Category: Blogging

Back Chat or Start a Conversation

Kim # #

 

A fun aspect of the presentation was the backchannel chat that occurred alongside the streamed version of the session. I can’t remember the name of the application Will used, but he videoed the session live and the viewers watching live were able to chat along as they watched the session.

The comments and quips came quick and fast as people asked questions, requested more info, passed comment and shared insights. Very enjoyable, but really fast paced and a little scary for a newbie 😉

“We write to connect – to publish as a mid point – to converse and engage. There is no final copy – we can articulate our ideas to a certain extent – but we put it out there to be read and to be pushed.

We publish because we want to engage in the conversation.

World Map is the child’s classroom. “I ask my readers”

Connective writing – real audience and real purpose to engage with people – to expand efforts and knowledge.”

Will walks the walk – his sessions really encouraged you to push your own ideas, and the chat with others also pushed Will’s ideas along as well.

Image: ‘speech‘ 
www.flickr.com/photos/98624608@N00/75288771

 

 

Categories: Blogging, Conferences, Learning, Play, Web 2.02 Comments

21st Century Pedagogy Conference #3

Kim #

RESOLUTION

Or what can it look like in the classroom?

“Create Something Extraordinary” – Oceans of Info Project

This is what we were studying as a class:

  •       Sustainability focus, environmental issues nationally and globally.
  •        Mapping, locating oceans and seas around Australia and the world.
  •       Food chains, adaptation of species

Which led to a negotiated Individual enquiry project.

Rubric – negotiated with students, expectations high and clear.

Oral presentation of information highlighted – talking & listening.

Researching – reading, writing, playing

Planning – writing, reading

Performing – negotiating, practicing, 

Outcomes/ presentations can be seen on AllStars blog.

 

CODA

Games in the classroom!

DS Lites, wii, Playstation

  •       Contexts for learning
  •       Springboards to spark and inspire
  •       Collaborative knowledge gathering
  •       Practising skills, attitudes
  •       Authentic purposes and audiences
  •       Group responsibility
  •       Cultural relevance

Find examples and write ups of using these games here!

Dolphin Island

wii Tennis

Learning Teaching Scotland’s Nintendogs Project

 

END OF STORY

Well that’s my story, now its time for you to come on board, to take time to explore and play with these tools that offer so much  – especially in the areas of connecting, communicating, collaborating  and creating.

 

Your task is ……..

 

To play

To discover

To choose something new

 

That could fit in your classroom and that you would share with your class or your staff, tomorrow or the next day…….

 

Go on, try for yourself ………. What’s the worst that could happen?

 

Here is a friendly slideshow that reassures (and offers practical advice) for …. facing the ICT  elephant 🙂

 

Eating The Elephant (that is ICT) and eating it one bite @ a time!

View more presentations from rachelboyd. (tags: ict web2.0)

 

 

 

Categories: Blogging, Conferences, Games, Learning, Web 2.01 Comment

21st Century ICT Pedagogy Conference #2

Kim #

COMPLICATION

Change

The world has changed.

The students have changed.

Knowledge and learning have changed.

Schools and teaching have changed ???????

 

Here are two short presentations to promote some discussion:

I teach, therefore you learn… or do you? 

View more presentations from José Picardo. (tags: jose picardo)


 

 

 

 

 

See Think Wonder

 

Child Centred

  •       Individualised / personalised
  •       Information skills for active strategies to research
  •       Literacy for authentic and personal purposes and audiences
  •       Interests / enquiry focus

 

 

Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson – “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” TED Talk

“If human intelligences were limited to the abilties measured in IQ tests, most human activity would stop, or would never have started …..”

Out of Our Minds, Ken Robinson, 2001. Pg 102

 

Where to go for exciting, web-based tools to spark and interest?

Try ……. Cool Tools for Schools wiki

 

 

 

Categories: Blogging, Conferences, Games, Learning, Web 2.0Leave a comment

Thoughts on BETT

Kim # # # # #

Creative

Innovative

Student centred

Bouncing boards for teachers and students to use to explore and enhance learning.

