- primarytechreview
- Oct 31, 2025
- 4 min read
Apple's Keynote has potential for use far beyond students creating presentations. Using Keynote, students can also create animations, communicating their creativity and demonstrating their ideas about a topic! We explore some useful ways that Keynote can be used across the primary curriculum.
Reasons for using Keynote for animation
Keynote is a fantastic presentational tool. It allows children to organise their ideas on a topic and in a short time, create an attractive and engaging presentation.
But why use Keynote as a tool for creating animations?
Part of what makes Keynote ideal for primary animation is its simplicity. There are enough drawing tools for children to create some pretty amazing animations, but not so many drawing tools that they become burdened by settings and choice. Having tried several animation apps with primary-aged children, I would say that the results they achieve in Keynote are impressive and within a short amount of time, children will be using Keynote quickly, creatively and independently.
Keynote allows children to paste an image in, draw on top of this and then delete the image. I would say that this technique is key to success. Drawing on top of an image allows children to create an initial drawing that they are really proud of, leading to success in animation. The background image can be one they have chosen form online, or even a photo they have taken on an iPad.
Compared to apps created for 2D animation, Keynote has the extra step of having to press 'done' to finish a slide and then having to duplicate the slide, or open a new one. Initially, I thought this might be a burden, but I have been amazed at how quickly children pick this up. I certainly would not say that this process has held children back in creating their animations.
How to create animations in Keynote
To create an animation in Keynote, children will usually start a new presentation in Keynote and choose the blank background slides. If they choose a slide template with textboxes, these can be deleted by tapping on the border of the textboxes and selecting 'delete'.
Children will then usually insert a background image to guide their digital drawing. Drawing over an image can really enhance the quality of most of the animated work that children will produce.
Having completed their first drawing, children will tap 'done' and then either duplicate their first slide, or start a new slide. In most cases, duplicating the slide will be children's next step, since this allows them to erase and change the next slide to create an animation.
Once children have completed about ten slides (frames), they are able to press the 'export' button at the top of the screen. They should select 'animated GIF' and then save video. They must remember to select all of the slides when they make their animation. (This is the number one mistake children make - they only select the current slide). They can then choose the frames per second and export their video to the iPad Camera Roll.
Here is the finished result! I chose 30fps and set the auto advance almost all the way to the left hand side for a smooth, but faster animation.
Practical tips for teaching animations with Keynote
Give children a clear time limit for their first drawing (consider using a timer on the screen). This will help children to manage their time and ensure they have at least ten frames in their animation.
Encourage children to experiment with the different frames per second amounts when creating their videos. More frames per second makes a smoother animation, but too many frames per second will make the animation finish too quickly!
Show the children examples of animated work done using Keynote before asking them to start. These examples could be teacher-made or student-made. Showing children examples helps them be realistic, but ambitions about their own expectations.
Encourage children to make small changes for smoother animations.
More advanced animators will vary the camera position during the animation. Show children examples of how the camera changes in animations (i.e. close ups of faces).
Once animations are finished and exported, consider allowing children time to edit their videos using iMovie. This could involve adding text, voice recordings or music.
Consider holding animation showcases, where parents are invited into school to view children's animated work. This will help build a culture of excellence around animation.
iPad styluses
To create animations effectively using Keynote, children will need to use a digital stylus. Styluses can be purchased online. Teachers will want to provide children with styluses that feature palm-rejection. This tool prevents children's hands from making marks on the screen when they are writing with the stylus.
Apple styluses are among the most advanced available for iPads, but cheaper digital styluses are also perfectly suitable for animation in Keynote. Teachers wishing to purchase styluses for animation and other purposes should be able to buy styluses for about £20 each. Considering the creative potential this affords on iPads, this can be seen as a worthwhile investment.
Ideas for using Keynote across the primary curriculum
Explaining scientific concepts, i.e. the water cycle, volcanoes, eclipses, seed/plant growth, photosynthesis, states of matter
Creating animations to accompany literature or poetry
Creating animated maps to show change of borders, i.e. the Roman Empire
After school/lunchtime clubs, with showcases on the school website or in person for parents!
Concluding thoughts
While not a specialised animation app, Keynote is more than suitable for children to express their ideas using animation at primary level.
Through creating animated videos about their ideas, children have the chance to explain concepts in their own way, consolidating their learning. For many children, the experience of doing animation using Keynote will inspire them to create their own animated work at home and animation will truly become a hobby and valued means of expression.
- primarytechreview
- Oct 26, 2025
- 5 min read
Primary language learners have specific needs as they take their first steps towards communicating in another language and learning about another culture. Can technology really benefit primary foreign language learning? We consider some of the needs of primary aged children when learning a foreign language and evaluate some of the technology available to meet these needs.
