Last night I was reading Edna Sackson’s latest post which focusses on subjects that are still often taught in a separate way in schools rather than in an integrated manner. One of these subjects is technology. At most primary schools in Australia, children go off with a specialist teacher to a computer lab one hour […]
Teaching
Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010
Jane Hart, a social business consultant, and founder of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, has been compiling a list of the top 100 tools for learning since 2007. The 2010 list is currently being compiled and you can view the full list here – Emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010. Interestingly, you […]
Student Blogging and Internet Images
A few weeks ago I set up blogs for two of my most enthusiastic student bloggers, Rhiannon and Bianca. I chose these students as they regularly left comments on our 2KM class blog and were committed to learning as much as they can about blogging. After gaining their parents’ permission, I set their blogs up, […]
Tech Talk Tuesdays and Classroom 2.0 LIVE
Last week, I posted about my top ten ways to engage in online professional development (PD). Tonight I participated in one of my recommended forms of PD (which I don’t get to as often as I’d like) – the Victorian Education Department’s Virtual Conference Centre. While there are a wide range of sessions every day […]
Top 10 Ways to Engage in Professional Development
Not so long ago, professional development for teachers meant a one of excursion to an off-site location. Teachers were the passive recipients of professional development. Times have changed. A teacher no longer has to be the expert in the classroom and a teacher no longer needs an expert to develop their skills. Professional development for […]
Ed Tech Crew Podcast
Ed Tech Crew is one of my favourite podcasts. Every week or two Darrel Branson (The ICT Guy) and Tony Richards from itmadesimple.com discuss all things to do with technology in education. I am often blown anyway by the amount I can learn by listening to an episode of the Ed Tech crew so I […]
Article: Are Digital Natives Restless?
Last week I was contacted by Jewel Topfield, a reporter from The Age newspaper, who wanted to visit my classroom to watch me teach and talk to me about how I use technology in the classroom. Jewel and a photographer visited one of our daily reading rotations in my grade two class and had the […]
Tech Tools for Teachers
Since the beginning of 2010, I have been collaborating with a fellow teacher, Simon Collier on a free weekly e-mail for teachers. With our 20th newsletter milestone approaching, this post is a reminder if you or someone you know has not yet signed up for the newsletters. Each week our email newsletter features a useful […]
Why Schools are Spooked by Social Media
I was pleased I was listening to ABC Radio Melbourne this morning when I heard the next segment was going to be about social media in schools. While I braced myself for a flood of ill informed callers harping on the negatives of Facebook and the like I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Denis […]
Sites for Integration Aides
Monday 9th August is a statewide curriculum day for Ultranet implementation in Victoria. For readers who are outside of Victoria, Australia, the Ultranet is a $60.5 million online portal for teachers, students and parents in Victorian government schools. Read my post on my initial thoughts on the Ultranet here. I am a Lead User at […]
Super Teacher Worksheets
Super Teacher Worksheets is a useful site for primary school teachers if you’re looking for simple printable worksheets. Some of these worksheets are free. Membership to the whole site costs $20/year. The worksheets are divided into categories such as math, reading, writing, social studies, science etc. These are then broken down to sub categories. Super Teacher Worksheets […]
The Reform Symposium
Kelly Tenkely, who writes one of my favourite blogs, iLearn Technology, has been busy working with some fellow educators on a free worldwide e-conference. The conference, called the 2010 Reform Symposium is scheduled to be held on July 31st and August 1st. The focus of the 2010 conference is on innovative practices in education and […]
Virtual Maths Manipulatives
I nearly always use my IWB (interactive whiteboard) for Maths whole-class introductions and often small group instruction. Publisher McGraw Hill and Glencoe have a great maths resource for your IWB that is an alternative to IWB software. It is called Virtual Manipulatives. Virtual Manipulatives is a Flash based website with interactive manipulatives that students and […]
New Blog: Teaching Literacy in the Early Years
This year I have been team teaching with Kelly Jordan. Combining our two grade two classes has so many benefits and we are finding we are really meeting the needs of our students this year. Our open plan classroom is a fantastic place to teach and learn! Kelly has recently started a blog called Teaching […]
Twitter from a Newbie’s Perspective!
According to the website, http://www.whendidyoujointwitter.com I joined Twitter on 9 March 2009. It wasn’t until early 2010, however that I started really using Twitter. I had tried many times previously to get into this social networking phenomenon but, like all things technological, I needed to see how Twitter could enrich my life in order to […]