activ@eden ict_pd cluster

Reading Allowed by Taylor Mali

2008-11-24T19:22:00.001+13:00

What Teachers Make

2008-11-23T20:11:00.000+13:00

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: education what teachers make)

The Raw and Flawed Cluster Conference

2008-11-04T00:01:00.002+13:00

Cluster Day #4
The activ@eden Cluster Lead Teacher Raw and Flawed Conference and Lunch.
Date: Monday 3rd November.
Venue: Edendale School
Time: 9.15 to 2.30pm

Agenda:
Cluster Schools presentations from Lead teachers at Balmoral, Dominion Rd, Edendale, Mt Eden, Epsom Normal Primary, Maungawhau and Mt Eden Normal Primary.
We ask that the focus of presentations be on the Lead Teachers’ reflections past, present and future of the National Program Goal 3 below.
[Principals will be reporting against National Goals 1, 2 and 3 for the Exit Milestone Report]

Note: Data based evidence for your presentation includes: photos, video, teacher voice, student voice etc, mind-maps, data analysis, graphs questionnaires, diaries, study carried out, research, transcripts, observations, feedback, examples of student work, (hardcopy or digital) case notes etc

National Programme Goal 3:
Improving teaching quality and learning outcomes for all students

For example you could talk about:

Increased teachers’ confidence and skills in using ICT and/or the structured overview of learning outcomes.
Increased capability of teachers and principals to use ICT and/or the structured overview of learning outcomes for their own professional learning
Increased capability of teachers and principals to use ICT and/or the structured overview of learning outcomes to facilitate improvements in students’ learning, engagement and achievement.

Questions for Cluster School presentations to answer;

What progress has been made towards achieving these goals?
What evidence supports this?
What are the key lessons for the school?
What are the next steps towards achieving the outcome

Balmoral School Presentation

Dominion Rd School Presentation

Edendale School Presentation

Maungawhau School Presentation

Maungawhau School presents at ULearn08

2008-10-10T21:52:00.006+13:00

Vicki Perry, Mike Boon and Davida Philips from Maungawhau School presented a workshop at ULearn08 in Christchurch on

Step Up to SOLO: Creating clarity of thinking at all levels in a 21st Century primary classroom.

Feedback was great with session attendees noting the session as being packed with thoughtfully designed content around enhancing student learning outcomes and presented with passion by articulate teachers.

Cannot wait to see them present on their progress with SOLO Taxonomy, school wide planning and a common language of learning in Rotorua in February.

The next Google Teacher Academy:

2008-09-21T08:16:00.000+12:00

he next GTA will take place on Tuesday, November 18th at our offices in New York City.

The GTA is our free training program for K-12 educators. It's an intensive, one-day event (8:30am-7:30pm) where 50 selected participants get hands-on experience with our free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, collaborate with exceptional educators, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment.

Upon completion, GTA participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local regions.

We're now taking applications and encourage educators from around the U.S. and the world to apply.

Applications are due October 10, 2008.

To learn more about how to apply for the GTA NYC 2008, visit: http://www.google.com/educators/gta.html

How to ... video resources for teachers

2008-09-07T15:38:00.000+12:00

Russell Stannard, principal lecturer in Multimedia/ICT at the University of Westminster has some excellent videos on technologyand on English language teaching.

These videos were created for teachers to help them to incorporate technology into their teaching. Just click and a video will open and take you through how to use that technology. These videos are for any teachers or lecturers, indeed for anyone interested in learning how to use the technologies. My own background is in teaching English, so some of the sites are specific to English teaching and these are grouped separately, you simply need to scroll down to see them. There is also a special page of videos for students interested in multimedia, where you can learn Flash, Director and Photoshop

They are accessible, well produced resources and will provide a valuable self help for our cluster teachers.

