ITGEN SOLUTIONS

Children's excitement about coding lesson inspired new teaching ideas for teachers The first time I introduced coding to a class, as part of a games design project with Kodu (a visual programming language for children), things did not go exactly as planned. My first mistake was underestimating just how long the students would want to spend trying out all the landscape-design tools that Kodu has to offer. I either had to abruptly end their exploration – despite it clearly leading to some interesting discoveries – or delay the content I wished to cover. Then, as the project progressed, a number of students installed Kodu at home and learned how to do more than I’d imagined they would – some of them through experimentation and some by following the video tutorials that I’d told them about. Obviously, I was over the moon that they were so into it, but it did make timings a little tricky. It meant that students were getting to grips with the tools at different rates. ...

Its a New Day - New Month - New Opportunities - New Experiences. Make them count because you may not get another CHANCE! May the New Month bring glad tidings, successes and more accomplishments. Happy New Month from us all @itgensolutions

Clearly, when it comes to technology, the knowledge gap between young and old is widening. A recent survey revealed that this gap is greatest among young parents and those whose children are still at primary school, with 69 per cent of parents between 25 and 34 years of age admitting that their child knows more about technology than they do. This has repercussions for online safety and how far parents can assist their children with school work.  Schools have to play a part in bridging the gap. Today’s primary school students have grown up surrounded by tablet computers and touch screens; they are more widely exposed to technology than any generation before them. As the  new computing curriculum  helps teachers to move with the times, it is important that schools support the parents who may be finding it hard to keep up.   The best way to do that is to invite them into school for a short demonstration. School do this regularly with parent IT classes. “Le...

Challenging students need to be understood and re-engaged to get them on track. Let’s be honest: when it happens day after day, challenging behaviour such as disobedience, backchat, anger issues or other disruption from a child can really grind us down. It can change us from being patient, compassionate people with a genuine desire to make a difference, into sleep-starved, wild-eyed desperados, convinced a student has a personal vendetta. It can make us forget that if a student has barriers that stop them learning the way they want to, it is up to us to identify how we can help them. We all have those children in our classes who “behave badly and don’t learn”. That’s what we used to say. Today, we would say that they find it challenging to focus, produce positive outcomes and demonstrate appropriate learning behaviour. This terminology, while occasionally annoying, is rightly different. Children have an inbuilt curiosity and desire to learn, whatever their background and...

'The four key elements to getting the nuts and bolts of teaching right' Becoming the most effective and confident teacher you can be takes time but there are some key elements you can develop to help get you there a bit quicker Finding teaching and learning ideas and resources is easier now than it’s ever been. But before jumping into lesson planning, assessment formatting or imaginative curriculum design, its essential to get the nuts and bolts right, the bread and butter of teaching. So many times I've heard someone comment “but they had fantastic ideas and worked really hard” about a teacher who was unable to progress in the classroom. And this is such a shame because quite often it’s what a  trainee or new teacher  isn’t  told rather than what they  are  told which holds them back. The foundation on which all good teaching is built is subtle and difficult to identify, but contains these key elements...

Technophobia is a fear of technology. It is a condition that certainly exists in schools, often among teachers who are expected to use technology effectively in cross-curricular activities and in the new computing curriculum. While you might assume the condition is more prevalent among educators who are less “tech-savvy”, from personal experience, it affects those who are digitally literate too. And with more and more technology being used in schools, technophobia is something that teachers need to overcome or risking falling behind the times – and behind their students. Here are tips for getting rid of the fear: Don’t be put off by terminology  There are so many acronyms and unfamiliar words in the technological world.  This new “language” is overwhelming at first. However, jot words down and you’ll soon realise there aren’t as many as you think. It won’t be long before you know your “augmented reality” from your “m-learning”.   Don’t attempt to...

The Internet Digital citizenship education is too geared towards warning young people about the dangers of the internet, so we need to develop a new approach to digital literacy. Today, children are largely living their lives online. So, how have we allowed our schools’  curricula  to fall so far out of step with the world that we are not fully preparing young people for this reality? However, the bulk of the classroom material available was (and still is) on  cybersafety  and digital citizenship. In other words: rules about what not to do online, and rules about how to be a well-behaved user of the internet. A holistic approach Knowledge and awareness of the crucial role of the internet in our society, and how we should interact most appropriately with digital technology, is key to helping students thrive, both in social, work, and academic environments. Blocking, filtering, and scare tactics are certainly not constructive a...

#BeInspired

Technology can be a great time saving tool for teachers, if you ask the right questions Reducing teacher workload is, to my mind, a complex issue that doesn’t have just one answer – if only – but instead needs to be approached in many ways. And tech could be one tool that could prove particularly useful. So, how might this look? Well,  one of the big ways that technology can help teachers is in assessment and data analysis. Whether it’s fast, formative, ready-made assessment tools like Socrative, Kahoot or Quick Key, or full-on tracking and assessment systems, capturing data digitally can potentially make analyzing it and turning it into something meaningful and useful a whole lot easier. Like any tool, though, it is how it’s used that is the real key to this. What tech can also do is to make it easier for teachers to share stuff – and we have a lot to share. From planning and resources, to ideas and vital info, I’m not sure where I’d be without it all. Cloud ...

