1. Ideas for use in the primary classroom
Have you ever been stuck for fresh ideas, nervous about how to use new ICT equipment with a whole class, or just interested in expanding ICT into different areas of the curriculum? Then you might find just what you need right here!
2Simple
Digital Blue
Creative ICT
Audacity
Movie Maker
Ideas for use in the primary classroom
Flip Video
Textease
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Animation

2. Nursery Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Age Group
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Nursery Reception
Year 1 Year 2
Year 3 Year 4
Year 5 Year 6

3. Nursery Reception Creative ICT Home Next >> Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Nursery Reception
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Activity 1
Digiblue Camera on the Interactive Whiteboard - attach digital blue video camera to computer attached to board - let children explore focussing camera on different things.  It can be sufficient for them to just use it as a web cam in this way or see if they can video and play back what they are looking at.
Activity 2
Digital Still Camera - let children take photos, show them how they can be downloaded and viewed on IWB or computer or let them print a photo they've taken.
Activity 3
Smart Notebook on Interactive Whiteboard – put the ‘spotlight’ on a photo and let them move it around - they can also use pens to draw on photo. This is found in the ‘Other Smart tools’ section of the Quick Launch taskbar.
Activity 4
Iboard – Early Years
Source: Fronter or
Activity 5
2paint – on the Interactive Whiteboard or on computers individually.
Also available in Fronter for the children to use at home.
Activity 6
Easicope on the Interactive Whiteboard or laptops – investigate patterns around us.
Capture and share.
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4. Nursery Reception Creative ICT Home << back Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Nursery Reception
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Activity 7
Nursery rhyme Smartnotebook files for Interactive Whiteboard – to sing along to, move characters around, record sound (Hickory Dickory Dock, Jack and Jill, 5 Little men in a Flying Saucer)
Source: Fronter – ICT in the foundation stage – Resources folder
Activity 8
Smart Notebook on the Interactive Whiteboard - photo coloured over with a pen - children use rubber to reveal parts of picture - who can guess what it is?
Activity 9
Photocopier - put objects on copier, photocopy - what does it look like?
Activity 10
Record children singing - digital blue camera, microphone into Audacity
Activity 11
Textease - record different sounds for pictures of animals
Activity 12
Bee-bot, Pixie, Roamer – explore
Note: Refer to EYFS Provision Map (eLIM Curriculum Support site – Early Years)
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5. Role Playing in Topic work – CASE STUDY (Reception / Year 1)
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Reception Year 1
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Role Playing in Topic work – CASE STUDY (Reception / Year 1)
As a Creative ICT support teacher, I was asked to go into a Reception / Year 1 class to help out with video cameras. I arranged to make a film with the class about the archaeological dig that the school had taken part in the day before. We decided to use three different types of video camera, so that the children had a good idea of the way different cameras work and it gave us the opportunity to evaluate the differences between them. The school currently had one Tuffcam, and I took along my three Digiblue cameras and a Flip Video camera.
We discussed the visit with the children, decided upon scenes to film and looked at the different cameras they were going to use. With the help of a TA, we had five groups of children each filming a different scene. While the children were out of class, the class teacher and I imported the films into Movie Maker from the various different cameras. We added titles and credits and showed the film back to the children, discussing the different video outcomes and how to improve on filming another time.
It was noticeable that the Tuffcam quality was inferior in both video and audio output to both the Digiblue and the Flip Video camera. The Flip had a much higher image resolution with good quality sound compared to the others.
When uploading the videos from the cameras, the Tuffcam and the Flip were both very easy to use as they act just like a memory stick and the files just copy across. However, the Digiblue videos need to have the Digiblue software open, the videos are then uploaded into the program and they have to be exported individually as AVI files if they are to be used in MovieMaker. Digiblue cameras do have many other features that the others don’t have, including its own animation software that is extremely easy to use.
Click here for help on using MovieMaker
Filming role play of school visit, using different video cameras and MovieMaker

