tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91082177219258326802024-03-06T03:45:46.822+03:00Digital LiteraciesDigital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-89887390313478899042013-01-23T09:44:00.001+03:002013-01-23T16:44:55.205+03:00Where's the "Pencil Room?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the interests of full disclosure, I'll just point out now that I am an ICT specialist teacher and I teach ICT lessons in an ICT suite. The room consists of approximately 30 desktop units and each class currently, has at least one 40 or 50 min. lesson each week. I have also been a classroom teacher for more than a decade.<br />
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In a post that I was reading the writer attempted to balance the pros and cons of using an ICT suite. In the end, the writer, in my opinion, didn't really seem to take a position either way.<br />
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As the saying goes, "where is the pencil room?" I cannot understand why we continue to have segregated ICT lessons where children must travel to a separate room to use a tool which, if the school is serious about technology integration, should not exist in the first place.<br />
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Just as we do not travel to the "pencil room" to use pencils, we should not also be traveling to a separate room to use computers. I have heard the argument that it is a best case scenario for schools with limited funding or for using resource hungry software such as for audio and video editing. In my experience, this argument has only limited justification. Such an argument often overlooks or belittles the accompanying costs of running such a full-blown room, in terms of electricity, manpower and space.<br />
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If we expect children to treat technology like a tool then our ultimate goal should be integration such that the use of the technology is seamless and children as well as teachers use the technology in a matter-of-fact way without fanfare, without traveling to other parts of the school, without having to wait for a weekly lesson and without causing a discontinuation in the middle of a learning moment.<br />
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I look at it in this way, suppose a child is in the flow of a creative moment. To now expect that child to suddenly stop, travel to a new room and maintain that creative flow is expecting more than what we would reasonably expect of many adults. If we expect our children to be creative, we need to provide the tools for them to be so with ease and efficiency. No one I know in everyday life leaves where they are, to enter a special room to use a computer, and then leaves. Even classroom teachers have their computers on their desks, within easy reach, for easy access. We have smartphones, tablets, netbooks and laptops, all these forms of technology close at hand. Yet, the "computer room" lives on.<br />
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Many writers have argued that there is a need for ICT lessons to teach specific skills. I have yet to hear however, an argument which suggests the teaching of those skills could not also be done within the classroom except in very specialised and specific situations. To expect children to internalize, remember, and apply the skills taught in a single lesson each week is, I think, being unrealistic.<br />
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Think for a moment, if we were discussing learning a language instead of learning technology skills. How successful would the student be learning, let's say, Russian, if they only had a single lesson of 50 min. once a week. Furthermore, how much less successful would that student be if no one ever gave them the opportunity to use what they had learned except within that one 50 min. lesson each week. I would ask, how much will the child actually retain of the language lessons? Furthermore, how well will they actually apply their understanding?<br />
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We could argue, a similar situation arises with ICT lessons that occur once a week and are not supported or poorly supported in the classroom. In reality, a far more successful method, in my experience, is the little and often method. As long as the class teacher knows, and understands, the technology curriculum for their year group, over the course of an academic year they can, through small but often opportunities, not only cover the curriculum within their own classroom, but actually offer a multitude of extension opportunities for children who excel in that area on the spot, when needed. Some may argue that a "Technology Curriculum" cannot be covered appropriately using the "little and often" method, I would suggest that the curriculum clearly needs modernising because it clearly is not relevant to the needs of today's students.<br />
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While I can understand that, for a variety of reasons, there are some classroom teachers who are still wedded to the concept of ICT lessons taught by a specialist teacher in an ICT classroom, myself, I cannot wait for that situation to end.<br />
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What do you think the future of ICT Suites is (or should be)? Do you have experience teaching in an integrated environment? </div>
Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-46762130508244425972012-12-13T06:17:00.002+03:002012-12-13T06:17:25.124+03:00My TechKids - A Work in Progress<br />
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TechKids<span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(c)</span> is an initiative, which I developed in 2004 to provide a platform for girls and boys with an interest in technology and possessing collaboration skills to expand their knowledge of the real world applications of technology to improve life as well as validating their, often independently developed skills, in support of the taught curriculum. This also helps them to become lifelong learners and effectively assess 21st century learning tools.</div>
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The group is open to all children in Year 4 upwards (ages 8 to 12). Members must be nominated by class teachers (or the Head Teacher), or they are interviewed by the TechKids facilitator (Mr.Lowe) and at least one senior member of the current TechKids. In most cases, that means at least one boy and one girl from the Year 6 TechKids take an active role in the interview process. Where candidates are interviewed, the candidate should bring in, show and fully explain at least three examples of how they have used technology constructively to enhance or further their learning as well as how they have helped another member of the school community with a technology-related issue. All of the examples must be created by the candidate without a third party helping.</div>
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Successful candidates attend weekly meetings usually during the school day. The programme is not an Extra Curricular Activity (ECA) or After School Club (ASC). The programme runs alongside daily class schedules and members are withdrawn on a variety of schedules to maximise their learning opportunities and minimise disruption in curriculum areas. Members are taught through a rigorous programme which includes, but is not limited to: computer programming, mentoring, learning to use a variety of technology tools, collaboration skills and basic troubleshooting skills. Currently, TechKids have a range of skills and interests outside of TechKids from public speaking to swimming to singing. All Techkids are expected to work towards 5 achievement badges representing the five main areas of the programme: mentoring, programming, robotics, presenting and mastering(aka Problem Solving). In order to be considered for the following year’s programme, a candidate must earn a minimum of 4 of the 5 achievement badges and be recommended by at least one teacher and three students they have helped in the past. They will then be invited for an interview. All TechKids keep and are expected to maintain a record book(log) of all mentoring and other technology support they provide. The logs are the collected at regular intervals and discussed with the TechKid.</div>
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Throughout the year, when they are ready, a TechKid will be moved into phased support roles for students and teachers, assisting and guiding them in improving and supporting their use of new technology as well as encouraging and modelling improved methods of using “comfort zone” technologies with a view to encourage and model technology integration in regular daily engagements.</div>
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All TechKids must act within the following 10 expectations, which are directly connected to the IB Primary Years Programme(PYP) Learner Profile:.</div>
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A TechKid is:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">An Inquirer</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Thinker</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Communicator</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reflective</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Balanced</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Open Minded</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Caring</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Principled</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Knowledgeable</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Risk Taker</li>
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The TechKids programme is a free programme. No school running the programme may charge for it. Facilitators are volunteers who already possess a high level of expertise in technology integration at a primary school level. In some cases, a school may charge an administration fee, but this fee is unrelated to TechKids and neither TechKids facilitators nor anyone else related to the programme may charge or accept fees to run the programme. In some rare cases, it may be necessary for a TechKids programme to accept sponsor support to help pay for some aspects of the programme which cannot be internally funded by the school directly. In such cases, sponsorships may be accepted for small amounts on a case by case and item by item basis.</div>
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The TechKids are a member organisation of the <a href="http://www.digitalleadernetwork.co.uk/" style="border: 0px; color: #cc4d22; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="The Digital Leader Network">Digital Leader Network</a>.</div>
Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-24692280787701424422012-11-01T12:03:00.001+03:002012-11-01T12:06:52.605+03:00Learning from #Learning2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em><strong>Guest Post by Jason Graham</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>I chose Jason to be the final guest post in this series for a couple of reasons. First, I've been a follower of his on Twitter for a while and I'm always impressed with the quality of the tweets he sends. They are always insightful in some way and have helped me to continue my learning journey especially around the PYP. Which brings me to the second reason I selected him. Jason is a respected PYP workshop leader and I cannot overstate the excitement I experience when teaching in a PYP environment. Over the years I have taught in almost every environment such as PYP, UK National Curriculum and the IPC. But my support, still truly lies with the PYP as the quintessential learning environment.</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>This is another great post by Jason and you can catch up with him on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jasongraham99" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or at <a href="http://thelearningjourney.org/" target="_blank">his blog.</a></strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>Thanks Jason!</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>Awesome.</strong></em> That is the word that comes to mind when I reflect on <a href="http://www.learning2.asia/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Learning 2.0</a> Conference in Beijing last week. I’ve never been around so many educators that support each other. That cheer each other on. <a href="https://twitter.com/B_Sheridan" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@B_Sheridan</a> states it nicely in <a href="http://www.coetail.asia/bsheridan/2012/10/17/unpacking-my-thoughts-on-learning-2-012/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">his blogpost on Learning2</a> ‘ <em>I felt as if the conference had an aura more <a href="http://jasongraham99.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/8089658625_676a815998.jpg" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft wp-image-841" height="240" src="http://jasongraham99.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/8089658625_676a815998.jpg?w=240&h=240" style="border: none; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 15px 10px 0px; max-width: 100%;" title="8089658625_676a815998" width="240" /></a>like a music festival than an educational conference. People were pumped to be there.’</em> That sums it up.</div>
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I was fortunate enough to be there for the pre conference. That was an honour. So many great educators with ideas to change education for the better. On my team there was Dave Caleb(<a href="https://twitter.com/davecaleb" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@davecaleb</a>), Jeff Dungan(<a href="https://twitter.com/jdungan" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@jdungan</a>), Patrick McMahon, Justin Hardman(<a href="https://twitter.com/jahardman" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@jahardman</a>), Doug Taylor(<a href="https://twitter.com/dtaylor2008" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">dtaylor2008</a>) Zoe Page @pagezoe and Ben Sheridan @B_Sheridan. We created a trailer in the hopes to further <a href="http://www.earcos.org/rs_action.php" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">EARCOS Action Research </a>projects into an issue that we felt was at the crux of technology in education: <em>How to reduce anxiety of ‘integrating technology.</em> The ideas flowed one night at the ‘Gung Ho’ pizza place across from the conference hotel. The notes taken down on a napkin. Yes a napkin. We talked about where we came from, we all started as beginners in technology and we are still learning. Everyone is at different places in their learning journey path with technology but we are all on the same path and that’s to improve teaching and learning. That’s the goal. We came up with this video trailer we hope will inspire others to take action.</div>
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One of the Learning2Leaders was<a href="https://twitter.com/adriancamm" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> Adrian Camm. </a>He challenged my thinking of gaming in education. We didn’t just play video games, a misconception I had when I went into his<a href="http://jasongraham99.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/8083014525_1f3061f8a9.jpg" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-840" height="300" src="http://jasongraham99.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/8083014525_1f3061f8a9.jpg?w=300&h=300" style="border: none; float: right; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px 15px; max-width: 100%;" title="8083014525_1f3061f8a9" width="300" /></a> session. It was also about games in general sense. We played strategic card games, games with dice and games with counters. Strategical thinking. I came away with lots of ideas for my class. If you’re interested check out his site <a href="http://gamesined.wikispaces.com/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Games in Education</a>. Another Learning2Leader I finally met in person was <a href="http://flatclassroomproject.ning.com/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FlatClassroom </a>Co Founder <a href="https://twitter.com/julielindsay" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Julie Lindsay. </a>It was great to meet face to face after so many skype sessions.</div>
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I was also honored to work on the Learning 2.0 marketing committee with @cdiller and @chamada. I learned alot from them and the others on the committee. It was a worth while experience watching everyone coordinate such a big event. The extraordinary work behind the scenes to pull this off. <a href="http://www.wab.edu/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Western Academy of Beijing </a>was a great place to hold this event. The school made an impression on me.<br />
Finally, I presented on #hashtag learning communities on Twitter such as <a href="http://pypchat.wikispaces.com/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#pypchat</a>. We got a synchronous #chat going so participants could experience what it is like being in one of these chats. It was fast and furious. I also asked Michelle Hiebert aka @mauimickey of <a href="http://www.kinderchat123.net/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#kinderchat </a>to make a short trailer on the importance of a PLN and what #kinderchat meant to her. Her video clip was inspirational.</div>
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I hope to attend next year when Learning2.0 heads to United World College Southeast Asia in Singapore.</div>
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Thanks #learning2</div>
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Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-11143847309402382832012-10-03T11:12:00.001+03:002012-10-03T11:35:01.876+03:00Guest Post: Clive Dawes On Scratching That 7 Year Itch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had the pleasure of meeting Clive at a conference some months ago. We had been been connected through Twitter but not in person. Clive's work on gamification and learning was and remains an eye-opening set of ideas and they have, even now, almost a year later, influenced my teaching for the better.<br />
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<b>Seven Ways to Scratch The Seven Year Itch.</b><br />
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Here’s the thing. After Christmas this will be the longest I’ve ever stayed in a job in my life.<br />
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My first job, fresh faced out of teacher training lasted 6 years and 1 term. My second job, not so fresh faced, lasted 6 years and 1 term. Notice a pattern developing? My third job, which in truth was a mixture of different consultancies and freelance work lasted 6 years and 2 terms.<br />
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My current role is in an Asian International School as a technology leader/ specialist/ facilitator/ integrator. Whatever the contract or job description says it’s out of date before the ink is dry (or the modern day equivalent).<br />
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I love my job. But, at the end of this term I will have been here for 6 years and 1 term. This is causing me to think and question a lot of things. If you add up all the 6 years above you will realise that I am not in the first flush of youth. In fact, given the vagaries of health, I am a lot nearer the end of my working life than the beginning. I’m not quite sure how this happened. It sort of crept up on me!<br />
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So, why do I love my job? Well, it’s changed a lot over the 6 years. I now spend a lot less time with the students. More time is spent supporting teachers and lots of time on administration and management of technologies: supervising mobile devices, implementing and promoting our virtual learning environment, and more recently, working on the technology plan for a new campus we are building. An important aspect of my role is to dilute the huge array of new technologies, sites, apps, games and the like to parcel into manageable quantities to offer to teachers to use to enhance learning.<br />
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I still come to school every day thinking and hoping I can make a difference to improve student learning.<br />
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But here’s a secret for you. It gets harder every year. And there are times when I wonder if I’m as motivated as I used to be and maybe consider moving on to start the next 6 years and 1 term cycle.<br />
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So, I’ve begun to look more closely at how I can continue to motivate and challenge myself to continue the (in my opinion!) high standards of my previous years.<br />
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I have devised a list of seven pearls of wisdom to help sustain me and ensure I remain focussed and motivated. A word of warning. I am no lifestyle coach or guru and I have never lit a scented candle in my life, so the following is likely to be highly practical and without hyperbole.<br />
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1. <b>Switch Off</b>. I’m not talking about a complete period of disconnection (dana boyd), or even a weekend without e-mail. I’m connected 24/7. If I ever add an “out of office” auto reply to Outlook, please shoot me. When I get home from work I usually log on after dinner and connect with both social and work circles. But for one or two evenings a week, give it a miss. Do something different. If you don’t answer that mail after 8.00pm one night so what. Everyone else uses “out of office” so don’t stress about it!<br />
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2. <b>Remove the Twitter Spam</b>. OK, we all know Twitter is great for sharing conversations, discoveries and the like. It also gives you the opportunity to receive a link, an app or an idea and then pass it on to your staff as your own! But as time progresses, new follows can clog your space, making it difficult to focus on what is really useful. Get rid of the spam. It’s easy to do. Anybody who tweets too much, constantly spouts about their education philosophy, or generally just makes you feel bad or inadequate, ditch them.<br />
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And if anybody you follow ever re-tweets themselves, ditch ‘em. Goodness knows what that person is like in real life. Sure, you may miss the occasional nugget, but you’re better off without the Twitter Spam. Try it. I’ve missed nobody I’ve unfollowed and it gives me a good feeling to know I don’t have to put up with their 50 or so tweets a day.<br />
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3. <b>Identify and work with the innovators.</b> Every school has a range of early adopters and innovators. Identify them and work with them, encouraging them to push the boundaries and adapt their pedagogies. Push them towards appropriate professional development opportunities, get them to present at conferences and share their work with their own colleagues who may not be quite so far along their technology journeys. Through them, your work becomes more sustainable and allows your influence to spread more widely.<br />
