Hi James. This is an excellent post on the Apple Pencil! I have personally had experience with the equipment and the app ArtRage, and can confirm that creativity is a very evident skill. Using this tool for diagrams is an awesome way for students to represent what they are learning in the best way that they will understand, as evident with your example of the unique diagrams of a cell. It is a shame that getting a pencil for each individual student will be costly and sharing can hinder creativity. But overall, it is a great piece of technology and good post! – Lachlan
Creativity with the Apple PencilWeek 3
Hi Jason. Nice post on Scratch! It is a great programming tool for students to experiment with, especially with its freedom. The ability for students to create and design their own personal games, animations etc. means that they will enjoy doing it and are rewarded at the end by sharing their work with their friends! And the fact that you state it has an easy learning curve means that students can dive straight in, get comfortable with the software and let their creativity run free. – Lachlan
Week 4
Hi Asha. Cool post on Blocky Games. It seems like a fun way of introducing students into the world of computational thinking, and basic programming and coding. The open environment allows them to freely move around the coded blocks provided to complete the aim of the game.
Although creativity was limited in your post, I can still see how the objective and limitations of what the user can do will guide students to use their creativity, in order to program a route that will get them to the end of the maze. Overall, it was a clear and insightful post on computational thinking within the classroom. Nice share! – Lachlan
Week 5
Hi Charity, Great post on robotics, in particular the Anki Cozmo, and the pedagogical reflection of its effectiveness in the classroom. As with most innovative robots, the block coding is a great way of facilitating students with a basic understanding, but also allows for advanced coders to be creative in the sandbox feature. Your relation to other key learning areas was very creative!
It models to students how the use of robotics can be utilised across many experiences such as your inspiring ideas of dance and PDHPE. However, as you said, the teacher must ensure that the technology is benefiting the students understanding rather than for engaging entertainment. Assessing the use of the robot can definitely help identify if it is assisting students with learning the content required. It was a great read! – Lachlan
https://charityfd.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/week-5-robotics-anki-cozmo/
Week 6
Hi Ellie. Awesome post on the effective use of augmented reality through Animal 4D+ Alphabet Cards. I liked how you offered an example of a personal experience where you could implement augmented reality to create meaning within the work modules. It creates an experience for students to heighten their understanding on certain animals through the added benefits of natural movements and sounds in any location.
The insightful tasks that you have offered reveal how teachers can use the equipment to form meaning through fostering creative activities, and is an affordable option for educators. I have personally used the Space 4D+ cards and it seems great for enhancing further understanding, especially as they both relate to key learning areas such as science. Thanks for the read! – Lachlan
Week 7
Hi Oliver. This is a nice post on the possibilities of virtual reality. I like how you explained the combinations of desktop VR and wearable VR to explore the virtual word while being an active participant within it. It is also made clear the connection to the real world and the use of higher order thinking such as creativity to develop skills including spatial awareness.
CoSpaces seems like a creative option to utilise for VR as students can invent their own worlds based on their learning, such as your recommendations for English, and as a result immerse themselves in their work. The sharing option is also a great way for students to produce quality work that others can gain inspiration from and participate in.
As you stated, the common feeling of motion sickness will need to be considered when planning to incorporate this technology into a lesson plan, and may be accomodated through taking turns to provide breaks for students wellbeing. It was an insightful post! – Lachlan
Week 11
Hi Aiden. It is a funny situation when people refer to their organisation as Tetris, and commonly used and heard it at the supermarket through self-checkout. In relation to education, as stated, the use of Tetris to encourage learning principles such as systematic thinking helps play a role in developing certain skills of the 21st century. Game platforms have been widely used to foster skills in a fun way where it is pleasantly frustrating to keep them engaged.
The key learning area that Tetris appropriately fits into would be Mathematic where students can learn and use their knowledge on tessellations during the situated learning task. It would be great to see a creative task that uses Tetris as a common platform to scaffold these skills and learning principles. Nice post! – Lachlan
Week 12
Hi Jason,
Engaging post on the Maker Movement! The Mover Kit is a great technological example of teachers applying the constructivism approach to the classroom by allowing students to explore and create during the learning process.
The use of the watch like media allows for learning in areas of their life such as the time it takes to brush their teeth as suggested. Also mentioned was its questionable effectiveness in an education setting and it may be due to the difficulty of implementing it meaningfully during exposure. Informative post! – Lachlan
Digital Creativity and Learning 