IPad Learning Fun Over Half-Term
As it is half-term next week I thought it might be useful to give you a couple of fun iPad-based computing ideas that could create a lovely learning project for you and your child to have a go at. The first is more suitable for Pre-Prep, the latter for KS2, although both will help to hone those creative computing skills, show off that artistic side and are a nice way to spend a wet afternoon stuck indoors!
Pre-Prep – Puppet Pals (iPad – free)
Puppet Pals is a very easy to use story telling/animation app that essentially allows you to turn your creative ideas into short plays. The app offers an easy way for students to create and record their own storytelling scenes and develop fun voice-acting skills. You just select a backdrop, choose several characters, then voice and move them as you wish (like a puppet!) It’s a lot of fun, particularly for younger children, and has won a whole host of educational tech awards, mainly due the brilliant literacy/history cross-over that it offers. There is a free version that is great for a trial, although the paid for version has a lot more characters, backgrounds and features to personalise your productions, so if you try it and like, it’s definitely worth the upgrade to Premium.
Stop Motion Studio (iPad – free)
Stop Motion Studio is one of my all time favourite apps, and although it takes a little patience to get the hang of it, is enormous amounts of fun! It pretty much does what it says on the tin, allowing the user to create stop motion animations (think Wallace & Gromit/Creature Comforts), by taking a number of still photographs and then editing together to give the effect of movement. These animations can be created using models, lego, playdough, drawings, real actors… whatever you have to hand. It can seem fairly technical at first, but has a lot of good tutorials, lots of ‘how to’ and suggested idea videos on YouTube, and is a wonderful place for any budding animators or film makers to get started! Similar to Puppet Pals it is free to download, but has a number of in-app purchases that can enhance the projects.
Again I would suggest trying out the free version first, then upgrading if the passion and enthusiasm is there.
If you have any questions at all, or want other suggestions or tips for more specific apps, please just drop me an email markadkins@crescentschool.co.uk. It would be wonderful to see any finished projects too!
Happy half-term!
Mr Adkins
Head of Digital Learning
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