# data[].attributes.body
Exemplified a good use of Twitter in the classroom, although needs to be adapted to involve parents if it is to be used in a primary setting

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I have had been using Twitter in the classroom for diverse activities for pretty much a while. Among these ones, I usually send out a question and students tweet their answers. First tweet gets the prize. It has always proven to be pretty engaging and students love it. Of course, you can also use some other quizzing apps such as Socrative or Exitticket. However I find Twitter a bit more engaging due to its social aspect.

So it all happened during a Physics class. The topic was temperature conversions. Since I knew that most students were good at temperature conversion from past courses I thought of this class as a review. So I planned to use Twitter contest. I sent out a temperature reading and they would convert it to another unit. To avoid them cheating and using Google search to get an automatic answer I had them solve the problem on paper and take a snapshot of the process and tweet it. We kicked off but we encountered a problem. For some reason, two of the teams were having issues with their mobile Twitter (I only allow them to use handhelds for this particular activity since a PC or Mac server might send tweets faster than a mobile and some of my students have handhelds only.). Their tweets were not sending out so the game was a bit uneven. After three trials we realized it was not going to work.

Then my students had an idea: they suggested we use Snapchat instead. I had heard about Snapchat in the past but was not really interested. For those of you who do not know what Snapchat is, it is basically an instant messaging service such as Whatsapp or Line, except that it sends snapshots only. So, you take a picture, send it to any of your Snapchat contacts and they get to see it. The picture is not saved, it disappears after certain seconds and is not retrievable. Teenagers have been using this application to send selfies or fun snapshots to each other; all of my students had accounts! We had a recess break and they convinced me to install it.

Snapchat was really fast! It sent pics almost instantly and in the order they were sent, so I could see who had finished the development of the problem and sent a picture first. Needless to say, student had lots of fun and they felt they were mastering the procedure. Good thing was that the winner team was not always the same one.

Now, as with all good things, there are probably some pitfalls about using Snapchat in class, student privacy being the main one. However, Snapchat has some interesting features that seem to avoid this issue. This is good if you, your school, or your district have strict policies regarding student/teacher interactions off school. You need to sign up with an unique username, but you do not have to add your students and they do not have to add you back. I did freak out a little when the service asked for my birth date, but this is because the application has age restrictions. Pictures that you send or are sent to you are not stored, they vanish in seconds. You decide how much time (within a frame that has a limit of 10 s) you allot your friend to watch the picture. There is also a feature that allows your friends to store a picture but this only for a 24-hour period.

My students asked me if we were going to be using Snapchat again. So now I´d like to ask you: Have you used Snapchat in your classroom? If you have not, would you use it? What advantages or downfalls do you think it might bring? I would really love to read your thoughts on this one and learn from each other.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I have had been using Twitter in the classroom for diverse activities for pretty much a while. Among these ones, I usually send out a question and students tweet their answers. First tweet gets the prize. It has always proven to be pretty engaging and students love it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Even though there are some fabulous resources available for learning to program at primary school, none of them are focused on getting girls into coding. The Made with Code project from Google aims to change this by getting girls excited about learning to code and helping to close the gender gap in the tech industry. The site aims to show young girls that the things they love are made with code and that the skills that they learn when coding can be applied to their own passions.

Google is investing $50 million into this program over the next three years and the website offers resources and projects for girls to learn how to code. The projects use simple block building, in a similar way to Scratch, to create finished programs. They include making an animated yeti dance, lighting up an LED dress, creating an avatar and accessorising. In these days of gender neutrality, Google have made a brave move creating a pink coding website specifically for girls, but the wording is very carefully chosen and the whole experience has been tastefully done.

All the projects on the site use Blockly which is a coding app developed by Google. The guided instructions are clear and simple to follow and the coding itself is not too taxing. The site is nicely designed and will hopefully inspire girls to get interested in coding. When they're ready to, I'd recommend moving them onto Scratch where they can get a better understanding of the underlying code used to create a project. You can do this by giving them Scratch tutorials to follow or letting them have a look at some girl friendly projects that have been developed in Scratch.

