I AM LEARNING a new ICT question tool

My school signed up to I AM lEARNING a couple of months ago and it seems to be a successful learning tool with many features that keep students engaged and coming back. Mainly the GAMES FEATURES Students take part in exercises provided by I am learning or exercise questions that have ben created by their teacher. These can be multiple choice questions or they can be written questions where the use of key terms and phrases are incorporated into the I am learning answer box and so these have to be incorporated for students to get the question correct. The concept is simple. If a student gets a question right they get an allotted time to play a game. This might be 10-20 seconds. They then have to attempt another question in order to continue the game. If they get a question incorrect they still get to play a game but for half the time. 

Unlike other online revision question programs like SAM LEARNING students can click back on the browser to go back or find the right answers out and then know the sequence and what to press to get the answers right and so not take any learning in as I am learning mixes the questions up and the play element makes the students try. Also it will log that students are trying to do this and so a teacher can see how many questions a student has attempted what they got wrong etc and can then work on individual learning plans for students to inform their planning to see if a certain question is a class issue or whether it is an isolated incident that needs independent action.

Pupils sign in and they see the following screen:

This is their homepage when they log in. From this you can see many roll over with a mouse features.

A paint can - Decorate their study homepage

An ipod - student podcasts

A photo frame - allows students to edit their personal details and edit their avatar

A head statue - where students work on their skills and add details where they have demonstrated certain PLTs they can even upload work to prove this.

Bar graph blocks - were students check their progress and performances through the exercises.

A snow globe - to input targets and check them to see how the student is working towards it.

Exam Paper - try real exam papers to see how the student is progressing.

Books - Guides on how to get most out of I AM LEARNING and revision.

Phone - To contact their teacher if they have a query or to get messages from teacher that work has been set.

Computer Screen - Take an exercise 

Clock - How long the student has spent on I AM lEARNING revising.

Champions League - Compare how they are doing to other I AM LEARNING students around the country.

Picture with finger pointing - A teacher survey that students have to complete.

VAK vacuum - Complete a how they learn survey to find out what type of learning they are strongest at and what areas need learning help / persistence.

Calendar - What homeworks / tasks have been set by a teacher?

What the I AM lEARNING screen looks like to a teacher with twitter feed (note my twitter feed at the top:)

This allows you to check who has taken the exercises that you have set, how they have done, progress of that classes, year groups, individual students, how the student is getting on in other subjects, allows you to check the students PLTs progress to the student, Who has completed the homeworks, if you have a message from a student who may be having trouble, allows you to create a survey, create an exercise, allocate homework - For this you can use the I AM lEARNING created exercises, your own or exercises that other teachers have created and you can search for subject and key areas of study for specific examples if any have been created that you can set your students.

This is what the questions look like from a Rivers Management exercise I have created. SEARCH FOR IT AND HAVE A GO!

I AM lEARNING is on twitter and they have begun creating iphone apps for specific subjects for questions to be attempted. 

Overall a good engaging tool that can be used as an ICT exercise for questioning and for some good fun for the students to keep them revising. 

My Mission Explore Task

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If you haven't got the mission explore books see picture then you really should!

My mission with the books is to make global links with schools around the world and to share blogging pictures and webchats / Skype chats with students from other countries to find there findings for certain missions.

My aim is to actively engage my students to make links with foreign students and more importantly using the books to find out about the world around us and what different places are like with a common theme the books to aid and gave a continuity running through the project so that students have a certain theme they can discuss / see the similarities and the differences. Students can then come up with their own missions and continue to find out new things of the people and place of the world around us.

So this is a plea to visitors to my blog to get in touch and let's make a global blog of people and place and bring the world closer to hand for our students.

Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education | Video on TED.com

Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education | Video on TED.com
This is a great advert for letting students research for themselves. Provide a key term, question, idea and let them research and be CREATIVE with it and then begins the key question for a teacher/educator 'how can we make them THINK with this acquired knowledge? And what are they going to do with it that will get their minds and bodies working?'

Trekking the planet

Follow the link for an outline of this fantastic project that will start January 2012 http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/ the project trek is a geography educational bonanza and true spread of the fabulous place geography has in the world around us. Follow and use in lessons. I know I will!

