A few weeks ago, I was listening to Chris Betcher on the Virtual Staffroom podcast interviewing Helen Otway. Helen is an inspiring leader at a Victorian P-12 school. Many of the topics Chris and Helen talked about struck chords with me including the idea of developing a more thoughtful approach to teaching and learning through […]
21st century learning
Are you a Learner or Learned?
Today I attended the first session of PLP ConnectU project. This project, sponsored by the Victoria Education Department (DEECD) is run by Will Richardson and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. The project offers year long, job-embedded professional development that helps teachers to re-envision their classrooms, schools, and their roles in education. Five reasons why I enjoyed the day… […]
How Has Teaching Changed?
If you’re a teacher who is trying to encourage other staff to use ICT, you have probably heard this before? When do I have the time to learn about this? Learning through Twitter, blogs, online conferences etc is just part of my day-to-day life as I have described in this post. This is extremely foreign […]
Blogging Rubric
Thanks to Sue Waters, I recently came across this blogging rubric that was created by Clarence Fisher as a way to assess student blog posts. *click on the image to view a larger version* As the new school term is about to begin and I plan to get more of my Grade Two students creating […]
Research Skills and Google Posters
Teaching students how to effectively use search engines such as Google to search for content is a valuable skill. This is something I’ve even started introducing to my Grade Two students. Many people don’t realise there are many tricks to performing the most effective Google search. I also like to have discussions with my students […]
Cyber Safety and Young Students
Want to explore some more current resources about cyber safety and digital citizenship? Check out my page with new resources for teachers, schools, students, and parents. Teaching about cyber safety is an important aspect of all technology teaching. With my Grade Two students, I try to discuss aspects of cyber safety while using the internet […]
A Vision of 21st Century Teachers
I heard about this You Tube clip via a few different people on Twitter. The 4 minute video involves 18 classroom teachers “speaking out” on the topic of tech integration and 21st Century skills for students. It’s a really interesting insight into what the technology in the classroom can look like in all curriculum areas […]
Blogging: Collaboration Corner
As I have previously blogged about, the global connections that my class has made through our 2KM Blog have been extremely rewarding. This is the second year of the 2KM Blog and in that time we have had many global visitors, some of who have become “blogging buddies.” One relationship my class formed throughout last […]
Teaching Technology Post “Noughties”
For a while now I have been questioning the curriculum that is seen in many primary school I.T/ICT/Technology/Computer classes. Many primary school students spend an hour each week in a computer lab learning about Office programs and the like….”how to make a PowerPoint, Word Document, Photo Story etc”. Now that we have left the “noughties”, […]