SustainED Maungarei Kaitiakitanga ICTPD cluster

Artichoke: On limiting learning and comprehension with mobile technologies

2011-03-16T08:11:00.001+13:00

Check out the latest Artichoke blog post for links to the research referencing readability issues when using mobile technologies

Artichoke Blog Post: On Limiting Learning and Impairing Comprehension with Mobile Technologies

On limiting learning and impairing comprehension with mobile technologies - Artichoke via kwout

Artichoke Blog: Pedagogical Promiscuity and "Assessment for Learning.

2010-12-23T20:17:00.000+13:00

What kind of “assessment for learning” is appropriate in the age of Google and Wikipedia? Facebook and You Tube? Smart phones and text messaging? Twitter and blogging? (after Manovich on Soft Cinema).

Artichoke via kwout

Collaborative MindMapping - Mind42 and Webspiration

2010-11-02T12:36:00.002+13:00

Mind42.com and Webspiration are browser based online mind mapping application where you can think visually and collaborate with others when planning or building resources.

Mind42.com - Collaborative mind mapping in your browser via kwout

Webspiration: Online Visual Thinking Tool | mywebspiration.com via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy: Defining Bread with HOT Maps and Rubrics

2010-10-26T12:59:00.001+13:00

Bridging the Gap Cluster Lead Teacher Andrea Jamieson introduces the HOT DEFINE Map and self-assessment rubric to students at Waterlea School. They are learning how to sort for relevance and self assess learning outcomes in the context of bread.

Audioboo: Recording and sharing sound

2010-09-23T21:14:00.003+12:00

"Audioboo is an application for recording and sharing your voice with the world. This free version allows you to create audio up to 5 minutes in length and post that to your own account on the web. You can add titles, tags, geolocation info and a photo to the recording before you upload it and we'll save all that with the file. The audio can then be shared with your followers or via Facebook, Twitter & more social networks by managing your account at http://audioboo.fm."

iPhone, iPad, iTouch App - Rated 12 +

Audioboo via kwout

New genres for digital literacy: writing for Wikipedia

2010-09-21T08:36:00.001+12:00

Exploring new genres with students:

How To Write A Wikipedia Entry | Social Media Today via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy: HOT Sequence Map and Procedural Writing

2010-09-20T07:40:00.000+12:00

Deanne Rose (Lead Teacher) from Jean Batten School in Mangere, Auckland describes how she uses SOLO Taxonomy and a HOT Sequence Map and self-assessment rubric to enhance her Y5 to 6 students' literacy learning outcomes in procedural writing.

Using ICTs and social media for social good

2010-09-19T17:38:00.000+12:00

This is a great read for individuals and organisations charged with using ICTs and social media for social good - In "Wait ...What?" Blog - 11 concerns about ICTs and ‘social media for social good’ Linda Raftree

11 concerns about ICTs and ‘social media for social good’ « Wait… What? via kwout

A study plan based on evidence, not schoolyard folk wisdom, or empty theorising ..... it’s intriguing schools don’t pick them up

2010-09-14T07:46:00.001+12:00

Mind - Research Upends Traditional Thinking on Study Habits - NYTimes.com via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy and Te Reo Maori

2010-09-12T13:00:00.002+12:00

Lisa Reweti from Sunset Primary School in Rotorua talks about using SOLO Taxonomy to enhance the learning outcomes of her full immersion Rumaki Unit students.

Statistical Literacy and Gapminder Desktop

2010-08-23T08:33:00.007+12:00

Hans Rosling a Professor of Global Health is a remarkable thinker. If you haven't already viewed his talks on using data to make sense of the world now is the time to check them out. You will be changed by the experience.

Rosling's Gapminder software changes the way we understand our world - it explodes assumptions and exposes trends. It brings data alive. A desktop version of the stunning data visualisation tool Gapminder World is now available for free download.

http://www.gapminder.org/desktop/

I suggest you take advantage of this opportunity and let your students fall in love with statistical representation.

I highly recommend Gapminder as an essential tool to use in enhancing your understanding (and your students' understanding) of what statistical literacy.

You can read more about Hans Rosling and Gapminder on ReadWriteWeb blog post

Setting Data Free With Gapminder via kwout

Challenging our assumptions about eLearning and constructivism

2010-08-18T21:21:00.000+12:00

If you like to have your thinking challenged you will enjoy downloading these slides from this keynote address by Dr Richard Clark

The keynote exploded the myth of success surrounding constructivism and focused on learning and how to structure learning for higher learning outcomes.

For example Dr. Richard Clark noted that "multimedia-based presentations and engagement can decrease student attentiveness and investment in learning"

Furthermore

* 50% of students are wrong when asked to reflect on how much they learned
* 30% of students like the instruction from which they learn the least
* adjusting instruction for different learning styles does not increase learning (accommodation = fail)

“Failure of Constructivism” Keynote by Dr. Richard Clark Slides now available | Moodle News via kwout

Free Schools and Trends in Educational Budgets for Technology in Schools

2010-08-13T11:26:00.006+12:00

This makes interesting reading for anyone looking at trends with respect to "how we do school" and "how we spend on school".

Opening opportunities for people to create state funded independent schools (Free Schools) in the UK allows authentic community participation collaboration creativity in the education of learners in an increasingly connected age. Mash up your own school. It seems a natural next step in the "personalisation" of learning process and in engaging communities in becoming actively involved in the education of their young people.

However, it is creating controversy not least of which is associated with how it is being funded.

A government decision to raid school IT budgets will have a “catastrophic” impact on education and risks leaving schools in serious financial difficulty, experts have warned.

Ministers have decided to double the amount of money being taken out of the key “harnessing technology” fund to £100 million, in part to finance their controversial free schools policy.

The move comes just weeks after Education Secretary Michael Gove said he planned to take only £50 million away from the initiative, which pays for new computers and broadband connections.

The decision follows the axing of the Building Schools for the Future programme, which provided state-of-the-art IT equipment for pupils, and the downfall of Becta, the schools’ technology agency.

Raid on IT budgets doubles to £100m - News - TES Connect via kwout

On becoming more than a journal - "Computers in NZ Schools"

2010-08-08T20:55:00.007+12:00

Great news for teachers looking for professional reading around elearning in New Zealand contexts ..."Computers in New Zealand Schools" is now online.

"After 20 years as a hard copy journal, the editorial board, led by its founding editor Professor Kwok-Wing Lai made the decision to take CINZS into the online world. This decision means that we can now make the journal available free of charge, and also allows us to take advantage of the interactive features enabled by the Internet. You will notice some of these features (electronic copies of articles, search features, hyperlinks and discussions) in our inaugural issue – and there are more to come. The content of this journal will continue to be a mix of best practice, research and policy articles, commentaries and software and book reviews, aimed at a practitioner audience."

Computers In New Zealand Schools via kwout

"One of the aims of taking CINZS online is that it becomes more than a journal. The editorial board envisages it becoming a community of people interested in this area. As such, we would encourage you to register for and participate in the discussions, and contribute to the wiki. We also welcome your thoughts and suggestions (email our Managing Editor, Ann Trewern ann.trewern@otago.ac.nz). We would also encourage you to consider submitting an article to this journal. See the 'submissions' link at the top of the page for instructions on how to do this."

e-Learning and implications for New Zealand schools: a literature review

2010-08-07T09:08:00.000+12:00

The following literature review provides useful professional reading and discussion for teachers involved in ICTPD professional development.

e-Learning and implications for New Zealand schools: a literature review
Report to the Ministry of Education
Noeline Wright
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/77667/948_ELearnLitReview.pdf

Executive Summary - Education Counts via kwout

The literature review backs claims that we are working in the dark when it comes to using e-learning to raise achievement. Claims for enhancing engagement and motivation resurface but there is a paucity of any reliable or valid evidence showing that e-learning is associated with enhanced learning outcomes.

