tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379485091860058932024-02-21T11:51:55.400+11:0021st Century SkillsSkills for 21st Century Learners.
Literacy and Learning in a digital age.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-23094337316729779112009-08-02T07:22:00.002+10:002009-08-02T07:36:17.463+10:00No Posts for 3 monthsIt's nice to have a break, and get some real life in between posts. Not that I've been having much of a break. The NSW DET blogging tool, of which my classes and I were beta testers is a real winner. Safe, simple blogging for students, classes staff, public or private or groups.<div><br /></div><div>The trick now, once they gloss has faded from the "shiny new toy" is to get some procedures and policies as to what constitutes effective pedagogical use.</div><div><br /></div><div>So what on the horizon for this edublogger? </div><div><ul><li>I launched into twitter with gusto. Fun, and very useful, just like "they" say. Has helped me numerous times.</li><li>Google docs has finally (yay) been unblocked for staff use at least. Next to push for the unblock for students.</li><li>I'm running another Intel TEO (Teaching Essentials Online) course beginning the end of this month. </li><li>More "play" with the blogging tool. Let's see if we can get our scratch creations published and shared huh?</li><li>All this as well as an active "real life". </li></ul><div>Speaking of real life......do you all have multiple twitter accounts (and other social network tools) which separate proffessional from home life, or do you (as does gen y) just mix it all in together.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm inclined to mix it all up so far. Maybe its just the old boomers who see the need to separate life into work/play/home. The kids dont seem to care.</div><div><br /></div><div>All for now. Be back later with more thought, tools, tips, and trick.</div></div><div><br /></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-41748948496336237942009-05-01T13:25:00.003+10:002009-05-01T13:45:21.742+10:00intel webinar<div class="headerDiv" id="hdiv" layout="t1"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:18pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right; "></p><div style="text-align: left;">An online version of this doc can be viewed and downloaded from <a href="http://writer.zoho.com/public/mark2482/intel-webinar1">Here</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The word version of this doc can be downloaded from <a href="http://myocum.com/store/intel%20webinar.doc">here. </a></div></div><div class="headerDiv" id="hdiv" layout="t1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 48px;"><br /></span></div><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:18pt;">Using Google Earth and Google</span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:18pt;"> Maps </span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:18pt;">with</span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:18pt;"> Blogs/Wikis</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right; "><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Mark Collinson</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right; "><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Mullumbimby Public School</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right; "><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> NSW DET</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:509.8pt; margin-left:0pt; border-collapse:collapse; " width="680"><tbody><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:36.3pt; "><td colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top; " width="680"><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">What did students do?</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">This is a small activity which formed part of a </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">broader</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> multicultural day. Other activities</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> on the day</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> included researching </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">and making </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">traditional costu</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">mes, mask making,</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> c</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">ooking traditional foods, locating and retelling traditional stories, </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">and </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">learning traditional dance.</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> Guest speakers were invited to cook, tell stories, play music</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">,</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> and dance.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">In the library, children were invited to put a pin on the map to show where th</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">ere “ancestors” originated. The following</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> activity is an extension of that. One th</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">a</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">t can be shared with a wider audience</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">(</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">e.g.</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> relatives in ancestral home) than those </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">people </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">that walked through the </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">library</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> and</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> saw the wall display.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">How does this activity enhance student learning?</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">By enhancing the “wall map” activity, and being able to share it with a global audience</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">, the children were much more enthusiastic about the activity. The “immersive</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">”</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> nature of </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Google</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> E</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">arth and the ability to zoom in and fly from place to place makes it fun</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:45pt; margin-right:30.6pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-9pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Why Use Google Earth in the Classroom?</span></p><ul style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="disc"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="1"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To provide a sense of reality and purpose for learning within the K-12 classroom</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="2"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To engage and excite learners</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="3"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To help learners conceptualize, visualize, share, and communicate information about the world</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="4"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To provide cross-curricular learning options</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="5"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To add a new dimension to learning environments not previously possible</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="6"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To leverage ubiquitous tools for learning</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="7"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To create active, exploratory, and empowering learning environments</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="8"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">To give students opportunities:</span><ul style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="circle"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="1"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">to exhibit their learning to others</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="2"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">to use emerging technologies and digital tools</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="3"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">to communicate their research in a personally meaningful way (using Web 2.0 tools)</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="4"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">to view their world from a more connected, global perspective</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="5"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">to enhance map reading and navigation skills</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="6"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">to engage more complex dimensions of human perception</span></li></ul></li></ul><p style="margin-left:45pt; margin-right:30.6pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-9pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">from: </span><a href="http://www.alicechristie.org/gearth/index.html"><span style=" text-decoration:underline; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;color:#0000ff;">http://www.alicechristie.org/gearth/index.html</span></a></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">What syllabus outcomes does the activity address</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">?