tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14875927615760020182024-03-16T11:52:43.066-07:00The Learning CurveLife is a learning journey and I am headed up a mountain! This blog will chronicle my musings and learnings as I continue to discover more and more about teaching. I hope I never reach the top!Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-42868078484141315552016-05-16T01:18:00.000-07:002016-05-16T01:18:08.805-07:00Displaying Data Visually<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Over the past few weeks I have worked with students in different year levels to consider how data can be represented visually.<br />Here is the developmental sequence within the <a href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/digital-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1" target="_blank">Digital Technologies</a> curriculum:</span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><i><span style="color: blue;">Prep to Year 2:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Collect, explore and sort </span><a class="glossary-term-link ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/glossary/popup?a=T&t=data" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(118, 118, 118); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="Display the glossary entry for data">data</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">, and use digital systems to present the </span><a class="glossary-term-link ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/glossary/popup?a=T&t=data" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(118, 118, 118); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="Display the glossary entry for data">data</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">creatively </span><a class="code ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/curriculum/contentdescription/ACTDIP003" style="cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="View additional details of ACTDIP003">(ACTDIP003)</a></span></i></span></h4>
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<span style="color: blue; font-weight: normal;"><i>Year 3 and Year 4:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Collect, access and present different types of </span><a class="glossary-term-link ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/glossary/popup?a=T&t=data" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(118, 118, 118); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="Display the glossary entry for data">data</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> using simple software to create information and solve problems </span><a class="code ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/curriculum/contentdescription/ACTDIP009" style="cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="View additional details of ACTDIP009">(ACTDIP009)</a></i></span></h4>
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<span style="color: blue; font-weight: normal;"><i>Year 5 and Year 6:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Acquire, store and validate different types of </span><a class="glossary-term-link ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/glossary/popup?a=T&t=data" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(118, 118, 118); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="Display the glossary entry for data">data</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">, and use a range of software to interpret and visualise </span><a class="glossary-term-link ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/glossary/popup?a=T&t=data" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(118, 118, 118); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="Display the glossary entry for data">data</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> to create information </span><a class="code ajax-lightbox" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/curriculum/contentdescription/ACTDIP016" style="cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="View additional details of ACTDIP016">(ACTDIP016)</a></i></span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />In Year 2 and Year 3, I introduced the idea of displaying data visually using glyphs. A glyph is a picture that shows data using a particular code. The glyph itself is a visual display of data, but follow up activities could involve students looking at glyphs created by classmates to make tallies in a table, to create graphs about various attributes or to look for patterns and trends. You can read more about using glyphs in the classroom and see more examples <a href="http://mathwire.com/glyphs/glyphs.html" target="_blank">in this article</a>.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />With my Year 2 students, we took a basic image I had created of a gingerbread man and used a glyph code I had found online to decorate the gingerbread man in the <a href="http://drawingpadapp.com/" target="_blank">Drawing Pad</a> app.<br />Students saved the image from the webpage I had shared with them and then placed it on the "paper" background so they could add embellishments without the gingerbread man moving all over the place. After I had done the activity with a few classes, one of the Year 2 students showed me how you can stamp the image to the background to achieve pretty much the same affect. This is why I like working with Year 2 students. Someone always learns something in every lesson - and it's usually me.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzen2Z62yBZ8vpdAO7udPK1AnBnuG0CgU0qZUdJoPlxGev9aB8XhptTR5UEf4IRsZIaHLEmFUwaJ2Yc_TmpmbirwtxrhAhegPEMsruivR_k4G7bNQ85XiSd3oTDLWaMDSxf2Er6zXEz6I/s1600/Gingerbread.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzen2Z62yBZ8vpdAO7udPK1AnBnuG0CgU0qZUdJoPlxGev9aB8XhptTR5UEf4IRsZIaHLEmFUwaJ2Yc_TmpmbirwtxrhAhegPEMsruivR_k4G7bNQ85XiSd3oTDLWaMDSxf2Er6zXEz6I/s400/Gingerbread.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To brighten up my new classroom space, I had the Year 3 students create their glyphs using paper. They made owls using a template I created and a code that I shared with them on the webpage for Year 3.<br />They look great on the wall and the display has attracted interest from students in other classes as well who have looked for patterns and trends among the attributes of the Year 3 students using the data displayed in the glyphs.</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsj9krl-9Wx-b_W7tir-y3906WLsJakurhv_q5O_BvlR-JrxBa2S3P6td9FvrrHQP-DoJIrRs8PDTGpvb2AKER8zVPpGZ5Tcg_Enf9l4GxIx-4Lec6qQPU21YksHZ4Xeijv4tz2YhRSo/s1600/owlglyph.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsj9krl-9Wx-b_W7tir-y3906WLsJakurhv_q5O_BvlR-JrxBa2S3P6td9FvrrHQP-DoJIrRs8PDTGpvb2AKER8zVPpGZ5Tcg_Enf9l4GxIx-4Lec6qQPU21YksHZ4Xeijv4tz2YhRSo/s640/owlglyph.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-758hb61A35WuAz1fd9ZpxW9UwDu2AijzE3AyAnoI_Byio1Zz9oJw8MK2Q947Ew_Xc-LPQwFdGqEP_ZVWjKCyVI3G03C0zBP3M_1S7BloAil11DbAxN_O9HAQxQoCV8F8bbG4-RtFKik/s1600/IMG_4003.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-758hb61A35WuAz1fd9ZpxW9UwDu2AijzE3AyAnoI_Byio1Zz9oJw8MK2Q947Ew_Xc-LPQwFdGqEP_ZVWjKCyVI3G03C0zBP3M_1S7BloAil11DbAxN_O9HAQxQoCV8F8bbG4-RtFKik/s320/IMG_4003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1s90qAFM7FwET03FTkfTxQzrofmUyVd39Ev97hcnlEJD9TDSRWSW1jpJoL1kGQlR6pSEuf_E9e0cow9GD_qsyGO9tJrm4MB9XSPwnESNZUvVynGBLrC4cwvQO9K4KBpiCTy0P4ysFapw/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1s90qAFM7FwET03FTkfTxQzrofmUyVd39Ev97hcnlEJD9TDSRWSW1jpJoL1kGQlR6pSEuf_E9e0cow9GD_qsyGO9tJrm4MB9XSPwnESNZUvVynGBLrC4cwvQO9K4KBpiCTy0P4ysFapw/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In Year 6, the students have had a few introductory experiences using the <a href="http://www.apple.com/au/ios/numbers/" target="_blank">Numbers</a> spreadsheet app, entering data, playing with different cell formats and data types, and creating charts. We are now working towards creating their own infographics using <a href="https://about.canva.com/ipad/" target="_blank">Canva</a>. Infographics are a great way to explore different ways of displaying data visually.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_05wEFD1Qnu_0wW8mNkrHr4KJr9Ak8a380XFLm0v3oIlYrm0hXlP1nVdmI13CPgUnYVh0GurtFXjtwRkZxbbqMBmy0kCxvmyh18yUuImzkg6kHbA0d7lThb6DkQx_EVBpcjTi2vklTNA/s1600/3087809_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_05wEFD1Qnu_0wW8mNkrHr4KJr9Ak8a380XFLm0v3oIlYrm0hXlP1nVdmI13CPgUnYVh0GurtFXjtwRkZxbbqMBmy0kCxvmyh18yUuImzkg6kHbA0d7lThb6DkQx_EVBpcjTi2vklTNA/s640/3087809_orig.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from <a href="http://www.hotbutterstudio.com/#/alps/" target="_blank">Hot Butter Studio</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1487592761576002018%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-yD8jtm5PB28%2FVzl9-8qemLI%2FAAAAAAAABCk%2Fs9bU7Q97UgkA3lRPEXZWZDZ2shFuldbuwCK4B%2Fs640%2Fowlglyph.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=1HT18tYBXKup&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1043px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1487592761576002018%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-yD8jtm5PB28%2FVzl9-8qemLI%2FAAAAAAAABCk%2Fs9bU7Q97UgkA3lRPEXZWZDZ2shFuldbuwCK4B%2Fs640%2Fowlglyph.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=1HT18tYBXKup&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1043px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-57649375122569482712016-05-16T00:35:00.000-07:002016-05-16T00:35:09.646-07:00The start of another exciting chapterI have recently started a brand new role in a different school as "Digital Learning Facilitator". I'm now on the steepest learning curve ever as I try to wrap my head around a whole new role, facilitating implementation of the new Digital Technologies curriculum, supporting the integration of ICT general capability, providing professional development and mentoring for teachers in digital pedagogy and promoting STEAM within the school. Massive? Yes - but exciting at the same time.<br />
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I've decided that I really need to start blogging some of my experiences again so I am "practising what I preach" and model reflective practice and professional sharing. Here's to a new beginning and the hint of exciting things to come!<br />
<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-73486047337425880812015-03-24T02:32:00.002-07:002015-03-24T02:32:18.874-07:00It takes a village...After almost 8 weeks of consistent effort with my students this year to improve their writing skills, I feel that today I have had a memorable moment!<br />
My 27 Year 4 students are good little students and okay writers, but eight weeks ago, they were happy enough to give me a response that was "near enough" and not quite good enough.<br />
Little things like capital letters, punctuation and editing for basic spelling were not a high priority for them. If they felt they had completed a task with a mediocre effort, they saw no point in refining their response, editing their work, or sometimes even putting a capital letter for their own name.<br />
Turning them around to actually taking some pride in their work has not happened overnight but lots of practice and feedback, feedback and more feedback has had some effect on their writing habits.<br />
Earlier in the year we watched this great short video about feedback:<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hqh1MRWZjms/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hqh1MRWZjms?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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We discussed the role of feedback in helping us to grow as learners and the students have had many opportunities to give and receive feedback and to reflect on what they learnt from the feedback.<br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>This week we are looking at how we are part of a bigger, global community of learners, and my success with my young writers can be attributed to the work of other passionate and dedicated educators around the globe.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>In particular, I can thank three great educators for my success as a classroom teacher this week:</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Julia Skinner <a href="https://twitter.com/100word" target="_blank">@100word</a> from the <a href="https://100wc.net/" target="_blank">100 Word Challenge</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Sue Wyatt <a href="https://twitter.com/tasteach" target="_blank">@tasteach</a> from the <a href="http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/" target="_blank">Student Blogging Challenge</a> and</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>David Mitchell <a href="https://twitter.com/DeputyMitchell" target="_blank">@DeputyMitchell</a> from <a href="http://www.quadblogging.com/" target="_blank">Quadblogging</a></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Each of these people is passionate about making a difference to the learning of students not only in their own schools, but all over the world. They share their amazing talents and energies to assist other teachers like me to make a real difference in classrooms all over the globe.</b></span><br />
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This year is the first time I have been involved with the <a href="https://100wc.net/" target="_blank">100 Word Challenge</a> after having seen it somewhere (probably Twitter) a while back. Each week Mrs Skinner posts a prompt and around 2000 students from around the globe respond to the prompt in 100 words. They post their responses to a class or student blog and then a band of volunteers provide specific and effective feedback to the students about their writing. The look on the faces of students as they discover that their assignment has been read and appreciated by someone from another part of the world, is priceless.<br />
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The <a href="http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/" target="_blank">Student Blogging Challenge</a> was a (very) lucky find after I decided to try using Edublogs as my blogging platform for my class this year. The Student Blogging Challenge has been running since 2008 and through the weekly activities that are interesting and relevant to student bloggers. As a bonus, many activities align quite well with a lot of aspects from the Digital Technologies curriculum and ICT capability continuum from the Australian Curriculum. Participating in the challenge (I'm only four weeks in) has already helped to push me as an educator into trying new things or rediscovering old tricks. I know my students are benefiting from their involvement too. So far, we have focussed on protection of personal information, writing quality comments, and understanding creative commons and copyright issues. All of these are important issues for digital citizens and learning these things alongside hundreds of other students and teachers from around the world makes our learning even more exciting and purposeful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.quadblogging.com/" target="_blank">Quadblogging</a> is something I have been involved with before. I have just been assigned to a quad for this year and after sending out a first welcome email to our quadblogging buddy teachers and adding their blogs to our side panel so the students can easily access their blogs, I am eagerly anticipating getting started on a new adventure with classes from Sweden, US and UK.<br />
