Digital Creativity with iPad #CorpusCreates

After many months of preparation, our all-new Digital Creativity course begins for our Year 7 and 8 students. The course is based on Apple’s Everyone Can Create curriculum and is designed to provide students with core skills in photography, video, audio and drawing. We feel that these skills provide a vital platform to kick-start students’ creativity so that they can demonstrate learning in new and innovative ways - whether that be creating learning visuals in Keynote for Science or recording slo-mo videos for formative assessment in P.E.

In recent weeks, we have run a social media campaign on Twitter to showcase the way our teachers and students utilise technology. Teaching staff from our Digital Creativity Team have shared inspiring ideas using the hashtag #CorpusCreates to highlight how iPad is transforming our practice. Take a look at the collection of ‘What If’ videos below:

The Digital Creativity curriculum will be assessment free but will require students to submit key projects which demonstrate an accumulation of skills. For example, a final project may require students to create a video in Clips but include evidence of multiple skills such as applying filters to enhance mood, vertical/horizontal panoramas, adjusted focus and exposure (to capture the atmosphere of a setting). Teaching students these core skills will ultimately lead them to experiment, tweak and improve their digital work and will encourage them to take ownership of their own learning. Students will begin to tell richer stories and find their unique voice.

Stay tuned for more on our Digital Creativity course. I’ll be posting some student work, class photographs and updates on the impact creativity with iPad is having on learning.

Teacher Story: Bringing Dystopian Fiction to Life with Clips

Last year, I was fortunate to have been featured on the Apple Teacher Learning Centre. My story showcased the video app, Clips and how it was used to bring senior students’ creative writing to life.

My aim was to challenge students to capture the atmosphere of their creative writing with images and sound. Students created videos that mirror the stark, visceral, and lifeless imagery that is characteristic of the dystopian genre. Choosing the right music also helped students feel immersed in the worlds they created in their writing.

To begin with, I provided an example video to demonstrate what I wanted my students to create. Through a combination of images, text, and music I brought a passage from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road to life with Clips. Check it out:

As students created their Clips videos, they began to identify ways to improve their narratives. I saw significant improvement in their writing after the activity - in particular, I found the task appealed to reluctant learners and more disengaged students.

When students watched back their work, by seeing their language on screen with Live Titles, they could really tell what worked well and what didn’t. Clips encourages students to be concise and really focus on their language, the key aspects of their paragraph, what they wanted to achieve, and what they really wanted the reader to think and feel.

If you’d like to know more, check out my Teacher Story on the Apple Teacher Learning Centre. 

Episode 16: WomenEd Vivienne Porritt

The Staffroom Show Notes

In this final episode of Series 2, we were privileged to speak to the inspirational Vivienne Porritt (@ViviennePorritt). Vivienne is a former headteacher and the national leader of WomenEd (@WomenEd) which campaigns for equitable balance in terms of gender and ethnicity at leadership level in education.

We certainly learnt a lot from Vivienne who spoke to us at length about the purpose of WomenEd and its global impact. Her drive and passion for fairness shone throughout the interview – by making women ‘believe’, we really feel that the WomenEd movement is empowering women and making a difference to society’s views on educational leadership. We found Vivienne a very humble, wise and passionate professional who cares deeply about making a difference.

Here’s a break-down of our conversation with Vivienne complete with time-stamps:

• How does Vivienne explain views on creating a world where ‘normal doesn’t exist’? (4:18)

• What does Vivienne think about the impact of labelling of individuals/students as ‘normal’ in schools? (7:16)

• What does Vivienne believe is the best way to go about changing peoples’ mind-set when it comes to seeing people as ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’? (8:35)

• How does Vivienne explain the movement WomenEd and what does she say that it sets out to do? (10:22)

• What does Vivienne say about the challenges that faced the WomenEd movement on Twitter? (12:15)

• What evidence does Vivienne have to suggest there is an imbalance in leadership roles for women in education? (15:31)

• What does Vivienne say about the international interest in the WomenEd movement and which countries are already involved? (21:57)

