GEDCON

Being involved in this has been a real eye-opener! I have learned a lot in terms of how to help run a conference on this scale
and also about the use of technology that means that you are able to reach a global audience without the constraints of travel and cost and, in some cases, language barriers.
The potential for this type of conference and learning in the future is huge.
Everything is recorded on line and I'm really looking forward to having time in the holidays to be able to enjoy listening to more
of the speakers.

Some Fabulous Books

I've just bought The Treasure Tree - recommended by Jan - and Growing Up Global - the book written by one of the Keynote Speakers at the GEDCON. They are bot amazing. One gives you the tools to help children explore, respect and nurture each other's personalities and the other gives amazing ideas for promoting global links in the classroom. Can't wait to get started.

If anyone else is interested, the links for Growing up Global are here:

http://growingupglobal.net/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Growing-Up-Global-Raising-Children-to-Be-At-Home-in-the-World/113288945831

GEDCON

Only a few days to go until the conference. One of the most rewarding aspects of the conference is that I have been able to connect with like minds.

There are some amazing opportunities for collaboration out there.

Globally Connected Learning

How are we helping our students connect globally and know their place in the world?

Globally Connected Learning

Globally Connected Learning from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano

View more presentations from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano.

Progressive Storytelling Project and Epals

We've signed up for this project and are all really excited about the possibilities.

We are grouped with 5 or 6 other classes from mainly the USA to collaborate on writing

a story that will be published using Voicethread - something else for the our class to

explore.

Each class completes a part of the story and it is then passed on to the next group who carry

it on. We also have to complete and photograph 3 pieces of art work to accompany the text.

All of this is completed on our wikispaces page.

Our co-ordinator then puts it all together to share with everyone.

The possibilities are endless and we are able to Skype our fellow writers, email, etc.

This could also be a possibility for what we do to learn about our place in the world by

linking up with a wider range of classes round the world. Can't wait to start this discussion

with Rm 8 tomorrow! I know they will come up with some fantastic ideas.

PODCASTING SESSIONS 1 AND 2

There have been some issues with uploading the keynote using Slideshare so I've just added a link here through iWork.

Please just click on it and it will take you straight to the Keynote.

http://public.iwork.com/document/?a=p1075115170&d=PODCASTING_SESSION_1__38__2.key

Mastering the Publishing / Broadcasting of Podcasts!

My goal this term was to master podcasts and begin to use them with Rm 8 and other children.
The creating of the little gems has been easy...compared with the publishing and broadcasting!
I was determined in my efforts, however. No amount of confusion was going to stop me.
Tonight, I finally mastered the little menaces! Exciting beyond words - well it is for me, anyway.
We can now move on with the news blog that the boys from Rm 7 are working on and we can
continue to broadcast episodes on the science blog.

Elluminate Learning

Another up the hill in terms of the steepness of the learning curve! Have had a ball learning about Elluminate and all the benefits and possibilities of its use for PD and in the classroom. Elluminate is the online learning platform being used for the Global Education Conference. It is like an online conference venue where you have separate rooms, breakout rooms, etc.
Co-ordinating all the time zones has also been a great learning experience.
The tools that the room offers are fantastic. Each room has its own whiteboard that people can write on and participate, you can talk to each other - a bit like Skype, use the online tools, add in presentations and documents, work on documents together at the same time, share websites and link them in so that they can be explored at the same time, participate in chat... This is all live and I can see the potential for its use in the classroom.
I have talked to soem of the other teachers and they are keen to set up a 'meeting time' online where one class begins to write a story - the other classes see this come up instantly - and then the next class adds to it and so on. At the same time they can talk to each other and share ideas for the next step in the story - another form of digital storytelling.
The sessions can be recorded and saved for later use - another benefit of this system.
Many universities, schools, businesses, etc are already using Elluminate. I would like to use it as another tool in my research for 2011.

Keynote for Session 1: Podcasting

Podcasting session 1

Podcasting session 1 from Justine Hughes / Deputy Principal/ Teacher

View more presentations from Myross Bush School.

Podcasting Afternoon

Really enjoyed the enthusiasm of all participants! Very creative ideas for using podcasts in the classroom. This was our first session - on the basics and also on finding and downloading podcasts to use - stories, etc. I will keep adding useful sites to the sidebar on this blog.

Please add your ideas for using podcasts in the classroom.

Podcast Possibilities

Really looking forward to using podcasts with everyone on Monday.

Our microphones have arrived which will make things easier. The children

are really excited.

We want to look at ways that podcasts can be used in meaningful ways to

enhance our teaching and learning.

