Playing Dodgeball in Tynker!

Tomorrow's snow day has given me the perfect opportunity to reflect back on our past week of 5th Grade Digital Literacy.  Last week, we finished up our Dodgeball games that we coded in Tynker using our tablets.  We have continued to practice good Pair Programming rules, and the process of working together to create code is becoming more natural to the students. 

The Dodgeball games were a great way to introduce Tynker to the students.  Each pair added actors, or the characters, a background and another object such as a treasure chest.  Each "actor" needing coding, and the students worked to have their characters move about the screen of the tablet when the tablet is being tilted.  We had a great discussion about the gyroscope sensor in the tablets and in smart phones.  It is what makes the tablet know that it is being tilted, and therefore, makes the game possible!  Ask your student about how this works and see what they have to say!

Our Dodgeball games have been so much fun to see.  There have been may customized versions of the game that the students have come up with, including some hand drawn characters.  I am so impressed with the focus and creativity that these 5th graders are showing.  You as families and loved ones should be so proud!

This week, we will begin a new coding project.  Again using Tynker, we will be exploring the idea of setting parameters in a game, and coding user input to set these parameters by creating a "Dinosaur Ecosystem."  This is a trickier bit of code, and may cause some frustration.  The students will be working independently on this program, but it doesn't mean that we won't be using our new collaboration skills to help each other out, and move forward!


All this snow and cold is keeping everyone inside!  If you have access to a computer on these snow days, consider having your student work on this Ice Art project in Tynker!  It is a great way to practice your coding and problem solving skills!

Back at work and learning Tynker!

It is our first full week back after our break, and we are moving full steam ahead with our coding projects!  Last week, we learned the basics of using Tynker on our tablets, by working through a video as a class, and exploring the different functions of Tynker with our partners.  
We also had an introductory lesson on coordinate planes, and the (x,y) system.  

A few of the students were puzzled as to why we were learning such a "mathy" thing in Digital Literacy!  I thought this was an excellent question, and it gave us a great opportunity to talk about how many of our classroom subjects are related, and sometimes in the early steps of a project, it is hard to understand what each piece of the puzzle means, or why it is important.  As a class, we will be completing three different computer programs using Tynker.  In Tynker, when you place an actor, or character on the coding screen called the stage, it is placed by the coordinates, or (x,y) values.  It is important to learn about this grid system as our codes become more complicated, so that we can figure out how to make our actors move in specific ways on our stage.  

This week, we will be creating a Dodgeball game in Tynker using our tablets.  We will be practicing Pair Programming, which is a technique where programmers work together at one workstation. One, the driver, writes code while the other, the navigator, reviews each line of code as it is typed in. The two programmers switch roles frequently.  This is great way to learn new programs, and helps new coders catch mistakes, and make corrections quickly.  It is also a great way to learn how to be a great partner.  We will be practicing Pair Programming throughout the rest of the year. 

It's almost the winter break holiday...and you can feel the energy in the air!  This week, we are learning more about Modeling and Simulations, and exploring a real simulation about how disease spreads.   Together, we are using the iPads to explore the app SpeedSIM.  If you are interested in checking it out as well, you can download it here for Android devices, or you can search for SpeedSIM in the Apple App store.   

The app was developed by University of Maine associate professor David Hiebeler, and we are using the SIRS or Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible cycle to talk about why computer simulations are sometimes important for scientists to explore topics that may not be possible to explore in a physical experiment.  We used the example that we could not use other students to do a science experiment for how the flu spread in our school because it would take too long, AND it isn't nice, ethical, or OK to get your classmates sick for an experiment!  Which is why we use computer simulations where we can change parameters to see different ways that diseases can spread.  In the next few weeks, the students will be creating their own simulation using Tynker, a coding app for kids.   

Over break, if you have access to a computer at home or at the library, students can keep up with their techie skills by working in a few suggested websites!  

1. Tynker  Your student may want to get a headstart on learning block coding on this website.  We will be using the app version of Tynker, so if you would like you can search for the Tynker app that works on both an Android and Apple tablet or phone. 
2. www.code.org  The students have all been working on coding already, and can see their progress by logging in with their Google account. 
3. Typing Club  Here you can access the Typing Practice lessons that your student uses.  
4.Scratch Coding Games  Coding is super fun when working in Scratch! This website allows you to create your own project or game.  

You don't have to be alone when you use technology.  If you have a device at home, work with your students to explore coding!  We have been learning so many new things, and it is great to give your student the opportunity to share with their family and friends. 

Our class is moving forward by looking at the different ways that diseases spread, and how we can track down who "patient zero" is, or the person that starts the spread of a communicable disease.  There have been many questions as to why we are looking at this subject!  It is very reasonable to ask, and I have an answer!   