Five ways to buy tech well Follow these simple tips to ensure the software you purchase will be cost-effective and achieve the outcome you’re looking for When it comes to educational apps and software, there are more options out there than you can shake a stick at. So how do you know if you should go ahead and download? Ask yourself these five questions. 1. Have you clearly identified what your pupils need? Before you even go near the App Store or Google your options, make sure you know what it is you’re trying to achieve. Is there an issue you need to address? Phonics in Year 1? The teaching of programming in key stage 2? Writing for pupils with SEND? If you know exactly what problem you’re trying to solve and you find an app or piece of software that seems to address the issue or tackle the gap, then that’s a good sign. If you’re not sure what you’re trying to improve, then should you be spending money on the app anyway? 2. Hav...

Increasingly, schools are moving to provide students with their own laptop computer, netbook, or digital tablet. Schools purchased more than 23 million devices for classroom use in 2013 and 2014 alone. In recent years, iPads and then Chromebooks (inexpensive Web-based laptops) have emerged as the devices of choice for many schools. The two biggest factors spurring the rise in 1-to-1 student computing have been new mandates that state standardized tests be delivered online and the widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards. Generally, the hope is that putting devices in the hands of students will help with some or all of the following goals: Allowing teachers and software to deliver more personalized content and lessons to students, while allowing students to learn at their own pace and ability level; Helping students to become technologically skilled and literate and thus better prepared for modern workplaces; Empowering students to do more...

Get clear on what matters  By getting rid of what doesn't.

Theme : Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers.                                          World Teachers’ Day , held annually on October 5 since 1994, commemorates   teachers ’ organizations worldwide. Its aim is to mobilize support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers. According to  UNESCO , World Teachers’ Day education  and development Pupils at ITGEN partner school undergoing ICT training It represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to Si nce 1994, World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the  1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers , which celebrated its 50 th anniversary during last year’s edition. The 1966 Recommendation constitutes the...

Today’s Classrooms Should Be About Flexible Teaching—Not Furniture  “Flexible Furniture.” The idea is that, instead of assigning students in traditional rows of desks, they would have a choice as to where they sit. Here’s the thing: With some craftiness, it is possible to give your classroom a makeover without forking over thousands of dollars. Fifteen years ago, when I was a middle school English teacher, I introduced flexible seating to my class, before it became the latest buzzword. It began with a few small throw rugs, a few beach chairs that had seen some better days, and a beanbag chair that I begged a local store to donate. Since then, I have outfitted my classroom a little at a time using Amazon, Ikea, Five Below, and DonorsChoose all for around $250. I make sure to include my students in the design process and allow them to move the seating about the room as they see fit.  Focusing on decorations and interior design alone is missing the point, howe...

The New search engine  Kiddle  plans to display only kid-appropriate results. The first one to three results will be results vetted by editors for their kid-friendliness, the next four to seven will be websites in simple language, and those after that will be websites filtered by Google safe search. Parents can also block keywords and sites for their children's Google accounts. The search engine, which is not affiliated with Google, says it will not collect any personal information and will clear its logs every 24 hours. Not everyone, however, is excited for the new product. Re ports  have been that the search blocks sites that may be of use to children. For instance, children searching Kiddle will not be able to see sites related to LGBT identities and issues. CORRECTION, March 1, 2016:  A previous version of this article said that Kiddle was a product of Google. UPDATE March 1, 2016 : Digging deeper, we've found ...

Today, October 1, 2017, is being marked all over Nigeria as the fifty-seventh anniversary since Nigeria gained independence from British colonial rule. Some parts of the country were under British rule for many decades prior to the formal formation of Nigeria in 1900, and while we had numerous empires, kingdoms, autonomous villages and a Caliphate prior to 1900, we did not have one country called Nigeria until the Brits cobbled one together. This anniversary is being marked in a low-key manner by all three tiers of government partly because of the poor economy, partly because of insecurity in all parts of the country and also partly because 57 is not a significant landmark such as 10, 25, 50 or 100 years.   On October 1,1960, the flag of British Colonial Nigeria was lowered and new flag was raised. After a century of British influence, the region we know today as Nigeria became a commonwealth realm. This made the new country a sovereign state, and gave it the ...

If you want to promote creativity with programming, learn alongside your students Coding is often perceived as formulaic and sometimes boring but this couldn’t be further from the truth: it is in fact an incredibly creative activity. Coding is simply a language that instructs technology on what to do and how to behave. I would say it has become the new pencil and paper – a tool with endless opportunities. It’s what you do with it that matters, and in this digital world, children really can do anything from creating a 2D platform game, to writing a program that solves their maths homework. What a great opportunity then to encourage a creative mindset in children. Here are some ideas for you to use in your classroom. Encourage experimentation and evaluation When encouraging pupils to experiment, resilience is key. Sometimes children will get to a point where they think of something that could be changed near the beginning of the project ...

Kids are usually very excited about shopping, especially when they are buying things to take back to school. You can grab this once in a while opportunity to teach them a few lessons about money before they return to the classroom. As parents, you are not just raising kids; you are raising future adults.  It will come in handy during their university days when they will be on their own There back-to-school money lessons drill is worthwhile because kids care about school shopping and have a vested interest in the outcomes since they are the ones to use the backpacks and wear the clothes they pick. Here are some ideas for schooling your kids about money through shopping: Budgeting A spending plan is fundamental for using money wisely, so the process doesn’t start with a trip to the mall but with a conversation. Be in control of the budgeting because you provide the finances. Set a budget and help them do the comparison-shopping. Needs Vs. Want...