Geocaching from your iPhone

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This is a fantastic co-ordinates game using a GPS, mapping skills treasure hunt. A geocaching is a great addition to any dog walk, cycle ride, walk or even outdoor learning adventures. The principle is simple. Go to the website or download the app for geocaching. £4.99 on iTunes app store (a free introduction app is available it limits a search to the 3 nearest placed geocaches to you). The app will place your phone GPS to your current location and you can search to see if there are any geocaches in your area. Then simply using the co-ordinates and using a map you can hunt them down or more simply you can let the GPS on your phone close in to the co-ordinates. You can change the setting to show you a compass to try and match your co-ordinates with that of the location of the geocache. Then it is down to you to hunt out the box / casing. You should see a container with the geocaching official symbol and it should have paper and a pencil for you to write your name and date you found it. Some have an object in them. You can add something to the container of equal value. Overall great fun:)

Geocaching

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This is a fantastic co-ordinates game using a GPS, mapping skills treasure hunt. A geocaching is a great addition to any dog walk, cycle ride, walk or even outdoor learning adventures. The principle is simple. Go to the website or download the app for geocaching. £4.99 on iTunes app store (a free introduction app is available it limits a search to the 3 nearest placed geocaches to you). The app will place your phone GPS to your current location and you can search to see if there are any geocaches in your area. Then simply using the co-ordinates and using a map you can hunt them down or more simply you can let the GPS on your phone close in to the co-ordinates. You can change the setting to show you a compass to try and match your co-ordinates with that of the location of the geocache. Then it is down to you to hunt out the box / casing. You should see a container with the geocaching official symbol and it should have paper and a pencil for you to write your name and date you found it. Some have an object in them. You can add something to the container of equal value.
Overall great fun:)

Some useful iPhone apps for a geographer

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Here is a collection of some of my folders on my iPhone that I have found useful as a geography teacher.
Download them and have a play is the best advice I can give. The majority are free!
Some might be controversial like the gun apps but for a murder mystery lesson they can add a bit of drama. Talking Tom helped shy learners get confidence to talk. Priority boarding was a mapping exercise. Where most of the airports listed in developed countries. A tally chart and graph and map later and we'd evaluated the app.
If you have any queries about how to use any of the apps let me know and I'll describe and explain how I use them.

The Forbidden Corner

Follow the link http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/
A great day out for the explorational family:)

Energy activities mainly oil

A collection of activities on Oil and moves on to a good wind farm activity I found online.

World_Peak_Oil_Production_Theory_Graph.doc Download this file

Thinking hats mat to use in a lesson.

Thinking Hats Mats to use during a lesson, enquiry etc.

Thai_Tourism_Towers_branksome.docx Download this file

The BioDaVersity Code site

follow the link http://www.daversitycode.com/ A good introduction to food chains etc. And more importantly sustainability. get your school to come up with some sustainability projects. Walk to school day, ride to school, school make a bag for life and donate to local shops. etc

Ammonium Dichromate Volcano Experiment in class

Virtual Quarry ICT activities

follow the link http://www.virtualquarry.co.uk/ 

From watching the virtual quarry flash and completing the activities during it. The site has a Rock spot section introducing places to visit and some good activities. Students can restore a quarry and rescue visitors in danger as an interactive game.There is a rock cinema with some interesting and informative video clips. If you want more structure the site has a teacher's desk with units that the site can be used in conjunction with.

 

New7Wonders ICT actvities

follow the link http://www.new7wonders.com/en/

Lots of possible activities on here from voting for your 7 wonder of nature, to creating your own list of entries, to getting involved in a project, to creating a new campaign or suggesting additional entries to existing campaigns. The site has information sections on geography topics like erosion etc. Overall a site that canker a student/teacher/class involved.

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Mapzone ICT activities

follow the link http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/giszone.html 

A great starting point to introduce GIS to your geography students and to give them ideas from which to develop from.

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Electrocity ICT activity

Follow the link http://www.electrocity.co.nz/

Flood Sim ICT task

Follow the link http://floodsim.com/

What does Geography stand for?

Not sure where I found this but I think it is a good sum up that could be useful on an Open Evening ticking over in the background

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Plot all the stadiums on a google earth project that you'd hear the song sung at.

Using google earth plot all the stadiums with a picture that the song in the video clip is sung at. Use t-shirts in the video to assist in your investigation as they might help you with an internet search.

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Helicopter flight of New York:)

Enjoy a trip over

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Manhattan:)

Cable Car journey up to Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

Happy Christmas:)

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Controlled Assessment photos investigating erosion in the river channel

 Pictures from a Controlled Assessment field visit today

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