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Hi Meabh,
I really like your choice of integrating Minecraft Craft as an introduction to your lesson. I would definitely be hoping to try something like this in the coming school year. I especially liked your idea of a Robot Ranger.
I would plan this lesson for 5th class
My lesson would be based on the AI Teachable Machine, I would integrate primary language, technology, and geography. My lesson would be teaching the AI tool to recognise what clothes are best suited for packing for summer holidays. So the children would teach the AI to recognise t-shirts, shorts and sandals as summer wear.
The critical thinking would be to identify the materials of the items and this could be an added second layer to the AI.
We would have to consider can we trust AI, or do we need to check the weather and to critically think about the need for sun cream etc and other items to pack.
I would a short assessment exercise after of how the children adapted to the AI simulator.
Hi Paddy, I did not explore much of CyberSafe: Bad Connection, however from reading your summary it looks like a valuable resource for teaching online safety. I like that it uses real-life scenarios to encourage pupils to think critically about their choices. I would be interested in using it with a 5th class, as it appears to be an engaging way to promote responsible digital citizenship.
I chose Hour of AI, the first night. This lesson is a run through of how to survive your first night in Minecraft, e.g. source wood and stone to make tools to build a shelter and bed before the sun sets. Many students who play Minecraft would be quite familiar with the these tasks and I feel this would be a clever hook to get their interest. The lesson does not allow for free play but encourages students to follow the tasks in order. Once a task is completed in the Minecraft world an AI bot pops up to help the students, but the bot will only operate on code. I really liked the idea of using the game to draw the students in, and then to write code of the task I thought was very clever. It makes the connections between what they do on a daily base in their game play and use that in building coding skills. I would link this to the technology strand of the curriculum for writing code and sequences. I also believe that this would tie into Maths for problem solving. I would definitely use this as step by step teaching with the whole class as it does involve quite a bit of problem solving.
Hi Aine,
I really liked your game it was very clear and simple. I do think sometimes the more basic a game is, the quicker it gets the coding across to the children; sometimes children focus on the imagery too much and get never get tothe actually coding. I think this is a very good example of a simple game to introduce coding and writing game code
https://makecode.com/_9s9Rzq0wEgfm
I made a simple game set in space, of a Dinosaur being chased by a snake on his quest to eat an ice cream, aimed at a 2nd class level.
I would link this Mathematics and focus on spatial awareness of directions and sizing. I noticed while designing my game my sprites were of un equal size, my hero Dino being significantly larger than the snake added an extra challenge that I feel is a good learning experience for the children to figure out that challenge.
Story Board: Space
Characters: A lonely Dinosaur wants an ice-cream
Emeny: His arch enemy the Snake wants to eat the Dinosaur
Objective: To get dino to eat the ice-cream before the Snake eats him.
I would further this challenge by combining the time game with a timed feature that the Dinosaur would collect ice-creams to complete a game within ten seconds.
Hi Deirdre,
I hadn’t looked at the Clap Lights tutorial before, but it sounds like a really useful activity. I like how you’ve linked it with different subjects, especially Science and the idea of saving energy by using sensor lights.
It also seems like a great way for children to learn about coding while solving real-life problems.
I completed the ‘Dice’ project and here is the link https://makecode.microbit.org/_Yct0V61JJKTm
I chose this project because I teach Second Class, and we use dice regularly during Maths games and hands-on activities.
Creating a digital dice with the micro gives the children the opportunity to make something themselves and take ownership of their learning, while also keeping them engaged and motivated.
As the children are younger, I would introduce the concept gradually. I would begin by creating a simple badge that displays their age, using the show number and shake functions. Once they are familiar with these features, we would progress to programming the pick random number function to create a digital dice. Identifying and recognising the random numbers between 1 and 6 would also provide a valuable problem-solving and numeracy activity.
I feel there are many possibilities for using the micro across the curriculum. I would like to try the light-sensing alarm project, as it would integrate well with Science. I also noticed the music feature, which allows the micro to be programmed to play tunes, and I would like to explore how this could be incorporated into Music lessons.
I enjoyed reading your reflection. I was the same as you when it came to computational thinking. I had heard the term before, but I never really understood what it involved until this module. I think your idea of starting with unplugged activities is a good one, especially with a mixed class. Starting small and seeing how the children respond before planning the next lesson makes a lot of sense. I also think your experience using Scratch and Google Slides will really help.
One area of the Digital Learning Framework that links to my practice is learner experiences. I have been trying to use digital resources more often during lessons, especially for revision and checking pupils’ understanding e.g. short quizzes or Spelling programmes. A strength in my practice is that I choose digital activities that support the lesson rather than using technology just because it is available, e.g. giving a fact finding search on a website. I have found that pupils are usually more engaged and willing to take part when then have a device available to them. One area I would like to develop is using a wider range of digital tools that allow pupils to work together and be more creative.