Co-authored Presentations in Year 6

The students in Mrs Wallace's and Mr Hort's class continued their learning in the 365 platform by learning how to create a collaborative presentation in Power Point online. The students used their images from Graduation to create presentations with friends that would serve as a memento of their Graduation Day for years to come. The students learned to used slide templates, slide themes, animations, transitions, image markup and audio inputs to make dynamic Power Points informed by design thinking processes. Congratulations Year 6 on your Graduation and good luck with your journey to high school!

Learning Learning in Year 3

The students in Mrs Pott's, Mrs Murszko's and Mrs Wood's class recently learned to explicitly evaluate the results of a digital assessment on the topics of Voting in Australia and Heat Around Us. All students accessed the assessment by enrolling in the classroom on www.socrative.com created by their teacher. Students opened Safari app on their iPads and used the unique class code once on the Socrative website. Questions ranged in format from True/False; Multi-Choice; and Short/Long Answer. Students were able to attempt a harder online assessment if they finished early. Most importantly, students were able to view the results of the class as a whole which facilitated a valuable discussion about areas of strength; and areas of weakness including a focus on the results for the types of questions. No student's names were visible to facilitate a genuine whole class reflection. Students were then given the opportunity to attempt the assessment again and research questions falling under areas of weakness by applying their Advanced Research skills on the internet.

Co-Authored Research of the History of Chocolate using the 365 Platform in Year 6

The students in Mrs Wallace's and Mr Hort's class learned to use Word via their 365 accounts to create a researched report on the history of chocolate. In groups of 3 one student created the Word document and then shared it to the other team members, who were able to access it via their Outlook accounts as a link. The students used the 'Collaborative Report' template in Word to divide their research areas into 3 main parts and create the report with consistent formatting using research resources such as Google Advanced Search. They also learned to be able to use the filtered image search in Word to insert images relevant to their research that were Creative Commons filtered. One of the most powerful experiences for the classes was the collaboration conducted via the comments tool which enabled the groups to provide documented feedback to each other on their tasks in bringing it together, all the while with their teacher included as a collaborator on the document to assist with the creation of it. Well done Year 6's on your first co-authoring task online!

Fast Facts and Coding with BeeBots in Year 3

The students in Mrs Pott's and Mrs Wood's class continued their learning of coding BeeBots by using their knowledge of coding them to create an eBook for learning fast facts. The students were provided a number line, a BeeBot and an iPad and learned how to create page links on Book Creator app prior to developing their eBook. In groups the students planned out how many pages they would need to include 3 fast fact demonstrations linked to a video or 'solution' on an alternative page. It was pleasing to see the groups plan their eBooks with some great branching and to see some great video solutions created collaboratively. The various fast fact strategies were interesting too. Well done Year 3's!

Design and Coding Challenge with Sphero's in Year 3

The students in Mrs Murazko's class learned to code the Sphero robots as part of a Design challenge recently. They were challenged to help deliver something 'light yet useful' to their teacher with a given amount of materials (egg cartons, card and 1.5m of tape) through an obstacle course. Student's were provided the opportunity to form their own groups for the task. They learned to pair the Sphero to their iPad via Bluetooth and code it like an engine. It was pleasing to see many groups collaborating well to design and construct a vehicle that would operate well with the Spherical shaped engine. Well done Year 3's on progressing through a challenging challenge!

Developing Algorithms with BeeBots in Year 3

The students in Mrs Pott's and Mrs Wood's class learned to build a sequence of steps, or an algorithm, with BeeBots recently. Their challenge was to help BeeBot write numbers the correct way i.e. starting at the top of the number. In groups, the students planned their steps on their whiteboards first before activating their code (algorithm steps all together) to test it. Many groups were successful at using all the commands of BeeBot to help BeeBot learn all the numbers from 0-9. Well done Year 3's on developing your computational thinking!

Paper Circuits in Year 3

The students in Mrs Wood's and Mrs Pott's class had the chance to learn how to make paper circuits this week. Following on from their learning of Electronic Circuit Systems with the Snap on Electronics kit the students learned to use the Paper Circuit Kit in the Technologies box to create a circuit system that will light up a Light Emmitting Diode (LED). To do this they learned about the positive and negative ends of the LED, the coin battery supplied and the flow required for conductivity through copper tape. The students did really well to create a successful circuit with the right polarity and conductive elements to create a fold-able robot light card. Well done Year 3's for getting creative with more complex circuit systems!

Data Processes in Year 6

The students in Mr Hort's and Mrs Wallace's class deep dived into data recently by learning how to collect, represent and analyse data using Numbers app on the iPad. After gathering data through interviews (in the example above secondary school choices) the students learned to input and check their data accuracy with cell actions on a spreadsheet. Then, they converted their data into a 2D bar graph and pie chart, later changing to 3D. Most importantly the students learned how to configure their data visuals with appropriate labels, value scales and colour schemes for easier analysis. Most students were jets at answering questions about their data as, after all, they created it. Well done Year 6!

Paper Circuits in Year 3

Mrs Murazko's class continued to develop their learning about Electronic Circuits and systems by creating paper circuits using the Paper Circuit Kit in the Technologies Box. As the kit contains Light Emitting Diodes (LED lights) and coin cell batteries, initially students learned the positive and negative ends of these and how polarity effects a circuit with LEDs. Further, they learned how to create circuit elements such as switches using the copper tape by folding it back on itself and using the 'springy' property of tape. Then in pairs students completed their circuit templates and tested if their circuits were successful i.e. their LEDs lit up. Finally, each pairing created a fold-able card of their circuit, getting ready for card making for the holiday season.
Well done class for getting creative with some more complex circuit systems!