"International Evidence: There is an international doxa about e-Learning’s inherent benefits to learners. It masks a relatively small amount of actual evidence about its relationship to improved educational and life chances for students."

The focus of the literature review seems dated - The report remains focused on literature around learning to learn well with technology. It fails to address the interest in many of our cluster schools in helping students learning how to live well with technology. A learning outcome that initiatives like SuperClubs Plus and CyberCitizenship approaches actively seek.

See what you make of it.

Seb Chan: Books that small children might enjoy

2010-07-25T21:11:00.003+12:00

A parent talks about books for small children ...

I am more used to enjoying Seb Chan's writing in the context of museums, and web metrics - in turning his parental attention to "Small Stories" he provides deliciously whimsical book reviews ..of books he enjoys reading to his children.

Tag this under "Blogs that teachers might enjoy." You may even be inspired to share books you like reading with your students.

Small Stories | Books that small children might enjoy via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy and the NZC Key Competency Relating to Others

2010-07-05T10:17:00.000+12:00

Learn how Nadine McLaughlin from Otonga School in Rotorua,is using SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and self-assessment rubrics to help her Y3/4 students better understand friendship and how to be a friend, meeting expectations in the New Zealand Curriculum Value "Respect" and Key Competency "Relating to others".

SOLO Taxonomy and procedural writing

2010-07-04T22:25:00.004+12:00

Gareth Cunliffe a teacher from Otonga School in Rotorua talks about enhancing student learning outcomes in procedural writing using SOLO Taxonomy, HOT SEQUENCE Maps and self assessment rubrics.

ZooBurst: Digital Story Telling with 3D Pop Ups

2010-07-03T18:51:00.004+12:00

ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that is designed to let anyone easily create their own customized 3D pop-up books.

Zooburst via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy and Student Voice

2010-06-16T07:42:00.001+12:00

What do students say about SOLO Taxonomy as a model of learning?

Check our the raw responses from the students at Halsey Drive Primary School in Auckland.

Question 1: What is SOLO Taxonomy?
Question 2: Why do we use SOLO Taxonomy?
Question 3: How does SOLO Taxonomy help us?

SOLO Taxonomy and Student Voice

View more presentations from Pam Hook.

Outcomes for Teachers and Students in the ICTPD Clusters 2006 to 2008

2010-05-27T21:24:00.000+12:00

Outcomes for Teachers and Students in the ICT PD School Clusters Programme 2006-2008: A National Overview - Executive Summary - Education Counts via kwout

Finding your inner wolf and 49 Cool Tools for Science Teachers

2010-05-26T09:24:00.001+12:00

I started by failing to find my name listed in "Who named it" disease list of medical conditions and for who they were named. The site is a hypochondriac's delight. I liked the idea behind "Event Calculator" and measuring the environmental costs of holding a conference (though I need to find some way of tweaking this for NZ contexts before I can decide what ULearn10 will cost this year). Then I explored the opportunities to find my inner wolf in Wolf Quest - all that struggling to find a den, establish a territory, raise pups and defend them from predators such as coyotes and grizzly bears, and I haven't even begun to explore the rest ....

50 Really Cool Online Tools for Science Teachers | Online Degree Programs.com via kwout

Bring e-learning into your science teaching with the links on this blogpost from Onlinedegreeprograms.com

Tools, websites and resources, calculators, games and Google earth .. There is treasure to be found in these links

Embedit: Any file in your website

2010-05-23T21:48:00.000+12:00

A new tool for embedding files on your website, wiki or blog.

embedit.in — Any file, in your website via kwout

100 Informative and Inspiring Videos for Educators

2010-05-14T09:29:00.000+12:00

Enough professional viewing to last the three years of the contract and some ....

100 Informative & Inspiring YouTube Videos for Educators | AccreditedOnlineColleges.com via kwout

Thanks to Julie for the hat tip

How people influence places: Architecture of Iran

2010-05-08T12:32:00.001+12:00

Pesaretabrizi's blog has a collection of stunning images of the architecture of IRAN during Islamic times.

Although much of Iran's architecture during the Islamic period has been destroyed over the years, even those of the legendary cities of Nishapur, Ghazni and Tabriz, due to earthquakes or barbarian invading armies, there is still a number of very impressive buildings to show. Iranian architecture has traditionally always been admired and influential throughout history, and Iranian architects have always been highly sought after - resulting in even the Taj Mahal in India being designed and constructed by Iranian architects.

pesaretabrizi - Architecture of IRAN during Islamic times via kwout

The images will enable "see think wonder" explorations of the NZC Social Sciences conceptual strand "Place and Environment".

The link to another posting showing the magnificent architecture of Iran from before the Islamic conversion of Iran allows students to make some powerful relational level connections through the conceptual strand "Continuity and Change"

pesaretabrizi - Ancient Pre-Islamic Architecture of IRAN via kwout

Follow a Scientist at Work: Notes from the field

2010-05-07T07:53:00.000+12:00

Ever wanted a chance for your students to follow a scientist at work ...

This New York Times Blog will be a great opportunity to do this (and meet expectations within the NZC Achievement Objective Nature of Science: Understanding about science.)

Christopher Raxworthy, curator in the Department of Herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History, has been to Madagascar more than 30 times to conduct field research on this island nation’s chameleons, frogs, and lizards. Now you can follow him to the summit of Mt. Marojejy, as he climbs through tropical rainforests, bamboo thickets, and low-lying scrub to camp at nearly 7,000 feet. For the next few weeks, Raxworthy’s thoughts, discoveries, and photographs will be posted as the inaugural blog for The New York Times’s “Scientist At Work: Notes from the Field” (scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com).

Field Research Around the Globe - Scientist at Work Blog - NYTimes.com via kwout

New Zealand Curriculum: Nature of Science: Understanding about Science:

Appreciate that scientists ask questions about our world that lead to investigations and that open-mindedness is important because there may be more than one explanation (Level 1 and 2)
Identify ways in which scientists work together and provide evidence to support their ideas. (Level 3 and 4)

Google Posters for Educators

2010-05-03T08:43:00.003+12:00

Classroom posters
Want to help out students and colleagues with handy tips on improving search results and using popular Google products like Google Earth? Just print out these posters and hang them where everyone can see them.

Google For Educators via kwout

Prezi - A Zooming Presentation Editor

2010-05-03T08:14:00.001+12:00

Prezi - The zooming presentation editor via kwout

Academy: 10 ways to say it with prezi on Prezi

Teachers Pet: A new resource for teachers

2010-04-25T08:57:00.000+12:00

Check out the free downloadable teaching resources on Teachers Pet - a resource site designed by teachers for teachers.

Teachers Pet has been created by Christina Mountford and Jason Loftus and launched this month.

The crisp site design and quality resources available mean it has already attracted a lot of interest from teachers.

