It's been a long time (in blogger time) since I've added to this but posting should be regular from now on. This blog was created as a record of our lead teacher meetings, and we've only just got back into the rhythm as we embark on the second year of our ICT Professional Development.
However, that doesn't mean that nothing's been happening! It has been a term made up of lots of conferences.
It was kickstarted by Learning@School 2007, held in Rotorua. This year we were delighted to be able to take 10 people to conference. It was totally awesome having so many there, and many of these were classroom teachers who came back full of ideas for their own classes and schools. Apart from all the terrific learning that went on, it was also fantastic to be able to give something back to these teachers who have made such a committment to our cluster as a whole and I know for some, this was the first time they had attended a conference of this scale. Did I mention our motel? The big outdoor swimming pool was so hot we couldn't get into it until late in the day. Half an hour in there before bed was bliss!
Julieanne and Kieley from Motueka South were introduced to
Mathletics and the kids at Mot South have just taken part in World Maths Day. They had a fantastic time - you can read more about some of their experiences on their class blogs:
Room 9Room 7There were also many opportunities to hear about other peoples inquiry learning journeys, and we will be sharing some of the many ideas and resources we heard about with all our teachers as we work through our
Discover Tasman project.
Of course, we have also just had
TUANZ and
iSchool, with 20 and 10 people respectively attending from our cluster. These two conferences are quite different in their structure. TUANZ had a fantastic keynote speaker from the USA, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. Her blog,
21st Century Collaborative, is well worth a look.
iSchool is truly a school, rather than conference, with totally hands-on learning. Workshops last a full day and cover one topic only. The presenters are top-notch and target learning in a school environment. If you are a Mac user and haven't yet attended an iSchool, make sure you get in early next year.
Our first lead teacher session this year focussed mainly on
Atomic Learning. Our cluster has purchased a subscription to Atomic Learning, which is available to all teachers. Ask your lead teacher for more info about this and don't forget to try there first when you have an ICT problem. The videos are short (1 - 3 mins), high quality, and easy to understand. The best thing is that they have each topic broken up into such small chunks so you can choose to either work through them all at your own pace, or target a specific problem you are trying to solve. Don't forget to look at the 'Teacher2teacher' resources as well - you'll find many high-quality lesson plans which integrate ICT.
Last but not least, here's a few sites
with ideas for fun Easter activities your class may enjoy:
Please take the time to check out Hector's World and share this terrific video with your children. While you're there, take a look at the Teachers Resources. Lesson plans are provided, based around the Hector video, suited to children in years 0-2, 3-4, 5-6. There is also a Hector Protector download, which will put a swimming dolphin on the screen when you open your browser. If children come across something they don't like, they can click on Hector Protector and he will cover the screen until an adult comes (see picture).