• What success stories does Vivienne give to show the power of the WomenEd movement?  (23:51)

• How does Vivienne explain the role of the national leaders of the WomenEd team? (26:18)

• What advice would Vivienne give to young female teachers who aspire to lead in education in the future? (28:13)

• How does Vivienne say listeners can get involved in the WomenEd movement? (32:23)

 We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and find Vivienne’s educational ideas as inspirational as we did. Please connect with Vivienne and the WomenEd movement on Twitter and have a look at their website, www.womened.org – let’s get involved and remove those labels! After all, there’s no such thing as normal!

Are you normal? Vivienne​ is proud to be the opposite - not abnormal but unique and distinctive. Normal is a setting on a washing machine so let's #banthewordnormal, consign it to the instructions for your washing machine and, instead, celebrate and value what each unique person has to offer.

We wish Vivienne all the best for 2019 and the growing success of the WomenEd movement.

This is the final episode of Series 2 – see you again in the new year for more of The Staffroom!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2

Episode 15: Autism Pedagogy Craig Smith

The Staffroom Show Notes

In this week’s episode of The Staffroom, we were privileged to speak to author, Apple Distinguished Educator and international speaker, Craig Smith (@wrenasmir). Craig is the National Coordinator working for Positive Partnerships and an expert in Autism pedagogy.

Craig spoke to us about creative educational best practices for young people with autism. He shares his experience of working with students with special educational needs and explains his views on technology to support the social and emotional needs of these students. We were mind-blown by Craig’s passion and expertise and certainly learnt a lot from him. 

So, without further ado, here’s a break-down of our chat complete with time-stamps:

• How does Craig explain his passion for working with students with autism? (4:00)

• What does Craig say about his experience in education and working with students with special educational needs? (5:27)

• What does Craig believe all teachers should know about working with students with autism? (7:25)

• Why does Craig believe there is an anxiety with some teachers who work with autistic students ? (9:30)

• Why does Craig believe a personalised and individualistic approach to create universal learning experiences is so important? (11:42)

• How does Craig feel about the integration of technology to support the social and emotional needs students with autism? What are his views? (14:08)

• How does Craig believe technology can support teaching and learning for students with special educational needs? (17:10)

• What does Craig say about Minecraft in the classroom? How did he use it with his students? (19:15)

• Why does Craig think it is important that synthesising information succinctly in a visual way is important to students with autism? (27:08)

• Why does Craig believe music can play a big part in the education of students with autism? What work has he done with Skoog? (30:40)

 We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroomand find Craig’s educational ideas as inspirational as we did. If you’d like to learn more about Minecraft, Skoog or find out more about Craig’s numerous projects, you should check out Craig’s wonderful website and blog, www.autismpedagogy.com!

We wish Craig all the best for 2019 and the growing success of his blog.

Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2

Episode 14: Digital Creativity Adam Torrens

The Staffroom Show Notes

This week we were privileged to chat about creativity in the tech-classroom with Australian teacher Adam Torrens (@AdamTorrens84). Adam is an award-winning teacher, digital learning leader and Apple Distinguished Educator who works at Stamford American International Schoolin Singapore.

With the introduction of Apple’s ‘Everyone Can Create’ curriculum, we had lots to talk about and wanted to find out Adam’s thoughts and how he has utilised these resources. For us, video, photography, drawing and audio have an important role to plan in the modern classroom – Adam inspired us with innovative examples of the way technology is integrated at his school.

