I have just updated these web pages. Each contains lists of links to teaching tips and lesson plans.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Learning Networks and Connective Knowledge
What do you see when you look through a computer?
Stephen Downes' presentation
so much more than text and images ...
http://www.downes.ca/files/toronto2006.ppt#256,1,
What do we see when we look through a computer?
Monday, June 26, 2006
The Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework trial
The Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework trial is open for registrations.
In term 3, 100 teachers will be funded 3 TRS days to participate in an online course trialing the Framework. Successful participants will be accredited with the ICT Pedagogical Licence.
ICT Curriculum Integration online course
Teachers will be required to participate in a 10 week online course and construct a digital portfolio. The course will take approximately 40 hours of commitment. The registration cost is $300 (+GST).
Download an application kit today. Don’t miss out!
education
In term 3, 100 teachers will be funded 3 TRS days to participate in an online course trialing the Framework. Successful participants will be accredited with the ICT Pedagogical Licence.
ICT Curriculum Integration online course
Teachers will be required to participate in a 10 week online course and construct a digital portfolio. The course will take approximately 40 hours of commitment. The registration cost is $300 (+GST).
Download an application kit today. Don’t miss out!
education
New Professionalism Program
2006 GUIDELINES AND APPLICATION FORMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
- 108 Scholarships/Grants now across EIGHT CATEGORIES
- via the links below.
Closing dates: 14 July 2006 for teacher aides
11 August 2006 for remaining categories
The New Professionalism program recognizes that employees continue their individual development of understandings and skills that are essential to providing a quality public education system that delivers opportunities for all students.
Teachers, teacher aides, principals, managers, therapists, administrators — it doesn 't matter what the role in the many services provided throughout the department - professional development is pivotal to providing a quality service.
The department offers a range of scholarships and grants under the New Professionalism banner not only to ensure the future capability of our people but also to acknowledge and encourage the talents of its valuable employees.
education, new professionalism
Sunday, June 25, 2006
29 Marbles - Autism and its impact
Thoughts and discussion on autism and its impact on individuals and society
visit 29 Marbles
autism, education
visit 29 Marbles
autism, education
Visual Literacy: An Institutional Imperative
Susan E. Metros and Kristina Woolsey
Academics have a long history of claiming and defending the superiority of verbal over visual for representing knowledge. By dismissing imagery as mere decoration, they have upheld the sanctity of print for academic discourse. However, in the last decade, digital technologies have broken down the barriers between words and pictures, and many of these same academics are now willing to acknowledge that melding text with image constructs new meaning, and some may even go so far as to admit that images, as communication devices, can stand on their own.
visual literacy, education
Saturday, June 24, 2006
YOUNG AND WIRED
Computers, cell phones, video games, blogs, text messages -- how will the sheer amount of time spent plugged in affect our kids?
education
Study Backs Calif. Preschool Proposal
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Intel's answer to $100 laptop: Eduwise
The $400 machine for developing markets can do more than MIT prof's $100 laptop, Intel says
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, has responded to MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte's $100 laptop with a low-cost mobile PC of its own for students in developing markets. The $400 machine, called Eduwise, reportedly will run either Microsoft's Windows or the open-source Linux operating system, and though it's aimed first at developing countries, an Intel spokesman said the company will explore interest in the device from U.S. schools "over time."
Read on ...
education
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, has responded to MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte's $100 laptop with a low-cost mobile PC of its own for students in developing markets. The $400 machine, called Eduwise, reportedly will run either Microsoft's Windows or the open-source Linux operating system, and though it's aimed first at developing countries, an Intel spokesman said the company will explore interest in the device from U.S. schools "over time."
Read on ...
education
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
School Library 2.0
A group of students from Lakeview High School in Battle Creek, MI, is sitting down to a discussion of Elie Wiesels Night (Hill & Wang, 1960). Its a fairly typical exercisethe Nobel Laureates haunting memoir of the Holocaust has been widely read in high schools (long before being tapped for Oprahs book club earlier this year).
Not so typical is the discussion itself. It will take place entirely online, in the form of a blog.
Read on …
education, bloggng in education, library
Not so typical is the discussion itself. It will take place entirely online, in the form of a blog.
Read on …
education, bloggng in education, library
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Teaching to Learn
From the Unravelling to Understand blog
"I mentioned in a previous post how I learned some skills in scouting better when I had to teach them. They just stuck in my mind better. I urge you to try prepare a lesson to teach if you are struggling with a subject. Something amazing happens when your purpose is to help someone else. It's as if the specifics of the skills are forced into your brain because you have a mission."