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What these three opportunities have in common is that they have given my students a real purpose for their learning and particularly for their writing. When you know that someone else (besides the teacher) is going to read your work, then there is suddenly a reason to make sure that what you have to say is both interesting and well punctuated. While they enjoy reading and commenting on their classmate's work, receiving a comment from a stranger who has taken time out of their day to say how much they have enjoyed what they have to share is so much more special.<br />
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So today,<a href="http://4b2015.edublogs.org/2015/03/24/world-water-day/" target="_blank"> we shared our thoughts on how we can save water</a> after <a href="http://www.sim.org.au/events/e/world-water-day-sunday-22-march-150322" target="_blank">World Water Day 2015</a> and as I approved the comments a tear came to my eye as I noticed how far they have come as a class with taking pride in their work and editing for punctuation and basic spelling. While their sentences are still not perfect (and I have some concerns for the hygiene of the child who has pledged to have 40 second showers in a bid to save water) I can see that all the hard work is paying off. (If you have time to <a href="http://4b2015.edublogs.org/2015/03/24/world-water-day/" target="_blank">drop by the class blog</a> and leave a comment - they really love comments)<br />
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Thank you to those inspiring educators who inspire me and challenge me to push my students to new heights! </span></b><br />
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-67120720279210397712015-03-01T15:18:00.001-08:002015-03-01T15:18:13.338-08:00Pulling myself togetherOver the past year or so (about the same time period when I dropped off the blogging radar) I have been busily creating websites to pull together lesson plans and units I had written, taught and collaborated on.<br />
I was inspired by some of the great work being produced by professional organisations around Australia who have created "one stop spots" for a number of units. These webpages house ready-to-teach units of work that are aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Typically these websites contain information about how the unit addresses specific aspects of the curriculum, lesson plans or ideas, resources, assessment ideas and links to other online resources.<br />
Here are some of the really good ones I have discovered:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://e4ac.edu.au/" target="_blank">E4AC - English for the Australian Curriculum</a></li>
<li><a href="http://scienceweb.asta.edu.au/" target="_blank">ASTA Science Web</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.geogspace.edu.au/" target="_blank">Geogspace</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.achistoryunits.edu.au/home/website-home.html" target="_blank">AC History Units</a></li>
</ul>
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All of these sites have excellent units that can be used as is, or adapted to suit your class.<br />
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I decided that a website might be a good way to pull together planning ideas into an easier to follow unit plan with links to useful online resources and downloadable files. One of my earlier attempts is an English unit: <a href="http://whodunnitunit.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Whodunnit?</a> I have also created a website to house all of my planning for an entire year in <a href="http://year4curriculum.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Year 4</a>.<br />
As more and more schools are increasing student access to technology in the classroom and many are going 1:1, I wanted to develop online resources that would support teachers in planning quality learning experiences aligned to the Australian Curriculum but also create websites that would be accessible to students using laptops or iPads.<br />
I worked with some Year 4 teachers and their classes last year to plan and implement a Science and Technologies unit, <a href="http://buildathemepark.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Let's Build a Theme Park</a>. In this project, I tried to include things that would be useful to both teachers and students, including a clear inquiry structure (using the 5Es) and Learning Intentions for the unit.<br />
Some colleagues in Year 2 asked me to create some audio recordings of some stories about St Francis of Assisi for a unit they were doing on Saints Who Care About Creation. I needed somewhere to put these so that they would easily be able to find them that year, and into the future. I created a website called <a href="http://creationwhocares.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Creation, Who Cares?</a> and was able to link numerous resources that I found or created to support them during the time that they were teaching this unit.<br />
My aim is to now pull together other units I have taught or worked on in the past so that they are easier to share with other teachers. As I am teaching units this year in Year 4, I will create other websites to support my students and to curate my planning ideas.<br />
Since I have now ended up with a diverse collection of units and trying to explain to people where they might go to find them is becoming more challenging, I created a virtual home for myself to curate my collection as it evolves.<br />
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<a href="http://janebatham.weebly.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">janebatham.weebly.com</span></a></div>
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Please take a look at what I am working on and feel free to share this work with others. I am hoping that by sharing what I have done so far I will get plenty of feedback from others so I can improve as I go. Knowing that others find these resources useful will help me to remain motivated to complete the task.<br />
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-63374086981361944582015-02-28T23:52:00.000-08:002015-02-28T23:52:30.608-08:00The 100 Word ChallengeThis week I tried the 100WC with my students for the first time.<br />
If you have never heard of the 100 Word Challenge, then you can find out more about how to enter on their website: <a href="http://100wc.net/">100wc.net</a><br />
Basically, once a week, some amazingly committed and enthusiastic educator posts a writing prompt and then children from all over the world write 100 words inspired by the prompt and posts it to a class or student blog.<br />
The great thing about the 100WC is that the students can become part of a global community of young writers who are all working together to get better at their craft.<br />
A team of dedicated parents and teachers (known as Team 100WC) volunteer to read and comment on the students' work. Students who enter are also encouraged to read other entries and to comment on other people's work.<br />
At the end of the week a select few entries are chosen to be the "showcase entries" for the week. This gives students something to aim for, but also an easy way to identify some entries that are good examples of writing.<br />
It was only our first round, but I was so excited by the way that my class were so motivated to write, read, reflect, write, read and write as they posted their own work and commented on their classmates and read the comments they received.<br />
We did have some discussion about comments the week before.<br />
I used the T.H.I.N.K. acronym to introduce a discussion about what might be appropriate or inappropriate in an online discussion. Since some of my kids have appeared to have confused blog comments with "chat", we really discussed the "helpful" and "necessary" components. I added to our blog expectations that the comments needed to be on topic, as opposed to random chit-chat.<br />
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We also watched one of my good-ole-favrits: <a href="http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/how-to-compose-quality-comment.html" target="_blank">Mrs Yollis' Guide to Writing Quality Comments</a>.<br />
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This week as part of our focus on the qualities of a good learner, we looked at the role of feedback in helping us to reflect on our work so that we can improve.<br />
I can never get sick of the video about Austin's Butterfly on the effectiveness of good feedback, and any student or teacher I have watched it with has enjoyed it as much as I have. It really helps students to visualise how learning can improve when they receive and reflect on good feedback.<br />
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After discussing the role of feedback and watching this video, the students were excited about the prospect of getting feedback on their own writing, and the quality of the feedback they gave to each other was much better than the usual "Good job" or "Nice story" because they had an understanding of what good feedback might look like.<br />
I would like to get the students to read the feedback they received from me, their peers, parents and other readers from around the globe to set themselves a personal goal for their writing that they can work on for the rest of this term.<br />
If you would like to give them some more feedback, I am sure they would love for you to read and comment on their work. Our 100 Word Challenges can be found at: <a href="http://mrsbathamsclass.edublogs.org/">http://mrsbathamsclass.edublogs.org/</a><br />
We will continue to work on writing comments and feedback throughout the year.<br />
Yesterday I found another good website that also promotes writing using peer feedback: <a href="http://www.writeabout.com/">http://www.writeabout.com/</a><br />
I particularly like their guides to <a href="http://www.writeabout.com/learn/commenting/" target="_blank">writing comments</a> and <a href="http://www.writeabout.com/learn/editing-and-revising/" target="_blank">self and peer review</a>.<br />
They have a great little poster that I might add to my growing collection of "tech help" on my back wall:<br />
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<a href="http://www.writeabout.com/" target="_blank">WriteAbout</a> have also produced a short, student and parent friendly guide to writing comments which elaborates on the messages in this poster.</div>
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It is early days yet with our writing, but if we can maintain our enthusiasm, the <a href="http://100wc.net/" target="_blank">100 Word Challenge</a> seems to be a very useful resource for improving student writing!<br />
<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-31247907475006642452015-02-19T02:12:00.001-08:002015-02-19T02:12:39.229-08:00Surface impressionsAlmost six months after first using my Surface Pro 3, I'm still not a huge fan. I have held off writing this post for quite some time so that I could be sure I have given it a fair try. Please be clear that I think the Surface Pro 3 might be useful for some people and I don't think I am their target market. If you sit at a desk all day with a PowerPoint next to you, it might be the device for you. If you are a teacher considering this device for your classroom, there might be different things you are looking for in a device.<br />
For the last few years I have been looking forward to the opportunity to work in a 1:1 classroom so that I can explore new possibilities without some of the hassles and inconveniences that come with sharing devices.<br />
Given that my most recent experiences have been within the Apple ecosystem and I have spent many thousands of hours working with iPads and MacBooks, developing a deep understanding of how the amazing possibilities that are opened up when using Apple software and apps, I had sincerely hoped that I might have the opportunity to apply this knowledge and tap into the great connections I have made with other Apple educators over the past few years.<br />
I was thrown a curve ball when somehow I accidentally found myself thrust into an environment that decided to go with Microsoft instead.<br />
I was given a new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 to "get to know" in September of 2014.<br />
I tried very hard to grow to like this device which Microsoft would have consumers believe was somehow better than both the MacBook and the iPad combined. I even sewed a pretty floral bag to carry it around in and decorated the type cover with pretty washi tape to try to make it look a little less harsh and unfriendly, but the more I use this device the more I yearn for something else.<br />
I have waited almost six months to write my first blog post on this topic as I thought that maybe with a bit of time I would get used to Windows 8.1 and come to like the Surface Pro's hybrid nature.<br />
It still hasn't happened.<br />
The countless early reviews I read that raised concerns about battery life and overheating have proven to be correct. This "tablet that can replace your laptop" is not very useful as a tablet. For starters, it doesn't fit in your handbag and it has sharp edges and no easy to purchase protective case. I bought a protective case for it online but the case made some of the features inaccessible so I ended up removing it.<br />
Given that it has a touch screen, a removable keyboard (to be more accurate, it doesn't actually come with a keyboard but you have to buy the overpriced type cover if you are going to try to use it as a laptop) and a front and rear facing camera, you would expect that you can use it as a tablet. Unfortunately, the touch screen is active to the very edge so it is difficult to hold securely while walking around without inadvertently touching something that causes the program to change or a menu to pop up. If people think an iPad is a bit large to use as a camera, then this thing is even bigger and you can't hold it comfortably and if you dropped it without a protective case it has straight edges and sharp corners that would damage easily. As a camera, it is not comfortable to use at all and there are too many gestures required to do things such as focus that the iPad or iPhone seem to do so intuitively.<br />
