Goals for Term 4

As part of the staff survey we were asked to think of some goals for this term.  I have so many things I want to try and do with my class, because they are so keen and eager and I feel so behind because of my time off with my injury.  So I had to think and prioritise as I tend to go in head first and I want my goals to be challenging but still achievable.  

Goal 1:
To promote the techsperxs more and allow them to introduce the app of the fortnight, collate our opinions, and to teach our class. 

Goal 2:
Complete watching the netsafe clips and allowing time for the techsperx to create their glog about it. 

Goal 3:
Support my team with their E-learning goals and include time in our syndicate meetings to reflect, trial, ask questions and allow them opportunities to be the experts.

Restorative Practices

I was tweeted this YouTube link to an inspirational woman by the name of Kay Hutchison.  Such an extrodinary woman who has first hand used and seen the positive effects of restorative practices in a wider community setting.  I felt particular interest in her story as it is everything that I inspire and attempt to use in my classroom, but can also be used for many vary situations outside of the classroom.  It's not just a practice it is a way of being.

Kay talks about raising "human beings' as opposed to "human doings" As "human beings" we need to "step up, accept responsibility, move forward and forgive." We need to focus on and engage in  maintaining relationships through empathy, tolerance, forgiveness, inclusiveness and integrity.  Imagine living in a world likes this...Well we can, if we remember each day as we walk into your class, model these virtues and values.  How best to learn something than having it modeled to you and accepting it as way of being.

Connected Day 2013

On the 20th of July there was a Connected Day with a number of workshops and a Brian Anan as the keynote speaker.  Marcelle and I worked with the media team for the day.  It was a privilege to work with this group of children.  They were focused and really keen to learn from each other.  At first they were a bit shy to approach teachers, but when they watched some of the clips they had taken, they realised that the teachers were more nervous than they were.

I was so impressed with the skills they all bought to the table.  We had some iMovie experts, photographers, confident interviewers and with all these wonderful skills the group created this awesome movie of the day

Communities of Practice

During the term 2 break the teaching staff went and spent a night at the the Maketu Marae in Kawhia.  We learned a lot about the history of the Marae and why it is such a special place.  It is the burial place of the Tainui Waka.  The marae was situated right beside the sea which was lovely.



The night that we were there we did weaving and korowai crafts.  They were a lot of fun, and I could see  myself doing them with my class this term as part of our culture unit.  I have made another flax bracelet with paper to try it out and see it it could be done without flax and it can.  I enjoyed making the korowai and could see the children enjoying this activity.  It would be fantastic to have a real korowai in when we do this activity and explain the history and importance of it so the kids understand the purpose and significance it has.

Ted's session on communities of practice was great.  I was making connections with the communities of practice I was part of.  I also thought of the ones that my children were involved in.  It also made me think how well do I really know the communities of practice they are involved with and also their families.  It was also how they interact within these communities.  Ted spoke about boundary jumpers and that children were often the ones who were most comfortable in both communities (School and home)  So how do we utilise these boundary jumper opportunities.  How do we jump the boundaries?

Bill helped us break down the treaty which was interesting.  I was able to relate the ideas we discussed into my classroom setting and gained a better understanding of all the goings on from when the treaty was signed to today.

It was a full on two days of learning, but very beneficial and enjoyable.

Web 2.0 tools list

So I was searching the web for logos  to make an experts poster and came across a couple of posters linking blooms higher order thinking with web 2.0 tools.  Some tools I hadn't used or even heard of.  So how could I possibly get through them all.  I was thinking I would work with a few Techsperx and share the tools and let them explore them and teach the class and me.  My ideal goal is to have the children independently select the tool that best suits the purpose of the activity.

Here is one of the blooms/web 2.0 tools poster.  Below are also direct links to the tools.

lhoffman4 Mar 28, 2011 3:21 PM (in response to aporta)

Hi Ann,
I can't believe there are several interactive Bloom's Taxonomy charts with the Web 2.0 tools available online.  I am surprised to find some new Web 2.0 tools listed on this website that I have not seen before.  This is another wonderful "find" on the Internet.  I hope you don't mind that I took your post one step further and listed the websites below that have the interactive tools.  I think it is such a fantastic resource!

Bloomin' Digital Peacock

Remember:

BBC Skillwise- http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/

Spelling City- http://spellingcity.com

Starfall- http://starfall.com

Discovery Streaming- http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com

Lexipedia- http://lexipedia.com

YouTube- http://youtube.com

Gamegoo- http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/gooey.html

PBS Kids- http://pbskids.org

Understand:

Into the Book- http://reading.ecb.org

Skype- http://skype.com

Treasures- http://activities.macmillanmh.com/reading/treasures/

Book Adventure- http://bookadventure.org

Twitter- http://twitter.com

Apply:

Kerpoof- http://kerpoof.com

PhotoBooth- Software

Scholastic- http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/learn.jsp

Fotobabble- http://fotobabble.com

Google Earth- http://google.com/earth

Analyze:

Read Write Think- http://readwritethink.org

Cool Iris- http://cooliris.com

Wordle- http://wordle.net

Creaza- http://creaza.com

Mindomo- http://mindomo.com

Evaluate:

Shelfari- http://shelfari.com

Wikipedia- http://wikipedia.com

Think.com- http://think.com

Nota- http://notaland.com

Create:

Pic-Lits- http://piclits.com

Kerpoof- http://kerpoof.com

ZimmerTwins- http://zimmertwins.com

Wiki Spaces- http://wikispaces.com

DomoNation- http://domonation.com

Glogster- http://edu.glogster.com

Creaza- http://creaza.com

Voicethread- http://voicethread.com

Kidblog- http://kidblog.org

Wetpaint- http://www.wetpaint.com

edublogs- http://edublogs.org

Stage’d- http://stagedproject.com/

Thanks again for sharing this interactive Bloom's Taxonomy.

Lynne

Connected Table Session

Last Thursday Marcelle, Danielle and I presented at a table session for core connected.  The three of us shared our experiences and learning with voicetools to share student voice and learning.  We covered such tools as fotobabble and voicethread.  It was great experience as I had never been to a table session let alone help present one.  All our table participants asked questions and also contribute which is the beauty of these sessions.  I got some tools/apps out of it as well.

Our second table was Twitter.  We set some people up on twitter and shared who we were following.  It was great to see the enthusiasm for this social media tool in an educational context.  I must admit I was a bit quite on the twitter front for a while there, but after our table session the sparks reignited and I've found so many useful tweets and new people to follow.  I have had to email some of the links from twitter as I can't keep up with all the awesomeness and don't want to lose it.  Sometimes you just want to do it all but you need to decide on the purpose and if it is best fit for the class you have and if that is what they need.

iPads and iPods

Well we are starting to roll out iPads into our classrooms.  They are a great mobile device that children can not only consume information from but use to be creators as well.  There are many apps that can be downloaded to foster this creativity and also to master skills such as math knowledge.  One that I am a fan of is Wordfoto.  It allows you to take a photo and add text over it.  We have used it in my class for our profiles about us.  The children have really enjoyed using it and they look really effective.  Not only is it a skill to take a good photo, but they also need to be specific with the words they choose to add over the photo. 
Here is an example

2012 Reflection

Well the year has flown by.  So as I look back I think that the year has been successful not only in my classroom, but also school wide.  There is more of an engagement from staff and the students, as always, are keen. 

We have had the introduction of some new technologies such as new desktops and ipods.  A lot of learning has taken place to best use these tools.  I have enjoyed using the iPods and allowing the children to just go and explore.  Many of the web 2 tools that we use such as fotobabble and animoto are also available as apps so the children don't need a computer to work from.  It has been great for impromptu posts especially if children have an aha moment and want to take a photo and upload it to their blog.  They can do all of that instantly on the iPod.

It has been great working out ways to integrate the technologies we have in class within our daily programmes.  The children enjoy working independently and collaboratively with the technology. They are exploring on their own through discussions with their peers from other classmates. A great example was when when Emily & Kayla taught themselves how to use animoto then taught the class. It was their chosen tool which met the purpose of the activity. Now the kids are seeking every opportunity to use animoto.

With the introduction of 3 iPads I'm sure there will be many more apps that will engage and challenge the children. I'm looking forward to the ICOT to get more ideas and new ideas. I'm also looking forward to making more links to thinking through technology.

Teacher Challenge

So I put my name on the list for the web 2.0 tool "jog the web".  It is a tool that allows you to select websites based around your topic or teaching point and put them into one page.  

It's very difficult to explain but I am experimenting with this tool and have found it very useful in the sense that the children don't have to search the bookmarks or type in an address as it is already there.  They can go between all the websites you have chosen.  I can see this being useful for group work e.g a math group doing decimals.  

You could use it for topic based learning as well.  Children could also make their own jog's to share their learning in different tools e.g. fotobabble, glogster etc

Have a look at my first jog on multiplication.


Multiplication Jog

Blogging

Well I am very excited about next week as our third cycle of Quadblogging starts!  Our order is as follows:


Kellie - Mrs Dibattista's 4th Grade Blog
Antony - The Fantastic Year 5
us - Team 12 Vardon
Laura - Mrs Minters Class

I would like to see the kids posting more on their quad buddies blogs so I am looking at creating a roster for before school and after school (8:30 - 9am and 3pm - 3:30pm) as we often have lots to cover in our weekly ICT suite time.  I'm also going to make commenting a rotatation/indepedent activity during my reading and writing programmes.

The focus is a result of the children's excitement when they get a comment on their post.  It's also a result of the excitement that the children have when they put up a post that they are really proud of and want to share with the class.  So I would like to pass on that excitement to another class.

I am also going to share this blog with my quad blog teachers, hopefully to share ideas and comment on each others (if they have them) as well.  If it's good enough for the kids it's good enough for the teachers too.