Here’s a break-down of our chat complete with time-stamps:

• How did Adam’s background inspire his career as a teacher? (3:40)

• How does Adam believe his school (Stamford American International School) balances progressive pedagogy with more traditional knowledge-based approaches? (5:18)

• What good examples of tech-based projects does Adam explain are commonplace in his classroom? (7:55)

• Why does Adam believe creation-based apps are important and have an impact on learning? (9:15)

• What examples of powerful creation-based apps does Adam give? (10:25)

• Why does Adam believe Project Based Learning is a powerful approach? Does Adam think it lends itself to creativity? (11:12)

• What does Adam think about Apple’s new Everyone Can Create curriculum? How does it fit in with his school’s philosophy? (15:11)

• How does Adam believe his school empowered teachers to feel confident with tech-tools? (16:42)

• Which of the Everyone Can Create books does Adam thin is the most important? Why does Adam think video is so important in the classroom? (18:40)

• Does Adam think it is possible to integrate all of the skills from the Everyone Can Create boos throughout the whole curriculum? (20:30)

• Does Adam think that the Everyone Can Create initiative can complement STEM? (21:30)

• How does Adam believe his role as an Apple Distinguished Educator has influenced technology at his school? (24:10)

• Why does Adam think Keynote, Pages and other core Apple apps so powerful? (25:30)

 We hope you enjoyed this episode of The Staffroom and found Adam’s ideas and philosophy as inspiring as we did. The idea of putting pedagogy first and technology second has always struck a chord with us and we loved Adam’s views on Apple’s new curriculum. We wish Adam all the best for the future and his journey with digital creativity.

Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2

Episode 13: Closing the Vocabulary Gap Alex Quigley

The Staffroom Show Notes

In this special episode of ‘The Staffroom’, we spoke to UK based former English teacher, author and director of research, Alex Quigley (@AlexJQuigley). Alex spoke to us about his recent book, ‘Closing the Vocabulary Gap’ and gave us insightful research based expert knowledge on the importance of vocabulary in education.

We found Alex’s ideas and perspectives on vocabulary inspiring. As English teachers, his insights into creating word-rich classrooms where students deconstruct vocabulary and build knowledge is something we found particularly powerful.

Throughout our chat with Alex, we were fortunate enough to speak about the topics below. Here’s a break-down of Alex’s responses complete with time-stamps:

• At what point in Alex’s career did he decide to focus on research? (4:25)

• Why does Alex believe that a lack of vocabulary is a world-wide issue for children? (6:17)

• What does Alex mean by ‘the vocabulary gap’ and what does he say that his book sets out to do? (7:15)

• Why doesn’t Alex think it’s too late for children over the age of 5 to develop their vocabulary capacity? (10:46)

• How does Alex describe his ideas on ‘word-depth’ and what does he say about making children more ‘word conscious’? (13:05)

• How does Alex define etymology and morphology? Why does he believe they play a vital role in the development of children’s vocabulary? (18:30)

• When it comes to teaching academic vocabulary, how does Alex explain the ‘three-tiered hierarchy for words’ approach? (22:55)

• Does Alex think that teachers have become too lazy to teach vocabulary? Why does Alex think that teachers don’t refer to Tier 2 words enough? (28:18)

• What are Alex’s views on spelling tests? What does he suggest are better ways for teachers to teach spelling? (32:16)

• What does Alex say about creating memorable ‘hooks’ for students to aid the development of vocabulary and the building of knowledge? (41:05)

• What does Alex think that all teachers should know about teaching reading effectively? Why does Alex believe that reading is incredibly valuable for the development of vocabulary? (42:16)

If you’d like further information about Alex, you can check-out his website, www.theconfidentteacher.com. Also, if you’d like to read more of Alex’s published work, you can find a list of his books on Amazon where they are available to purchase.

We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and found Alex’s words as fascinating as we did. We can’t wait to make vocabulary a focus in our classroom practice!

 Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2

Episode 12: The Power of Podcasting Kelly Croy

The Staffroom Show Notes

In this awesome episode, we were honoured to have spoken with the one-and-only Kelly Croy (@kellycroy). Kelly is an author, speaker, Apple Distinguished Educator and is the voice of the popular, ‘The Wired Educator Podcast’ (@WiredEducator). Across the world, Kelly is known as an innovator and inspirational speaker who is passionate about education and leadership.

