Elearning Stuff

As we move into the second half of 2011 there are a couple of themes on the ICT Landscape: Elearning and 1 to 1 computing. You may have read about Orewa College’s plans for next year.

iPads in schools - are we missing the point?

Partly pushing all this is the proliferation of elearning apps and opps (opportunities) which have meant that so much learning can be undertaken with just a web browser whether that’s on an ipod, ipad, tablet, phone or computer.  So here are a range of elearning  apps that I have seen in the past couple of months:

First up a dictionary of e-learning Jargon

Brainstorming? Gathering ideas? Try Popplet

 

Writing Re-Launched: Teaching with Digital Tools:

Scribblar – Online collaboration – shared whiteboard.

Online painting:

Create animations online:

 

Students as curators of Information.

More educational Apps can be found here:

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/06/new-educational-apps-of-the-month-3/

http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/elearning-freebies/

http://classroom.4teachers.org/

http://bigthink.com/ideas/30689

http://dakinane.com/blog/resources/

http://spedapps2.wikispaces.com/

http://playingwithmedia.com/tepsa11-ipad-workshop

Ipad apps: http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/2011/06/apps-for-getting-students-really.html

Take your smartphone when you’re out walking? Tree identification App

Khan Academy + http://www.khanacademy.org/#browse ……….. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/ff_khan/all/1

Scott McLeod : http://bigthink.com/ideas/38698 Why use Twitter??

Older, but excellent example of in depth learning using digital tools:

http://www.thinkinginmind.com/cigar-box-project/ 

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Matrix – Technology Integration:

http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php

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http://interactioneducation.com/ipadsineducation.html#.ThNRJ4Iod5Y.twitter

Adding Content::

Titled because once we have a learning management system up and running, we need to be able to add content which helps us enhance it as a learning tool.

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What a great writing idea for older children. Uses a Facebook model (Fakewall) to get students to create a Facebook wall of a famous person. For example Cinderella

or John Lennon:

http://www.myfakewall.com

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Video is very easy to embed as is any other interactive media. Embedding video means you can get rid of all the distractions of other videos and ugly comments on Youtube.

This is a great NZ resource on NZ films and videos. There are some classic music videos too

http://www.nzonscreen.com/

And teacher tube has a range of educational videos….

And from an inspiration point of view, try Edtalks – a NZ site with a range of addresses from NZ educators

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Info-graphics make great class talking points too. Have a look at the ones below.

 

Info-graphic:  Radiation chart:

Fun fact: eating one single banana gives you a higher dose of radiation than living 50 miles from a (functional) nuclear power plant for a year.

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An InfoGraphic of Number Ones – Every country is number one at something – Guess what we are! Or better still what do you thing Australians are number on at??

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/because-every-country-is-the-best-at-something/#

This one provides a visual representation of how much longer out resources will last.

http://www.trec-uk.org.uk/articles/NS_2007-05-23/26051202.jpg

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Inspiration has always been a popular brainstorming / mindmapping application. We have a limited number of licences so Inspiration is not on our computer image by default. There are some alternative web based applications which have the advantage of being free and also being available from home and school.

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What’s you reaction to ebooks for children used on a touch pad such as an Ipad?

The future of print: 21 interesting e-books for kids

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Why Laptops? The reasoning provided by the ICT Director at Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland for their laptop programme. Compelling information:

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ICT Literacy for 2011

Web 2.0

I haven’t sent anything around for a long time so here’s some more stuff to think about.  Recently I sent a page around with things Andrew brainstormed for his class to use in ICT and learning. The links below take you to sites which list web2.0 tools you can use in your classroom:

• http://www.web20atschool.net/
• http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/
• http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listweb20s.html

Remember that if you find something you wish to use with your class, you can place a link or embed the site on your KnowledgeNet class site.

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Infographics

A great way to look at information in a way which makes sense. This one looks at video game statistics. 

or you can work out how much radiation you expose yourself to each day or night. Very topical.

A TED video with a novel way of presenting health information:

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Music listening Infographic – The future of music

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Quick Ideas

Ideas for using a digital camera in the classroom.

Using a Flip camera in the classroom.