</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">From the </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">NSW HSIE </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">change and continuity strand…</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">The activity meets the aims of HSIE by enhancing the student’s</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> sense of personal, community, national and global identity;</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">It meets the </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">objectives </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">of </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">HSIE syllabus by:</span></p><ul style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="disc"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="1"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">providing </span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">knowledge and </span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">understanding</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">of</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">cultures in Australia and other places, their diversity and similarities and how they influence people’s identities and </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">behaviors</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">. </span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="2"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">by </span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">developing skills </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">in </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">acquiring information, and social and civic</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">p</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">articipation</span></li></ul><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">By studying change and continuity, students should develop historical knowledge and understandings about their heritages and the past, and how these have influenced the present and may influence the future.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">The activity </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">fulfils</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> the </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">HSIE fo</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">undation </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Statement </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Outcome: </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Students explain how different cultures and traditions contribute to Australian and community identity. They examine a variety of local and other</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">communities, investigating similarities and differences including ways of living, languages and belief systems.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Outcomes and Indicators</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">CCS2.2</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Explains changes in </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">the community and</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">family life and</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">evaluates the effects of</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> th</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">ese on different</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">individuals, groups</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">and environments.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Indicators:</span></p><ul style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="disc"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="1"><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> listens to life stories of people from different cultural</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">backgrounds</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="2"><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">distinguishes betwe</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">en primary and secondary source </span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">material when acquiring information</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="3"><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> uses historical la</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">nguage when referring to source </span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">material, </span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">e.g.</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> primary source, secondary source, oral</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">history, life story</span></li><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="4"><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> identifies the contributions of some significant people</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">and events to community heritage.</span></li></ul><p style="margin-left:18pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">CUS2.3</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Explains how shared </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">customs, practices,</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">symbols, languages</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">and traditions in</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">communities</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">contribute to</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Australian and</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">community identities.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Indicator</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">s</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">• identifies diverse customs, practices and symbols shared</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">by their local community and all communities within</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Australia</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">• listens to and retells traditional, religious and ethical</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">stories that relate to some groups in the Australian</span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" font-style:italic; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">community.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">Here is an example of what we did.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">The s</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">tudents were asked to find their</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> country of origin. Speak to grandpa or grandma. Record a story of why they came to Australia, or</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> what life was like in hometown or even </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">h</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">ow life is different here.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Then for this session. </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">1</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">/</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> F</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">ind place on Google Earth.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">2</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">/</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Put</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">place</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> mark</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> on </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Google</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> E</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">arth and name it.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">3</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">/</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> Give a quick story 1-2 mins about the place or why ancestors left to come to Australia</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">4/ (Extension) Email friend or relative the link to the map we publish, and invite comment</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><a href="http://mullumwriters.blogspot.com/2009/02/where-are-we-from_18.html"><span style=" text-decoration:underline; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;color:#0000ff;">http://mullumwriters.blogspot.com/2009/02/where-are-we-from_18.html</span></a></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">How</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;"> is it Done</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">? </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">A</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> simple (one hopes) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">3</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> stage process. </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> (O</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">h yeah, you will also need a google account</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">.