Having been a heavy iPad user and being used to a great smorgasbord of apps from which to choose, the Windows app store has proven very disappointing. To make this even more disappointing, the students don't have Microsoft accounts because they are under 13 years old so they can't load apps anyway. The techies who visit the school one morning a week are able to organise sideloading of apps for us but as the process of letting them know that there is an app we want and then them installing it would take over a week, it is not nearly as convenient as the processes in place for deploying iPad apps.<br />
I am also very disappointed that it is left to me to go searching through the hundreds of rubbish apps to find the few hidden gems when I could list the iPad apps I want off the top of my head. Checking apps and test driving them takes time and money. I am resentful that I am effectively starting from scratch again here. It would be so much simpler if the students could load the apps themselves and do this work for me.<br />
Without apps, the Surface Pro 3 is nothing compared to an iPad.<br />
For the first few weeks of working with the Surface Pro 3, I tried to use it as a tablet because I really like my iPad and this has become my primary device over the past few years. Trying to use it in tablet mode was not making me warm to the Surface at all. Other people who were more positive were using it as a laptop alternative instead so I decided to change my mindset, write off the "tablet" and embrace it as a laptop.<br />
As a laptop, it is clunky and uncomfortable. If it is the "tablet that you can't put in your handbag" then it is also the "laptop you can't use on your lap".<br />
Surface Pro 3 would be an ideal machine for someone who sits in an office at a large desk with easy access to a powerpoint and wants something they can put into a briefcase to take home at night.<br />
It doesn't meet my needs or expectations.<br />
As a laptop user, I like to use my laptop on my lap, or at a coffee table or on the couch, or on my bed or on the floor and I like to be able to carry it from one room to the other without the keyboard falling off. In the classroom, I don't always sit at a desk. I use my laptop while sitting on a chair in front of the group or while walking around the room working with students. The floppy keyboard and sharp kickstand make both of these tasks very uncomfortable. Coupled with the screen being a touch screen, it is way too easy to accidentally bump the screen and muck things up if you aren't sitting at a desk.<br />
For the students, the flexibility of using the device in different ways around the room is also compromised by the design of the Surface Pro 3.<br />
I'm not going to even start on my opinion of Windows 8.1. There is no point because anyone who has used this operating system will know exactly how pointless and confusing it is and anyone who hasn't been forced to work with it should run to the hills if someone suggests you should.<br />
So how is it working in a 1:1 environment? This bit I love. I am so excited to be able to work with the students and even though it is "early days", we have started blogging and they have made their first Thinglink to show their learning so far in Science. Being able to share files and set activities via the website I created has meant that we can cut down on paper use and the students are very engaged in the computer based tasks.<br />
I'm yet to work out what I can do on the Surface Pro 3 that I couldn't do on an iPad or a MacBook Air, particularly to the level that would justify the extra expense. So far, since I have had to overcome so many hurdles in trying to come to terms with a lack of suitable software and dealing with a different operating system, it has felt like I am working with one arm tied behind my back.<br />
Maybe in a few more months I will have discovered something to like about the Surface Pro 3, but unfortunately nearly six months of use hasn't converted me.TRying<br />
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-70320565230344389352013-02-18T21:12:00.001-08:002013-02-18T21:12:26.662-08:00Nouns are naming wordsLast week we finally got some artwork up on our back wall - even if it was only a simple task!<br />
Teaching only two days a week is really chewing into my time for art and finishing things off.<br />
Since the students have been learning about nouns in English, we made a "picture dictionary" on the wall. Each child nominated a noun (something they might be able to draw) and they used black permanent marker to draw the outline on cartridge paper. Next they used water colours to fill in the spaces.<br />
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They glued the noun word onto their artwork once it was dry.<br />
I hope this display might be useful for them when they are writing as they now have a bank of words from which to choose. And maybe they will remember what a noun is as a bonus!Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-77086357994377334272013-01-10T18:55:00.001-08:002013-01-10T19:25:02.370-08:00iPad apps for the classroom: Striking a balanceThis year I am lucky enough to be getting six iPads for my classroom. This will give me a ratio of 1:4. If I use my personal iPad and my iPad mini, this could give me a ratio of 1:3 when I need it. <i>(Plus one student brings his own iPad. Someone heard that iPads are good for kids with special needs so some kids have their own. That's another post for another time</i>.<i>) </i><br />
So I have come to the exciting part of the iPad journey - deciding which apps to load on the new iPads from the hundreds of thousands of apps available in the App Store.<br />
I haven't got an unlimited budget but I don't want to download too many apps because it gets overwhelming. (To be honest, I'm not sure what my budget is, but I know it won't be infinite - I am lucky that I have been given the money for the iPads - I don't want to push the limits too far!)<br />
Some of the free or cheaper apps are great and have been my "go to" apps up until now. (<a href="http://thelcurve.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/express-yourself.html" target="_blank">See my post on Sonic Pics and Pic Collage</a>) Sometimes the old adage "you get what you pay for" really comes into play. The convenience of a good quality app that doesn't keep trying to sell you things is priceless.<br />
Costs aside, I want to provide my students with a good range of apps so they can select the right tool for the right task.<br />
I will provide them with some "drill and practice" and content type apps, and, of course, some logical thinking and strategy games, but the main purpose of the iPads will be as tools for learning, creating, sharing and collaborating. I want my students to be creative producers of knowledge, not passive consumers.<br />
To assist in my quest for the right balance, I have started a Pinterest board for <a href="http://pinterest.com/jaybee25/ipad-apps-for-year-2/" target="_blank">iPad apps for Year 2</a>. I have put the links to the iTunes store and a brief description of each app. Hopefully this will make it easier next week to find them again and to select the ones that I decide I want now, or down the track. I am also hopeful that people will stumble across my Pinterest board and leave useful comments about how they have used these apps in their own classrooms.<br />
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I am working on a concept map that will hopeful clarify my thinking about how I intend to use the iPads with the students and which apps will best meet these needs. I will update this post as I go until I have worked it out.<br />
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-74616170125295364092013-01-09T15:37:00.002-08:002013-01-09T17:30:25.783-08:00Collaborative Planning using Web 2.0<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">This year I am beginning in a new role as
Curriculum Support Teacher at my school. I am very excited as I am absolutely
passionate about curriculum and I love to share my enthusiasm with others and
(hopefully) help them to ignite a passion for teaching and curriculum too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I will have three days a week in my new role and
two days a week in my Year 2 classroom - the best of both worlds!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">This will mean that I will have to relinquish a lot
of the responsibility for the classroom goings on. My new teaching partner is
enthusiastic about coming on board so hopefully she will survive the first
little part of the year while I am learning not to be such a control freak.
After (more than) 10 years of being able to do my own thing, I am going to need
to adjust to the idea of sharing. It will be good for me. ;-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">After the huge learning curve I experienced last
year when my life was opened up to the world of blogging, twitter, pinterest,
dropbox, evernote and other ways of reflecting on, organising and sharing my
teaching experiences, I am keen to support other teachers at my school to take
the plunge!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I have just set up a </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://pinterest.com/jaybee25/life-stages-teaching-ideas/"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">collaborative Pinterest Board for the Life Stages topic</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
that we will likely be studying in first term. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuoUHldXEEP_FHvCZpPOE8O5WD_IdM2wq3i0hE-W71_lu56bYdc15CLS35nCkVaydP2OGPw0SUcBiwNJQr-pQlrF0C02DPguPA-G27GNnVKXe76_g_S3jQ_nwxHmGV3JWQt5EnlpYb6s/s1600/pinterest+board.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuoUHldXEEP_FHvCZpPOE8O5WD_IdM2wq3i0hE-W71_lu56bYdc15CLS35nCkVaydP2OGPw0SUcBiwNJQr-pQlrF0C02DPguPA-G27GNnVKXe76_g_S3jQ_nwxHmGV3JWQt5EnlpYb6s/s320/pinterest+board.png" width="283" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I invited my fellow Year 2
teachers but so far I haven't had any responses. (Most probably because they
are enjoying the last moments of their holidays before we have to come back to
work!) I am hoping that this will be a new way of sharing our ideas that will
be quick, simple, fun and collaborative. I don't expect that any of us will be
able to do even half of the activities that I have pinned already but Pinterest
is a nice visual display of resources. The collaborative board will be kind of
like a menu of ideas that people can pick and choose from, and if there is
nothing there that they like, they don't need to choose any. Hopefully they
will add to the ideas as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">In the past we have shared links in emails but
sometimes we get a lot of these types of emails from each other and it can take
a while to check all the links and try to work out what idea on the page the
other person thought was relevant. Often I get one of these emails and read the
first part and think "I'll check this out later" and then bury it in
my disorganised inbox, never to be seen again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I have tried searching my inbox (either using the
approximate date, the person who I think I can remember that sent it to me, or
a possible keyword) and this sometimes works but can be very time consuming. I
am hoping Pinterest will open up a new and better way for us to collate our
ideas so we can retrieve them easily when we need them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">My teaching team are wonderful, and even though
they think I am a little crazy, they usually give things a go just to humour
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">If this works, I am hoping this will be an
effective and time-efficient tool for supporting the curriculum in my school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I am also in the process of setting up a blog for
my new role that will be situated within the walled-garden of our LIFE Learning
Management System. Hopefully using LIFE like this will help me to get used to
it so I can apply it more effectively in my classroom as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">My hope is that I can share information with my
colleagues about curriculum matters in a way that is easy for them to access
when they need to without overwhelming them with too many emails which may or
may not be of interest to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I think this year is going to be full of challenges
for me, learning to use these tools in new ways and supporting others in
beginning a journey to more collaborative practice using Web 2.0.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">What
tools do you use for collaborative planning?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">How do you share your ideas with your colleagues at
your school?</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-17237323786045125682013-01-09T05:56:00.003-08:002013-01-09T05:56:29.311-08:00Deskmats and Whiz WordsI have been busily preparing for the first day back at school. There always seems so much to do, and a lot of the jobs are fiddly. At least during the holidays I get the chance to play around a bit with these fiddly jobs and as I don't feel so rushed I find it takes all day to get the job done to my expectations.<br />
Today I created files for my deskmats. These placemats are very handy. <a href="http://thelcurve.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/math-mats.html" target="_blank">Last year</a> I used them everyday as part of my morning routine and the students referred to them often during both literacy and numeracy activities. It is very useful to have the help right in front of them.<br />
I have made <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Whiz-Words" target="_blank">a simple freebie version with the Whiz Words on a mini-poster</a>. These could be printed two-to-a-page and glued inside a homework or writing book as a quick reference for some of the commonly used words.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtgn6GDjElC3MaN5pbZS2oKJAf4wYyaNsTQwfWsRbmmpJzZD3h3MTxpNaDdLI53zIQsrYDHEsmtvlXlrZTuXL80JdKzCEc-CUT-EuUeG4CEw-G0n5fHqXRw0fXzh2Srfv9bKI3LorV70/s1600/whizwordpic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtgn6GDjElC3MaN5pbZS2oKJAf4wYyaNsTQwfWsRbmmpJzZD3h3MTxpNaDdLI53zIQsrYDHEsmtvlXlrZTuXL80JdKzCEc-CUT-EuUeG4CEw-G0n5fHqXRw0fXzh2Srfv9bKI3LorV70/s320/whizwordpic.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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My full placemats are available in three different fonts and in two formats. I use Queensland "qcursive" font which is a precursive font with exits and entries. It is great to have a handwriting model on their desks everyday. I also included a copy with a beginners font for younger students and a plain font for people who don't use the Queensland font. The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Desktop-Placemats-for-Early-Learners" target="_blank">PDF version</a> is simple to print and all the hard work is done for you. If you would like to customise your deskmats, I have also created a <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Customisable-Desktop-Placemats-for-Early-Learners" target="_blank">PowerPoint version</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrtwSFDaeQ_WfglAa0zKApGjnCNhfzHxDTbFj3sJQigeBPs9GmLuQKYh3x-guhr9Xo_nz5SH-vzU6en3u14MagrInV4cw0oPzkXdrdBmTJB_IHtuW-oNAsSSqUw-yrc-6CTICHrVZbGI/s1600/deskmat2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrtwSFDaeQ_WfglAa0zKApGjnCNhfzHxDTbFj3sJQigeBPs9GmLuQKYh3x-guhr9Xo_nz5SH-vzU6en3u14MagrInV4cw0oPzkXdrdBmTJB_IHtuW-oNAsSSqUw-yrc-6CTICHrVZbGI/s320/deskmat2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-55900961096100117192013-01-07T15:21:00.001-08:002013-01-08T01:03:35.862-08:00'Tis the season? - Well, it was...This Advent I used the Jesse Tree as a focus for our class liturgy. This tied together nicely many of the ideas we had learnt throughout the year.<br />