All on my list for BETT 09. 

BETT Show 09 – bring it on!

That’s what I wanted to see – and here are my best picks:

Film Club – great resources and ideas for using films with students, to widen worlds, explore feelings and reactions and share enjoyment of films and capture imaginations.

“FILMCLUB is designed to inspire, entertain and arouse creative and curious minds.”

Lots of potential here – maybe not as an afterschool activity – not really part of the culture in Australia – but as part of what we do in school, as a lunchtime activity or a reward activity perhaps. Though the use of film within classrooms should be encouraged across the board.

Students manipulating film and creating their own trailers; students exploring themes and mashing, examples from films to demonstrate or present their opinions students creatively exploring , learning and presenting – great!

Pixton comic creator provided more ability for students to manipulate and control images, text and storyboards. A class account was also a good idea (even though it costs!) to keep the sometimes unsavoury comments and comics made on sites such as ToonDoo away from the kids.

Students love working on comics; they used them in history, geography and literature contexts and were able to construct pertinent and enjoyable comics about a variety of subjects. The extra features and manipulation of objects available in Pixton will mean that they have even more control of what and how they use these objects. Looking forward to trying this out when I’m back at school.

Microsoft Innovative Teachers programme gives teachers the chance to share what’s happening in their classrooms with other teachers around the world. Innovative practices are displayed, written up and shared so that others can learn alongside outstanding teachers.

A great model for encouraging and supporting all teachers to improve, experiment and achieve. Will look into this programme with staff at Belmore South when I get back.

The Promethean Team were enthusiastic, skilled and passionate about the new Promethean products. But by far the most impressive aspect of the team was their ability to keep all demonstrations and talk within the classroom. They knew what they were talking about and related example after example of how and why to use each feature with students in the classroom.

Promethean products and support are available through the Promethean Planet site that encourages and celebrates the creativity of teachers and students in designing quality flipcharts for inspiration and ideas. Definitely a place to look at to help find and share new ideas and ways of using the Promethean software.

  

Well, that’s it – I know I’m extremely late in posting this, but better late than never (not sure this applies in the blogging world tho)

Categories: Blogging, Learning3 Comments

Easter Carmuirs – Ready for Action!

Kim # #

Next stop was just down the road to visit Rich Olyott and his P7 class at Easter Carmuirs Primary School.

Rich and his class are yet more blogging friends, and we had lots to catch up on when we made it into the classroom.

A solid bank of interesting and thoughtful questions were fired at us – and this time it was MrsP who was having trouble with accents ;-I.

I think we all came to realize that both countries and kids have a lot in common, although it was the differences in scary creatures and climate that caused the most “oohing and ahhing” from the kids.

Spiders, sharks, snakes, stingrays and other assorted deadly creatures were very popular topics and promises of some scary creatures to be sent over from Australia were made.

After a tour of the school by some very capable and talkative tour guides, we returned to the P7 room to be shown the many ways the class uses games in their learning.

We saw dance mats being used for gross-motor skill development,

 

Buzz questions for general knowledge, and wii sports for addition and subtraction games. Everyone was positive and enthusiastic about how games were being used and could articulate the why and how games helped/supported learning.

Whew! I love being part of a busy, enthusiastic and engaged classroom! A big thank you to Rich, P7 and Margaret for a fun filled visit!

 Here is a slide show Mrs Vass made……. thank you :_)

 

 

 

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Carronshore Kids

Kim # #

My class has blogged with students from Carronshore Primary School for over two years now – swapping comments and working together on a wiki about Australia, so it was very exciting to visit the school and say “Hello”.

We met Margaret (who was the teacher I blogged with – now on secondment to the local Falkirk Council ICT Team) who led us on a tour through the school to meet students and staff.

We had the pleasure of hearing the P4 & 5s sing for us – definitely the best singers in the school! The artwork along the walls and on display boards was terrific, it really showed us the subjects and themes studied in schools in Scotland. We learnt about WALT and WILF (although this caused some debate in the Staffroom about the actual meaning of WALT and WILF) – if anyone can help me out on what each one stands for please do!