</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">)</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><ol style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="1"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="1"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Add </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">place marks</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> on </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Google E</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">arth</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">.</span></li></ol><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><ol style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="1"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="2"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Import </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">place marks</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> to Google Maps.</span></li></ol><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><ol style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="1"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="3"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Link the map</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">’</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">s code to your wiki or blog</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">.</span></li></ol><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:18pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">1</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">a) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">O</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">pen </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Google Earth. </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> R</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">ight click </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">on </span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">my places</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> and add </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">a folder. Name it (for example) </span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">origins</span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="182" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.001.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="248" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">b)</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> Find your place of </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">origin </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">and click the add </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">place mark</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">. D</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">rag the </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">place mark</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> to your point of interest and name it. Repeat and add more points of</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> origin</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="319" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.002.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="429" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">c) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Make sure all placemarks are in you</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">r</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> “</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">origins” fo</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">lder</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">. If they are not in there, just drag them in.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="187" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.003.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="243" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">d) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">R</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">ight click the “origins</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">”</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> folder and </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">S</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">ave</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> P</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">lace</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> A</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">s a kmz</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> file (</span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">k</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">eyhole </span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">m</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">arkup </span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">l</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">anguage</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">…it harkens back to the days of the cold war….read about it on Wikipedia)</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="200" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.004.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="233" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">2 a)</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Open </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Google</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> maps (maps.google.com) and login to your </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Google</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> account. Click my maps</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="115" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.005.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="255" /></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">b) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Create new map, name it</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"></span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">origins</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">, make sure it is a public map, </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">and </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">then save.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="560" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.006.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="379" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:158pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; border-bottom-style:solid; border-bottom-width:0.5pt; border-bottom- color:#000000;" width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">c) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">With the new “</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">origins</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">” map selected, click</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> Edit</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">, </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; border-bottom-style:solid; border-bottom-width:0.5pt; border-bottom-color:#000000; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><img alt="" height="196" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.007.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="378" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:24.6pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; border-top-style:solid; border-top-width:0.5pt; border-top-color:#000000; border-bottom-style:solid; border-bottom-width:0.5pt; border-bottom- color:#000000;" width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">d) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Then click import, </span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; border-top-style:solid; border-top-width:0.5pt; border-top-color:#000000; border-bottom-style:solid; border-bottom-width:0.5pt; border-bottom-color:#000000; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><img alt="" height="239" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.008.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="378" /></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:33.35pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; border-top-style:solid; border-top-width:0.5pt; border-top- color:#000000;" width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">e) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Choose the KML file that you saved in Google Earth, and then choose “upload from file”.