Read the whole post
learning, education
"I mentioned in a previous post how I learned some skills in scouting better when I had to teach them. They just stuck in my mind better. I urge you to try prepare a lesson to teach if you are struggling with a subject. Something amazing happens when your purpose is to help someone else. It's as if the specifics of the skills are forced into your brain because you have a mission."
Read the whole post
learning, education
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Parents urged to reject new report cards
Australian parents are being urged to reject a new report card system that grades their children from A to E.
National bodies representing parents of government school students and teachers are encouraging parents to refuse to accept the new cards, The Australian newspaper reported on Saturday. Read on ...
education, assessment, reporting
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The journey ahead - literacy
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Yr3/4 Literacy Blog
Year 3 and 4 students in Muxton Primary have been using a blog to share comments linked to 4 magazine advertisements they have been discussing.
To keep an eye on their progress click on http://muxton.edublogs.org/tag/magazine/
You can see from the dates and times of postings that some children have been working on this at home.
education, eduation blogs
Microsoft Innovative Teachers Award 2006
Searching for Australia's most innovative teachers...
Could one of them be you?
The search is on again to discover Australia's most innovative teachers, and this year's awards recognise both individual and team approaches.
Perhaps you've created individualised learning environments, or designed better ways for your students to engage with staff peers and experts from around the world. Or maybe your team has implemented a best-practice project that redefines learning or student assessment.
Whatever inspired you to integrate technology into the curriculum, the Microsoft Innovative Teachers Award is your opportunity to share your experiences with other teachers who, like you, are enthusiastic about creating a curriculum that responds to changes in our society. Read on ...
education, education and technology,
Could one of them be you?
The search is on again to discover Australia's most innovative teachers, and this year's awards recognise both individual and team approaches.
Perhaps you've created individualised learning environments, or designed better ways for your students to engage with staff peers and experts from around the world. Or maybe your team has implemented a best-practice project that redefines learning or student assessment.
Whatever inspired you to integrate technology into the curriculum, the Microsoft Innovative Teachers Award is your opportunity to share your experiences with other teachers who, like you, are enthusiastic about creating a curriculum that responds to changes in our society. Read on ...
education, education and technology,
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Free maths worksheets
Math-Drills.Com includes over 6000 free math worksheets with answer keys. These printable worksheets can be used for assessment, mental math, algorithm practice, and a variety of other activities. You are welcome to use any of the free math worksheets on this website as long as they are helping you or someone else to learn math
maths, education,
Monday, June 12, 2006
Teachers stand firm over OBE dispute
A Western Australia Government meeting with education groups has failed to allay fears that teachers may boycott the new outcomes-based education (OBE) courses next year. Read on ...
education
education
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Micosoft Innovative Teachers Award 2006
Searching for Australia's most innovative teachers... Could one of them be you?
The search is on again to discover Australia's most innovative teachers, and this year's awards recognise both individual and team approaches.
Perhaps you've created individualised learning environments, or designed better ways for your students to engage with staff peers and experts from around the world. Or maybe your team has implemented a best-practice project that redefines learning or student assessment.
Whatever inspired you to integrate technology into the curriculum, the Microsoft Innovative Teachers Award is your opportunity to share your experiences with other teachers who, like you, are enthusiastic about creating a curriculum that responds to changes in our society.
teachers, education
Saturday, June 10, 2006
EBSCO Publishing is offering free access to the new Teacher Reference Center
From ITI Newsbreaks Weekly News
EBSCO Publishing (http://www.epnet.com/) is offering free access to the new Teacher Reference Center, a bibliographic index of more than 260 titles from teacher and administration trade journals, periodicals, and books. The database, delivered via the EBSCOhost platform, is available as a free resource to anyone interested in teaching and education.
Teacher Reference Center provides coverage on topics such as assessment, best practices, continuing education, current pedagogical research, curriculum development, elementary education, higher education, instructional media, language arts, literacy standards, school administration, science and mathematics, teacher education, and more.
Teacher Reference Center is currently available at http://www.libraryresearch.com/, along with EBSCO Publishing’s free Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database. In the coming weeks it will move to http://www.teacherreference.com. Existing EBSCOhost customers may request to have Teacher Reference Center added to their existing EBSCOhost profiles at no additional charge.
education
EBSCO Publishing (http://www.epnet.com/) is offering free access to the new Teacher Reference Center, a bibliographic index of more than 260 titles from teacher and administration trade journals, periodicals, and books. The database, delivered via the EBSCOhost platform, is available as a free resource to anyone interested in teaching and education.
Teacher Reference Center provides coverage on topics such as assessment, best practices, continuing education, current pedagogical research, curriculum development, elementary education, higher education, instructional media, language arts, literacy standards, school administration, science and mathematics, teacher education, and more.
