Check out the "find your next steps" chicken
Chook is a star in this short movie made to advertise Pam Hook's presentation at Learning at School Conference by students in Room 10 at Newmarket School in Auckland.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Is what you "know" wrong?
Great professional reading for the summer break - re-thinking what makes a difference in schools.
His findings could add some new fire to the debate about what makes a good school. Fryer found that class size, per-pupil spending, and the number of teachers with certifications or advanced degrees had nothing to do with student test scores in language and math. In fact, schools that poured in more resources actually got worse results.
What did make a difference? The study measures correlation, not causation, so there are no clear answers. But there is a clear pattern. Schools that focused on teacher development, data-driven instruction, creating a culture focused on student achievement, and setting high academic expectations consistently fared better. The results were consistent whether the charter's program was geared towards the creative arts or hard-core behavioral discipline.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximising impact on learning
John Hattie's new book is available for pre-order through Amazon.
If Visible Learning is any guide then this new book promises to be a "must have" addition to the professional reading resources of any school.
If Visible Learning is any guide then this new book promises to be a "must have" addition to the professional reading resources of any school.
Amazon.com: Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing impact on learning (9780415690157): John Hattie: Books via kwout
Visible Learning for Teachers offers
"practical step by step guidance to the successful implementation of
visible learning and visible teaching in the classroom".
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Infographic: Get More Out Of Google
A great infographic from HackCollege -
Get More out of Google. - A collection of powerful strategies for students (and teachers) doing research online.
Created by: HackCollege
Get More out of Google. - A collection of powerful strategies for students (and teachers) doing research online.
Created by: HackCollege
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Leading Innovations's Dos and Don'ts when using social networks
A catalyst for professional discussion around "living well with technology".
Suitable for use with staff and with students
Friday, November 25, 2011
Open Culture: Overstuffed with adventures in learning
Open Culture is overstuffed with new adventures in learning - recipient of the "People's Choice Award" for best open educational resource - is well worth bookmarking for the summer break.
Do you like movies, music and other cultural works? Do you like free stuff? If so, Open Culture should be your new favorite website. In addition to providing free audio books, ebooks and movies, Open Culture provides free courses and language lessons. Founded and edited by Dan Colman, the Director and Associate Dean of Continuing Studies at Stanford University, this site's mission is to make cultural and educational media available to a wide audience of learners. The
Monday, October 24, 2011
C4LPT: Directory of Learning and Performance Tools
Check out the resources on Jane Hart's site. This is a powerful collection of well annotated learning and performance tools - tools to bring in information, tools to connect information and tools to share information in new ways. Is well worth bookmarking and visiting again.
Friday, October 7, 2011
“How does furniture impact on educational outcomes?”
Artichoke reflects on the West Coast Principals Conference at Franz Josef ....
She thinks about staring into the eye of a whitebait and how furniture might impact on educational outcomes.
Crossposted at Essential Resources Blog
She thinks about staring into the eye of a whitebait and how furniture might impact on educational outcomes.
Crossposted at Essential Resources Blog
Sunday, September 4, 2011
“Do we really need technology to learn?”
BTG Professional Reading
"In the Classroom of the Future, Stagnant Scores. M. Richtel September 3, 2011 New York Times
Discussion Prompt 1: The digital push here aims to go far beyond gadgets to transform the very nature of the classroom, turning the teacher into a guide instead of a lecturer, wandering among students who learn at their own pace on Internet-connected devices. “This is such a dynamic class,” Ms. Furman says of her 21st-century classroom. “I really hope it works.” Hope and enthusiasm are soaring here. But not test scores.
Discussion Prompt 2: Since 2005, scores in reading and math have stagnated in Kyrene, even as statewide scores have risen. Larry Cuban, an education professor emeritus at Stanford University, said the research did not justify big investments by districts. “There is insufficient evidence to spend that kind of money. Period, period, period,” he said. “There is no body of evidence that shows a trend line.”
Discussion Prompt 3: The enthusiasm underscores a key argument for investing in classroom technology: student engagement. That idea is central to the National Education Technology Plan released by the White House last year, which calls for the “revolutionary transformation” of schools. The plan endorses bringing “state-of-the art technology into learning to enable, motivate and inspire all students.” But the research, what little there is of it, does not establish a clear link between computer-inspired engagement and learning, said Randy Yerrick, associate dean of educational technology at the University of Buffalo. For him, the best educational uses of computers are those that have no good digital equivalent. As examples, he suggests using digital sensors in a science class to help students observe chemical or physical changes, or using multimedia tools to reach disabled children. But he says engagement is a “fluffy term” that can slide past critical analysis. And Professor Cuban at Stanford argues that keeping children engaged requires an environment of constant novelty, which cannot be sustained. “There is very little valid and reliable research that shows the engagement causes or leads to higher academic achievement,” he said.