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; border-top-style:solid; border-top-width:0.5pt; border-top-color:#000000; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><img alt="" height="355" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.009.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="429" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">f</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Your </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Place marks</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> are now on the map.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="339" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.010.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="429" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">g</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">All that is left to do is to get the code and paste it into your blog or wiki. Click “link” and copy the html code</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> ready to paste.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">That’s it for the maps part.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Next to embed into your wiki/blog</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="263" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.011.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="430" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">3. a) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Open your blog, go to new post, and use your blog</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">s</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> specific, “insert html” </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">feature. All blog platforms are </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">slightly</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> dif</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">ferent, so you may have to look for the feature.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">This </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">e.g. is WordPress (of which E</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">dublogs is a variant)</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Paste it in</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">.</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">, and update or save your page.</span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="461" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.012.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="429" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:7.55pt; "><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="235"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">b) </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">That’s it!</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">View your blog/wiki.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td><td style="vertical-align:top; " width="444"><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><img alt="" height="423" src="http://writer.zoho.com/ImageDisplay.im?name=436483000000008001/17231253159_436483000000002007_48264606.013.png&accId=436483000000002007" width="430" /></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><tr style="padding-left:5.4pt; padding-right:5.4pt; height:163.25pt; "><td colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top; " width="680"><p style="margin-left:18pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Review</span></p><p style="margin-left:18pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><ol style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="1"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="1"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Add placemarks on Google Earth</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">.</span></li></ol><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><ol style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="1"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="2"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Import placemarks to Google Maps.</span></li></ol><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><ol style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " type="1"><li style="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; " value="3"><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">Link the map’s code to your wiki or blog.</span></li></ol><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p></td></tr><!--[if !supportMisalignedColumns]><tr height="0"><td width="235" style="border:none"></td><td width="444" style="border:none"></td></tr><![endif]--></tbody></table><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">As a follow up activity, I would get those children who put a </span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;">place mark</span><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> on the map, to email the blog link to a relative or friend and invite them to view and comment.</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">Further resources</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><a href="http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth.html"><span style=" text-decoration:underline; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;color:#0000ff;">http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth.html</span></a><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Google</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">earth </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">site for educators</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><a href="http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/googlecoursework.html"><span style=" text-decoration:underline; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;color:#0000ff;">http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/googlecoursework.html</span></a><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> 10 ways you can use </span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Google</span><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> earth with your students</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Arial Black';font-size:14pt;">Questions?</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;">Feel free to email me</span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><a href="mailto:mark.collinson@det.nsw.edu.au"><span style=" text-decoration:underline; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;color:#0000ff;">mark.collinson@det.nsw.edu.au</span></a></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><a href="http://c21skills.blogspot.com/"><span style=" text-decoration:underline; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;color:#0000ff;">http://c21skills.blogspot.com</span></a></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:5.4pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" font-weight:bold; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left:0pt; margin-right:0pt; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; "><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12pt;"> </span></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-6502569255808030352008-07-19T07:35:00.001+10:002008-07-19T07:35:53.249+10:00Learning ObjectsCheck this article and discussion on the expense and relevance of the learning federation's <a href="http://www.digitalchalkie.com/2008/06/07/the-death-the-learning-federation/">"Learning Objects" on Digital Chalkie.</a><br /><br /> <div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-8234062155173273322008-03-05T12:16:00.004+11:002008-03-05T12:42:21.083+11:00So...just what are 21st century skills?Here is a list from <a href="http://www.21stcenturyskills.org">The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, </a>and in my opinion is a fair enough place to start.<br /><br />Ask yourself "Do I target any of these in my classroom?"<br /><br />What do you think of the list? Can we add more? Are there some that can come out? Where do the arts and music (for example) fit into a list like this?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Essential 21st Century Skills</span></span><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Accountability and Adaptability</span>—Exercising personal responsibility and flexibility in personal, workplace, and community contexts; setting and meeting high standards and goals for one's self and others; tolerating ambiguity<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Communication Skills</span>—Understanding, managing, and creating effective oral, written, and multimedia communication in a variety of forms and contexts<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Creativity and Intellectual Curiosity</span>—Developing, implementing, and communicating new ideas to others; staying open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking</span>—Exercising sound reasoning in understanding and making complex choices; understanding the interconnections among systems<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Information and Media Literacy Skills</span>—Analyzing, accessing, managing, integrating, evaluating, and creating information in a variety of forms and media<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills</span>—Demonstrating teamwork and leadership; adapting to varied roles and responsibilities; working productively with others; exercising empathy; respecting diverse perspectives<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Problem Identification, Formulation, and Solution</span>—Ability to frame, analyze, and solve problems<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Self-Direction</span>—Monitoring one's own understanding and learning needs; locating appropriate resources; transferring learning from one domain to another<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Social Responsibility</span>—Acting responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind; demonstrating ethical behavior in personal, workplace, and community contextsMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-35735333939636052312007-10-05T14:32:00.002+10:002008-03-05T13:43:55.113+11:00Scratch - Visual Programming Environment - Australian Lesson Exchange<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_8pqdjTjxz4g/R84I3hgvFwI/AAAAAAAAAHk/CkW8sPlhKwg/s1600-h/scratch.