URL: http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

Videos available include:
Blogger
Second Life
Mindmapping,
Online Surveys,
RSS Feeds,
YouTube,
iTunes for Podcasts,
PowerPoint,
How to create a blog,
How to do better searches on the Internet,
Photoshop basics,
How to use and make wikis,
How to use Delicious,
Tips and tricks for Word
Drawing and recording site,
Voicethread,
etc

Plus a selection of English Language Teaching videos

Pedagogical Uses for Google (SOLO coded)

2008-09-05T15:27:00.004+12:00

George Chinnery (2008) describes some of the pedagogical uses of Google in his article, “You’ve got some GALL: Google-Assisted Language Learning.” Language, Learning & Technology. February 2008, Volume 12, Number 1 pp. 3-11

Thanks for the link: Janet Clarey

I have been having fun coding these pedagogical uses against student learning outcomes and SOLO Taxonomy ... see if you can do the same

Google as an Informative Tool:

* Using a dictionary command (“define: strategy”), learners can discover meaning (definition, usage, correct spelling,).
* Using Google Suggest, learners can get real time alternate suggestions (“did you mean _?”) for their search term.
* Using Google Books will give learners returns of rich prose.
* Google Trends will return geographic information.
* Synonyms (~term), vocabulary development (Google Image Labeler), and listing and brainstorming (Google Sets) are other tools.
* For language learning, Google has Language Tools.
* Instructors wishing to control search activities for learning can use Google Coop to create a search engine for a website or collection of sites.

Google as a Communicative Tool:

* Gmail, (Google’s email program) together with Google Talk (instant messenger and internet telephony service) allow learners to email, save, print and email text chats and can be used to display presence of a learner. Preferences allow you to change your availability and give others
an idea of your current status (online, offline, away, do not disturb, etc.). Some initial research on the benefits of chat indicate that chats in language classes “seem to help all individuals engage more frequently, with greater confidence, and with greater enthusiasm” than is characteristic for similar students in a classroom.

Google as an Aggregative Tool:

* Google offers tools that recognize linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spacial literacies in aggregate
* On iGoogle, learners can create their own start-age; their own customized, personal learning environment.
* Google Reader is a Web feed aggregator that allows learners and instructors to collect updates content (blogs, news feeds, podcasts, vodcasts, multimedia, etc.)
* Google Gears allows learners to view content from Google Reader offline.
* Google Page Creator is a simple webpage creation tool.
* Google Maps allows you to make custom maps and Google Earth provides a satellite view of an address.
* YouTube Remixer allows learners to make video mashups.
* Google Docs is a presentation tool similar to Microsoft PowerPoint.

Google as a Productive Tool:

* Google’s Blogger provides learners a place to author their own textual, audiovisual content.
* Google Docs give learners a way to collaborate on online documents.
* Google knol is a collaborative wiki-like application for group collaboration.

Google as a Collaborative Tool:

* Google Groups can be used to facilitate asynchronous class discussions.
* Google Calendar can be used for scheduling and notification.
* Google Lively is a 3-D environment where learners can create their own avatar and make and join rooms to meet and discuss topics.__

Find children's books from their cultures and in their mother tongue .... explore the same story in different languages

2008-08-19T20:11:00.001+12:00

Share this remarkable free resource library with any of your teachers who are interested in building literacy across all the learners in your school.

THE INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DIGITAL LIBRARY

Language barriers have never been more pronounced. Whether in an urban area of a modern country (e.g. the Chicago Public School system has 73 different languages represented in its student population) or the rural areas of a less developed country (e.g. Mongolia, where the ICDL has its first "branch" and where rural schools do not yet support a culture of reading for pleasure), differences in language are making it harder and harder for educational initiatives to bring about success.

As families move from Kenya to Finland or Brazil to Mexico or Viet Nam to California, books published in their native country or in their first language often must be left behind. In their new homelands, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to find children's books from their cultures and in their mother tongue. Parents have little access to the books and stories from their youth to pass on to the next generation. Many children must grow up without knowledge of their family's heritage and first language. A fundamental principle of the Foundation is that children and their families deserve to have access to the books of their culture, as well as the majority culture, regardless of where they live. According to a paper published in 2005 by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in preparation for the second meeting on the World Summit on the Information Society, "Denial to access to information in one's mother tongue is equivalent to a denial of a human right." The report also concludes, "In terms of pedagogy, how do children learn best? In their mother tongue."

