The coding space in Workbench has a Blockly workspace that resembles Scratch, so it is readily familiar with students and teachers and it works super well on Chromebooks as well as other laptops. This blog is the second in a series of five and you will learn how you can add devices that can interact with the code.
As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to integrate digital tools, especially in the STEAM space, so that meaningful learning experiences can take place. Ultimately, I want to be able to combine a variety of applications and devices together and develop some coding to gather data and control external devices. Workbench provides the backbone to be able to do that.
If you were asked, ““If a visitor to your school was to walk into a typical room, what might they see students doing with technology?” what might your answer be? Using unplugged activities can help develop computational thinking in your students, allowing that use of technology to maybe look a little different. This blog will give some ideas of ways to integrate these activities into your classroom.
If you were to create a pile of all the LPs, cassettes and CDs you ever owned how big would it be? Where are they all now? Did you throw them out? Recycle them?
Technology has both positive and negative consequences – the impact of some technological change on the environment has been massive. Exploring technology, sustainability and the environment should be part of all curriculums.
Ask many teachers what computational thinking is and they’ll look at you with a blank face. I used to feel like that! But actually, it’s not that complicated at all. This blog will unpack what it is and give you some simple ideas on how to get started with unpacking what it could look like in your classroom.
The idea of digital integration is one that we get asked about a lot! Many teachers are unsure just how they could bring coding, robotics, digital activities or technology in general into their programmes without making it a stand-alone ‘something else’ they have to find time in their day to fit in. This blog will give you three easy ways to get started.
Why is it that in schools, more often than not, we simply ask students to ‘write’ their story. In many cultures, their traditions and histories are passed on mainly through the rituals of oral, not written, storytelling. This blog looks at a more creative way for students to tell their story.
The BBC micro:bit is an amazing tool but what is the most effective way to introduce it to students? By initially focusing on the hardware could we support the students to be more creative in the long term?
Book Creator is a favourite tool of mine for demonstrating how to create impactful, authentic digital outcomes eBooks in classrooms. Many teachers are familiar with the iPad app but haven’t seen all the great things you can do when you use Book Creator in a browser. Check out these features that you may not know about!
It is possible to deliver a STEAM project to students which kills creativity. Without significant and purposeful learning design STEAM learning can inhibit the very things we are trying to support students to develop. Here are five tidbits of thought to help you think critically about STEAM and creativity.
Integrating STEAM and robotics in the classroom can be expensive. Thankfully there are many low-cost options such as the BBC micro:bit which, with a little resourcefulness and tinkering can be a great tool to get started with. If you are new to the micro:bit be sure to check out this great overview. One issue with
Do you find yourself wondering what other schools are doing with STEAM? Have you started STEAM in your school but feel like you don’t know what it should look like?
The answer, rightly so, is that STEAM looks quite different from school to school. With unique communities and local curriculum, there is no one size fits all approach.