Although the site is a little simplistic, I personally think its great and anything that helps get girls coding and using computational thinking is important. Girls start out with a love of science and technology, but lose it somewhere along the way. Let's help encourage that passion in girls. Even if you're not comfortable coding, remember that you don't have to know how to code yourself in order to encourage someone else to code.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Even though there are some fabulous resources available for learning to program at primary school, none of them are focused on getting girls into coding. The Made with Code project from Google aims to change this by getting girls excited about learning to code and helping to close the gender gap in the tech industry.

# data[].attributes.headline
scratch ideas, for use on EMA and games club at school

# data[].attributes.subject
scratch ideas, for use on EMA and games club at school

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These scratch projects from Code Club are fabulous for giving the children step by step instructions for how to code their scratch programs. They also include online instructions that the children can open in another browser tab to follow and cross off while they are coding.

# data[].attributes.body
https://garyhall.org.uk/using-qr-codes-at-school.html

# data[].attributes.body
EMA

Developing subject knowledge for the primary years
Cut-off date: 31 May 2018

Word limit: 3250 words

Weighting: This assignment makes up 100 per cent of the examinable assessment component for the module.

There are four parts to this EMA. In the following section you will find guidance on how to complete each of the different parts of this assignment.

Your assignment should be submitted as one document. Do not include any appendices. Include one reference list for the EMA, which is not included in your word count.

Structure
You should structure your assignment as follows.

Part 1: Using digital technologies for learning (1000 words)
Reflect on your uses of ICT or digital technologies in Block 5.

Describe how your personal learning network developed and what you learned from developing it. Evaluate its effectiveness, or potential effectiveness, as a tool for professional learning.

Then write about one of the following.

EITHER: Using multimodal writing to support learning

Your thinking behind your Storybird story (Activity 27.4), the kinds of cross-curricular or subject learning you intended to develop with it, how you might use it with a child or with children, and what you learned from using the application.
Include the URL to your Storybird story so that your tutor can read it.
OR: Programming to support learning

Your thinking behind your Scratch programme (Activity 25.3), what kinds of subject or cross-curricular subject learning you intended to develop with it, how you might use it with a child or with children, and what you learned from using the application.
Include the URL to your Scratch programme so that your tutor can read it.
Analyse your descriptions by making references throughout to relevant module materials (for example on multimodality, computational thinking and ICT as a tool to support the development of twenty-first century skills). E-group discussions should also provide relevant material for this part of the assignment, which is worth 40 per cent of your EMA grade.

Part 2: Evaluating my subject knowledge learning (1750 words)
Evaluate your subject knowledge learning in E209, giving what you feel are your most important specific learning points in mathematics, language and literacy, science and computing and ICT. Review your progress towards the targets that you set for yourself after completing and reviewing audits.

Your writing might draw on your responses in Activity 28.5, when you considered your learning in computing and ICT and across the module

Then choose one of the subject areas you studied in Block 2, 3 or 4 (mathematics or language and literacy or science) to evaluate in greater depth. Referring to relevant module materials, practical activities and your practice-setting experiences, analyse:

specific subject knowledge you developed
how this knowledge has already or could yet impact on your support for children's learning.
On the Resources page you will find your Personal Development Plan notes under the ‘Key documents’ heading. These should help you to write this part of the EMA.

Part 3: Self-evaluation and next steps (500 words)
Identify your next steps for subject learning and professional development.

The following resources may help you to complete this task:

key points in your responses for Activity 28.5
your Personal Development Plan notes under the ‘Key documents’ heading on the Resources page.
Part 4: Student self-assessment academic language and learning checklist
Submit a completed Academic language and learning checklist as part of your EMA. This is not included in the word count.

 EMA
Copyright © 2017 The Open University

# data[].attributes.body
Ema idea and resources