Wordle!

Heard of Wordle? I have heard of it, but like lots of things I just didn't have time to play. Well I played! This is a Wordle of my blog! Pretty isn't it. I can think of great ideas to use this little toy. You add your own text and edit fonts and styles until you are happy. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

Testing Crazytalk

Glogster Timeline

It's a catch phrase!

These are two of the many great animations that my Ed Studies class created today. Their challenge was to create a catchphrase using 2Simple 2Animate. Not only did they have fun exploring the tools of the simple application, they got creative too! Just click on the image to see the animation, but use the back navigation button rather than close if you want to read on!

Web 2.0 edu Glogster

Had a play with Edu Glogster and I think this will be a big hit with the children we have coming over to play next month. You can set up a virtual classroom of upto 200 students, each with their own login and password. A great tool that combines Web 2.0 technologies, fun and learning in one great activity. The user get to explore and present ideas on any curriculum subject or topic of their choice, allowing for innovative creative teaching and learning!

Web 2.0 Projects

One of the features of the Year 3 BA course is an onsite teaching experience with children from a local school. Over the years I have tried to vary both the schools we use and the projects that we develop. In the beginning the projects tended to be quite prescriptive and used applications that were familiar to the classroom, such as Microsoft and Textease. As time went on I began to encourage my students to try more innovative technologies in their planning, Digi Blue cameras and Blogs for example. It seemed the ideal opportunity as they were in a relatively safe environment, that being there were 13 of them to teach and support 28-30 children, with both the class teacher and myself at hand in case there were any issues they had not anticipated. This time, without dictating the day’s proceedings to my students, I am trying to encourage them to explore a range of Web 2.0 and other innovative software rather than more traditional ICTs. Planning will take place next week, so here is hoping that last week’s Activity generator session inspired their creativity and innovative juices!

Guys if you are reading this check out the link above to Terry Freedman’s Web 2.0 projects book.

The Heart Wiki

I set my students the challenge of employing their multiple intelligences (Howard Gardner) this week in a collation of activities designed to combine fun, innovation and learning. I set the task " the Workings of the Heart". Then using the ideas of John Davitt's activity generator I gave each group the way in which the task was to be presented.

these were the choices;

1. as a text message
2. as a sonnet
3. as a comedy strip
4. as a rap
5. as a sports commentary

See the link to their wiki for the results, very funny and some great use of ICT employed throughout!

http://baed2009.wetpaint.com/#

Glogster for Education

It just keeps getting better! Just as I discover Glogster, I receive an email to tell me all about Glogster EDU. The glogster designed especially for education. It tells me that there is a new world of educational innovation awaiting me! I can't wait to begin to explore what it has on offer.

They boast that it was "...conceived to imaginatively, productively, and collaboratively respond to the dynamic educational landscape and exceed the needs of today’s educators and learners."

The bit that excites me the most is the virtual classroom...I am looking forward to testing that out on a group of students in the very near future...who will it be I wonder?

Powered by Podbean.com

At last I have found somewhere to host my podcasts PodBean! PodBean is a podcast hosting service, you can create professional podcasts in minutes without any programming knowledge. The interface allows you to upload, publish, manage and promote your podcasts with just a few clicks of your mouse. We created out podcasts in Audacity then loaded them on to PodBean very quickly and easily. I had a few issues with it playing in SMU though, but is seems okay now!

Futurelab

I went to a Futurelab conference last week called "Seen and Heard: Young people creating digital media". Futurelab is passionate about transforming the way people learn. Tapping into the huge potential offered by digital and other technologies, they develop innovative resources and practices that support new approaches to learning for the 21st century. The conference was lead by both the new and old from the world of technology, and from a range of fields of work. There were some very interesting speakers, and a few "workshops" that didn't really work for me, they were more of a platform for promoting their kit. Nevertheless each and everyone there had a view, an idea and a vision and the best part of the day was meeting and sharing ideas. The day was little like a Blog role play!

http://www.futurelab.org.uk/events/listing/seen-and-heard

Forget Blogs here come Glogs!

Dr Ben Williamson on Enquiring Minds

The Value the Blog!

Tomorrow I am talking to an MA class about the use and value of blogging. Blogs for personal use and blogs for classroom use. I have a fabulous range of school blogs for them to check out so that they can see the technology in action. For my part I can see that the use of blogs with my students has had mixed reviews. When the students were actually in college and taking the ICT module they were quite regular bloggers, however I have noticed, (and I must admit I’m guilty too) when they finish the module they tend to stop.

http://www.sandaigprimary.co.uk/
http://listen2poems.blogspot.com/
http://www.woodlandwideweb.the-office.org.uk/blogs.htm
http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/ohnothingmuch/Tanyas-Blog/Welcome/

End of the Academic Year

Well they said this term was the calmest! They said! The teaching is all but over, but it’s far from calm. Although it is just a matter of marking assignments it can be quite consuming. I wish I could be more efficient in term of time management, but I just get so involved. Each assignment has its merits, even those that are a challenge! I learn so much from them, not just the research they present, that goes without saying, it’s the way in which some are presented, with such conviction! I spend so much time reading, checking and evaluating, as feeling that I must give each one its worth, I just lose track of time. Before I know it the deadline is upon me and I’m panicking!

This year I changed my 2nd Year assignment, I made it more research based. I have had quite a good response from my undergraduates, the title was, ‘Discuss why ICT is a Key Skill and therefore an important element of primary education. Demonstrate your understanding of progression in ICT, use practical examples and reference to your school experience and appropriate literature.’ I have had some fantastic responses so far, and I feel that the research element has helped them put ICT into perspective in terms of their responsibilities as a new teacher.

Which brings me to the question do they really believe what they are writing? What are their beliefs about learning and teaching with ICT? Do they write what they think I want to hear? Even those that pose a good argument, I have my doubts as to their sincerity.

My 3rd year specialist have been experimenting with OPUS, and although we have had some software issues, they have produced some really useful resources. I’m looking forward to sharing them with my colleagues to discuss the content in terms of subject matter. Interesting stuff!

Diigo

Changing the date and time of a post

The date and time settings for a post are beneath the postediting field, just click the Post Options link.

Some of the good bits from BETT 2009

http://www.teachers.tv/ict

http://www.bettawards.com/Shortlist.asp

BETT 2009

Well here we are it’s January again! Oh how time flies. I love January in so many ways, the start of a New Year, new ideas, new hopes for a more organised and calm life! Anyone who knows me well, will understand how unlikely that idea is, you can but hope. And then there is BETT. I really enjoy BETT and this year was no exception. I had a great time, wandering around for a day and a half in a daze just soaking up the atmosphere. Lots of the hype and excitement is indicative of a second-hand car sales fest, but there truly are some wonderful ideas on show. From those still the in embryonic stage such as the Future Schools showcase, to the old favourites that show up time and time again with just a variation on the theme, like voting systems and IWBs.

As usual I take a group of 4^th year students with me, we generally have quite an eventful time, this year was not to disappoint. Ignoring the fact that two students missed the train on the way down and had to get a later train, I tried to relax and enjoy. Slightly later than planned, we were all milling around the show trying to see all and miss nothing, when I received an excited text message to inform me that one of the girls had indeed won a complete voting system from Quizdom, software and all! Now that’s a result. The same two students caught the return train home by the skin of their teeth!