Inside Dexters Doghouse via kwout

The Khan Academy: Learning without Classrooms or Curricula

2010-04-24T17:13:00.002+12:00

Salman Khan is the polymath behind a remarkable elearning initiative, The Khan Academy, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

The Khan Academy has over 1200+ videos on YouTube, helping students learn everything from "basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, chemistry, biology and finance."

Khan Academy via kwout

Teachers and educators do a lot of talking about the potential of elearning. Find out about the remarkable individual (not a teacher) who not only imagined such an undertaking but gave up the day job to make it happen.

eLearning: Is the presence of a teacher part of the problem?

2010-04-18T16:19:00.000+12:00

A radical new teaching method that has been pioneered in India, Africa and Latin America is catching on in Britain, says Max Davidson. Telegraph 14 April 2010

In what became known as the Hole in the Wall project, Mitra simply knocked through a wall in his Delhi office and installed a computer with an internet connection for the local slum children to discover. To his delight he found that they soon became fully fledged autodidacts, teaching themselves English, maths and other subjects.

"It became obvious that children were capable of working by themselves, without help from teachers," Mitra says. More to the point, the children wanted to learn, not just play computer games.

Sometimes a teacher is there but for Mitra the presence of a teacher can be a problem not a solution. "If children know there is someone standing over them who knows all the answers, they are less inclined to find the answers for themselves. It would be better, in a way, if any adults present were completely uneducated. There is nothing children like more than passing on information they have just discovered to people who may not already have it – an elderly grandmother, for instance."

Teaching: Inspiring British children, Slumdog style - Telegraph via kwout

Teacher Express - All in one place for busy teachers

2010-04-17T13:32:00.000+12:00

TeacherXpress - The Education Web - All in One Place - For Busy Teachers: Welcome via kwout

Heart Surgery on a Stuffed Bunny and other Medical Games

2010-04-10T17:00:00.002+12:00

Check out the following Medical Games from the University of Saskatchewan Wiki and my personal favourite the Heart Surgery on a Stuffed Bunny site.

Medical Games - Faculty Development - Confluence via kwout

Shahi: An online visual dictionary

2010-04-09T10:55:00.000+12:00

Shahi is a visual dictionary that combines Wiktionary content with Flickr images, and more!

This will be useful when working to enhance student multistructural learning outcomes in literacy and ESOL programmes

Shahi - A visual dictionary | Blachan Lab via kwout

100 Best Websites for Science Teachers

2010-03-30T22:33:00.000+13:00

Challenged when looking for (e)resources for your science learning.Explore these science based links from Forensic Science Technician's blog for ways to bring rich science thinking into your students' lives. Finding ways to resource scientific literacy has never been so easy.

100 Best Websites for Science Teachers - Forensic Science Technician : Online Schools Guide via kwout

Learning outcomes with (e)learning - Kahootz

2010-03-28T21:35:00.002+13:00

Check out SOLO Taxonomy coded self-assessment rubrics that keep the focus on the learning outcome when (e)learning.

This one explores story writing with Kahootz software. The Hooked on Thinking facilitators will help you develop many others in your F2F sessions this year.

hooked-on-thinking - Using ICTs and SOLO Taxonomy via kwout

Dr Wendy Kofoed on "Strengthening Learning Partnerships Through Purposeful Reporting"

2010-03-24T19:17:00.000+13:00

On being a "Leader of Learning" and a "Learning Leader".

We are dead chuffed to recognise Dr Wendy Kofoed as both a "Leader of learning" and a "Learning Leader".

Dr Kofoed's EdD qualification for her EdD research on "Strengthening Learning Partnerships Through Purposeful Reporting" recognises an educator who not only espouses "life long learning" but also lives "life long learning".

Her staff at Newmarket School have it on record as - "We are really proud of you"

So are the rest of us.

sustainED - Newmarket via kwout

50 ideas for using Google Earth in the classroom

2010-03-22T09:00:00.001+13:00

Have fun aligning these ideas to SOLO Taxonomy coded intended learning outcomes from the achievement objectives in the New Zealand Curriculum.

Google Earth for Educators: 50 Exciting Ideas for the Classroom | Associate Degree - Facts and Information via kwout

Be more like a ghekko when you teach with technology

2010-03-21T09:05:00.000+13:00

Swallow a few bugs ....

Check out "Teaching and Learning in a Digital Age" - a wikispace stuffed full with ideas and resources about how to be more like a ghekko when teaching with technology.

I love ghekkos. They are small, but very tough. They climb up the highest buildings, and live in remote as well as populated areas. That is how teachers should be: Resilient, always climbing higher, and with a survival instinct that can let you prosper in desert or rain forest. And willing to swallow a few bugs every so often!

This is the top of the Science page

Science Fun | Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age via kwout

How to Feed the World?

2010-03-12T09:00:00.001+13:00

How can you make a difference?

How to feed the world ? from Denis van Waerebeke on Vimeo.

The 137 Year Archives of Popular Science

2010-03-08T19:03:00.001+13:00

Search the PopSci Archives | Popular Science via kwout

Professional Reading: Top 50 Education Technology Blogs

2010-03-07T16:45:00.003+13:00

Check out the blogs in the Top 50 Educational Technology Blogs for new thinking about teaching learning and technology. Add the ones you like best to an RSS feed and share their thinking in your professional learning circles.

P.S. I have it on good authority that Arti' is dead chuffed at being described as "a mover".

Top 50 Education Technology Blogs via kwout

Visual Index Paper Models of Polyhedra

2010-03-05T13:54:00.003+13:00

Visual Index Paper Models of Polyhedra via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy and Assessing "Learning to Learn" Programmes

2010-01-04T10:58:00.000+13:00

SOLO Taxonomy and Assessing Learning to Learn

View more documents from Pam Hook.

SustainED Lead Teacher Day #8

2009-11-08T23:18:00.008+13:00

"Our New Entrants Want To Move Out Of "Prehistoric""

SustainED Lead Teachers had an opportunity to talk with CORE Education National ictpd Facilitator Tessa Gray at their recent Lead Teacher Meeting held on November 4 at Stanhope Road School.

Tessa, who visited the cluster schools over two days, thanked the cluster teachers for their energy and enthusiasm and shared some of her impressions from her walkabout at SustainEd's Newmarket School, Onehunga Primary and Meadowbank School the previous day.

Tessa's suggested professional readings, recommended research articles in e-learning and links to online learning spaces are on the cluster wikispace.

They include:

Leading Learning wiki

Educational practices pdf

ICTPD strategic planning wiki

Education infrastructure wiki

ICT PD online archive

ICT PD homegroups netvibes

Core change management wikispaces

Notes taken during the Lead Teacher Feedback Session are available on the SustainED Cluster wiki

SOLO Taxonomy and Assessing Student Thinking

2009-10-13T18:34:00.002+13:00

SOLO Taxonomy and Assessing Student Thinking

View more documents from Pam Hook.

ULearn09: Learning Today: Sustaining Tomorrow

2009-10-11T21:02:00.012+13:00

ULearn09 was overstuffed with laughter and learning. SustainED teachers started strongly with a photographic competition on Tuesday afternoon.

The "organising committee of one" took the event very seriously - and was spotted getting a duck's eye (or was it a duck's beak) view of Christchurch. It doesn't need to be said that the rest of us did our best to photograph the city without living like a duck.
Independent judges from Waikowhai Primary School - Paula and Helen - were challenged by the quality of the photographs on offer - the participants were challenged by the potential burden of success. The overall winner charged with shouting drinks at Baillies just off the square.

