Blogs again

"If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow."- John Dewey (1859 - 1952)

Could I talk about blogging - weblogging - once more?
Maybe a class weblog is the answer to running your class web site. It's very easy to set up and from there, very easy to update and maintain. You can add images and links easily and parents could easily add feedback! You could also use Flickr or MSN to store your class digital photos and link from your web page to there. Use the web!
Instructions for setting up an account to create an online photo album using MSN.
Let me know if you would like to try setting up a class website like this or have a look at these free blog sites:
http://www.blogger.com/start
http://edublogs.org/
http://www.xanga.com/
Examples of classroom blogs:
http://marykreul.teacherhosting.com/blog/
http://stephaniedean.edublogs.org/
http://theopenclassroom.blogspot.com/
http://bobsprankle.com/blog/
or
http://mamamusings.net/
In support of student blogs:
http://www.rediff.com/netguide/2003/jun/12media.htm
Western Australian Dept of Education site on Weblogs in the classroom:
http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/index.htm



Question of the week: How many Planets are there in our Solar System? Answer Here




This week's interesting websites:


How to Eat Fried Worms is a book by Thomas Rockwell about to become a movie:
Trailer:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/newline/howtoeatfriedworms/
Book Unit:
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading/fried_worms_unit.htm


The National Gallery in London has a current feature - Reflections on the Water - well worth a virtual tour: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/collection/features/potm/aug/feature1.htm?GXHC_GX_jst=8258c07950ea6164

More next week

R

Images this week - Central Otago Rail Trail, New Zealand.

Reflective Weblogs

Well done those who picked velcro as the mystery picture in Post 5 - absolutely spot on!

This week: Reflective Weblogs in the Classroom

Have you ever thought of using blogs in your class programme as a means of reflection? Reading log? These sites have information about classroom blogs:
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/voice/voice123.shtml
http://www.eschoolnews.com/eti/2005/06/000882.php

The Western Australian Dept of Ed has this Weblogs in the Classroom site:
http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/

On Thursday Nigel Horrocks talked about blogs on Nine to Noon. Here is a podcast of what he had to say. Put it on your Ipod and listen on the way home!

If you are interested in getting your students to try weblogging as a writing genre, talk to me and I will help you get it set up.

Jamie McKenzie's latest article builds on his idea of the "Slam Dunk Lesson." In this he takes you through using digital resources to create a slam dunk lesson aka structured learning activity. http://fno.org/sum06/slamdunk.html These are a great way of using digital resources with plenty of scaffolding to support learners.

And the websites of the week?

Add (!) this site to your maths numeracy drill sites. Easy to follow maths games and activities. http://www.visualmathlearning.com/ex_games/ex_games.html

Speaking of maths, Sudoku is a good warm up activity. Try this site for daily children's sudoku at various levels. Download puzzle as adobe acrobat, then select copy and paste... http://www.dailysudoku.com/sudoku/kids/
The parent website has adult Sudoku:
http://www.dailysudoku.com/sudoku/index.shtml
And, if that's too easy, try Samurai Sudoku
http://www.samurai-sudoku.com/

Finally: Diary of Tech Supporter
Tuesday morning - seemed like a pretty normal day.
Phone call from John - can't get remote access to work - will work on that.
Notice that some computers are not logging on
Boys from Year 8 arrive complaining that computers in classroom are not logging on.
Check servers - all appear to be normal.
Check switches - all appear to be working, but decide one must be causing the problem.
Isolate the switch and reboot it.
Still not working.
Call switch supplier to organise a replacement unit.
Visit classroom to move access point to different switch.
Check mobile trolley - notice strange arrangemant of utp cables: Printer cable goes to access point. Other cable goes from wall socket to wall socket thus creating a loop to the switch. Hmmm.
Route cables correctly
Switch works correctly
Lunchtime!

Pictures this week from Flikr.com
Technorati Tags:
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Websites Blogs and Podcasts

First a puzzle. Look at the picture and tell me what you think it is. It is a magnification, and it may help to know that the image is calle vc. Answers here!





Websites, blogs and podcasts:

Mathcasts aka maths movie are whiteboard animations of maths processes. Worth a look:
http://www.mathcasts.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

This is a Wikipedia site which summarises the popularity of social networking websites like Bebo and MySpace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_sites

Interesting blog entry on the use of video games in the classroom. http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2006/08/09/games-in-classrooms-or-classrooms-in-games/
And the podcast of the above including investigating the interface between the classroom and the information landscape. http://m2.slapcast.com/mp3/dwarlick/dwarlick-2006-08-12.mp3

Worth a look - allegedly the world's largest online library: http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp

This podcast features audio from the Annika Small’s talk entitled ” How can technology transform the way people learn?”. This talk was partof education.au limited’s “So what’schanged?” event, held at theWentworth Sofitel Hotel, Sydney Australiaon August 4th, 2006. http://media.educationau.edu.au/pod4.mp3

And put Library week in your diary (18 to 24 September) http://www.libraryweek.org.nz/

Not to mention the fact that this week is maths week. http://www.mathsweek.org.nz/mw06/

And finally, are we heading this way? The PE teacher who forbids running as it's too dangerous. http://raisingsuccessfulchildren.com/feedingdreams/?p=5

R

PC Schools

Friday again! The 3 days spent at the PCSchools conference were an invaluable in-depth time which gave me a much better grasp of what the software is able to do and how we can best use it.