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4. <b>Don’t bang your head against a brick wall.</b> Accept that there are some things you cannot change. There will always be colleagues and managers obsessed with snapshot standardised test results, homework, handwriting and the like, who educate as though time has stood still for the last 15 years. Whilst converting one of these into an enlightened 21st Century educator may be one of your greatest achievements we all know it’s not likely to happen and the time you need to spend on the task can be better spent working with more open teachers who are able to positively support learning with a greater number of students.<br />
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5. <b>Treat your school leaders carefully.</b> Your school leaders need to support your innovation. If they don’t then your job is a lot harder, but not impossible. If they don’t support you then they must get out of your way and allow you to get on with your job. If they’re obstructive, bombard them with your successes and encourage your colleagues to do the same. And if you need to, skirt around them!<br />
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6. <b>Parents</b>. Engaging parents is an important part of any educator’s task. It’s even more important in a technology context as parents often need help and support tackling issues in the home. Opening a channel of conversation can be an invaluable source of information and perspective for all parties. If, as a teacher you don’t know what it’s like to have two teenage kids in the house constantly engaging with social media and online games, then talking to somebody who does can be very helpful. Talking to parents, through the use of Parent Technology Meetings also helps to raise the profile of technology within the school. Never a bad thing!<br />
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7. <b>Find a new passion.</b> Take something you love in a technology context and go with it. Develop some lesson resources and teach them yourself or encourage other teachers to use them. In the past for me it’s been Scratch, then photography, then games design. The next thing. Who knows?<br />
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But that’s part of the fun of this job.</div>
Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-5514957319868577782012-09-12T01:51:00.003+03:002012-09-12T03:15:36.966+03:00Guest Post: Sheli Blackburn on The Digital Leader Network<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
@Sheli Blackburn is a tireless educator who is responsible along with @Chris Mayoh and others for running the Digital Leader Network. Like TechKids, the programme I run, Digital Leaders is a huge opportunity for children of primary school age, who have an enthusiasm about using technology, to learn, hands on, the skills of using their knowledge to support their learning, other students, teachers and their schools. It is an ideal way for children who have a tech skill, interest or ability to meet and work with other students who share their enthusiasm and to provide positive encouragement for other children with similar abilities and the recognition that those abilities are both valid and valuable - which, sadly, is too often overlooked, under appreciated and under utilised. It is the TechKids' privelage, here in Brunei, to be the only South East Asian member of the DL Network.<br />
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<b><u>The digital leader network</u></b><br />
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The <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://www.digitalleadernetwork.co.uk/" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">digital leader network collaborative blog</a> has grown in a very short time and has proved to be a good place for teachers and digital leaders to showcase their great work in school. That is the whole purpose of the blog- to showcase, support and inspire others so that they may too employ digital leaders in their schools. Although my initial ideas about the network were very grand (linking schools across the UK and beyond) the blog is a solid start to spreading the benefits of having digital leaders.</div>
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I attended the Naace third Millenium hothouse in July this year, hoping to network and extend my ICT knowledge, skills and understanding. I was asked to provide a 'workshop' on the digital leader network and was delighted to be given the opportunity to spread the word again. The reason for this? In my view <b>digital leaders are the best free resource in schools</b> - a resource that could potentially have a huge impact on ICT development. I am passionate about this; passionate about creating sustainable solutions for keeping up with developments in an ever-changing area of education.<br />
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The workshop proved to be popular and became fully booked, leaving Nick Jackson (whose digital leaders recently led a <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://yorkteachmeet.wordpress.com/" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">teachtheteachers</a> meet) without a place. This turned out well for me as it was a great way to get him up front and sharing his expertise. When I realised that Chris Mayoh was attending the workshop, I decided it would be silly preaching to an expert, so asked him to come and share his wisdom too. It proved to be a good idea as it not only gave a change of pace, but we were able to show how digital leaders are being employed in both primary and secondary. We each brought different experiences to the session and of course a change of pace is always good. You can view my prezi <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://prezi.com/k7xr4a3igonp/digital-leaders-at-roydon-primary/" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">here</a>, watch @ChrisMayoh's digital leader interviews <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://digitalleaders2012.bowlingparkprimary.net/2011/11/03/digital-leaders-interviews-october-2011/" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">here</a> and @largerama's <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://prezi.com/iqummvtaeiy2/digital-leaders-empowerment-the-next-level/" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">prezi</a> and one of his films <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q1TjdpucsI&list=UUruPX1AqTFgvuQEECkihOqw&index=5&feature=plcp" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">here</a>. Of course these do not capture the discussions that went on, but they paint a picture of the work that is going on in our schools.</div>
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Before the session I had the idea to ask others to leave a pledge on the <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://linoit.com/users/sheliblackburn/canvases/Digital%20Leader%20Network" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">digital leader linoit</a>. This would give some indication of the impact of the workshop. Incidentally, at the end of the session I asked how many teachers already had digital leaders in their schools. Two hands went up. The response to 'Who will employ digital leaders now?' was quite overwhelming. I am not surprised though. I think between us we showed the impact of a free resource available in <b><i>all</i></b> schools. </div>
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My pledge is to try and emulate Chris Mayoh's success in Bradford, in Norfolk. I would also like to host a digital leader 'kids meet' (this should have happened last year) and hopefully get our children to the Bett Show. This can only happen with support from others - and once again my twitter PLN come up trumps with their enthusiasm and drive to make this work. Yes there are a few 'negative disruptors' out there (see a great <a a0ae2f98ec="true" href="http://norfolkcloudeducators.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/positive-disruptors.html" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">post</a> by Jill Duman), but they are a very small minority and are easy to ignore. Nobody in this project has claimed to be the owner, initiator or leader. It will be a successful project because of its collaborative nature and because it is a good idea!</div>
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If you are interested in learning more about the digital leader network, come and join in #DLchat on a Thursday night at 9 during term time. You will meet inspirational tweeters who have been there right at the start of this project: @ICTevangelist @ChrisMayoh and @MrsMeeks64. You will also come across hard working tweeters who have given up a lot of time and put a lot of energy into this project - @aknill @largerama @traceyab1 @gr8ICT @ashmrkenyon @mbrayford @mikeyjohncarr amongst many others.<br />
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Acknowledgement must also be given to @ICTmagic and @eslweb who often help out with archiving, @PrimaryEdTech for his overseas input, @JenniH68 for her hard work with edmodo and @kristianstill, @MrStucke and @bobharrisonnet for their continued support and inspiration. Thanks also to @janwebb21 for giving us the opportunity to spread the word further.<br />
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<b>Please add your pledge!</b><br />
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Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-64416432751878814682012-08-01T20:13:00.003+03:002012-08-23T10:23:47.604+03:00ICT Policy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a year's hiatus, I thought it would be a good idea to provide something to share with others.<br />
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Some of the time over the last year was taken up in settling in to my new post. Some of that "settling in" involved investigating and creating the school's ICT Policy which was completed about three months ago and accepted by the HT.<br />
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So, for those of you who are looking for a template or even a example of an ICT policy for their Primary school, please feel free to use, edit, share and review the policy below.
Obviously, since the policy is quite specific to our school, I need to point out a few key things:<br />
1. This was the first policy I have written which has been so extensive. As such, you will need to edit the policy for your own needs,<br />
2. Some parts have been removed where it mentions specific individuals so you can also edit those areas for your needs.<br />
3. The policy is licensed under the Creative Commons license.<br />
4. On mobile browsers, you may not see the embedded document. So please follow <a href="https://www.box.com/s/d5b0b04b89fcb7db1ab5" target="_blank">this link</a>.<br />
I hope you find it useful.
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Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-77423068451982871592011-08-05T07:54:00.000+03:002011-08-05T07:54:22.217+03:00iPads v. Own Devices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Much has been written lately on the
topic of iPads in Primary schools as opposed to the use of own
devices. In this post I intend to set out my experiences related to
this conversation and the arguements which, from my perspective,
inform the debate based on my school's circumstances. In the end
however, I am not going to suggest which route is the "best."
I'll simply outline what we did and leave your decisions to you.
