Junior Primary: Parts of a Computer

Today in Junior Primary we did a review lesson about the names of different computer parts. When we started the year the kids knew only one word - "Computer!". This was a great start. Since then we've started to learn the names of all the different computer parts (Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Printer, Microphone). This is really important for the students because it will help them to better understand teaching instructions (For example "Use the keyboard" or "Look at your monitor.") and this will empower them be more confident computer users as they move through the year levels at school.

We started our lesson by using our IWB to uncover and read out the names of different parts of the computer. Here we can see the students working with their AEW (Anangu Education Worker).

After we were familiar with the words we practiced dragging and matching words with their pictures. After this we performed a whole class look - cover - repeat cycle. This gave us a chance to practice remembering the names of the different computer parts.


After we had finished our whole class exploration of the names of the parts of a computer we then completed some worksheets by cutting and pasting the different computer labels and matching them to the picture.

Test Post at Training Day

When we were at Mimili we tried to create a web log entry with Mundoo and Gale, a student teacher from Adelaide University.

Middle Primary POG - Accelerated Literacy & Claymation Project

As a part of their Accelerated Literacy Program Middle Primary read Pog, the story of a monster that was "As brave as a bath tub full of sharks" - but who is also TERRIFIED of children. Here we look at a 4 minute video overview of what the class was able to achieve in an extension lesson by creating Play-Doh Pog characters and by creating storyboards and scripts to make a Claymation:

Secondary Girls: Spreadsheets 1

This is the first lesson in a series of Microsoft Excel review lessons for Secondary Girls where we looked at collecting data using a spreadsheet and then taking the data and constructing a simple graph that we then interpret and then copy and paste into a Microsoft Word document that we then use to write an interpretive piece talking about the data.

Our first step was to collect our data and put it into a spreadsheet:

After we finished our spreadsheets we then created a new Word document and inserted the table from the spreadsheet into the Word document and then we started to analyse the data and draw conclusions about it - and about our spending habits at the local store:

One of the things that we talked about was how the bar graph made it easier to intrepret the data. That it was easier to read numbers converted into a visual form that it is to simply read numbers in a long list.

As a test you can link to an online version of our word document here, hosted on Googledocuments

Junior Secondary Boys: Sequencing a Recipe

As a part of their studies students learn healthy life skills; one of these skills is learning to cook and how to clean and prepare for cooking. Using this lesson as a basis for a series of later ICT lessons, students take photo's of each other capturing the steps involved in cooking something. In a later lesson students use their photo's to create a descriptive sequence in Microsoft Word using tables:


Having sequenced their images students add descriptions and instructions explaining how something is cooked. After doing this students then create their own movie version of the cooking how to using Windows Movie Maker (it comes free with Windows XP). This gives students extra practice in multitasking and reusing common skills such as copying and pasting in unfamiliar programs like Windows Movie Maker:

This learning sequence has helped students to understand how bigger projects require multiple stages: planning, organising, reviewing / reusing, editing. Furthermore, these lessons also support students to learn that you can reuse and recycle your exisiting work. In addition to this, students also learn that they can transform a word document into a movie. Students also learn that unfamiliar programs use common and familiar sequences such as clicking on FILE >> OPEN or FILE >> SAVE. Students also learn that copying and pasting work can be done in the same in almost all programs. So students also learn that ICT skills can be transported between applications.

Perhaps most importantly of all creating both a Word Document and a Movie also allows students to critically understand and evaluate how using different ways of presenting information will influence how people respond and react to that information.

Middle Primary: Google Image Searching & Pasting into a Word Processor

When learning how to use computer programs like web browsers or word processors or spreadsheets our students are faced with two challenges - the first is learning to use a program and the second is actually learning to use the English Language (not only to write with, but to read well enough with to navigate through and operate an application).

In this lesson students practiced a range of skills; using a variety of computer related 'sight words' they begin by doing a Google Image Search:

Students then learn and practice new skills such as right clicking on an object in a computer (doing so reveals options for things that you can do such as cutting and pasting). From the right click menu students select copy and they can then navigate through our computer network to a target Word document and they then paste the search result into the Word document (learning about tables whilst doing so) and they then repeat the search process:

This activity might seem simple, but it requires a lot of sequencing and instruction giving by the teacher, as well as a lot reviewing and discourse / conversation with students ("How do we log on? How do you start Microsoft Word?". The whole lesson also introduces students to the idea of Multi-tasking, of using 2 applications - and keeping them both open - at the one time.

One thing that we can know from this learning experience is that Anangu students are as age appropriate in their ability to undertake ICT tasks as any mainstream student is - the challenge lies in providing learning experiences that don't disadvantage students who are learning / working in what is a second language for them.

Middle Primary: Animated gif's

As a break from our normal literacy focus in ICT, Middle Primary has been using a nice little freeware program called Pivot Stickfigure Animator. It's a very small download and it allows a student to create stick figure animations. This worked well, quickly allowing the students to use their computers to create something. When enough students had created animations we then exported them from the program as animated gifs (small image files) and then imported the files into PowerPoint and made a little story out of the animations.

In a future lesson we can then use this slideshow to make a more multimedia style of presentation by adding music of recording student's voices using a free program like Audacity.