Computational Thinking

Computational thinking is vital in today’s world. Being able to both formulate a problem and also logically think through to arrive at a computational solution is a necessary skill.

In 1V we have been working on a number of learning activities to better develop our computational thought processes. I say we, because this is a relatively new concept for both myself and the students. We are working on both “unplugged” and “plugged” activities during learning time and the students are just loving it! The level of student engagement is unbelievable and many students are showing a real aptitude at computational thinking.

Students have programmed Bee-Bots to successfully travel from one point to another on the mats. We also created mazes and then programmed the Bee-Bots to travel through from start to finish.

We also enjoyed using the Bee-Bot program on the computer to program the Bee-Bots through the ready-made mazes and challenges that students had created.

1V is also loving using Code.Org too! Students are working through the self-paced activities, creating programs to solve problems. The best thing is listening to the cheers of the students when their coding solves the problem. Just look at that concentration.

What “Busy Bees” 1V are. Such a bunch of  SUPERSTARS!

Our Working Community

IV spent time investigating how communities work together to function efficiently. They discovered that each person has different roles and responsibilities they need to undertake in order for everything to run harmoniously. If one person lets the team down then unfortunately this could lead to problems.

Students discovered how they themselves are part of many different communities. They are part of their family community and also part of their school community. Every person in each of these communities (including themselves) has an important role to play and responsibilities they need to uphold. Students might need to help out with chores at home or be a classroom helper to help those communities function smoothly.

They investigated the roles and responsibilities that their parents and volunteers are required to undertake within the working community. They discovered the ways in which workers undertake their chosen careers in order to provide a service to our society and help it run more efficiently.

We were also lucky enough to have a group of parents and friends of 1V who came to our classroom to talk and answer questions about their careers and the roles and responsibilities they have in their jobs.

1V students were intrigued to hear from parents and friends of 1V who are eye doctors, marketing specialists, business entrepreneurs, acupuncturists, loss prevention engineers and train drivers. We certainly learnt many new things and I am sure that you may have just inspired some students to also pursue a career in your chosen field.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who came along to talk to 1V. Your talks were amazing and the effort you put into your presentations was phenomenal.

 

1V are movie makers!

Do you have a favourite toy? 1V discovered that toys of all kinds have been loved by people for many years. Some boardgames popular today are based on games that were created thousands of years ago! How amazing is that?

1V worked very hard last term on a major project which required them to investigate some of the favourite toys that their parents and grandparents had when they were younger. It was a multi-step process which they worked extremely diligently on for many weeks. All of their hard work culminated in the creation of their own movie independently created used making Microsoft Photo Story 3.

Students firstly had to choose a family member to interview and then devise some questions to ask to find out all about the special toy. They conducted their interviews at home and recorded the responses their family member gave them. As part of their project they also drew pictures and took photographs of their family members and their favourite toys.

The next step was to create a story board by carefully rewriting their interview questions in the form of a historical recount. They also had to chose an image that matched their writing accordingly.

Then it was time to hit the computer lab and learn all about Photo Story 3 and how they could become movie producers and make their storyboards come to life.

Over a number of weeks students learnt how to independently create their movies.

They needed to firstly insert and order their images. The next step was to add some text to each individual slide. After that they used their storyboards to assist them with recording their narration for each slide. The next step was to customize the motion of each individual slide and finally add some background music.

1V worked sensationally over the whole term and created some amazing movies which they are ever so proud of. I wonder if this introduction into movie making will inspire some future Steven Spielbergs? Only time will tell.

Sit back and enjoy some of our amazing 1V movies.

Please check back as more will be added soon.

https://vimeo.com/165137533/settings