edna.edu.au

International Collaborative Project Opportunity

I'm walking around Europe and thinking about inviting students along for the ride.  Look into classrooms in Spain, ask questions of my family in Italy, take pictures in Israel... more..

Starting to plan for my trip in earnest:

• Students could start asking questions now
• When I get to Spain I'll be walking and might not have brilliant internet access for a few weeks
• After that I'll be in Spain, Morocco and Italy

Here are my ideas for planning a collaborative project:  Should we cancel Christmas? or Change one thing in your school to make it a better place.

Either of these ideas would involve students asking me to gather information from a variety of sources in the countries that I am visiting.  I'd then feed the ideas back and students make some decisions.  It's early days at the moment and I would like to simplify this as much as possible but at the same time retain the idea that the students are very much equal partners in the collaboration.

If you'd like to be involved let me know.  We will be using an Edmodo community to share information.  Sign up to Edmodo and request the code to become part of Big Space.

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Tags: collaboration edmodo ideas macict travel
Posted at 02:59PM Sep 04, 2009 by Concetta Gotlieb  |  Comments[1]

LAMS Advanced Training Notes

• Best to use Firefox
• If you put in a stop point before the end then you can go into live edit and add activities
• You can drag your students forward
• Use the sequence settings to turn on IM
• Time graph can be useful but also doesn't take into account if
• You can export the whole file into a zip file you can read offline in your browser
• You can group students in random groups, by answers or results or by learner choice
• The forums are useful for a short smaller discussion.  What is the value over a chat? Time?
• Use the 'arrange activities' option to get students back on the task of designing and off trying to rearrange the icons
• To ensure you have a final product for assessment purposes make sure you tick 'lock when finished''
• Conditional branching - you can do all kind of tricky things to assess what is happening in the learning and then leading students down different paths depending on needs
• Optional sequences - allow you to give you students choice - you can do any one of these
• You can also put branches within optional sequences - but you'll need to drag them to the canvas first
• You can add up to 2 layers of branching
• Optional activities are great to give students more control over their learning
• Tip: repeat questions either as an extra noticeboard

Questions:

• Can you make a class/group that has more than one class?

Things to test out:

• Competency editor
• Support activities

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Tags: macict tips ideas technology notes lams
Posted at 12:04PM Jun 18, 2009 by Concetta Gotlieb  |  Comments[2]

Tech: Digital Images

After a day of copying and attributing images for the me.edu.au workshop I decided I should take the time to document the process.

Visual Literacy Skills Progression

• From the British Film Industry - a good scope and sequence

Teaching Ideas

• Adobe Digital Education Instruction projects
• Tale Lesson Plans eg Where's Gladys

Finding Digital Images (NSW DET access)

• Teachers - Flickr
  
• Students - Wikimedia Commons or ?
  

Using Images Basics

• All Right to Copy - Images

Helpful Hints (feel free to add lots more)

• The Smart Copying website explains how most media must be credited.  All Right to Copy - Images - Crediting
  
• If you highlight the text of the name in Flickr and then right click and select 'Copy with URL' this will copy the name of the artist and the url of the image at the same time
• This is the best place to find lots of images that are easy to link the same generic Creative Commons 2.0 licenceMore tips on using digital images in the classroom.

• Taking screen shots can be an important aspect of learning about digital images.  Click here to read how you can take a picture of your screen and how this can be a useful teaching activity.
• More tips on using digital images in the classroom....
  

Also posted on my MacICT wiki.

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Tags: tips ideas images
Posted at 06:14PM Mar 07, 2009 by Concetta Gotlieb  |  Comments[1]

Collecting Resources in Diigo

I really prefer Diigo over Delicious as a place to save my bookmarks.  Because:

• You can right click to tag something
• You can search for a tag and then preview that website to see if it's suitable
• You can join and get regular updates from others that are tagging stuff eg Interactive Whiteboard Group
• You can then create an email or blog post of a collection of links
• You can annotate (I haven't yet)
• Lots of educators seem to use it
  

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Tags: diigo technology tools ideas
Posted at 11:25AM Feb 28, 2009 by Concetta Gotlieb  | 

Scratch

Scratch is everything they said it would be and I love it. In about an hour I created about 10 different animations including a flying bird, throwing a basketball and two butterflies having a conversation.

