Bridging the Gap Cluster

SOLO and the "find your next steps" chicken

2011-12-14T08:59:00.000+13:00

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.

Is what you "know" wrong?

2011-12-10T08:39:00.001+13:00

Great professional reading for the summer break - re-thinking what makes a difference in schools.

Everything You Know About Education Is Wrong - Jordan Weissmann - Business - The Atlantic via kwout

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.

Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximising impact on learning

2011-12-04T14:49:00.001+13:00

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.

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".

Infographic: Get More Out Of Google

2011-12-03T08:32:00.001+13:00

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

Leading Innovations's Dos and Don'ts when using social networks

2011-11-30T19:02:00.001+13:00

A catalyst for professional discussion around "living well with technology".Suitable for use with staff and with students

Open Culture: Overstuffed with adventures in learning

2011-11-25T07:46:00.000+13:00

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

Best Open Education Resource, People's Choice Awards via kwout

C4LPT: Directory of Learning and Performance Tools

2011-10-24T08:37:00.001+13:00

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.

» Directory of Learning & Performance Tools C4LPT via kwout

“How does furniture impact on educational outcomes?”

2011-10-07T12:21:00.001+13:00

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

Artichoke via kwout

“Do we really need technology to learn?”

2011-09-04T18:13:00.000+12:00

BTG Professional Reading
"In the Classroom of the Future, Stagnant Scores. M. Richtel September 3, 2011 New York Times

Technology in Schools Faces Questions on Value - NYTimes.com via kwout

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]

TitanPad: Collaborative Document Creation

2011-08-07T16:33:00.000+12:00

TitanPad lets people work on one document simultaneously. (via Sonya Van Schaijik and #educampakl)

TitanPad via kwout

Newmarket School: Student Digital Art and Deforestation

2011-08-04T10:17:00.000+12:00

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.

newmarketenviro - ICT art via kwout

Boolify: Visualise the effects of adding search operator words

2011-08-03T14:26:00.001+12:00

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.

Boolify Project: An Educational Boolean Web Search Tool via kwout

Futurelab: Digital Literacy Professional Development Resource

2011-08-03T10:09:00.001+12:00

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.

Digital Literacy: Professional Development Resource | futurelab via kwout

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.

Free to Mix - An educators guide to reusing digital content

2011-08-01T13:37:00.001+12:00

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: An educator's guide to reusing digital content | Services to Schools via kwout

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

2011-08-01T11:49:00.000+12:00

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.

iPads for Education | Victoria, Australia via kwout

Solo Taxonomy and Success Criteria for Learning Logs

2011-07-21T15:32:00.000+12:00

Solo Taxonomy and Success Criteria for Learning Logs

View more presentations from Pam Hook

e-Literacy: Other worlds: To infinity and beyond with digital tools in the middle years.

2011-05-28T16:54:00.000+12:00

If you are interested in e-literacy then Lizzie Chase is an Australian educator whose work you should follow.

Lizzie has "written a series of free downloadable English lessons at Other Worlds http://otherworlds.yolasite.com for upper primary and lower secondary students, integrating Web 2.0 tools into student responses to 12 books, so that they can create multimedia texts. There is a focus on research skills, digital storytelling and visual arts tools."

If you are looking for ways to explore the e in e-literacy without losing sight of the literacy this is a great site to start looking

Lizzie suggests starting with TOOLS and TIPS - guides for featured Web 2.0 tools. There are some we have already been working with and others that will be new.

EduSite via kwout

EDtalk: Bridget Casse on supporting thinking with our youngest learners

2011-03-30T21:50:00.000+13:00

Bridget Casse from Halsey Drive School in Lynfield Auckland talks about supporting thinking with our youngest learners using SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and self assessment rubrics.

Artichoke: On limiting learning and comprehension with mobile technologies

2011-03-16T08:09:00.000+13:00

Check out the latest Artichoke blog post for links to the research referenced in the BTG Lead Teacher Meeting at Waterlea School last week.

Artichoke Blog Post: On Limiting Learning and Impairing Comprehension with Mobile Technologies

On limiting learning and impairing comprehension with mobile technologies - Artichoke via kwout

Digital Literacy Professional Development Resource

2011-03-06T13:43:00.000+13:00

This FutureLab Digital Literacy Resource (pdf) is jammed full of useful ideas and strategies for enhancing digital literacy in primary and secondary schools.

