School Pics

Haven't been back here for a while!

Well, I haven't been back here for a while and I guess...what's new with my learning? Nothing I can rightly brag about! Recently, I've looked at 'Photopeach' as a slideshow similar to 'Flickr' - I like 'Photopeach'. The whole 'Inquiry Learning' subject (inside my head) is moving along at a reasonable pace that I can follow and try new ways of doing things. We finished a 'sea' topic last term and my children and I had a blast with this topic (loads of talking, sharing ideas and neat art - well I hope they had a blast!). Working with an IWB isn't as tortuous as it used to be (its programme was n't working as well as it should have and for a while there, I was on the brink of despair and ready to give in to kicking the board...I didn't! Instead we forgave each other and our relationship has been better (someone came in and fixed it too)!

Anyway, here are a couple of pics showing our class topic wall and our class art wall that was prepared for our school's Folk Dance and Art Day.

Inviting Guests to Blog

I've already done this one and have about 2 that have clicked on and am still awaiting comments...any comments...at all. might need to go public! might need to have something substantial to interest others. might need to...do some more thinking!

RSS Feeds and Adding Blogs to my Reader List

Well I watched the youTube presentation on RSS feeds and that was pretty straight forward and so where from there??? Add at least 5 new blogs to my reader list so on I go to google 'Why Blog?', because it's from here I actually found a neat blog ... The Ed Techie and I got the link to glogster that I love. He had other great tips too. Anyway, I found a 'MommyCommunity' to subscribe to and another business/education blog that looks like heavy reading. Just 3 more to go. There are also 'home-schooling' blogs that look interesting. I think I might try any 'Star Trek' blogs for interest. *Before I go, RSS feeds allow any interesting information from your favourite blogspots/websites (with the RSS feed icon) to come to you and are updated so you no longer need to go hunting. Just remember to subscribe!

Flickr, Mappr, Flickr Color Pickr

These are interesting. I'm not sure about the flickr picture one (except for it lets me download and store pics). I downloaded some images and expected to do something 'way out' with them and haven't found out how yet. I did like the mappr one that lets you place pictures of places onto a map so there are a few of Kawerau and the Tarawera lake, river and falls. I did like the flickr color pickr thing, that I couldn't see any relevant use for except for it's a kinda cool play thing (click on the colours inside the colour wheel and different images for that colour come up...cool). anyway, the playing will continue. I made a link for the mappr one in my wikispace for my class that I will fix into the glogster page I already have (the link is there to remind me to put it in later) and I made a special page up just for the color pickr one entitled 'The Goodies Page' that will have interesting toys for parents to play with (and I know they'll ask...Why?). CYA later
L

Flickr, Mappr, Flickr

Images Galore!

hey there...again
i've already got a bubble share file of pics i took during teh L@S Conference and i really liked this one because it was simple to use and very quick. i did check our flickr originally but that took ages to download. i've decided to go back and check out flickr, mappr, flickr montagr and especially the colour fields magr! i've already saved their urls into favourites and will have a better look at what they all offer apopo. the last site looks really interesting so saving 'best for last'!!!

Wordle...we have touch-down!

i've done it. i've got a wordle on my navigation bar. a whole lot of words mushed up all over the place and they're pretty random with a slight connection.

Blogging and embedding gadgets

hi
i'm still here looking through what else i can get through before 'beddy-byes' start to kick in. blogging and embedding gadgets..... well i've already started my blog spot and posting comments to myself (i really should invite more people into this conversation!!!) so i can tick that task off. tick. gadgets into blogs...already done that because it tells you how to do that. mind you, trying to put something into this blog that's not already on the list is a bit of pain that i'm still working on so there's a challenge right there! i'm going to try and embed some of the things i saw on jeanette's blog (like the wordle....ooooooh, i want one!).

Learning Contract

hi there
i've just been viewing the 7.5 habits of successful lifelong learners and that wasn't so bad! ok, it only took me 2 and a half goes to actually view the entire vid and to fill out the contract. it's a basic contract but one that i can really start with. we have just received (this week) our IWBs and i've based my contract around that to start off with. i can see myself starting a different contract with myself (ha ha ha, i'm the boss too! so i'll prob tell 'me' when to have a break because i'm working too hard!) in terms of thinking bigger, but for now, baby steps!