(I have been meaning to write this post for well over a month. In fact, it might have been more useful to others if I had shared my Advent ideas while it was still Advent, but you'll have to tuck this away for Advent 2013! I am writing it now so I will remember myself.)<br />
Way back in Term 1 we had learnt about the <a href="http://thelcurve.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/calendars-months-seasons-and-colours.html" target="_blank">liturgical seasons</a>. I was very pleased that so many of the children were able to recall things we had done that long ago. It gives me hope! This term we had focused on different forms of prayer and we had been reading the Old Testament stories in our daily scripture time. The Jesse Tree Liturgy tied all of these things together nicely and was a fitting end-of-year celebration.<br />
We learnt about the Jesse Tree in class prior to the liturgy and had made a bulletin board display. (The colours are not the best - I was using up the scraps of cardboard etc in the room - but it was a simple display idea.)<br />
Each child made an "ornament" to place on the tree on the bulletin board. The ornaments show a picture or a symbol that the student felt represented person in their story. There are lots of websites that have lists of Jesse Tree symbols and they are not all the same. I kept searching until I found one that had the right number of symbols so each child got one and I also looked for one that had a fair proportion of women represented as well.<br />
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The words on the sign say: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Jesse Tree is a symbol of Advent. The symbols remind us of the stories from the Old Testament that point to the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesse was the father of David and was Jesus' great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather.</span>" I think there are supposed to be about 24 "great"s but I don't think my kids were bothered with counting them.<br />
On the last morning of school we had a prayer celebration to end our year. You can access the words of the liturgy from my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Advent-Liturgy-Jesse-Tree" target="_blank">TeachersPayTeachers</a> site.<br />
The songs I used were by <a href="http://www.litmusproductions.com/index.php/about-us/michael-mangan.html" target="_blank">Michael Mangan</a> from his <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/michael-mangan/id465121367" target="_blank">This is the Time (Songs for Seasons) Album</a>. The children were already familiar with these songs. You could easily substitute other hymns or carols.<br />
The students made their own symbols (white paper circle glued onto a slightly larger coloured circle) and they glued the words for their prayer on the back so they stood up, read their prayer and placed it on the tree in a reasonably seamless manner.<br />
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We set up the sacred space in the middle and the children chose what to put in there. There was a lot of purple because that is the Advent colour. (They learnt that in first term!)<br />
Just as we started the liturgy I realised I didn't have any matches to light the candle. Luckily I was able to download a <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/free-candle/id434064534?mt=8" target="_blank">free Candle app</a> on my iPad mini and save the day!<br />
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-83161114890454730042012-12-14T15:41:00.000-08:002012-12-14T15:42:15.098-08:00Science with SantaTo finish off our Physical Science unit on forces and to have a bit of festive fun we conducted an experiment to see which surfaces would be easiest for pulling a sleigh across.<br />
The children were introduced to the idea via a letter from Santa which told them that Rudolph was too sick to pull the sleigh this year so he was going to have to use one less reindeer. To make it easier for the remaining reindeer, Santa needed to know which surfaces were the best for pulling the sleigh.<br />
<a href="http://yearinyear2.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/an-experiment-for-santa.html" target="_blank">You can read about our experiment from the students' point of view on my class blog</a>.<br />
The first lesson involved the children discovering the letter from Santa and then thinking about different surfaces that Santa might travel along (when he wasn't flying, of course). We are seriously lacking snow and ice in Brisbane this Christmas!<br />
The next lesson was very fun and creative. The students has to design their own model Santa sleigh to be used in their experiment. We had round tubs for them to use as the base. A more rectangular shape might be a bit easier (such as a margarine tub) but we needed something that we could get 24 the same.<br />
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In the following lesson we used spring balances to measure the force in Newtons (which was not really in the Year 2 Science curriculum but it was fun anyway and it did allow them to do a real experiment with simple measurements). If you would like to use the experiment worksheet we used, it is available from <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Science-with-Santa" target="_blank">my TPT store</a>.<br />
The final part of the lesson sequence was to write a letter back to Santa with the findings. One of my students who struggles with writing used the iPad to record his letter instead.<br />
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This was a great assessment of the students' understanding of Science. It was interesting to see which students clearly understood the purpose of the experiment and were able to articulate this in their letter to Santa. A few of my "super-competitive" types were at first confused because they decided that the surfaces that had "the biggest number" must have been the best. It took a little while for them to realise that they were looking for the surface that needed the smallest number of newtons because they needed the "easiest" surface.<br />
Since we had no icy surfaces, we used soapy lino to make something slippery that might be similar to ice.<br />
The children's measurements were not exactly accurate and they didn't quite grasp the idea of having to keep the weight the same each time but they seemed to get the idea that some surfaces were easier to pull things along than others, which was the main aim. And they had a lot of fun!Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-6760748966969376452012-12-14T14:38:00.000-08:002013-01-08T14:55:30.152-08:00Poinsettias for ChristmasDuring the last few weeks of school we did a number of Christmas related activities based on some beautiful Christmas books I own.<br />
The first of these is The Legend of the Poinsettia which is retold and beautifully illustrated by Tomie dePaola.<br />
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The story is set in Mexico and tells of a little girl whose mother falls ill just before the town's Nativity celebration. Her mother is unable to complete the family's gift for the baby Jesus and the little girl is unable to complete it on her own. Luckily a Christmas miracle occurs and the girl has a beautiful gift for the baby after all.<br />
This story is a good Christmas story because it opens up conversations about gift giving at Christmas and how it is "the thought that counts". It also explains one of the Christmas decorations - the poinsettia and introduces the Christmas colours of red and green. We had a discussion about how the people in Mexico celebrated Christmas in the story and how this is the same and different from some of our own Christmas customs. We are a catholic school so many of the children do go to the Christmas mass and take part in the nativity so it was nice to see how another culture celebrates this idea.<br />
To reflect on the story and to brighten our classroom, we made a very simple Christmas craft: a poinsettia.<br />
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I prefer to use painted paper because it has a richer texture than coloured construction paper and it is fun to paint the paper yourself. Each child painted one A4 sheet of red and one A4 sheet of green on one day and the next day they used this paper to assemble their craft. We re-used paper from our classroom to make the activity even more environmentally friendly.<br />
I make hand-drawn "star" templates on light card in red and green and write "cut 1" on the green and "cut 2" on the red. The green one is slightly larger than the red one. If you are not game to free draw yours (even though I think they look better) you can print this image. (You will need to adjust the size to suit your paper.)<br />
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I make only enough templates for about a third of the class for each colour (about 8 red ones and 8 green ones for a class of 24). It doesn't take them long to trace the shapes and it is good for them to be a bit patient and practice their turn taking skills.</div>
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They turn the paper to the "white side" before tracing in case they make a mistake and they push the star to the edge of the paper so the leftover pieces are useful for other Christmas crafts later on. They need to be careful so they fit two red stars on the same page. </div>
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To assemble the craft, simply stack the two red shapes on top of the green on and turn them slightly so you can see the different points from behind. A little dab of glue in the centre is enough to hold them together. I give them little squares of yellow crepe or tissue paper to scruple into balls for the centre of the flower.</div>
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They are really simple to make. It took me longer to explain it than it does to make them.</div>
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-16514396046361956132012-11-10T23:16:00.000-08:002012-11-10T23:16:09.964-08:00Does my classroom reflect my teaching philosophy?Last weekend on Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/whatedsaid" target="_blank">@whatedsaid</a> tweeted an excellent question along the lines of "Does your classroom environment reflect what you believe about learning?"<br />
At the time I thought this was an excellent question and wished I had time to do it justice in a reflective post.<br />
As luck would have it, this week I was asked to give a presentation on a similar topic so I managed to create time to reflect on what I do and whether this matches what I say I believe.<br />
Here is what I found:<br />
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Even though what I do, I could do successfully in a different system, my philosophy of teaching is based on my foundational belief in the dignity of the human person. I believe that every child is made in the image and likeness of God, and that every child deserves to feel safe, have fun and to enjoy learning experiences that suits their needs. <br />
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Learners in my classroom are usually busy doing. Of course there are times when they gather to listen, reflect and recap, but I try to allow opportunities for hands-on exploration, discussion and experimentation as much as possible.<br />
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I am very proud of the way that my students are able to speak about their own learning and why what they are doing is of benefit to their learning needs. This year I have implemented the <a href="http://www.thedailycafe.com/public/department104.cfm" target="_blank">Daily 5</a> program for the first time. I have found that this program which fits my philosophy well, provides a structure for my practice in Literacy, and that the students and I have been able to transfer the best parts of this practice into other curriculum areas.<br />
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Right from the beginning of the year, I work hard to establish a sense of community through special shared experiences, predictable routines that highlight the identity of our class community and behavioural expectations based on mutual respect. A few years ago I convinced my school administration to allow us to move to a resources levy system instead of a text book list so that I can set up shared resources in my classroom. When students have individual belongings and pencils cases I find that usually by the end of the first semester, many of the twist-up crayons have been turned into pea shooters and half the class can't seem to find a pair of scissors when they need them. Since moving to the shared tubs, I have discovered that students are more responsible for the resources since they don't see them as belonging to them, but as necessary for our class community.<br />