"This professional development resource is designed to support primary and secondary school teachers integrate the development of students’ digital literacy into everyday curriculum teaching and learning. The collection of activities, which can be undertaken by a single teacher or a small group of practitioners, is divided into sections. The first section aims to develop practitioners’ understandings of digital literacy and its relevance to their own contexts. The materials in the second, third and fourth sections are designed to help teachers plan activities they can integrate into their everyday teaching to support students to develop both subject knowledge and digital literacy. These sections include practical ideas for the classroom, including explorations of free webbased tools and activities to support planning."

Literacy Progressions and ICTs

2011-02-28T08:01:00.001+13:00

Check out the Literacy Progressions and ICT support on this wiki put together by Rochelle Jensen an e-learning advisor at the University of Waikato with contributions from many other NZ teachers.

You may wish to add some of your own thinking and experiences to this collaborative e-resource.

Rochelle notes;

The creation of this resource began during a 1 day workshop involving both primary and secondary teachers.
The focus of this workshop was to breathe some ICT into the professional tool – ‘The Draft Literacy Learning Progressions’.
The result is a wiki that captures teachers’ ideas on just how ICT can support and extend teaching and learning in reading and writing.
For further details and to contribute to this fertile resource please join the wiki or contact:
Rochelle Jensen
e- learning advisor,
University of Waikato:

Digital Citizenship Alec Couros

2011-01-23T10:18:00.000+13:00

A clear and well argued presentation of the things that matter most when living well and learning well with technology. Useful resource for sharing in professional discussion as we start up the Bridging the Gap ICTPD cluster this year.

Digital Citizenship Symposium

View more presentations from Alec Couros.

Embed Plus

2011-01-19T09:34:00.000+13:00

Embed Plus has features that will be useful for educators - slow motion on demand, third party annotations, movable zoom, scene skipping etc

EmbedPlus - A tool for real-time reactions, movable zoom, slow motion, annotations, chapter / scene skipping, and more with embeds on your video site, blog, vlog, etc. < embed plus > via kwout

Artichoke Blog: Pedagogical Promiscuity and "Assessment for Learning.

2010-12-23T20:18:00.000+13:00

What kind of “assessment for learning” is appropriate in the age of Google and Wikipedia? Facebook and You Tube? Smart phones and text messaging? Twitter and blogging? (after Manovich on Soft Cinema).

Artichoke via kwout

Collaborative MindMapping - Mind42 and Webspiration

2010-11-02T12:35:00.000+13:00

Mind42.com and Webspiration are browser based online mind mapping application where you can think visually and collaborate with others when planning or building resources.

Mind42.com - Collaborative mind mapping in your browser via kwout

Webspiration: Online Visual Thinking Tool | mywebspiration.com via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy: Defining Bread with HOT Maps and Rubrics

2010-10-26T12:56:00.001+13:00

Cluster Lead Teacher Andrea Jamieson introduces the HOT DEFINE Map and self-assessment rubric to students at Waterlea School. They are learning how to sort for relevance and self assess learning outcomes in the context of bread.

Audioboo: Recording and sharing sound

2010-09-23T21:17:00.001+12:00

"Audioboo is an application for recording and sharing your voice with the world. This free version allows you to create audio up to 5 minutes in length and post that to your own account on the web. You can add titles, tags, geolocation info and a photo to the recording before you upload it and we'll save all that with the file. The audio can then be shared with your followers or via Facebook, Twitter & more social networks by managing your account at http://audioboo.fm."

iPhone, iPad, iTouch App - Rated 12 +

Audioboo via kwout

New genres for digital literacy: writing for Wikipedia

2010-09-21T08:33:00.001+12:00

Exploring new genres with students:

How To Write A Wikipedia Entry | Social Media Today via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy: HOT Sequence Map and Procedural Writing

2010-09-20T07:38:00.000+12:00

Deanne Rose (Lead Teacher) from Jean Batten School in Mangere, Auckland describes how she uses SOLO Taxonomy and a HOT Sequence Map and self-assessment rubric to enhance her Y5 to 6 students' literacy learning outcomes in procedural writing.

