e-Learning Round-Up | 12 August 2015
Tēnā koutou, talofa lava, malo e lelei and welcome to the lastest e-learning pānui. There's something for everyone in this latest edition.
Don't miss out on this afternoon's webinar:
LIVE WEBINAR: Personalising PLD using social networks, 12 August, 3.45-4.45pm
Want to use a growing teacher network to help meet your professional learning needs? Come and join Danielle Myburgh (EdchatNZ founder) and Sonya Van Schaijik (TeachMeetNZ fame) as they share the purpose, potential and practicalities for how Twitter and Google Hangouts can make the most of a professional learning network. Simply click here to join >>>>>>>>> http://connect.vln.school.nz/eelwebinar/
Make sure you don't miss out on Enabling e-Learning's calendar of events for Term 3. There are live webinars and forums for you to participate in over the next term. Feel free to bookmark these events, print the flyer for your staff rooms and come and join us online.
See you there. Tess 
(on behalf of the Enabling e-Learning online team).
Each pānui, we like to say thank you by nominating a community member for active participation in the Enabling e-Learning / VLN Groups.
In this edition, we’d like to acknowledge Steve Trotter, who has been an active contributor in the VLN/Enabling e-Learning community groups over the past several weeks. Steve (Google Certified Teacher with Chromebooks) describes himself as, "Currently full time Dad and part-time e-Learning Coordinator at Tamahere Model Country School". If you see Steve online, why not drop him a friendly line?
Beyond the classroom
School-whānau relationships report released: Clive Francis comments on the relevance of this report. Do you have any thoughts on this document as well?
Parenting with iPads - Top tips: Mike Malcolm generously shares a resource developed by Leamington School, to help support parents with information about iPads. All contributions are welcome in the shared Google doc.
How are you using technologies to both report to parents and encourage them to engage with their students learning? Steve Trotter is looking for a solution that allows schools to communicate with parents (in bulk) in an emergency situation? Do you know of any notification apps that could do this for schools?
Building connections with parents and whānau at Wairakei School
Check out Beyond the Classroom >>> Enabling e-Learning website.
Learning and Teaching | Digital Citizenship
WEBINAR: Pakirehua, Teacher Inquiry with a Māori world view, 19 August, 3.45-4.45pm.
When we talk about Teaching as Inquiry, we immediately think about Spirals of Inquiry and the work of Timperley, Kaser and Halbert. From a Māori perspective Inquiry/Pakirehua has always been and is what we’ve always done, it's part of our DNA. Ancestors, tipuna show the way for us; their stories, experiences and knowledge are a natural part of understanding how we (as Māori) inquire, are curious and solve problems.
Using this approach, kaiako and tumuaki (in kura) have been engaging in cycles of inquiry to improve student achievement and the results have been hugely successful. Come and join Tammy Gardiner and Marama Reweti-Martin (Te Toi Tupu facilitators for Assessment, Management and Tumuaki projects) as they share the story and success of Pakirehua. REGISTER NOW.
An Enabling e-Learning forum: Coding, digital literacy or a new kind of language? Community members have been sharing resources and ideas for trialing coding in primary and secondary classrooms. This is an emerging area of digital literacy. Do you have anything to add?
Self Directed Learning in MLE: Elicia Pirini shares an innovative way to manage noise in an active modern learning environment - an app called Silent Light, which sounds an alert when the noise levels are too high.
Collaborative Planning - What does it look like on screen? Paul Tyson asks, how do you record and share assessment within a collaborative space (anecdotal notes, general assessment information) and what kind of digital tools do you use?
LEARNZ webinars for teachers in Term 3: Barrie Matthews shares up-coming LEARNZ webinars in Term 3. Don’t miss out.
Wellington 'Mac' and ipad schools... Leah is looking for schools to visit in the Wellington area who are using Apple devices for teaching and learning. Can you help?
Using digital technologies with Māori and Pasifika learners, and students with special educational needs
Help with Maori tuition in class: Community members offer Andrew some support with ways to use communication technologies between schools - to help support Māori learners with Te Reo. Is this something your students would be interested in too?
Check out e-Learning and Teaching >>> the Enabling e-Learning website.
Professional Learning
Appraisal, registered teacher criteria and your e-learning goals: This older thread has been revived and community are sharing their resources that can help teachers collect evidence against the Registered Teacher Criteria, Tataiako for appraisal, using digital tools.
Effective PLCs for inquiry: JMKellow shares a resource from Edutopia that lists essential elements of a good team and asks, what would you add/remove from this list if we are focusing on teaching as inquiry?