Best session for me had to be in Breakout 5 - Shelley Quinlivan from Epsom Normal Primary School presented a knock out session on Learning Today: Sustaining Tomorrow - A collaboration between multinational Sinclair Knight and Mertz SKM, Epsom Normal Primary and Hooked on Thinking.

Educators from Australia and New Zealand were excited by the passion of the presenter, the material Shelley shared, and by how the collaboration resources offered schools a way to interpret the (new) New Zealand Curriculum. Shelley got fabulous and well deserved feedback on the new learning shared with ULearn09 workshop participants.

Plain English Award - Best Project 09 for Feet First

2009-09-22T16:48:00.002+12:00

And .... the Best Project 2009 in the Write Mark Plain English Awards

2009 Award winners and finalists via kwout

Land Transport Agency Feet First Wins Web Award

2009-09-22T16:14:00.003+12:00

Dead chuffed that the NZ Land Transport Feet First Website, that Hooked on Thinking prepared SOLO coded curriculum materials for, has won a prestigious web design award. Well done Squizz and Raewyn Baldwin Dent

Squiz Ltd and New Zealand Transport Agency wins 2009 WebAward for Feet First - Walk to School Every Week via kwout

The Sheep Collection

2009-09-21T22:15:00.003+12:00

There has to be some way in which we can build learning experiences around the New Zealand Curriculum with this resource.

NZ On Screen - The Sheep Collection via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and Creativity

2009-09-20T21:09:00.001+12:00

SOLO Taxonomy, Creativity and HOT Maps

View more documents from Pam Hook.

Top 50 Online Education Blogs

2009-09-10T20:06:00.006+12:00

Check out the professional reading in The EDu_Toolbox Top 50 Online Education Blogs:

Top 50 Online Education Blogs | The .Edu Toolbox via kwout

Including the postings of Artichoke

Top 50 Online Education Blogs | The .Edu Toolbox via kwout

Writing Learning Intentions with HOT Maps and SOLO Taxonomy

2009-09-03T12:40:00.000+12:00

SOLO Taxonomy, Learning Intentions and HOT Maps

View more documents from Pam Hook.

SOLO Taxonomy and Questions, Questioning and Questioners,

2009-09-01T19:40:00.001+12:00

SOLO Taxonomy and Questions, Questioners, Questioning.

View more documents from Pam Hook.

SOLO Taxonomy and Inquiry Learning

2009-08-29T00:20:00.000+12:00

SOLO Taxonomy and Inquiry Learning Part 1

View more documents from Pam Hook.

SustainED Cluster Day #7

2009-08-27T12:14:00.003+12:00

Wednesday 26 August 09
Hosted at Meadowbank School
Focus: Exploring the NZC Key Competencies with SOLO Taxonomy

SOLO Taxonomy and Thinking Skills

2009-08-24T21:08:00.003+12:00

So what is wrong with "toolbox" thinking ...?

Solo Taxonomy and Thinking Skills

View more documents from Pam Hook.

SOLO Taxonomy and Web2.0

2009-08-23T17:30:00.001+12:00

Changing the way teachers think about ICT use by their students. Instead of measuring whether their students can understand how to use different ICT applications at different levels of the school, teachers talk about whether their students know how to use ICTs to bring in ideas (SOLO multistructural learning outcomes), link ideas (SOLO relational learning outcomes) and to look at linked ideas in a new way (SOLO extended abstract learning outcomes).

SOLO Taxonomy and Web2.0

View more documents from Pam Hook.

SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and Metacognition

2009-08-22T22:22:00.001+12:00

Just how does SOLO Taxonomy and HOT Maps help students become self regulated learners?

More than everything you ever wanted to know about the research on self regulated learners, metacognition and thinking about thinking AND the role of HOT Maps and ICTs.

SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and Metacognition

View more documents from Artichoke.

Making Learning Visible: HOT Maps and SOLO Taxonomy

2009-08-21T18:14:00.004+12:00

HOT Maps and SOLO Taxonomy

View more documents from Pam Hook.

Democracy 2.0

2009-08-14T14:00:00.004+12:00

For people who like to think about democracy and to imagine what it is to participate and contribute.

Us Now : Home via kwout

Common Craft: Web Search Strategies in Plain English

2009-08-12T10:54:00.004+12:00

Yet another fabulous professional learning resource from Commoncraft

Worth viewing for the content AND the elegance with which ideas are explained.

Web Search Strategies in Plain English - Common Craft - Our Product is Explanation via kwout

Chaos at the school gate? Are "arteventions" a possible solution

2009-08-10T21:02:00.006+12:00

http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/ps-67-paints-the-pavement-in-brooklyn/

What could the road outside your school look like? - How might an "artervention" help you manage traffic flows around your school?

"In what is being called the first ever of its kind in New York City, Livable Streets Education teamed up with Community Roots Charter School and PS 67 and got a helping hand from New York Cares and The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership to paint a magnificent street mural on St. Edwards Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The project, which was designed by art students, was done with the blessing of NYC Department of Transportation under their new Urban Art Program initiative. These short term, art projects on city assets under their purview are now referred to as "Arterventions" by the DOT."

So who is our community?

2009-08-10T08:58:00.004+12:00

Nina Simon has a great post that looks at "community" from the perspective of museums - it provides some useful analysis for those of us looking at "community engagement" in schools

Museum 2.0: Eight Other Ways to "Connect with Community" via kwout

Cory Doctorow on Media literacy and Education

2009-08-09T13:37:00.004+12:00

Cory Doctorow is a thoughtful commentator.

His most recent novel "Little Brother" is a must read for educators and young people interested in their role in a technologically able world.

Does the technology you use control you? Or do you control the technology you use?

Listen for the connections he makes to the New Zealand Curriculum Principle of Learn to Learn. These videos make for great professional viewing and discussion.

Do you need a "school" social media policy?

2009-07-22T12:15:00.002+12:00

Unless there’s only one person who will be handling your social media efforts you need to set some guidelines in place. Now, by this I don’t mean you have to write a huge document that strangles any hint of spontaneity from your team. Quite the opposite. A corporate policy lets them know what they need to know to communicate the company message effectively, and what they should and should not do.

People are more comfortable knowing the rules
I’ve encountered staff on many occasions who were simply terrified of social media. Where to start? What to say? How to use the tools and would they get in trouble? A little guidance and training and they were just fine. Use your social media engagement policy as a way to show them the ropes and give them models to follow. Janet Fouts July 2009

Do you need a Corporate Social Media Policy? | Janet Fouts via kwout

Thoughts for Teachers Using Twitter

2009-07-22T08:50:00.002+12:00

"I was surprised by just how much there is to say – and quite how worth saying it is, especially now the platform is more mature and less forgiving of mistakes."

How to write a corporate Twitter strategy (…and here’s one I made earlier) via kwout

Smart History - A Multimedia Web-book about Art and Art History

2009-07-06T09:09:00.001+12:00

Smarthistory: a multimedia web-book about art and art history

Brain-Based Education - Fad or breakthrough - Prof Daniel Willingham

2009-07-05T17:52:00.000+12:00

Teaching Content is Teaching Reading - Prof Daniel Willingham

2009-07-05T17:49:00.000+12:00

Learning Styles Don't Exist - Prof Daniel Willingham

2009-07-05T17:42:00.002+12:00

Meadowbank Year 3, Term 2, 2009

2009-06-30T14:45:00.001+12:00

Here is a slide show of photos to showcase SOLO work from the Year 3 team this term.
We taught a chemistry and technology unit based around the concept of Enterprise. The children created their own bathbombs at the end of the unit - lots of fun was had by all!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

The Golden Foot Awards

2009-06-08T14:10:00.000+12:00

The Golden Foot Awards
New Zealand’s National Walking Awards

Don’t forget
The closing date for the Golden Foot Awards is fast approaching!