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_8pqdjTjxz4g/R84I3hgvFwI/AAAAAAAAAHk/CkW8sPlhKwg/s320/scratch.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174082771876779778" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://wiki.lessonexchange.org/index.php?title=Main_Page">Australian Lesson Exchange</a> (ALE) is a relatively new wiki for all Australian Educators from all states and territories. Its a place to share your stuff! Fellow Aussie edubloggers may like to check it out!<br /><br />Richard Wiktorowicz from Moorefield Girls High has kindly shared, via ALE, a fantastic set of activity cards in PDF that he has developed for scratch. Thanks Richard.<br /><a href="http://wiki.lessonexchange.org/index.php?title=Scratch_-_Visual_Programming_Environment#Scratch_Worksheets">Scratch - Visual Programming Environment - Australian Lesson Exchange</a> <p>Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create<br />your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and<br />share your creations on the web.<br /></p><p>Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up)<br />develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects,<br />young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas,<br />while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design.</p><p>For those who are yet to discover the joys of scratch take a look at one of my year 5 student's movies <a href="http://mullumwriters.blogspot.com/2007/09/cody-does-scratch.html">here</a>. Cody did the storyboard, the sprites and backgrounds himself, (as well as the scripting of course).<br /><br /></p><br /><p style="text-align: right; font-size: 8px;">Blogged with <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" title="Flock" target="_new">Flock</a></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-89871261019170716032007-10-04T06:51:00.001+10:002007-10-04T07:09:50.774+10:00Education and Copyright at Bionic Teaching<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/335521504_76af998654_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/335521504_76af998654_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Copyright awareness is something that we as teachers <span style="font-weight: bold;">must </span>include in our classroom life. I teach a range of children from K-6 and I begin copyright instruction in kindergarten, by modeling behaviors such as "<span style="font-style: italic;">acknowledging</span>" or "<span style="font-style: italic;">thanking</span>" the creator of any work we make, talk about, or use.<br /><br />Someone always owns the work. (Picture, poem, song, etc). The owner of the work is the one who created it. By year 6 the children are not only aware of copyright and ownership issues, but have become quite good at referencing pictures, sound clips, and text. (I insist that they do so).<br /><a href="http://bionicteaching.com/?page_id=11"><br />Tom Woodward</a> at Bionic Teaching has a stylish <a href="http://bionicteaching.com/?p=411">powerpoint presentation</a> on copyright. Check it out, it's one of the best I've come across on this vital topic. Tom keeps it positive using the traffic light analogy. Green is "you can" , orange is "caution", and red is "do not". By focusing on the green lights, like creative commons and public domain, you can be sure to avoid the scrutiny of the copyright police. The presentation is clear with ample notes, and covers images, text, sound, and video, in a very positive and simple way.<br /><br />Well worth adding to your toolkit.<p style="text-align: right; font-size: 8px;">Blogged with <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" title="Flock" target="_new">Flock</a></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-65672230401341475182007-09-27T18:35:00.000+10:002007-09-28T13:52:19.686+10:00How can using the Internet support my Student's Learning?<span style="font-size:85%;">Hello again. After a period of not posting so regularly, I now appear to be making up for it.<br /><br />I'm currently part way through an Australian Pilot of the new <a href="http://www.intel.com/education/teach/essential-course.htm">Intel Teaching Essentials Online</a> course.<br /><br />Without going into too much detail, it's a course that fosters reflection on the pedagogy of using web based tools in your daily classroom life. Eg, Develop a unit of work the fosters both higher order thinking skills and 21st century skills, meets your jurisdictional syllabus outcomes, introduces practical ways of using blogs, wikis, and other online tools such as <a href="http://docs.google.com/">google docs</a>, <a href="http://zoho.com/">Zoho</a>, and <a href="http://del.icio.us/">del.icio.us</a>, all within a quality framework of formative and summative assessments. Basically its about best practice, and so far I have found it to be exemplary.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">The most recent activity asked me to reflect upon:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">How can I use the Internet to support my teaching and students’ learning?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">How can I ensure responsible and appropriate use of the Internet?</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;">.....a good and worthwhile activity in my opinion. The following is posted on my course blog, but I though I'd post it here and open up the discussion for my own benefit really. So please feel free to add your thoughts to mine</span><br /><blockquote>Use of the internet can support my students' learning by exposing them to a bigger world of ideas than would otherwise be possible. The students can view the work of their global peers, and assess themselves on the quality of their own creations.The internet has the potential to expand cultural awareness (and expose culture-centric views).<br /><br />The internet supports my teaching by providing similar benefits as it does to the students. I can participate in discussion with my peers and colleagues. I can share ideas, develop strategies, and have my views challenged, modified and refined. (My view can even be ridiculed and trashed).<br /><br />Responsible use of the web can be fostered in a few ways. Each of which contribute to the goal of creating safe, fun, online learning spaces. Supervision, AUP's and filtering are vital. But perhaps just as vital is an understanding or appreciation by the teacher of the dynamics and technicalities of virtual learning spaces. If the students are with a guide they can trust and enjoy the journey with, then a communication can develop that will enhance the understandings of both teacher and student. (We learn together).<br /><br />How can a child discern the "bad" or "mediocre", if they have not been exposed to the "good" or "excellent"? Who will expose them to the good and excellent if their teachers cannot?<br /><br />This brings me to the point of website filtering. Can we go to far? Can we filter too much? I don't know about others, but I don't want my children to grow up in a virtual clean room. Children need to understand that there are pitfalls and nasties, and need to be given strategies which will enable them to deal with these nasties. Then there is the question of exactly who does the filtering. As an extreme (perhaps) example: Do we filter to please our corporate sponsor at the expense of highlighting human rights violations. Do we filter from a certain religious world view? Big questions, no apparent easy answers.</blockquote><br /><br />What do you think?Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-26681669674958343742007-09-26T14:54:00.000+10:002007-10-01T16:39:49.428+10:00Yet another PollThats right, another poll. This time from <a href="http://www.vizu.com/">Vizu. </a><br />Hopefully blogger will work more smoothly with this one than the zoho poll, which had a strange cookie problem, anyway....give it a shot and let me know if you have any problems please.<br /><!-- Altering or removing this link is a breach of the Vizu Terms and Conditions --><div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; text-align: center; width: 160px;"><a href="http://www.vizu.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: underline;font-size:10;" >Opinion Polls</span></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"> & </span><a href="http://answers.vizu.com/market-research.