Discussion Prompt 4: [Insert your own]
"In the Classroom of the Future, Stagnant Scores. M. Richtel September 3, 2011 New York Times
Discussion Prompt 1: The digital push here aims to go far beyond gadgets to transform the very nature of the classroom, turning the teacher into a guide instead of a lecturer, wandering among students who learn at their own pace on Internet-connected devices. “This is such a dynamic class,” Ms. Furman says of her 21st-century classroom. “I really hope it works.” Hope and enthusiasm are soaring here. But not test scores.
Discussion Prompt 2: Since 2005, scores in reading and math have stagnated in Kyrene, even as statewide scores have risen. Larry Cuban, an education professor emeritus at Stanford University, said the research did not justify big investments by districts. “There is insufficient evidence to spend that kind of money. Period, period, period,” he said. “There is no body of evidence that shows a trend line.”
Discussion Prompt 3: The enthusiasm underscores a key argument for investing in classroom technology: student engagement. That idea is central to the National Education Technology Plan released by the White House last year, which calls for the “revolutionary transformation” of schools. The plan endorses bringing “state-of-the art technology into learning to enable, motivate and inspire all students.” But the research, what little there is of it, does not establish a clear link between computer-inspired engagement and learning, said Randy Yerrick, associate dean of educational technology at the University of Buffalo. For him, the best educational uses of computers are those that have no good digital equivalent. As examples, he suggests using digital sensors in a science class to help students observe chemical or physical changes, or using multimedia tools to reach disabled children. But he says engagement is a “fluffy term” that can slide past critical analysis. And Professor Cuban at Stanford argues that keeping children engaged requires an environment of constant novelty, which cannot be sustained. “There is very little valid and reliable research that shows the engagement causes or leads to higher academic achievement,” he said.
Discussion Prompt 4: [Insert your own]
Sunday, August 7, 2011
TitanPad: Collaborative Document Creation
TitanPad lets people work on one document simultaneously. (via Sonya Van Schaijik and #educampakl)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Newmarket School: Student Digital Art and Deforestation
Stunning and provocative student digital art communicating layered messages about deforestation.
Check out the pedagogical process used by Natasha, Sonya and Kylie and the student artworks on the Newmarket School EnviroWiki.
Check out the pedagogical process used by Natasha, Sonya and Kylie and the student artworks on the Newmarket School EnviroWiki.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Boolify: Visualise the effects of adding search operator words
The Boolify Project is a resource for helping students understand how search operator words can affect their search results.
The Boolify Project also has some lesson plan ideas to help you teach web search tactics to students.
The Boolify Project also has some lesson plan ideas to help you teach web search tactics to students.
Futurelab: Digital Literacy Professional Development Resource
The focus for the BTG Lead Teacher Meeting on Thursday 25th September is enhancing student literacy with SOLO Taxonomy and e-learning.
Principal Andrew Sinclair and teachers Val McHale, Katie Peden and Jessie Williams from Kawaha Point School in Rotorua will be joining us for the day and sharing the effective SOLO and e-learning strategies they use to enhance student literacy outcomes in their junior, middle and senior school programmes.
A reminder about this new resource from Futurelab - reckon it will be useful prior reading for the day's conversation.
They describe it as follows
Principal Andrew Sinclair and teachers Val McHale, Katie Peden and Jessie Williams from Kawaha Point School in Rotorua will be joining us for the day and sharing the effective SOLO and e-learning strategies they use to enhance student literacy outcomes in their junior, middle and senior school programmes.
A reminder about this new resource from Futurelab - reckon it will be useful prior reading for the day's conversation.
They describe it as follows
This resource is designed to support primary and secondary teachers to integrate the development of students’ digital literacy into everyday learning.
The activities cover the following areas:
- Developing practitioners’ understanding of digital literacy and its relevance to their own contexts.
- Planning activities that can be integrated into everyday teaching to support students to develop both subject knowledge and digital literacy.
- Practical ideas for the classroom, including explorations of free web-based tools and activities.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Free to Mix - An educators guide to reusing digital content
How do you help your students as they copy, paste, use and share? This resource from the National Library of NZ will help you.
Free to Mix: An educator's guide to reusing digital content
Free to Mix is overstuffed with of advice for educators on how to support their students to respect the copyright of others as they learn to live well and learn to learn well with digital content and digital technologies.
Free to Mix: An educator's guide to reusing digital content
Free to Mix is overstuffed with of advice for educators on how to support their students to respect the copyright of others as they learn to live well and learn to learn well with digital content and digital technologies.
iPads for Education
Interested in what an iPad can offer in terms of effective strategies for learning? You may find this Victorian Government iPAds for learning website a good place to start exploring.
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