Overview of the DLaB project activities

Some activities were designed to help the pupils from different countries get to know each other. For example, pupils swapped newscasts about their countries and about outdoor science themes in their countries. They used Tellagami avatars to tell each other about their spare time activities. And they made instructional videos of each other’s outdoor games. A Thinglink image of a set of drawers made it possible for classes in different countries to post and respond to digital content they made on the theme of outdoor celebrations.

Several activities focused on the idea of wild writing, manipulating images to create personal responses to the environment. For example, pupils ‘hacked nature’ by manipulating panoramas to create unusual photo effects. They used apps to bring inanimate objects to life and then collaborated on an ebook called, ‘the secret life of the outdoors’. And inspired by the work of Richard Long, our learners experimented with the idea of ‘walking a line’ and recording observations in words and images as they went, making the most of the potential for the outdoor environment to stimulate all their senses.
Thinking about the Fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square during the art in the environment week, children created virtual sculptures to place on landmarks in each other’s countries. They explored the theme of ephemeral art using found objects, ice, water, and light trails and investigated associated scientific processes such as evaporation, melting and decay. In the unit titled, ‘I am the pencil’, children used route marking apps to draw shapes and patterns on a large scale using themselves as the drawing tool. These artworks were shared by tagging on an international art map.

Thought was given to ways of bringing the outside in using techniques such as green screening and virtual reality, also by creating immersive multisensory environments for storytelling using apps, lights and sounds inside dark dens.
The science outdoors group filmed falling parachutes in slow motion and collected data about speed, velocity, acceleration. Children were challenged to use science to escape from being marooned on an island.

Two key ideas that emerged from this project are to find ways of bringing together physical and digital exploration of the world, and to use technology innovatively to connect classrooms in different locations.