Those Bloom’in Apps
May 16, 2012 in Creativity, Curriculum, ICT, Implementation by Martyn Call
Bloom’s Taxonomy has been a big focus in our SIP this year. I also (cheekily) asked my HT if there was money in the budget for an iPad to trail in class. When a shiny new iPad arrived on my desk my first thought was “how am I going to incorporate Bloom’s into iPad use?” I done some research online and found a few American peers who’d been trying to do the same thing.
I downloaded a few apps and trialed their use in the class and came up with the following graphic. It’s not a new idea – alas, I’m lacking in the top section of Bloom’s pyramid, but I’m working on it – but I’ve focused on apps which are free and available on both Apple and Android platforms. Also included a table that explains which apps I’ve used. Icons only help so much.
I’ve only used a few of these apps in class, and I’ll be blogging about their use next. I’d be very interested to hear what other teachers have been using, and how you’ve used it to drive T+L in your class.
| Remembering | Understanding | Applying | Analysing | Evaluating | Creating |
| Searching Google | Annotating Notability |
Present Show me |
Ted Talks | Posting Edmodo |
Video Vidtrim |
| Mindmap Popplet | Tweeting |
Editing Olive Office P |
Organising Evernote |
Moderating Googledocs |
Animate Drawing Cartoons |
| Word Process Googledocs |
Blogging Edublogs |
Presenting Prezi |
Surveying Firefox |
Collaborate Dropbox |
Comics Comic Life |
| Flashcards Flashcard Del |
Watching Khan Academ |
Interviewing Skype |
Bookmark Pintrest |
Discussion G+ |
Graphics Pro-create |
| Listing Remember the milk |
Subscribing gReader |
Bookmark Diigo |
National Geo | Blogging Wordpress |
Photos Instragram |
Hi Martyn,
I don’t know if you recall the Bloom’s posts I made a few months ago? I opted to turn a list of statements in to some form of HGioS labels. The checklist is found here http://discussingteaching.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/blooms-self-evaluation-in-learningnewword.docx
I saw the various apps coming under the umbrella of blooms but wondered if we were actually just taking apps and loosely giving them taxonomy headers for the sake of it. Can an app alone be enough to enspire learning? Would the apps work as well if you were not there (I guess not) and so I would would really like to know either 1) what makes it work better when a teacher helps or 2) what makes the app so engaging that all years will be able to use it?
I think it is a fab tool in the classroom, either way.
Brilliant questions Eddie! You’re right – I’ve very loosely put them under headers. Most of the apps could be used in many different ways and hit 2, 3, or 4 or Bloom’s levels. I found I needed somewhere to start; a focus to how I was going to effectively use the iPad.
So far I’ve found the iPad a way to encourage engagement with learning. For example with the show me app, I’ve had pupils making videos on how to write numbers in standard and extended form to help others with revision. And my physics class have been using Popplet to create study-guides for revision. Both of these tools have been very easy to use and required little effort on my part to set up. As it’s so simple I can have pupils in S1 right through to S6 using it.
I think if I didn’t have the iPad, I’d have found other ways to help embed Bloom’s in my teaching. But the techonology is there so I thought I should try to use it. Am I using it as a fad? Perhaps. Having seen my General/Credit maths class explaining their thinking to their peers in a video presentation and pushing on their understanding I’m happy to go with this fad until the next one comes along. I definatlely don’t think one app alone, or even just technology alone, is enough to inspire learning. Learning is a community event and requires pupils, teachers, schools and parents.
Sorry…starting to waffle.
Thanks for the statements too! I’ll be using those if you don’t mind.
Not yet into ipad, but I do like the visual impact of this.
I liked earlier link a lot – shared it with DHT – and it helps me think Bloom – or could that be ‘blooming think’?
Being colour loving and creative I like the impact and visual stimulation of the colour and icons you used.
For me it would be helpful to have the sequence of colours from remembering > creating following the rainbow spectrum colours ….red, orange, yellow etc. That helps me work out what follows what in content terms in different situations.
Just a thought………….
And I love the open dialogue/sharing here!
Hey Sarah, left a copy of a R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. style graphic here: http://edmodo.com/folder/389533
Love it! Thanks – and perhaps others will find this rainbow stuff useful too!