Teacher Reference Center is currently available at http://www.libraryresearch.com/, along with EBSCO Publishing’s free Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database. In the coming weeks it will move to http://www.teacherreference.com. Existing EBSCOhost customers may request to have Teacher Reference Center added to their existing EBSCOhost profiles at no additional charge.
education
Thursday, June 08, 2006
LMS and LCMS demystified
One Letter Away from Each Other as Acronyms, but Miles Apart in Practice
Learning management systems (LMS) and learning content management systems (LCMS) really have two very different functions. It's unfortunate that both have such similar names and a shared acronym, which only serves to confuse e-learning buyers even more.
The primary objective of a learning management system is to manage learners, keeping track of their progress and performance across all types of training activities. By contrast, a learning content management system manages content or learning objects that are served up to the right learner at the right time.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Vroom
Vrroom ...The national Archives of Australia has built “an interactive website and online teaching resource that aims to encourage teachers and students to use archival materials within discovery-oriented teaching and learning”.
…. The general topics already found on Vrroom include immigration, conflicts, gender, and Indigenous rights. Formulated for students and teachers throughout Australia and across all curricula, Vrroom is ideal for anyone engaged in Australian studies, politics, geography, environmental management, and technology.
Visit Vrroom
Tags:homework, education
…. The general topics already found on Vrroom include immigration, conflicts, gender, and Indigenous rights. Formulated for students and teachers throughout Australia and across all curricula, Vrroom is ideal for anyone engaged in Australian studies, politics, geography, environmental management, and technology.
Visit Vrroom
Tags:homework, education
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Connecting the digital dots: literacy in the twenty-first century
Literacy today depends on understanding the multiple media that make up our high-tech reality and developing the skills to use them effectively
By Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan
Prior to the 21st century, literate defined a person’s ability to read and write, separating the educated from the uneducated. With the advent of a new millennium and the rapidity with which technology has changed society, the concept of literacy has assumed new meanings.
education, literacy
Monday, June 05, 2006
Libraries tied to student achievement
The following article appeared in the Toronto Sun.
Libraries tied to student achievement
Study makes case for training, funding
"...first Canadian study linking school libraries to student achievement indicates that better libraries improve student testscores and add to kids' reading enjoyment. The Ontario School Library Association says the research, released yesterday, is the evidence it needs to make a case for more trained school librarians and better-stocked shelves. "There's such a clear link between libraries and student achievement. I don't know how the minister (of education) can ignore it," said association president Michael Rosettis.
The study by Queen's University professor Don Klinger was based on provincial test scores and attitudinal information collected by the province's Education Quality and Accountability Office. That information was married with data on the state of elementary school libraries gathered by the provincial parent group, People for Education.
Klinger's study of 800 elementary schools and about 50,000 students showed that schools without trained teacher-librarians were more likely to score lower on grades 3 and 6 reading tests. Schools with teacher-librarians had proportionally more students who scored the highest levels on Grade 6 tests.
The study found the biggest difference teacher-librarians made appeared to be in how much students enjoyed reading, said Klinger. The research showed that the presence of a teacher-librarian accounted for a small shift in students' attitude to reading. It was a tiny variable, but given that researchers haven't been able to identify most of the factors affecting student achievement, it is significant, he said. "If all school libraries were adequately staffed and sufficiently funded, just imagine the impact on student achievement," said Rosettis, a teacher-librarian at St. Augustine Catholic High School in Markham.
Teacher-librarians are qualified teachers who've taken more courses to become librarians. They focus on integrating information technology with the curriculum, and work with teachers to design research units.
The $40,000 study was funded by the Ontario School Library Association, but conducted independently, Rosettis said.
U.S. studies have shown a link between student achievement and well-staffed, well-stocked school libraries. The librarians and People for Education say the Ontario government has made small steps to stem a 20-year decline in school libraries with a $17 million book grant last year and another $15 million last month.
Rosettis said he hopes new education minister Sandra Pupatello will find the study compelling enough to consider designating dedicated funds to teacher-librarians and books.
School boards get one librarian for every 769 students, but many schools don't have that many students and even when they do get a library allocation, some principals spend the money on other staffing and specialty teachers in physical education or music.
People for Education research shows that only 54 per cent of Ontario elementary schools had a full- or part-time teacher-librarian last year, compared with 80 per cent in 1997-'98.
At Church Street Public School, full-time teacher-librarian Nancy Woodruff said she works with other teachers, looking for alternative curriculum materials to suit student needs, including those who haven't yet learned English and others with learning disabilities. "These children will have to know how libraries function to the end of their school days," she said, but every year she wonders if the school will be able to keep her in the library position. Principal Judy Gillis said she gets between $6,000 to $7,000 a year to stock the library but it's a struggle with so many competing priorities. Pupatello was not available for comment yesterday.