In the next few weeks I'll input 2006 standardised test results and install a web based browser for staff access. This browser has a simpler, more direct interface which will mean it's quicker to access student information, print class reports, input and access assessment data etc.

Some websites for this week. We've been talking about blogs..... there's a bit of a blog war going on in the Middle East - the good thing about blogs is that no-one gets hurt:

• On the Face -- Lisa Goldman, a 39-year-old Canadian-born Israeli in Tel Aviv
• LebaneseBloggers -- Raja, who recently got his master's degree at Johns Hopkins and returned to Baltimore after being in Beirut for the beginning of the bombing
• PerpetualRefugee -- A Lebanese executive with a multinational corporation
• On the Edge -- Ami Ben-Basset, an Israeli writer

Have a look at the updated Drama NZ website: http://www.drama.org.nz/

Perhaps the best Vincent van Gogh Website: http://www.vggallery.com/

I don't suppose Vincent had Lego in mind: http://www.brillig.com/lego/starry_night/

How about some Jackson Pollock: http://www.manetas.com/pollock/jacksonpollock_by_miltos_manetas.swf

Middle Ages study? Search the Domesday Book: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/domesday/

Need homework ideas? try some anagrams: http://wordsmith.org/anagram/hof.html

I mentioned Flickr before. Classroom idea from Flickr - Digital story telling - tell a story with 5 photos. Have a look at the Flickr version: http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/ You could use Moviemaker of Powerpoint to present them.........

Podcasts and Websites

First of all it would be great to have some comments on Post 2 - or rather some of the material in it. I will try to post to this blog once a week with a mixture of information which may be useful to you.

The link below will download a podcast from Nine to Noon where Katherine interviews an Australian Author (sorry, I've temporarily forgotten her name) who is critical of the way we dissect writing into various genre. She feels it has had a negative effect on creative writing. Worth a listen....

Click to Download Podcast

Go on - give it a go! You could do some marking while you listen.

Now - Web sites of the week.........

Children's Literature site specialising in classic literature.

Very good movie making site.

Or this site which give you ways to use the free software Photo movie .

Last week we talked about Flikr - the shared photo website.

And, if you want to download Google Earth click here.

Enough for this week.

R

Professional Development Day

“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”– Albert Einstein

Friday:

We will have a look at where we are with ICT and take into account the information horizon as far as we can scan it today………….

What are the characteristics of our learners today?

Marc Prensky estimates that by the time an individual reaches 21 years of age they will have spent:
5,000 hours reading
10,000 hours playing video games
10,000 hours on the cell phone
20,000 hours watching TV
In addition, he estimates the individual will have sent 200,000 emails

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generations

Characteristics of The Net Generation:

• They are able to multitask / multiprocess: Net-geners can do several things at once.

• They "have little tolerance for delays." They expect webpages to load quickly, responses to e-mail immediately, etc. (Skiba)

• They tend to be more comfortable constructing their knowledge than being instructed.

• They prefer to be interactive: "They want to be users--not just viewers or listeners." (Tapscott, 1998, p.3)

http://davidwarlick.com/wiki-warlick/index.php?title=Retooling_for_the_Millennial_Child

or Educating the Net Generation

Some stats: MySpace Youtube

World's Largest Airlines: Number of aircraft in 2006
American Airlines 707
Federal Express 635
United Parcel Service 577
Delta Air Lines 535
United Airlines 495

Warren's stuff - The Upper Limit Hypothesis

Where does that leave us at Wellesley?

• Inquiry Learning – We have reinvigorated our approach to inquiry Learning

• Closely integrated ICT – Our 2004 strategy and 2005 Information Policy – ICT equipment – 5 computers per class + laptop trolleys

• Our planning – pins thinking skills and ICT to all class planning

• Moving towards a customised collaborative intranet (Mindspring) which provides resources and links for all learners and the wider school community

• Digital Learning Objects

• Smartboards

The ICT Learning Landscape 2006+:

Web 2.0
Wikis
Blogging David Farrar Russell Brown Rodney Hide Facts

Podcast
- U.S. Adults Warming Up To Podcasts
Videocast
RSS News feeds
Real time chatting
Distributed Learning / Intranet Moodle Explained

Digital Learning Objects
Smartboard technology
Personal Digital Devices

More stuff.

Flat Classrooms - David Warlick
Jamie McKenzie - The Art of Communication


Information Management at Wellesley

• ref Student Learning in the Information Landscape

With the huge increases in the volume of information and students’ use of the internet, it has become crucial that students learn how to evaluate the authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency and coverage of the information they get from a wide range of sources

• Research Cycle - does this make sense?
  

PC Schools Timeline

January 2006 - Student Management and Finance System Running

July 2006 - System being used by all Staff

August - December 2006 - Curriculum System introduced

- Behaviour System used

January 2007 - Curriculum System training

March 2007 - PAT and STAR + input from classroom

Attendance data input replaces attendance register?

July 2007 - System replaces progress card?

learning ict

Wellesley

This site will be updated with web based teacher resources for Wellesley College. These ideas come from a variety of sources.

Use Inspiration? have a look at Inspiration Data:
"InspireData™ applies the proven strategies of visual learning to data literacy, inspiring students to discover meaning as they collect and explore data in a dynamic inquiry process. "

http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiredata/index.cfm

More soon.