Online Tools gets a makeover

Have you used 2Simples Online Tools recently? It's had a few changes made to it. You can now watch lots of really useful videos to help show you how to get the most out the templates provided with the many tools available.

Also, in 2Design and Make, you can now colour the wheels of vehicles and the (glueing) tabs are bigger when you print out a design.

Go home, login, and try the improvements - and put the results into your learning spaces for us all to see.

Our thoughts on 2DIY

We've been using 2DIY for a whole year now at school! I asked some of the children who used it back in January 2009 to tell me what they like about it, and how they think it can be used so that it could be used by 2Simple at a big exhibition show this week. Here's what they said;

Snow Day Challenge!

Can you think creatively and solve the following creative challenges?

1. Design a new vehicle that can travel through snow.
2. Build different size/denisity snowballs and measure their melt times.
3. Feed the Birds - in the snowy weather they need food. Try to hang food and put some on the ground so you can see which are ground feeders. Spend time identifying birds - they are lot easier to see against the snowy background. Sketch the birds, so you can identify them later at school (if no access to bird books or internet). Spend 30 mins watching the birds, count them, plot bar charts etc.
4. 101 creative uses of a sledge

5. Whatis the Best Shape for a Snow House.You want to build a snow house, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of snow. What shape house should you build to get the most floor area for the least amount of effort? What other ideas do you have? If you could build it against a wall (i.e. one side already made for you) what shape would you build?

6. Be Creative and answer any of the 5 challenges above. Post pictures/comments as answers. Don't forget to use ure learning space to record your work too! Maybe you could send your teacher/me/Mr Widdowson your answers via  school e-mail?

The House of Loyalty!

Class 4 have had a great session today based around one of Mike Fleetham's books " Surprising Stories to Stimulate Creativity". The class read and discussed a story called 'The House of Loyalty' and had a very interesting discussion around a shift in thinking and looking at things in a different way! There were also brilliant sketches from the children giving their perspective on what they thought the city of the flat kings looked like! Great work Class 4 - welcome back! We're in for a great 2010!

The Best!

Class 4 have done another of Mike Fleetham's thinking skills games today called "The Best". Have a look at the game by downloading the link below and post any of your ideas as a comment.

Download The Best

A Massive  Thank You to Mrs. Ingle who did the game with them today. The children's ideas were brilliant again. Listen to them by clicking on the link below.

The Best

Links!

Class 4 have tried another Thinking Skills Game today, designed by Mike Fleetham, called 'Links'. It requires you to look at the pictures and make links between them. Download it below and have a go. Post your ideas as a comment.

Download Links

The children have once again come up with some amazing ideas. Click on the link and have a listen.

Links

Be creative

Here's a lovely idea for half term - why not write a story. Not just any story though, a story with beautiful artwork included within it, and a story where you could invite others (friends or family) to add more to the story.

Storybird is a new website that allows just that. Ask your parents to register you (because you are under 13, you are not allowed to sign up yourself) and then you can look at the fantastic artwork that is available and make a story from the choice of images.

You can then invite your family and friends to continue your story, before you decide to "publish" it (there is an option that will let you put your story into your learning space)

Ask your parents to visit Storybird and sign you up (Parents, for more information about Storybird, please visit here)

PS Here's a quick storybird that Mr Widdowson made to see just how easy it is;

The Animals of Panshurka: a test of storybird on Storybird

Lucy makes a game

Lucy has been busy using 2DIY, and playing with the Actionscript coding to alter the difficulty level of her game. Try out her shark game...

Multi Level Games

We've been making "multi level games" using 2DIY. See what we did;

Paige's multi level game: Download Paige levles game (its fun try it)

Megan's multil level game: Download Level manger

Lucy and Marks multi level game: Download Lucymarkquiz

Sophie G's multi level game: Download Sophies big game

Hattie's multi level game: Download Levles

And here is Mr. Widdowson's mutli-level game (testing some of the "advanced" features of 2DIY); Download BIG_GAME (be patient - it's a BIG file!)

A Wilder You

Hot on the heels of the Super Hero maker, here's another activity to make yourself into something else. This time you can become a wild animal (or even a combination of all sorts of wild animals).

Hattie's Shark Attack

Grace's Rose Catching

 

Issac's Thunderman

Olivias Hamburger Game

Make a TV Trailer

For those fans of Doctor Who - have you tried making your own trailer for the programme? The official website now lets you do this - just drag and drop sound effects / music / characters and titles into a 30 second timeline to make your very own trailer.

Here's one that I made earlier; watch trailer or enter the code 7frok9 on the website. If you make one, leave a comment below with your special code so that others can watch it too.

Get Your myCBBC

Create a personalised space on the CBBC site. The space takes the form of a 'den' where you can add favourite content from BBC sites. You can choose posters, furniture and gadgets to personalise your den. Each gadget will provide a useful function: the PC stores your favourite website links; the plasma screen plays video clips; the calendar gives the dates and times of favourite shows and your own personal dates such as family and friends' birthdays. There is also a "treasure chest" in which you can store any content you have created on the CBBC site.

Children who create a MyCBBC den can add up to 16 friends in the den, providing you know your friends' CBBC member nicknames. Only if two users are in each other's friends book can you visit each other's dens. (This ensures that children are in mutual agreement about who they allow to view their space). Friends are allowed to leave a message for the den owner when they visit but only by selecting messages from a pre-approved list – for example "Cool room! Check mine out!" or "Hope you had a good day at school!".

For Parents;

"My CBBC is designed from the ground up with online safety as the highest priority. Interaction with other users is entirely confined to pre-defined messaging and the exchange of virtual assets such as links to safe sites. There are no opportunities for a malevolent person to make direct contact with children. Nevertheless, because we have designed the site to introduce some of the basic concepts commonly associated with web 2.0-type interaction, we'll take every opportunity to reinforce the message that whilst exciting, the internet can also be a dangerous place if the Stay Safe rules are ignored. This is one of the many ways in which the site will help children to build useful media literacy skills."
says the BBC.

Webbli Register

Have you got a Webbli? If so, let us know it's name, and we'll add it to the Porchester WebbliRoll of Honour.

Sign up for the PWiki

The Porchester Wiki - PWiki - is now online. We'd like you, the pupils, to build up a detailed account of Tanzania (your Global Awareness project). The great thing about the Wiki is that everyone can add bits of information to it. Plus, if you notice a mistake that has been made, then you can alter it so that the page is perfect!!!

Not only that, but it can also be used to leave messages to each other about the work that you are doing. Mr. Widdowson is constantly monitoring the Wiki, so make sure you post only nice, polite messages. We don't want to have to stop anybody from using it because they are unable to be sensible.

Launch the Wiki (appears in a new window)