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If you spent a week in my classroom you would notice how much and in how many ways technology has transformed the way that I work with students in my room. I use my projector and laptop as an essential part of many of our routines. I use a bank of student laptops (shared among a few classes) for individual and collaborative activities. I use a set of shared iPads for a range of purposes, and use my own personal iPad and iPhone for capturing student learning on a daily basis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpfvhovJvUAb-SFTzDSIsrpxIECkOEPFEncXjw321oMxXhLtMToDAccGFIg3YHEmXPzo_7otOPQNzNfFP_I-aStYH6LxJiJM7sFgwXZJzKsZu6vwnbkMvd9yC8mcDsbMqhuftGmLkyH4/s1600/Slide6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpfvhovJvUAb-SFTzDSIsrpxIECkOEPFEncXjw321oMxXhLtMToDAccGFIg3YHEmXPzo_7otOPQNzNfFP_I-aStYH6LxJiJM7sFgwXZJzKsZu6vwnbkMvd9yC8mcDsbMqhuftGmLkyH4/s320/Slide6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I try very hard to allow all learners to engage in challenging activities at an appropriate level by providing differentiated learning experiences and open-ended tasks. I use K-W-L charts and pretests to determine the students' individual and collective knowledge and interests prior to learning experiences and use this information to guide my planning.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxoP8pAwa578mphOIIop9qlvO0alpLNeN2wpio16DlKX9b9ERj2J6f6FAAL2TK8GD7GibJStd-J_5J-ocBN3_1cyBQl5RGIlP50wgsJZGswJDP2uzYLGSbDl1sax6PPQN58nVjtZzKzY/s1600/Slide7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxoP8pAwa578mphOIIop9qlvO0alpLNeN2wpio16DlKX9b9ERj2J6f6FAAL2TK8GD7GibJStd-J_5J-ocBN3_1cyBQl5RGIlP50wgsJZGswJDP2uzYLGSbDl1sax6PPQN58nVjtZzKzY/s320/Slide7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Overview/General-capabilities-in-the-Australian-Curriculum" target="_blank">General Capabilities</a> of the Australian Curriculum are at the heart of what I do. I regularly reflect on how I am offering my students opportunities to develop in these capabilities.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkbNmhOQ0DCHgVE3_8E5VFAkF2KKDrVC5k1j4gIhP3YzmqpkZusYqaX1iiibupt7RbuFJY-VCfcdPHc2bWAM351H9SClsWrWgjSRh2TAVqJC2anelmYE6kofSfVDLjZ5ciNr3dpPrWs8/s1600/Slide8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkbNmhOQ0DCHgVE3_8E5VFAkF2KKDrVC5k1j4gIhP3YzmqpkZusYqaX1iiibupt7RbuFJY-VCfcdPHc2bWAM351H9SClsWrWgjSRh2TAVqJC2anelmYE6kofSfVDLjZ5ciNr3dpPrWs8/s320/Slide8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Although I am restricted to the furniture I was given and a reasonably small classroom with no "break-out" space, I have tried my best to arrange the furniture to suit the kinds of experiences I want students to have in the room. I have set aside a large carpet area so all the children can gather in front of the IWB and so there is enough space for games and movement. I have arranged the desks into pods and students know that even though they have a "home desk" which houses their books etc, they can work in a variety of spaces within the room, sometimes for flexible grouping, sometimes by their own choice. In the corner, I have had the old whiteboard installed at floor height so that students can use this space to write questions, reflect on learning, practise their spelling or express ideas in pictures. The PE teacher has loaned us an exercise ball and students love to sit on this either at their desks or around the room. My teacher desk is pushed right into the corner of the room so it doesn't take up more space than it must. I rarely sit at it anyway. My students sit on my "teacher chair" more than I do. I'm always on the move!<br />
<br />
I really do think that my classroom reflects my teaching philosophy. Of course it is a "work in progress" and changes as I reflect on how I can improve, and when I am inspired by other great teachers who share their ideas.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Does your classroom reflect your beliefs about learning? I'd love to see more ideas!</h4>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-26093355716156919852012-11-10T21:11:00.002-08:002012-11-10T21:11:27.446-08:00Remembering what not to forget...Today is Remembrance Day. The 11th day of the 11th month is set aside to commemorate the end of World War I and also to remember those who died and suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.<br />
As a teacher, I have an important role in helping my young students to develop an understanding of what we are pausing to remember.<br />
We pause to remember the young lives that were wasted, the families who suffered and the enormous cost of war to both sides. War is nothing but a tragedy. There are no winners in a war.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
I have worked all year on the way that my students talk about war and its real effects on our society. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
At the beginning of the year my boys particularly would roll on the floor with their pretend machine guns made from their hands. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
They would cheer at the sight of soldiers and guns in images they saw. They would see war as a game from which you can easily walk away (an idea they get from exposure to video games and movies) or they would see it as something far away that happens in countries where the people are bad and "coming to get us". Luckily for these students, they have not been affected by war in a way that they understand what it really means.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
Through our history studies and most recently the contact with their grandparents, the students now speak about war as a time of great sadness, of difficulty for the troops and the families left behind and the ongoing cost to a society that lost so many of its strong young people and who were filled with grief and sadness even if their loved ones returned. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
The children know that their grandparents were affected by the war even if they were born after the war or were too young to go to war. This message came through strongly in their letters. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
They know that WWI was called "the Great War" not because it was fantastic but because it was so big and affected so many people. They know that their predecessors called it "the war to end all wars" and that they had truly and deep down hoped it would be - even if reality seemed to far away from this dream. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
My students have considered a future without war and have discussed how they can learn to work together. Through our quadblogging experience they have looked for similarities in people who look different from them on the surface. We do this so that they might be the generation who finds a better way to solve problems.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
I share a message of peace - a message about a future full of hope for all humanity.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
These students are our future and we owe it to those who did give their lives to make sure this generation does not repeat the mistakes of history. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
I'll do my bit and hope it works. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
Lest we forget.</div>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-61203211495469786312012-10-26T02:44:00.000-07:002012-10-26T02:44:37.139-07:00Teaching Old Stuff with New Tricks
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<br />
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This year has been a
year of new ideas. Firstly, this is the first year I have fully implemented the
History subject within the new <a href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Curriculum/F-10#level=2" target="_blank">Australian Curriculum</a>. Secondly, it is the first
year that I have used iPads in my classroom as a tool for learning and
assessment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Looking back at the
year which is rapidly coming to an end, I am excited about the success I have
had in using iPads with students to engage in historical inquiry in ways that
would not have been possible without digital technology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Digital technology has
enabled me to collect numerous photographs of our local area that students have
been able to explore, sort, order and select. Using the iPads, students have
been able to examine the images closely. The photographs have inspired
questioning, imagination, inquiry and inferring. Photocopied images in black
and white would have reduced the quality to the point that many of the photos
would have been unrecognisable. Using the original images (if I could even get
hold of them) would be impractical and could be potentially damaging. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At our planning
meeting for Term 2, we had agreed that students would be required to create a
sequence of images and describe how our local war memorial had changed over
time. Teachers not using digital technology gave their students three small,
poor quality photocopies of images preselected by the teachers and had the
students glue these in place and write about the changes. The many students who
struggled with writing gave little detail in their descriptions and could only
show limited understanding of what this local site reveals about the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Students using an app
called <a href="http://sonicpics.com/public/index.php" target="_blank">Sonic Pics</a> on the iPads were able to self-select and sequence three to
five images from a collection of about twenty images that they believed best
revealed particular aspects of <a href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Curriculum/F-10#level=2" target="_blank">local history</a>. They then spoke freely about the
images they had selected, justifying their choices and describing in detail
things that had changed in the local area and the significance of the war
memorial for the community today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The iPads enabled
young learners to employ higher level thinking skills and to express their own
opinions about what they believed was important in the story about the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This term, students
have been exploring changes in technology (particularly toys) and how these
changes have affected the ways people work, travel, communicate and play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Students are now using
<a href="http://pic-collage.com/" target="_blank">Pic Collage</a> (a free iPad app) to manipulate and annotate images before
transferring them to Sonic Pics to add audio explanation about how toys and
games have changed. Students are able to search for their own images so their
choice of subject is much more personal and not restricted by the teacher’s
choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Of course, the
historical inquiry is not restricted to what is able to be done solely with the
iPads. Students have examined artefacts from the museum and those brought in
from homes, and they have also written to their grandparents and posed
questions to them. The grandparents (and aunts, uncles, mothers and fathers who
have also responded) have been an invaluable historical source for the
students. All of this valuable information collected by the students is now able
to be skilfully collated and presented by the students who have become experts
in using technology to create and communicate their ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">As a teacher, this
year’s journey into the past using technology of the present, has been a great
learning experience. For the students, using technology has empowered them to
participate in genuine inquiry and to share their ideas with others within the
classroom and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-8751210652279543012012-10-23T04:45:00.001-07:002012-10-23T04:45:19.639-07:00Express Yourself!<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In any classroom attempting to hear
everyone’s point of view is a challenge. In a class discussion only a small
number of children can share before the responses are exhausted or the
attention has dissipated. Attempting to visit each individual to hear discrete
responses is time consuming and impractical. Individual interviews also rob the
students of the opportunity to learn collaboratively. By the time I get around
to my fast mathematical thinkers and ask them to explain how they reached their
solution, the moment has passed and their responses are usually along the lines
of “I just knew it”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This project aimed to explore ways that
digital technology could be employed in an early years classroom to allow
gifted learners to express their knowledge and understanding in different
subject areas by capturing thought processes and ideas in a timely manner and
establishing a means of sharing ideas.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The group of learners targeted in this
project are capable young students with an energetic thirst for variety in
their learning experiences and a cheeky sense of creativity. These students are
keen to share their opinions on issues and are capable of lightning fast
thinking, particularly in Mathematics. Without a challenge the have the
propensity to become challenging, hence, their super-powers must be harnessed
for good, not evil.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My challenge became discovering ways that I
could capture my students’ thought patterns and opinions and provide them a
platform for sharing their thinking with an audience beyond their teacher.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Through this project, I experimented with a
number of hardware and software options in order to discover ways that the
students could successfully communicate their ideas. Often the first
experiences needed to be heavily scaffolded, but the idea behind the project is
to assist the students in developing the skills so they can work more
independently later.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We used laptops, digital cameras,
microphones, and iPads in our experiments but the iPad became the tool of
choice due to its ease of use, portability, and availability in our classroom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Two projects were most notably successful
in allowing the students to express their ideas with a degree of independence:
an enhanced poster with a short persuasive video embedded via a QR code, and
brief explanations of mathematical thinking captured using the Explain
Everything app.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Our first success was the result of a great
number of failed attempts. As the teacher I was definitely in the learner seat
on this project. The children were enthusiastic about learning and were happy
to be part of the experiment. They were not easily put off by our setbacks. The
process which eventually resulted in success involved the children combining
quite a number of the skills they already had as well as integrating a few
skills that were new to me as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyd5VYhA463pMo5eK_yVm6Cmu1sdZzBtZbLyYSdgw_GgNM4vXCyHKrxh4e-SQft7w_iLuI3HcRHf6pmfwnGVxNoj_Lu4L8N0sK486YM3i0HW0PYIVaJ6J4zEA_TwGXGmPIMFH8a3SeS0/s1600/piccollage.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyd5VYhA463pMo5eK_yVm6Cmu1sdZzBtZbLyYSdgw_GgNM4vXCyHKrxh4e-SQft7w_iLuI3HcRHf6pmfwnGVxNoj_Lu4L8N0sK486YM3i0HW0PYIVaJ6J4zEA_TwGXGmPIMFH8a3SeS0/s200/piccollage.png" width="199" /></a><span lang="EN-US">The students had been involved in a whole
class inquiry into how people, pets and native animals can live together
sustainably. Towards the end of our investigation the students suggested a
number of ways that we could change our behaviour to make our school and home
environments more friendly for native animals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Working in pairs, students selected one of
the class suggestions and came up with three supporting reasons for their
proposal. They created a visual image using a free iPad app called <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/pic-collage/id448639966?mt=8" target="_blank">Pic Collage</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The pair of Year 2 students then worked
with some Year 5 buddies to turn their ideas into a short persuasive speech.