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Earlier this year my class was given
the opportunity to carry out a pilot programme to begin instituting
the use of mobile devices to allow the children to experience the
benefits of a flat classroom. In other words, for them to experience
learning outside the classroom which was not just a euphemism for
doing work "chained" to a desk outside the school (ie
bedroom, library, etc.).</div>
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Among the issues we dealt with in our
preparations, was the issue of which devices we should have the
children using. While cost was a factor in deciding which devices to
use, it was not the most significant.
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We had several options open to us. The
first was to lease a class set of netbooks, which was quickly discounted
due to our dissatisfaction with our current units. The second was to
use own
devices. The third, was to purchase and lease to parents a class set
of iPad2s.</div>
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Our classroom demographics were the
following: Fifteen children aged eleven. A slightly male bias in
gender existed in the class. About 80% were EAL with good or very
good levels of reading, writing and comprehension in English. All
were experienced Constructivist Inquiry learners. The soci-economic
status of the class was Upper Middle Class or greater with the vast
majority of parents being graduates with professional degrees. The
class were relatively versed in incorporating various forms of
technology, from IWBs to various internet tools such as Google Docs
and Dropbox as well as video and audio editing software, to
personalise their learning. All but 2 had some form of mobile devices.
Two had Apple products, the rest had Nokia smartphones, Blackberries and
personal netbooks.<br />
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Our decion making revolved around
several issues. So, I'll examine the issues in our
circumstances for each of the two remaining options. We looked at iPad2 as a
serious possibility. First, some children (20%) already owned Apple
products and could help those for whom the operating environment was
unfamiliar. Second, the support was such that if there was a serious
problem we would have confidence the products would be supported.
Third, portability and stress tolerance was important and we felt
that the iPads, based on our research with other schools, could stand
up to drama of a Primary school day. Fourth, screen size was
important. We already had experience of netbooks whose screens were
far too small in an effort to make them portable. Thus, iPads did
provide a larger area to read on. Fifth, the large number of applications was seen as an added feature.<br />
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On the other hand, having the children
bring in their own devices, also had its benefits. First, the devices
were already in the children's pockets and school bags, thus the
parental concern of "will it be used outside school?" was
already answered. Second, these were devices the parents and children
had already invested time in to investigate, learn and add apps which
personalised the device. Third, the devices had no learning curve for
basic functionality. Fourth, the concern over small screens was
discussed, but since the children were not spending a significant
number of hours staring at the screens this was less of a concern.
Moreover, most devices had a relatively simple text enlargement
method. The children were asked if they felt the screens were
difficult to look at or navigate and they all said 'no, otherwise we
would not have bought ----." It is important to keep in my we
ran quite a pragmatic and agnostic programme. The children could
bring in any device they felt comfortable using. As a result we saw
some swapping one device for another from home until they had one
they felt satisfied their needs.</div>
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In the end we went with own devices.
Surprisingly, we had few connectivity issues after the "get
networked" day, where all the kids brought in their devices, the
IT rep was there and within 30 minutes all the devices were online
except two. Those two shared other devices with students.</div>
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The devices proved to be very little
hassle at my end because the owners were quite reliable in terms of
knowing how to use them. Moreover, in all cases, there was another
learner in the class who had the same device and could lend support if
needed. Hence we could get right to the learning
engagement at hand.</div>
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The results from the children were that
it was very successful. I had no discipline problems, work got done
(on time!) and the enthusiasm was strong and maintained throughout the month. Overall the project was deemed a success. </div>
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Have you had similar pilot projects?
How did they turn out? What issues did you need to deal with? Did you go
for own devices or tablets? I'd be very interested in your ideas and
comments - thanks!</div>
Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-21344938621963130502011-02-07T11:51:00.000+02:002011-02-07T11:51:00.025+02:00Egyptian Uprising - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">29.01.11Continued<br />
This morning we completed the packing and I decided to go back to school to see what the situation is. The HT has told me the school is closed for three days. Sadly, the phones are out and so is the internet. I have not been forward looking enough to advise the children to be prepared for online lessons although they know to check the learning gateway every day (I was also told by the IT department at school a few days later, that parents were emailed with the request for students to log in to the learning gateway for instructions). The HT allowed us to use the landline to call relatives, embassies, etc. From there I returned home and we grabbed a taxi to begin moving. During the move, several teachers saw us with our bags and initially thought we were fleeing. They were even more amazed when we explained we were just moving. During the move, we noticed the petrol stations were closed and that the grocery stores were doing a booming business. I learned that the local police station had been attacked overnight and set alight and weapons stolen and that the largest local shopping mall, had been set alight, flooded and ransacked by looters. That mall was about 15 minutes drive from our location. We also learned that the curfew was in effect and that by 5pm everyone had to be off the streets.<br />
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As soon as we had finished the move, about three hours later, we made a mad dash to the local shop and the bank. The shop had of course, been cleared out but we managed to pick up a few things we needed. People were panic buying like I had never seen. In the end we hit about four shops and basically came away with some of what we needed except water and milk. As we walked to our new flat locals were shouting to us to hurry home.<br />
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Eventually, the banks were closed. We were in a better situation than many because we had withdrawn the maximum daily allowance as soon as we realised the situation was serious. Since there was very little warning, some colleagues were caught short and were concerned they would need to survive on the equivalent of $20 for an unknown period of time.<br />
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In no time at all the police had simply evaporated, banks had been closed, mobile phone access had been shut down or limited, a curfew imposed and panic buying was the norm. Where once one saw police on every corner or standing outside important locations, there were vacant chairs. They were replaced by the army but very few infantry, mainly armoured vehicles and vigilante groups made up of concerned home-owners and boabs (caretakers). Shopkeepers defied the curfew and took chairs out in front of their shops for the overnight job of deterring looters. Some were armed.<br />
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As soon as we got home after being urged on by locals we started unpacking and sorting out the few meagre groceries we were able to collect. By the time we were finished, it was well after 19:00 and several hours into the first curfew. We did what so many of our colleagues and neighbours did, and tuned in to BBC World Service and CNN. Sadly, these two pillars of news and information were often left wanting in terms of providing information we, as residents, needed to stay informed. While the government station frequently ran emergency hotline numbers for medical aid and the army we hoped that the two major news services would do the same but supplement that information with news and advice from the various embassies. In reality, there was very little of that and in fact several colleagues complained that the BBC and CNN gave absolutely no information for residents who were not residents of the UK or USA. Personally, I cannot confirm that, since I did not have the luxury of continuously watching the television, but I would agree that the coverage was limited in its usefulness to those on the ground beyond Tahrir Square.<br />
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Eventually, it came time to determine our shifts for the evening. It was suggested that since there were looters about, that we should barricade our doors and have a member of the family awake over night. I decided to do the night shift from 20:00 to 5:00, while my wife tried to sleep in what we decided would be the easiest room to defend. I was given various bits of advice on what "weapon" to have at hand so I felt fairly prepared.<br />