Using ICTs and social media for social good

2010-09-19T17:39:00.000+12:00

This is a great read for individuals and organisations charged with using ICTs and social media for social good - In "Wait ...What?" Blog - 11 concerns about ICTs and ‘social media for social good’ Linda Raftree

11 concerns about ICTs and ‘social media for social good’ « Wait… What? via kwout

A study plan based on evidence, not schoolyard folk wisdom, or empty theorising ..... it’s intriguing schools don’t pick them up

2010-09-14T07:43:00.002+12:00

Mind - Research Upends Traditional Thinking on Study Habits - NYTimes.com via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy and Te Reo Maori

2010-09-12T13:05:00.000+12:00

Lisa Reweti from Sunset Primary School in Rotorua talks about using SOLO Taxonomy to enhance the learning outcomes of her full immersion Rumaki Unit students.

Statistical Literacy and Gapminder Desktop

2010-08-23T09:03:00.001+12:00

Hans Rosling a Professor of Global Health is a remarkable thinker. If you haven't already viewed his talks on using data to make sense of the world now is the time to check them out. You will be changed by the experience.

Rosling's Gapminder software changes the way we understand our world - it explodes assumptions and exposes trends. It brings data alive. A desktop version of the stunning data visualisation tool Gapminder World is now available for free download.

http://www.gapminder.org/desktop/

I suggest you take advantage of this opportunity and let your students fall in love with statistical representation.

I highly recommend Gapminder as an essential tool to use in enhancing your understanding (and your students' understanding) of what statistical literacy.

You can read more about Hans Rosling and Gapminder on ReadWriteWeb blog post

Setting Data Free With Gapminder via kwout

Challenging our assumptions about eLearning and constructivism

2010-08-18T21:05:00.008+12:00

If you like to have your thinking challenged you will enjoy downloading these slides from this keynote address by Dr Richard Clark

The keynote exploded the myth of success surrounding constructivism and focused on learning and how to structure learning for higher learning outcomes.

For example Dr. Richard Clark noted that "multimedia-based presentations and engagement can decrease student attentiveness and investment in learning"

Furthermore

* 50% of students are wrong when asked to reflect on how much they learned
* 30% of students like the instruction from which they learn the least
* adjusting instruction for different learning styles does not increase learning (accommodation = fail)

“Failure of Constructivism” Keynote by Dr. Richard Clark Slides now available | Moodle News via kwout

Free Schools and Trends in Educational Budgets for Technology in Schools

2010-08-13T11:50:00.001+12:00

This makes interesting reading for anyone looking at trends with respect to "how we do school" and "how we spend on school".

Opening opportunities for people to create state funded independent schools (Free Schools) in the UK allows authentic community participation collaboration creativity in the education of learners in an increasingly connected age. Mash up your own school. It seems a natural next step in the "personalisation" of learning process and in engaging communities in becoming actively involved in the education of their young people.

However, it is creating controversy not least of which is associated with how it is being funded.

A government decision to raid school IT budgets will have a “catastrophic” impact on education and risks leaving schools in serious financial difficulty, experts have warned.

Ministers have decided to double the amount of money being taken out of the key “harnessing technology” fund to £100 million, in part to finance their controversial free schools policy.

The move comes just weeks after Education Secretary Michael Gove said he planned to take only £50 million away from the initiative, which pays for new computers and broadband connections.

The decision follows the axing of the Building Schools for the Future programme, which provided state-of-the-art IT equipment for pupils, and the downfall of Becta, the schools’ technology agency.

Raid on IT budgets doubles to £100m - News - TES Connect via kwout

On becoming more than a journal - "Computers in NZ Schools"

2010-08-08T21:04:00.002+12:00

Great news for teachers looking for professional reading around elearning in New Zealand contexts ..."Computers in New Zealand Schools" is now online.

"After 20 years as a hard copy journal, the editorial board, led by its founding editor Professor Kwok-Wing Lai made the decision to take CINZS into the online world. This decision means that we can now make the journal available free of charge, and also allows us to take advantage of the interactive features enabled by the Internet. You will notice some of these features (electronic copies of articles, search features, hyperlinks and discussions) in our inaugural issue – and there are more to come. The content of this journal will continue to be a mix of best practice, research and policy articles, commentaries and software and book reviews, aimed at a practitioner audience."