The ICDL Foundation's goal is to build a collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world. Ultimately, the Foundation aspires to have every culture and language represented so that every child can know and appreciate the riches of children's literature from the world community.

Thanks to Amanda Bond Librarian Takapuna Grammar for the link

The NZ Ministry of Education is blogging

2008-08-18T15:24:00.001+12:00

Lunch Box is for discussion about using software and digital media for learning in primary and secondary classrooms.

It is associated with the website Software for Learning, which lists quality software recommended by New Zealand teachers and provides guidance on effective use in teaching and learning.

Both websites are published by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Comments by users on Lunch Box will be moderated, and inappropriate and off-topic posts will not be published. The blog is not for discussion about government policy.

Playing with photographs

2008-08-17T11:50:00.001+12:00

A resource list from Mashable of sites that allow you to play with photographs,

Some look like they have potential when students present their performance for understanding to an audience (SOLO Extended Abstract). BUT you will need to check on safe for school stuff before using with students.

It’s getting easier to add our own faces into games, greeting cards and other online offerings. We’ve all seen those goofy customizable ElfYourself greeting cards that everyone and their mother were clogging email systems with last year. Well, the idea is spreading to other formats due to its extreme popularity and viral marketing stickiness.

We’ve put together a list of 18 ways to quite literally get your head in the game.

18 Ways to get your head in the game

Famento: Timeline your family history

2008-08-13T09:50:00.000+12:00

XTimeline is a fabulous research tool ... educators are referring to it as the Wikipedia for historians .... and it is really easy to us .....this new application looks like it will have leverage in all those identity topics in The New Zealand Curriculum

The team that created xtimeline.com is proud to bring you www.famento.com, a website where you can record the history of your family, and the story of your life.

What can you do on Famento?

1. Tell your stories

Do you ever wish you knew more about your parents or grandparents? Do you want to stay connected with friends? Famento is a way to record your stories so that your friends and family can know you and their ancestors better.

2. Create timelines of your life

Organize your life stories, and create a timeline about your life. Famento is a private network, so you can share this with only the people you want.

3. Share photos, videos and files

Share your photos of family gatherings, vacations, babies, weddings and other events. Make sure important family photos can never be lost.

4. Create an online tribute for loved ones

Remember loved ones that have passed away. Create a profile, upload photos, and have friends and family submit their memories. You can make this a public tribute or keep it private.

Viewzi: The Timeline View Search

2008-08-09T12:29:00.004+12:00

Check out this new search application –Viewzi a Visual Search Platform launched “The Timeline” view this week, this visual search platform allows you to see your search results horizontally along a timeline (Google date stamped)

When you mouse over an article, the article lights up in blue and gives you a brief description. From there, you can click on the blue box, which will give you a larger snippet of text as well as a screenshot of the page and the date of the article. From there, you can click a green button and be on your way to the page.
Search engine result pages are displayed from top to bottom in order of relevance and are colored from light blue (most relevant) to dark blue (less relevant). Pages are also displayed on the timeline from right to left according to the last updated timestamp. Viewzi gets its timestamp data from Google.
The timeline is expandable, and you can drag a white bar across the top of the screen to search older results or scan more recent results. From Mashable Blog

Will be a great addition to our ICT toolbox at SOLO relational level - for enhancing the conditions of value when students are researchers

Look what a snapshot of a search for “ictpd_clusters” reveals

2008-07-28T17:09:00.001+12:00

From McGovern Online Blog ... in the spirit of number 8 fencing wire

Progressive Education in the 1940s

2008-07-27T22:40:00.000+12:00

Michael Wesch: A Portal to Media Literacy

2008-07-27T18:40:00.001+12:00

Opportunities for teachers

2008-07-25T17:42:00.001+12:00

From the Learnz Newsletter

The Microsoft NZ Partners in Learning Innovative Teachers Awards 2008

Support to attend the Microsoft Asia Pacific Regional conference June 2009 in Malaysia for four teachers + opportunity for NZ’s most innovative teacher of the year to attend the Microsoft world conference.
Submissions can be made on the website www.innovativeteachers.co.nz by Monday 25 August
Selected teachers will present posters for judging at the Ulearn Conference in October in Christchurch (you will need to be in Christchurch for this)
A pdf is available with further details. Ask for it..

