Soft Technology

Technology can be such a powerful tool to allow children to showcase their learning in creative ways. Especially for children who may not be able to articulate their ideas and learning as written text. Technology, such as the iPad, can remove these barriers allowing children to achieve. Recently, we have been using technology to allow children to document their problem solving in maths. A fantastic FREE app for this is Shadow Puppets Edu. Here was the problem set for the children: This is what the children produced through Shadow Puppets Edu. For step-by-step tutorials for how to do this with your class, make sure you sign up and subscribe to MrPICT.com

I am a huge fan of technology that can not only enhance learning but save me time. Over the past year or so, the one tool that has stood out has to be Learning By Questions. There is a paid element to the tool, which I think is well worth the money. I will explore these features in more detail in the near future. In this blog post, I just want to explore what you can access through Learning By Questions for FREE by simply signing up. I posted this video exploring the thousands of questions you can access to support learning in English, Maths and Science: For more information on the exclusive CPD content you can access as a supporter of my facebook page, watch this: View this post on Instagram Head over to MrPICT.com and sign up through Facebook so you can enjoy Mr P’s CPD from the comfort of your own couch 🛋 👍✅ A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Feb 15, 2019 at 10:51am PST

Today with Year 2 we were continuing out work on Money in maths. Rather than the suggested lesson from the scheme which involved a lot of time being spent printing, cutting out and photocopying. I decided to do something different instead: View this post on Instagram I had a great day in school today working with Year 2 looking at Money in maths. Using technology, I was able to create a lesson in a fraction of the time which worked brilliantly without any printing, cutting out or photocopying. I am not suggesting teachers do this all the time, but the key for me in balance and when the tech can help us #worksmarternotharder we need to embrace it. I have posted a step-by-step tutorial of the lesson for the supporters of my page. Sign up here - facebook.com/becomesupporter/ictwithmrp A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Jan 31, 2019 at 12:53pm PST The lesson worked fantastically well and the children were able to access the task making really good progress. Once the childre...

One of my eBooks - 15+ ideas for the emoji keyboard in the classroom explores how emojis can be used as a tool across the curriculum. I recently discovered a great page on Facebook that provides a fantastic starter or activity for a maths lesson. You can follow Solvemoji on: ⭐️ Facebook ⭐️ Twitter ⭐️ Instagram  ⭐️ Website  (here you can create an account and compete with others) I follow on Facebook and every day they seem to post some of these challenges. The also differentiate the challenges too. Here is a sample of what they create and share: I think it is a great way to challenge children applying their understanding of BODMAS and also introduce simple algebra. So give it a go! Stick one or two up on your whiteboard first thing in the morning, after break or after lunch and see how quick the children settle themselves into focusing and solving the problem.

Today I had the pleasure of working with Year 3. In maths, we were exploring 3D shapes. We discussed the different properties of 3D shapes such as faces, edges and vertices. The children were given the opportunity to explore the shapes physically and then were challenged to create a video sharing their understanding of different 3D shapes. We used the app Shadow Puppets Edu, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite apps for its versatility and simplicity. Here is a clip of what we got up to: Year 3 worked really hard today exploring different 3D shapes and then sharing that knowledge by creating videos explaining the properties of each shape in the app Shadow Puppets, here's a little snippet: A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Jun 15, 2017 at 7:44am PDT Once completed, the pupils uploaded their efforts to Seesaw. Here is a finished example:

Thanks to  @Gareth_Metcalfe  for this new app AlbertClock you can download on your devices! See it in action here: The AlbertClock app, worth a look for some extra maths practice! Thanks Gareth for sharing! A post shared by Lee Parkinson (@ict_mrp) on Mar 13, 2017 at 12:10pm PDT