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: underline;font-size:10;" >Market Research</span></a></div><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-07809213940377036 visible ontop" href="http://wp.vizu.com/vizu_poll.swf"></a><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-07809213940377036 visible ontop" href="http://wp.vizu.com/vizu_poll.swf"></a><embed src="http://wp.vizu.com/vizu_poll.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="vizu_poll" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="js=false&pid=50494&ad=false&vizu=true&links=true&mainBG=336699&questionText=ffffff&answerZoneBG=cc6600&answerItemBG=eeeeee&answerText=999999&voteBG=cccccc&voteText=000000" align="middle" height="358" width="160"></embed>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-16683401879276290232007-09-25T07:11:00.001+10:002007-09-25T07:22:54.226+10:00Reply from Zoho, (and steps towards resolution)I know its not just me that has the cookie problem with ZoHo Polls. (See comments on original post). So I posted a report to ZoHo.<br /><br />Here is the report:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><div class="moz-text-html" lang="x-western">Lots of my readers are having problems with cookies in firefox on a mac, and on windows as well, when trying to view the embedded poll.<br /></div> <p>They get a message that cookies must be enabled., even when cookies are enabled.<br /><br />???</p></blockquote><p></p>and here is their response:<br /><p></p><blockquote><p style="font-style: italic;">Hi,</p><span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks for using Zoho Polls and thanks for raising the issue.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We tested with the firefox version 2.0.0.6 for windows and firefox version 1.5.0.7 for mac. But we could not reproduce the issue that you have sent. Kindly check with the cookie settings or security settings of your firefox browser and get back to us, if you reproduce this issue anymore. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Kindly visit our website </span><a style="font-style: italic;" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" title="blocked::http://zoho.com/" href="http://zoho.com/">http://zoho.com</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> and checkout the free services offered to you. Thank you,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Regards,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Godwin</span><br /></blockquote>I was not impressed, and so I've done a bit more troubleshooting. It seems that if you go to a zoho poll not hosted on blogger, you can vote without the cookie message, and then if you go to a blogger hosted poll, you get to vote ok. (The cookie was set from outside of blogger)<br /><br />If however your first experience with a zoho poll is from a blogger hosted blog, then the message appears. Seems to be a blogger issue. I have tested this on different machines with different browsers and so far I am able to reproduce the effect every time.<br /><br />I have sent this to Zoho support to see if they are able to investigate further.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-38321829100414575302007-09-24T15:26:00.000+10:002007-09-24T15:33:19.889+10:00Polls in Classroom..part 2Well, it would appear that zoho polls is having issues with cookies on some browsers. (Mozilla and Explorer to name just 2). Then again, maybe its a blogger thing?<br /><br />A lot of the free online poll creators give me rather bad code to play with , so I gave up and tried bloggers' own widget. It works for me, so how about giving it a shot. Its in the bar to the right.<br /><br />Pity about the cookie issue on the zoho poll. The fantastic thing about zoho is that I can save the results, and create multiple polls, tag them, search them, and post them (kind of).Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-24220294860290409482007-09-24T10:46:00.000+10:002007-09-24T14:37:41.094+10:00Use of Polls in classroomHi All<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Its been a while since I posted. This is just a quick one to test a feature of online polling. Have a go and let me know what you think. There is a lot of interesting pedagogical discussion around the use of polls. I'm just playing at the moment, but can see a use for them in the near future.<br /></div><br /><iframe src="http://polls.zoho.com/external/c21skills/blogs-wikis-online-docs" frameborder="0" height="350" width="260"></iframe>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-842056709275776622007-09-07T12:00:00.000+10:002007-09-07T14:20:43.760+10:00Personality Types and Your ClassroomThanks to <a href="http://andanotherthing-sue.blogspot.com/2007/09/blog-review-no2-mr-b-gs-english.html">Sue T at "and another thing"</a> (great blog Sue) for pointing me to <a href="http://www.mypersonality.info/">mypersonality</a>.<br />At first I was startled at the results, but after my initial surprise, I found I have had plenty to ponder. I'd never seen myself as a strategist before, but upon reflection, thats what I do all the time. I generally sit back, analyse and assess a situation, formulate a plan for action and when the time is right....act. Not everyone does that!<br /><br />The site gives lots of informative quotes and support, as well as lots of links off site to personality support/information groups.<br /><br />Sign up and take the tests, then post your widgets.<br />I can see lots of practical educational applications for this. What personalities are there in your class? How can you modify your teaching learning strategies to enable the others types to succeed? Do you plan for multiple intelligences?<br /><br />I showed this site to my staff and some where keen to give it a go. Will be interesting to try and develop a group personality for our staff. Might make planning a bit easier.<br /><br /><a href="http://c21skills.mypersonality.info/" target="_top"><img src="http://badges.mypersonality.info/badge/0/1/18583.png" alt="Click to view my Personality Profile page" border="0" /></a>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-28576131080046407482007-08-03T20:53:00.000+10:002007-08-03T20:59:32.930+10:00Creative CommonsWhilst searching for an image I could use to illustrate a piece of work. I found this neat video produced by the folk at <a href="http://creativecommons.org/">creative commons</a>.<br /><br />Spread the word, and support Creative Commons.<br /><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:89072;affiliateId:0;height:392;width:480;" type="text/javascript"></script>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-8434804152434373762007-08-03T20:42:00.000+10:002007-08-03T20:50:01.081+10:00Presentation to School LeadersRoger at <a href="http://pryorcommitment.com/lips2/?p=56">LIPS </a>has a presentation incorporating elements of the shift happens/paying attention "series" presentation.<br /><br />In Rogers words:<br /><blockquote cite="chrome://browser/content/flock/shelf/notesSidebar.xul">Readers may be interested to see the way that elements of the ‘Shift Happens’ series have been incorporated into this presentation for a group of school Principals, encouraging them to take a lead modelling role in the use of ICT, based on an imperative which is growing exponentially. </blockquote>Good stuff Roger. Keep it up.<br /><br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="https://s3.amazonaws.com:443/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=85776&doc=hcc45-principals010820074693" width="425" height="348"><param name="movie" value="https://s3.amazonaws.com:443/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=85776&doc=hcc45-principals010820074693" /></object>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-44430729234953072362007-08-03T17:10:00.000+10:002007-08-03T20:25:48.872+10:00Ban the Internet !<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/47/128619313_80708b3c22.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/47/128619313_80708b3c22.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>On my cycle trip home from school today I got to do some thinking on the nature of our job, and the people we sometimes work with.<br /><br />Thanks to a colleague (Tim) who passed this to me.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/02/teacher_votes/">Teachers vote to ban internet | The Register</a><br /><blockquote cite="chrome://browser/content/flock/shelf/notesSidebar.xul">Phillip Parkin, general secretary of the Professional Teachers Association, told the organization’s annual conference yesterday that the nation’s children were being used as “guinea pigs” in a massive Wi-Fi safety experiment. <p>Parkin demanded an inquiry into the technology, pointing to a range of maladies which could be down to radio waves cooking the brains of pupils and teachers alike. These include loss of concentration, fatigue, reduced memory and headaches.</p> <p>As everyone knows, no student or teacher in the UK ever suffered from any of the above before the Labour government started spending billions of tax payer money dragging the education system out of the 1960s/1860s [delete as appropriate].</p></blockquote><p class="citation"><cite cite="chrome://browser/content/flock/shelf/notesSidebar.xul"></cite></p><br />and<br /><blockquote cite="chrome://browser/content/flock/shelf/notesSidebar.xul">So there you have it, the UK’s education system is in a state, but all will be OK if teachers don’t have to use computers, networks, or have to deal with any kids. Alternatively, summer holidays could just be extended to 52 weeks per year.