e-Learning Round Up | 17 July 2012
Nau mai ki te reta o te wiki and welcome back to term 2. We hope you enjoy this bumper round-up of e-learning discussion across the VLN.
There is a wealth of online activity planned for term 3, including a new forum starting today, e-Learning as inquiry - Sharing our stories, 16 July-10 August. This is your opportunity to share an inquiry, ask questions and share the inquiry process with Claire Amos (Epsom Girls Grammar) and Mark Herring (ITC2LEARN).
In addition to e-learning activity in the VLN, it is rewarding to see one of our own community members, Tara Fagan provide a research perspective to iPads in early childhood education. Watch Close Up | TVNZ online to view this piece.
Don't miss out on all other Enabling e-Learning calendar of events for term 3. Please feel free to pass this on to your wider networks.
Have a great week everyone - hei konā mai,
Karen, Tessa & Jane | Blended e-Learning Online Team
This week it's ...Joy Kitt. Joy is a science faciltiator for the national Blended e-Learning programme and was most recently a year 3 teacher. Joy writes, "I am very excited to be sharing my love of teaching science with more educators." Joy has already made her prescence known online. Check out her posts in the Teaching and Learning section below.
Each week, we like to say thank you by nominating a community member for active participation in the Enabling e-Learning / VLN Groups. They can download and add an Enabling e-Learning badge to their profile.
Leadership & strategic direction
- e-Learning improving achievement? A recent article, e-Learning bumps up the grades, in the Aucklander, highlights the improvements in student achievement, as a result of the opportunities provided by technology for a different approach to teaching. Can you relate to these results?
- e-Learning: Leadership - Swimming out of our depth: Leading learning in 21st century schools - NZCER report: This paper reports preliminary findings from NZCER research designed to explore how 21st Century dispositions and competencies are being developed by teachers in NZ schools.
More resources for Leadership and e-Learning>>>the Enabling e-Learning website.
Professional Learning
- How will you lead PD in your school this year? Want some clever ideas on ways to engage staff with readings and research? Read how one community member, Leigh Hynes, (Deputy Principal), is using Diigo and other social networking tools with her staff and students.
Check out e-Learning & Professional Learning>>the Enabling e-Learning website.
Teaching and Learning | Digital Citizenship
- Managing BYOD at Albany Senior High | Notes from PoriruaNet: Mark Osborne (Albany Senior High School) speaks about how his school has integrated technology into their curriculum and learning philosophy.
- BYOD User Agreement: Gerard Macmanus shares a document relating to 'search and confiscation' produced by the Ministry of Education, as well as another example of a personal laptop policy agreement.
- Tō tātou reo - Tō tātou wero / Our reo - Our challenge: On-going support of Te reo phrases, greetings, messages - with links to audio and video files. Via Moana Timoko
- The Joy of Science: A new page has been created, so that Joy Kitt can share weekly digital resources you can use to inspire deep discussion, wonderings and investigations to explore the nature of Science.
- Gadgets: Everyone loves a great gadget! Scientists are always thinking about what could be. In this case, imagine a fridge without doors, draws or even a motor. Via Joy Kitt
- Girls and Graphs - applying learning from ICT PD workshop: Can using technology with a Year 10 class in maths really make a difference?
- Inspiring stories of ICT integration: Some helpful advice as well as useful examples shared - using VoiceThread in the classroom.
- Capturing evidence of student progress and achievement: Mary-Anne Murphy asks, What technologies/e-tools do you use to capture evidence of student progress and achievement? How do you use, store and share this with whānau? Any ideas of your own to share?
- Another inquiry shapshot from Software4Learning > Blogger, Wikispaces, Kidblog and iPads http://bit.ly/LpbUeh Via Simon Evans
- e-Learning improving achievement? What tools/sites are schools paying for? Is the cost reasonable? Is there a return on investment in terms of student learning? Are these for skill and drill type processes or for teaching of concept/bigger ideas? Any ideas or feedback welcome!
- Understanding brain compatible learning: More resources shared in reference to neuro-science and neuro-plasticity and the implications in education. Via Rachel Carson.
- How many tools do you use and how do you decide? A busy forum where people have been sharing their perspective on tools to integrate into teaching and learning.
- Are you using a Moodle hub? Are you using a mMoodle hub to share courses, or using courses from moodle hubs? If you are, what hubs? Via Gerard Macmanus
- Voice to text for reluctant writers: Susan McMillan is wanting some strategies for scanning small amounts of text, to use with the ‘voice to text’ option on her Mac. Can anyone offer any practical solutions for this?
- e-Books: How does your school manage them? Any experience or advice on different ways to access and organise e-books online? Feel free to add your own ideas to this thread.
- Top mobile learning reports of 2012: Want to keep abreast of what's happening in the world of mobile learning? Here’s an update on Top mobile learning reports of 2012. Via Derek Wenmoth.
- Blue/green screen video: Community members offer some helpful tips, strategies and examples for blue/green screen video. Anything else to add?
iPad/iTouch technology
- Integrating iPads into the maths programme: Some top tips here with the latest added by Jasmine Rolton. Anything else that’s being working for you in Maths, in terms of integration of iPad apps?
- App sharing: Book Creator can embed text, photos, audio and now video to create your own e-book.
- iPads in the Junior Classroom: Tania recommends more story writing apps. Check these out, give them a go, and provide some feedback on things went for you.
- The iPad as a tool for education: Research looking at one UK school 1:1 trial of iPads. By sharing such strategies widely, other schools can adopt similar processes. Via Tara Fagan
- MS Office type app: Can you recommend an iPad app that works like MS Office programmes? Monika Kern is looking for an app that can do word processing and spreadsheets mainly.
- Teachers guide on the use of iPads in education: Great post from Educational Technology and Mobile Learning about why iPads are important in education, how to integrate them as well as some video tutorials.
- iPad Camera stand: Just as the title reads. Via iDave
- For more useful iPad ideas, see Allanah King’s bookmarks. http://bit.ly/Q0tWtu
Check out e-Learning and Technologies>>> the Enabling e-Learning website.
For your calendar...
Enabling e-Learning events
>>>Don't miss out! Check out the Enabling e-Learning online events planned for term 3. http://bit.ly/LVb65x
Forthcoming webinars:
- How are we engaging every learner? Sharing stories of effective practice, 25 July 3:30-4:30. A shared look at how we can design courses to allow every learner to bring their prior knowledge.
- Science in the classroom - unpacking the Science Learning Hub, 2 August 3:45-4:30. Join the national Science facilitators in accessing and unpacking the Science Learning Hub as a resource for teaching and learning.
Forum discussion:
- e-Learning as inquiry - Sharing our stories, From 16 July-10 August. This is your opportunity to share an inquiry, ask questions and share the inquiry process with Claire Amos (Epsom Girls Grammar) and Mark Herring (ITC2LEARN).
e-Learning events around NZ
- Learning without Limits seminars: Nationwide in 24 locations, from 23 July for eight weeks.
- EduCampAKL: Stonefields School, Auckland, 21st July, 10am-3pm
- PadCamp Christchurch, Waimairi School, Saturday Sept 1st, 9.30 - 3.30pm
- EducampBOP: Tauranga Intermediate, Tauranga, Sept 22nd, 10am-3pm
- ULearn12, Auckland Sky City, October 10 - 12. Targets all educators, from preschool to tertiary. #ulearn12