The Year 5s had developed some good persuasive writing skills due to copious
amounts of NAPLAN preparation earlier in the year so we decided to put these
skills to a much better use.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Year 2s then used the iPads again and
an app called <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/sonicpics/id345295488?mt=8" target="_blank">Sonic Pics</a> to record their speech using the image they created
earlier in Pic Collage app as an illustration.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The students have used Sonic Pics for a
number of projects throughout the year so this was a more practical choice than
iMovie or other similar apps.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Once the students had created their
recording I helped them upload the file to my YouTube channel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Since it was the first time I had created
QR codes with the students, I assisted them in doing this, but now they know
the process, they may be able to do this step themselves in future tasks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The students designed posters to promote
their message and painted these. Once dry, they fixed the QR code onto the
poster.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTIYT7y7zzr0RrhlLTwaeMev0QCBh_wPWyp-j3ggjdwNf5XDsRqD12F-8AQ8eA-X_Wg8JrQ9ygHfXHPgO-iqGAF5eH5dFyQV2zgdt_TUI-8XR2XI2EdDazuOGL_2ucBAcH6QiSMw8NiQ/s1600/sonicpics.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTIYT7y7zzr0RrhlLTwaeMev0QCBh_wPWyp-j3ggjdwNf5XDsRqD12F-8AQ8eA-X_Wg8JrQ9ygHfXHPgO-iqGAF5eH5dFyQV2zgdt_TUI-8XR2XI2EdDazuOGL_2ucBAcH6QiSMw8NiQ/s200/sonicpics.png" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-US">We displayed the posters around the school,
and as part of the Australia Post Kids Teaching Kids Week activities, the Year
2 students demonstrated to a class of Year 1 students how to use the Scan app
on the iPad to read the QR code and watch the movie they had created.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The students were so proud of their
achievements that we later showcased this work again for our parents. <a href="http://yearinyear2.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/kids-teach-kids.html" target="_blank">If you would like to see their work, visit our class blog.</a> The students love to receive comments about their work!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This experience with flexible and creative
technology will now allow me to set more interesting challenges for the
students, with confidence that they have the technical skills to share their
ideas and thoughts with others.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Our second project involved a small group
of students who are particularly talented in Mathematics. These young students
competently add three-digit numbers requiring regrouping in their heads and
have developed their own strategies for dealing with more complex calculations
and larger numbers. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFvzIO-y8pXezHiVjEIs9ayNgSSg8MufsPli2mE3e5wD_VCdV524xg6STPVGB4Uo5joqE44jpHfqA6sufZ3f1ABfXBfxJ3iAQeZ7aNIsLPgVsbdZUgZ_8ltFz8x2LCRLdafBJH6x4VCA/s1600/exeverthing.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFvzIO-y8pXezHiVjEIs9ayNgSSg8MufsPli2mE3e5wD_VCdV524xg6STPVGB4Uo5joqE44jpHfqA6sufZ3f1ABfXBfxJ3iAQeZ7aNIsLPgVsbdZUgZ_8ltFz8x2LCRLdafBJH6x4VCA/s200/exeverthing.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Even though I have worked with the whole
class on using a variety of addition strategies in Mathematics, these students
had difficulty explaining how they were getting their answers. Their responses
were either: “I just knew it” or they would give me the name of a random
strategy that we had discussed in class but couldn’t articulate why that had
helped.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I was keen to assist these children in
developing some skills in explaining their thinking because I know that they
are going to be asked to “show their working” many times in their schooling.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There seemed little point in holding them
back with the regular Year 2 curriculum when their mathematical reasoning
appeared to be beyond this level, but I also wanted to be confident that their
methods were grounded in logic and that they had a variety of effective
strategies for basic calculations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Rather than limiting their thinking about
addition to one rigid algorithm and subjecting them to hundreds of repetitions,
I encouraged them to use a variety of strategies and to attempt to explain what
they were doing to demonstrate their mastery of the basic concepts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At first the explanation process was
awkward and slow, often not making sense to anyone but themselves, but since
they were able to capture their thinking using <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8" target="_blank">Explain Everything</a> on the iPad and play it back, as well
as access the thinking of other students in the group, they eventually
improved.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The next stage of this project will be to
give these students an audience and purpose beyond having to justify their
thinking to a teacher.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx0fn5BDgReaQGnJWSfAy274Li69aG9ZjfjupBVjhZ00IWT9r_XCwxGD0ws7rVufqWtdRuuOZuT-DkZMhRkGQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I plan to use the QR code idea again to
create a series of “help posters” that can be used by other class members who
might need further explanation on a particular strategy. Another future project
might involve creating a “Maths Expert” blog as a platform for the students to
showcase their thinking but also provide a service to a much wider audience.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The challenges in exploring this project
were not related to the students but involved the limits of the technology in
the setting. With no carpet and an unsealed dividing wall, the classroom is not
the ideal location for creating good quality recordings. I experimented with
many options for improving the sound quality and have still not discovered the
ideal solution. Also, since the iPads are shared across the school and we get
access to different iPads at random, tracking down the students work or continuing
on saved work presented a number of challenges.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Despite these limitations, the project was
successful in discovering new ways of capturing student thoughts and ideas and
in empowering young learners to express themselves.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-39539803268512994902012-10-13T06:44:00.000-07:002012-10-13T06:44:29.854-07:00#LMSLifeGroup on TwitterOur school (and education system) is taking on a product called Life as a Learning Management System.<br />
Through my efforts to find other people who are on the same journey learning about Life as I am, I have discovered some great educators who want to share ideas.<br />
The UK seems to be quite well along the way in co-ordinating their support network but we Aussies are at the beginning of an exciting journey.<br />
If you want to share in the excitement, tweet @connectedtchr with the hashtag #LMSLifeGroup and start sharing your journey with us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiBG_pJYXfG0CD_iXx0zjYwfgWapmu4TOI5Y3mdUHZTRYr9kaKy7jLY1Acrj3gw2SQnd-N_Ips4pwbrSc_zVi2mefIfprtI-wU69dc90DxKFwzczcVnawqm1n87rd1oo2wfptMrG1x9E/s1600/LMSLifeChat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiBG_pJYXfG0CD_iXx0zjYwfgWapmu4TOI5Y3mdUHZTRYr9kaKy7jLY1Acrj3gw2SQnd-N_Ips4pwbrSc_zVi2mefIfprtI-wU69dc90DxKFwzczcVnawqm1n87rd1oo2wfptMrG1x9E/s320/LMSLifeChat.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-14152065699731349332012-10-13T06:15:00.000-07:002012-10-13T06:15:21.041-07:00Our Marvellous ToysTo assess the students listening skills this week we listened to an old song about a marvellous toy by Peter, Paul and Mary.<br />
<br />
The first time we listened to the song, the students sat on the carpet with their eyes closed and concentrated hard on listening for key details that told them what it looked like and what it did. (Listening for key details is one of the English skills identified for Year 2 students in the Australian Curriculum.)<br />
<br />
After that, they returned to their desks and we listened to the song again, this time pausing it after each verse and chorus so they could write down what they had heard in a concept map.<br />
<br />
The third time they listened I let them draw what they thought it looked like based on what they had heard in the song.<br />
<br />
While they were drawing I walked around and checked their work quickly to identify who had heard particular details. Fortunately I have a student teacher at the moment so she was able to scribe for my student who wasn't able to record his own ideas.<br />
<br />
I explained to the children that the toy is imaginary so there is no "right" answer but we discussed the features it needed to have to be the toy from the song.<br />
Finally we watched an animated version on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvmyxTm6hkg" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and also read a book about the same marvellous toy the next day. The children really loved the song.<br />
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<br />
Here are our pictures of the marvellous toy:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9sP8EMcYY9M?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
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We have started a written task as a follow up as well. Once they have finished I will have them post their descriptions on our class blog.</div>
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This was an enjoyable way to quickly assess their listening skills and to discuss different artists' impressions.</div>
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-30321947537683174612012-10-10T03:50:00.000-07:002012-10-10T03:50:24.816-07:00Toys Past and PresentOur History study this term will focus on how toys have changed over time.<br />
This investigation will address the third point in Historical knowledge and understanding in the Australian Curriculum for Year 2:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535353; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">The impact of changing technology on people’s lives (at home and in the ways they worked, travelled, communicated, and played in the past) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535353; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><a class="code" href="http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Curriculum/ContentDescription/ACHHK046" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ababab; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="View additional details of ACHHK046">(ACHHK046)</a></span><br />
The children have written letters to their own grandparents, posing questions about the past, and tapping into their grandparents' wisdom as a source of historical knowledge.<br />
We have also borrowed a collection of "artefacts" from the museum and of course, are using books and other written resources as further sources of historical knowledge.<br />
One web-based resource which has been very useful in introducing some basic concepts is the Welsh produced web site: <a href="http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/how_toys_change/eng/Introduction/default.htm" target="_blank">How toys have changed</a>.<br />
I have created a number of worksheets that I have used with differentiated groups to collect information from this website.<br />
These worksheets are accessible from my google docs.<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzWdG4ahdu3tNXhTWjFORlh1dVE" target="_blank">Worksheet 1</a> - Simplest sheet - scaffolded sentence writing.<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzWdG4ahdu3tRWV4c0p3MW11WUk" target="_blank">Worksheet 2</a> - Collecting information about one toy from one period<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzWdG4ahdu3tWExObHlCNmZIZTA" target="_blank">Worksheet 3</a> - Collecting information (writing keywords) about a variety of toys from different times.<br />
I hope these resources might be of use to you.Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-58491101980173134932012-10-10T03:01:00.000-07:002012-10-10T03:01:28.240-07:00The Meaning of LIFEToday I attended my second day of training in the LIFE Learning Management System. In spite of my own reservations about the suitability of this product for my particular needs over other available software by this afternoon I felt much more confident about how this product might be used in my school to enhance teaching and learning.<br />
I have three main concerns about this learning management system and the way that it is being rolled out across the system I am working in (or at least in my own school).<br />
Firstly, the package is not as useful for my early years classroom as it might be in other settings. I see that LMS can be very beneficial for tertiary and secondary educational settings, in organising coursework, communicating between teachers and students and allowing collaboration between learners with flexible timing, however, I am currently teaching Year 2 (7 year-olds). Simply plonking something that it great for adult learners into an early childhood setting is not necessarily a good idea.<br />
The process of logging in to the program, digging through the pages to the activity of the day is not simple and is made frustrating by the very slow loading. The "one-stop shop" package presents some advantaged in keeping the activities in one place and some uniformity across activities, but the tools themselves are not as useable and useful as other Web 2.0 tools freely available on the web, and much simpler for my young learners to access.<br />
