THE PALM PILOT PROJECT FOR TEACHERS

National Curriculum links

While the Half Life project was run as something outside of the normal work of the classroom and without specific attention to National Curriculum requirements, both teachers felt that it met the needs of both Art and IT. It also could be expanded to address wider aspects of the National Curriculum, such as cultural and social understanding.

The palm pilot project fits particularly well into the following parts of Key Stage 2 Art and Design:

In 'exploring and developing ideas' the palm pilot encourages pupils to select and record from first hand observation.

Under 'investigating and making,' pupils will be developing control of a particular kind of tool, and matching the qualities of the medium to the purposes of the project.

There is a component of evaluation in the project, where pupils consider what makes a drawing successful.

Under 'knowledge and understanding', there are points in the project where teaching can be inserted about: pattern, texture, line; the relation between materials and processes, ideas and intentions; and the roles and purposes of artists of different times and cultures.

 

IT requirements

This project requires at least two palm pilots available for use by the class. The most basic palm pilot will suffice (link to specifications and info about buying them and borrowing Whitechapel Gallery's).

It also requires a teacher confident in computing and email, and prepared to become familiar with the use of the palm pilot. Alternatively, there could be an on-call IT person in the school with enough time to take over the technical tasks described below and to trouble shoot if things go wrong.

In the Half -Life project, the artist's technical role was to: teach pupils how to use the palm pilot
download pictures onto the computer from the palm pilot name and save the pictures and print them out
email them to the other school
open the other school's emailed drawings
and print them out
have a selection of the drawings enlarged by a professional printer

Finding another school. Click here to view the Noticeboard.