In our conversation with Kelly we spoke about podcasting as a medium in education for both teachers and students. Kelly shed light on why he thinks podcasting is a powerful tool to enhance student engagement and creativity and offered some insightful views on his experiences on his show. Want to know what was said? Check out the questions below:

Here’s a breakdown of our chat with Kelly including time-stamps so you can skip through:

• Who is Kelly Croy and what is his background in education? (3:40)

• What inspired Kelly to create the Wired Educator Podcast? (4:30)

• Did Kelly find inspiration for his own podcast by listening to other educational podcasts? (6:40)

• Why does Kelly think podcasting is such a powerful medium for teachers? (8:00)

• How does Kelly believe podcasting can be integrated into the classroom as a teaching and learning tool? (10:00)

• What types of podcasts has Kelly challenged his students to create in the past? (12:38)

• What is Apple’s Everyone Can Create curriculum all about? Why does Kelly believe creativity is a vital part of learning? (15:47)

• In Kelly’s time as a podcaster, which guest has inspired him the most? (21:34)

• What are the most inspiring strategies, ideas or approaches Kelly has learnt from his guests on his podcast, The Wired Educator? (24:55)

• Quick Fire Questions (27:25):

  • What book are you currently reading?

  • What was your favourite book growing up?

  • What advice would you give to new English teachers?

  • What is your ‘must have’ app for English teachers?

• Where can Kelly be found online? Where can people find a copy of his book, ‘Along Came a Leader’ and where can people listen to ‘The Wired Educator Podcast’? (35:10)

  We loved Kelly’s enthusiasm and presence – his passion for podcasting was palpable and we certainly learnt a lot! Hopefully, this episode has inspired you to think of ways to integrate podcasting into the curriculum. For us, it’s helped us think of new, exciting and creative approaches to studying texts in English. What about you?

We wish Kelly Croy all the best for 2018 and his continuing success of ‘The Wired Educator Podcast’. If you’d like to pick up a copy of his book, you can buy ‘Along Came a Leader’from Amazon. Awesome!

Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2 

Episode 11: Augmented & Virtual Reality Paul Hamilton

The Staffroom Show Notes

In this episode of The Staffroom, we were lucky to speak to talented Apple Distinguished Educator, edtech pioneer and author, Paul Hamilton (@PaulHamilton8) about Augmented and Virtual Reality in education. Paul also spoke to us about his popular coding picture book, ‘If I Were A Wizard’and his app, Wizard ARand the way they enhance learning in his primary school classroom.

Our chat with Paul gave us some real insight into the potential use of AR and VR and what future learning technologies have to offer.

Here’s a break-down of our chat complete with time-stamps:

• Who is the character Hazel and how did Paul bring her to life? (4:50)

• How does the character Hazel help students learn coding and what examples does Paul give? (6:15)

• How does Paul believe primary school students have responded to Hazel and coding concepts? (7:40)

• How does Paul explain the differences between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality and what examples does he give in the educational workspace? (9:00)

• How does Paul believe the instructional experience should differ between the two (AR and VR) in the classroom? (11:10)

• Does Paul believe that AR ‘fits better’ and is more practical in the classroom than VR? (12:40)

• How does Paul believe AR (and his work with Hazel) has enhanced storytelling and literacy in primary school students? (14:15)

• Does Paul believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) can have a positive impact on education? (15:50)

• How has Paul been experimenting with AI in his own projects? What examples have really excited him? (18:10)

• Where can people find Paul’s work online? Where is his book available to buy? (21:00)

If you’d like further information about Paul, you can check-out his website, www.appsbypaulhamilton.comand follow his posts on Twitter (@PaulHamilton8). Also, if you’re interested in coding with your students, check out ‘If I Were A Wizard’available to purchase on Amazon – we highly recommend it!

We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and found Paul’s innovative ideas and resources as inspiring as we did. We’re excited to dig into the world of AR and VR and explore its potential with our students.

Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2

Episode 10: Retrieval Practice Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.

