Thursday, February 10, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Welcome to LSS Room 13 2011
Well it's been four days back in the classroom and I have had a full on week but it has all been VERY exciting. This year, I have decided to use google presentations to help explain to the children our daily activities as well linking videos from YouTube to support our learning. Below is an example of the first day and the videos I used to help the children to create our classroom expectations.
I have found this activity worked successfully and children loved working collaboratively to find good and bad examples from the videos. The children were even more excited about the whole learning experience when they had the opportunity to create their own skits about what you might see in a good and a bad classroom. These examples can be found on our classroom blog.
I have found this activity worked successfully and children loved working collaboratively to find good and bad examples from the videos. The children were even more excited about the whole learning experience when they had the opportunity to create their own skits about what you might see in a good and a bad classroom. These examples can be found on our classroom blog.
I can definitely say I have some great actors and actresses in my room and if this is what they can produce on day 1 I am definitely looking forward to 2011.
Using Animoto I have created a small slideshow to introduce my wonderful students and the expectations we have created in our classroom. Please feel free to visit our classroom blog and leave a comment for my children they would love to hear from you.
Next week in my reading programme, I am introducing the concept of an iRead/ iListen, a programme which I saw over in America while I was on the Apple Bus Tour with Stuart Hale & Innes Kennard. I am looking forwarding to sharing this journey with you and seeing if this will increase the reading fluency of my students as well as their comprehension.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Inspired Impact Conference - Kath Murdoch
The Known And The New... Tuning Into Students' Thinking
Strategies for getting children thinking ( Tony Ryan- Thinking Keys)
Video Clip = Stuck On An Escalator
Challenge to make a connection or idea to conference
The more we teach routines and strategies teaching becomes more explicit.
If we wait to the end of the unit or learning to gather our evidence we may get some shocks. If we collect it as we go we can reaffirm, adapt learning.
THINKING ACTIVITIES:
Select and image now that would best suit where your head thinking is now!
CSI: Colour, Symbol and Image
Concept: Creativity
What colour is creativity for you? Pink
Think of a symbol that best represents creativity - swirl
If you were to draw a picture or scene that would represent creativity in action. What image would best illustrate creativity? Children/ people talking working, dicussion etc
The doing, The Talking , The Drawing!
What did you notice about your own thinking -
Advantages for this strategy:
Opened ended
Creative/higher order
No right answers
Visual/Oral/ Written
Can be repeated for comparison
Teaching Routines For Thinking
Examples of Teaching Routines
We are learning to use these thinking routines -
Example of Thinking Routines
See Think Wonder
Think Pair Share
Connected Extended Challenge
Think Puzzle Explore
I used to think but now I think
Define, connect and explain - word splash (concept map)
Have a go at defining words you do know
Make some connections
Explain
Clock Partners - stops children working with different people
Think, Peer, Share with Wordle
What’s your first thinking about a topic?
Collective thinking - Tagexdo
True or False
Initial thinking
Connecting the known and the new
Think 1 Think 2
Example of the cycle of a frog’s life
I was wondering: - WONDER WALL
My first thinking or feeling is:
What is it?
What do you know about it?
What does it make you wonder?
What other things are like this?
Connected Game: - STRING
Something I learnt
I can make a connection
Techniques for Asking Questions
MCKenzie, 2008:5
Questions to reveal Thinking
Don’t put your hands up
Think first
Talk to your buddy
I will ask people to share
Think Peer Share - what am I getting out of their sharing and learning.
Strategies for getting children thinking ( Tony Ryan- Thinking Keys)
Video Clip = Stuck On An Escalator
Challenge to make a connection or idea to conference
The more we teach routines and strategies teaching becomes more explicit.
If we wait to the end of the unit or learning to gather our evidence we may get some shocks. If we collect it as we go we can reaffirm, adapt learning.
THINKING ACTIVITIES:
Select and image now that would best suit where your head thinking is now!
CSI: Colour, Symbol and Image
Concept: Creativity
What colour is creativity for you? Pink
Think of a symbol that best represents creativity - swirl
If you were to draw a picture or scene that would represent creativity in action. What image would best illustrate creativity? Children/ people talking working, dicussion etc
The doing, The Talking , The Drawing!