Starting with simple applications that can be easily managed first and then

moving on when everyone is ready.

Please add your ideas for podcast use in the classroom to this post as you

explore and try out new possibilities. Don't forget to share the finished

product.

Global Education Conference 2010

Absolutely buzzing! We have just finished our first meeting and it's really quite mind-boggling to know that you are talking to people in the USA, UK, China and other places all at the same time.

A great group of really interesting people.

One of the participants was talking about time zones - I think I've learned more about time zones tonight than I have ever learned. Very interesting.

Looking forward to the next stage where we run the meeting for our region.

The possibilities to be able to break down barriers of many kinds in a global environment for our students is so exciting.

Learning for the Week

A very interesting learning week.

I heard on Wednesday that I'd been named as one of the Regional Chairs for the Global Education Conference 2010, so that was a bit of a buzz. Very exciting and will also be helpful in the ADE application later in the year. A good challenge and applicable straight to the classroom. If we want our children to be critical, creative and caring thinkers, this is one particularly interesting way of going about it.
The global community group has been going for years and it's really exciting to have the tools to be able to encourage participation in this way of learning.
Lots of learning this week about global communities and how digital technologies are building some pretty amazing bridges.
I will add some links on the sidebar for anyone who is interested in this.

We went to Enrich yesterday and have learned about podcasting - another passion - and how to make it really simple to use as a tool for Digital Storytelling. This is a fantastic use of technology to encourage reading, writing and oral language for all ages and stages.

I have also learned this morning how to use video more successfully in the blogs. Picassa has all the answers and makes it so much more simple. Better storage of photos too. Saves cluttering up the laptop!

Habits of Mind

Find more videos like this on Habits of Mind Learning Community



Another Habits of Mind video to think about and comment on.

Learning to Change-Changing to Learn

This really makes you think about whether we are really meeting the needs of our learners

in the 21st Century. What changes do we need to make in our beliefs, our classrooms and

for our learners? "The death of education but the dawn of learning". This quote

interests me greatly.

Habits of Mind

Have really enjoyed hearing what the children think about the Habits of Mind we've covered so far. They are already applying it in their own learning which is very exciting.

This week we are going to be setting our new ICT goals. Now that they've been exposed to a wider range of tools, it is interesting to see where their goals are going.

Looking forward to finally being able to share the Habits of Mind video with them.

We looked at the first couple of slides today and there were some interesting thoughts.

Might be a good one to put on the class blog for parents to comment on.

UNconference

Have really enjoyed the learning this week. It has been really challenging - especially the technical side of podcasting - setting up audacity and all the bits that go with it!

Great to keep challenging the learning though.

I've been given a $200 free pass from the Edtech UNconference for a staff member to attend as thanks for the work I've done so that has been a real highlight.

They've also used my feedback on the front page to encourage other participants. Great that NZ can feature on a conference like this. The convenor wants me to do a two minute Edtalk to share at the conference. Not so sure about that one! Will see.

On with the learning. Continuing this week on Activboard learning, and other challenges on the UNconference, Habits of Mind in class - proving to be a stimulating experience for all of us.

Also having a phone conference with the person in charge of the Apple Distinguished Educator programme about the next stage in the selection process. That should keep me out of mischief!

Word of the week -WYSIWYG

Love this word!! It's pronounced whizzywig.

It's a form of html language.

Simply means - What You See Is What You Get!

It's a more simple version of html language.

Habits of Mind, Technology and other thoughts

Have had a fantastic day. We spent most of it learning about Habits of Mind and Science. It was so rewarding to hear the children applying what they are learning about the HOM to Multiple Intelligences, Blooms and the Thinking Hats.

They are just naturally incorporating technology into their learning and this was evident this afternoon during science when they just grabbed the cameras and flip videos and thought about what they wanted to film / photograph to put on the blog. Tomorrow, some of them will learn how to add them to the blog.

We are playing around with a different tool for uploading video. Blogger keeps providing a black screen when you upload it and we don't want that.

Have just about sorted out the issues with the e-portfolios too which is very exciting.

Will upload the portrait photos and the Ukiyo-e photos and those will be the first things they comment on next week.

Podcasting and Vodcasting

Really enjoying learning about two more tools. Have listened to many podcasts

and watched vodcasts but certainly didn't know how to create them!

This is my next learning challenge. The UNconference has been inspiring

for teaching new tools that can enhance learning.

Still not too late to register for it. The price has gone up by $20 but it

is still probably the best conference I've 'been to' - one of the main

benefits being that it will run for a year and after that, you will still have access

to all the resources.