   

And then we made our way to P5LW room where we were faced with a classroom full of eager little people armed with questions for us to answer. The students had devised questions for us – some were about Australia and some were about blogging. It was great fun to try and answer the students, although our accents seemed to baffle some of the students.

Thanks Cassie, for preparing your class so thoroughly for our visit 🙂

 

 

Categories: Blogging, School Blogs5 Comments

Holiday Mode!

Kim

The first week of our October/Spring holidays is almost over.

Almost ready to get back into blogging again now that I’m feeling refreshed.

Gotta love a spell down the coast – sunshine, beaches, books to read.

All is well 🙂

Categories: Blogging, Refresh2 Comments

Tesol Seminar

Kim # # #

           

Thank you to a wonderful group of ESL (English as a Second Language) educators who I worked with today. Your interest, questions and positive outlook as you worked towards understanding blogs and how they can be used to enhance learning in classrooms was appreciated and motivating. There was so much I hoped to share with you – many different tools and applications that all have outstanding possibilities for use by you and your students in your classrooms.

 

Technology as a tool – as a process

Liam mentioned that in deciding on using various technology applications in a classroom, decisions must be made about the quality and the effectiveness of the tool.

As educators, it is our job to decide which tool or application will add the value to a learning activity. Using technology with classes is not a competition to use as many applications as possible, or to use an application just so you can say that you are using it.

We have to keep the learning outcomes in mind, and if a technological tool can add to a students’ understanding, or help them create understandings then there is a place for it in our classrooms.

Starting out

The web can be an overwhelming place for “newbies” (or newcomers). But if you start slowly and spend some RFF time looking at what others are doing, you will be able to quickly gather an idea of the huge amount of wonderful things that other teachers are doing in their classrooms and with their students.

Checking out the blogrolls on blogs is a great way to open up the “blogosphere” and expand your horizons. Each class links out to other classes at the same school, at schools in other parts of the country, and often across the globe.

You will find links to educational sites that you can use, museums to “visit”, on-line news, resources that can be shared, on-line conferences to listen to, and even professional development opportunities through videos and discussions.

Don’t forget to read the comments after each post to see what others are thinking. You might feel comfortable commenting and adding your thoughts to discussions.

Even if you can’t see yourself setting up a blog just yet, I am sure that you will find the time spent “lurking” on blogs will add to your classroom repertoire of teaching/learning activities and strategies.

 

 

Ning

I promised to come back to Ning, didn’t I?!?

A Ning is a social networking application where a group of people who share a common interest in a topic can set up a group on the internet. If you want to be part of that group you can join the Ning and you will be given a home page and access to all sorts of discussions, forums and opportunities to share ideas or ask for help.

Each person in the Ning has their own home page and you contact people through their page. You can leave messages, share photos, watch videos and participate in shared activities or meetings. How much you participate is up to you.

The two large badges on the right of this post are both Ning groups that I belong to. Click on either and have a look. Make sure you find you way to the Main Page to see what is happening within the group.

 

Projects

Another way to get started is by becoming part of an online project. The beauty of many projects is that someone else is doing the organising and will be able to answer your questions and concerns. You will find that there are people with differing degrees of expertise participating, and that you will be supported and encouraged along the way.

If you find for some reason that the support is not there – you can unengage and move on to something different and better suited to you and your class.

The Department (in NSW) runs Book Raps for all stages over the year, and these raps are beginning to use blogs and wikis to share student work and discussions. A great way to get involved!

Check out the “TESOL SEMINAR PAGE” at the top of this blog for links to other project places.

 

I will post further information that might add to some of the discussions we had today in another post soon. If you need greater elaboration on anything, please leave a comment here (just click on comments, fill in the required boxes, and hit submit) and I will endeavour to help you out where I can.

 

Thanks for an exciting morning,

Kim

Image: ‘Bill Gates‘
www.flickr.com/photos/12426416@N00/134672066
Image: ‘Steve Jobs‘
www.flickr.com/photos/12426416@N00/134672123
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