These are new national walking awards organised by Living Streets Aotearoa. The closing date is 19th June, so make sure you get your nominations in quickly.

The awards will showcase walking innovations and facilitate the sharing of new ideas across the country. The awards will be presented in a high profile ceremony in Wellington Council chambers on 24th July.

There are numerous categories, so there is something for most projects. Perhaps there is a new facility in your area that has been great for walkers, or maybe a group doing some outstanding work. If you are not sure, if a project is eligible, please contact Janet Lawson on 04 385 8280.

The categories are:
• The New Zealand Best Practice walking Facility
• Top commitment to walking by a New Zealand organisation
• Consultancy Award for walking excellence in New Zealand
• New Zealand Accessibility Innovation Award
• Best New Zealand Walking Promotion
• Best New Zealand Small Walking Project
For information and entry forms visit www.livingstreets.org.nz All nominators will go into a prize draw to receive a free pass to the 2010 Walking Conference.

Living Streets Aotearoa is New Zealand’s national walking and pedestrian organisation, providing a positive voice for people on foot, and working to develop walking-friendly communities throughout New Zealand. Living Streets exists because walking is the invisible form of transport, often overlooked or not integrated into transport, public health or land use planning.

SustainEd Lead Teacher Cluster Meeting#6 3 June 2009

2009-06-07T20:55:00.003+12:00

SustainED Lead Teacher Cluster Day #6
Wednesday 3 June 2009
Venue: Newmarket Primary School
Time: 9.00 am-2.45 pm
Morning Tea and Lunch provided

Agenda (in no particular order)

1. Questions, Questioning and Questioners
"Once you have learned to ask relevant questions, you have learned how to learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or whatever you want to know."
Postman & Weingartner, 2004.
How can you help your students to frame quality questions? How can you engage them in active questioning? How do students become expert questioners.
Have you ever assessed your students’ questions? What insight will this give you to the levels of complexities of your students thinking? By making this process transparent to students you scaffold their learning, and allow them to achieve success.
Lead Teachers will explore different questioning frameworks and the practical strategies that will promote deeper thinking and improve learning outcomes for their students.

2. Bring along examples of student work to share/discuss
3. David to feedback on milestone reporting
4. Applebus Tour-Stanhope Staff to share their new learnings
5. General

Meadowbank Year 3 - ICT and Pedagogical Changes

2009-04-03T12:30:00.002+13:00

This term at Meadowbank the Year 3 team have all had Smartboard Interactive Whiteboards installed in the classrooms and we have also had 1 new staff member join the team.

Initially PD provided by David and myself focussed on using the Smartboard and the team have adapted very well to incorporating the new technology into their classrooms. The next step for most teachers in the team is to start using learning intention based small group activities within their programmes using the smartboard, and to increase student involvement when using the board with the class.

The second focus of PD has been on getting staff comfortable with SOLO Taxonomy and the HOT maps. 2 members of the team attended a catch up session with Julie this week and came back very enthusiastic about trying SOLO out as a teaching tool in their classroom. I have also been around modelling a define map, statement writing and self assessing in all the Year 3 classrooms which appears to have increased teaching confidence.

Below are some photos of work from the Year 3 team.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

Technology alters students learning

2009-01-30T17:09:00.002+13:00

It seems that technology does alter students’ learning after all – just not in the way we might want ...

Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking And Analysis?

Computers, video games and multitasking may have helped improve people's visual skills, but they also appear to have contributed to an erosion in critical-thinking and analysis skills, according to new research published in the journal Science. Reading, however, develops the imagination as well as deductive, reflection and critical-thinking stills, said researcher and UCLA psychology professor Patricia Greenfield, who also directs the Children's Digital Media Center of Los Angeles. "No one medium is good for everything," she said. "If we want to develop a variety of skills, we need a balanced media diet."

ScienceDaily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128092341.htm

Reading Allowed by Taylor Mahi

2008-11-24T19:23:00.001+13:00

What Teachers Make

2008-11-23T20:10:00.000+13:00

What Teachers Make

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: education what teachers make)

More Space SOLO

2008-11-17T21:09:00.002+13:00

I have written another post here about how I am continuing on my inquiry journey into space next term.

Space Solo Continued

2008-11-12T20:34:00.005+13:00

Since the lead teacher day last week I have continued working on my Space Solo unit. I picked up some new ideas on the day from the examples other schools in the cluster shared with students self assessing. The sharing we did on the day was a really valuable experience for me so thank you everyone for your efforts.

Although I had done self assessing based on SOLO previously I liked how the other schools had the children explain where in their statement they had said whatever it was that made them their particular SOLO level. I decided to use Voicethread as a vehicle for recording student assessment of the statements.
Anyway, here is a link to a post I have written to share my next Space Solo installment...

Lead Teacher Wiki

2008-11-07T21:07:00.001+13:00

Here is a new wiki that has been created by Suzie Vesper for lead teachers. It is an interesting read with lots of tips to help us lead in our schools.

International Education Week 2008

2008-11-07T09:41:00.003+13:00

http://iew.state.gov/

International Education week is an opportunity for us all to reach out and to collaborate with students around the globe. For the last two years I have been working with the students at Woodford School in Plymouth in the UK. This network is now growing and next week I will be working with students in London, Norway and in Plymouth. If you wish to take part and reach out to the global community you can start to make links with other schools in the cluster, or you can be part of what we are doing here:

Check out the following links and see how you can include your classes in them:

http://drekkar-waka.blogspot.com/ links with Kastellet School in Norway

http://tohatoha.blogspot.com/ links with students in Plymouth

I will be working with the students from Plymouth and a school in London over the coming weeks to see if we can not get a three way partnership going with a collaborative Gamemaker project I have on the go.

Reach out, you never know where it will lead!

Cyber Safety

2008-11-05T21:07:00.002+13:00

This link to a pdf document from Allanah K could be of interest to those who are looking into cyber safety in their schools after our lead teacher day. Be warned - the pdf is a very large file to download so it does take awhile!

SustainED Cluster Day Presentation July 08

2008-11-04T17:03:00.003+13:00

Power Point Presentation - not able to create a link

Smart Board Presentation Notes

Using and integrating an interactive whiteboard in a junior writing programme.
Bronwyn Meadowbank.
Modelled writing – teacher, Shared writing – teacher and students, student writing – Students. Show student blog from previous Nes.. Show word integrated into writing programme. Demonstrate how to incorporate the blog into programme using parent helpers in a Junior class.

Notes:
Task Board Activities
Blogging –once per week
Smart board – once per week
White boards – once per week
Guided Writing in books – 3 times per week
Publishing Writing – once per week

Smart board
Modelled Writing - Teacher
As you would with a paper the teacher is modelling good writing practice to the children and modelling surface features. I have constructed various templates using the smart board software to model writing.
New Entrant / Year 1 plan using a picture. You can add a web to planning template.