Secondly, the program is being forced randomly into our practice, rather than being used to address particular needs. At my school there are three teachers who are being trained in the first round and trying to implement the package. Due to the physical distance between our classrooms and the fact that we are in different grade levels spread across the school, it is difficult to feel like we are being supported by each other through this process. In our school we are expected to plan in Year level teams<br />
(consisting of around 4 teachers) but each of us trialling LIFE are in different teaching teams, so we plan units, activities and assessments with our team and then go off on our own and try to "invent" reasons to implement LIFE into our planning and do this on top of everything that the other classes on our year level are doing. If our whole team was using LIFE then needs would arise during the planning phase (e.g.: how can we get our students to collaboratively brainstorm their initial thoughts on the topic) and then some of these needs would be able to be met with LIFE. The use of technology should be to solve an existing problem, not to create new ones. Our current approach is arbitrary implementation to use technology for technology's sake.<br />
Finally, I strongly believe that the strength of technology (including LMS, Web 2.0 tools, iPads and the like) is the ability to enable true collaboration amongst learners. The LIFE LMS system is a walled vault. No-one from outside can see what my class is doing and they can't communicate with anyone beyond those that they could easily turn their heads and talk to. Where is the point in using a cumbersome program to talk to the person who is sitting beside you? How is this providing students with a real audience and a sense that they are part of a global community?<br />
As learners ourselves, the program restricts teachers from easily sharing ideas about what they are doing. I can't view the great activities that might be being done at other schools within my system and I can't make contact with other teachers who might be working through the same issues as me.<br />
The team implementing the LMS at a system level created a collaborative workspace for staff. One of the team wrote a post on a discussion board inviting questions and discussion. After my first training session I responded to this post and asked a question and also started my own conversation thread. Two months later there have been 7 views of the original thread (mostly by me) and only one view of my starter (which I think was me also). No-one, even the person who set up the collaborative discussion board, has bothered to read or respond to the conversation threads. Why are we hell-bent on having our 7-year-olds collaborating using the software if we don't see a place for such collaboration in our own professional learning?<br />
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So, this morning I voiced my concerns (quite strongly because I was feeling very frustrated) and to the credit of the person facilitating the training session, by this afternoon, I truly felt that my concerns had been heard and that there is some future for this initiative after all.<br />
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I am proposing to our principal that we change tact from our original implementation plan (which, in fairness, was devised before any of us knew much about what we were doing). I propose that the teachers who are in the initial implementation phase be placed in a single year level teaching team to address the concern that it is being treated as an adhoc and ill-fitted addition to our existing planning. I would suggest that year level would be older than Year 2 to increase the likelihood of initial success. Finally, I have proposed that we begin to use the tools as staff for our own collaborative planning so that all staff begin to develop a sense of what the program offers and how to use it before they are expected to implement it in their own classes.<br />
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After today, I am very confident that the LIFE Learning Management System can have a positive impact on the teaching and learning in my school.Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-8447297913814620892012-08-28T05:16:00.000-07:002012-08-28T05:16:05.084-07:00Kids teach Kids with iPads!Our school has decided to take part in Australia Post <a href="http://www.kidsteachingkids.com.au/" target="_blank">Kids Teaching Kids Week</a> this year for the first time and so far it has been a great success. It is always exhilarating to see children enthusiastically explaining what they have learnt about something with other children, younger or older.<br />
My colleague next door has written a great poem and a short play that her children are presenting this week to a variety of audiences. It is a fitting celebration of the learning we have been doing this term about sustainability.<br />
Other classes have shared work that they have created throughout the year and this has been as beneficial to those showing the work as it has been for their eager audiences.<br />
Students in my class have created (very) short videos using the iPads to showcase some of the ideas they have been developing about how people, pets and native animals can live together sustainably.<br />
They worked closely with their Year 5 buddies (who are experts in writing persuasive texts thanks to their NAPLAN experience) to develop a short text to persuade people to do more to live harmoniously alongside native animals.<br />
The Year 2s then used the iPads to create their videos.<br />
The first app they used was <a href="http://pic-collage.com/" target="_blank">Pic Collage</a> (a new favourite) to create an image that would support their spoken text. Pic Collage is so simple to use. This was the first time many of them had used the app (although I have shown them how it worked a couple of weeks ago). They quickly worked out how to take their own photos, find images on the web, manipulate text and images, and change colours of backgrounds. The bright colours made their creations instantly appealing. With a bit of practice and a little guidance, I am sure they could produce some great work with this versatile app.<br />
The other app they used was <a href="http://www.sonicpics.com/public/index.php" target="_blank">Sonic Pics</a> (another favourite) to record their spoken text. I much prefer Sonic Pics over iMovie for use with my young students as it is so simple for them to use once they have used it a few times. They can talk for as long as they need and change pictures when it suits them which is easier than having to manipulate the length of play for images in iMovie. iMovie has lots of great features which allow users to do more exciting things, but for simplicity with young students, Sonic Pics seems to be the answer. It was also relatively simple for me to upload their recordings to YouTube so I could post them onto <a href="http://yearinyear2.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/kids-teach-kids.html" target="_blank">our class blog</a>.<br />
The next step for me is to create QR codes that link to the YouTube clips so that my kids can use the iPads to easily share their work with other students.<br />
Check out a sample of their work in this video clip.<br />
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My future challenge is to work out how to cut out the background noise that emanates from our busy classroom. My iPad can record quite clearly in a quiet room and when I project voice clearly towards the mic, but seven-year-olds seem to have trouble with voice projection or suffer from stage fright, and try as I might, I can't seem to find a way to get the surrounding noise to a reasonable level for long enough, with 24 excited little people moving around a classroom.<br />
I have yet to find a mic that will plug in to the iPad but I am open to advice from anyone with a solution because I would like to use the iPads a lot more for recording their reading and other assessments.Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-18420206252457426412012-07-19T05:14:00.000-07:002012-07-19T05:14:09.535-07:00iPads in the Classroom PDYesterday I was lucky enough to go to an excellent PD presented by <a href="http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/" target="_blank">Spectronics</a> about the use of iPads in classrooms, particularly for differentiating instruction.<br />
I was really, really lucky because my wonderful principal let me take along three colleagues.<br />
I am an iPad convert. I have been using Apple products since I was seven (that's over thirty years - wow - I am old!) and as each new innovation has been launched I have been lucky enough to have at least been kept in the loop by my father, who lives and breathes Apples.<br />
But the iPad has me really interested. I truly hope that it is the tool that will help me to become a better teacher. I want to transform my teaching so I can take my students on learning journeys we never before thought possible - and I think the iPad might help me do it.<br />
I will admit that before I went along to the PD yesterday I was a little afraid it was going to be an "iPad for Dummies" session and that I would come away without learning anything, but Greg O'Connor managed to engage his audience that included everyone for self-proclaimed "iPad virgins" to techno-geeks.<br />
He was honest, interesting and intelligent.<br />
He said out aloud many of the things that I have been thinking for a while. He even said many of the things that I have been saying.<br />
After about an hour, I was very impressed, very glad I came along and very happy that it turns out I am not as crazy as I thought I might have been.<br />
Greg demonstrated a few simple things that could be done with an iPad - not too much to overwhelm people who were just starting out, but enough to inspire thinking about how else these devices might be useful.<br />
He was upfront about the limitations and challenges: ICT stands for "It Can't Teach" and quality teachers are more important than ever; It's the pedagogy, not the tool that makes for good learning; learning to work with new technology is hard work.<br />
Tomorrow my colleagues and I are planning to share some of what we learnt with other staff at our school. We all came away from the day inspired to keep on learning, and I think that is the mark of a quality PD!Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-66509702085479295782012-07-19T04:45:00.001-07:002012-07-19T04:45:15.963-07:00Great work, guys!At the end of my first ever month of teaching I remember reflecting on what a lonely occupation it seemed to be.<br />
In spite of the 24 or so little people that I got to spend time with each day, and the occasional parent who popped in to help out with reading, or quick chats in the staffroom about the weather, I was surprised at how isolating teaching could feel.<br />
At uni I was constantly engaged in conversations surrounding assignments, readings and lesson ideas. During my prac I had supervising teachers watching my every move and giving me feedback about what I was doing every step of the way.<br />
When I got a "real job" I was left on my own, in my own little world, with no-one to watch what I was doing, ask me questions or give me advice. My principal dropped in one day not long after I started to say "G'day" but I wondered how he would know if I was doing a good job or not.<br />
I was really surprised by the loneliness.<br />
I was a new teacher eager to learn more from my more experienced colleagues but they didn't seem overly keen to discuss pedagogy or to share their great ideas.<br />
I was in need of reassurance, suggestions, encouragement and inspiration, but I was teaching alone.<br />
Doing relief teaching and short term contracts for my first few years turned out to be a great blessing since I got to go inside the secret caves of other teachers and glean ideas from things they had set up in their rooms, or from activities they had left for me to do.<br />
Occasionally in my early years of teaching I was lucky enough to work alongside some great teachers who also seemed to think that teaching was something worth talking about, worth exploring, and worth trying to get better at... but for the most part I felt out of place since not many seemed to share my need to share.<br />
Then came the blogging world, and Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and PLNs!<br />
Suddenly I discovered that I wasn't alone, that I wasn't (so) crazy and that there were other teachers out there who are very dedicated to the profession.<br />
Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!<br />
Thankyou to those of you who blog and share your great ideas. Thankyou to those who blog, Facebook, tweet and pin your thoughts, plans and aspirations.<br />
Thankyou to those very brave souls who share their failures with others so that we can all realise that we are not alone, and so we can continue to learn together.<br />
Suddenly I am not alone. Teaching is a community. Teachers are dedicated to their students and to ensuring that they keep learning themselves, always being challenged and always pushing the boundaries.<br />
Great work, guys! You make me proud to be part of the profession!Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487592761576002018.post-64230277371324726042012-07-08T01:50:00.000-07:002012-07-08T03:12:32.691-07:00Black Hat, Green Hat: Thinking about 1:1 iPads<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For the past few months I have been
exploring the idea of 1:1 iPads in my classroom. I have read articles, listened
to podcasts, played with apps, attended PD sessions and spoken with colleagues
at other schools and institutions doing or considering similar programs. The
recent QSITE conference at Coomera was an excellent opportunity to engage with
other like-minded professionals and helped me to feel that maybe my dream is
not as crazy as it seems.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US">My own friends and colleagues remain
skeptical about the necessity of such a huge leap. My proposed experiment (and
that is how I see it since we don’t yet have enough experience or data to prove
that 1:1 iPads will have a positive impact on learning outcomes) is expensive.