Live presentations will be streamed from October. Very exciting.

Habits of Mind

Please add your thoughts here about the first video on the page.

I'm showing this to the class too, to see what their thoughts and

reactions are.

We're just starting to get into the Habits and they are very

excited.

Learning Reflection

Really enjoying the UNconference. Stimulating and challenging which is great.

The children are enjoying hearing about it and help me apply new learning -

and give advice for better options, e.g. using Garageband for podcasting

instead of Audacity. I'd still like to play around with audacity though.

Scott and Samantha have really liked being able to further apply their

learning from Enrich. Really helps value and support them. The others

in the class think it's great to have extra experts!!

Have joined the Habits of Mind Teacher network. I belonged to a similar

site for years but this one is far more relevant and provides direct links

to the NZ Curriculum which is fantastic. Lots of good connections to

Australia too. The children are very excited about learning about another

tool that can help them be the best they can be. We are learning about the

Habits through a pretty amazing picture book from Art Costa.

This is also another way of linking Enrich to the classroom.

Looking forward to seeing how this amazing class applies their learning

in this area.

UNconference

Loving the conference but haven't done a lot on it for a couple of days.

Settling in to keep learning about podcasts and vodcasts tonight.

The children who go to Enrich are using podcasts so they will be great resource

people and will be able to help run workshops. I love that we can value

what they do at Enrich and provide links for them. The rest of the class love

this too!

I'm torn between what I want to do next. Might explore the website development.

So exciting and lots of fun.

Dr Tom on 60 Min

Podcasts and Vodcasts

Am really loving learning about these and looking at ways to apply them in the classroom as learning tools.

Spoke to the children about them today. It will be another way to use the skills the children are learning at Enrich.

After explaining what they are, the children came up with lots of ideas about how to use them in relevant ways for their learning.

We are starting to share our goals on the class blog from today. I am also going to share mine and get feedback from the class.

Really excited!

Edtech UNconference

I've worked my way through one part of the Interactive Whiteboard course and have absolutely loved it! Lots of good tips and tricks to use in the classroom.

I'm now working through the Podcast courses. This has so much potential as a tool to use in the classroom. The possibilities are endless and will provide another way for the students to show and share their learning. I'm thinking about ways to tie it in with a news bulletin for the school - pod and vodcasts on the website / blog, interviews with people relevant to the next inquiry, sharing pod and vodcasts for numeracy, writing, speeches and so much more. Will sit down and plan a specific way to introduce the skills to the students and then get them to apply the new learning to the curriculum. They are becoming very good at being able to do this effectively.

The learning through pod and vodcasts can be uploaded to their e-portfolios which I think I have sorted out now. But... you never know with technology!!

If anyone is keen to learn more about this, just let me know.

NATIONAL STANDARDS

Here are some very interesting - and entertaining - thoughts and comments on the NS.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

http://www.thestandard.org.nz/tag/anne-tolley/

Edtech UNconference

Really excited. Have just started participating in this conference. You complete and participate in whatever you are most interested in. All ICT related. Extremely relevant to what we are doing and incredibly practical. There are courses in just about everything you can think of. Have just started the Web 2.0 tools in the classroom sessions.

Lots of great online discussion and access to some great blogs.

Happy to share any of this with others.

Global Education

In Term 2 I joined an interesting group based on global education and the use of ICT in 21st Century Education.

It's been great to spend time reading this blog. Raises some interesting issues about just how well we are preparing our students to live in the 21st Century World.

These issues are not new but they are becoming more urgent in their need to be addressed.

There is a global education advisory board which is working towards an ICT conference. Have been invited to participate.

Might be interesting to join.

NZPF

It was very motivating to attend the NZPF Conference in the last week of term.

The speakers were incredibly motivating and I am looking forward to being able

to apply my learning, not just to my management role, but also in the classroom.

We heard a lot about leadership, balance, motivation, different styles, different

personalities.

Looking forward to adding my thoughts to the blog over the next while.

Term Reflections

I've been thinking about the past term and how far the children have come in their learning. It's exciting to see the quantity and quality of feedback on the blog in response to their writing. All of them want to keep publishing this way to widen their audience. They are far more aware of reader courtesy when working this way.

Every day, they come up with ways to use ICT in very relevant ways to show their learning.

I was disappointed that we couldn't get the portfolios up and running for the children but I will get this done over the holidays. Time is always a factor, but I know that once they are up and running they will be very easy to maintain. The children are very excited about this next step too.

The blog, in particular, has proven to be a great motivator for learning.

