ICT club we have used a range of one off sites to explore free activities that are on the internet, this has gone really well and the girls have their eyes opened to the online world and the possibilities.

However, with many students returning term on term to the club, I need to take a fresh approach to how we run the club in order to keep things new and exciting. This term I have decided that we will work on an extended project which does not impact on learning in lessons for the girls but widens their skills.

We will be using Audacity to edit together a podcast radio show. The Audacity skills are something we are currently exploring with Year 6 as part of their music lessons but as yet have not had much success with. I am hoping that by giving some students the skills to use Audacity, we might drive a better use of the software in their other lessons.

The plan is this; learn the tools and functions of Audacity, recording sounds using the microphones on the ICT suite headphones. The sound quality is not brilliant but it is good enough for the purpose for now.

We will then try and migrate the project onto the tablet computers, recording sound bites around the school and saving them to a shared area. These could be on any topic that the girls fancy.

We will then return to the ICT suite and edit our clips, hopefully recorded to a reasonable quality, into a podcast which we can share with the school.

A New Year - More ICT

With the arrival of a new academic year came the arrival of some much anticipated tablets to our school. As I wrote about, at some length, we decided upon going for a Windows based tablet in order to simplify their integration into the school and the network.

As such, we have purchased 11 HP tablets for the school. After some initial delays in configuring the Windows 8 tablets to work with the Windows 7 network (we had not considered the issue of pupils logging onto two different operating systems) we are now up and running.

The first stages of getting the tablets in wider use within the school has been a little impacted by strain on the server which has hopefully now been resolved. I have noticed one issue that we are looking for a solution to, it is that the 'tiles' that appear on the desktop of the tablet change regularly. On occasions one can see just the main Windows 8 apps, on other occasions, this includes a desktop shortcut and IE shortcut, the third option that shows itself is for the user to be able to see all of the programs that are available through the school network.

This is currently not a problem and we are trying to work out what causes this to happen, the idea solution would be to add tiles for the software that we use the most at a certain point in the interface. I was put off for a while with the fact that the IE logo often disappears until a student saved my blushes and pointed out to me that Bing is also involved with the internet. The famous phrase involving wood and tress springs to mind.

So our current status is that we have a class set (1 between 2) of tablets in our school as well as the ICT suite. My mission for the year is to develop staff confidence in using the tablets for a range of activities whilst further testing and developing the ICT syllabus that I worked to develop last year. Oh and the assessment sheets that I have uploaded.

Aim for July 2013: School-wide tablet policy and staff training completed, ICT syllabus tested and reviewed for the first year (compared against the new NC ICT as well as the Chris Q skills that it already uses) and assessment developed, pupil self-evaluation and teacher evaluation against 'I Can...' statements.

Hiatus

Progress has been delayed temporarily due to the pressures of also being a class teacher. I have been snowed under with assessments and reports for a few weeks which have taken all of my attention.

Encouraging prices were received from Asus regarding their VivoTab which we are looking to persue as a school, should the funds be available to do so and depending on whether Asus are able to develop a more rugged case than a simple sleeve as this would possibly be a little light weight for young children.

On other fronts, I have had a brief meeting with the people from RM regarding their RM Books and RM Unify products. I can see that if we were a secondary institution we would already be seriously tempted to use them. At the moment I believe the amount of suitable content falls short of what we might want in the Primary market but it sounds promising that there will soon be much more.

RM Unify looks like a good product from initial specs. I am due to have a look around using a temporary log on that I have been issued with. This is also on hold due to assessments but the idea of a software that links reading material, google docs and other sevices together with one app sounds like a nice plan, although I am sure it must not be quite that simple or it would have been done earlier.

Tablet Use In Primary

I have decided that it is worth putting together some thoughts about where a tablet computer can be applied to the primary classroom.