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Not much I can say about this one – it does resonate slightly with Monday’s staff meeting…..

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August 2010

This month, a mixture of videos and links to ICT related information. I’m very keen for us to keep pushing the boundaries with ICT in the classroom – if there is something you want to try,

• skyping an overseas school
• editing digital images and video and music
• online presentations
• blogging for children
• using knowledgenet
• e-reflections
• e-portfolios

let me know and I will give you a hand. In the meantime, let me know what you think of some of the links below:

TKI

Have you tried the new TKI website?

 

John Hattie

Professor John Hattie asks if teachers in their critical role as change agents, are too focused on the short term horizon - national standards, literacy and numeracy - when they should be focused on using literacy and numeracy to engage more students in the pursuit of learning.

David Warlick

is always worth reading – This post called Technology for 21st Century talsk about the importance of providing children with ready access to computers as opposed to dumping technology on them. Worth considering as we think about 1 to 1 laptop programmes in schools.

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=2712

and part 2 ……. What ICT is going to help my children learn by helping them to become literate, resourceful, and habitual learners — engaged in a learning lifestyle?

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=2706

Game Playing

Ewan McIntosh describes how in a “flexible curriculum” games can be used as a basis for creative writing and speaking, across curriculum areas, and for cross-curricular studies.

Handheld Computers

If you think inputting text into handheld devices is slow, take a look at this. Found through Derek Wenmoth’s blog:

http://blog.core-ed.net/derek/2010/08/prepare-to-change-the-way-we-write.html 

50 words a minute! This has some fairly major implications about the way we view and think about handheld devices – at school?

Core Ed’s Top Ten Trends for 2010:

Go to the web page and scroll to the bottom of the page…….

Interesting Fact:  Amazon has been selling hardback books for 15 years; it began selling its Kindle reader and the e-books to go with it less than three years ago.

Yet this past spring and early summer, Amazon sold 143 e-books for every 100 hardcover books, a gap that is widening quickly.

Food for Thought:

Reading, Libraries and Mathematics

Booktalks – Connect your class to a NZ author. Have a look at this new resource – Classes can use Skype to set up video interviews.

http://www.booktalks.org.nz/

This is a brief presentation on Libraries as the are and as they should be by an American Library expert. Provides food for thought>

 

And finally, an excellent TED talk on maths which, while it is aimed at Secondary level, discusses the importance of critical problemsolving – ie not providing answer choices. Again worth listening to.

The importance of Social Media

Why we need to take social networking seriously. An update on the statistics:

April - May 2010

Following on from Mark Treadwell’s talk on Monday, I like the post below from Doug Johnson which reaaly illustrates the point about memory…….

When a good memory works against you

Friday, April 30, 2010 at 06:51AM

I was visiting with a local Verizon telephone support person yesterday (we were both chaperones on a middle school field trip - great fun). She made an interesting comment about her job.

When someone calls with a question about his/her cell phone operations, the person providing support is expected to use a database to get the correct answer. If the support person does not go to the database but relies on memory instead, it will result in a negative performance evaluation. Things change so quickly in the field that not checking for the most recent "fix" is irresponsible.

A system that rewards good interpersonal skills and the ability to find and use information? A system in which a good memory is not only unecessary but possibly a liability?

The ability to memorize has always been a critical skill for success in traditional education. (Memorize the capitols of all the countries in Central America, the quadratic equation, today's Spanish vocabulary words, the three branches of government, the dates of World War II ... )

Are we rewarding an obsolete skill set when we give top grades to those with good memories? After all, wouldn't you want your physician, car mechanic, airline pilot, etc. checking for updates rather than relying on a good memory?

Standardised Testing – Sir Ken Robinson

Really worth a listen.

Karen:

Being part of the Schools Loop means we can access the KAREN network for resources such as these:

http://wiki.karen.net.nz/index.php/KAREN_Content

Online magazines:

Online magazines which have content relating to teaching and leaning. Perhaps this is why I need an IPad??

http://thejournal.com/home.aspx

http://www.bbcfocusmagazine.com/

Interface magazine. As you know, the print version of this magazine is well written – aimed at teachers. There is also the website which is worth visiting for links.

Water

A Short video on the reality of bottled water: