Thank-you @TimRylands - #GAFE #Chromebook

Big thank-you to the legend Tim Rylands (@TimRylands) for the below Tweet which highlighted the great 3D Tin to me.

As Tim's website (check it out at http://www.timrylands.com) says, '3D Tin is a 3D model maker that runs in Chrome or Firefox browsers, and does not require any installation. Design your object, using coloured blocks, use the smoothing tools to make things less chunky than your original collection of voxels, then save your creations online. All functionality is available for FREE (as long as the sketch is shared under Creative Commons)'.

This can use HTML5 so works across many platforms, and can even work offline.

Choose 3D shapes from a huge library of templates and add them to your sketch, through a fairly intuitive interface. It is also possible to save your model, in some common formats, so that you could even send it to a 3D printer.

For us at IPACA the site also support Google sign in (IPACA email) and for use with the MakerBot 3D Printers - STL file export.

Build - LEGO®

A half-term treat has to be checking out Build - the largest LEGO® set the world has ever seen. Build has been developed with the latest web technology in Chrome.

Build is a place for everyone to imagine, create and explore building with LEGO bricks online!

Safer Internet Day 2014

We had a very successful Safer Internet Day 2014 here at the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy. As an Academy, we joined hundreds of other organisations across the UK in promoting the safe and responsible use of technology. To celebrate the day, students of all ages took part in a range of activities including website design, computer science and social media exploration. Year 9 students, Kellcie, Katie, Jude and Callum even popped up on the BBC sharing their work -

Safer Internet Day helped us build on the continuous programme of e-safety which is embedded in our all-through PSHE, Citizenship and Computing curriculum.

Love this idea

Another great story from one of my favourite website - http://www.springwise.com/ - Cisse Trading Co. includes QR codes on its baked goods and hot drinks that enable customers to send a message to the farmers that harvested the ingredients.

Consumers don't often have an intimate knowledge of where the food they buy at the supermarket or consume in restaurants comes from, but we have seen efforts to greater inform customers, most recently with the Harney Sushi restaurant, which details its sustainable fishing practices through edible QR codes on the meals themselves. Going slightly further, however, Cisse Trading Co. is now including QR codes on its baked goods and hot drinks that enable customers to send a message to the farmers that harvested the ingredients.

The company focuses on Fairtrade chocolate-based desserts and cocoa beverages, whose ingredients are sourced from the Organic Growers Dominican Foundation (FUNDOPO) in the Dominican Republic. On each box or packet, a QR code can be scanned to take customers through to the company’s Facebook page, where they can leave a message to the farmers. Cisse then sends the messages along to members of FUNDOPO.

The idea is a fairly simple one that helps create a greater connection between its customers and the people that make their food. Could companies even go so far as to set up direct contact with farmers themselves, initiating a two-way dialogue between creators and consumers?

Website: www.cissetrading.com

Contact: www.cissetrading.com/get-in-touch/contact-information

#DLChat - Mixed Age Learning

Tonight saw the long overdue coming together of two exciting groups here at the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy. It was a pleasure to take Digital Leaders from Royal Manor Campus down to Osprey Quay Campus to take part in 'Community Computer Fun'.

Community Computer Fun is already a very successful club which has been running since October 2013 in West Base at Osprey Quay Campus. The concept of the club is simple, young learners (many of whom are also Digital Leaders) showcase the technology they are using to their parents/wider family. It's wonderful to see young children leading the learning of their parents on things such as iPad Apps, Chromebooks and even a little Computer Science work here and there.

To read more about the club, check out this West Base Blog post.

In particular, tonight I was really impressed to see lots of mixed aged learning taking place. You can see some of this learning in the below photograph -

 There were a range of activities going on in the base tonight, including but not limited to young learners showing to their parents and in one case their grandparent how to use an iPad Mini and young learners and a Secondary Digital Leader making a stop-motion animation using iMotion HD. I also saw learners of all ages playing the Banana Piano (Makey Makey) and a young learner showing a Secondary Digital Leader how to make a game using 2DIY (Purple Mash). In addition to this, lots of other fun web-based activities were on display on the Chromebooks.

We are looking forward to making this a regular trip every Thursday for the foreseeable future.

Seren - Presentation

 
On Monday 3rd February, I joined colleagues from the Chesil Education Partnership and Dorchester Education Schools Partnership at Wey Valley School for a presentation on 'Seren'

Martin Baker, Foundation Governor for the Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester welcomed us and talked about 'collecting information and organising it' and how technology can be used to support this. Martin shared his four 'C's' -

Questions -

- Compliance
- Connectivity
- Cost effective
- Collaboration 

Mike Foley, Headteacher, Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester shared the challenges he believes school's face in this current climate -

- Standards Agenda - continued push from Government.
- Teaching and Learning - ICT hasn't changed teaching and learning!?!
- Partnership working - importance of schools networking together.
- Money - crisis in Post-16 funding.

The day was full of product demonstration, much of which I believe could be delivered for free. I won't use this platform to go into detail though.

What was nice was hearing from colleagues where ICT is making a real difference to teaching and learning - like we all know it can!

IPACA students attend BETT 2014

Students from the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community recently went on a once in a lifetime trip to London. The students aged 13 to 15 represented the Academy which is fast gaining an international reputation for innovation in learning at the annual BETT Show. The BETT show (British Education Training and Technology Show) is a world-renowned event that attracts a global audience of educators who want to keep up to date with the latest technology and see the latest teaching technology solutions designed to inspire, shape and improve the way students learn. The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy students were invited on behalf of European Electronique, Google, BT and Samsung to share their work.

Gary Spracklen, Director of Digital Learning and Innovation at the Portland Academy, explains, ‘It was a real honor for our students to showcase the 21st century approach to learning we offer at our Academy. There is a lot of international attention on our work, especially in our 1:1 Chromebook approach which is the first of it’s kind in Europe. We are delighted that we are the fastest improving local school and are excited to share on an international platform our exciting work’. Excited student Ben King said, ‘It was a brilliant couple of days'.

Year 10 student, Imogen Goulding, said that she, ‘really enjoyed the ‘free time’ to explore the exhibition space and surrounding area’. She added, ‘It was great to experience the latest flat-screen touch-displays, 3D Printers and Augmented Reality technology'.

As well as sharing the developments the Academy is making with Digital Technology, students also shared a research project they have completed. Gary Spracklen explains further, ‘the students have been capturing some simple soundscapes of our Campus sites and have also tracked the lux levels around the buildings. They have explored how light and sound effects learning and have seen how both of these are significantly enhanced in our new Osprey Quay Campus’. Year 9 student, Callum Easton explains, ‘It was really easy to capture sound levels and lux levels using one of the many free decibel and lux meter apps for iPhone, iPad or Android devices. Analysis has shown us changing patterns of noise and light across the school across the school day and we loved sharing this at the BETT show’.

You can review the students trip at - http://ipacabett2014.blogspot.co.uk/

To see the students research project, please visit - http://www.ipaca.org.uk/data

Awesome Home Learning

Check out this great Myths and Legends homework completed by a Year 6 pupils at Underhill Campus. The pupil created this video at home and drew all of the pictures as well.

Great agility from @rkassanoff

Just had a great Twitter conversation with Richard Kassanoff (Educational Furniture Manufacturer), I was initially concerned by his desk on Twitter but love his response -

The picture - 

 

The conversation -

The video -

It is always great when people can back things up.

A New Challenge

I took on the new challenge of teaching a Year 7 Maths set this week, this is something I have been very much looking forward to. If you want to see a detailed overview of what we have been up to, I encourage you to check out our class page by clicking the image below.