Hello again!
We are Marta and Amaranta and we will like to talk about ipads, the new trendy electronic devices in classrooms. In our context, almost all children know what an Ipad is and how to use it without us having to explain how it works detaily. However, it is true that teachers can help them to get to know more advanced skills that this tool can offer us. The world of apps has grown considerably for the past five years and currently teachers are lucky to have a plenty of online resources that enable students to review and learn new content, play games in groups, take up new linguistic activities, save time...etc as well as develop their digital competence!
In this post we would like to present you an amazing app we have discovered recently called: BitsBoard, the top 5 education game in the US app Store. Bitsboard is a free app for Ipads that includes a variety of different mini games -such as flashcards, matching and multiple choice games (called “photo touch”) and some others where students have to create words (“called word builder”)- on subjects at different levels of difficulty. This is a simple app, easy to deal with and, consequently, it can be used by children of any level, from ages 4 and up. In addition, teachers and students can also create and customize their own games, taking advantage of the available templates of “boards”, in order to use them as teaching tools.
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| BitsBoard APP |
ACTIVITY:
Target audience: Initial level of primary education (2nd year).
Bloom Taxonomy: (LOTS) Identify,remember, understand
Placement in curriculum: music (CLIL)
Aims of the game:
- To be able to learn the names of 12 instruments and their spelling.
- To be able to classify 12 instruments in their corresponding families (wind, string and percussion).
- To be able to use Bitsboard app.
Language:
- Vocabulary related to musical instruments: piano, guitar, violin, drum, harmonica, xylophone, maracas, accordion, flute, recorder, harp, clarinet.
- Expressions: belongs to, go together.
- Spontaneous language used by students in class.
Competences involved:
- Linguistic and audio-visual: through that sequence of activities, students will they develop the reading and the listening skills. All the activities have the option to include sound hints that say clearly the names of the instruments whenever you need it. In addition, one of the aims of these activities is to have an idea of the spelling .
- Musical: in these games students are learning some musical instruments that belong to the wind, string and to the percussion families.
- Digital: students have to be able to use Bitsboard in their Ipads.
Development:
- In order to detect our learner’s previous knowledge about the topic, we will carry out a “review game” (called like that) from Bitsboard. There is an image of one musical instrument and students will try to remember its name. Then, they will click on “tap to see the answer” and will self-assess their previous knowledge by answering the question: “How well did you know this?” and the possible answers are “not well”, “somewhat” and “very well”. Consequently, we could see what is the level of the class in this topic and students could review and acquire the vocabulary.
Check previous knowledge Then, we will play a game named “Pop Quiz” to learn it better and review the names of the 12 musical instruments and focus also the attention on their spelling. This game consists of a multiple choice where it appears an image of an instrument and, below, two or more written names of instruments.
Afterwards, next step will consist of classifying every instrument in his family. For that, we will play a game called “Related items”, in which students have to drag an instrument next to another from the same family (p.e., the violin and the guitar belong to the wind family).Afterwards, next step will consist of classifying every instrument in his family. For that, we will play a game called “Related items”, in which students have to drag an instrument next to another from the same family (p.e., the violin and the guitar belong to the wind family).
Related Items 
Pop Quiz: What do you think?
Finally, to assess if students have achieved the objectives established, we will put into practise a game called “True or False” in which students will work both on the names of the instruments and on the spelling. The game is the following: it appears the picture of an instruments and below one name written. The student has to decide if the text matches with the image and, also, if the text is well written. In case both things are good, they click on the tick (true) but if one of those things is wrong, they click the cross (false). We will give them more than one opportunity to do so they can practise it before the definitive one.
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| Assessment: Is "Meracas" well written? |
Feedback provided by Bitsboard: every time a child does an activity correctly, he/she receives a positive feedback comment (orally), such as “Well done!, “perfect”, “wonderful!”, etc.
Fast finishers students: Taking into account that Bitsboard offers much more minigames, the fastests students can explore all of them and play freely whatever game they want related to musical instruments.
Classroom organisation:
Students will have the option to play the first three games individually or in pairs. Despite the fact they choose to play in pairs, each student will use his own Ipad, but they will discuss the answer all together first. It is important to make them remember that all the members of the group or pairs need to touch the ipad and select an option so they can alternate turns. The last activity, as it is the assessment, will be played individually.
Classroom management:
Following the tips that we have learnt in the ICT lessons, we would ask students to set Ipad aside when they didn’t need them to avoid classroom management problems. When we are telling them the instructions of the activity, we would say “Ipads facing at me”, so we can make sure that they pay attention and don’t get distracted. Moreover, we would ask students for assistance if we need their help or we get stuck (Experts TIC) In addition, at random points during the session, we will ask students to flip their screens of the Ipads so we could check that they are doing the task proposed. We believe that it is always important for the teacher to have used the app before and have tried to create a game to foresee the problems that can arise.
Added value through ICT
- Gives extra motivation for children. Children love using Ipads and show other kids their digital skills.
- Visual support that help them memorize better the vocabulary, good for different learning styles.
- Save time.
- Can be saved and repeated whenever they want.