To further build on the way we think about a problem, we have been exploring the spread of a disease through simulations and experiments that we have actually done.  Last week and early this week, we finished our small group experiment to see which soap works best for removing fake glitter "germ lotion" from our hands.  We worked through the Scientific Inquiry Process, and wrote conclusions based on the data we collected with our experiment. So what does this have to do with technology and Digital Literacy you might ask?  Sometimes in our learning, the context for what we are about to do doesn't seem clear until we get a little further along.  With this unit, that just very well might be true.  This week, we started a new unit "Infections/Detections Modeling and Simulations".  This unit is looking at computer simulations, one of which is the spread of disease.  Without all of our earlier exploration on the subject, we wouldn't know what we were really looking at when we started to see these computer simulations!  

One of the apps that we will be using this week is called SpeedSIM.  If you have a tablet or phone at home that you would be willing to download the app on, it would be a great app to check out with your student.  I have included the link to the Android version of the app.   You can change the parameters (another great vocab word we have been working on...) to see how the outcome in the simulation changes.   It is a great way to explore technology and science with your student!

Scientific Inquiry Process

We are back at our important work this week after our long holiday weekend! Now that we are settling back into our room, there are many updates to share. 

Last week, we started a new project in the program called Project Lead the Way.  We are working a project called "Infections/Detections" and are learning about how to discover patient zero using a fake germ powder.  We spread the germs, and checked each other's hands using a UV light....it was very fun and exciting to see where the "germs" had gone!  This week we will be working more with Project Lead the Way, and we will be experimenting with different ways to "Prevent the Spread." 

I wanted to share with you also, a presentation that a group of students did for our second project on research.  The goal of the Timeline project was to learn more about how to safely and correctly find and cite sources.  It also gave us a chance to look at what makes a good resource, and what is a not so good resource.  Each group of students was given a timeline research point to work with.  The presentation included with this blog post was done by a group of students who had to look at how and when Youtube started.  

We will continue to do our typing, reading and vocabulary practice in the weeks to come.  Last week, we also added some coding practice with Code.org.  Please let me know if you would like information on how to access these fun and educational activities at home!

Check out this great example of our Timeline Research Slide Show Project!

We had a short but productive and fun week!  We are working on adding elements to our Padlet Galleries about Digital Citizenship.  This week, we added our thoughts on how we think that Social Media has changed the world.  I heard some fantastic answers about how people across the world can talk, how news travels fast, and how you can share your personal story to a larger audience.   We also practiced our Digital Citizenship vocabulary in Quizlet, and played a game in Quizlet called Quizlet Live!  Below is a picture of the students concentrating on finding the correct answer during the game.  Ask your student about it-they really enjoyed it and asked to play again immediately!  Some of the words we are learning about include plagiarism, copyright, fair use, citizenship, and wireless fidelity (wifi). 

It was nice to see those of you who visited during conferences!  I love being able to share how well your student is doing, and it was wonderful to meet you in person.   If you missed conferences, you can always schedule a time to meet with me after school.  I am here until 4:30 most nights.  

Next week we will continue to learn about Digital Citizenship by exploring Electronic Communication and Copyright Laws.  We will be creating a comic strip about being a safe digital citizen to add to our Padlet Gallery as well. 

Enjoy your long weekend!

The weather has officially turned, and we are trotting off towards winter!  Everyone should see grades in Skyward for their students first project, "mySelfie."  There are also behavior grades posted that go with our first introductory unit.  Please let me know if anyone has any questions about the grades that they are seeing.  I am available by phone or email, and will be available during teacher's conferences as well.  Conferences will be held on October 24 from 3:30 pm-7:30 pm and again on October 25 from 8:00 am -noon.  If there is a time that works best for you, feel free to let me know and I can reserve the 10 minute time slot for you.  Otherwise, you will be able to sign up outside of the Digital Literacy rooms for a slot. 

This week, we finished our Timeline projects.  The students worked on researching a technology or innovation, and completed slides that showed what they had learned.  We focused on sources, specifically what makes a credible source.  I think that this was a challenging project for the students, but I was very proud of what the students produced!  Not only did they show that they knew that Google is just a search engine, not a source, they also were able to produce slides that included many elements of Google Slides.  Ask your student to share their work with you! It's very impressive.  

Next week, we will be starting a unit on Digital Citizenship.  To kick off this new unit, the students started to explore Interland, an interactive program that teaches kindness, safety and how to be a great digital citizen this past Friday.  Monday, we will start making a digital interactive scrap book in Padlet of all the things that we are learning about Digital Citizenship.  I am excited to see what your students will do with their Padlets!