Using iPads to Help our Learning

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Our current unit of Inquiry is investigating how items are changed from raw/ unprocessed items to processed items, for example grapes can be changed to sultanas.

We challenged students in our class to try and create a presentation at home using the camera/photo app and Pic Collage to show the difference between raw/ unprocessed items and processed items.

Evie, Heidi and Charlotte loved sharing their presentations from their iPads onto the IWB via Airplay. They received lots of positive and constructive feedback from their classmates and did a great job presenting their understandings so confidently.

Evie sharing her presentation – this also showed her understanding of natural vs man made items.

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Heidi showing her Pic Collage presentation.

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Charlotte’s Pic collage presentation.

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Little Bits and Dash and Dot

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We love to use technology to help us with our learning. We’ve begun using iPads from home (if you have one), as well as the school sets of iPads and we’ve been using Bee Bots, Bee Bot apps and Scratch Jnr. These programs teach us how to problem solve, program, sequence a set of instructions, estimate, collaborate and co-operate – as well as many other skills we need. Plus – it’s lots of fun!

This week we borrowed 10 Little Bits kits and Dot and Dash robots from Adelaide University. We have these amazing resources until the end of term and couldn’t wait to get started with experimenting with them.

The Little Bits have showed us how to use simple magnetic bricks to click them together and then connect to a power source to create a simple circuit. Now that we understand how they work we’re looking forward to using the Little Bits in models that we create.

Dash and Dot are robots that can be programmed using the Blockly app or use the Wonder app to control their movements. Mr Luke, our Deputy Principal, even visited to try and move Dash around the room.

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We also used clip on digital microscopes on our iPads. We are exploring Ecosystems as our current Inquiry topic and went outside to explore our grasslands ecosystem.  The clip on microscopes were a fantastic way to see living and non living items up close. We could see so much more detail through the microscopes and we took some great photos of them using our camera app.

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What are your favourite types of technology to use? How do you use technology to support your learning?