catherine.macmillan » Uncategorized

Where to find out more…

catherinemacmillan — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:46:06 +0000

The link to the digital blue products page did not work, if you want to find out more about the digital blue microscope I used here is the link

http://www.playdigitalblue.co.uk/products/qx5/info/

Digital Microscope

catherinemacmillan — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:40:19 +0000

At the moment we are learning about planting and growing. At the end of last week we went outside on a minibeast hunt. We then used the digital blue microscope and our whiteboard to have a closer look at what we found. This allowed us to look and talk about as a whole class.

This week I have set up an interest table where the children can choose to use the microscope and laptop to look at a variety of seeds. There has been lots of collaborative learning going on. Their interest has extended through the conversations they have been having together. They are now looking at their fingers, materials and lots more.

The digital blue microscope is really child friendly and fun. As well as the usual features of using a microscope the children can also take a snapshot or movie of their objects then create a slideshow by adding special effects and music! The features are simple to use and very similar to the digital blue camera which we also use regularly.

Taking account of prior ICT skills.

catherinemacmillan — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 12:35:12 +0000

I often feel really disappointed when you see primary children being ‘taught’ ICT skills they were competently and independently displaying at three/four years old in pre-five. Kirsteen Carmichael has described some examples from one of her early years settings. This again highlights the skills pre-school children are developing through the exciting opportunities early years staff are providing.

Promoting Positive Behaviour in Pre-Five.

catherinemacmillan — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 15:56:26 +0000

Today I filmed the children playing co-operatively with others during free play. There were examples of every child doing something including sharing resources at the art table, helping each other solve problems at the computer, playing an imaginative game together and taking turns on the interactive whiteboard.

We then had a discussion at the end of the session when we all viewed the ‘movies’ together on the whiteboard. The children were all engaged in the discussion because it was focused around themselves and what they had been doing well. It was meaningful and fun for them all and also good for specific children who don’t interact much with others or find it more difficult to share etc.

Using 2Publish in pre-school.

catherinemacmillan — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 16:15:06 +0000

Today the pre-school children designed their own invitations for our Grandparents/Special Person Day using 2Publish. It was great for developing their mouse control. I scribed the message and some children attempted to type their own names, others preferred to print then write their name/experiment with symbols. It was a simple activity that was easily differentiated to accommodate for individual children’s skills and interests.

Hello There!

catherinemacmillan — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 15:47:10 +0000

Hello, my name is Catherine MacMillan and I work in Bowmore Primary Pre-Five Unit on Islay. I became involved in ICT when the Early Years, Forward Thinking initiative was launched and then later became an Early Years Masterclasser.
I make regular use of ICT in all curricular areas and thrive on seeing the children becoming such confident users.
I’m looking forward to working with colleagues from the primary and secondary sector and sharing ideas with others.
I hope to use this blog to tell others about some of the exciting ICT activities we get up to with the ‘wee ones’ in the nursery.
I look forward to meeting everyone at SETT.