Piksel bacteria

Piksel bacteria is a fun app to reinforce the science concept that bacteria are everywhere and are multiplying, in most cases quite, rapidly. Its a game based app, so the surfaces with large amounts of bacteria increase points. Clean surfaces and its game over.

This app instantly springboards open the camera on the iPad. Pointing the camera at a surface, you can watch the number of "points grow" as the red pixels, representing the bacteria multiply and spread on that surface. On clean surfaces eg the toilet, the iPad provides feedback, and game over.

Use at TX

The Year 5 students had fun exploring various surfaces for varying amounts of bacteria in-conjunction with their science topic. Some places were quite alarming eg the AC, the floor tiles and of course shoes, socks, plants, unwashed hand, and  under the rings on Kris's fingers. Others were also learning curves eg washed hands, hair and heads in the sunlight, the toilet and the door handles. These provoked questions as to why.

Definitely fun.

Hopscotch. Coding with visual language

Hopscotch is a  dedicated programming app designed to teach child the language of programming and  how to code and programme. Programming and coding is a huge feature in the New Curriculum 2013 for all key stages in the Computing Strand.

Free App

If you are familiar with the old favourite progamming application Scratch, then Hopscotch is a junior version of Scratch and a really good entry point into programming. I particularly like Hopscotch because its not a passive programme. Hopscotch requires the students to engage, to engage in various levels of thinking and to input data. Its not a drag and drop app.


You begin by choosing a sprite, or a creature  to manipulate, to follow the commands you programme. On the left hand side of the screen are the "blocks", the sections of commands. These you select and drop and drag onto the screen to build up the code. All blocks have text boxes for the user to add commands eg set rotation to degrees, and you add in the number of degrees. Hence the need for critical thinking. Entering random numbers is NOT going to achieve anything.
A click on the play button and the screen swaps into viewing mode and you can watch your creature follow your commands.

To extend that level of thinking the students need to add negative and positive integers to make the creature move left or right.
The students can then begin designing their own "games" or activities, as you can see from this photo.

How is this app used at TX.

I'm just beginning coding and programming with Year 6. We started by using the Bee-Bots so the children new to coding, could experience some success, especially at the higher levels. Bee-Bots required a a certain level of thinking and problemsolving. Hoscotch is a natural progression along the coding continuum.

Bee-Bots Free

This app is an extension of the hands on yellow creatures we have in the ICT room. The app has a complete array of challenges from a  consolidation of their learning on the lower levels to extending their learning and problem solving skills in the higher levels. Basic levels require the Bee-Bot to move 2 squares forward to reach home, to far more complex pathways and journeys. On completion of each activity the app provides feedback in the form of stars. Therefore as a students progresses up the levels, of which there are 12, they can collect an increasing number of stars. Challenges can also be set against the clock.
levels from about 5+ become challenging, with the last ones quite complex involving a considerable amount of problem solving.
This app has a second screen called Farm. It's about herding sheep so really only applicable to us from Down Under!



Using this app is just the same as the using the "real" hands on Bee-Bots, offering the same authentic opportunity to develop and extend both positional and directional language eg left right and mathematical concepts. Having the grid on the screen gives support to students by allowing them to count the grid squares, rather than "guessimating" distances on the floor. The built in reminder on this app is the flashing X or clear button, that comes on after each inputted programme has been completed. This is not intrusive, rather a gentle reminder to support the learning. The students using the hands on Bee-Bots often forget and their following programme is then proceeded by a former input.

Useful to know

To reset the BeeBots challenges, so a new user doesn't begin where a previous user left off, click menu, and then the wee cog wheel by the word play. The ipad will offer you a reset option.

The ICT strand of the New Curriculum September 2013 has a huge emphasis on programming and this app supports that focus.

I'm using this app with Year 1 and 2 in their control technology strand, and with Year 6 as an entry point and part of their programming strand.

There is another Bee-Bot Pyramid another app at a cost of 69p, yet to be downloaded or explored.

A beginning, H-APP-y iPad apping

Today is a starting point.

On the wall hanging are spaces for the images of iPad apps you have found useful. The wall hanging is based on Blooms Taxonomies, with the different levels of thinking.

On the inner area is Remembering, working out to Creating, the highest  level of thinking, on the outside.

As you  find and use an iPad app, then please add the images to the wall hanging and please write a short post here, briefly describing the app and how you used it with your class. Initially our apps may be within the three inner levels of the wall hanging. After more use with students teachers may engage higher levels of thinking and place the app further out.  As we build this blog as a resource bank, staff may springboard from here and be encouraged to trial an app with their class.

H-APPy iPad apping.
Jocelyn