Computers In New Zealand Schools via kwout

"One of the aims of taking CINZS online is that it becomes more than a journal. The editorial board envisages it becoming a community of people interested in this area. As such, we would encourage you to register for and participate in the discussions, and contribute to the wiki. We also welcome your thoughts and suggestions (email our Managing Editor, Ann Trewern ann.trewern@otago.ac.nz). We would also encourage you to consider submitting an article to this journal. See the 'submissions' link at the top of the page for instructions on how to do this."

e-Learning and implications for New Zealand schools: a literature review

2010-08-07T08:54:00.006+12:00

The following literature review provides useful professional reading and discussion for teachers involved in ICTPD professional development.

e-Learning and implications for New Zealand schools: a literature review
Report to the Ministry of Education
Noeline Wright
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/77667/948_ELearnLitReview.pdf

Executive Summary - Education Counts via kwout

The literature review backs claims that we are working in the dark when it comes to using e-learning to raise achievement. Claims for enhancing engagement and motivation resurface but there is a paucity of any reliable or valid evidence showing that e-learning is associated with enhanced learning outcomes.

"International Evidence: There is an international doxa about e-Learning’s inherent benefits to learners. It masks a relatively small amount of actual evidence about its relationship to improved educational and life chances for students."

The focus of the literature review seems dated - The report remains focused on literature around learning to learn well with technology. It fails to address the interest in many of our cluster schools in helping students learning how to live well with technology. A learning outcome that initiatives like SuperClubs Plus and CyberCitizenship approaches actively seek.

See what you make of it.

Seb Chan: Books that small children might enjoy

2010-07-25T21:36:00.000+12:00

A parent talks about books for small children ...

I am more used to enjoying Seb Chan's writing in the context of museums, and web metrics - in turning his parental attention to "Small Stories" he provides deliciously whimsical book reviews ..of books he enjoys reading to his children.

Tag this under "Blogs that teachers might enjoy." You may even be inspired to share books you like reading with your students.

Small Stories | Books that small children might enjoy via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy and the NZC Key Competency Relating to Others

2010-07-05T10:11:00.003+12:00

Learn how Nadine McLaughlin from Otonga School in Rotorua,is using SOLO Taxonomy, HOT Maps and self-assessment rubrics to help her Y3/4 students better understand friendship and how to be a friend, meeting expectations in the New Zealand Curriculum Value "Respect" and Key Competency "Relating to others".

SOLO Taxonomy and procedural writing

2010-07-04T22:31:00.001+12:00

Gareth Cunliffe a teacher from Otonga School in Rotorua talks about enhancing student learning outcomes in procedural writing using SOLO Taxonomy, HOT SEQUENCE Maps and self assessment rubrics.

ZooBurst: Digital Story Telling with 3D Pop Ups

2010-07-03T18:56:00.001+12:00

ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that is designed to let anyone easily create their own customized 3D pop-up books.

Zooburst via kwout

SOLO Taxonomy and Student Voice

2010-06-16T07:37:00.003+12:00

What do students say about SOLO Taxonomy as a model of learning?

Check our the raw responses from the students at Halsey Drive Primary School in Auckland.

Question 1: What is SOLO Taxonomy?
Question 2: Why do we use SOLO Taxonomy?
Question 3: How does SOLO Taxonomy help us?

SOLO Taxonomy and Student Voice

View more presentations from Pam Hook.

Outcomes for Teachers and Students in the ICTPD Cluster Programme 2006 to 2008

2010-05-27T20:48:00.000+12:00

Outcomes for Teachers and Students in the ICT PD School Clusters Programme 2006-2008: A National Overview - Executive Summary - Education Counts via kwout

Finding your inner wolf and 49 Cool Tools for Science Teachers

2010-05-26T08:55:00.005+12:00

I started by failing to find my name listed in "Who named it" disease list of medical conditions and for who they were named. The site is a hypochondriac's delight. I liked the idea behind "Event Calculator" and measuring the environmental costs of holding a conference (though I need to find some way of tweaking this for NZ contexts before I can decide what ULearn10 will cost this year). Then I explored the opportunities to find my inner wolf in Wolf Quest - all that struggling to find a den, establish a territory, raise pups and defend them from predators such as coyotes and grizzly bears, and I haven't even begun to explore the rest ....

50 Really Cool Online Tools for Science Teachers | Online Degree Programs.com via kwout

Bring e-learning into your science teaching with the links on this blogpost from Onlinedegreeprograms.com

Tools, websites and resources, calculators, games and Google earth .. There is treasure to be found in these links

Embedit: Any file in your website

2010-05-23T21:46:00.001+12:00

A new tool for embedding files on your website, wiki, blog.

embedit.in — Any file, in your website via kwout

100 Informative and Inspiring Videos for Educators

2010-05-14T09:25:00.004+12:00

Enough professional viewing to last the three years of the contract and some ....