Classroom uses:

• Talking and listening - explaining what your characters will do, how you will make things move etc
• Storyboard and creating narratives
• Demonstrating science activities and concepts
• Creating simple demonstrations
• Making or playing games eg Archery Champion
  

Challenges:

• The biggest challenge is working out some of the fiddly maths bits like how far an object should travel on the x&y
  

The resources are on the Macquarie ICT wiki. You can also learn more at the Learn Scratch website.

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Tags: tips teachingideas ideas free software ict macquarie scratch
Posted at 10:12AM Jan 22, 2009 by Concetta Gotlieb  | 

Christmas Carnival of Learning

I've been inspired by different online festivals such as the Student Blogging Challenge, the Comment Challenge, the Digital Storytelling Carnival and other educational community building activities to use an event to inspire sharing and communication.  Christmas is a great time for having fun, sharing and finding cool resources. Let's help each other and our students use Web2.0 tools and our online communities to really connect with each other this Christmas.

You can upload or share your links using your existing blog or you can create a teaching blog here at me.edu.au or a student blog using edublogs.  Then add your links to the Christmas Resources community.  By adding the Christmas community to your profile you'll be able to see whenever new things are adding just by looking at your profile.  You can also tag your Christmas stuff in delicious or Diigo with Christmas and add your feed to your me.edu.au profile.

Activity ideas:

• Create a Christmas animation that other students can use or copy from using GoAnimate Post links to any cool animations on your blog or in the Christmas community.
  
• Get students to create a Christmas game in Scratch
  
• Send a school in a different state a Christmas message using email
  
• Get your students to create an end of year video message about what they've learnt this year.  Upload it to Blip.tv or Teachertube and share it on your blog or in the Christmas community.
  
• Get your students to create a video to send overseas at Christmas telling them about Australia.  Upload it to Blip.tv or Teachertube and share it on your blog or in the Christmas community.
• Look at Christmas in other cultures using ...
• Participate in a Christmas web-quest
  
• Share songs you like to play at Christmas on your blog or make a playlist to embed in yoru blog
  
• Christmas craft ideas - upload your pictures to Flickr when completed.  You can also use flickr.com groups to get ideas.  Check out this Christmas Gift Project group.
  
• Helping other people at Christmas time.  Improve your vocabularly and give people rice at Christmas by playing this game.
  
• Write a Blog posts for Santa.  I might even set up a Santa blog to reply if there is some interest.
  
• Find favourite Christmas foods and recipe videos or post recipes on your blog.
• Find blogs or information about other things that are going on in the world at this time of the year.
  
• I'll be adding more to the Christmas community as I find things.
  

There are lots of other ways of sharing, posting ideas on Twitter, Edublogs or any of the other Educational communities around.  Or you can just add a comment on this blog.

Christmas is an awesome time for using technology that helps us communicate with each other let's really make the most of it.

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Tags: video blogs coi community christmas carnival ict integration showme sharing ideas technology learning resources collaboration edublogs
Posted at 01:05PM Oct 26, 2008 by Concetta Gotlieb  |  Comments[1]

Aussie Chix conference highlights

I had a great day yesterday at the Aussie Chix conference.  Short 15 minute talks on a variety of topics from writing code through to learning a bit about the One Laptop per Child program in Australia.  The format of the conference and the diversity of attendees really left me with lots of ideas.

Things I want to start doing as a result of the conference:

• Use Scratch in the classroom including the website to play games created by kids
  
• Make students aware of the questions behind their search terms
• Consider using virtualisation to boot an application and an operating system at the same time, maybe something like gCompris 
• Use Wikipedia for Schools and think about getting a real life Wikipedian like Brianna Laugher to come and visit the school. 
• If my students can't afford a computer at home getting them one through the Computer Bank
• Get my hands on one of the One Laptop Per Child computers to have a play with
  

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Tags: ideas ict scratch programs virtualisation operating systems
Posted at 11:14AM Oct 26, 2008 by Concetta Gotlieb  |  Comments[1]

Technology Integration Update

Updates

• The projector can be used in the computer lab or the hall.  You can use this for a number of things including showing movies on the big screen.  The speakers are in the cupboard.
• The computers in the lab have been updated to the latest version of iLife, it's easy to learn and fun
• The next update will mean that all old games and no standard stuff will be removed.  There are lots of free resources that you can use.  Just ask.
  

