SITPLUS Project

Posted on 22 November, 2012 by Ben Annett • Posted in ICT Coordinating Woes, Tales from the classroom, teaching resources • Tagged cause and effect, education, educational, freeware, ict, pmld, sen, sld, Special Needs, teaching resource • Leave a comment

I recently downloaded SITPLUS – created by the Cerebral Palsy Centre APPC of Tarragona, Spain.

It converts movement detected from a webcam into sounds – as well as creating animations on screen. It works beautifully, and I can see loads of applications for the software – both in therapeutic and educational settings. I can see a particular use in cause and effect work with learners in the early P levels, who find switches difficult to access.

The software is free (downloadable from here). We already have pc’s in classrooms and webcams are cheap – so the price is right.

I can’t wait to try it with some of my PMLD learners.

Switch progression

Posted on 13 November, 2012 by Ben Annett • Posted in ICT Coordinating Woes, Tales from the classroom • Tagged computer, education, ian bean, ict, it, pc, pmld, progression, sen, sensory, sld, Special Needs, switch, switches, technology • Leave a comment

I have been using switches extensively for the first time this year, and have been thrashing around trying to find a decent model to follow with my PMLD students. I came across Ian Bean‘s Switch Progression Roadmap on the Inclusive Technology website. I’ve found it a really good model to follow with the students. It contains lots of practical examples, and has been a really helpful resource. I have been using switches in the dark room with the sensory equipment, the OmiBeam, with fans and other electronic equipment as well as with computers.

To help with assessment, I have created these recording sheets, with the progression taken from Ian’s work.

No point reinventing the wheel!

ICT Work Gallery

Posted on 7 November, 2012 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom • Leave a comment

I’ve set up a gallery of Riverside Students ICT work.

Google Sketchup – Dream Home

Posted on 17 July, 2012 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom • Tagged 3d, cad, geometry, google, ict, ks4, sen, sketchup, Special Needs • Leave a comment

This term my KS4 class has been creating dream homes using Google Sketchup.

It was a fantastic opportunity to develop skills in the area of ICT, geometry, d&t and spatial thinking. The kids loved it, and were all proud of what they had achieved. Best of all, several of the kids are using it at home – which is one of the major advantages to using free software.

We used the in built export features to produce fly-arounds. One is below – and you can see them all here.

Well done 4A!

Charlie Brown

Posted on 16 March, 2012 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom • Tagged 2createastory, 2simple, ASD, autism, digital story telling, ict, sen, special education, Special Needs • Leave a comment

I’ve been doing some work with 2Simple’s 2Create a Superstory with my KS3 ASD class. We only started a couple of weeks ago, but one member of the class has clearly found some time during the week to create this story. The student is profoundly autistic and is usually very difficult to engage.

It really demonstrates how much can be achieved with the platform.

Enjoy!

2Create a Superstory

Posted on 10 February, 2012 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom • Tagged 2create a superstory, 2simple, ASD, autism, class blog, digital story telling, ict, sen, Special Needs • Leave a comment

I’ve been making digital stories with my KS3 ASD class. It has been a brilliant opportunity to practice our story telling and speaking. The kids really enjoyed it and so did I.

I’ve posted them online – take a look here!

Google Sketchup

Posted on 30 September, 2011 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom, teaching resources • Tagged ASD, autism, geometry, google, ict, sen, sketchup, Special Needs • Leave a comment

I’ve been looking at Google Sketchup with my KS3 ASD class, loosely based on this. I’ve been amazed at the speed at which the kids have picked it up. It’s been a fantastic way of learning about geometry.

Today we made dog kennels. At the end of the session one of my students made a flythrough. Impressive stuff! Especially considering that he has never used Sketchup before this term.

Yummy Pizza

Posted on 15 September, 2010 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom, teaching resources • Tagged ASD, autism, dazzle, windows movie maker • Leave a comment

This was a nice starter activity for the term. It worked well with a group of KS2 ASD learners, who are generally reluctant talkers. We used Indigo Learning’s Dazzle to create the pizza images, imported them into Windows Movie Maker and a microphone to add the sound. We completed them in the space of a single class.

BSF, Google Earth and Sketchup

Posted on 13 July, 2010 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom • Tagged bsf, building schools for the future, gld, google, google earth, learning dificulties, sen, sketchup, Special Needs • Leave a comment

In September 2011 we are (hopefully) moving to a new site collocated with Woodside High School.

As part of preparing and engaging the students in what will be a major change we have been finding the site of the new school using Google Earth, importing the map into Google Sketchup and designing our dream schools on the site.

We had great fun with the tools, and the activities really engaged the kids in thinking about the upcoming changes. Google Sketchup works with Google Earth really well.

Have a look at some of their designs below, which are also posted on the Moselle ICT Gallery.

Change

Posted on 29 June, 2010 by Ben Annett • Posted in Tales from the classroom • Tagged 21cc, change, education, ks4, ks5, podcast, school, sen, Special Needs, transition • Leave a comment

I had a fantastic day at the BBC working 21st Century Classroom and students form Moselle School and the Haringey 6th Form Centre as part of our Transition Project. The project aims to ease the transition of students from school to the 6th Form centre by bringing the students together to do some collaborative work. The podcast is on the theme of change, and includes lots of vox pops with passers by outside the canteen in the Television Centre.

21CC runs brilliant courses for kids and adults. They’re all free and I highly recommend it!