* Adding context to English lessons;
My initial thoughts apply to doing poetry. I have an image in my head of studying Wordsworth, reading about the lonely life of clouds whilst students are able to stop and wonder about what surround them in the gardens. We could jot ideas about the clouds onto a collaborative document, take pictures of interesting clouds and then share when back in the classroom.

* Personal Art research;
I enjoy looking at new artists, when we do a Geography based topic we will always look at an artist from that country. For instance at the moment we are looking at Mexico and Diego Rivera. I wish for the children to recreate one of his works of art, practising shading skills with the pencils. Each pair of students could go away, research Rivera's art and find their favourite  We could put together a short note about why we like it, pick out the key artistic features and then ultimately create our own replica. Along the way the tablets become a picture frame, first to hand around the class to look at examples of Rivera's work, as a picture gallery to show the range of pieces on a windowsill and ultimately as a screen in front of the pupils that they can zoom in and out of to pick out details.

* Group Reading / Story Books
Small groups of children have a certain book open on the tablet that they can then read and use to answer comprehension questions or to discuss a lively text. Younger children can use a service such as Oxford Owl to have the book read to them. Work can immediately come from the text in the form of a piece of work on the tablet, written work or even drama that could then be videoed or photographed and shared with the class.

* Science;
Many uses in Science, in my mind. The tablets can be used with great science resources such as BBC Science Clips for revision or research. The video camera can be used to capture footage and photos of experiments and tests that can immediately be placed into a piece of work or shared with the class for a review on the whiteboard (providing the tablet has access to a shared folder on the server)

These are thoughts, a brain storm if you will, of what I would love to use mobile computing for. It adds and extra dimension, option and further flexibility to the teaching within the classroom. If pupils wish to take a piece of work in a different direction then this is possible.

To me, all of this would be wasted without two key features... When first discussing tablets with my Head, and 2 members of the board of governors, I was extremely keen to raise 3 issues with the iPads we were trialling. Whilst possibly only a stumbling block, I am glad I mentioned these issues;
 - Lack of flash player. May teachers have adapted to the Internet world by finding websites that include the games and information that they wish to teach. To require teachers to keep finding these pages as well as wondering whether there is an app for that is a big requirement of staff hours.
- Lack of connection to the network. I wish for my pupils to be able to share information with one another, the iPad needs a 3rd party app to connect to a windows network, or an email account. This is hard for a 5/6/7 year old to consider and work with. Possibly older classes could manage but I want a tablet to be all encompassing.
- Printing, the iPad only likes AirPrint enabled printers. We do not have a wireless enabled printer. Imagine the possibilities should we be able to... connect to the network and use the network server to link via wireless to a printer.

I am working steadily, although building up a head of steam with this and getting quite passionate. If I achieve one thing with my trials of different tablets it will be to work out what tablets work at a primary level with smaller budgets, less children and Windows based networks.

Asus VivoTab ME400

Further to a post the other day about the borrowing of a tablet to test at school, I have been making interesting progress.

First off, I really like the windows 8 touch environment... on a tablet. I can see how it might be a distraction when using a desktop but this is a different issue.

The tablet arrived and I have been glued to it ever since. It is light, well put together and has a really good screen. I have also been impressed by the responsiveness and accuracy of the touchscreen panel.

I have written on here about my issues with tablet computers in the past. Primarily my issue lies in two areas, the lack of Flash player and the ease of integration with a Windows server network. Both of these issues have been cast aside with the use of a tablet that runs a full version of Windows 8.

I can access all the great sites that I have been recommending to other teachers, www.oxfordowl.co.uk, the BBC bitesize websites and many others. These were inaccessible in the past because I had no flash player to work with.

I have also talked to my Network managers and have come up with a shared folder on the network that can be mapped to the Asus device. This allows pupils to save the work to the server and then instantly access it from a wired, desktop PC in order to file in a safe place or for the teaching member of staff to review with the rest of the class. The best example of where this could be applied is, I guess, with Science where the teacher is looking at Mini Beasts. She can send a class out in the gardens to photo mini beasts, they can wirelessly upload their pictures to the server where the teacher can review as a class and then set work for other lessons where the pupils produce some work about these pictures and their exploration.

