Connecting Ipads and other mobile devices in the science classroom

By Ian Miller

If you’ve decided to make use of mobile devices in your classroom, it quickly follows that you will want a way to show your screen in a way that everyone can see.
There are a few options to do this successfully. All of these options can be connected to an existing projection system, or a TV.

1. Firstly, a low tech method. Use a visualiser. This has the advantage of working with any make, model or size of device. The quality of the image will depend on the quality of the visualiser, and some fiddling may be necessary to get rid of reflections from a shiny screen. The demonstrator also will need to be careful not to obscure the image too much with their hands.

Onto the more technical options, focused on the Apple iPad and iPod touch devices:

2. Use an Apple adapter. Apple can supply adapters which plug into the dock connector of iPods and iPads. The adapter mirrors the display to an output. The output you choose will depend on the inputs of your display.

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC552ZM/B/apple-vga-adapter?fnode=3a

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC748ZM/A/apple-composite-av-cable?fnode=3a

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD098ZM/A/apple-digital-av-adapter?fnode=3a

Check to see what inputs your display has. A modern system should support HDMI, in which case the digital AV adapter is the best option. Otherwise choose the VGA option, and as a last resort use the composite video adapter. More about HDMI later…

This system is great because you get a high quality image of exactly what you have on your screen. The downside is your mobile device is no longer mobile as you are ‘tethered’ to your display system by the adapter cable. Apple have considered this, and (on a minimum spec of an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2) offer the function of mirroring your display wirelessly, using their system called ‘Airplay’.

3. If you have a Mac already, then you can use AirServer http://www.airserverapp.com/ as the ‘receiver’ end and just plug the Mac into your projection system as normal. There is also a Windows PC version, but I’ve not had the chance to try it out yet. The software isn’t free, and of course you need to consider if you have a spare computer to work as the receiver.

Connecting wireless devices to a projector in the classroom

4. My preferred option is the Apple TV http://www.apple.com/uk/appletv/. This is a little black box which connects directly to the HDMI input (if present) on your display (as long as it has a HDMI input). It then needs to plug into the same network that your wireless uses (It can only connect wirelessly to very simple wireless networks). If everything is set up correctly you just find the AirPlay icon on your iPad, choose the name of the AppleTV and select ‘mirror’.

The networking area is a little complicated, and you’ll almost certainly want to talk to your institution’s IT support folk if you haven’t already done so. For the techies: at the time of writing, the AppleTV wifi interface won’t do WPA/WPA2 Enterprise (though a recent software update might have fixed this), but if you can connect the wired interface to the same VLAN/subnet as your wireless clients then the Bonjour broadcasts that are necessary for AirPlay will just work.

I’ve mentioned HDMI connections a couple of times. Modern displays, projectors and TVs will have these digital connectors and stuff should just work. If, like us, you’re still using projectors from a few years ago then they will only have analogue input connections such as VGA. Converters from HDMI to VGA are available, but there is a catch: HDMI includes a feature called HDCP designed to stop media being copied. If the digital ‘chain’ between the source of the media and display is broken then HDCP considers that there is a risk of the media being copied, so will stop the display from working. If there is an analogue link in the chain (e.g. a converter to VGA) then copy-protected media will not play. For simple mirroring of your iPad this isn’t normally a problem, but it does mess up things like YouTube videos.

Apple TV with Kanex ATV HDMI/VGA adapter

Getting the ideal experience of being mobile around a classroom while being able to show things on screen- or even students sharing their work with the class from their personal device – isn’t trivial, but the benefits easily repay the modest investment in time.

Apple designed the iPad, iPod and AppleTV to be consumer gadgets to be used in the home by one person, not educational or commercial devices to be used in schools or businesses by many people. Non-domestic environments typically have special security and usability requirements which need to be considered carefully before launching into buying new toys!

If you have found this post interesting and would like to find out more about using mobile devices in the classroom – in particular Ipads, the National Science Learning Centre will be running a course “Learning science with Ipads.”

Other ICT related courses are:

Primary: Leading change in ICT in primary science

Secondary: ICT innovations in science teaching and learning

Improving pupil engagement in science using ICT

ICT for science teaching

by John Walker

There are three ways that ICT can improve science education and pupil engagement.

Find out about science

First and perhaps most obvious is the way it enhances how learners find out about science.  Nowadays teachers don’t have to struggle to draw diagrams on the board – you can just Google it and display the result.

• need to show a process?  Try the pHet website for animations of loads of physics and chemistry concepts.  If pHet doesn’t have it, somewhere else probably does – there is loads of stuff on Youtube (we are on YouTube at Myscience Learning).
• text books not cutting it any more with the kids?  (Have they ever?)  Well, don’t throw them away – they are still useful!  But instead why not give learners specific websites to look at via QR codes that they can access with their smartphones?
• smartphones banned in school?  Just give them hyperlinks from a document – it’s much better than leaving them to Google haplessly!

Do better science

The second way, which is less well developed in most schools, is how ICT allows learners to do better science.  Digital sensors and logging devices allow us to sense, measure and display things which are simply not possible using conventional equipment in school science departments.