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By this time, we were already hearing semi-automatic weapon fire, some closer than others. Occasionally I would look through the patio doorway to witness what was happening. I saw the various owners, tenants and boabs encircling a fire and each was armed. The gun fire continued throughout the night in waves of severity. In some cases the shots were close enough I could tell from what direction they had come from. At about midnight I happened to be sitting in the living room trying to determine what we would do the next day when the floor of our ground floor flat began to vibrate and the cup on the side table near me began to shake as well. I got up and opened the door to see an Egyptian tank rolling from the far corner of our commons towards the corner closest to the main street. The dust it kicked up caused me to close the door again - and lock it. The tank was no doubt moving in to support a troop carrier at the T-junction nearby from where the last round of shots had been fired. The sounds of weapons fire became less frequent but still occurred a few times each hour lasting from a few seconds to 5 to 7 minutes. <br />
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That is how I passed the evening, until about 2:30 when another piece of equipment rolled down our street amid heavier than usual gunfire. There were a few cases of looters trying to get down the streets. They were always interrogated and in some cases turned back. Tanks and troop carriers made their way up and down our street a few more times over night. <br />
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Earlier in the evening, before my wife had turned in, I called a few colleagues to try and support them since I knew they were alone and may possibly be the only people left in their low-rise apartment blocks, since many Egyptians had already started fleeing along with some foreigners. I kept that up until my phone credit ran out. A few days later, since many of the shops had been cleared out I, along with many other foreigners and Egyptians, lost use of the mobile phones not because the phones had been shut down again, but because it was impossible to locate recharge cards. It appears that mobile recharge cards where not immune to the panic buying spree as some people had bought hundreds of dollars of cards at a go. Not only that, but some shops which did have recharge cards were profiteering, charging in some case 100% premiums over the face value of the cards.</div>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-63208181568504119642011-02-06T13:32:00.001+02:002011-02-06T13:32:00.391+02:00Egyptian Uprising - My Experience (part 1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">End of the day 290111 :<br />
I am sitting here in our darkened living room at 21:33 on Saturday 29th January, wondering how I came to be in this situation and how things will turn out. Yesterday, the governement cut the mobile phones and early that day we realised that the internet was down. There was added uncertainty for us because the 29th was to be our moving date and we had originally told our ISP to transfer our line. So, just to clarify the situation I went into the school, a short walk away, to check. But, much to my disappointment, the internet was definately down. For several days before that, the network was running but people had been saying that, for example, Twitter was blocked. Despite that information, I was able to access Twitter via a third party application right up until yesterday. Yesterday, seems like a week ago but it's only been 24 hours.<br />
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When I got home, the first thing I said to my wife was to call or sms her mum because I we were systematically being locked out of our methods of communication and mobiles and sms would be the next to go out. Unfortunately, I was right. Shortly afterwards, the mobile network went down and stayed down until about 10:30 this morning when it crawled back into service without any sms capacity. One of the compounding problems we had was the lack of any other method of getting information. The TV in our flat was unable to get any channels because construction work to the bulding, I think, severed the cable. As a result we had gone 2+ months with no tv so the latest information came when I went in to school this morning. Our neighbours didn't speak English and they seemed to leave soon after things started going pear-shaped.<br />
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Anyway, back to yesterday. I had delivered the news to my wife and she had contacted her mum shortly before the phones went down. From then, it was as if we were in isolation. One or two people called us but that was it. They weren't able to tell us more than what we had already surmised. There was an uprising, it was out of control, don't take chances, wait for instructions from our school management. So, we continued our packing. It was surreal, it seemed like every other day. Aside from the rumors of looting at the local Carrefour, that was it. We heard no gun fire, saw no chaos, nothing.<br />
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One thing I did notice, was the absence of police as the day went on. We went in to the local market to get a few things and wandered off home. Oblivious that then next day we would be lucky to get basics and that we would be battling against time.<br />
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I cannot believe it was only yesterday, because so much has changed since then.</div>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-28152489910101652832011-02-05T09:57:00.002+02:002011-02-06T09:58:34.895+02:00Egypt Uprising - Introduction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">On January 25th, there began protests in Egypt demanding the resignation of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak has led Egypt since the assassination of Anwar Sadat over 30 years ago. Over the next few weeks, I will retell, for my own reflection really, the events which occurred and how they affected the provision of education for the children in my class and how Web2.0 learning tools helped to deal with the situations which arose. To some extent, the story is still unfolding and may continue to do so for some time. While I hope that someone may find some kernels of information which they may find helpful, the main purpose is for my own reflection so I can more effectively deal with similar situations in the future.</div>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-71964398711481319212011-01-24T18:36:00.000+02:002011-01-24T18:36:19.024+02:00Skype an Author<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mrhVk_U4jIEwhwxEzRLsgsKkIvyjmvUhET2pIdMeclELnp-9pc7BjrJm0stqEpa_CHcAB80TrjDoiXZKtQAO3JJJsqiZ9pe-Cnd6Yh4dIaNKHzGVVVRVQvsjesk-FlxMn_m3k2NL-SYB/s1600/phone+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mrhVk_U4jIEwhwxEzRLsgsKkIvyjmvUhET2pIdMeclELnp-9pc7BjrJm0stqEpa_CHcAB80TrjDoiXZKtQAO3JJJsqiZ9pe-Cnd6Yh4dIaNKHzGVVVRVQvsjesk-FlxMn_m3k2NL-SYB/s200/phone+box.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Recently, our Year 4 and Year 6 students had the opportunity to have a live discussion about being an author with <a href="http://www.theholeinthesky.net/about.html">Barbara Mahler</a>, author of "Hole in the Sky". It was very successful but I thought it would be a good idea to provide some suggestions for teachers who might be interested in doing a <a href="http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/home">Skype</a> conference themselves.<br />
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There are several sources where a person can find an author, some of whom are willing to Skype with classes, such as the <a href="http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/">Skype an Author Network</a> and <a href="http://www.authorsabroad.com/">authors abroad</a>. Otherwise, you can try contatcting the author directly. Sadly, there do not seem to be many similar services or facilities for experts in other fields such as Mathematics, Science or History, etc. Perhaps you know of some good resource banks of contact details for experts in these fields. If you do, please provide them in the comments.<br />
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The first stage in having a Skype conference is preparation and planning. I cannot stress enough that the time taken to plan out what will happen and running tests will pay benefits when the event occurs. Even after your planning and preparations are complete though, always keep in mind that sometimes, circumstances may conspire against you and cause difficulties over which you have little or no control. It is for those occasions, a Plan B or even a Plan C are always a good idea. In our circumstances, on the "wrong" side of the Digital Divide, we have to take in to account various possibilities which may or may not affect other teachers, who are in similar circumstances, as they hold Skype conferences. Among the obstacles we needed to consider were intermittant power outages, connection failures, surges of shared bandwidth use by the senior school, time zone differences, traffic, etc.<br />
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Here are the stages I worked through to get prepared for the Skype conference along with any links which you may find helpful. You may need to consider taking more, or fewer steps depending on your specific circumstances circumstances:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Finding the author. There are, as I mentioned a few resources to help you find authors willing to have a Skype conference. However, keep in mind that authors will have their own schedules to keep. Therefore, plan your Skype call well in advance and have a few backup days in the event the author is unavailable, falls ill or the connection or electricity get cut before or during the call.</li>
<li>Decide on details with the author or their representative such as: decide on appropriate <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/">times and dates</a>, costs and make sure the author knows the audience they will be talking to, determine how the author wants to be addressed by the children, how long the author wants to speak to the children before taking questions, specific topics or issues the author may need to know about that the children are particularly interested in, how long the session will be (20 to 30 minute sessions are typical in my experience), etc.</li>
