Before the project begins I would like to talk about how I feel the project will go over the next few months.
I feel that the pupils may run into a few difficulties whilst the project is running;
Technological Difficulties – You can never rely on technology!!! Im sure at some point throughout this project a computer will crash, a software update will be required, pupils will forget his login/password and I am 100% sure there will be a lot of ‘Have you tried turning it on and off again?’.
External factors – The pupils at my school will run into an infinite number of factors throughout a normal day, and each incident/factor/moment can change the way a pupil will learn/act/behave. These could be bullying, pressures from other lessons, changes in a routine, going to bed at 1:00am, not having breakfast, issues with transport, falling out with siblings or parents, lack of support, equipment not working. As you can see, these all have to be dealt with at the classroom door before any teaching can take place
Time/Timetable – Pupils will only be given 50 minutes of ICT a week and with quite a small timescale in place, there is a possibility that there could not be enough time.
Absences – Pupils could also miss lessons due to illness, doctor/dentist/specialist appointments, transport being late, or annual reviews. Pupils will have to be given time to catch up, this could possibly be done during the school GOAL timetable lesson or during lunch.I know I am away for a few days between now and the summer term, so the consistency and regularity of having the same staff teacher, teach the same course material.
Pupils needs/levels of access – Pupils may find the work hard and have to be taught the course material in a differentiated way from others in their class therefore reducing the amount of time the pupil will have to plan, design and create their game.
What I think will happen…………….
Teamwork – I believe that our school core value will definitely shine through during this project. Pupils who are able to access the work and find it easier than others will feel good helping others, who may be struggling accessing the work.
More pupils will choose Kodu – More pupils will choose Kodu over Scratch and I feel this is because Kodu is a visual based platform that allows pupils with lower reading ages and literacy issues to easily design and create their won game. Their is no complex language used and all choices are clear, bright and easy to read. I also believe that more pupils will choose Kodu as it is 3D and a world like platform which will make it more interactive.
Wide variety of games – Pupils will be a creating a wide variety of games and stories. Pupils will be given the option of creating their own world, characters, terrain, enemies and objects through the aid of their school project booklets.
SEN needs and their choices will differ – We will be given a fascinating insight into what features/aspects of the games will be liked by children with different SEN needs. For example, we have 3 classes completing this project; 1 is a high functioning ASD class (Class 1), 1 is a motor difficulties/processing/physical impairment class (Class 2) and 1 is ADHD/moderate learning difficulties/sensory difficulties class (Class 3).
Further reading at Toms blog
What did happen?
This is a major breakthrough for the pupils as a large majority of them struggle within a social setting. The fact that they can independently and confidently help their peers and be able to use and improve their communication skills is superb. Surprisingly there was not a large amount of technological difficulties encountered, although I do think the pupils have finally copped onto the idea of ‘turning it off and on’. I think that external factors did play a major role in this project. Often I had to intervene with problems that had happened outside of lessons to ensure that they had a positive learning experience.’