Shared Writing – Teacher and Students
Children write on the smart board to construct a shared piece of writing. Invite children to write a letter, word, add a full stop, underline words, circle sounds in words,

Buddy Writing – Students
Pairs or small groups use the smart board to write a collaborative piece of writing. This is another task board activity that children do once per week.

Using Word

Blogging
http://room24meadowbankschool.blogspot.com/2007_08_21_archive.html

Parent helper – Trained parents to support collaborative work, trouble shoot, assist with helping children to hear and record sounds, verbally constructing the sentences to be written.

Buddy Writing - 2 children per computer. Mixed ability buddies, Pair a stronger writer with a weaker writer to collaboratively write a joint story. Benefits for both students to learn from each other

Writing Task board - Included in writing task board rotation so that each group has one session per week.

Drafting - Children spelling attempts to be recorded

Publishing - Teacher/Parent Helper to publish writing under the draft and in a different colour to differentiate the two.

Parent Communication – Invite parents to establish a blog account so that they can comment on their children’s writing.

Reading Task board – The blog can be integrated into the reading programme for students view posts and comment on them.

Blog Links
http://room24meadowbankschool.blogspot.com/2007/10/nana-brenda.html

http://room24meadowbankschool.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-10-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B13%3A00&updated-max=2007-11-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B13%3A00&max-results=42

Ulearn08 Feedback

2008-11-04T16:53:00.000+13:00

Ulearn08 Feedback
Christchurch October 2008

This was my first time attending a Ulearn conference or any other ICT conference so I had limited expectations. Unfortunately I became unwell the day before Ulearn and so was unable to enjoy it fully or attend every breakout.

My hopes expectations were already dashed before I even flew down. This was due the fact that when I booked my breakout sessions upon receiving notification, many of the ones of interest to me were already full. However I soon got over this and through discussion with colleagues knew that a couple I had booked in were popular choices for a good reason.

KEYNOTES
Day 1
On arrival to the Town Hall I was quite taken aback by the number of teachers attending!
The first key notes for me were slightly disappointing. They definitely achieved their goal of spreading the message that change is here and that we as teachers need to meet this change head on. However I felt as though the message was one that totally disregarded the fact that teachers are already changing and that we can only change at a certain rate. I firmly believe there is far more to good teaching than keeping up with technological change.
It was unfortunate that Bruce McIntyre did not have an opportunity to speak for longer. From what points he did cover, he came across as realistic about what the business sector wants from the education sector.

Day 2 Steve Carden was entertaining and a very well spoken presenter. He was interesting to listen to with lots of attempts to humour his audience. He had points that rang true for me and valued the importance of working together.

BREAKOUTS

Tony Ryan – Transformational Teachers

This was my first break out session and if I had left Ulearn08 only having heard Tony Ryan then I would have been more than happy.

He was inspiring, realistic, motivating and entertaining. Tony captured the audience’s attention and promoted audience interaction. This was a great way to get people talking and doing! A lot of presenters could learn a lot from this style of delivery.

Interesting Points:
· There are 4 key skill sets that are vital to the success of a teacher
· Teachers have 50% impact on the learning success of children
· We have 3 choices as people and as teachers…
· 1. awake but asleep 2. the ‘what if?’ people 3. the people who just do!
· It is not what do we need to teach, the question is Who do we need to be?
· Self talk and the ‘meta-self’
· Values programme
· Blogs – Never has there been written so much but read by so few!!!

How will it impact my teaching?
· Stop moaning about the things that can’t be changed
· Look in the mirror more often
· Self talk to deal with situations that arise
· Devise a mantra
· Speak with Management about the 7 core values
· www.ted.com - free stuff!
· Tonyryan.edublogs.org
· www.plotpd.com - Tony’s favourite site!
· Check out Johnny Lee for smart board resources

Claire Ross – Using an Interactive whiteboard to teach Inquiry

This was a fantastic breakout session that was highly interactive, engaging, well presented and informative.

Claire used a promethian however illustrated things that could be done on any interactive board.

I have emailed Claire to ask if she could email any presentations notes she had as I was so interested and involved in the session that I didn’t make them!

Interesting Points:
· The whole presentation was interesting and informative. The interactive remotes used would be fantastic to have a class set of so that you could engage students. Kids could submit their responses and vote. The teacher could see who had answered, how long it took and their answers. Beat the old way of putting up your hand and only one person sharing the answer!!
· She modelled her session on the inquiry process. It was great to see this documented in Notebook.

How will it impact my teaching?
· Inquiry Notebook – I have already incorporated this idea into my teaching for this terms topic. I have made a template and am using with my kids. I will print it off to keep a hard copy (so important for 5 year olds to have something tangible to refer to)
· Claire demonstrated how to use ‘tags’ on the screen so that some information was ‘off the page’.
· Will load Smart notebook version 10

Visit to the Trade Hall

This was my opportunity to wander around and see many of the new products out there.
I also spent some time looking at the posters of the Microsoft Teacher Award Finalists.

What made an impact?
· ‘Flip Ultra’ - Simple video cameras suitable for junior children to use

My pick is the Flip Ultra video camera. This nifty device - around the size of a good pile of business cards - is robust, simple and very, very usable. It has a big button for ‘on’, another for ‘record’, the software’s already loaded, and you don’t need a cable to plug it into your computer. It takes an hour of footage at 640 x 480 pixels and runs on two AA batteries. Thanks to the convenience of this camera, teachers and students will be able to take video the moment the occasion arises. Sarah Jones

· Smart board stand – Spoke to representative there who answered my questions about functions of smartboard that I had seen on Promethian
· Got give a ‘Smart board for dummies’ guide – Fantastic!!

Sarah Jones - Great Technologies and …

· Excellent presentation about what it is that students are doing on the web and how some schools are tapping into the social networks for learning opportunites
· She showed a range of cool websites that are out there.
· I found that I was aware or using many of the technologies that she referred to. This made me feel on the right track with my own capabilities as a teacher and also in the learning experiences I provide for my 21st century learners!

How will it impact my teaching?
· Continue to use the technologies I am already using but source new ones to include
· Have my students access my delicious account for websites related to learning.
· Check out tki again for updates
· Use www.commons.wikimedia.org for photos – free copyright
· Use www.zoo-m.com for photos – free copyright
· Look at www.rosetown.wikispaces.com
· Look at Sarah’s website – www.lunchbox.org.nz
· Add Fiona Grant to my delicious account
· Send Sarah the link to my classes blog
· http://delicious.com/willowdale -Add to my own delicious account

Space SOLO

2008-11-04T15:38:00.007+13:00

This term at Meadowbank the Junior Team is studying Space and we are linking the Science and Technology areas of the curriculum.

In my Year 2 class we are studying the planets and then we will be creating a machine in Technology that could explore a chosen planet.

The first step for this is that the children need to become experts on the planet they will be visiting. The children have selected their planet and worked in groups to research about their planet - they have created a define map with their information. The second step has been to work in their group to define their planet - each child was only allowed to say one sentence. Here is a video showing their work.

The next step will be for the class to give each group feedback about their definition and place their definition on the SOLO Taxonomy. Then the experts in each group will have to work with another group of experts to compare and contrast their chosen planets.
The purpose of this is for the children to decide what unique features their planet exploring technology will need to have to enable it to explore their particular planet's environment. Perhaps a part-whole map will work well for this. It will be interesting to see what they come up with!!