We are now using it just about 80% of the time for homework. We got round any issues of computer problems at home by giving children who need it, more time on the computers at school. This has been effective and not a big issue.

Interesting Things

Starting to get really interesting in Rm 8. A couple of the children, who have shown little interest in reading or writing, are busy coming to school and wanting to run a session on things they have learned on the blog / read on the blog.

One of them shared the link "We Tell Stories". He lead the class through the process, using the Activboard, and used some pretty impressive questioning and then he linked it to the production!! How cool is that.

I felt incredibly proud of him.

He also encouraged others to read from the text. Everyone was supported. If they got a word wrong or hesitated, there were no judgments, just lots of quiet encouragement. What a way to end the day! :-)

Writing and Art on the Blog

I am loving seeing all of the children's writing on the blog. Just about to add their art too.

Wallwisher has been a valuable tool for recording their thoughts about the Dunedin trip. I would like to have a question of the week now which links to their inquiry and / or the production.

Loving seeing all the comments and feedback. Another relevant way to promote this. Great to be able to share in a wider context.

Playing with your mind

(-: ˙sıɥʇ ǝʞıl ǝʇıɹʍ oʇ ǝnuıʇuoɔ llıʍ ı ʞuıɥʇ ı ¿¿¿sʞɹoʍ sıɥʇ ʍoɥ ɹǝpuoʍ ı ¡ǝuoʎɹǝʌǝ ıɥ

Blog Day With Della

Really enjoyed the day. While I am still having trouble with creating separate accounts for the children with blogger.com, I have been able to set up their portfolios on Mahara, so it was fantastic to have the time to do this.

Thanks for all the encouragement Della.

My next step is to upload the reports to the individual portfolios which also have blogs attached to them. NOt sure if we can 'bling' them but that's my next step.

Looking forward to this week and being able to add the children's Dunedin learning. I want to brainstorm with them about how they can use ICT to show their learning in relevant and meaningful ways.

Have just figured out how to add their homework sheets to the blog which is great as it was one of my goals.

Use of ICT in Dunedin

We had a brilliant time in Dunedin. It was really exciting to see the ways the children

used their cameras and flip videos. They are interviewing each other about their thinking and learning and are going to post these onto the blog. They are also beginning to add to the wordwall on the blog and will make movies of their experiences that they can add to their own learning portfolios.

Interesting Uses of ICT / Vokis

I've just visited a class blog for a Year 1 class. They have used the Voki to ask questions and the

children can then click on comment and give their answers. They had some great spelling ideas too.

Lots of great ideas and links to other blogs.

http://room08sps.blogspot.com/

More Backgrounds

http://hotbliggityblog.com/

Hi everyone. Been playing with backgrounds just for fun and variety.

See what you think. Quite 'girly' though. If anyone finds some more

'masculine' ones please let me know.

There are two sides to every story...

There are two sides to every story...

The price of eggs

Brilliant Justine!  The enthusiasm you cultivate with your class is infectious - it has created a real positive vibe around the school.  Very cool.

ICT Fun and Games

Have loved exploring the resources Craig shared.

Working on upskilling IWB skills. Have cancelled After School Maths

Club with the intention of using this time to complete the online

courses at Promethean. Anyone else keen??

Showed the kids what we did on Friday and, of course, they took

everything on board and immediately decided how they could

adapt it to their own learning. Love my kids!

They are now working on identifying ways they can use ICT in the

trip to Dunedin next week. Very exciting! I can't wait to see what

they come up with. So proud of them.

Activboard Friday

Had a brilliant day exploring more about what the Activboard can do. SO much to learn! Really enjoyed finding out how to do and use containers properly - thanks Nat!!

Really looking forward to having a play around with all of these new skills this weekend.

E-learning and Inquiry

Enjoyed the QLC and it was great to have the time to be able to concentrate on the next stages in our Inquiry.

Really looking forward to the next techie.

It's been really exciting to see the innovative ways the technology is being used and adapted for learning by the children. They are awesome thinkers.

A Play with Adding A Keynote

Have had a play with adding a keynote using slideshare.net

I got so excited that I added it before I'd even finished it!!!

Will add it again but in the finished version.

Inquiry pd may 11

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Inquiry pd may 11

Inquiry pd may 11 from Justine Hughes / Deputy Principal/ Teacher

View more presentations from Justine8.

Flip Videos and Learning

Had a lot of fun today using the flip videos in reading and writing to find out more about where our epals live.

The children created their own rubrics for assessing their learning. They've taken to using these really well and are very critical thinkers when analysing their progress.