The Microsoft Partners in Learning Innovative Schools Pilot Projects

$20,000 funding plus other support available for a school or a cluster (6 x $20,000 available)
Look out for the back cover of Monday’s Gazette.
An Expression of Interest form is available. Ask for it..
‘Expressions of Interest’ are due by Monday 18 August

Remember deadlines for both are in August so act soon (now’s good.)

One last thing. This is no time for modesty - you’re good at what you do - get rewarded! If you have any questions about these opportunities ring the LEARNZ hotline 0800 22 55 53.

Good luck.

Pete Sommerville
LEARNZ Project Director

www.learnz.org.nz
0800 CALL LEARNZ (0800 22 55 53)

Censorship and search engines

2008-07-25T10:45:00.004+12:00

Visual Comparison of Search Results - A censorship case study

Understanding the qualitative differences between the sets of results from different search engines can be a difficult task. How many links must you follow from each list before you can reach a conclusion? We describe a user interface that allows users to quickly identify the most significant differences in content between two lists of Web pages. We have implemented this interface in CenSEARCHip, a system for comparing the effects of censorship policies on search engines.

This is a wonderful read ... and highly relevant for thinking about "students as researchers".

The search tool CenSEARCHip will be valuable to our teachers and our students.

Thanks to a great post at Confused of Calcutta's Blog

I went to the site where they discuss the implementation of CenSEARCHip, and tried out their example. Here’s what I saw:

Two different views of one search. One from a US perspective, one from a China perspective. Search term? Tiananmen Square.

We live in a complex age. Airbrushes and Photoshopping. Hollywood-inspired DRM and IPR, ostensibly assuming universal human guilt about all kinds of things.

As the Web becomes more and more central to the way we do things, we face greater and greater risk of tacit censorship. It is up to us to ensure that does not happen. Before we lose the ability to ensure it does not happen.

Professional Reading and Resource Exploration over the Holiday Break

2008-07-02T07:56:00.004+12:00

The Teaching Tips Site Blog has a post titled "50 Must Read Up and Coming Blogs by Teachers"

Whether you’re new to the teaching field yourself or a seasoned veteran, you can find inspiration, advice and shared experiences by reading the blogs of other teachers. Both established bloggers and those new to the game like the bloggers listed here can offer some interesting and sometimes entertaining reading material for anyone involved in the education field. Check these new bloggers out the next time you’re looking for something educational to read.

And I know some of you with more specific interests will enjoy browsing the other blog posts and their resources, for example

100 Best Resources and Guides for ESL Teachers

The Ultimate Guide to Special Needs Teaching - 100 + Resources and Links

Report on Cluster Day#2

2008-06-14T12:17:00.002+12:00

Report on the Day:

Present: Cluster Lead Teachers from Balmoral School, Edendale School, Mt Eden Normal School, Maungawhau School and Dominion Rd School
Apologies: Cluster Lead Teachers from Epsom Normal Primary School

Thanks for your patience and good humour today as misadventure ruled OK. We started at Edendale and finished at Mt Eden Normal Primary School. Thanks to both schools for hosting us.

In truth the only technology that proved reliable on the day was Annette’s mimio board and the mobile phone used to send the lunch order to a different school.

Resources from the day:

The “HOT Thinking about Web2.0 applications against Student Learning Outcomes (SOLO)” Resource is viewable at http://inquire2learn.wikispaces.com/ICT+interventions#toc15

If you wish to be invited to contribute ideas to the Google doc file of the same name please let me know and I will invite you.