• want to show that there is mercury vapour in a fluorescent strip light?  Use a digital spectrometer and display the spectrum against a reference on your screen.  Can you imagine how else you would do this?  (It would take a lot of time and let’s face it, we probably wouldn’t bother, would we?)
• how about showing learners the relationship between carbon dioxide and oxygen during photosynthesis?  Simply seal some spinach leaves in a container in bright sunlight and log the gases for about ten minutes.  You will see a beautiful graph which shows oxygen levels increasing as carbon dioxide levels go down – mirroring each other perfectly!  This opens up the potential for learners to ask some really good scientific questions, and then go ahead and investigate them:  how refreshing for them to find things out for themselves – and for the teacher to not necessarily know the answer beforehand!

Communicate about science

The third way, which is gaining ground, is the use of ICT to communicate about science.  Learners preparing a powerpoint presentation is a fairly obvious way for them to demonstrate their learning, but what about making a film or a podcast?  Today they can go further and make stop-motion video with a free app on a mobile phone (to simulate biological or chemical processes), and then put it on a website to show what they’ve learnt, with links to other websites.  You could use a wiki to stimulate online discussion about a particular topic, giving learners the chance to contribute not just when they are in school.  This provides very rich and varied scope for teachers in assessing their learners’ understanding.

Science teacher training courses and resources

The National Science Learning Centre runs a range of ICT related professional development courses for all levels of teachers, lecturers and technicians. Here are the links:

Cross Phase: Learning Science Using iPads

Primary: Leading Change in ICT in Primary Science

Secondary: Science Teaching and Learning Conference
(session on Differentiation Using ICT)

Secondary: ICT Innovations in Science Teaching and Learning

Technicians: Experienced Technicians Programme: Practical ICT

Other resources:

National Science Learning Centres on  iTunesU

Danny Nicholson’s Whiteboard blog

New approaches to learning involving digital games

by Bryan Berry

I was interested to read Tom Martin’s blog post regarding Technology for Learning. Digital technology in schools has had a bit of press recently and you may have seen the BBC News article referring to the Decoding Learning report by NESTA. In this study researchers found there was no question that hardware such as interactive whiteboards, digital tablets or software such as educational games could help improve pupils’ learning if used properly.

The BBC report highlights that each year a staggering £1.4 billion is spent on technology for schools but, sadly, much of this technology is not used to its full capacity or in some cases it is lying unused. The report also states that too often new technologies are used without a strong understanding of their power to transform education, and many schools still use technology to support 20th century teaching methods and learning objectives. As mentioned previously, through its “Technology for Learning” CPD programme, the network of Science Learning Centres can support schools in developing pedagogies for using ICT in science lessons.

This report is also timely as Science Learning Centre South West has recently been involved in the British Council UnBox21 project. The project aimed to deepen teachers’ understanding of the role of digital games in teaching and learning, coupled with the development of 21st century skills, in the secondary science curriculum. It also aspired to build the capacity of participating science teachers to develop learning frameworks, embed games into curriculum planning and develop innovative learning and teaching practices.

Machinarium by Animita Design

The project involved 16 teachers from across the South West and 25 science colleagues from India, with the aim of developing activities that would incorporate commercial off-the-shelf games. Working in cluster groups, teachers were encouraged to develop creative activities that would integrate with their science curriculum plans.

One game that was very successful in promoting skills-based approaches to learning in science was “Machinarium” by Anamita Design. The game is excellent for consolidating knowledge about electricity and forces and building on the game’s skills-based approach. A variety of novel activities were designed by the participating teachers, for example, teachers encouraged students to design the next level of play or to use the science content in the game as a context for investigative work. Colleagues interested in digital games and learning may be interested to know that the game does not require purchase as the first three levels can be played as a demo version and can be accessed through the Amanita website.

Home Sheep Home by Aardman

Another free game that teachers used was Aardman’s ‘home sheep home’ game. This was used to support learning for forces and motion topics. With its likeable characters, the game is inviting and fun, particularly for KS3 students, but be warned, it is addictive! It is also based on a ‘level’ structure, which motivates the player and takes place in a scenario that reflects real-world physics. Making it available on your school website may be a challenge though, so make sure you plan ahead and involve your school’s network manager.

In case you are concerned about the use of games in the classroom, from the outset we encouraged colleagues to develop an action research approach and to evaluate the outcomes using the ITL LEAP21 (Learning Evaluation and Planning) framework. They were also encouraged to adopt appropriate strategies for implementation by referring to Futurelab studies on games in learning.

The UnBox21 project is in its final evaluation phase and an online CPD course will be available early next year. For other schools interested in developing the use of digital games, Science Learning Centre South West would be pleased to offer a “Technology for Learning” CPD programme based on the approaches used. The Centre is also leading an ASE Annual Conference workshop at the University of Reading on Friday 4 January 2013 between 1400-1600. Why not come along to find out more?

Ye Christmas internet shopping advice

By Neil Standish

My local garden centre is now full of Christmas trees so I thought I’d issue the customary warnings (this will be the second time, and that makes it a custom!) about internet shopping and other online festive activities.