They recorded their questions and answers in lots of different ways. There is even a song coming so I'm told!

What a Week!

Have been flat out exploring setting up e-portfolios which is really exciting. Need to set up the children's blogs this week. They are so motivated and excited. They can't wait to begin them and add to them. It's so exciting to see children who don't really enjoy writing, passionate about being able to email their epals, add to their blogs and share their ideas with others around the world. Now, if we could only just add a few more hours to the day. Keep smiling. :-)

Kath Murdoch

What a fantastic day of learning from an inspirational person!
She certainly has a great way of encouraging self-reflection. Just imagine where we can go as learners with our children.
I want to get the thoughts and reactions of my class to the video of the 12 year old speaking about children. I've added the link to the class blog so that they can log their thinking.

Promethean Learning Level 1 Course

Hi everyone. I've enrolled in this course, (have actually been enrolled for a while but have not got my act together to start it yet!!). It's free to sign up to and covers all the basics of using the Activboard. You can complete it at your leisure - just as well - and I wondered if anyone else was interested in registering and completing it. It goes right up to a Level 3 course - free as well.

Thought it might be something good to explore with a group. Could be an hour after school each week? A couple of hours a fortnight? Most of the initial activities they take you through are quite short and easy to apply. Anyone interested?

Digistore

http://digistore.tki.org.nz/ec/p/home

Have spent some time exploring the whole of digistore. Have used it a lot for maths but have not put a lot of time into exploring everything else that's on it. Huge resource for English. Very interactive. Lots of comprehension activities.

You can create your own learning pathways and store your resources on the site under Myross Bush. You can also give each student a PIN so that they can complete the work online and teachers can see what knowledge the students have gained and where the next learning steps are.

Amazing number of resources for all curriculum areas.

Just use the same password that we have for the Maths Digistore section.

If anyone's keen, I'd love to spend some time after school one day exploring what else is on the site and build up resources for us to use. :-)

A Term's Reflection

I've been reflecting on how far we've come in such a short term. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. The amount of ICT that is being incorporated into the learning day is outstanding. It's been a great motivator for all of the children.

I've also loved sharing ideas and working with everyone experimenting and learning.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.

This Week's Exploration

I am really excited about helping the children create their own blogs. I know they will run with it and explore all the possibilities of blogging. It's exciting to see how they are already discussing ways to show their learning on the blogs.

Last week they ran sessions on using the Activboard to create puppet shows. This developed from the afternoon Craig spent working with them. They will need to show me again I think!

Just love the way they grab the technology and begin applying it straight away.

Have begun the Level 1 Promethean Course - a brilliant way to upskill and reinforce the work Craig is doing with us. Can't wait for the holidays to be able to have an extended play. Very lucky to have an Activboard at Deep Cove to be able to do this.

My holiday jobs are to complete the basic sign up for the children's blogs and to set up their e-pals. We should have a contact class or two by the start of Term 2. Very exciting. Another way to apply and share their learning. A wider audience for their writing too.

Exploring Comic Life

We are exploring using Comic Life to show our learning this week. A real buzz to see how excited and confident the children are in using their skills to teach others.

Our next step is to begin to set up the blogs and attach them to our class one.

Cybersafety - Hector's World

http://hectorsworld.netsafe.org.nz/

This is a great link to help teachers, students and parents learn about cybersafety. Has activities and information. Good teaching ideas. Good for all ages. A great place to explore.

A very busy week checking out other blogs and pinching ideas. Have added lots of bits and pieces to the class blog. Feel free to pinch as well. The kids were very excited about our blog being visited from someone in the UK.

Looking forward to setting up the kids blogs this week, investigating the e-portfolios on Mahara - the hard copy of the book is coming.

Focusing on Comic Life and finishing the first webquest this week.

Myspace Fun Flash Comments

Have had a wonderful week seeing the children's excitement when they learn new skills. Having three of them run a workshop and teaching all of the others - and me - about keynote presentations, was one of the best teaching experiences ever!

It is a real buzz to hear all the ways the children can see that this learning and knowledge can be applied. They are talking about running camera skills workshops and then applying this to iPhoto and then to comic Life - that's their goal next week.

Really proud of them. So exciting to be learning with them.

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive. ~Eleonora Duse

http://www.monsterexchange.org/

Here's something really cool that our writers could be involved in. If you want a

collaborative writing project, this could be one to try.

ICT Explorations

We are having an awesome day exploring blogs. There are so many amazing blogs!

Great to have Della leading us and also being able to have time to explore without the pressures of trying to teach at the same time. :-)