1. Google Docs
How to Google Docs: http://21ctools.wikispaces.com/Google+Documents

2. VoiceThread
How to VoiceThread: http://21ctools.wikispaces.com/Voice+Thread

VoiceThread: Within the cluster – Contact Victoria at Balmoral School for advice on setting up VoiceThread in your school – She has set up a 17 page VoiceThread allowing her students to comment on their Identity Art

VoiceThread: Outside the cluster - Check out what 6 year olds can do with HOT maps - Marnie Thomas at Meadowbank Primary School http://sustained.wikispaces.com/Meadowbank
Sea Cucumber Define Map Voicethread
Octopus Define Map Voicethread
Compare and Contrast Map Voicethread

3. Del.icio.us – sign up for this Social bookmarking site and collect resources tagged against your Team planning contexts.
How to Del.icio.us: http://21ctools.wikispaces.com/Del.icio.us

activ@eden Cluster Day #2

2008-06-14T12:03:00.002+12:00

Cluster Day #2 was designed to explore using Web2.0 to enhance the conditions of value when student are researchers

Our Cluster Goal Focus:
Goal 3: Increasing the capability of teachers in using ICT to enhance student learning outcomes when students are researchers.

Date: Monday 9 June
Venue: Edendale Primary School
Time: 9.00am to 3pm
Lunch: Provided (please RSVP Lunch Lady Doris to ensure you are included)

Agenda:
1. What has been going on?

2. What are the conditions of value when students are researchers?

3. Just how can Web2.0 enhance these conditions of value?

4. Hands on Web2.0 exploration.
Sharing lead teacher expertise. Peer teaching. Creating exemplars and step through guides for the teachers in your school.

5. Reflection on “Where to next?”
Those Cluster Day #3 School visits - adventure and exploration of your own choice in the morning - regroup over working lunch for a SWOT analysis and presentation creation. Afternoon Sharing the critique on what you saw and what you might usefully implement For ideas on where to visit check out the Effective Practice Register at the ictpd online site at Centre4 . You will need to log onto Centre4 to access these. Access Code is ictpd Step through instructions for joining the community are available on the front page of our activ@eden wiki http://activateden.wikispaces.com/

6. Everything else ... including ULearn 08

Please be prepared to share/ to learn and to teach others about your favourite Web2.0 applications.

Time4 Innovation - Online conference

2008-05-25T16:19:00.001+12:00

ICT PD Online is hosting an online conference from 26 May-13 June 2008.

The focus for Time4 Innovation is on effective change to meet the needs of 21st century learners.

In order for sustainable whole school change to occur, three key areas need to be addressed:

• Leadership - The professional development of a group of leaders across the cluster and within each school to strategically target the change and provide support to teachers, and thereby to students.
• Learning communities - The development of networks across clusters and within schools to enrich professional dialogue around learning, to provide support for leaders and classroom teachers during times of struggle and celebration, and to share ideas, resources, and planning.
• Implementation - The development of teacher capability and regular use of the ICT tools, pedagogy and processes that enhance learning and raise student achievement.

Time4 Innovation is free for all interested educators to access, so please encourage your colleagues to participate actively by viewing the presentations, engaging with the readings and supporting material, and taking part in the online interaction opportunities. New content relating to the three themes will be posted throughout the conference, and all material will be permanently available on the site.

The online conference will begin on Monday with a focus on leadership. Cheryl Doig will open the conference with her keynote presentation, in which she shares her thoughts on leadership of whole school change, and the network opportunities and responsibilities that go with implementing a successful cluster programme. This will be supported by five presentations by cluster personnel.

The site is now open for you to browse and familiarise yourself with before the presentations begin. We hope you will find the conference both challenging and supportive, and that you and your colleagues will benefit from participating in this professional learning opportunity.
http://www.time4innovation.org.nz

activ@eden Milestone Reporting against Cluster Goals

2008-05-23T08:28:00.002+12:00

LEAD TEACHER MILESTONE REPORTING

Cluster principals report against Cluster goals AND strategic planning/ leadership/ building a learning community.

In your report we need you to keep a record of the ict related activities at your school this year and to code what you have done against the cluster goals. You can post your interim reports on the cluster wiki.