What did you notice about your own thinking -
Advantages for this strategy:
Opened ended
Creative/higher order
No right answers
Visual/Oral/ Written
Can be repeated for comparison
Teaching Routines For Thinking
Examples of Teaching Routines
We are learning to use these thinking routines -
Example of Thinking Routines
See Think Wonder
Think Pair Share
Connected Extended Challenge
Think Puzzle Explore
I used to think but now I think
Define, connect and explain - word splash (concept map)
Have a go at defining words you do know
Make some connections
Explain
Clock Partners - stops children working with different people
Think, Peer, Share with Wordle
What’s your first thinking about a topic?
Collective thinking - Tagexdo
True or False
Initial thinking
Connecting the known and the new
Think 1 Think 2
Example of the cycle of a frog’s life
I was wondering: - WONDER WALL
My first thinking or feeling is:
What is it?
What do you know about it?
What does it make you wonder?
What other things are like this?
Connected Game: - STRING
Something I learnt
I can make a connection
Techniques for Asking Questions
MCKenzie, 2008:5
Questions to reveal Thinking
Don’t put your hands up
Think first
Talk to your buddy
I will ask people to share
Think Peer Share - what am I getting out of their sharing and learning.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Cacoo - Free Web 2.0 Tool
I have just been reading 'Tech and Learning' Magazine from America and found some wonderful Web 2.0 tools that people could use in their classroom.
The first tool I am going to share is called Cacoo
The only limitation I have found so far with this programme is that you are only allowed 25 free mindmaps but there is no one stopping you creating a new log in. From what I can see so far, you can only embedd it into your blog or wiki either as a link or export it as a PNG image but other than it, it's not a bad tool!
Let me know if you find out some wonderful other things!
Enjoy!
The first tool I am going to share is called Cacoo
Cacoo is an online drawing tool that makes Real-Time Collaboration a reality!
Cacoo enables Real-Time Collaboration. A diagram created with Cacoo can be edited by multiple people at the same time. Changes by users are reflected in real-time. Working with Cacoo makes it seem like everyone is working together in the same room and brings new meaning to the word Collaboration. (www.cacoo.com)
I have had a little play with this and thought you might like to see an example of it. I am thinking about the possibly of using this tool in my class as it is more up to date with its graphic designs/ images and the children will visually find this more appealing in comparison to 'Bubblus'
Here is a link to my example below:
What are the features of this tool, the limitations & how would I use this in my class?
also after you have added a link to your blog or wiki, it will automatically updates it for you if you go back and make changes!
The only limitation I have found so far with this programme is that you are only allowed 25 free mindmaps but there is no one stopping you creating a new log in. From what I can see so far, you can only embedd it into your blog or wiki either as a link or export it as a PNG image but other than it, it's not a bad tool!
Let me know if you find out some wonderful other things!
Enjoy!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
End of Year 2010
Well the past two years has gone by so quickly and I now find myself preparing myself to head back into the classroom teaching a group of Year 5 & 6 students at Lytton Street School, Feilding.
I am fortunate enough to be heading back to the school I left before becoming a facilitator as well as teaching in the same classroom. I have so many plans in my head and I am slowly planning where I should begin. I have already set up my class blog as well as my class wiki and with this I have also set up:
I am also looking forward to taking my:
I am going to continue blogging about my events, trials and tribulations which should be really exciting!
I would personally like to 'Thank' Geoff Lovegrove (Project Director) Rex Wheeler (Management Team) the principals and staff of the seven wonderful schools I have worked with. There have been challenges and highlights over the past two years and without this wonderful opportunity I believe I would have not grown into the teacher, professional and educator I am today.
To all the wonderful educators and friends I have met during my travels ( America and New Zealand) Thank you all too for being part of this wonderful journey!
I am fortunate enough to be heading back to the school I left before becoming a facilitator as well as teaching in the same classroom. I have so many plans in my head and I am slowly planning where I should begin. I have already set up my class blog as well as my class wiki and with this I have also set up:
- A class gmail account
- Skype account
- Edmodo Account
- and many many more Web 2.0 tools
I am also looking forward to taking my:
- iPod touch
- iPad
- Flip Video
I am going to continue blogging about my events, trials and tribulations which should be really exciting!
I would personally like to 'Thank' Geoff Lovegrove (Project Director) Rex Wheeler (Management Team) the principals and staff of the seven wonderful schools I have worked with. There have been challenges and highlights over the past two years and without this wonderful opportunity I believe I would have not grown into the teacher, professional and educator I am today.
To all the wonderful educators and friends I have met during my travels ( America and New Zealand) Thank you all too for being part of this wonderful journey!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
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