I am currently sold, I hope this first real love of my tablet life will continue and we will have a match for my school but I am going to continue to thoroughly test whilst looking into the cost of these items.

Internet Safety

Today we began to enact a program of Internet Safety talks. I am a firm believer in delivering lessons myself, but that it is also beneficial for the pupils to hear from a relevant professional who may offer a different stand point.

We have made links with the charity (ISC)2 who work with Childnet to deliver the SMART rules presentations to school groups. We ran talks to the Year 3 and Year 4 girls today which were very good. It is nice to offer them a chance to quiz an outside professional as well as for that person to quiz them about their knowledge. Some eye-opening answers were given when the classes were questioned about their use if ICT at home, with regard to social networking, downloading music (all legally it has to be said) and other areas.

We are taking a step further from here and we have the same presenter delivering more detailed talks to the girls in Year 5 and 6 which will further develop their awareness of Internet safety.

In addition to this, something I have been keen to do at all the schools I have had contact with, we are offering parents talks in the evenings. The talks are with the same charity to offer families a complete knowledge of the risks that the Internet presents if not treated with the sufficient respect. The response to these should be interesting and I shall be keen to see the number of attendees on this first occasion of, what will hopefully become an annual partnership and scheme that we deliver at school.

Mobile Computing

After much emailing different people we have now made solid progress! I have been in contact with manufacturers of Android tablets and Windows themselves regarding our needs from a tablet and our concerns about the issues we might have with the world famous, fruit based brand.

I have continually struggled with the application of a non-windows based OS in our school environment. I do not intend to have a high maintenance ICT program, I enjoy the freedom and cost effective nature of using free software in our teaching and as such have been struggling with the idea of a more app based OS. I would like to avoid a tablet device that would require us to, for example buy 12 tablets @ £400 and then spend further money on each and every app, especially if we wish to avoid adverts. Initially, we would wish for a word processing facility, just in case. For the iPad, the best is Pages. £4.99 per app on 12 tablets is another £60 spent for one app, scaled up to all the iLife apps for iPad would see us spending another £200+ on apps very quickly.

This in mind, I was keen to try the Windows tablets that are appearing. Microsoft themselves do not, at present appear to be committing to placing Surface in schools as they have not fully rolled out their Surface Pro and associated infrastructure to liaise with schools. The Surface Pro, I was informed by someone at Microsoft, is the only tablet of the Surface range that will support Domain links.

I was stumped, until I saw a link to the ASUS VivoTab SMART (ME400) a Windows 8 based tablet (or Windows 8 Pro) for around £400. "Bargain," I said to myself and promptly contacted ASUS to see about trialling one. 2 Days later and a quick phone call and I am currently awaiting the arrival of our test device which we have for 2 weeks. This represents fantastic service from the guys at ASUS and I hope to see how we get on.

So... for now this is it, detailed testing will hopefully proceed. Have we found the Windows based tablet for the school market? I would love to report back.

Upper School Plans

I have been doing some work and have now completed my initial plans for the upper school, Years 3, 4, 5, & 6. These are included on other pages and at the moment are a draft that I am hoping to develop from now on. This is my starting point.

Once again, these have been developed by using information freely gathered from the Wokingham LEA plans that are available online and the assessment criteria from www.ictplanning.co.uk.

I am hoping to adapt these in the coming months, but it does at least mean I have something to hang my planning around.

I have uploaded the full versions of the plans, these are attached below.

YEAR 3 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHld0pLcDNyVG1RdjQ/edit?usp=sharing

YEAR 4 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlMU9peXhVaDNzSGM/edit?usp=sharing

YEAR 5 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlQUR0VzlNbWFTUDg/edit?usp=sharing

YEAR 6 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4s7hMWhfvHlRkRyTWt1LXVPZjA/edit?usp=sharing

New Pages

I am slowly, but surely getting to grips with updating all of my documentation and I am hoping to upload it onto here in the form of new pages - I believe they are set up to appear to the side of these posts.