6. Role Playing in Literacy – CASE STUDY (Year 1)
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Year 1 Year 2
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Role Playing in Literacy – CASE STUDY (Year 1)
As a Creative ICT support teacher, I was asked to go into a year 1 class to help out with video cameras. Amy, the class teacher had been working on traditional stories with her class and we decided to get the children to film themselves acting out five scenes of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Amy had gathered together the class set of Mustek DV5000 Digital Video cameras and together with her TA we got them working with new batteries and had a go with them before the children arrived.
Amy re-capped the story with the children and I showed them how the cameras worked. She sorted the children into groups, allocating a camera person for each group. Then she and her TA organised the actors while I sat with the camera people to have a further briefing on using the cameras and they had a practice before they started filming.
The activity worked well, but as with any camera work, the children need to investigate and have a go, then evaluate what it looks like before being able to produce a more successful outcome. Children are usually able to make huge improvements on their second attempt. We uploaded all the films while the children went out to play and then, with the class on the carpet, I imported the scenes into Movie Maker, added titles and credits, and Amy and I discussed with the children which parts worked well and what they could improve next time.
The sound was a prime example of useful evaluation, as they weren’t filming in quiet conditions. Amy decided that now the children understand the whole process, they could repeat the exercise in more controlled conditions, perhaps one group at a time in a quiet place.
Filming of a Traditional Story using video cameras and put together as a class using MovieMaker

7. Introduction to Data Logging – CASE STUDY (Year 4)
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Year 3 Year 4
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Introduction to Data Logging – CASE STUDY (Year 4)
This lesson introduces the use of various basic options available on two different data loggers, with a small group of children, but is intended to be adapted to suit the equipment available at the time.
Note:
A wealth of lesson ideas and worksheets are freely provided on the Data Harvest website and although these are intended for use with the EasySenseQ, they are quite easy to adapt for use with other data loggers.
Data Harvest Teaching Material Downloads
My use was with six year 4 children, three used the Data Harvest EasySenseQ and three used the TTS Log Box. Both groups used the activities provided online by Data Harvest, but this had to be adapted for use with the Log Box where it referred to the different meters available on the screen that only applied to the EasySenseQ.
Part 1 – Data Logger attached to PC
Use Data Harvest ‘How noisy? How quiet?’ experiment, with a selection of percussion instruments
Part 2 – Data Logger used remotely
Use Data Harvest ‘How warm is our classroom?’ experiment
Click here for the Word Document lesson plan
Click here for the Data Logger price and specification comparison
Comparing the use of the TTS Log Box with the Data Harvest EasySenseQ

8. Different Fiction Genres – Literacy – CASE STUDY (Year 6)
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Year 5 Year 6
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Different Fiction Genres – Literacy – CASE STUDY (Year 6)
As a Creative ICT support teacher, I was asked to go into a year 6 class where they had been working on different fiction genres in literacy and the class teacher wanted to extend this work. The children had already worked on Powerpoint presentations that had varying outcomes and the teacher now wanted to use MovieMaker.
I prepared a lesson using movie trailers for 3 different film genres (Star Wars - Science-fiction, Robin Hood - Historical, Narnia - Fantasy). I provided film stills and a suitable music file for each genre and the children had to put together an advert to show their understanding of the differences between two of the three different genres.
We added titles, credits, music and a narration by using ‘Narrate Timeline’ within MovieMaker.
Click here for the Word document of lesson plan
Notes:
To download video trailers
Download video trailers from YouTube using ‘YouTube Downloader’ (Remember: appropriate certificate for age)
Open YouTube Downloader and convert to ‘Windows Media Video’
Royalty Free Music Clips
Excellent short clips of royalty free music, of every genre, can be found at Incompetech
Creating a movie trailer using still images, music clips, and titles/slides/credits with MovieMaker
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9. Maths Literacy Science Topic
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Curriculum Area
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KS1
KS2
2Graph - Use for data handling in KS1
Maths
Textease CT Spreadsheet- Use for data handling in KS2
Textease Wordbanks - Basic helpsheet
Literacy
MovieMaker - Fiction genres Go to page
2Investigate - Use for data handling in KS1 Lesson Plan
Science
Data loggers - Go to page
Animation - Go to page
Topic
Textease Presenter - Lesson Plan

10. Animation Creative ICT Home
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Animation
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There is a comprehensive guide to teaching animation in the
Fronter Somerset Animation Room
The following is a comprehensive list of resources needed and suggestions for activities / teaching sections but the intention is for it to be used with only the appropriate sections according to the class & teacher’s requirements / hardware & software available. Go to the Fronter Animation Room for video clips and helpsheets.
Preparation / Resources
Working version of ‘Windows Movie Maker’ / ‘Digital Blue’ software
‘Stop Motion Animator’ (free download)
Camera (Digiblue, webcam, Tuffcam, digital camera)
Microphone, microphone headsets
Audacity
Story, 3D models, background
(Pivot Stick Figure)
(Textease, Paint, 2Paint)
Smart Notebook
RealPlayer
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11. Animation Creative ICT Home << back Next >>
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Animation
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Introduction (What is animation, Pivot Stick Figure)
Wikipedia – definition, 6 frame example (bouncing ball)
Juggling animation
Pivot Stick Figure
How to use Pivot Stick Figure:
Frames
Movement – small
Colour
Change size for distance
Different animals (load figure type)
Different objects (create figure type)
Background (create in Textease)
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12. Animation Creative ICT Home << back Next >>
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Animation
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Examples – Wallace & Gromit Stop Motion Animation
Wallace and Gromit facts
Using models (clay, plasticine, Play Mobil, Lego, etc)
The Wallace and Gromit films are shot using the stop motion animation technique
A detailed storyboard is made
A set is made
Plasticine models of the characters are made
The film is shot one frame at a time, moving the models of the characters slightly each time
This gives the impression of movement in the film
One second of film is made of 24 separate frames
A Wallace and Gromit film is made at a rate of 30 frames per day
Just over one second of film photographed for each day of production
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit took five years to make!
Now watch a clip of ‘The Wrong Trousers: Cracking Toast!’
So what do we need?
A story board
A set
Models of the characters
A camera
Some sound
A program to put it all together (Movie Maker)
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13. Animation Creative ICT Home << back Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Animation
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Let’s start with a story board
Do this as a whole class activity
Then we need a set or background
Set this as a task for each group – they have to look the same!
Finally we need some characters or models
For a quick solution use Lego or Play Mobil, but each group will need the same set of characters
Making the film
Divide the class into groups to film the various parts of the story
Make sure each camera is stable
Take about 150 frames in total (ie. 5 groups would each take 30 frames)
Putting it all together
Gather all the frames in one place and demonstrate how to add them to ‘Windows Movie Maker’
Open ‘Audacity’ and record some sound while watching the film
Add the audio track to the program
Add an opening title and some end credits
Add some music
Watch!
Examples of other children’s stop motion animation films
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14. Digiblue Movie Creator
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Hardware
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Digiblue Movie Creator
Flip Video Camera
Video Cameras
Tuff Cam
Mustek DV500 MPEG videocam
Data Loggers
EasySense Q3
Log Box

15. Digiblue Movie Creator
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Digiblue Movie Creator
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Notes on using Digiblue for filming VIDEO
Use Digiblue cameras attached to the PC if you want to record for an unlimited amount of time.
If you use them away from the docking station they will only record about a minute of video.
Keep finger pressed on the record button when used away from the PC – this is especially important to re-inforce with younger children!
Go to Year 1 role play case study
Notes on using Digiblue for ANIMATION
Make use of the Animation feature on the top right hand side of the Digiblue software.
Grab 3 frames for each shot to make it less tedious. Every 15 frames grabbed makes one second of film.
You can delete the last frame at any given time if a hand gets in the way.
Go to Animation page
Troubleshooting
If you encounter problems that require re-installing software, or if you are upgrading, then do it in this order:
Uninstall Digiblue software
Install from disc that comes with the camera you are going to use, without the camera plugged in
Plug the camera in and wait for it to install. If it comes up with a wizard that wants to look for updates, say no, then let it find the driver automatically.
Lastly, open up the Digiblue software
If the camera makes an odd ‘double’ sound, unplug it and try a different USB port

16. Software Textease 2Simple MovieMaker Audacity
Creative ICT
Ideas for use in the
primary classroom
Software
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Textease
2Simple
A really good way of becoming familiar with the things that Textease can do is to watch their videos online. To find them - open Textease > go to Help > On the website > Getting started videos
2Simple also have a bank of help videos to get you started. To find them go to C:\Program Files\2Simple Software\IVT2 > select ictvids
MovieMaker
Audacity
This is a free program that is available on any PC that has Windows
Go to Year 1 page
Go to Year 6 page
Go to Animation page
Click to open MovieMaker helpsheet
This is a free program that is available to download and is a very versatile way to record and edit sound files
Go to Audacity website