Goal 1 lets you talk about professional learning associated with the contract in your school
Goal 2 lets you talk about teacher planning (against SOLO) and the thoughtful integration of ICTs
Goal 3 lets you talk about direct teaching around using ICTs both the software and how to use hardware stuff
Goal 4 lets you talk about and sharing of ICT or learning pedagogies expertise outside of your school
Goal 5 lets you talk about how you are preparing for the future when the contract ends

4. What has been happening at your school (With respect to ANY or ALL of the following goals …)

GOAL 1: Contract schools will sustain learning communities exploring the conditions of value in teaching and learning when students are researchers and how use of ICT might enhance or betray these conditions.
Activities which have taken place in support of Cluster Goal 1:
Who was involved?
How effective were the activities

GOAL 2: Contract schools will elaborate their shared understanding when students are researchers through ICT, to include teacher planning and assessment.
Activities which have taken place in support of Cluster Goal 2:
Who was involved?
How effective were the activities

GOAL 3: Increasing the capability of teachers in using ICT to enhance student learning outcomes when students are researchers
Activities that have taken place in support of Cluster Goal 3:
Who was involved?
How effective were the activities

GOAL 4: Developing rich resource of expertise, experience and materials in effective ICT at a national and local level.
Activities that have taken place in support of Cluster Goal 4:
Who was involved?
How effective were the activities

GOAL 5: Development of a cluster environment of ongoing critical reflection when students are researchers that will strengthen programme delivery in 2008 and beyond.
Activities that have taken place in support of Cluster Goal 5:
Who was involved?
How effective were the activities

Using Voicethread with the Define Map

2008-03-29T16:31:00.004+13:00

VoiceThread is an online media album that can hold essentially any type of media (images, documents and videos) and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and share them with anyone they wish. A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world.

Check out how Marnie (Chalkface2.0 Blog and SustainED cluster)has tried using Voicethread to capture student voice when using a HOT Define map - Refer to the SustainED blog post

The educational wiki for Voicethread is also worth looking at for other approaches that might enhance the conditions of value in teaching and learning in your classrooms.

Voicethread 4 Education » home via kwout

Jacqui Sharp's Blog

2008-03-21T17:04:00.000+13:00

Jacqui Sharp ictpd facilitator and ict consultant has started blogging at the ICT Teaching and Learning Blog

Jacqui has heaps of experience in working with ICTs in education

I am New Zealand trained teacher who has 24 years experience in the field of education. I have worked with computers in the classroom since 1987. Since 1998 I have been working with teachers and children in the classroom. I have contracts with several schools where I work one on one with teachers in the integration of ICT into the curriculum.

The blog is capturing "grass roots" examples for teachers thinking about integrating ICTs into their teaching curriculum. It will undoubtedly provide a good practical resource of student work when using ICTs for SustainED cluster teachers.

Hoax Sites: How to help kids interpret what they find online

2008-03-16T20:58:00.004+13:00

"We spend a lot of time teaching kids to find things on the Net," November adds, "but we need to expend ten times more effort teaching them how to interpret what they've found."

The NEMPS Information Skills Report on New Zealand kids supports Alan November's claim.

The Edutopia article Online Alert is a great “morning tea read" for busy cluster teachers. It has practical strategies to help us help kids be discerning about what they find online. It includes several hoax sites to share when teaching kids how to be alert readers online.

The Pine-tree-loving Pacific Northwest tree octopus site is only one of several sites that you can design learning activities with to allow your students to be more alert to the reliability and validity of the content they access online.

California Velcro Crop Under Challenge
Moonbeam Enterprises (colonies on the Moon)
Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Save the Mountain Walrus
Others

First online theme: Interactive Whiteboards

2008-03-15T10:41:00.001+13:00

First online theme: Interactive Whiteboards

The first online theme will run from 17-28 March and the focus asks the question Interactive Whiteboards: Do they enhance the conditions for teaching and learning? The purpose of this online theme is to:

become better informed about what exactly an interactive whiteboard (IWB) is
explore the impact of IWBs on specific learning outcomes
discuss and debate if/how IWBs enhance learning
discuss and debate components of interactive learning. Do IWBs contribute?