The impact of using the Virtual Learning Network on professional development
Check out more e-Learning & Professional Learning >>> Enabling e-Learning website.
Leadership & strategic direction
Future-focused schools acknowledge the important role of technologies as we prepare our students for a world beyond school. What does it take to be an e-leader in a future-focused educational environment? What needs to be taken into consideration when resourcing and supporting all learners within and beyond the school? How can we help each other as e-leaders to support the work we do in school? Come join Richard McLaren (Assistant Principal, Shirley Boy’s High School, Christchurch) as he shares his experiences of e-leadership in a secondary school.
This webinar will be supported by a thread in the Enabling e-Learning | Leadership group. REGISTER NOW.
Resourcing how and why of e-Learning | NAPP Kōrero 6 2015: Rigorous and valuable ideas, links, resources and experiences continued to be shared in this thread. It would be interesting hear if any of these ideas have challenged or changed practices in your school?
MLE: Shaun Cantwell puts a spin on how we view modern learning environments and shares how his class is experimenting with including external environments (national and local parks) as part of the learning environment. How big is your learning space?
Student Management Systems: Anjela Webster wants to know if anyone has any knowledge/feedback regarding SchoolBox as a SMS/LMS? Can you help?
MLEs: That’s just a classroom with a beanbag isn’t it? Steve comments on the virtues of Universal Design for Learning principles and asks wonders about the complexities of collaborative planning in an MLE. Does this resonate with you?
Technologies & Infrastructure
Introducing 1:1 devices to your school: Nathaniel Louwrens shares an article from the Connected Learning Advisory on, How to introduce mobile digital devices to your school. If you’re in a similar situation, this might be a timely resource for you.
Etherpad...Jill Hammonds elaborates on the benefits of Etherpad vs Google docs, these include coloured highlighted text, time slider and the chat box facility for collaborative comments.
Lease or Buy???? Cameron Lockie shares how his school leases technology over a three year period. The payments are spread out over this time and the technology is upgraded at the end. If you lease or buy at your school, tell us why that option works for you.
SMS: Edge vs Kamar: Rebecca Ronald is looking for some advice about Edge and Kamar and is also interested in any further information about the decision-making processes when choosing an SMS. All comments and considerations welcome.
Movie Making – Windows: Luke shares some insights into using Wax for movie making on a Windows device. Any other suggestions for Steve Trotter?
Mobile
Community members are asking and offering support with:
- OCR app for iPad
- Formatting with Airprint
- Throw a challenge my way
- Apps for making graphs
- Explain Everything wish list or questions
- iPad app comparison: Literacy support with word prediction
Google, Chromebooks and Google apps
Community members are looking for practical tips and support for:
- Gmail policy and procedures for students
- Password Recovery for students
- Multiple RSS Feeds
- App to record movies and easily upload to each child's google drive
Check out e-Learning and Technologies >>> the Enabling e-Learning website.
For your calendar...
Enabling e-Learning events
- Check out the Enabling e-Learning calendar of events for Term 3. There are live webinars and forums for you to participate in over the next term. Feel free to dive in!
- Enabling e-Learning webinars: In this new look webinar page, you'll find the recorded sessions here from 2011 to current. These include using digital resources, digital learning spaces, BYOD, iPads in junior classes, registered teacher criteria, appraisal and e-learning, getting to know our learners, MLEs, gaming and many more!
e-Learning events around NZ
-
Creative Commons Clinics: Creative Commons is holding weekly Google Hangouts for those working in the schools sector who are keen to discuss and learn more about copyright and CC.
-
EducampTheTron: Tamahere School, Saturday 15 August
- ULearn15: 7-9 October, Auckland.
-
Connected+ Event, The Ministry of Education’s science, technology, maths, and literacy series is now available on Google Slides. Most of the quality content including images, text, videos, audio, and graphic elements for Connected+ are available for teachers and students to download and reuse for educational purposes. Find out how you and your students can mix, mash, and share the digital versions of Connected+ articles and additional digital content to support teaching and learning.
Twitter Chats
Follow the hashtags or users to find out details of each Twitter chat.
- Primedchat NZ: #primedchatnz
- Edchat NZ: #edchatnz / @edchatnz
- English: #engchatnz
- Mathematics: #mathschatnz
- Social Sciences: #socscichatnz
- Science: #scichatnz
- Kids Edchat: @kidsedchatnz
- Parent teacher chat: #ptchatnz
- Beginning teacher chat: #btchatnz
Image sources: Free digital photos