The Staffroom Show Notes

In this exciting episode of 'The Staffroom', we spoke about retrieval practicewith Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. (@PoojaAgarwal) an expert in the field of cognitive science. Pooja is the Founder of RetrievalPractice.org, a hub of research, resources, and teaching strategies based on the science of learning – check this out!

Pooja’s work is being noticed more and more by teachers around the world as she offers practical tips and advice on cognitive psychological research and strategies can enhance and accelerate student learning.

Here’s our conversation with Pooja broken down with time-stamps:

• Who is Pooja and how did she get involved with cognitive science? (3:35)

• How does Pooja define retrieval practiceand why is it a powerful strategy for learning? (5:50)

• What examples does Pooja use to illustrate retrieval practicein the classroom? (7:50)

• Does Pooja think that it is difficult to engage students in retrieval practicestrategies? Why does she think it is important to keep retrieval practiceas a low or no-stakes approach? (9:40)

• Does Pooja believe retrieval practiceworks better with older or younger students? (11:45)

• How can educators implement retrieval practiceinto their teaching? What techniques does Pooja suggest are most effective? (13:20)

• Why does Pooja believe that feedback is an important part in retrieval practiceprocess? (16:50)

• Does Pooja think that there are any potential challenges for teachers when implementing retrieval practice? Does she believe it impacts on workload? (19:50)

• What is Pooja’s upcoming book called and what’s it about? (22:15)

 We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and found Pooja’s ideas on retrieval practice strategies as fascinating as we did. We gathered lots of practical tips and tricks on how to work smarter not harder – remember: retrieval practice is one of the most powerful strategies to use in your classroom – why not give it a go?

We wish Dr Pooja K. Agarwal all the best for 2018 and her continuing success of RetrievalPractice.org. Remember to buy her book once it’s released in June next year!

Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2

Episode 9: The Science of Sketch-noting Oliver Caviglioli

The Staffroom Show Notes

‘The Staffroom’ is back! In the first episode of Series 2, we were lucky enough to speak to Oliver Caviglioli about the power of learning visuals and its basis in cognitive psychology. Oliver (@olicav) is an information designer who is widely known as an expert in visualising educational concepts. In recent years, he has worked with lots of different teacher-authors in illustrating their books.

Our chat with Oliver gave us some real insight into the use of visuals (such as sketch-noting) to conceptualise, categorise and organise information to enhance learning.

Here’s a break-down of our chat complete with time-stamps:

• How did Oliver’s background and interest in ‘behaviourism’ influence his work as an information designer? (4:04)

• Why does Oliver believe his visuals are becoming more and more popular with educators around the world? (6:07)

• Why does Oliver think sketch-noting should not be ‘artistic’ and individualised? Why does he believe it is important to keep it simple? (8:30)

• Why does Oliver think that all teachers should know about cognitive psychology? (10:09)

• Why does Oliver believe it is important for teachers to use a balance of cognitive psychological research and educational research? (12:15)

• What is ‘precis’ and why is it an important way of learning? Why does Oliver think that summarising/sketch-noting is an effective method of learning? (12:49)

• Who is Ruth Colvin Clark and what does she say about decorative visuals and explanatory visuals? (14:29)

• What is the main tip Oliver gives to people who want advice about their sketch-notes? (16:08)

• How does Oliver think teachers should practice sketch-noting effectively with students? (16:50)

• Is Oliver an advocate of technology to support and accelerate learning? (20:20)

• If Oliver could recommend one professional learning book to a new teacher, what would it be and why? (20:35)

• Where can people find Oliver’s work online? Where are his books available to buy? (24:01)

 If you’d like further information about Oliver, you can check-out his work with Dr Megan Sumeracki (@DrSumeracki) and Dr Yana Weinstein who are the creators of The Learning Scientists project. Their book is called ‘Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide’ – check this out now! Also, if you're interested in our colleagues' Apple book on 'The Science of Sketch'-noting, take a look at Jamie Clark and Daniel Budd's digital book here.

We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and found Oliver’s words as fascinating as we did. We can’t wait to make sketch-noting and informational design part of our practice!

Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2