<li>Test call. I always make a test call at roughly the same time and day as the planned conference from the same location I will be using. Take note of connection fades and the habits of other parts of the school who may be using your connection at the same time. Confirm with your IT department that you plan to use Skype and when, so they can take appropriate action. <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/">Confirm the time in the remote location.</a></li>
<li>Organise. Make sure the children are aware of your expectations. Have the teachers organise their children into 2 groups, those asking questions and those who are not. Have the questions prewritten by the children and rehearsed and, if necessary, have the children in an appropriate order. Children asking questions should be sitting near the microphone. In our experience, we have been lucky because the laptop microphone and camera have been sufficient for the job. Ask teachers to rehearse the questions with their children and remember that there will be a delay between when the children speak and when the author hears them, so they need to be patient and speak clearly. In our latest conference the children asking questions sat to one side of the main group, then sat in a chair, asked their question, had a brief discussion if they wanted, and rejoined the main group. </li>
<li>Setup your meeting space. I set up a chair on top of a desk then blu-tacked the laptop to the seat after I had them each in the correct positions and also blu-tacked the chair to the table. Ideally, I try to get the camera positioned so that I can have both the child asking the question and the children in the audience in the same picture. The children then sit with the rest of the audience after they have asked their question(s).</li>
<li>Test all the cables and other tools. Check that Skype is working and make sure it is started in advance of the meeting. Obviously, you will need to have the author's Skype name before this! Check that all the cables are connected, such as the projector cable, Smartboard USB cable, speaker jack, and any other equipment you may be using.</li>
</ul>That is about it. The list really does look quite intimidating but in practice it isn't. As with all things, you get better with practice. I started by simply Skyping other classes and sharing work samples, etc. You might find that is a good starting point to get your feet wet. <br />
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Have you found some exciting experts which have had a conference with your class? Do you have a good resource for finding Skyping Mathematicians, Scientists, Historians and others? Have you tried Skyping for the first time recently? How did it go? Do you have any tips for other teachers which I have missed? Please leave your comments!<br />
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Photo Credit: "Red telephone box in Bamburgh" by <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/700">David Gruar</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC</a></div>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-90832920955071036562011-01-06T11:49:00.001+02:002011-01-06T11:49:00.411+02:00Google search results based on reading levelNot too long ago, I noticed that Google had made it possible to organise search results according to reading level. In the screencast below, I show you how to do a search using the reading level options. However, I have not located anything indicating how the levels are determined exactly.<br />
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I hope you find the demo helpful.<br />
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<object id="scPlayer" class="embeddedObject" width="640" height="264" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://content.screencast.com/users/y6wml/folders/Jing/media/b44d1ae3-b7dd-4695-a74d-198b1e61b7a9/jingswfplayer.swf" > <param name="movie" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/y6wml/folders/Jing/media/b44d1ae3-b7dd-4695-a74d-198b1e61b7a9/jingswfplayer.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/y6wml/folders/Jing/media/b44d1ae3-b7dd-4695-a74d-198b1e61b7a9/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=1280&containerheight=528&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/y6wml/folders/Jing/media/b44d1ae3-b7dd-4695-a74d-198b1e61b7a9/google%20search%20based%20on%20reading%20level.swf&blurover=false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="scale" value="showall" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="base" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/y6wml/folders/Jing/media/b44d1ae3-b7dd-4695-a74d-198b1e61b7a9/" />Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required. </object>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-58293806456068696502010-12-30T12:38:00.001+02:002010-12-30T12:38:00.327+02:00Using Jing for screencastingLast week, I introduced you to Jing for screen captures. A screen capture is essentially taking a snapshot of whatever is on your screen. In this post, I am going to explain how to use Jing for screencasting.<br />
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Screencasting is taking a brief video of whatever is on your screen and recording your voice if you choose, rather than a static picture. If you also have Camtasia installed, you can use that to edit the screencast with more features, or use it to create longer screencasts as well as other types of video.<br />
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In this post, I am going to assume you do not have Camtasia installed.<br />
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To begin with, we need to download Jing. To find out how to download and install Jing, look back at last week's post about using Jing for screen captures.<br />
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Once Jing is installed and we have the yellow sun on the edge of our screen, we can begin using it for the screencast. Before you do that, it is always a good idea to run through a basic checklist first:<br />
<ul><li>check your microphone and speakers (preferably, use a headset with a microphone)</li>
<li>rehearse (this may include a script or it may not, but always know what you want to say before hand)</li>
<li>preload any webpages or software before the recording</li>
<li>anticipate background noise levels - move to a new location if necessary</li>
<li>the pause button is your friend, but don't abuse it (using pause too often can make the audio and video seem choppy)</li>
<li>Keep it simple with a good pace (you only have 5 minutes, make them count!)</li>
<li>avoid the "ums" and "ahhs"!</li>
<li>Make sure you have a free account at Screencast.com to house your videos for sharing. </li>
</ul>Starting your screencast:<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Hover over the sun icon and wait for the three options to appear.</li>
<li>Select the crosshairs.</li>
<li>Select the region of your screen to record by clicking, dragging and clicking again.</li>
<li>Select "Capture Video" from the resulting menu bar.</li>
<li>Jing will give you a 5 second grace period (which cannot be changed) and a confirmation message that the microphone is on before you begin.</li>
<li>During recording, you will see a small toolbar below the recording window with 5 buttons (stop, pause, mic on/off, restart recording, cancel) as well as a progress bar.</li>
<li>When finished your recording, click stop (orange square on black button).</li>
<li>Jing will ask you to provide a file name, and provide a new toolbar below the video window with 5 new buttons (share - send to screencast.com, save to computer, edit with Camtasia, cancel and customize). Enter the file name and decide how to deal with the video. I will assume you decide to share.</li>
<li>In the free account, screencasts are only in SWF format. Other formats are available in the pro version.</li>
<li>Click the share button.</li>
<li>As long as you have a screencast.com account already, the upload will begin. A progress window will show you how things are going.</li>
<li>Jing automatically places a link on your clipboard for pasting.</li>
<li>Congratulations!</li>
</ol>Don't be put off by the number of steps. It takes less time than making the video itself in most cases.<br />
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I have used Jing for screencasting for quite a while for creating videos for every group of people in my school. It is great for demonstrating software, network navigation, lesson content, etc. It is an excellent tool for supporting learning. I highly recommend it. <br />
Good luck!Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-29694574265762806952010-12-23T16:52:00.044+02:002010-12-23T16:52:00.919+02:00Using Jing for Screen Captures and ScreencastingRecently I was asked how I create screen shots with arrows and short captions for assisting my learners either in learning how to use new websites or identifying steps to be taken during an engagement.<br />
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Over the past several years I have used a wide variety of tools to help visually explain or identify key areas of a message I was trying to get across. I’ve basically settled on two tools, both by the same company but used, in my circumstances, for two different purposes.<br />
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In this post, I’ll be introducing you to a downloadable tool called “Jing” which is from Techsmith in the US. I don’t usually recommend downloadable tools because of the growing number of online options available for most jobs. However, Jing and its big brother Camtasia are, for my purposes, the best possible solutions to my screen capture and screencasting needs.<br />
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Briefly, Jing is a screen capture (takes a snapshot of whatever is on your screen) and a screencasting (creates a 5min maximum video of whatever is on your screen) tool from Techsmith. It is free (but you can buy the pro version for about $15.00/yr), and it allows you to store your video and images at Techsmith’s online storage facility called Screencast.com(free account or pro available).<br />
