Saturday 27 December 2008

Simply the Best

Thanks once again to Blogger in Middle-earth, I found another reflective blogger who asks us to reflect on our blogging and choose one that we think is simply the best. Joanna of Confident Writing is compiling this great reflective collection.
I pick a November post, Reflection of an online interview. This post is simply the best because I felt I had taken an emotional moment and reflected on what worked, what I could do next time , as well as extending my critical thinking.

Photo by rexb

Wednesday 24 December 2008

Bibliography creator I wish I'd had the last 3 years

bibmeBibme is an online bibliography creator I found out about from The 2.0 Life, that I wish I knew about during my past three years of studies and essays. As a lifelong learner I intend doing further study in the future, so this will be a gem that I recommend to learners (especially all the student teachers) who need to reference in APA, MLA, Chicago or Turabian formats.

It is easy to use; just type in the title, author or key words and you will be presented with options to add to your list. Then, you enter in keywords (usually author or title), and BibMe finds the results for you. You can reference most media from books to websites, although as with most sites you do need to register to save your lists. Well worth it I say!

iteach on ibeach

In a recent blog by Jama he talks about how he is over all the ithis and ithat of ipod name variations. Well, while camping yesterday at a beach I thought it would be fun to label it an ibeach. An hour later I noticed a family walk past and one the the kids wrote under my writing. I was honored. So parents, get some literacy practice at the beach these holidays, write an ibeach story and take a photo! I'd love to see yours.

Of course I also had to apply my creative and technology skills to build a sandcastle. We collected all the washed up glass on the beach that we could find to use as decoration, a flashy display of wealth. Then as a thanks to the beach, we took all that glass home to recycle. Tread softly.

Thursday 18 December 2008

Men don't read manuals. Discovering detail.

I have a slightly battered Sony T7 camera, I love my T7. After owning it for over three years now and always wishing it had a macro feature, I finally discovered, it does! And WOW WOW WOW. With me it is true, I never read manuals if I can figure it out first. I'm not proud of that anymore, I have been missing the joy of the little details.

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Next Generation User Skills

Derek's Blog is always a source of deeply interesting PD resources. The Next Generation User Skills Report he found has some 21st century competencies/skills that we can use as a guide to teaching and assessing. The report focuses on developments in the US, Europe and the UK, and defines a set of skills and identifies the gaps that exist.

Here is the part I found really interesting:

The NGUS investigation broke down 34 competencies, divided into 5 groups. It is these 5 groups that make up the NGUS Competency Model and they do a nice job of showing their interdependence in this diagram from the report:
• Digital Literacy – including safe and social conduct
• Digital Independence – including management of the IT environment
• Enquiry – including the ability to investigate resources
• Participation – including the ability to collaborate
• Production – including ability to create media

Key Competencies are held in high regard in the New Zealand Curriculum and lauded by many to be the key to developing 21st century learners. As beginning teachers we are told to teach to, and grow them if our students stand any chance, and I agree. But, the NZ Curriculum's five key competencies are so broad and vague that none know what aspects of what competency is important to teach and assess. Compare our Key Competencies to the NGUS Competency groups.
• Thinking
• Using language, symbols, and texts
• Managing self
• Relating to others
• Participating and contributing

Already I am thinking that we could be adding to our own competencies!
But STOP, there is more!
The NGUS competency groups are further refined into the 34 competencies. They are key competencies that we can use to guide our teaching and assessment. It is the closest guide I have found so far to scaffold teaching and learning 21st Century skills and competencies. I'd like to be seeing this in our own New Zealand Curriculum, give our teachers some scaffolds too.

A. Enquiry
A1. Formulate questions as online enquiries
A2. Find, gather and collate information
A3. Research & evaluate on-line content & services
A4. Manage references (e.g. bookmarks) in context
A5. Explore a virtual scenario or simulation
A6. Use information to support decision making
B. Digital Literacy
B1. Understand on-line safety, security & privacy
B2. Recognise social responsibility (ethics)
B3. Understand and respect digital property rights
B4. Compose communications to suit target recipients
B5. Learn critically from reviews of published work
B6. Organise, format and enter data
C. Participation
C1. Communicate & share information
C2. Create & maintain an online identity
C3. Submit ratings, reviews & recommendations
C4. Contribute appropriately to networked community activities
C5. Use shared applications
C6. Work collaboratively online towards a goal
C7. Moderate and manage the activities of an online group
D. Production
D1. Create digital artefacts (diagrams, designs)
D2. Capture digital media (visual, audio)
D3. Edit digital media (visual, audio)
D4. Integrate (mash-up) applications and content
D5. Publish digital content (web, PDF, e-book)
D6. Enable content to be discovered online
D7. Control versions of digital assets
E. Digital Independence
E1. Understand technology operations & concepts
E2. Install, link and network hardware
E3. Install and update software
E4. Manage personal infrastructure and data
E5. Use a range of digital and interactive devices
E6. Make appropriate ICT tool selection
E7. Explore and self-learn digital technologies
E8. Synchronise devices and data

