Ferran's Game

For our ICT last session I prepared a very simple game using Kahoot; a well known app that allows us to develop team (or single) games using the classroom screen, digital board, computers or tablet-type devices. So it is a very versatile app to work with. 

This Kahoot game is about some easy riddles to have fun in class and play a little bit with the language. The game can be listed in the Applying step on Bloom's Taxonomy; because will have all the students thinking and relating all their knowledge in order to answer all the questions correctly. 

The activity's target age is 10-11 years old. The riddles aren't difficult, but it is true that the students playing must have high reading skills. 

The objective of this activity is to practice fast reading and improving the reading comprehension.

Here you have some screenshots of the Kahoot created:

Then, I have selected a website that offers a wide variety of games for our students. It is called FunBrain and it is full of little games to have fun and learn (indirectly) specific vocabulary. 

This kind of websites are often left out by teachers for not being "serious" or academically relevant. But they are very powerful tools actually; allows the student to try lots of games and stay with those that makes him/her feel save and motivated.

I discovered this website in last years' practicum; the students showed to me... and I was amazed for the large archive of games it has. 

I was doubting about this website (or this kind of resources)... but if children love it, that means it is good. 

this is how the website looks

Ferran Rodríguez i Díaz

WEBQUEST

Hi there, classmates!

I’m Elena Joaquin and I am going to present a wonderful project called “Let’s plan a trip to London!” for 6th Graders.To be honest, it was a bit difficult for me to think with something that goes further than just creating a game, but finally I came up with a project that I hope you like it and enjoy it as same as me and, of course, a project that you can carry out in your classroom.

In order to do this project, I’ve created a WEBQUEST, which must be used with laptops. What do you know about it? I will give you a brief description just for you to have an idea about it.

With WebQuests, students create meaningful projects that they share with others via oral presentations, posting to the web, etc. WebQuest tasks go beyond simply answering questions; they require higher order thinking skills such as creativity, analysis, synthesis, judgment and problem solving.

Another key component of WebQuests is that the students’ have to be focus on using information rather than looking for it. The teacher gives this information previously. Many teachers avoid using Internet resources with their students because of how long it can take students to actually find useful information when searching the Web. They also worry about students accessing inappropriate sites. WebQuests avoid these roadblocks because the Internet resources are identified and evaluated by the WebQuest designer (teacher) ahead of time. This eliminates the need for wasteful searching by the students.

In terms of creating one, requires a lot of hours but it worth it, trust me! A part of creating one for the ICT’s subject, I created one 4 years ago and put it into practice with my students. It was just amazing because it was something new for them and it increased incredibly their motivation about what we were working on.

Believe me, when students are motivated, they are likely to put in more effort, and their minds are more alert and ready to make connections. 

The webquest that I’ve designed is to address problems that students have to solve it using real, timely resources instead of dated textbooks and materials that are only presented from one point of view. It allows them to use:

- Higher level thinking

- Critical thinking

- Cooperative learning

- Up to day information and resources

- Integrate technology into the classroom in an effective way

When using WebQuest, the limitations might be:

- Limited Internet access.

- Devices do not allow access to the websites needed, in case they are working outside of the class.

- The timing the WeQquest is going to take depending on what you are asking to do to your students.

If you click here, you'll be able to see the WebQuest I've created and see what kind of activities they have to do. I took a screenshot of the introduction just for you to have an idea about it.

This project takes into account the four skills because they must listen the teacher instructions, his/her advices to work on. They must read the tasks from the WebQuest in order to do their cooperative work, read through all the information that they need to find, speak and discuss each other to do their best, and agree with the answers, and create and write a final presentation. 

In terms of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, this project offers the opportunity to put into a practice everything.

- Remembering specific vocabulary related to a journey, choosing the relevant information depending what task they are in charge, showing real prices, places and so on.

- Understanding the oral message and the written one.

- Applying and practicing the previous vocabulary depending on their findings.

- Creating their own presentation related on their findings to demonstrate what they have done. 

In relation to assessment, they would be assessed through observation during the activities individually and cooperative work. They would have the chance to assess themselves through rubrics. 

Hope you like what I've created, and let me know about the improvements, please! 

Symbaloo

Hello everyone!! I’m Míriam Porras and I am going to talk about SYMBALOO!

                           

Symbaloo is a personal startpage that allows you to navigate the web and compile your favorite sites all into one visual interface. You can save easily your bookmarks in the cloud and access them from anywhere with any device. It is a visual bookmarking tool that makes it simple and fun to organize the best of the web. Thus, you can create your personal startpage for the web and connect your social media and other widgets.

I think it is a good app for organize different content and collect different interesting links that you can use in your classroom. Then, you have in the same page all the links without searching again one by one. In addition, you don’t have to pay for using it! You only need to register on the webpage using your email, and you can create your own Symbaloo!!

Moreover, pupils could use the app too. For instance, if they are doing a project, they can save the interesting webpages to collect all the information in their startpage. In addition, they can show their own pages to their parents involving them in their learning process.

Apart from this, once their start page is created, they can share it with their peers, also they can save other Symbaloos and search for others you believe are useful for the task.

STRENGTHENS	WEAKNESSES
There is a tutorial in the same app and instructions that you can use if you don’t know how to use it.	It doesn’t have any variation with this app. You only can make your startpage.
You can add all the links you want.	You can’t create activities in relation to Symbaloo.
You can have all the links that you are interested in the same startpage.	You only can share links.
Symbaloo can be shared.	You need to have an account to create your startpage.

I am doing my Practicum in Servei de Llengües del Departament d’Ensenyament de Catalunya. I want to share the Symbaloo I have created for my Practicum:

https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/reculldepremsaeducacio

In this Symbaloo, you will find a collection of different digital newspaper that contains Education news.

I want to share this, because I want to demonstrate that you can also use as a professional and not only in your classroom with pupils.

I hope you enjoy it!!!

Míriam Porras

Storyjumper

Hi girls!

Today I would like to share with you a web application that we learnt with Yolanda at the beginning of the subject. This is www.storyjumper.com and it’s a web page that allows you to create illustrated books with very easy tools.

Storyjumper is a tool for developing writing stories and creativity and it also allows you to publish the stories that you have created. For creating a book we have an easy menu where there are text tools, images (props), a set of templates to create the first pages of the stories and a tab that lets you upload images from your computer.

This web application has even the option of creating a book cover and a dedication for the story so it gives you the opportunity to personalize totally your creation. 

This activity can be used for children of primary and by using this web application, children would be working more on HOTS (High order thinking skills) activities since they can create a new story and evaluate and analyze the final product.  

This kind of activities promotes children to use some skills such as reading and writing. Moreover, students could also work on other skills like speaking and listening if the stories are represented afterwards.