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I absolutely love this tool (it's one of the first 5 things I recommend downloading for every new system) because it's easy to download and install, a breeze to access (as you’ll see) and allows direct uploading of captures/screencasts to your online Screencast.com account. It also provides options for including captions, arrows and creating screencasts.<br />
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This is where you can find it: <a href="http://www.techsmith.com/jing/free/">Jing from Techsmith </a><br />
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Here is an example of a screenshot I took a while back using Jing:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvwxTv1qFyGkWOvShb165q-cr-pk_WmxyAKfSkaiGy1i2rxewhZRfRXy1tywHDyCDf4Kzi-PPgf65Sz2FWz2gZc7nrjNSnSz9bBB82H4WDOPlAzK-lRQHgvXYTbyK8kOBQqO4S37GsyOD/s1600/crossword_7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvwxTv1qFyGkWOvShb165q-cr-pk_WmxyAKfSkaiGy1i2rxewhZRfRXy1tywHDyCDf4Kzi-PPgf65Sz2FWz2gZc7nrjNSnSz9bBB82H4WDOPlAzK-lRQHgvXYTbyK8kOBQqO4S37GsyOD/s400/crossword_7.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
As you can see, screenshots with captions can really help explain a procedure or series of steps much better than simple text.<br />
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Here is the procedure to install and start using Jing:<br />
1. Go to the Techsmith <a href="http://www.techsmith.com/jing/free/">Jing</a> website.<br />
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2. Click download:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBZXhEXSv2pFom1dcnhCbXe68UvVLe9EN4_kLqRwozag14Eq3mQ-W7Bqy1zf-vmXGo9myEM8z6Rtpkmu_RgQRYKe95BTM25XL1F1B2najFwkq-yhbpfFPSW-NGrLEkH6RjYEooygT8oO5/s1600/Jing_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBZXhEXSv2pFom1dcnhCbXe68UvVLe9EN4_kLqRwozag14Eq3mQ-W7Bqy1zf-vmXGo9myEM8z6Rtpkmu_RgQRYKe95BTM25XL1F1B2najFwkq-yhbpfFPSW-NGrLEkH6RjYEooygT8oO5/s640/Jing_1.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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3. On the next page, decide between the download for Windows or the download for Mac.<br />
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4. Afterwards, this window will open:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPob_jjFkqhWeApJLZJUik0Mw7E_gQ7Dxfke99a0iUO7JW-9OeeKQuZjEUqxIx98t3VjC3WsM6BkXyMuvobVVMQjkX8l1onxuN7ShAPm1zC-g1M_ChB_Z2Im-gk71v07S4qsqz2DNHiyhg/s1600/jing_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPob_jjFkqhWeApJLZJUik0Mw7E_gQ7Dxfke99a0iUO7JW-9OeeKQuZjEUqxIx98t3VjC3WsM6BkXyMuvobVVMQjkX8l1onxuN7ShAPm1zC-g1M_ChB_Z2Im-gk71v07S4qsqz2DNHiyhg/s400/jing_2.png" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><br />
5. Find and click on the "jing_setup.exe" file you have just downloaded and follow the installation instructions.<br />
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6. Once Jing is installed. You will see a little yellow sun appear somewhere on the border of your screen, which will look similar to this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-s0SOinbmv-rlmnQ5gOJjTWvvOQDvcBsZr2efY_eS0ybpIJI4w4r2hyphenhyphenc0gF7OabTQki1aXehuANi8I8iwsyRDXebaeK5g8iH2p5aVqaQxb3ozjXu2dOpCK3R6Z87cptUKsgn1LorpF8vx/s1600/jing_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-s0SOinbmv-rlmnQ5gOJjTWvvOQDvcBsZr2efY_eS0ybpIJI4w4r2hyphenhyphenc0gF7OabTQki1aXehuANi8I8iwsyRDXebaeK5g8iH2p5aVqaQxb3ozjXu2dOpCK3R6Z87cptUKsgn1LorpF8vx/s1600/jing_3.png" /></a></div><br />
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7. To use Jing for a screen capture, hover over the sun for a second and then select the crosshairs (see the image above). Then select your region to capture by dragging your mouse to enlarge the rectangular capture area.<br />
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8. As soon as you let your finger off the mouse, the area you have selected is captured and comes up in an editing window, like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo_A_JMOe8ca5KfA1B_SoF68st_58PFWC7XK7SzQyKUCBz9sx-B0Hc7KrMrhKoVevTn0pB7W6FaafNfzrjFYT3-Lt2ELUFK4BF4O1u-KnHWoVR8qOYvEo6E0RlPoqV2Flts7t1HAotHD8/s1600/jing_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo_A_JMOe8ca5KfA1B_SoF68st_58PFWC7XK7SzQyKUCBz9sx-B0Hc7KrMrhKoVevTn0pB7W6FaafNfzrjFYT3-Lt2ELUFK4BF4O1u-KnHWoVR8qOYvEo6E0RlPoqV2Flts7t1HAotHD8/s320/jing_4.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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9. You can then use the tools along the left of the window to annotate your pictures with arrows, text, boxes, etc.<br />
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10. Now, all that remains to be done is to decide what to do with the capture. You can,<br />
share it through Screencast.com, save it to your computer, edit it with Snagit or Camtasia if you have either one installed or delete the capture.<br />
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11. If you decide to share it, the link is instantly available on your clipboard to paste wherever you need it.<br />
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I have been using Jing for screen captures and screencasts for sometime and I really like it. It’s a straight forward, no nonsense capture tool that gets the job done quickly and efficiently. I have used Jing’s screen capture facility to give instructions on using new or unfamiliar websites to learners and highlight important locations on Google Earth or important words, phrases, sentences or other text features before, during or after F2F sessions with my learners. My kids and I appreciate how easy it is to use, and my kids appreciate the added clarity it brings to instructions and engagements.<br />
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In my next post, I’ll demonstrate using Jing as a screencasting tool for brief 5 minute video masterpieces :)<br />
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Good Luck!Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-539840897621672192010-12-17T12:24:00.005+02:002010-12-17T22:14:37.178+02:00Yahoo! to focus on core business (Updated)<div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbtVonHj0Cm-TBEGvwr6iGUlVhxQNiyqX_jgmMX1Zj2F_qUQsa4QHxejOZjpGS5vQmEVMBu0wq-WoJoqKcgCawkQwhd8viAIrGAG4hURqhyphenhyphencZLiBhJWHsZAAMZ0LodtD1hjg2CqjSYAdj/s1600/frustration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbtVonHj0Cm-TBEGvwr6iGUlVhxQNiyqX_jgmMX1Zj2F_qUQsa4QHxejOZjpGS5vQmEVMBu0wq-WoJoqKcgCawkQwhd8viAIrGAG4hURqhyphenhyphencZLiBhJWHsZAAMZ0LodtD1hjg2CqjSYAdj/s200/frustration.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Broken Pencil" photo © <a href="http://mike.openphoto.net/">Michael Jastremski</a> <br />
for <a href="http://5468.openphoto.net/">openphoto.net</a> CC:Attribution-ShareAlike</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><strike>It looks as though Yahoo! has decided to shutter Delicious, the social bookmarking site. The date of closure has not been mentioned so far but this is connected to the cutting of 600 jobs recently.</strike><br />
UPDATE:<br />
According to the website <a href="http://edudemic.com/">Edudemic.com,</a> which has posted comments from the Yahoo! website, Yahoo! has now clarified the situation, pointing out that they intend to sell Delicious rather than close it. You can read the full statement <a href="http://here./">here.</a> <strike><br />
</strike><br />
<br />
Obviously, I am not alone when I say I am <strike>very disappointed</strike> relieved by this news. I have been with Delicious since March 2006 and have thousands of bookmarks for my network, other colleagues, personal interest and so on. Over the last year I have done workshops, and other PD meetings on using social bookmarking sites and Delicious in particular.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, this does bring up the sensitive issue of exactly how much we can trust online services which are free? (Despite the clarification by Yahoo! This point is still an issue, as it is with any other free service on the web.)<br />
<br />
In an effort to help those of us who are looking for <strike>alternative sites</strike> a secondary site to <strike>move to</strike> use here is an incomplete list of possible options to help you get started in absolutely no order of preference. <br />
<ul><li><a href="http://digg.com/news">Digg</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.diigo.com/">Diigo</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.reddit.com/">Reddit</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/">StumbleUpon</a></li>
</ul>Good luck, and remember to add me to your new network!<br />
<br />
As mentioned, I have been with Delicious for years. But I've learned my lesson from the rumour mill! That is, have a backup! I'm going to stick with Delicious for the time being and add a backup service and to see how events unfold. Let's face it, moving the resources is not difficult, but I'm glad I don't need to do it!<br />
<br />
Good luck!Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-51073801847181359692010-11-17T07:54:00.001+02:002010-11-17T08:06:30.474+02:00Implementing a class Wiki<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64v06tt86ZiVf_s6umKdPq3w8MG5e0gUo1LDhL098Y8FLO0LHgu6mSaF9UuasRqaNdYkxaRM-b2On2TZPU71OJ1QIUQdUWUwNjR9lUYugf8Izc1JjWbYOiJSVbFj7mxDIgsh9pf1tOsc-/s1600/4290549470_17ae7555ff_b.jpg" 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/AVvXsEg64v06tt86ZiVf_s6umKdPq3w8MG5e0gUo1LDhL098Y8FLO0LHgu6mSaF9UuasRqaNdYkxaRM-b2On2TZPU71OJ1QIUQdUWUwNjR9lUYugf8Izc1JjWbYOiJSVbFj7mxDIgsh9pf1tOsc-/s200/4290549470_17ae7555ff_b.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Over the past few years we have had a class blog to record our reflections on our lrearning and as a tool to build our learning community. Last academic year, we began also using a wiki to further support the learning community we were builing by providing a living central location where pupils add to, improve, share and extend ideas and learning with others in the class in a way that pupils own what is happening with their learning journey. This year, the class and I decided to extend how we used the wiki. In previous verions, the wiki was reserved for eportfolios but its ability to be used as a learning centre was not well applied. In other words, the wiki as a learning resource was underutilised. That meant that we could include areas where the students could more freely share and extend their learning independently. So, this year we added several pages such as a page to collect weblinks and other resources as pupils investigated; a hall of fame for pupils who are elected by the rest of the class as demonstrating Learner Profile characteristics; eportfolios; and a glossaries page where students can add and edit entries as needed; as well as other pages. Our wiki continues to grow as a learner's resource. <br />