Festivals and Celebrations

2008-10-23T12:50:00.003+13:00

Hi Everyone
As some of you may know Diwali is coming up next week. If you are doing any learning on Diwali you might want to check out this following cool site. once you open the site just click view resource you dont need to d/l anything. I used it with a reading group.
enjoy :)

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/diwali_-_ey

Tohatoha online collaboration - presentation

2008-10-13T18:41:00.002+13:00

You can see and hear my presentation for breakout 5b at Ulearn08 by following the link to my online tv station: http://www.mogulus.com/icttv and when the player loads, click on the 'On demand' button and select the breakout 5b option. The presentation will play. You can also see the slides show that accompanied the presentation below.

Ulearn08 Breakout5b

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: ulearn08 tohatoha)

Meadowbank School presents at ULearn08

2008-10-10T21:14:00.009+13:00

Meadowbank School teacher Marnie Thomas presented on her use of the structured overview of learning outcomes in Breakout 1 at Ulearn08 in Christchurch.

Sea Cucumber vs Octopus: Enhancing student thinking using SOLO Taxonomy, HOT visual mapping, self assessment rubrics and VoiceThread. By Marnie Thomas

David Kinane from Meadowbank School (SustainED ictpd Facilitator) also presented at the ULearn08 conference and was one of two teachers to be Highly Commended in the Microsoft New Zealand Innovative Teacher Awards 2008

The next Google Teacher Academy:

2008-09-21T08:14:00.001+12:00

The next GTA will take place on Tuesday, November 18th at our offices in New York City.

The GTA is our free training program for K-12 educators. It's an intensive, one-day event (8:30am-7:30pm) where 50 selected participants get hands-on experience with our free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, collaborate with exceptional educators, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment.

Upon completion, GTA participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local regions.

We're now taking applications and encourage educators from around the U.S. and the world to apply.

Applications are due October 10, 2008.

To learn more about how to apply for the GTA NYC 2008, visit: http://www.google.com/educators/gta.html

Water for Newmarket

2008-09-08T08:15:00.002+12:00

Use this as a resource from jbrenman to develop critical literacy ... to get students to check the reliability and validity of the facts data cited and then to explore the text through questions like

1. Who created this message?

2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

3. How might different people understand this message differently from me?

4. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

5. Why is this message being sent?

THIRST

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: design crisis)

Thanks for link:Louise Starkey

How to ... video resources for teachers

2008-09-07T15:35:00.001+12:00

Russell Stannard, principal lecturer in Multimedia/ICT at the University of Westminster has some excellent videos on technology and on English language teaching.

These videos were created for teachers to help them to incorporate technology into their teaching. Just click and a video will open and take you through how to use that technology. These videos are for any teachers or lecturers, indeed for anyone interested in learning how to use the technologies. My own background is in teaching English, so some of the sites are specific to English teaching and these are grouped separately, you simply need to scroll down to see them. There is also a special page of videos for students interested in multimedia, where you can learn Flash, Director and Photoshop

They are accessible, well produced resources and will provide a valuable self help for our cluster teachers.

URL: http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

Videos available include:
Blogger
Second Life
Mindmapping,
Online Surveys,
RSS Feeds,
YouTube,
iTunes for Podcasts,
PowerPoint,
How to create a blog,
How to do better searches on the Internet,
Photoshop basics,
How to use and make wikis,
How to use Delicious,
Tips and tricks for Word
Drawing and recording site,
Voicethread,
etc

Plus a selection of English Language Teaching videos

Pedagogical Uses for Google (SOLO coded)

2008-09-05T15:50:00.001+12:00

George Chinnery (2008) describes some of the pedagogical uses of Google in his article, “You’ve got some GALL: Google-Assisted Language Learning.” Language, Learning & Technology. February 2008, Volume 12, Number 1 pp. 3-11

Thanks for the link: Janet Clarey

I have been having fun coding these pedagogical uses against student learning outcomes and SOLO Taxonomy ... see if you can do the same

Google as an Informative Tool:

* Using a dictionary command (“define: strategy”), learners can discover meaning (definition, usage, correct spelling,).
* Using Google Suggest, learners can get real time alternate suggestions (“did you mean _?”) for their search term.
* Using Google Books will give learners returns of rich prose.
* Google Trends will return geographic information.
* Synonyms (~term), vocabulary development (Google Image Labeler), and listing and brainstorming (Google Sets) are other tools.
* For language learning, Google has Language Tools.
* Instructors wishing to control search activities for learning can use Google Coop to create a search engine for a website or collection of sites.

Google as a Communicative Tool:

* Gmail, (Google’s email program) together with Google Talk (instant messenger and internet telephony service) allow learners to email, save, print and email text chats and can be used to display presence of a learner. Preferences allow you to change your availability and give others
an idea of your current status (online, offline, away, do not disturb, etc.). Some initial research on the benefits of chat indicate that chats in language classes “seem to help all individuals engage more frequently, with greater confidence, and with greater enthusiasm” than is characteristic for similar students in a classroom.

Google as an Aggregative Tool:

* Google offers tools that recognize linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spacial literacies in aggregate
* On iGoogle, learners can create their own start-age; their own customized, personal learning environment.
* Google Reader is a Web feed aggregator that allows learners and instructors to collect updates content (blogs, news feeds, podcasts, vodcasts, multimedia, etc.)
* Google Gears allows learners to view content from Google Reader offline.
* Google Page Creator is a simple webpage creation tool.
* Google Maps allows you to make custom maps and Google Earth provides a satellite view of an address.
* YouTube Remixer allows learners to make video mashups.
* Google Docs is a presentation tool similar to Microsoft PowerPoint.

Google as a Productive Tool:

* Google’s Blogger provides learners a place to author their own textual, audiovisual content.
* Google Docs give learners a way to collaborate on online documents.
* Google knol is a collaborative wiki-like application for group collaboration.

Google as a Collaborative Tool:

* Google Groups can be used to facilitate asynchronous class discussions.
* Google Calendar can be used for scheduling and notification.
* Google Lively is a 3-D environment where learners can create their own avatar and make and join rooms to meet and discuss topics.__

Find children's books from their cultures and in their mother tongue .... explore the same story in different languages

2008-08-19T20:07:00.001+12:00

Share this remarkable free resource library with any of your teachers who are interested in building literacy across all the learners in your school.

THE INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DIGITAL LIBRARY

Language barriers have never been more pronounced. Whether in an urban area of a modern country (e.g. the Chicago Public School system has 73 different languages represented in its student population) or the rural areas of a less developed country (e.g. Mongolia, where the ICDL has its first "branch" and where rural schools do not yet support a culture of reading for pleasure), differences in language are making it harder and harder for educational initiatives to bring about success.

As families move from Kenya to Finland or Brazil to Mexico or Viet Nam to California, books published in their native country or in their first language often must be left behind. In their new homelands, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to find children's books from their cultures and in their mother tongue. Parents have little access to the books and stories from their youth to pass on to the next generation. Many children must grow up without knowledge of their family's heritage and first language. A fundamental principle of the Foundation is that children and their families deserve to have access to the books of their culture, as well as the majority culture, regardless of where they live. According to a paper published in 2005 by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in preparation for the second meeting on the World Summit on the Information Society, "Denial to access to information in one's mother tongue is equivalent to a denial of a human right." The report also concludes, "In terms of pedagogy, how do children learn best? In their mother tongue."

The ICDL Foundation's goal is to build a collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world. Ultimately, the Foundation aspires to have every culture and language represented so that every child can know and appreciate the riches of children's literature from the world community.

