[Rebecca McLoone]

I liked the way your activity gets the children to compare their own writing with the AI-generated version instead of just accepting what the AI produces. It’s encouraging them to think about the quality and creativity of their writing.
I think this works well for 6th Class as children at this age are starting to use AI and online tools more often. It helps them understand that AI can be useful for generating ideas but that they still need to think for themselves and not rely on it to do all of their work.
One question I had was how you would explain to the children who the author is if they use AI to help improve a piece of writing rather than write the whole thing.
One suggestion would be to ask the children to highlight one idea they kept from the AI version and one idea they changed themselves.

[Rebecca McLoone]

I would plan this lesson for 5th Class.
The curriculum area is SPHE and Digital Learning.

Learning intention: Children will understand that AI can be helpful but that the information it gives is not always correct, so it is important to question what they read online.

AI concept being explored: AI can sometimes make mistakes or give false information.

Activity: Show the class two short pieces of information about the same animal. One will come from an AI tool and the other from a trusted children’s website, such as NatGeoKids. Read both together and ask the children to spot any differences. As a class, discuss which source they think is more reliable and why. Finish by talking about why it is important to check information instead of believing everything an AI tool says.

Critical question: How do we know if the information an AI tool gives us is correct?

Responsible-use consideration: Always check information from AI with another trusted source before using it in your work.

How children will be supported to think critically: Children will work in pairs to compare the two texts and discuss their ideas before sharing them with the class. I will ask questions to encourage them to explain their thinking and give reasons for their answers. I will ask guided questions.

How I would gather evidence of learning: I would listen to the class discussion and ask the children to write one thing they learned about using AI responsibly, reflecting on their learning.

[Rebecca McLoone]

This lesson sounds great for encouraging children to think about making safe online choices and protecting personal information. It can be a difficult concept for children to grasp so encouraging it through interactive game may be more effective. I agree, it would help children become more confident users online.
I think your idea of pausing at different points and getting pupils to talk through their decisions is a good idea, as it would slow things down a bit and help them actually process what’s going on rather than rushing through it.
I also think it would be useful to link the activity back to real life examples, like talking about apps or games they actually use at home or in school and are familiar with. They can then see how the choices in the Minecraft lesson connect to their own online choices.

[Rebecca McLoone]

The name of the demo world you chose: Hour of Code: Generation AI

This demo introduces children to basic concepts of AI and coding through interactive challenges. They explore how AI is used in everyday life and how it can be designed to be fair and safe. They complete coding puzzles in different tasks.
The lesson is a one hour activity where children are introduced to AI literacy. The main learning objectives include understanding what AI is, exploring responsible AI principles and using computational thinking skills such as problem decomposition, sequencing and debugging to solve coding challenges. Children also reflect on how AI impacts society and future careers.

The activities include coding tasks (such as building bridges) teaching the AI to be responsible. Resources provided include an educator guide, a walkthrough video and coding solutions.

This lesson links well to SPHE, particularly in relation to responsible use of technology and becoming responsible digital citizens. It could also be used to look at the effects of AI on our planet and the future of careers and impact on the environment.

I would use this with my class as I feel the lesson gives plenty of structure and support for the teacher and good prompts for the children when completing tasks. I think it would be important to pause often to check for understanding. I can see how there might be some difficulties in keeping a whole class working at the same pace so it may be helpful to have children working in pairs so they can guide each other.

[Rebecca McLoone]

I like your idea of linking the game to story telling and the roles you gave the characters. It would be a great beginning to building a story world.
This supports your technology and computational thinking focus well because it gives pupils a clear framework for sequencing actions and understanding how different game elements interact.
It would be a great idea to add an element where the game increases in difficulty the longer they are playing.

[Rebecca McLoone]

Game Link: https://makecode.com/_D9PHXDDVxU8c
Game type: Timed catch/collect
Game title: Space Catcher
Curriculum area: Science – Forces/Space/ Earth
Objective: Children will explore movement by designing a game that simulates objects moving through space, linking this to real-life ideas such as gravity and movement of objects in space.
Simple storyboard:
Location: Space
Player: Spaceship
Relevant game elements for your chosen game: Falling asteroids moving down the screen To win, this player must catch as many asteroids as possible in 20 seconds. Players can compete against each other to catch the most asteroids.
Computational thinking:
I used debugging when designing the game. I had to adjust the speed and rate of asteroids falling through trial and error to make the game playable. If something wasn’t working as it should have been, I had to go back through the steps to make sure I had followed it correctly.

[Rebecca McLoone]

Your tutorial is a good way to build children’ s understanding of computational thinking, especially sequencing and debugging, since they can clearly see how the accelerometer triggers a random outcome.

To strengthen the integrated STEM link, you could make the maths part more investigative by having children from different classes carry out the experiment and compare results. This would mean there is more real data collection and analysis, which would make the maths more meaningful.

You could turn it into a short assessment task where pupils have to slightly modify the code e.g. add a score counter or change the icons. You could then use a checklist to assess their understanding of sequencing, randomness and testing.

[Rebecca McLoone]

I completed the Smiley Buttons tutorial.
This code programmes the buttons on the micro:bit to show a happy or sad face. When you press the A button, a smiley face shows, B button a sad face shows and A+B shows an emoji you can choose yourself.
My project: https://makecode.microbit.org/_EWKMLTCAg7qC
I would turn this tutorial into an integrated STEM learning experience for my own class:
Science: Link to emotions and wellbeing. Discuss how inputs (button presses, light, temperature) can affect the output on the micro:bit. Extend by exploring how simple input/output systems work in everyday devices like phones or mood trackers.
Technology: Use the platform to program the device to show happy and sad faces. Children can extend the code by adding more icons, sounds, or creating a “mood selector” for different emotions in senior classes.
Engineering: Design and build a “wellbeing device” or emotion tracker using card, recycled materials etc.
Maths: Collect and record data on how often each emotion is shown (e.g. when using random inputs or class surveys). Use tally charts, bar graphs and simple probability discussions (e.g. which emotion appears most/least and why).

[Rebecca McLoone]

It’s great how you have embedded digital learning across a range of activities rather than treating it as a separate subject. Linking STEAM with digital technologies is a great idea and gives the children opportunities to be creative while also making connections to the curriculum. I also think it’s a great idea to have mixed-age groups, I’m sure that helps the older children develop their communication skills whilst the younger children are developing their own understanding.
I think your action of including at least one unplugged computational thinking activity in each monthly STEAM session is very realistic and achievable. It provides a clear target while allowing the children to build a strong understanding of computational thinking before moving on to coding.
To help the children understand concepts such as sequencing, pattern recognition and debugging, you could link this to real-life problems so they can see how these skills can be used outside of coding.

[Rebecca McLoone]

Strength:
I think one of my strengths is that I use digital learning across a variety of subject areas and link it back to the curriculum. I use digital resources in literacy, maths and SESE lessons to help make learning more engaging and relevant for the children. I feel comfortable trialling new digital tools and using them in the classroom.
Area to develop:
An area I would like to develop is using technology more effectively for assessment. At the moment I mainly use digital tools to support teaching and learning. I would like to become more confident in using them to check for understanding and give feedback to pupils. I think it would also allow for children to reflect on their own learning and improve their use of digital technologies.
Actions:
Use one digital assessment tool (such as quizzes or polls) at least once a week for the next six weeks.
Use digital self-assessment or peer-assessment activities with pupils at least twice a month.

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