<br />
At the end of the year I plan to have the class assess how well we used it, how helpful it was and what we need to do for next year to improve it's usefulness. I am particularly interested in witnessing how the ideas of children, who are not interested in IT, change (if they do) and why. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Please visit our <a href="http://year-6-with-mr-lowe.wikispaces.com/">class Wiki</a> and give us some hints on what we can do to improve!</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/">Horia Varlan</a> </span>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-54341259130268410642010-11-17T06:19:00.000+02:002010-11-17T06:19:05.454+02:00Edublogger Awards 2010 NominationsIt was announced just recently that the <a href="http://edublogawards.com/">2010 Edublogs Awards</a> are on their way! Nominations have already opened so, here is my list of educational blogs which I think deserve a "two-thumbs up."<br />
<br />
Best individual blog: "<a href="http://kimcofino.com/blog/">Always Learning</a>" by Kim Corfino<br />
Best individual tweeter: "<a href="http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/">Web20Classroom</a>" by Steven Anderson<br />
Best class blog: "<a href="http://www.mrgoerend.com/">MrGoerend.com</a>" by Mr. Goerend & his class<br />
Best resource sharing blog: "<a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/">Technology for Teachers</a>" by Richard Byrne<br />
Best teacher blog: "<a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/">Technology for Teachers</a>" by Richard Byrne<br />
Best elearning / corporate education blog: "<a href="http://www.learncentral.org/">Learn Central</a>" by Steve Hargadon <br />
Best educational use of a social networking: "<a href="http://www.learncentral.org/">Learn Central</a>" by Steve Hargadon<br />
Lifetime achievement: "<a href="http://www.learncentral.org/">Learn Central</a>" by Steve Hargadon<br />
<br />
Have a look at these websites as well:<br />
Year6L Wiki: http://year-6-with-mr-lowe.wikispaces.com<br />
and http://year6l.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
Good luck to all the nominees!Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-67415027261704569002010-11-10T16:49:00.000+02:002010-11-10T16:49:21.800+02:00Looking to Skype with authorsOur English Coordinator is desperately trying to find some authors who would be willing to take part in a Skype conference with KS2 pupils in January during our Book week celebrations. The conference only needs to be sometime in January.<br />
<br />
If you are an author of children's books, or you have contacts in the children's book publishing industry and know someone who can help us, please contact me through the comments.<br />
<br />
Many thanks,<br />
WDigital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-19837984729189118872010-11-06T19:16:00.000+02:002010-11-06T19:16:17.913+02:00The Global Education Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.globaleducationconference.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwEGz-ygVXmo3vJ1L0HtYDDFdLxPm2X4PSJPQZyrmsxgwuZF39rvbnrFDO4emybwW-seyDBwNqnEk8vL3veorJ763qskUNVctHMR44FA_oBr5qwTfUEFHd4zpnNNhyKn3PdpGkbVepcXc/s320/GEC_Europe.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-7101492267081847722010-11-06T18:52:00.000+02:002010-11-06T18:52:29.311+02:00The IB Libraries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J4FjMgPTOmX3NqpuyOOz0WHI5lwDfXLCDIvnuEhR_Xe6jke2vzR6JQPPntl7k3HYDoZZkH_-ojrkir6nm58AYg21ZtdnjQtL5sTUxPnePLtuu7hdqlfm156FVUZlKtVac857k-vrfzt4/s1600/athenaeum-library2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J4FjMgPTOmX3NqpuyOOz0WHI5lwDfXLCDIvnuEhR_Xe6jke2vzR6JQPPntl7k3HYDoZZkH_-ojrkir6nm58AYg21ZtdnjQtL5sTUxPnePLtuu7hdqlfm156FVUZlKtVac857k-vrfzt4/s320/athenaeum-library2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
At the end of the last academic year I decided to create a shared resource called the IB Libraries for my primary school.<br />
<br />
The resource is a central resource bank which is housed at Wikispaces. It is organised to hold the planning documents for each Inquiry Unit in each term and the resources which will be used for that term's units.<br />
<br />
In the planning section of each page, I created a table with the headings "Central Idea" etc. and linked those details to a file sharing service. In this case I used box.net but there are many other services which could also do the job. I chose this method, because the file can, if you have a box account, be edited. Even if you don't have an account, a copy of the plan can be downloaded regardless of where you access the site from.<br />
<br />
The rest of the page is used to organise the resources the teaching team thinks will be appropriate for that unit. In my case I organised our page into audio, video, Powerpoint, etc.<br />
<br />
There are several benefits to using this method. First, I felt it would be more collaborative and help to create a sharing environment among the team. It also helped to identify expertise in certain areas of a unit.<br />
<br />
Second, Wikis are very easy to work with especially the ones at Wikispaces. The editor is very simple but powerful and teachers generally have no trouble learning how to do some basic page editing and how to upload/download resources in a relatively short space of time.<br />
<br />
Thirdly, the libraries helped to identify areas where we were resource rich and resource poor. This then helped the team, rather than individual teachers set about filling the resource need together. Furthermore, it helps to keep resources organised so that we did not have to deal with large numbers of attachments, writing down website addresses and duplication of work.<br />
<br />
Fourthly, the libraries are a living document which change as the needs of the unit and the team teaching it changes. teachers can add to, or remove materials as and when necessary.<br />
<br />
Fifthly, the libraries are accessible to teachers anytime anywhere there is an internet connection. So, anytime they want or need to see the resources or the planning documents, they can, without having to somehow gain access to the school network.<br />
<br />
Finally, the fact the resources were all housed by third parties means that the drain on our already overburdened IT Department would be negligible. We need a stable and relatively fast connection to the internet, but we don't need storage space on the school system, nor do we need the IT personnel to correct issues related to the libraries on our system.<br />
<br />
If you are thinking of setting up a similar libraries resource wiki, I would like to hear about it. What issues are you trying to overcome? Are there benefits in your circumstances which I haven't mentioned? Let me know in the comments.Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-60143846129811556382010-11-05T08:43:00.000+02:002010-11-05T08:43:00.057+02:00How do we assess creativity? The views of Sir Ken<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4pHXH5fmCCs&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4pHXH5fmCCs&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-56408070724679011792010-11-05T08:26:00.001+02:002010-11-05T08:26:00.168+02:00Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky<!--copy and paste--><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ClayShirky_2010S-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ClayShirky-2010S.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=896&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=clay_shirky_how_cognitive_surplus_will_change_the_world;year=2010;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=the_rise_of_collaboration;event=TED%40Cannes;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ClayShirky_2010S-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ClayShirky-2010S.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=896&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=clay_shirky_how_cognitive_surplus_will_change_the_world;year=2010;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=the_rise_of_collaboration;event=TED%40Cannes;"></embed></object>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-51895624896825156432010-10-15T18:19:00.000+03:002010-10-15T18:19:03.390+03:00Year 3 Create Tutorial Videos<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15858452" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/15858452">Blog Tutorial</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/langwitches">langwitches</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-24858331300709467632010-10-15T12:13:00.002+03:002010-10-15T12:13:25.825+03:00The Importance of Sharing<object width="420" height="347"><param name="movie" value="http://dotsub.com/static/players/portalplayer.swf?plugins=dotsub&uuid=027a4da1-8be2-4ea7-85e9-2e3be140db1a&type=video&lang=none"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://dotsub.com/static/players/portalplayer.swf?plugins=dotsub&uuid=027a4da1-8be2-4ea7-85e9-2e3be140db1a&type=video&lang=none" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="347"></embed></object>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108217721925832680.post-73125287357089918402010-10-15T11:25:00.002+03:002010-10-15T11:27:25.675+03:00RSA and Ken Robinson<object width="540" height="290"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDZFcDGpL4U&hl=en_GB&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDZFcDGpL4U&hl=en_GB&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="540" height="290"></embed></object>Digital Literacieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03242512331664586987noreply@blogger.com0