The risks:

• Goods aren’t delivered.
• Goods don’t match description.
• Delivery problems and delays.
• Poor after-sales service.
• Identity theft.

The solutions:

• Deal with reputable vendors.
• Check that the vendor has a physical address and contact details – NOT just an email address.
• Check that the vendor has a proper privacy and returns policy.
• Be especially careful if ordering from abroad.
• If it’s too good to be true – it’s not true!
• Use an appropriate payment method.
• When entering payment details check for a padlock in the frameof your browser.
• If you get certificate warnings it’s probably best to try elsewhere.
• Don’t be fooled by a padlock on the web page itself – it should be on the frame of the browser.
• And as always think before you click.

A quick look at some new variants of old threats

With the economy taking a bit of a kicking at the moment and the festive period imminent, the usual spam will start appearing asking for donations to a variety of good causes. Whilst some of these may be legitimate, the vast majority will be sent by low-lifes trying to make you feel guilty, and thus more likely to part with your bank details.  If you do wish to make donations go to the website of the charity you wish to support. Do this by googling the charity (other search engines are available!), or by typing the address in directly: don’t follow the links on an email.

A variation on this scam is already being spotted on various social media sites; you know the type of message: “Go to xyz.com and donate money to <enter good cause name here> - please forward this message on to all your friends”. If you see messages like this, please just ignore them – don’t forward them or follow any links from them.

Another old favourite making the rounds are e-cards: again some of them may be legit, but the majority are infested with various nasty bits of malware. If you do receive one just delete it without opening.

General news

In an almost unheard of occurrence, something information security-related was found to be amusing!  Click here for a joke I’ll be using in CPD slots for years to come .

Always nice to end on a happy note.

Cheerio!

Neil Standish

Windows and Information Security Specialist

Class. Clips. Action!

By Maria Rossini

Using video footage in lessons has, thankfully, come a long way from the realms of tiny TVs on trolleys and remote controls without batteries.

Nowadays, the biggest bugbear is that many schools block online streaming from sites like You Tube.

Never fear though, there are some great sources of searchable clips, often tailored for education, that should make it safely through the fire-wall.

Where to find clips

Two excellent sources of video are the National STEM Centre e-library, and the BBC’s ‘class-clips’. Both are completely free to use, and should make it through firewalls as they are from trusted education sites.

Whether you are an early-years teacher looking for lambs or a secondary teacher covering the Big Bang, there are free clips available to help to inspire and inform your students.

Some BBC clips, such as ‘The Wonders of the Universe’ or ‘Inside the Human body’ are purposely tailored for education: They have the same look, feel and voice as the documentary, but with much more curriculum-linked concepts and vocabulary. That’s because the BBC occasionally makes clips alongside documentaries, consulting with teachers and education professionals to make them as useful as possible in the classroom.

Using clips in class

 Once you’ve found an inspirational clip, how can you make the most of it?

One technique featured in an  LSS[1] activity, is to give students the title of the video presentation before watching it. Ask them to note down what they would expect to find out, and what questions they have. After sharing these, watch the clip.  Any unanswered questions can become a research task/homework. This works well with topics where students might have some prior knowledge around the topic, like this one on the speed of light.

In another LSS activity, students watch once without writing (good for clips that have a ‘wow’ factor, like this one about sight). They then note their responses, what they learnt, and what questions they still have. After sharing these, they watch the clip again. It’s amazing how many of their questions they manage to answer on a second viewing!

There are lots of ways to integrate clips into lessons, but the best ones, including the two examples from LSS have some things in common:

Do:

• Watch with a purpose (either on a 1^st or 2^nd viewing)
• Engage students in their own learning – get them to pose questions
• Vary what you do – don’t always use clips in the same way
• Use clips as a springboard for:
  • Discussions (around content/ethics/how science works)
  • Productive/creative activity
  • AfL/APP activities

Avoid:

• Posing all the questions yourself
• Using clips as a time filler

Do you have any other do’s and don’ts or experiences with video in the class room that we could add to this?  Please comment.

Have you subscribed to the Science Learning Centres You Tube Channel?  Here you will find a range of testimonials about our courses, demonstrations by our technicians and views from our Professional Development Leaders.

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[1] Learning Skills for Science helps teachers to integrate learning skills into the teaching of scientific content. At the moment LSS resources are only available to schools who have attended a Learning Skills for Science training course, run by the Science Learning Centres. Go to www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk for dates of training events.

Life in the Labs – Data Loggers

by Helen Rose

In this, the first of my video blogs, I am introducing  data loggers; what they are, how they can be used and what to consider when buying data loggers for your school.  In later video blogs I’ll be showing you what data loggers are available in the market and some of their individual features and benefits.

Life in the Lab -Data loggers 1

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Using ICT to Enhance Primary Science

Learn how the National Science Learning Centre’s course  “Using ICT to Enhance Primary Science” will benefit teachers, schools and of course pupils.  Course Leader Tanya Shields.

Using ICT to enhance Primary Science

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Go to the National Science Learning Centre website for more details on Leading Change in ICT in Primary Science.