Publish to any of your Blogger blogs from iGoogle

I love gadgets, there I said it!
But amongst the poor pickings one rarely finds a really useful gadget. This gadget publishes to your Blogger blog from your iGoogle home page. It is a simple gadget (I believe: KISS) but allows you to type plain text (with Spellcheck) directly to any one of your blogs.
Cons: No HTML editor, but allows html tags. Therefore I need to go search my html skills in order to link to the blog I read by Blogger Buzz...done that took me 3 minutes (knowledge in a flat box!)

How can I apply this to my class?
I plan to have blogs from each student under the one Blogger account (come on Blogger team, how about some educational functions!). Our class computer home page will be an iGoogle page where students can simply enter a quick entry with out changing pages. I am using it now and it should appear inst.......ant..ly in the class blog reader on the same page! Wow, what do you think?

Tuesday 16 December 2008

Wordle Meme

I was reminded by Blogger in Middle-earth about doing regular Wordle reflections on my blog. Looking back at my last Wordle done in October shows how my topic emphasis has changed. I have had a high environmental interest in my blogs but with a strong foundation of education and technology.

Some words I see but would like to be more prominent in my learning:
analysis, decided, expressing, influence, contribute, creating, mentors, helped, experimenting...

I do not understand the reason for tagging, but for now I will assume it's about spreading the meme. Wikipedia says memes self-replicate and are subject to selective pressures. Is then the meme one of reflection or of shared development? Also, how do you feel about being tagged? I hate chain email and it stikes a similar cord, will I have 7 years bad luck if I don't tag?

Sunday 14 December 2008

The many ways of digital literacy

SNOWBOUND
by Elizabeth Tornes
Illustration & Animation by Joshua Spivey

I created this title of a digital story in a reflection of the wonderful style illustrated by Joshua Spivey. It is in a way a continuation of their story, becoming a part of mine as I attempt to convey the beauty of the tale with colour and text. New literacies require we create and respond to them in new ways in kind. Can you assess that?

From Born Magazine: an experimental literary arts and interactive media site. Most publications are not suitable for children, but is one more creative site that can inspire us adults as consumers and producers of digital poetry.

Using, modeling and sharing

Shark dissection brings out the crowd
Sharing real world science news in new ways. Although we may be challenged by the lack of essential technology like data projectors, there are ways use in class such as a class home page. I was thinking web 2 offers opportunities for student ownership of different areas. Is anyone using this idea in their class?

Saturday 13 December 2008

Literacy, numeracy standards bill now law

Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill passed  today and gives the Minister of Education the power to set national literacy and numeracy standards which students will be assessed against. I am waiting to see how this is done without regressing to 20st century education ideals, although as mentioned in my earlier blog National is throwing lots of money towards their education plan. How will we assess them?What worries me is that after this law is rushed through with no consultation, we are told they will consult with the education sector on the standards. Whether we like it or not?tape measures by jek in the box.
Flickr image by jek in the box

Thursday 11 December 2008

Dump Fees promote environmental dumping



Christchurch Mail. Wednesday, December 3, 2008.
As I concluded from my River Dumping Environmental InvesAdd Imagetigation, that Christchurch City Council has created a social/economic barrier to clean rivers; by not providing free dumping. 

In this article by Deb Stringer, she shows us again how little human spirit Christchurch City Council possess. I have always understood our councils are there to serve our community, yet they will not give local charities free dumping! The Christchurch City Council seems to be missing HUMANS who know how to serve the community with empathy. At present some seem to be served more than others.

This is their email, as advertised on their website. info@ccc.govt.nz  I am sending them an email asking them to have a heart,  if you do too, we can make a difference.

Primary school science shows our failure as 21st century teachers

Primary school science skills fall to 1994 levels
According to survey results (including ERO) we are not teaching this essential subject that is the forerunner and our opportunity to teach for the 21st Century. I have seen this attitude to science and technology in New Zealand schools, squeezing it out, or squeezing it in. 
Are primary school teachers or principals to blame? We talk about teaching for the 21st century yet how do we get out of the conforming boxes of fitting in the 'right' curriculum subjects. Who decides on the 'right' subjects and are we still really teaching for the 20th century?