®</blockquote><p class="citation"><cite cite="chrome://browser/content/flock/shelf/notesSidebar.xul"></cite></p><br />Such an elegant solution to teacher incompetence and apathy...blame it on the internet!<br /><br />How much more <a href="http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/">Dangerously Irrelevant</a> can this profession become?Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-68748282379116341182007-07-26T20:47:00.000+10:002007-07-26T21:08:59.792+10:003 steps for 21st century learning.I love <a href="http://edubloggerworld.ning.com/">EduBloggerWorld</a>! If you haven't joined yet, then click the badge in my sidebar and join up. I was browsing through EBW and just stumbled upon this cool video by Jackie at <a href="http://teacherhacks.blogspot.com/">Teacherhacks</a><br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab visible" href="http://edubloggerworld.ning.com/xn_resources/widgets/video/flvplayer/flvplayer.swf?v=1.8%3A28"></a><embed src="http://edubloggerworld.ning.com/xn_resources/widgets/video/flvplayer/flvplayer.swf?v=1.8%3A28" flashvars="config_url=http%3A%2F%2Fedubloggerworld.ning.com%2Fvideo%2Fvideo%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fid%3D873527%253AVideo%253A1422%26x%3DU11r2ISvbTNMUJVKGzOTDMOfc7XGlbjw&autoplay=off&layout=external_site" scale="noscale" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="348" width="426"></embed> <br /><small><a href="http://edubloggerworld.ning.com/video/video">Find more videos like this on <em>EduBloggerWorld</em></a></small><br /><br /><br />Simple, practical and achievable. What more could one ask for? Be sure to visit her blog for support materials.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-34256157320407330322007-07-26T17:56:00.000+10:002007-07-26T18:09:55.347+10:00Parent2.0...Special Guest Podcast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thestorytreecompany.com.au/images/jenni3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thestorytreecompany.com.au/images/jenni3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Lucky us...<br /><br />One of our very talented parents <a href="http://www.jennicargill.com.au/">(Jenni Cargill)</a> has allowed us to feature one of her excellent stories as a podcast on the <a href="http://mullumwriters.blogspot.com/2007/07/special-guest-podcast.html">MullumWriters blog.</a> Go and listen if you have a few minutes.<br /><br />Parent2.0??Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-25845601849927041452007-07-24T21:19:00.000+10:002007-07-26T21:02:40.425+10:00Digital Schools StatisticsRoger Pryor at <a href="http://pryorcommitment.com/lips2/">Leaders in Public Schools</a> has a <a href="http://pryorcommitment.com/lips2/?p=52">post </a>explaining the many and varied benefits of utilizing web2.0 tools in your school. In it he links to <a href="http://techlearning.com/">tech learning </a>articles on <a href="http://techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604381">web 2.0 and professional development</a>, which has a great list of resources to share.<br /><br />Roger also links to <a href="http://techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604540">Key technology trends</a> , another techlearning article. Note point 4. bandwidth crisis looming. I've blogged about this before using the term exaflood.<br /><br />1. Not long ago very few schools had a large number of laptop computers.<br /><table padding="1" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><noscript></noscript> <!-- END IMU BOX AD --><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>2. Ubiquitous Computing Is Growing Rapidly<br />3. Ubiquitous Computing Practitioners Report Substantial Academic Improvement<br />4. A Bandwidth Crisis Is Looming<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">Today the Internet bandwidth per student is 2.90 Kbps (or kilobits per second per student) according to the survey. Furthermore, schools say they will grow this to 9.57 Kbps per student by 2011—a 3.3-fold increase. But the <em>ADS 2006</em> team believes that as much as 40 Kbps may be needed in five years. As the number of computers in schools increases and the ways in which students use computers change, more and more bandwidth will be needed.</span> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">It is unlikely, however, that many schools are budgeting for a 14-fold increase, although technology directors are generally aware of the challenge. The hard costs of the bandwidth required to support the growth in online learning, home connectivity, and ubiquitous computing are unknown and likely to require additional research.</span></p><p></p></blockquote>5. Online Learning Is Growing<br />6. Professional Development Is Key<br />7. Low Total Cost of Ownership Is Increasingly Important<br />8. Some Product Categories Will Grow at a Rapid Rate (IWB's and handheld/mobile devices)<em><br /><br /></em>The article gives graphs and stats, well worth a read.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-27428121260872891372007-07-24T13:44:00.000+10:002007-09-07T09:50:09.252+10:00Briefing the PrincipalsI've been asked to present to a group of local small school principals regarding computers in schools and staff training.<br /><br />I've put together a package that I feel provides a framework for understanding the issues surrounding "21st century skills".<br /><br />To get things started I though I'd <a href="http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8416a242f40fb7d7f338">shake it up</a> first. Four months old but good, and only 2 minutes. That ought to turn the discussion to getting these skills out to our kids.<br /><a class="abp-objtab visible ontop" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" style="LEFT: 0px! important; TOP: 15px! important" href="http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer23.swf"></a><a class="abp-objtab visible ontop" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" style="LEFT: 0px! important; TOP: 15px! important" href="http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer23.swf"></a><a class="abp-objtab visible ontop" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" style="LEFT: 0px! important; TOP: 15px! important" href="http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer23.swf"></a><a class="abp-objtab visible ontop" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" style="LEFT: 0px! important; TOP: 15px! important" href="http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer23.swf"></a><a class="abp-objtab visible ontop" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" style="LEFT: 0px! important; TOP: 15px! important" href="http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer23.swf"></a><a class="abp-objtab visible ontop" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" style="LEFT: 0px! important; TOP: 15px! important" href="http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer23.swf"></a><embed pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" src="http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer23.swf" width="400" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="config=http://www.teachertube.com/flvplayer2.php?viewkey=8416a242f40fb7d7f338&vimg=http://www.teachertube.com/thumb/223.jpg" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" wmode="transparent" loop="false" scale="exactfit"></embed><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />So how do we get there?</span><br /><a href="http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/NETS_Refresh_Forum/NETS_for_Students_2007.pdf">Nets: the next generation:</a> This is an excellent refinement of digital world skills including the important realm of citizenship skills (which is often overlooked in the discussion). Nets the next generation is presented in an easy to read, checklist style.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/Leadership_Strategy.pdf">Leadership in an Online World</a>: This document from the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth affairs, (MCEETYA) provides a framework which will enable leaders to plan for and support change. Australia and New Zealand are committed to this. Greg Whitby referenced a similar document in his recent post at <a href="http://bluyonder.wordpress.com/2007/07/06/mceetya-form-a-framework-for-evaluating-ict-in-schools/">blueyonder</a><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a href="http://www.school2-0.org/">School 2.0</a><a href="http://www.school2-0.org/"> </a>map: get a free one <a href="http://www.school2-0.org/">here</a>. <i>School 2.0</i> is a brainstorming tool designed to help schools, districts and communities develop a common education vision for the future and to explore how that vision can be supported by technology. <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.school2-0.org/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://www.school2-0.org/map2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This inevitably leads to the question: <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">"This is all well and good, but how do I prepare my staff?"</span><br />That's easy... The <a href="http://www.intel.com/education/teach/">Intel Teach</a> program is excellent here, though some might say that excellent is understating things a bit.<br /></div><em></em><blockquote><em>"It is an exemplary professional development opportunity for educators committed to creating learner-centered, technology-enabled curriculum and instruction for the 21st century."