Thanks to Amanda Bond Librarian Takapuna Grammar for the link

The Ministry of Education is blogging

2008-08-18T15:45:00.001+12:00

Lunch Box is for discussion about using software and digital media for learning in primary and secondary classrooms.

It is associated with the website Software for Learning, which lists quality software recommended by New Zealand teachers and provides guidance on effective use in teaching and learning.

Both websites are published by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Comments by users on Lunch Box will be moderated, and inappropriate and off-topic posts will not be published. The blog is not for discussion about government policy.

Playing with photographs

2008-08-17T11:46:00.002+12:00

A resource list from Mashable of sites that allow you to play with photographs,

Some look like they have potential when students present their performance for understanding to an audience (SOLO Extended Abstract). BUT you will need to check on safe for school stuff before using with students.

It’s getting easier to add our own faces into games, greeting cards and other online offerings. We’ve all seen those goofy customizable ElfYourself greeting cards that everyone and their mother were clogging email systems with last year. Well, the idea is spreading to other formats due to its extreme popularity and viral marketing stickiness.

We’ve put together a list of 18 ways to quite literally get your head in the game.

18 Ways to get your head in the game

Famento: Timeline your family history

2008-08-13T09:48:00.001+12:00

XTimeline is a fabulous research tool ... educators are referring to it as the Wikipedia for historians .... and it is really easy to us .....this new application looks like it will have leverage in all those identity topics in The New Zealand Curriculum

The team that created xtimeline.com is proud to bring you www.famento.com, a website where you can record the history of your family, and the story of your life.

What can you do on Famento?

1. Tell your stories

Do you ever wish you knew more about your parents or grandparents? Do you want to stay connected with friends? Famento is a way to record your stories so that your friends and family can know you and their ancestors better.

2. Create timelines of your life

Organize your life stories, and create a timeline about your life. Famento is a private network, so you can share this with only the people you want.

3. Share photos, videos and files

Share your photos of family gatherings, vacations, babies, weddings and other events. Make sure important family photos can never be lost.

4. Create an online tribute for loved ones

Remember loved ones that have passed away. Create a profile, upload photos, and have friends and family submit their memories. You can make this a public tribute or keep it private.

The olympics.

2008-08-13T09:36:00.002+12:00

I watched swimming and my swimming teacher was in the olympics.

Viewzi: The Timeline View Search

2008-08-09T12:37:00.000+12:00

Check out this new search application –Viewzi a Visual Search Platform launched “The Timeline” view this week, this visual search platform allows you to see your search results horizontally along a timeline (Google date stamped)

When you mouse over an article, the article lights up in blue and gives you a brief description. From there, you can click on the blue box, which will give you a larger snippet of text as well as a screenshot of the page and the date of the article. From there, you can click a green button and be on your way to the page.
Search engine result pages are displayed from top to bottom in order of relevance and are colored from light blue (most relevant) to dark blue (less relevant). Pages are also displayed on the timeline from right to left according to the last updated timestamp. Viewzi gets its timestamp data from Google.
The timeline is expandable, and you can drag a white bar across the top of the screen to search older results or scan more recent results. From Mashable Blog

Will be a great addition to our ICT toolbox at SOLO relational level - for enhancing the conditions of value when students are researchers

Look what a snapshot of a search for “ictpd_clusters” reveals

SustainED Maungarei Kaitiakitanga ICTPD cluster

Artichoke: On limiting learning and comprehension with mobile technologies

Artichoke Blog: Pedagogical Promiscuity and "Assessment for Learning.

Collaborative MindMapping - Mind42 and Webspiration

SOLO Taxonomy: Defining Bread with HOT Maps and Rubrics

Audioboo: Recording and sharing sound

New genres for digital literacy: writing for Wikipedia

SOLO Taxonomy: HOT Sequence Map and Procedural Writing

Using ICTs and social media for social good

A study plan based on evidence, not schoolyard folk wisdom, or empty theorising ..... it’s intriguing schools don’t pick them up

SOLO Taxonomy and Te Reo Maori

Statistical Literacy and Gapminder Desktop

Challenging our assumptions about eLearning and constructivism

Free Schools and Trends in Educational Budgets for Technology in Schools

Top 10 Time Lapse Nature Videos

On becoming more than a journal - "Computers in NZ Schools"

e-Learning and implications for New Zealand schools: a literature review

Seb Chan: Books that small children might enjoy

SOLO Taxonomy and the NZC Key Competency Relating to Others

SOLO Taxonomy and procedural writing

ZooBurst: Digital Story Telling with 3D Pop Ups

SOLO Taxonomy and Student Voice

Outcomes for Teachers and Students in the ICTPD Clusters 2006 to 2008

Finding your inner wolf and 49 Cool Tools for Science Teachers

Embedit: Any file in your website

100 Informative and Inspiring Videos for Educators

How people influence places: Architecture of Iran

Follow a Scientist at Work: Notes from the field

Google Posters for Educators

Prezi - A Zooming Presentation Editor

Teachers Pet: A new resource for teachers

The Khan Academy: Learning without Classrooms or Curricula

eLearning: Is the presence of a teacher part of the problem?

Teacher Express - All in one place for busy teachers

Heart Surgery on a Stuffed Bunny and other Medical Games

Shahi: An online visual dictionary

100 Best Websites for Science Teachers

Learning outcomes with (e)learning - Kahootz

Dr Wendy Kofoed on "Strengthening Learning Partnerships Through Purposeful Reporting"

50 ideas for using Google Earth in the classroom

Be more like a ghekko when you teach with technology

How to Feed the World?

The 137 Year Archives of Popular Science

Professional Reading: Top 50 Education Technology Blogs

Visual Index Paper Models of Polyhedra

SOLO Taxonomy and Assessing "Learning to Learn" Programmes

SustainED Lead Teacher Day #8

SOLO Taxonomy and Assessing Student Thinking

ULearn09: Learning Today: Sustaining Tomorrow

Plain English Award - Best Project 09 for Feet First

Land Transport Agency Feet First Wins Web Award

The Sheep Collection

SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and Creativity

Top 50 Online Education Blogs

Writing Learning Intentions with HOT Maps and SOLO Taxonomy

SOLO Taxonomy and Questions, Questioning and Questioners,

SOLO Taxonomy and Inquiry Learning

SustainED Cluster Day #7

SOLO Taxonomy and Thinking Skills

SOLO Taxonomy and Web2.0

SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and Metacognition

Making Learning Visible: HOT Maps and SOLO Taxonomy

Democracy 2.0

Common Craft: Web Search Strategies in Plain English

Chaos at the school gate? Are "arteventions" a possible solution

So who is our community?

Cory Doctorow on Media literacy and Education

Do you need a "school" social media policy?

Thoughts for Teachers Using Twitter

Smart History - A Multimedia Web-book about Art and Art History

Brain-Based Education - Fad or breakthrough - Prof Daniel Willingham

Teaching Content is Teaching Reading - Prof Daniel Willingham

Learning Styles Don't Exist - Prof Daniel Willingham

Meadowbank Year 3, Term 2, 2009

The Golden Foot Awards

SustainEd Lead Teacher Cluster Meeting#6 3 June 2009

Meadowbank Year 3 - ICT and Pedagogical Changes

Technology alters students learning

Reading Allowed by Taylor Mahi

What Teachers Make