OOPS! PS

Oops! PS: I'm going to start with the 'Habits of Mind'. Hoping Costa has written in simple blurb! I'll need simple words! Ha! I'll reflect in one week to let you know what I have remembered and how I have started to use what I've learnt!

I have a goal!

I have a new goal! Yep that's right!!!
I want to learn a little bit about different types of learning models by beginning to read/learn about one model per week..which should keep me pretty busy up until I'm 50 (and I hope you noted, 'a little bit...' each week!). I'm sure there'll be plenty of questions (especially about the terminology...but don't worry, I'll have a dictionary ready). Wish me luck. I'll let you know how I'm doing ... in about 10 years! (and that's not when I'll be 50).

What Did I Get Out of the L@S Conference?

What did I get out of the L@S Conference for 2009?
Well ... apart from being very tired and only eager to play with my wikispace by 'dollying' it up (I was a 'getting tricky with wikis' participant) I came away excited about ...
*learning along with my children about ... learning
*thinking and empowerment for children
*reflection, feedback
*and how my children knew they were meeting my expectations and criteria I had set.
...the list goes on but these were the first few that have been strongly pounding in my head.

*I found after 3 days of talking, talking, talking to different people, discussing ideas freely was becoming almost 2nd nature and thinking I had no reasonably good ideas, really didn't come into the equation after a while - I actually had good ideas and so did everyone else I met. There were other people who also didn't know what was on page 3, section 2 of the NZ Curriculum! WOW! Who would've thought (I'm being sarcastic now!).

*One more thing ... I adored Karen Boyes as a speaker. She was a great pick-me-up when I was feeling tired at the end of a long day. Talk about 'motivational'. (I wish I had bought something from her company stall now!).

So what did I do on Monday?
We continued as per normal and then as the day progressed, I realised (while reflecting on the morning progression) I was questioning the children all the time with 'How did you know...?", "What can you do to...?" and even when children began to ask questions that I knew they knew the answer to ... my idea of reflection kicked in. *Getting children to think carefully of their question and to find their own answers based on information/instructions I've already given or just for them to think of their own answers (a trick that Whaea Jeanette would do to me actually!).

What do I see long term?
What I would like to see is for our school to eventually move down the track of kids/teachers sharing ideas, discussing ideas, sharing successes or pitfalls (and a way to improve/fix) from different classes/schools/countries via skype/video link or whatever is out there. For children to own the 'how' they got there/did that and to own where they're going. That's just the 'taster'! I want to one day be where other successful schools are now!

Well, guess we're just as ready as any other newbie school for a journey along a bumpy unfamilier road!

http://http//peak-ict.wikispaces.com/

PS I absolutely enjoyed the conference, meeting people, spending time with other cluster members (I wish there had of been more able to come) and I only wish more of our staff could have gone along! Can't wait for the next one.

L@S Conference 2009
What a buzz being here and by buzz I mean...there's a distinctive 'buzz' in the air. You walk through the doors and almost immediately you're hit by the noise of discussion, excitement and general chitter chatters of people catching up. Our cluster is part of the 'newbie club' of first years and I'm afraid it's a bit of 'spot the newbies'. I've met a few 3rd year cluster people and the ones that are looking a little confused...that's us! Thank god we have a facilitator who has 'been there' and 'done that' with her other school and is now part of our school helping to lead the way by the hand.
This is our 3rd and final day here and my head is sore (not just because of the glorius dinner last night) due to the content that has gone in (I'm honest, I have a few internal cracks inside my brain and some info oozed out). Looking forward to sharing the 'info-love' with the ones back home and hopefully more of them will come along to the next conference!
PS Check out the photos!

Key Motivators Meet Together

Hi there
I'm a newbie to the blogging world!

I enjoyed our get together with other key motivators today and especially the walk around Edgecumbe Primary School. A lovely and enthusiastic staff! I look forward to spending more time with our other key motivators for Kawerau area and especially to sharing ideas.

Looking forward to the Rotorua L@S conference next week!

Cheers
L