Digital Media & Computer Control - Week 3

Hey again! 

This weeks ICT session focused on computer control and monitoring technology. Well what is that exactly I hear you ask? Well, having already thought about the ways in which we use technology to communicate over the internet and express our creativity, it is also important to remember that technology and computing play a huge role in everyday life away while you are not sitting in front of the computer. 
 
Computer Control

Computers control many objects (Such as traffic lights, burglar alarms and central heating) that may not immediately spring to mind when thinking about ICT, and computer control refers to the set of instructions programmed into a machine that cause them to operate in a predetermined manner. 


So why do we use computers to control things? Well they never get tired, never lose concentration, can repeat the same process with extreme accuracy every time, carry out tasks with great speed and perhaps most importantly in today's economy computers are a lot cheaper than manual labor and will never ask for a pay rise (well not yet anyway!). 

 
Computer Control in the Classroom

When considering the teaching of ICT, especially now children are being encouraged to create and even begin to learn basic programming, thinking about computer control is a great way to introduce these concepts. Perhaps the best way to introduce such ideas is by getting the children to think about basic programming by using programmable toys and robots such as The Roamer, Beebot and Pippin. The child can program these devices to carry out simple commands such as moving forward and simple angular turns.

Not only do they increase the child's programming ability but also can be used to develop cross curricular links to subjects such as maths, design technology and geography as well as developing transferable skills such as spatial awareness and systematical forward thinking. 

Computer Monitoring

Computer monitoring involves the use of digital senses to observe/monitor information. In the classroom this can involve the use of hardware such as a digital microscope or a data logger that can read and record information such as light, sound and temperature levels. These are incredible useful tools as they allow ICT to be spread across such a wide range of curriculum areas, in this case particularly Science. 




During our workshop we were given the opportunity to have a little play with each of these pieces of equipment and invited to think about some of the potential activities that each could be used for in a primary school. We were then asked to carry out a little reflective activity  in order to think in a bit more detail about one of the pieces of equipment and answer a few questions to really get us thinking. I decided to think about the Beebot Robot as this is the one I spent the most time with in the workshop. 

To really get me thinking I decided to search YouTube to give myself some possible ideas of potential activities to use with the Beebot. This is what i found..

In which areas of the curriculum could you use this activity? Consider cross-curricular links? 

The Beebot can be used in a lot of curriculum areas, particular maths (when considering 

angles of turns), Literacy (to spell out different words) and Geography (when considering

co-ordinates)

What is the purpose of the activity? (Is it to teach new ICT skills? To consolidate and

practice existing skills, or is the ICT simply a tool and the focus lies in the subject being 

taught?) 

The beebot develops childrens all round ability. It can be used to specifically teach 

programming in ICT, but can also be really useful to be used as a tool for developing the

focus of other curriculum areas

What is the key vocabulary used in the activity?  

Forward - Left - Right - Reverse - Pause - Clear - Go - Turn - Angles - 90degrees

How could you extend the activity for more able children and/or older year group?
By placing obstacles/routes they have to take, it will increase the amount of thinking the children need to do in order to reach their goal. You could also limit the amount of moves it can take to reach the goal.

How would you differentiate the activity for less able and/or younger age group?

Less able children could be given simpler tasks and focus only on moving forward and simple 90 degree turns. The goal could be easier to get to, or if spelling, easier words to connect.

What opportunities are there to assess the children’s learning?

Depending on the activity taking place, the use of the Beebot could have many good assessment opportunities such as the assessing  of spelling, counting, simple maths skills (such as use of angles and forward thinking), co-ordination and motor control skills and subject knowledge within areas such as geography.

What are the practicalities involved in organising and managing the activity in the classroom/computer suite? 

Due to beebots small size and ease of use, there is very little to think about in terms of practicality.They can be used as a whole class, in small groups or even 1 to 1 and only require simple resources to be used effectively.

This is just some of the many possibilities and opportunities the use of such toys and robots can provide! Now i'm looking forward to exploring some of the other creative possibilities in next weeks workshop. 

But for now, stay safe! JB signing off.