Flashcards
Flashcards help to break learning down into manageable, bitesize chunks. They allow for frequent, rapid self-testing of concepts until these become embedded in long-term memory. Making flashcards allows learners to take ownership of their own learning, making the cards they need and practising as they require. For this reason, flashcards are one of the most effective ways of learning most things, including languages.
Most language teachers will agree that vocabulary is best learned in sentences and not as words in isolation. Learning vocabulary in sentences facilitates immediate communication, gives context to words and helps learners reproduce the rhythm, accent and tones of a language. This should be considered when children make flashcards and learn vocabulary, although younger learners might still learn words in isolation.
For some time, I searched for the ideal way for primary-aged children to make flashcards. I wanted something that was easy to add new cards to, had the capacity to add voice narration to, and was easy and fun for children to use. I considered Google Slides, which has a simplistic interface, but is not quick to add different media to. Canva have a flashcard tool that is much more intuitive to use, and children usually love the experience of using Canva, so this was a possibility.
But then, I remembered what is probably my favourite iPad app, Book Creator!
On the surface, Book Creator seems more aimed at younger children, perhaps in Key Stage 1 to lower Key Stage 2. But its simplicity and ease of use should not preclude it from being used with children into Upper Key Stage 2.
Book Creator is perfect for making digital flashcards for several reasons. Firstly, as well as text and images (the huge range of emojis can be used as illustrations!), audio recordings can be added, meaning that children can make audio flashcards, benefitting their speaking and listening, as well as recall. Secondly, Book Creator is quick and easy to use. This is crucial, since a lot of vocabulary and expressions will need to be created. Thirdly, Book Creator pages can be turned quickly, meaning that practice can be seamless.
Using Book Creator, children can take ownership of their own learning, making one or several books to practise the language they need.
If there is a downside to Book Creator, it is that it is not free. The app currently costs £3.99, or the web-based version is paid for via a subscription. However, for such a versatile and fun-to-use app, I would have no hesitations in recommending Book Creator as an investment.
Recall/Assessment
Digital tools like Blooket, Wayground (Quizizz) and Kahoot are fun and effective ways for teachers to test children's recall of a language, their ability to construct sentences and their ability conjugate verbs. Google Forms can also be set up with different types of questions to test children's reading comprehension, listening and verb agreements.
Each of these platforms has their own advantages and offer paid and unpaid versions. Wayground (Quizizz) offers detailed and useful assessment data, whereas Kahoot and Blooket are more gamified and will be popular with children (Wayground also offers some games modes). Google Forms might be the quickest and easiest to integrate with a school's existing virtual learning environment (VLE).
Listening
Digital platforms such as Google Classroom are ideal for sharing audio clips for children to practise their listening. Teachers can even upload audio files or videos into Google Slides, share these with children as assignments and ask children to listen and type their responses within the slides.
Listening activities can also be incorporated into quiz platforms such as Wayground (Quizizz), Kahoot and Blooket, mentioned above. Teachers can set children comprehension questions based on audio clips that they have chosen or recorded themselves.
Speaking
To assess speaking, children can work individually or in pairs and create short audio recordings or films using the target language. This could be as simple as using the iPad Voice Recorder app to record use of the language, perhaps in the context of producing a podcast. Short films could be made in iMovie and again, context could be added by adding images to the movie and giving children a purpose, such as advertising a location. Alternatively, children could share their voice recordings of phrases and dialogues with a teacher for assessment.
Children can practise their speaking by adding their voice to flashcards. They can also make audio flashcards, where they record themselves speaking in English and subsequently in the target language. This can be used for self-study. Children making flashcards will want to take care to make sure the speaking on their flashcards is accurate!
For a long time, I would have recommended the excellent app, Toontastic, as a way for children to use speaking to create short, animated movies. Unfortunately, Toontastic has been withdrawn form the iTunes store. Puppet Pals is a possible alternative, although schools would likely need to purchase the paid version.
Finally, children could use technology to speak to children in other schools through either writing, or by speaking online using Zoom, Google Meet or an alternative. This kind of exchange would require significant planning by teachers, but could prove a powerful motivator for children to listen and speak accurately and precisely.
Cultural exposure
Through learning languages, children can see the world from different perspectives and appreciate the diversity, traditions and cultures of other countries. Primary language learning can combine exploration of cultures with use of another language, giving children the gift of curiosity and appreciation of other cultures, and putting language learning in context.
Google Earth is an amazing and versatile tool that children can use to explore countries that they are learning about. Children can make Tours using the target language to talk about some of the places that use that language.
Children can use Tapestry Virtual Tours by Cyark to view tours of cultural locations in the target language, given by natives of other countries. Some of the tours are narrated by people on the screen, giving added appreciation of speakers from other countries. This could be a good precursor to children creating their own tours.
