Computing

In Ducklings this week, the children continued using technology in order to create their own dinosaur music. The children used a programme on Purple Mash called, 2Beat. Using this programme the children experimented with creating a repeating beat, adding different drums, claps and symbols. The children also explored how to change the tempo / speed of the beat, symbolising the dinosaurs moving faster or slower. The children also made selections on the volume of each instrument, using a tool at the end of each line. This was a fantastically loud dinosaur experience.

In year 1, the children continued to explore the language of algorithms, continuing to learn terms such as instructions, code and sequence. This was very tricky. The children also helped Mr O’Neon organise how to create a sandwich in the correct sequence, as his first sandwich went very wrong. To help him, the children drew pictures for a simple set of instructions.

In year 2, the children looked at different examples of pointillism. Once we looked at the examples, the children then created their own pictures. They created desert islands, rainbows in the sky and close up sea pictures.

In year 3, the children continued to look at simulations, exploring their purpose and uses. This week they travelled far into the future to engage in astronaut training. Unfortunately, a disaster struck and the children had to find solutions for astronauts trapped on a distant planet.

In year 4, the children continued to develop their animation skills. This week they began to make their animations move. This began with bouncing balls and moved onto a wide variety of animations, including ships firing cannon balls, people flying, spiders crawling and someone running across the world.

In year 5, the children began creating their own DIY games. After last week’s evaluations of a variety of DIY games, the children chose a theme and began to create their own games.

In year 6, the children began designing their own adventurous story. For many of the class, this was the first time they had used the 2create a story programme on Purple Mash. Each child chose the story they wanted to create and began planning the choices the character will make. Some children used paper to plan their slides, other preferred to plan the story on the slides as they went. This will take a number of weeks to complete but the children have made a good start.