</em> </blockquote><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><span style="font-size:78%;">- ISTE* Seal of Alignment Report on<br />Intel® Teach Essentials Course, Version 10<br /><br /></span></div>Intel teach is a global program, and is being implemented in over 50 countries, but for examples of how it's working here in NSW (Australia) check out some examples of<a href="http://www.cli.nsw.edu.au/cli/e-learning/Intel_Teach/intel_teach_summary.shtm"> intel teach</a><a href="http://www.cli.nsw.edu.au/cli/e-learning/Intel_Teach/intel_teach_essentials_stories.shtm"> in NSW</a><br /><br />Hopefully my presentation will encourage some schools (just one would be enough) to make a change.<br /><br />So that's it. What have I left out? What do I need to leave out? As always, comments and tips are most welcome.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-25493879269755963782007-07-01T17:59:00.001+10:002007-07-01T18:17:01.448+10:00Podcasting session at NSWCEGI sat in on Greg Preston's podcasting session at NSWCEG today.<br />Here is a roundup.<br /><ol><li>Podcast research (in relation to educational outcomes and classroom learning. Not much of it around. Suffice to say that "it feels right".</li><li>Examples of podcasting, from professional, commercial, to student.</li><li>Quick demo of how to record, edit, save and upload. reference to numerous web based tutorials.</li><li>How to use podcasts. Group projects, authentic audienc, external contacts, must be organised.</li><li>Steps to success.</li></ol><ul><li>Concept (audience, delivery, funding, outline, tasks.</li><li>Content (subject matter, research)</li><li>Implementation (record, edit etc)</li><li>Release:</li><li>Evaluate: (assess against outcomes/goals, <a href="http://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com/2007/01/30/refocus-podcast-rubrics-to-assess-academic-standards/">rubric</a>)</li><li>Further issues. (copyright, child protection)<br /></li></ul>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-10112173210637173352007-07-01T15:53:00.000+10:002007-07-01T22:33:41.077+10:0021st century LeadershipHad the pleasure of chatting with Dan Morris at lunch. He is a fellow Intel Senior Trainer, so we had that amongst other things in common. (Like NECC... even though I was an inworld participant.) He showed me a site that he and Gene (Bias) are using to demonstrate the concepts of 21st century learning to leaders and administrators . You might like to check it out <a href="http://leadership.groups.vox.com/">here</a><br /><br />I'm off to listen to Gene's keynote.<br /><br />more laterMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-23705639655886159242007-07-01T12:57:00.000+10:002007-07-01T13:11:25.185+10:00Live from NSWCEGWell I made it. I'm sitting in a presentation at the moment by Bryn Jones from <a href="http://www.atomiclearning.com/">Atomic Learning.</a><br /><br />It was a seven hour drive from my place to Newcastle. All of the roads are blocked and there are police all over the streets trying to keep the crowds under control with regards to the grounding of the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/26/1961838.htm">Pasha Bulker</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.opportunitygroup.org/id1.html"><br />Dan Morris</a> gave the Keynote this morning on 21st century skills. He was fresh from NECC and spoke on problems of promoting change. Also had fun with these lettle clicker things, where he asked a question of the audience and we got to click the response. Fun yes, but interesting then to compare our reponses with other groups accross the USA.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-72447105989172354602007-06-27T14:31:00.000+10:002007-06-27T14:39:15.523+10:00Farewell Mr BenhamOur principal of the past ten years retires in 2 days time after 40 years of service to Public Education.<br /><a href="http://farewellmrbenham.blogspot.com/">Here is a small tribute </a>that some of the students, staff and I put together.<br /><br />The show was created in PowerPoint and was embedded using <a href="http://www.zoho.com/">zoho</a>. With zoho it's as easy as uploading and embedding. Podcasts were recorded using audacity, and are hosted at <a href="http://www.ourmedia.com/">OurMedia</a><br /><br />Nothing quite like a retirement to bring a team together.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-64962184316654551442007-06-26T15:19:00.000+10:002007-06-26T15:46:57.833+10:00Cool New T Shirt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Mzoi-pDQOxpRNr8CBkrx2-JE8R1hkUUXwyQ4gAb9xFmufrjWi69m84ofHZUfIYt3xp1uhrddq8GwgT0Emf_EFAQtJDQBuOymGKmiZ1QoM2VkYO0xQxcnNJFK-rpHz7dVjY2S54qVCSe/s1600-h/aaronis_001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Mzoi-pDQOxpRNr8CBkrx2-JE8R1hkUUXwyQ4gAb9xFmufrjWi69m84ofHZUfIYt3xp1uhrddq8GwgT0Emf_EFAQtJDQBuOymGKmiZ1QoM2VkYO0xQxcnNJFK-rpHz7dVjY2S54qVCSe/s320/aaronis_001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080241674829346546" border="0" /></a>When <a href="http://drapestakes.blogspot.com/">Darren Draper</a> said that he'd left a box of t-shirts at the doorway of the main building on ISTE island, I just had to go inworld as soon as I returned from work and grab one <span style="font-style: italic;">"before someone stole the box"</span>. (Daren's words)<br /><br />Whilst I was expecting to get a t-shirt, I wasn't expecting to meet such a range of friendly folk attending the <a href="http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2007/">NECC conference in Atlanta</a> though. Had a wonderful time listening to conference highlights from the participants. sounds exciting, though a bit overwhelming...and there are still 2 more days to go.<br /><br />I made some great new friends. I'll certainly be visiting more regularly.<br /><br />I live in a relatively remote part of NSW Australia and Second Life provides me with a real, and achievable way to connect with others.<br /><br />Thanks Darren.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537948509186005893.post-55665448124938012512007-06-24T08:34:00.001+10:002007-06-24T09:39:27.122+10:00Reconstruction of Learning ExperiencesAs a smart, clever, literate educator reading this blog, you, like me, are actively trying to reconstruct the learning experiences of students to equip them for a digital, flat future. Why else would you read this?<br /><br />I heard something this week that disturbed me, and will probably disturb you as well.<br /><br />A teacher had taken some seven year old computers out of 15 months of storage ("too old for the network, need to be thrown out"...said the tech guy). So rather than throw them out, the teacher (with permission) reformatted them, installed some freeware/open source programs suited to the subject being taught, put them into a cluster in the back corner of the room and put the students to productive work.<br /><br />Sure they weren't on the network, and there was no <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Internet</span>. If the students wanted to save work, then it had to be to a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">usb</span> flash memory drive. But they were productive! They were engaged. The students loved it, the teacher loved it, the other faculty staff found the idea so interesting that some of them took old computers out of storage and did similar things.<br /><br />It lasted almost one week. Old structures and mechanisms <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">don't</span> take lightly to change. The machines were taken back, and were made ready to go into a lab. (Strangely they were now good enough for the task.)<br /><br />So whilst some of us move forward, and engage the kids with whatever means (support, technology, funding) are at our disposal, it appears that some teachers still face a mentality that wants to put control back into the domain of the "keeper of the keys" (or the <a href="http://c21skills.blogspot.com/2007/04/digital-what.html">digital <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Taliban</span></a> if you will).<br /><br />It's almost as if there are forces at work to <span style="font-weight: bold;">actively stop </span>the sort of engagement that <a href="http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=273746">Greg Whitby (winner of the bulletin smart 100 award) </a>talks about.<br /><br />From Greg:<br /><blockquote>we're not saying every child needs only a computer to learn: come in, open up it's laptop time … They still need time with real people, to learn gross motor skills, and to use a pen and pencil, and to read, or to sit in a corner with a book or outside under a tree, and interact with teachers, as a socialising agent.<p>"But they need time to work in cyberspace. The traditional response has been to put technology into a computer lab, but it <span style="font-weight: bold;">clearly </span>doesn't meet their needs, because then you are deconstructing their learning experience, and it's artificial."<br /></p></blockquote><p></p><br />Greg Blogs at <a href="http://bluyonder.wordpress.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">BlueYonder</span> </a>and will be speaking at the <a href="http://www.nswceg.org.au/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">NSW</span> Computer Education Group</a> annual conference on July 1st and 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">nd</span>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14180509938247769952noreply@blogger.com2