Discovering Electronic Circuits in Year 3

The students in Mrs Pott's, Mrs Murazko's and Mrs Wood's class learned how to create a simple circuit using the snap-on kits from the Technologies box. Initially they designed their circuits using actual circuit symbols for elements used in circuits such as switches, lamps and batteries etc. Circuit designs were done using Book Creator. Then students worked in pairs to create their circuit designs based on their knowledge of materials that conduct electricity and the purpose of each circuit element. Many groups re-designed their circuit upon discovering it wasn't successful i.e. the lamp didn't light up. Circuits were created using the Snap-on kits. To conclude all pairs recorded an audio note stating why their circuit was successful and how using the sound recording feature in Book Creator. Many pairs reached the conclusion their circuit could be a useful tool in real life.
Well done Year 3 in exploring Systems Thinking and Designing some real life products!

The Numbers are in - Excelsior PS Year 3 Multicultural

The Year 3's in Mrs Murazko's, Mrs Wood's and Mrs Pott's class tallied the countries they (or their parents) are from to be able to compare the results and make some conclusions about it. After tallying they collected the data in a spreadsheet in Numbers app. They then generated different representations of the data in the app such as 2D bar graphs 3D pie charts. Finally, they analysed the data in these graphs and charts to compare their class data to others classes and make inferences about how multi-cultural their class is compared to other classes inside and outside the school. Well done Year 3's!

Collaborating in Microsoft Word Live Docs on the Office 365 Platform

The Year 5's in Mrs William's and Mrs Adam's class learned the power of collaborating via a Live Word doc via their Office 365 accounts. Working in groups of 3, the leader of the group created a Word doc using a template provided by Word already and shared this out with the other group members who accessed the doc via the link sent to their Outlook mail server. All group members had to establish their roles and research areas using the Live Word doc to create a comparative country report drawing upon their Advanced Google Search and online information skills. Next week all groups will be collaborating from different rooms to really see the benefits of Live Doc collaborations.

Learning to Code via OneNote Class NoteBook in Year 5

Creating an algorithm to make an effect of flying.

Creating an algorithm to make an effect of movement with a looping script.

The students in Mrs William's and Mrs Adam's class learned to code using the Scratch software platform online. They accessed their instructions for the lesson by logging in to the OneNote Class Notebook for their class and following the links to the tutorials in Scratch online. The students chose to create code for various purposes such as animating the letters of a name, emulating a sense of a character flying, creating a sense of continuous movement through creating a continuous loop or repeat and more. The students were challenged to extend their basic tasks by integrating other code commands from other projects online (remixing). The students gained valuable insight into using the laptops for digital coding and submitting work online, to the Class NoteBook.

Pick an Ed. Tech Tool of Choice for Communication in Year 3

The student's in Mrs Murazko's class were given the opportunity to choose an Education Technology tool of their own choice to communicate their understanding of Solids, Liquids and Gases. Students used a range of tools ranging from iMovie to Keynote to communicate their understanding using relevant transitions, themes and text to enhance their products, while also acting on feedback from share-out sessions. Well done class!

Brochures about South America in Year 5

The students in Mrs Adam's and Mrs William's class learned to use the Pages app on the iPad to create a brochure of South America. The students integrated their research already conducted into a brochure template in Pages. The templates provide ready made 'placeholders' for text (titles and body) and images so students can focus their time on integrating their research and less on formatting. The placeholders still provide for independent inputs via the 'Instant Alpha' and 'Edit Mask' formatting functions which enable images to be framed in the desired way. Many students realised they needed more information and conducted more research via Google Advanced search.

Coding a WA Guide in Year 3

The students in Mrs Murazko's, Mrs Pott's and Mrs Wood's class learned to create a guide to a place in WA they have been to before using Scratch Jnr app. They learned how to insert a photo of a map in to the app and then code their journeys accordingly using their mapping skills and directional language to input voice recordings into their code strings. Some of the scripts were very informative including directions from Perth, sights to see and where to stay.

How to Sneak a Monster to School - The Movie - in Year 3

The student's in Mrs Pott's class used their procedure scripts of 'How to Sneak a Monster to School' to create iMovies of their procedures. The students learned to select, input and edit audio ranging from theme music and voice overs for their movies. Many used their headphones to do their audio editing as required in the general capabilites for ICT curriculum.

Butterfly Life Cycle Keynotes in Year 3

The students in Mrs Murazko's and Mrs Wood's class created Keynote presentations with animations teaching others about the life cycle of a Butterfly. The students had the benefit of a real life cocoon to observe whilst creating their presentations in Keynote on the iPads.

Autobiography and Biography Stop Motion Animations in Year 6

The student's in Mr Hort's and Mrs Wallace's class began creating their biography and autobiography stop motion animations. After planning them with Popplet and Simple Mind app the students collected their materials for their backgrounds, characters and objects to build their animations scene by scene with a large variety of paper, lego, clay and figurines used. Further, the students utilised their iPad holders that they had designed by applying a full Design Thinking process accounting for angle (side or birds-eye-view), lighting and distance from the lens.