Mobile @ Priory update

Regular readers will know about the co-constructed BYOD mobile policy in place at my school. This has been operating for two terms now. At the same time, I have been developing the use of mobile devices (mainly pupils’ own and the Geography department’s iPads) in partnership with Lee and Ian at Borbonesa. The partnership has been supported by a Creative Partnerships legacy grant.

What is unique (in my view) of our approach this year is that creative practitioner time has been spent co-creating lessons instead of the delivery of off-timetable days. This approach ensures that embedded and sustainable resources are produced. Each three hour session contains:

At least one teacher (so far from Geography, Graphics / Product Design, Spanish, Music and our English as an Additional Language coordinator).
Two creative practitioners – Ian and Lee. I really would urge you to check out their work. They are also working on the creation of a ‘Cookbook’ to help other schools to explore mobile learning and a secret Guerrilla Geography / naughty learning based day…..
At least one of our DiGITAL LEADERS, students.
No rules.

The aim of each planning session is to produce a sequence of lessons that explore a concept / idea / skill or knowledge specific to that subject in a new way. The results have been fantastic and a consequence of securing quality time for collaboration and planning. If schools truly want innovative and creative lessons, then they must invest the time and resources. This leaves me very worried about the upcoming changes to the National Curriculum….

This post will now describe briefly the three learning sequences that have been designed so far. The journey has been recorded using a closed Posterous.

Geography

Geography have been messing around with superimposing an upside down world map onto the school. This would be virtual and be used to explore map skills. QR codes can be hidden and embedded in strategic areas. The first lesson will challenge pupils to explore the diversity of language that we enjoy, but are mostly unaware of, at the school and links well to our recent guerrilla geography campaign.

The excellent graphics have been created by Ian and Lee.

Spanish

In a nutshell, the Y7 top set Spanish students will finish this terms House and Home topic with a double lesson decking out a room per group using the Ikea Spanish site. Set a budget and tasked with furnishing either the bedroom / bathroom / Kitchen / Living room or workspace, groups will create a shopping basket and populate an activity sheet, before rehearsing and then delivering a presentation to their peers and class teacher - in Spanish of course.

Students will access the Ikea site using the School Ipad's and QR codes printed on their activity sheets. They will be able to visit Ms Jackson's very special 'El bar Genio', modelled on Apple's in-store Genius Bar, and by using great vocab will be rewarded with additional funds to create their dream room in a class dream home.

The Ipad's will be used to film the presentations and plenary session will utilise One note, synched to all the Ipad's in the fleet. It was felt that two DL's (digital Leaders) would make the lesson really flow - one to document and one to techno-trouble shoot.

Product Design

In a nutshell, the team are going to create a bench that has it’s own hashtag. Very much inspired by street art and guerrilla campaign tactics, this one is a closely guarded secret until launch Winking smile

Music

Yet to plan – music will blend the use of QR codes with soundscapes.

Recently, somebody got in touch with me saying that QR codes were becoming ‘old hat.’ I pointed out to them that this is education, and that there’s no such thing as ‘old hat’ just good and bad learning. Sometimes we need to remember that it should be about creating better learning, not keeping up with the Joneses.

Stay tuned.

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David Rogers

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