One of the main uses of our iPads is to record and edit video.  With this in mind, I recently ordered a Padcaster for our students and teachers, which turns the iPad into a processional video camera.  The Ultimate Studio kit includes a tripod, green screen, wide lens (that connects to the front of the iPad), teleprompter, three different microphones and a lighting system.

Our upper primary students have been using the Padcaster and green screen technology to create their own persuasion adverts.  Green screen technology is used all the time to enhance digital creations in the movies and on TV.  For example, a green screen can make it look like actors are driving across the dessert, or a news announcer is standing in front of an animated weather map.  By inserting an iPad into the aluminium and rubber casing of the Padcaster, students have been able to record high quality video.  Along with the app, Do Ink, students were able to create the illusion of many different backdrops to make their persuasive arguments even more compelling!

The combination of the Do Ink app and the Padcaster makes it easy for students to create high quality green screen videos.  Featured in “Best New Apps in Education”, the Do Ink app lets you combine photos and videos from the camera roll with live video from the iPad’s camera.  The final results have been excellent, providing applications across the school curriculum.

School began for teachers with two days of technology exhibitions.  Delivered by teachers for teachers, this event was an exciting professional development opportunity for our staff.  State of the art digital technologies were laid out across eight “stations”, enabling staff to move from one station to the next in rotation to explore and learn about the different technologies the school has available.  During the two days in which our technology exhibitions took place, teachers got the opportunity to both present a particular technology to their colleagues and be presented to, creating a dynamic professional development environment.  On day 1, lower primary teachers presented to upper primary teachers, and on day 2, upper primary teachers presented to lower primary teachers.

Among the many exhibits on show, teachers got the chance to use the virtual reality headsets, robotic equipment, metal detectors, augmented reality books, audio books, playtables, green screens, nano drones, video equipment and various educational iPad apps!  As well as helping teachers to better understand the technology itself, this was a brilliant opportunity for our staff to collaborate and share ideas in order to positively impact teaching and learning in the classroom.

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The planning and organisation for this event took many months.  I began by putting together a list of all our technologies and then created floor plans (below) to best distribute all resources across the different year groups.  After meeting and providing training to each year group, I created a rotation timetable in which each year group and specialist group viewing the presentations could move from one station to another.  Finally, I met with the coordinators and senior leaders at our school to help with the organisation and management of the days’ events.  On the first day, we began by rotating staff every 25-minutes, and on the second day, we reduced this rotation time to 15-minutes.  Our music department sounded a trumpet at the end of the time period to signal the next rotation, which helped everything run like clockwork.  We also had key bits of “housekeeping” (rules) to keep everything flowing smoothly:

1. Please stick firmly to the rotation timetable (20 minutes per station).  Wait for the trumpet to  sound before moving promptly to the next station.
2. After the first three rotations, every presenting group can release up to three people to visit other stations.  When the trumpet sounds, these three people must return to their own station to present.  Another three people from the presenting group can then go off to explore when the trumpet sounds.
3. Be careful of extension cables and wires.
4. Remember to ask good questions to benefit your own learning.
5. Finally, complete the reflection survey that will be emailed to you.

At the end of both days, I delivered Kahoot quizzes for our staff to help consolidate their learning from the technologies on exhibition.  Based on feedback from staff, it was a useful professional development opportunity and gave everyone a chance to become much more familiar with all the new (and old) technologies that we have available to enhance teaching and learning.  It was a fun and productive two days!

Day 1 – Floor Plan

Day 2 – Floor Plan