Skip to main content

Apps aren’t creative, teachers and students are. Teaching with Apps–RGS session

My second session at the RGS’s New KS3 curriculum day was around apps.  The session was only 40 minutes long and therefore I focused on a few ‘killer’ apps and mainly around the thinking behind the use of Apps, which I didn’t restrict to those that are on mobile devices.

The main points were:

  • There are hardly and decent subject specific Apps – get over it.  Apps aren’t creative, students and teachers are.  It’s important to take Apps and subvert them for our own use.  This to me is more exciting than a subject specific App.  Start with a genuine teaching problem and take it from there.  The best thing is to ask and chat to others, both face to face and online.  A huge wealth of information and inspiration for me lies in our school’s IT support team and IT and computing teaching team.  Go and watch some lessons.  For example, I am sure that there is a geographical use for Sphero.
  • The story was based upon my own experience of BYOD policies in two schools. In both cases I have been lucky enough to be in a leading position.  To me, I am yet to be convinced of the 1:1 approach in terms of providing a set device.  I think it not only locks students and schools into one ecosystem, it just doesn’t reflect real life.
  • My criteria for choosing apps are as follows:

image

    • This comes from a BYOD background. It’s the behaviour and learning that matters, not the device.  Getting to know your school and the devices available is vital. That way, resources can be directed accordingly.  Most importantly, students need to be able to share their work (especially for effective feedback to occur) and display their work.
  • This is why we should be using technology:

image

    • Don’t agree? I’ll get over it.
  • What Apps can be used for is important:

image

    • Geographers are able to take devices out in to the field and often the substitution part of the SAMR model is great.  we don’t have to be cutting edge to justify the use of apps and tech!

I then went through a number of App examples, showing how they are multiplatform and finishing with a couple of projects that tied them all together.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What makes a learning experience profound? Personal reflections and possible implications for classroom practice.

I have recently begun a Leadership Pathways journey.  As part of the first core day, we were asked to reflect on a profound learning experience. This got me thinking about how many profound learning experiences I have both been involved in, and how many I have been able to give to others.  Our group came up with a huge long list, but these are my five. Emotional Connected Demanding Reflective Collaborative As always, these are personal thoughts and quite mixed up.  I put them here so that I can look back on them (plus they’d get lost inside my world-cup-free brain) 1. Emotional I can’t think of a time where deep learning hasn’t engaged my emotions.  From being awe inspired to that tingle feeling when a student gets a light bulb moment.  From this-is-the-happiest-day-ever, to I-think-I’m-about-to die.  How often do we engage the emotions of those we teach?  Here, I would argue that having a safe learning environment is not always conducive to profound

The danger of Teaching and Twitter conversations: poorly formed bipolar arguments.

Sometimes in life, there really are only two options.  Get the wrong one and you can look like a muppet.  Take this useful sign for the toilets in Morocco.  I successfully navigated it, choosing the right option.  The result? No egg on my face.  As a mountain leader, there are many right or wrong decisions that I’ve faced, as there are all over life.  It’s not a good idea to let inexperienced young people walk themselves down Snowdon.  They may die or be seriously injured.  If someone is showing the signs and symptoms of hyperthermia, you need to treat it fast in a specified way.  There is no real arguing with this sign: Other options are less obvious.  Take this sign recently spotted near to where I live: Now, I wouldn’t consider sleeping in a bin.  However, faced with a sub-zero night, I could see the appeal.  The danger? Being tipped into one of those huge lorries with a compactor. (by the way, I only really considered all of this thanks to questions from my four year old boy).

Banned Word Board

Today I want to share some simple ideas that I have found to be very effective in the classroom. I can't say that they are my own original ideas, although I have played around with them. The first is the Banned word Board. This is a simple display in the classroom that lists a number of words that are not allowed to be used by pupils in their written or oral answers. The effect has been an increase in the quality of written work, and I have almost made comments such as 'Sir it's simple, the stuff just affects the thing and causes people problems'. Pupils are now more able to use specific language, something that is vital especially at GCSE. I have had to make a few modifications, such as the introduction of 'Heavenly Words' This is an additional display placed on the ceiling. I found this necessary as pupils needed some stimulus in finding replacement words. After advice received after posting the idea on the SLN forum , I have also introduced semi-banned words