Top of the Apps (part 2)

In part 1, we explained why Voice Memo, Google Classroom, Canva, Keynote and Book Creator are essential iPad apps for primary education.

One thing these apps have in common is simplicity. This makes them versatile and able to be used seamlessly in lessons across the primary curriculum.

In part 2, we consider five more essential iPad apps that have the potential to enhance and transform children's work at primary level. These are Freeform, iMovie, Scratch Junior, Arduino Science Journal and Blue's Blocks. We will look at the features of these and the creative and learning opportunities that they present and how they impact subjects across the primary curriculum.

Freeform

Freeform is like a huge, digital piece of paper that children can zoom in and out on. Especially when combined with iPad styluses, this allows for a fluid and organic way for children to brainstorm ideas, record and organise their ideas and combine media including text, images, shapes and virtual sticky notes.

Children can use Freeform in the initial planning stages of work across the curriculum. This could be generating and exploring ideas for writing, planning practical projects, or linking ideas in maths.

Work done in Freeform can also represent the final product of work done in a lesson. A mindmap exploring a topic, a diagram or a collage of work could be screenshotted and saved as work for a lesson, or form part of a larger piece of work.

Freeform offers a fluid, seamless way for children to record their ideas and combine media

The advantage of children using Freeform for these types of work is its simplicity. It is possible for children to work on collaborative whiteboards in other apps like Canva, but setting one up and using the tools requires several more steps than doing the same in Freeform. On the other hand, there may be times when the additional features of a whiteboard in Canva are required and children may need the teacher's guidance in choosing the best tool for the task.

iMovie

Filmmaking is a powerful way for children to express and organise their ideas. iMovie offers a good balance of creative effects and simplicity of use, making it an essential iPad app for primary children.

One of the main benefits of iPads for primary children is their portability and simplicity. This means that children can easily take photos and videos of things they encounter, their work, themselves and other people.

Video can be a powerful tool for self-assessment in PE. It can be a way of documenting work in art, science, music or on field trips. Video is also an excellent way for children to develop their oracy, as they produce commentaries, drama videos or interviews.

Using iMovie, children can seamlessly import and order their photos and videos. They can use the microphone tool to record their voice over still images, allowing them to create podcasts. They also learn about the process of editing films, needing to plan camera shots and include establishing shots, close ups and cutaway shots. Children can add text to their films, titles and change effects to create period-specific pieces or news videos.

Filmmaking has benefits across the curriculum, including allowing children to record their ideas using their voices and chosen images

Children can also easily replace green backgrounds with images or videos saved on their iPads. The key to this is to create a project with the background image or video in, then import the video filmed in front of a greenscreen and press 'import as green/bluescreen'.

iMovie contains some limitations, text and special effects are limited compared to other video apps, such as Google Videos. It is also sometimes hard for children to zoom in and out on the timeline with their finger and thumb and to cut images and film clips precisely.

I have used iMovie with primary children very successfully for a number of years and believe it is an essential iPad tool that children should be taught to use fluently.

Scratch Junior

Scratch Junior is a coding app that can be used to teach children about principles of coding, including sequence, loops and events.

Scratch Junior can also be used by children to tell stories through creating animations. Once children have learned the basics of programming a character to move, hide, show and to speak, they can use the microphone to record their own voices talking as the character, or narrating scenes. In this way, what started as a coding app becomes an app that children can use to rehearse their ideas before writing, or to create final products where they use their writing to make an animated film.

Usefully, children can take photographs of backgrounds, meaning that they can create films about settings that they are learning about, or non-fiction environments. Children can also paint their own sprites, or even take photos of things they are learning about and use these as sprites (in order to do this Scratch Junior needs access to the camera in the iPad settings).

The potential for children to bring their ideas to life through using their voices and animation extends the capabilities of Scratch Junior far beyond it being a coding tool. In fact, Scratch Junior becomes a great way for children to use their coding skills in lessons beyond computing.

Arduino Science Journal

Arduino Science Journal functions like a digital science book that uses the iPad's sensors and allows children to record their observations using text and photographs. It is a good way of giving children access to a simple data logger, allowing them to meet the requirements of the science national curriculum, including key stage 1 working scientifically - 'gathering and recording data to help in answering questions', lower key stage 2 - 'use a range of equipment including thermometers and data loggers' and upper key stage 2 - 'take measurements using a range of scientific equipment'.

When children begin a new experiment, they can choose to add data from a wide range of sensors, including sound pitch, sound intensity, acceleration, brightness, pressure and compass. These sensors should allow children to collect and interpret data about experiments in a range of contexts across the national curriculum including conditions for plant growth, weather change, light reflection and opacity, sound and movement. Children could even use the iPads to track movement in sport, although a safe way would have to be found to hold them!

Arduino Science Journal functions as a digital science book, teaching children about combining data, images and typed observations

As well as use of the sensors themselves, Arduino Science Journal teaches children about the process of working scientifically; making observations, recording data and drawing further observations and questions.

Blue's Bots

Blue's Bots is an app created for the purpose of programming the Bluebots, developed by TTS. Bluebots are an evolution of Beebots, which have been used for a long time to teach children about problem solving, giving instructions in sequence and debugging.

Bluebots have several advantages over Beebots. They are rechargeable, making them more environmentally friendly. They are clear, meaning children can see the components inside them and gain an understanding of how robots are controlled by motors and circuits. Perhaps most significantly, Bluebots are able to connect to the Blue's Bots app via Bluetooth and can be programmed using a block-based interface, similar to Scratch.

It is worth noting that in order for an iPad to connect to a Bluebot, both Bluetooth and location services must be turned on in the iPad settings.

The Blue's Bots programming interface is perfect for extending children in Year 1 and 2 who have mastered the process of programming Bluebots physically. Programming via the block-based interface add a layer of abstraction that challenges children and gives them additional possibilities. Importantly, children can now used loops to program the robots, unlocking discussion of pattern spotting. They can also program the robots to turn in 45 degree angles. It is theoretically possible to create and use variables while programming in the Blue's Bots app, although children are unlikely to need these. Similarly, while conditional blocks are present, the lack of sensor inputs in the Bluebots means that these are unlikely to be used.

Blue's Bots supports computing and maths teaching in years 1, 2 and 3

Blue's Bots is an essential iPad app because it allows children to extend their use of Bluebots into Maths lessons. Children can now program precise movement and shapes, solving more complex problems and accomplishing year 2 and 3 maths objectives.

Conclusions

The five apps from part one, Voice Memo, Google Classroom, Canva, Keynote and Book Creator, along with Scratch Junior, Blue's Bots, Arduino Science Journal, Freeform and iMovie, represent a suite of apps that allow children to express and organise their ideas across subjects.

It is really beneficial if children can become 'experts' in using apps. They should learn to use their full features and produce work of a high quality in apps, before being introduced to too many others. In this way, children become aware of the capabilities of apps and can make informed choices about selecting them, or other apps to use.

There are still many iPad apps to mention for future discussions! These include Garageband - an incredible creative app, the Google Suite of apps and other subject-specific apps. We will explore these in future blogs.