EYFS - Innovation in Learning

Today I had the pleasure of taking a special session for our EYFS base at the fabulous new Osprey Quay Campus. We had a really good session and I include a selection of information from the session below -

Devices 
Today we used IPACA's very latest ICT in the form of 30 iPad Minis. These iPads have all been configured using Apple Configurator with the same apps and settings, meaning they are easy to use on a large scale. The iPads also support MDM (mobile device management), this mean we can control the devices remotely, including adding apps.

EYFS Link - iPads are great for pupils to demonstrate a range of skills within Personal, Social and Emotional Development including - Social Development - Scale Point 3 - 'Takes turns and 
shares with adult support' and Scale Point 4 - 'Works as part of a group or class, taking turns and sharing fairly'.

Guided Access
Today we used the 'guided access' feature on an iPad to ensure that pupils stay inside one app for the duration of their activity. This feature is particularly useful in an EYFS setting and a full guide is included below:

All iPads within IPACA have the same guided access password, please ask a member of the Digital Technology Support Team if you need a reminder.

 

Windows into the World
The EYFS base at Osprey Quay is equipped with three 42" digital displays as well as two (there will be three in the long-term) 65" BenQ touch-screen panels. Today we used the three 42" digital displays to show a 'window into the world'.

We did this by 'Airplaying' live video feeds from San Diego Zoo through the iPad into the Apple TV which is included with all the 42" displays.

For a link to the San Diego Zoo cameras please click here: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/

For a full video on how to use airplay screen mirroring, please check out this essential guide:

Initial Activity
We began our time together today in the EYFS base by exploring www.poissonrouge.com/rycroftpark/ , Poisson Rouge is my favourite EYFS site and provides an ever growing area of activities.

 

Poisson Rouge has great EYFS Links -including a range of skills within Knowledge and Understanding of the World including - Scale Point 1 - 'Shows curiosity and interest 
by exploring surroundings' and Scale Point 5 - 'Asks questions about why 
things happen and how things work, looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change'.

Five Activities 
Following my initial activity, children were given chance to explore the five activities alongside those already established in the base. These activities were a mixture of independent tasks and adult support activities.

Activity 1 - Eurotalk - Maths, Age 3-5 - Adult supported - Using 8x iPad Minis
This apps is simply fantastic and ticks a lot of the objectives in the EYFS profile linked with 'Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy'.

A video preview of this app is included below for reference:

Activity 2 - Lego 4+  - Independent - Using 8x iPad Minis
This app is my son's personal favourite and is ideal for demonstrating the EYFS Link - Physical 
Development, in particular Scale Point 5 - 'Demonstrates fine motor control and coordination'.

 

Lego description of this app:

For kids age 4-7 or just a playful spirit. Build your own truck (helicopter blades or legs for wheels optional), bring your cargo to its right destination, and collect coins to earn more parts!

A video preview of this app is included below for reference:

Activity 3 - Funny Photo Booth - Adult Support - Using MacBook and BenQ Screen

PhotoBooth for Mac is a fun yet powerful app that is built into every Apple laptop or desktop computer. It's ideal for children to explore and engage with. It links well to the below objectives:

EYFS Link - Personal, social and emotional development - Social development - 'Works as part of a group or class, taking turns and sharing fairly'.

Activity 4 - Photo Booth (iOS App Version) - Independent - Using 8x iPad Minis
PhotoBooth for iPad is very much like the Macbook version and again is a fun yet powerful app. It's ideal for children to explore and engage with. In this case, I have set all eight iPads up with different settings so that they are have a different effect. It will be interesting to see if the children share the eight iPads around (as they are all different of whether they try to retain the same iPad.

EYFS Link - Personal, social and emotional development - Social development - 'Works as part of a  group or class, taking turns and sharing fairly'.

Activity 5 - Bee Bot App - Independent - Using 8x iPad Minis
The below is a great App for children to explore independently, some will love it and instantly will engage and understand the directional movement involved. This link to KS1 Maths objectives.

To Finish:

To finish the session, I had planned to pull all the children back together to show them a fantastic website: http://neave.com/bouncy-balls/ - this is a great website that responds to sound. The website can be used to support a variety of skills and can also be used to support behaviour management.