The online theme can be accessed here and will still be available for you to access after the completion date. Please explore the content and feel free to share it with your staff. There is a range of material available focusing on exploring pedagogy, effective practice, readings and research, and debate and discussions.

Synchronous audio conference
Live audio conference with special guest, Sue Hodge

Date: Wednesday 19 March
Time: 4-5pm
Number to call: Audio Bridge Number: 0800 693363 PIN 0253#

Professional Reading: Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century

2008-03-09T16:32:00.002+13:00

When we are looking for answers to our activ@eden Cluster Key Questions:

What are the conditions of value in teaching and learning when students are researchers?
How might ICTs enhance or betray these conditions of value?

The following occasional paper (pdf) on digital media and learning is a great start

Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century by Henry Jenkins, Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Katie Clinton Ravi Purushotma Alice J. Robison Margaret Weigel pdf

This white paper is a great start to understand the critical new media literacies we should be developing in our students if we want them to become leaders in the participatory cultures of tomorrow .

ICT PD Community on Centre4

2008-03-05T22:47:00.001+13:00

The ICT PD Online area on Centre4 http://centre4.interact.ac.nz/direct/ictpd (access code is ictpd) is a valuable resource for all cluster members
ICT PD Online provides clusters in the ICT PD programme with an online professional learning environment that promotes critical and reflective practice, and the sharing of ideas, experience, information and resources. Our community includes national facilitators, principals, ICT facilitators, project directors, lead teachers, teachers, and support people, and welcomes others who are interested.

Step by step instructions to help you log in to the Centre4 Online community are posted on the cluster wiki

Please join and encourage your lead teachers for 2008 to log in. This community is open to any other cluster teachers who would enjoy being part of the ict_pd online community which will involve several online conferences this year.

Research Resources: Publications New Zealand

2008-03-04T07:56:00.005+13:00

Publications New Zealand is a new beta website of the publicly accessible record of New Zealand publications from the National Library.

Publications New Zealand makes information about New Zealand publications available online. It includes descriptions of published items from or about New Zealand, from the earliest days of New Zealand publishing through to the present.

Publications New Zealand is a successor to the New Zealand National Bibliography: Te Rarangi Pukapuka Matua o Aotearoa. It provides a record of New Zealand's publishing activities and is a reflection of the social, cultural and scientific endeavours of the country. It includes information about publications in many formats, including:

books, journals and magazines.
sound recordings, music and audio-books
films
maps
CD-ROMS and other electronic publications

The information in Publications New Zealand lists items that are:

published in New Zealand
published outside New Zealand and have at least one-fifth New Zealand content, have a New Zealand setting for fiction, or have a New Zealand author or editor.

It holds much promise as a research site for teachers and older students in our cluster looking for resources, ideas and background when planning learning experiences when "students are researchers".

Thanks to McGovern Online Blog for the link

activ@eden Cluster Day #1

2008-03-03T16:12:00.007+13:00

activ@eden Lead teachers and AP's from across the six cluster schools met on Monday 3 March to launch the first Cluster Day for 2008.

Edendale School provided their computer suite and music suite to host us for the day and Lunch Lady Doris organised morning tea and lunch.

AGENDA

1 Welcome and introductions
2. Cluster contract and Lead Teacher responsibilities
3. Cluster Key Questions
4. Learning@School08 - SWOT Reports from cluster lead teachers who attended and cluster facilitators Pam and Julie
5. Students as Researchers – Four Key Understandings

6. Language of Instruction – Visual mapping and self assessment rubrics
7. Authoring the activ@eden blog -
8. Contributing to the activ@eden wiki
9. Booking F2F Dates and Google calendar
10. Email contact list
11. Anything else

This was a buzzy day where we welcomed nine new lead teachers to the cluster and caught up with old friends from 2007.

In the morning, after reporting on our new learning from the Learning@School 08 conference, we concentrated on the key question:

What are the conditions of value in teaching and learning when students are researchers?