At about $500 for each student (to get a basic iPad2, a sturdy case and a
handful of apps) could run to $12,000 for a class of 24 students.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7FTn8hR6eOyGWrENQ1ZGD4P6g5kAB3qHgl6kKkdBTeHdCBmyzBDp2kaYRHPryVRtM2qetdhoy6mxKr0415qNh9zTH35w7zhA0qIk3RVK_3mEAxZpWBdVgtHlxI8i0yCGOFEp3pXXjwY/s1600/thelcurvelogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7FTn8hR6eOyGWrENQ1ZGD4P6g5kAB3qHgl6kKkdBTeHdCBmyzBDp2kaYRHPryVRtM2qetdhoy6mxKr0415qNh9zTH35w7zhA0qIk3RVK_3mEAxZpWBdVgtHlxI8i0yCGOFEp3pXXjwY/s200/thelcurvelogo.png" title="thelcurvelogo" width="199" /></a><span lang="EN-US">Genuine questions arise about why do I
think I need 1:1 (rather than a shared class set between a few classes or a
small bank in my own class room – two legitimate alternatives that might be
somewhat less expensive). Other intelligent queries relate to what would I do
with all these iPads that I can’t do already, and is the teaching and learning
in my classroom going to improve enough to justify the expense.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have been grateful to my colleagues and
friends, as well as parents in my current class and my principal who have asked
me so many “hard” questions over the past few months as this “black hat
thinking” is critical to me when I am refining my ideas and formulating my
plans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My principal is reasonably supportive of
the idea but has many way-too-sensible questions about where the money is
coming from and who is responsible for insurance, breakages and other problems.
Those are the really “not-fun” parts of the project, and probably the reason
that I am the teacher and not the principal, because at the end of the day I
can hand those problems over to someone else (I hope).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So, to answer “That’s a good question”
Number 1: Why 1:1 iPads?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Essentially, iPads are a personal device.
Once you own your own iPad, you personalise the device to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> settings, assign it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i>
email, sign into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> DropBox,
Evernote, Twitter, Facebook etc. When you play a game with multiple levels, the
device saves <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> settings. Due to
the options that most apps provide for sharing files and creations, it is way
simpler (particularly for young students) to have a personalised device.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A shared set of iPads is problematic for a
teacher trying to do many pedagogically sound projects with students using
iPads. In order for a student to continue working on a project they have
started, they need to get access again to the same device they had last time. This
can be problematic, particularly when different children require different
amounts of time for completing projects. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Excellent applications for the iPad2
potentially use images, movies and sounds which are all saved on the individual
device. Remembering exactly which device was used to take a photo three weeks
ago at an excursion could be problematic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">To me, one of the biggest advantages of 1:1
devices would be that students would have access to the tools when they needed
them. In a learner-centred classroom in which the teacher is responsive to the
needs of individual students, the ability to use the right tool at the right
time is paramount. I don’t always know a week ahead, a day ahead or even an
hour ahead when my learners are going to be ready to use the device and for how
long they might need it. Sharing the devices across many classes and being
restricted by booking regimes and timetables can take the flexibility and
spontaneity out of the classroom. If the devices are seen mostly as a “toy” or
and “activity” then it is possible to “book in” some time but if these devices
are seen as a “tool” to allow for learning, creativity and problem solving,
then sharing the devices across multiple classes is inadequate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Many people assume that “1:1” means that
all students will be using the devices almost all of the time. Anecdotes and
evidence from classrooms involved in 1:1 programs indicate that this is far
from the truth. A 1:1 program allows teachers and students the flexibility to
choose the right tool for the task at hand. If the iPad is the right tool for
that student for that task, then they use the iPad; if another tool is the best
choice, then that is what is used. It alleviates the over-use of the devices
for meaningless or inappropriate tasks when teachers and students use the
device for a task simply because “this is our hour with the iPads this week”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">iPads used effectively in learning are
tools for discovery, creativity and communication. Students are not just
game-players or users – they are designers and creators.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">To get the files they create to the teacher
from a shared device from many great apps can be a very complicated, multiple
step process which means that with younger students, particularly, the teacher
ends up with the job of chasing down the device, searching for the file and
uploading it to the correct place. If this process took about 5 minutes for
each of the 24 students each week, this time quickly adds up, and as they say
in the business world, “Time is money.” I know my time is valuable and I want
to make sure that the time I do have with students is spent on quality teaching
and learning, not organising files.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Other “maintenance” issues such as
uploading apps, maintaining the camera roll and daily charging are onerous
tasks when needing to be done on multiple devices and knowing who is
responsible for this maintenance on shared devices could cause some issues.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In a 1:1 program, these tasks could be
passed onto the individual (with assistance from parents where necessary).
Individually the tasks are not cumbersome, but en masse they are tedious.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I would propose that the 1:1 iPads were the
responsibility of the individual (even if the ownership is retained by the
school). Anecdotal evidence from the early 1:1 iPad trial in Victoria suggested
that the introduction of the iPad program was a fantastic conduit for improving
home-school relationship because the parents became very interested in what was
happening in the classroom and were happy to assist in installing new apps and
ensuring the iPad was sent to school charged.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Assuming that we were to purchase the base
model iPad with 16GB of data, if every iPad needed to have every app that might
me used by different students in different classes and year levels, and
students and individual teachers would not be able to delete movie files and
images that didn’t belong to them (in case it was something important), the
devices could fill up quickly. Personal devices would assist students in
establishing more thoughtful approaches to file management, even from a young
age.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Personal devices would also allow teachers
to install apps for particular students on the individual device only. Specific
apps may be extremely useful to one or two children in a class but irrelevant
to others so it doesn’t make sense to have a “one size fits all” approach to
purchasing apps, because even at only $1.99 each they can add up quickly across
a large number of devices.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">That brings me to “That’s a good question”
Number 2: Wouldn’t it be cheaper to have 1:2 or 1:4 or some other system?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After reading, reading, listening,
discussing, reading, thinking, reading, discussing, listening and thinking a
lot about the cost of a 1:1 Program compared to other models, I have come to
the conclusion that once everything is taken into consideration, the cost of
1:1 iPads might not be that much more than the alternatives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Schools instituting 1:1 programs usually
have some kind of cost to the parents. Sometimes the parents are expected to
buy the device themselves for specific use by the student at school (at least
one Gold Coast school is using this model). Other schools charge a levy that
means that the parents are paying for all or some of the cost over a number of
years. Our initial survey of parents suggested that the majority of parents
would consider paying some cost towards a 1:1 program for their child.
Anecdotal evidence from colleagues at other schools is that most parents are
generally happy to subsidise the program in some way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I am not sure if as many parents would be
happy to subsidise the program if the access to the device was shared.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My second point to defend the cost of the
program would be to point out the “uncharged” cost on teachers in file
management issues and maintenance like charging. Making sure that the iPads are
locked away securely and being charged each night would be just another task to
add to my never-ending list of things to do each day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I would also suggest that the ability to
purchase only the apps that are needed for a particular child could save money
also. New apps could be purchased by a small group of children who are using it
for a specific purpose and if the app is found to be useful to others, they can
purchase it later. This could save buying apps that look good at first and then
turn out to be not all they seemed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Charging 100 or so iPads each night might
not cost a fortune but I am sure this cost would add up over time. In a 1:1
program, iPads would be charged at home, meaning a small saving for the school
in the electricity bill.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1487592761576002018" name="_GoBack"></a><span lang="EN-US">Not so silly question
Number 3: Why use iPads with early years students?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My response to this question depends on the
alternative being offered or the question behind the question. Some people
think that technology use is a higher priority for older students; they should
get access first. Many people are concerned that the students are too young for
the responsibility that comes with using or owning an expensive device that
allows them access to the big, wide world of the Internet. Some people think
that laptops or iPods might be a more suitable alternative; and of course, for
many purposes they might be right. Some people are concerned that when students
have greater access to ICT they will not develop other skills such as reading,
writing and the art of conversation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I think that access to appropriate
technology, when coupled with excellent pedagogy, is important for all students
regardless of age. By suggesting that we use iPads in the early years (as one
tool for learning) I am not detracting from the importance of technology for other
learners. I’m advocating for the nurturing of responsible digital citizens and
implementation of quality pedagogies that utilise technologies in meaningful
ways.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The “fear factor” when it comes to trusting
students with expensive hardware and access to the world of the web is massive
amongst both parents and teachers. Some of us seem to cling to the hope that if
we delay and limit access to ICT for as long as we can we will protect them
(and valuable equipment). I am not proposing open slather and no supervision. I
believe that as educators we have an important responsibility to teach (this is
why we are called “teachers”) our charges to treat the equipment with care and
respect, and to develop skills and awareness that will put them in a better
position to make responsible and safe decisions when using the Internet. I fear
that if we don’t take the opportunity to educate our students about Internet
etiquette, cybersafety and responsible digital citizenship before they begin to
access these things on their own, we are letting our students down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Why iPads over laptops or iPods? iPads are
a happy balance between being small enough to be easily portable and big enough
to do some great stuff. They are reasonably affordable and quite robust. Having
no keyboard or hinges means less parts to break. iPad apps are well-priced and
easy to access. There is less “wait time” when powering up and the battery life
is comparatively good. There are some things that are best done on a laptop or
an iPod but the iPad offers enough flexibility for some very creative
applications.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I would relish the opportunity to “play” in
a 1:1 iPad classroom so that I can learn and discover some of the possibilities
with my students. The “black hat thinkers”, while necessary and important, are
not asking the “green hat questions” that plague my mind. What can I do with
these devices? How can I embrace this technology to challenge and transform my
own teaching so I am improving my own pedagogy, and therefore opening up a new
world of possibility for my learners? How useful are these devices in
monitoring the learning of my students? How will a 1:1 environment enable me to
differentiate learning experiences for individual students? Which apps are
going to help me provide opportunities for my students to think, create,
design, develop, collaborate, explore and learn?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">These are the questions I really want to
answer. Now I am just asking for a chance.</span></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09360084368721262613noreply@blogger.com1