100 Informative & Inspiring YouTube Videos for Educators | AccreditedOnlineColleges.com via kwout

Thanks to Julie for the hat tip

How people influence places: Architecture of Iran

2010-05-08T09:34:00.000+12:00

Pesaretabrizi's blog has a collection of stunning images of the architecture of IRAN during Islamic times.

Although much of Iran's architecture during the Islamic period has been destroyed over the years, even those of the legendary cities of Nishapur, Ghazni and Tabriz, due to earthquakes or barbarian invading armies, there is still a number of very impressive buildings to show. Iranian architecture has traditionally always been admired and influential throughout history, and Iranian architects have always been highly sought after - resulting in even the Taj Mahal in India being designed and constructed by Iranian architects.

pesaretabrizi - Architecture of IRAN during Islamic times via kwout

The images will enable "see think wonder" explorations of the NZC Social Sciences conceptual strand "Place and Environment".

The link to another posting showing the magnificent architecture of Iran from before the Islamic conversion of Iran allows students to make some powerful relational level connections through the conceptual strand "Continuity and Change"

pesaretabrizi - Ancient Pre-Islamic Architecture of IRAN via kwout

Follow a Scientist at Work: Notes from the field

2010-05-07T07:48:00.002+12:00

Ever wanted a chance for your students to follow a scientist at work ...

This New York Times Blog will be a great opportunity to do this (and meet expectations within the NZC Achievement Objective Nature of Science: Understanding about science.)

Christopher Raxworthy, curator in the Department of Herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History, has been to Madagascar more than 30 times to conduct field research on this island nation’s chameleons, frogs, and lizards. Now you can follow him to the summit of Mt. Marojejy, as he climbs through tropical rainforests, bamboo thickets, and low-lying scrub to camp at nearly 7,000 feet. For the next few weeks, Raxworthy’s thoughts, discoveries, and photographs will be posted as the inaugural blog for The New York Times’s “Scientist At Work: Notes from the Field” (scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com).

Field Research Around the Globe - Scientist at Work Blog - NYTimes.com via kwout

New Zealand Curriculum: Nature of Science: Understanding about Science:

Appreciate that scientists ask questions about our world that lead to investigations and that open-mindedness is important because there may be more than one explanation (Level 1 and 2)
Identify ways in which scientists work together and provide evidence to support their ideas. (Level 3 and 4)

Google Posters for Educators

2010-05-03T08:45:00.002+12:00

Classroom posters
Want to help out students and colleagues with handy tips on improving search results and using popular Google products like Google Earth? Just print out these posters and hang them where everyone can see them.

Google For Educators via kwout

Prezi - A Zooming Presentation Editor

2010-05-03T08:09:00.003+12:00

Prezi - The zooming presentation editor via kwout

Academy: 10 ways to say it with prezi on Prezi

Wikispace Creates Private Label

2010-05-02T13:59:00.002+12:00

This case study from Birmingham Public School shows how education is getting a major upgrade by using Wikispaces Private Label. This emphasises creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills in students by making technology part of the teaching process not an extra. http://www.wikispaces.com/site/privatelabel/case-study-bps

Teachers Pet: A new resource for teachers

2010-04-25T08:58:00.001+12:00

Check out the free downloadable teaching resources on Teachers Pet - a resource site designed by teachers for teachers.

Teachers Pet has been created by Christina Mountford and Jason Loftus and launched this month.

The crisp site design and quality resources available mean it has already attracted a lot of interest from teachers.

Inside Dexters Doghouse via kwout

The Khan Academy: Learning without Classrooms or Curricula

2010-04-24T17:06:00.002+12:00

Salman Khan is the polymath behind a remarkable elearning initiative, The Khan Academy, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

The Khan Academy has over 1200+ videos on YouTube, helping students learn everything from "basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, chemistry, biology and finance."

Khan Academy via kwout

Teachers and educators do a lot of talking about the potential of elearning. Find out about the remarkable individual (not a teacher) who not only imagined such an undertaking but gave up the day job to make it happen.

eLearning: Is the presence of a teacher part of the problem?