The focus was on the Structured Overview of Learning Outcomes (SOLO Taxonomy) and the HOT Visual mapping and Common language as a framework for this thinking.

In the afternoon we looked at

How can ICTs enahnce the conditions of value in teaching and learning when building a cluster learning community using wikis and blogs?

Lead teachers started editing their individual school pages on the wiki and adding their reflections on Learning@School 08.

activ@eden Principals Day #1

2008-02-25T13:33:00.000+13:00

Cluster principals met at Mt Eden Normal Primary School today to talk about the SWOT of their Learning@School 08 experience and what might be usefully implemented in our cluster schools as a result. Minutes from the meeting will be stored on the cluster wiki and distributed by email.

Agenda:
1.Welcome
2.Learning at School 08 –
SWOT Reports from Principals (Linley, Malcolm, Marian, Rosemary)
SWOT Reports from Director/facilitators (Pam, Julie)
3.Lead Teacher Teams and contacts
4.Finalise dates and facilitators for F2F visits (Refer attachment)
5.Joining the ict_pd Online Community on Centre4 (Refer email)
6.Access to the audio conferencing bridge (Refer email)
7.Authoring the activ@eden Cluster Blog
8.Contributing to the activ@eden Cluster Wiki
9.Everything else

The "Everything else" bit discussion was enriched by a lively diversion into the launch of the Kiwi Leadership for Principals initiative by the Minister for Education Chris Carter

The term "Kiwi leadership" is used in this draft to describe an approach to school principalship that is unique to New Zealand. At the heart of the Kiwi leadership work is a clear focus on how we can work together to improve educational outcomes for all our young people.

The MoE's Draft document - Kiwi Leadership for Principals was shared with the group.

activ@eden at Learning@School 08

2008-02-25T00:06:00.000+13:00

activ@eden had a strong presence at Learning@School this year - four principals, lead teachers and cluster facilitators taking every opportunity to gain new learning from the diverse breakouts, keynotes, spotlights and trade hall exhibits available during the conference.

You can check out my reflections on new learning at the conference on the Artichoke Blog, and I am waiting to read the reflections of other cluster bloggers in the following weeks.

We were lucky in the Trade Hall competition draws - Maungawhau School Lead teacher, Vicky Perry won the Allied Telesis wireless router.

Sue and Irma's highly interactive presentation "Making a Difference: Children as Powerful Change Agents" catalysed many questions about SOLO Taxonomy from participants and was very well received.

You can check out some of the action in the Photobucket slideshow below.

Fret not about dead pigeons in the water tank

2008-02-16T15:59:00.000+13:00

On Monday 11 February cluster facilitators Julie and Pam visited the six schools, catching up with the principals, senior management and meeting new lead teachers to reaffirm facilitation needs for 2008.

Many of the activ@eden schools are sending staff to Learning@School08 conference in Rotorua next week. We are hoping to introduce them to the principals and teachers attending from our new cluster - The SustainED Maungarei Kaitiakitanga ICTPD cluster.

At the conference we will be looking out for the presentation by Sue Hodge and Irma Hughes, two of our Cluster Lead Teachers in 2007. Sue and Irma will be sharing some of the work they have done using SOLO Taxonomy and ICTs.

Check out their abstract:

Title	Making a Difference - Children as powerful change agents
Session:	Breakout 1
Submission Type	Hands-on interactive workshop ( 90 min)
Presenter(s)	Sue Hodge & Irma Hughes
Strand	Teaching & Learning
Target Level	Primary
Target Audience	Teachers
Abstract	This practical session will allow teachers to learn how younger primary students are working to solve a local traffic issue and, in doing so, become powerful change agents within their own lives and the community. Teachers will: 1. Examine current literature related to developing authentic learning tasks to make a difference using SOLO Taxonomy; 2. Read and critique an integrated unit (of particular interest to boys and begin own plan if time allows; 3. Have the opportunity to engage in the process by taking photos and interact with a variety of software, such as, Google Earth, photo management software and Microsoft Word. 4. Have a copy of the students' product to date