Currently I have uploaded my initial plans for y5/6 and an ongoing review of our mobile ICT strategy.

Making Progress

I have made some solid progress so far. Reviewing what I already teach to the Year 6 class (this has been uploaded somewhere on this site).

This was a really good exercise to start from scratch and look at what was taught and where gaps may occur. The two areas where there are gaps currently for year 6 are, are not strictly gaps I have just been unable to talk to the Music teacher about her role or commitment to ICT at the moment and I have not fully decided on the final part of the year with regards to work.

I need to make progress on the other years, this should hopefully provide a view across the whole school that we can then look at and discuss. Fingers crossed for sorting this over Easter.

I have also been looking this morning at www.learnerjourney.com, as our school is running a creative curriculum this looks like a good tool. Possibly slightly more geared towards KS3/4 but an interesting site worth a good look, and registration is free!

Planning Outline

Today I have put in the time to create the format for my planning. I liked the layout of the Wokingham LA found at http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=142195

Now... I am not sure that it is the right route for our school, to buy plans and proceed for the next number of years to work from what is contained therein. I have merely used their idea of the format and taken inspiration from their way of dividing up the curriculum.

I have re-organised the strands so that in the future I might link them, and their Chris Quigley inspired targets, with our version of the assessment statements created by http://www.ictplanning.co.uk/.

As part of this review I have been given the opportunity to review what else we could provide to the school's pupils which has been exciting. I have also begun to consider further developments of my ICT practice.

I will upload the framework (in Word format) that I shall build my plans on so that others, should they like, may use them. I hasten to add that all the text at this point is available freely on the pages that I have referenced.

The Next Step

I shall make my own notes about how I meet each strand and shall endeavour to arrange some staff meeting time where I can ask colleagues to suggest where they maybe use ICT, and where we might already be meeting the objectives. This will give me a much better view of the ICT used within the school.

Starting getting to the deep and meaningful consideration of my ICT Curriculum... The key point for me is developing some clear objectives for each year group.

My school has moved to try and develop the creative curriculum using the Chris Quigley skills, this leaves me with a grey area about what will be taught by myself as ICT Teacher and what will be developed as part of project work.

Will these two overlap?
Do I aim for discreet ICT skills being taught without being able to monitor these skills?
Do I, as the subject teacher, teach the more advanced skills?
How to I let staff know what their pupils should be capable of doing?

Clearly all the ICT aims and objectives need to be accessible to all.

I am beginning with finding out what else is out in the wide world to give me ideas. So far my favourite resource is http://www.ictplanning.co.uk/, there are many superb resources contained on here that cannot fail to inspire a creative teacher. The assessment criteria also provide a record for each individual pupil, but I will need to relate them to one set of curriculum criteria or another (Preferably Chris Q).

I still need to develop mobile computing, why does no-one from Microsoft seem to mind about the lack of publicity surrounding Surface in education?

First Steps

I hope to use this blog as a record of progress in developing a complete ICT Syllabus for my current school where I have been ICT Subject Leader since Sept 2012. I have just finished NQT, at the start of January 2013 and am now in a position to look forwards.

My intention is to address the following problems...

* Little planning existed upon my arrival and there is currently no requirement for me to do any of the EYFS or KS1 ICT teaching. I need to find out what is going on here and support staff.
* The network is run by an external provider making installation and testing of new software difficult with their 2hr a week support contract.
* There is currently no provision for mobile computing other than 2 iPads (More on these another time). We have a fairly small 22 child computer suite to use for all classes (This also has its own possible issues).


Hopefully my journey starts here, with information gained from the online community and my own trial and error we should hopefully have a full ICT plan running in the near future.