April, 2008

Digital Learning — No Comments
24
Apr 08

Animoto Hits the Spot

animoto-logo.gifNow I must admit I have always like this mini web app. I used it to create short films for family, for CPD and for mini showcase films of student events. I plan to create my first feature length animoto of the Hamble College students talent that is LIVE tomorrow evening.

I was pleased to read, in many different places, that Animoto is now free for educators. It’s a really easy web app to use, just ask our Geography teacher who in 3 easy steps created her first short Animoto (approx 15 minutes work whilst chatting and marking). What is more, she announced with confidence, that she would show the rest of the Department ‘how to’ it. Rock face support for Animoto! Use it to start a lesson or assembly, get students to add images to audio, key image montage and any more ideas, please leave a comment.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Curriculum / Digital Learning — No Comments
20
Apr 08

Practicing What We Teach

The NEW curriculum states

‘explore the ways that ICT can be used to communicate, collaborate and share ideas on a global scale, allowing people to work together in new ways and changing the way in which knowledge is created.’

I am lucky to be able to work with an experienced ICT colleague and we have started to collaborate on the NEW curriculum. We have decided to try and collaborate as middle managers, as teachers and to encourage our students to collaborate also, using the publishing power of authorSTREAM and in the process taking some calculated risks. 

Gideon Williams (Perins School) and I first discussed and attempted to frame what the NEW curriculum could look like for our students in ICT. Gideon brought with him a wealth of experience and together we applied and emphasised the NEW curriculum ‘Key Concepts and Processes.’ We attempted to revise a range of ‘tried and tested’ lessons using a range teaching approaches, innovative webare tools as well as exploiting cross curriular opportunities. 

For Year 7 students, we highlighted personal ICT organisation, digital citzenship and online saftey, finishing with a ‘Personal Presentation Task’ (ppt) based on the infamous Slideshare Competition entry, ‘Meet Henry.’ We are hoping that webware company authorSTREAM will support our ‘collaborative-competition’ as students from Hamble and Perins go head to head, yet also offering one another online feedback.

The process on mapping out the rest of curriculum is far from finished, we need to bring in a final task that requires students to evaluate and developing models and to fully develop the Year 8 program of study. Gideon and I are using the online mind mapping tool bubbl.us to continue our planning conversations, should you want to throw your ideas onto the map, then let me know.

Finally to note that the choices being made for Year 7 and 8 learners, underpin the skills required for the OCR National Units identified in Years 9, 10 and 11. All of which I hope will marry to the Hambles Specialist Sports College Status.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Curriculum / Digital Learning — 1 Comment
18
Apr 08

Motion Tool

I am not easily impressed by the visual frills, but I do remember the passion and expertise with which Hans Rosling presented at TED and Trendalyzer, the visualisation tool he used to enliven his presentation. … I also faintly remember Trendalyzer being acquired Google somewhere in my distant memory….. and then I duly forgot about the tool but I must have recommended Han’s TED talk on numerous occasions. (Look I know I am late to the party but this is a very educational buoyant tool.)

Today, Seb Schmoller blogged about Motion Tool, now a standard components of Google Spreadsheets and all of a sudden numbers are alive! Well interactive, and what is more there are additional tools or gadgets.

Motion charts simply tracking several data points over time producing interactive chart from a simple spreadsheet.

Now the challenge is wow and how to use this visual tool? Collecting data from PE to learning how to use spreadsheets in ICT? Geography world data a la Rowling? Science? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Curriculum / Digital Learning — No Comments
17
Apr 08

26.5 Hours a Day

I have squeeze a lot into today; reading my RSS feeds and sharing the best with my most immediate colleagues, tagging for those a few clicks away, browsing one or two selected websites. Listening to, (watching) and syncing my podcasts (most positioned for later listening). I emailed a little, talked or rather ‘Skyped,’ I caught up on my tweets and twiends (twitter friends, it seems if you throw a “tw” in front of a familiar word it is immediately modernised?!?), as I latterly listen to a Prof Michael Wesch presentation. The point most referential to Hamble College, and I would have to regrettably agree with Michael Wesch, is that many of our students ‘are struggling to find meaning and significance in their education.’ Without meaning and significance in lessons, the motivation for our students to engage is significantly reduced, if not lost. This is particular pertinent as many teachers nationallt embark on the task of interpreting a new National Curriculum and designing a ‘refreshed’ learner experience.

I am determined to emphasise both meaning and significance (M&S) in the ICT curriculum. This may require impressing the importance of M&S with our staff but also listening to our students current reservations and applying some of their own ideas on how to make learning more integral to planet teen.

If you were still wondering about the title, I felt that I gained alot for my (multi tasking) time today, as research confirms, so do many young people everyday. A point emphasised by this Prof Wesch viral Youtube contribution.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/dGCJ46vyR9o" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Popularity: 3% [?]

Curriculum / Digital Learning / e-Tools — No Comments
6
Apr 08

Dont Water the Rocks

[kml_flashembed movie="http://vhss-a.oddcast.com/vhss_editors/voki_player.swf?doc=http%3A%2F%2Fvhss-d.oddcast.com%2Fphp%2Fvhss_editors%2Fgetvoki%2Fchsm%3Dac857586a4d9366fb4afbb60c24608ae%26sc%3D374573" width="150" height="200" wmode="transparent" /]

Its been a long tough term and I thought I would summarise the journey so far using the web tool, voki . A very simple, easy to create animated character very popular with MFL teachers. I have used the Voki website for a range of short presentation before, so heres a 60 second “unrehearsed” review. Please forgive me if I have failed to mention something notable, but it was off the cuff and only seconds. (I will add my thanks forthe professional support I have received from my colleagues at Hamble College, HIAS, EDICT, Gideon Williams (Perins School) and Andy King (Testbourne School).

qr code

Popularity: 1% [?]

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