2010-04-18T16:20:00.001+12:00

A radical new teaching method that has been pioneered in India, Africa and Latin America is catching on in Britain, says Max Davidson. Telegraph 14 April 2010

In what became known as the Hole in the Wall project, Mitra simply knocked through a wall in his Delhi office and installed a computer with an internet connection for the local slum children to discover. To his delight he found that they soon became fully fledged autodidacts, teaching themselves English, maths and other subjects.

"It became obvious that children were capable of working by themselves, without help from teachers," Mitra says. More to the point, the children wanted to learn, not just play computer games.

Sometimes a teacher is there but for Mitra the presence of a teacher can be a problem not a solution. "If children know there is someone standing over them who knows all the answers, they are less inclined to find the answers for themselves. It would be better, in a way, if any adults present were completely uneducated. There is nothing children like more than passing on information they have just discovered to people who may not already have it – an elderly grandmother, for instance."

Teaching: Inspiring British children, Slumdog style - Telegraph via kwout

Teacher Express - All in one place for busy teachers

2010-04-17T13:30:00.001+12:00

TeacherXpress - The Education Web - All in One Place - For Busy Teachers: Welcome via kwout

Heart Surgery on a Stuffed Bunny and other Medical Games

2010-04-10T17:06:00.002+12:00

Check out the following Medical Games from the University of Saskatchewan Wiki and my personal favourite the Heart Surgery on a Stuffed Bunny site.

Medical Games - Faculty Development - Confluence via kwout

Shahi: An online visual dictionary

2010-04-09T10:53:00.000+12:00

Shahi is a visual dictionary that combines Wiktionary content with Flickr images, and more!

This will be useful when working to enhance student multistructural learning outcomes in literacy and ESOL programmes

Shahi - A visual dictionary | Blachan Lab via kwout

100 Best Websites for Science Teachers

2010-03-30T22:34:00.002+13:00

Challenged when looking for (e)resources for your science learning.Explore these science based links from Forensic Science Technician's blog for ways to bring rich science thinking into your students' lives. Finding ways to resource scientific literacy has never been so easy.

100 Best Websites for Science Teachers - Forensic Science Technician : Online Schools Guide via kwout

Learning outcomes with (e)learning - Kahootz

2010-03-28T21:34:00.000+13:00

Check out SOLO Taxonomy coded self-assessment rubrics that keep the focus on the learning outcome when (e)learning.

This one explores story writing with Kahootz software. The Hooked on Thinking facilitators will help you develop many others in your F2F sessions this year.

hooked-on-thinking - Using ICTs and SOLO Taxonomy via kwout

50 ideas for using Google Earth in the classroom

2010-03-22T09:00:00.001+13:00

Have fun aligning these ideas to SOLO Taxonomy coded intended learning outcomes from the achievement objectives in the New Zealand Curriculum.

Google Earth for Educators: 50 Exciting Ideas for the Classroom | Associate Degree - Facts and Information via kwout

Be more like a ghekko when you teach with technology

2010-03-21T09:02:00.000+13:00

Swallow a few bugs ....

Check out "Teaching and Learning in a Digital Age" - a wikispace stuffed full with ideas and resources about how to be more like a ghekko when teaching with technology.

I love ghekkos. They are small, but very tough. They climb up the highest buildings, and live in remote as well as populated areas. That is how teachers should be: Resilient, always climbing higher, and with a survival instinct that can let you prosper in desert or rain forest. And willing to swallow a few bugs every so often!

This is the top of the Science page

Science Fun | Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age via kwout

How to Feed the World?

2010-03-12T09:01:00.001+13:00

How can you make a difference?

How to feed the world ? from Denis van Waerebeke on Vimeo.

The 137 Year Archive of Popular Science

2010-03-08T18:59:00.000+13:00

Search the PopSci Archives | Popular Science via kwout

Professional Reading: Top 50 Education Technology Blogs

2010-03-07T16:49:00.001+13:00

Check out the blogs in the Top 50 Educational Technology Blogs for new thinking about teaching learning and technology. Add the ones you like best to an RSS feed and share their thinking in your professional learning circles.

P.S. I have it on good authority that Arti' is dead chuffed at being described as "a mover".

Top 50 Education Technology Blogs via kwout

Visual Index Paper Models of Polyhedra

2010-03-05T14:17:00.001+13:00

Visual Index Paper Models of Polyhedra via kwout