Concluding thoughts
As with all use of technology, a valid question to ask is whether use of technology for language learning is needed and beneficial. The whole purpose of language learning is communication, and any use of technology should not detract from children communicating with each other and the teacher. Substitution is also a possible issue - could children not make flashcards using pieces of card and does technology augment or transform this as an activity?
I believe the possibility of combining different media together makes a strong case for using technology to create flashcards. In addition to this, the possibility of transformative activities such as video calling children in other countries, or making films in another language justify the use of technology in some language lessons.
As with all primary learning, teachers should offer children a balance of different media, ensuring that children develop all required skills, including reading skills, fine-motor skills, speaking, listening and social skills. Where selected carefully and purposefully, use of technology in language lessons has exciting potential!
- primarytechreview
- Oct 19, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 20, 2025
Reading code can be neglected in Computing education, as teachers and students are eager to begin creative work! However, time spend reading code before programming is important. We explore how Minecraft (Education Edition) offers great opportunities for children to read code and observe its effects, prior to creating their own programs.
The importance of reading code
Dr Sue Sentance, Chief Learning Officer at the Raspberry Pi Foundation and a Fellow at Kings College London, used the term 'PRIMM' as a method for effective teaching of programming. PRIMM stands for 'predict', 'run', 'investigate', 'modify', 'make'. This process highlights the importance of steps prior to children creating their own programs, stating that they should have the opportunity to examine, discuss and explore code before being asked to create their own.
In subjects like English, we are very good at giving children time to read, discuss and explore text, before asking them to create their own work. Reading is a discrete and valued aspect of English; by the time children are expected to produce their own fictional or non-fictional writing, they are expected to have a wealth of ideas, themes, vocabulary and expressions for which to draw upon.
Is the same true of other subjects? Do we give children enough time to read work in Science, Maths and Humanities, before asking them to create their own work? Do we allow children enough time to view examples of sports activities before asking them to perform in sports activities and games?
In Computing, the 'PRIMM' method offers a subject-specific process for introducing code to children. In practice, I have found that any time spend reading code with children prior to asking them to produce their own code pays dividends. Sometimes this will involve all of the steps of the PRIMM process. Sometimes, we might spend a whole lesson on the 'predicting' and 'running' stages, with plenty of time for group discussion about code before predictions are made.
Using Minecraft Education Edition
Minecraft Education Edition is a version of Minecraft, developed specifically for use in schools or educational institutions.
Minecraft Education have also published instructions for using Minecraft Education Edition at home:
Once inside Minecraft Education Edition, users can create a 'creative' world, which allows the player to press 'c' and open the coding window. This also summons the 'agent', a robot that can be programmed to perform tasks for the player.
Once 'c' is pressed, some useful tutorials appear. These teach the basics of programming the agent. They offer clear, step by step guides that children can follow independently. Children can even press the 'lightbulb' icon within any tutorial to see examples of the code.
To run their code, children press 't' to open the chat window, type their command and press 'enter'.
Children will enjoy working through the tutorials and will usually achieve success in reaching the creative goals for each lesson. However, they will learn much more deeply if they are given to opportunity to think about, discuss and make predictions about the code in the tutorials.
Suggested activities for reading code in Minecraft
All the tutorial activities in Minecraft Education offer opportunities for reading and making predictions about code, if the teacher facilitates this.
Instead of children working through the tutorials at their own pace, the teacher could present them with examples of the final code, or variations on the final code to discuss.
To give children context, the teacher could also provide children with an image or video of the final required outcome. In this example, this is the agent having planted seeds into tilled soil in a rectangular shape of a specified size.
This outline of the challenge will lead to some useful programming ideas, including different types of commands and use of repetition. The teacher could then present the children with examples of code for them to discuss. They could be presented with one correct piece of code and one incorrect piece of code. (The image below is correct, a variation could be provided which is incorrect.) Children could be given time in pairs or groups to discuss the differences between the code and why one is correct/incorrect.
Alternatively, 'Parsons Puzzles' can be used, where children are presented with code that has been jumbled up. This can be achieved digitally, using a shared document in Canva, or by cutting out pieces of code!
Spending time discussing, exploring and thinking about code in this way will give children a far deeper understanding of the code for when they come to make their own programs in Minecraft. By the time children run this program, they will be confident with how it works and will be able to modify it to make their farms bigger, smaller or include different crops. They might choose to add water channels or even a greenhouse.
Concluding thoughts
Giving children opportunities to read code does not need to involve huge amounts of preparation by the teacher. Simply providing children with printed versions of the code to read, discuss and annotate will benefit children of all ages, whether they are working with Bluebots, Scratch Juinor, Scratch, Lego Spike Prime or Minecraft Education.
Time spent reading code can seem like less time available for creativity through programming. However, the opposite is true. By exploring code fully before creating their own programs, children become familiar and fluent with the elements and structure of programs, just as they become familiar with the English language through reading books.