Tags: library, education
Libraries tied to student achievement
Study makes case for training, funding
"...first Canadian study linking school libraries to student achievement indicates that better libraries improve student testscores and add to kids' reading enjoyment. The Ontario School Library Association says the research, released yesterday, is the evidence it needs to make a case for more trained school librarians and better-stocked shelves. "There's such a clear link between libraries and student achievement. I don't know how the minister (of education) can ignore it," said association president Michael Rosettis.
The study by Queen's University professor Don Klinger was based on provincial test scores and attitudinal information collected by the province's Education Quality and Accountability Office. That information was married with data on the state of elementary school libraries gathered by the provincial parent group, People for Education.
Klinger's study of 800 elementary schools and about 50,000 students showed that schools without trained teacher-librarians were more likely to score lower on grades 3 and 6 reading tests. Schools with teacher-librarians had proportionally more students who scored the highest levels on Grade 6 tests.
The study found the biggest difference teacher-librarians made appeared to be in how much students enjoyed reading, said Klinger. The research showed that the presence of a teacher-librarian accounted for a small shift in students' attitude to reading. It was a tiny variable, but given that researchers haven't been able to identify most of the factors affecting student achievement, it is significant, he said. "If all school libraries were adequately staffed and sufficiently funded, just imagine the impact on student achievement," said Rosettis, a teacher-librarian at St. Augustine Catholic High School in Markham.
Teacher-librarians are qualified teachers who've taken more courses to become librarians. They focus on integrating information technology with the curriculum, and work with teachers to design research units.
The $40,000 study was funded by the Ontario School Library Association, but conducted independently, Rosettis said.
U.S. studies have shown a link between student achievement and well-staffed, well-stocked school libraries. The librarians and People for Education say the Ontario government has made small steps to stem a 20-year decline in school libraries with a $17 million book grant last year and another $15 million last month.
Rosettis said he hopes new education minister Sandra Pupatello will find the study compelling enough to consider designating dedicated funds to teacher-librarians and books.
School boards get one librarian for every 769 students, but many schools don't have that many students and even when they do get a library allocation, some principals spend the money on other staffing and specialty teachers in physical education or music.
People for Education research shows that only 54 per cent of Ontario elementary schools had a full- or part-time teacher-librarian last year, compared with 80 per cent in 1997-'98.
At Church Street Public School, full-time teacher-librarian Nancy Woodruff said she works with other teachers, looking for alternative curriculum materials to suit student needs, including those who haven't yet learned English and others with learning disabilities. "These children will have to know how libraries function to the end of their school days," she said, but every year she wonders if the school will be able to keep her in the library position. Principal Judy Gillis said she gets between $6,000 to $7,000 a year to stock the library but it's a struggle with so many competing priorities. Pupatello was not available for comment yesterday.
Tags: library, education
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Standard year 12 exams in the pipeline
All Australian Year 12 students would sit standard national exams replacing all existing state qualifications if the federal government gets its way. Read on ...
education
education
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Podcasting 101 for K-12 Librarians
"When podcasting emerged in the communication revolution, I saw a unique opportunity to provide on-demand content in an easily accessible and cost-effective format.
What began as an interest in using podcasting for professional development has now become an interest in exploring creative podcast use in K–12 libraries.
When I first asked my librarians whether they used podcasts, two-thirds didn’t know what I was talking about. However, many of their students were already accessing and creating podcasts on their own. So I suggested that we brainstorm and plan how to turn podcasting into an opportunity to reach out to students and to affect learning.
" ...Podcasting supports efforts to differentiate instruction in the library in accordance with No Child Left Behind requirements. The podcast is a viable alternative for delivering research content or lessons to students who need remedial or extended support.
While auditory learners particularly benefit when podcasts are incorporated into the teaching model, librarians can help all students and staff find ways to creatively use podcasting. Sometimes new formats are the key to igniting interest. While creating podcasts, students learn to research, write, develop vocabulary, speak effectively, manage time, solve problems, and grab attention. "
Thursday, June 01, 2006
As test-taking grows, test-makers grow rarer
" ....Government and industry officials warn that the shortage of experts could undermine the testing process and lead to errors, with consequences like children's being wrongly denied promotion and schools being mistakenly labeled as failing.
Already, they say, many states and school districts lack officials trained to oversee testing and make effective use of score data.
The states are being hardest hit because they desperately need psychometricians to supervise their multimillion-dollar contracts with test publishers but are routinely outbid not just by testing firms but also by colleges, research groups and other industries."
testing
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