Publishing and sharing student media

There are lots of way of sharing ideas, student work, lesson reflections, giving praise, recognising achievement.  We have started by showing examples of student work at assembly.

• Another way of sharing is through Our Blog
• Eventually each student could create their own - this also becomes a record of learning
  

Creating student media

There are lots and lots and lots of tools you can use to get students creating media using different tools.  We are going to look at a couple today.  Let me know which others might be useful.

• iLife and Photobooth - instructional movies here
  
• Flickr.com & Flickr.storm (here is a storm I have started on Products & Services)
• Dipity - timelines - there are lots of other things like this
  
• GoAnimate - lots of similar resources to this
  

Everyday free educational games and interactive resources

• Literacy - eg Starfall
  
• Halloween - eg House
  
• Maths - eg BBC
  
• Music - our kids love music and there are lots of interactive games like this
  

Accessibilty tools

• Screen reader - instructions here
• Improving visibility
• Audio books eg StoryNory
  

Theme based interactive resources

• Social Skills eg TalkDog
  
• Create your own resources eg quizzes and game shows to use with the class
  
• Virtual excursions eg virtual city, different countries
  
• More examples
  

Individual student lesson plans and resources

• Danielle - Dove Interactives Self Esteem
• Robbie - Skull a day project

What now!!

There are a couple of ways we can work together this term. 

• Shared time to plan for technology integration.
  
• Weekly links and ideas email.
• You can come into the classroom and watch me use iMovie or similar
• We can use some RFF time to co-teach a lesson.
• More Wednesday sessions - if so what do you want to see

And then ...

The resources I've linked to above are just a starting point.  This video shows how technology is changing.  This is a challenge and an opportunity for our students.  In a world where we are many pieces, loosely joined it is more possible than ever to find a niche for our students, a way to participate, a way to belong.  Improving accessibility through technology, personal learning networks, using serious games and virtual worlds to engage learners are just some of the areas that we can start to explore.  Make a comment at the end of this blog post and let me know what you want to learn more about.

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Tags: technology ideas links tips resourc
Posted at 10:32PM Oct 21, 2008 by Concetta Gotlieb  | 

Digital cameras in the classroom: a multi-purpose tool.

I'm starting to wonder what would happen if we replaced one interactive whiteboard with a class set or maybe one between 2 of digital cameras.  The computer isn't the only way we interact with technology.  Digital camera's have made pictures part of the human experienced - used in a variety of ways from documenting our belongings for insurance purposes to recording a recount of events to photo journalism and art and even beautiful photo essays.

So I'm going to continue to use the one camera we have in our school to it's absolute maximum.  Here The Digital Photography School has tips on digital photography with kids/students.

• Experiment
• Check backgrounds
• Hold camera straight
• How to hold the camera
• Get in close
• Take lots of pictures
• Balance between taking pictures of people, things and places
• Find a point of interest
• Rule of thirds
• Review the pics with them
• Focal lock
• Different modes for different situations
• Exposure

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Tags: photography technology resource art ideas cameras showme
Posted at 04:42PM Oct 09, 2008 by Concetta Gotlieb  | 

Copyright in the Classroom

Copyright is an important issue for students and teachers to consider.  For me it is an ongoing battle to fully understand the regulations and use materials in my classroom in the best, most productive way possible.

• Smartcopying is a website that provides national guidelines for Australians who are interested in understanding more about copyright.
• BTN is generally a great website with current events videos that you can use in your classroom, lesson plans and other resources.  This week they have a special on copyright.
  
• Creative Commons is a service that allows you to find materials that you can copy and use legally, sometimes even commercially.
  

Also if you have ideas or opinions on the issue of copyright you can participate in a discussion going on in the Edna blogging community.  If you are an Edna groups member click here to read.
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Tags: creative commons copyright btn links technology ideas
Posted at 07:14AM Sep 19, 2008 by Concetta Gotlieb  |  Comments[3]