Using iPod touches

Well we started off with one iPod touch in class and the kids really enjoyed using it.  I found it quite difficult to use with a group and fully utilise the apps as it was small so isn't ideal for lots of children to sit around.  Also I often had to rotate it between group members so everyone got a chance to use it.  So I applied to First Credit Union for sponsorship of some more iPod touches.  They kindly donated 4.  We now have 1 pod of 3 and 1 pod of 2.  It has been great to have 3 in class.

The apps that I have been using frequently are math magician, splice, blogger and spelling games focusing on homophones, plurals and tenses.

Tia has become our blogger app expert.  She has started to ask to use the iPod to do blog posts throughout the day.  Tia has also taught a few other children to use the app.  It will be great when all the iPods are connected to the wifi so more children can use this app.  i could see this as a math activity for a group.

Splice is great too.  The enviro-agents took videos on the iPod for their application for a treemendous makeover.  We then put the videos onto splice.  Fingers crossed the application is successful.

So because we now have 3 iPods I am now more able to include the ipods into independent activities and group rotations for my reading, writing and maths groups.  I'm really excited about exploring this mobile learning device.

Goals for Term 3

Hello blogging world.  It has been awhile since we have chatted.  Well where to start.  I have just returned back from an intrepid trip of Thailand.  What an eye opening experience, such a different way of life.  I loved every minute of it, so much in fact that we are already planning our next intrepid trip!

The last two weeks I have been sharing with my class the places I visited, the experiences I participated in and lots of photos.  We learnt about the Thai currency of Baht and completed math activities converting between the two and purchasing items in Baht and NZ dollar.  The class have enjoyed these and I have too as it puts math into a real world context.

I have learnt to convert video files into smaller files using anyvideo converter (thanks Shane) which has made our uploads on our blogs much quicker.  I have also downloaded blogger onto our iPod and am going to use it this term for the impromptu aha moments.

I was clearing out my emails last week and came across a link that has a 30 day challenge of web 2.0 tools for the classroom. teacher challenge is the link.  I have set myself the challenge to learn about a new tool each week and implement it in my classroom programme.  I'm also going to add it to our eLearning wall so me and my class don't forget about them and can choose which one would be best to use for our learning at that time for that particular task.  I will be sharing this at the next staff meeting so maybe check it out beforehand and see if you already know some of the tools.

Restorative Practice Reflection

Our syndicate has been exploring aspects of restorative practices so I found the workshop very useful and interesting.  For me relationships was the theme throughout the two days, and how we go about restoring the relationships that have had harm caused unto them.  Consideration has to be made for all those who are affected by the harm.  So that wasn't just involving who the incident took place with but also who it will affect. 

Another point that really stuck with me was the word outcome.  What outcome do we want from this discussion?  When you... what did you want the outcome to be?  I use this more frequently to put the incident into a bigger picture and also it enables children to be reflective on their behaviour.  "I just wanted them to play with me", "I was angry and I wanted them to leave me alone".

It also alerted me to remember to constantly use the language of restorative practice and to also stop talking.  Sometimes as teachers we put words into the childrens mouths without giving them the time to think it out then respond.  Often it's that we see how we want the outcome to be, and we forget to wait or lose patience.

My next steps are to share the prompts with the class so they are aware of the language being used and they can practice responding or thinking about how they would reply.  I would also like to share the booklet with the class leaders so they have the tools and strategies when they are asked by their peers to help them solve problems.

Teach and learn Te Reo Maori blog

I found this awesome blog with helpful phrases, tips and activities for Te Reo Maori.

lets learn te reo maori.blogspot

Check it out

Fantastic ideas for blog posts

Check out this google presentation for inspiring and simple ideas for blog posts that your children could upload.

64 Interesting Ideas for Class Blog Posts

Getting started with Google.docs

Here is a great youtube clip that will be used at Tuesday's staff meeting to introduce and set up your google docs account

choose your own path story

Here is a story written in google forms. It is a choose your own path story. Would be great to share with your class
The Lily Pad

Teacher Resource

Awesome link to powerpoints on how to use google apps, ipods, interactive boards, google earth, blogs etc

Interesting Ways

Learning @ Schools 2012

Where to start???

I am really excited to start the year so inspired and motivated with lots of ideas to really get the most use of the current technologies I have, and also to explore mobile learning devices such as ipods and tablets to better engage students and also make learning mobile and accessible to more students.

I knew about you tube and used it occasionally within my program, but I went to You too can You Tube and really got buzzing with all the different ways I could use it across the curriculum. 

Here are some ways I will be using You Tube this term:

Swimming Tutorials
How to write a limerick
How to blend with paint/picasso

I am also really keen to experiment with Google Docs with the children.  One great example was a collective story where the children each had a page to write within this doc.  Each child must wait until the previous page has been written to be able to add to it correctly.  It could be set as a home learning task for the week and then to be shared the week after in writing time.

Here is the google powerpoint from the breakout I went to about one schools journey with google docs
magpie ict journey

Follow this art blog!

This blog is fantastic!  Lots of creative art ideas for all levels.
enjoy
http://paintedpaperintheartroom.blogspot.com/