ICTeD Services

Trying out Typepad's Microblogging, It might get me back into regular posting, I've just been way to busy to read, write & reflect lately

DEEWR Integrating ICT Pedagogy in School Project /1

I’ve just completed five phase two workshops for this project [as state support for the project in Victoria] with Hanan, one of the two national facilitators. We drove 1500 kilometres, to 3 towns to conduct 5 workshops.

This is a national project in 20 rural and regional centres throughout Australia In summary this is the project: [from the publicity brochure] The project is professional learning for teachers: making ICT integral to teaching and learning Teaching through the use of ICT is a new way of working that can transform the way we facilitate student learning. DEEWR is conducting a three phase professional development program in ICT pedagogy for regional/rural school teachers at both primary and secondary level. The professional learning experience is in three phases: Phase 1 - Online self reflection and preparation; building connections and sharing resources Phase 2 - One formal seminar for professional conversation and professional development to connect teachers to ICT teaching techniques and online resources and assist in the development of individual action learning plans Phase 3 - School based action learning research project supported for three months by a Learning Mentor culminating in a celebration of learning. What is Action Learning? Participants through dialogue, reflection and sharing will solve real problems that are related to curriculum leadership. Why Action Learning? The action learning approach is based upon the premise that no learning occurs unless action and reflection is taken. This pilot program goes beyond providing participants with new information. The program requires participants to explore and implement new ideas, possible solutions and/or strategies that promote improved student learning outcomes within their own context. While embarking on this learning journey, participants are coached and mentored by learning mentors experienced in teaching through the use of ICT. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is funding the provision of workshops [5 in Victoria] to enhance the skills and knowledge of teachers and school leaders to enable the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching of Mathematics, History, English and Sciences in Australian schools. What are the anticipated outcomes? • Teachers with enhanced knowledge and skills in the teaching of Mathematics, History, English and Sciences through the use of ICT in their classrooms. • A professional learning community comprised of workshop participants that focuses on sharing, reflecting and supporting participants through an ICT journey that is unique to each individual context. • A series of recommendations to develop a coherent, networked professional development program that empowers teachers to integrate ICT within their classrooms.
In the next post I will report on the phase two workshops in more detail.

Resources for film making using portable devices

The Victorian Information Technology Teachers Asscociation [VITTA] is running a competition called 1 in 1. It is a student film making competition using mobile devices, [mobile phones, Flip cameras or similiar, small handheld digital still / video cameras.

1in1 is a video award. The challenge for a student is to to plan, film, edit and create a 1 minute video. All that is required is a good idea, a mobile phone or a camera that can record a film and a computer with basic video-editing software. The school must permit students to work on their production over 1 week in October 2009 and provide a supervising teacher.

Task (same for all Divisions) – “Create a 1 minute video using a mobile phone or mobile technology”, The entries may include any combination of moving and still images. They may not include any images that may be offensive. All music and graphical images must be open source or copyright free. There are three divisions [primary, junior secondary & senior secondary]

Why don't you enter?  There is a free training session at the VITTA Office on Thursday 22.10.2009 at 4:00 p.m. Book online at http://www.vitta.org.au/trainingevents

Here are some great teacher resources:

Forty Interesting Ways* to use your Pocket Video Camera in the Classroom
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_6tv55j7g9

Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age
http://marynabadenhorst.globalteacher.org.au/flips/

Flip Video Demo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannynic/3219612681/in/set-72157604110306715/

7 Things You Should Know About Flip Camcorders
http://www.educause.edu/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutFlipC/163488

Here is an example of a short video of me talking about some workshops I am running in country Victoria next week. Filmed by my co-worker Jo on her iPhone and sent directly to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUs-KAIHxbI

Mobile Phones
http://marynabadenhorst.globalteacher.org.au/mobile-phones-in-class/

FLIPpin' SWEET! Student Created Video in the Classroom http://ow.ly/u1Tn

Flip Video in Education [wiki] http://flipvideo.wikispaces.com/

Flip Video Tutorials [These look really good!]
http://www.realtown.com/NoBloggerLeftBehind/blog/blog-tips/flip-vide-tutorial

Using Flips in Driver Education
&http://lt2009.ning.com/group/toolshed/forum/topics/flip-video-cameras

Happy Shooting!!

Challenge Based Learning - Professional Learning Module

I have been writing a professional learning module that the Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association [VITTA] will run in 2010. This has been a cooperative effort with Jo and Phil from VITTA. Challenge Based Learning has similarities to Project Based Learning, Action Based Learning etc. It specifically is a model that has been developed by Apple, http://ali.apple.com/cbl/. Basically the model is this..

 

Read these links for a explanation of each stage of the process.

About: http://ali.apple.com/cbl/index.html
Key Components: http://ali.apple.com/cbl/components.html
Process: http://ali.apple.com/cbl/process.html
Challenges: http://ali.apple.com/cbl/challenges.html
CBL Pilot: http://ali.apple.com/cbl/pilot.html
Resources: http://ali.apple.com/cbl/resources.html
Participate http://ali.apple.com/cbl/participate.html

The 6 x 2.5 hour module is still in draft form, but nearly complete. It uses the challenge based structure in the course design for teachers

The Big Idea
Schools reflect ideas of a time that is past. No longer do we need them to train an industrial work force that clocks on and off at the sound of the factory whistle. Students of today and tomorrow need learning environments which allow for negotiated learning, 24/7, in a variety of environments 

The Essential Questions
If teachers were trained in a pedagogy reflecting the ideas of the past, how do they incorporate ideas on anytime, anywhere education into what they teach?
How will teachers make a continue to make the transition from a traditional teacher to one that embraces incorporating emerging technologies into changing classroom practice?

There is then the The Challenge with Guiding Questions and Guiding Activities

If you have done similar work, please comment. If you are interested in attending the CBL module next year, please contact me.

Ed Tech Crew - Taping for Show #100

Congratulations to Tony & Darrel for there upcoming #100 episode of the Ed Tech Crew
It is a great podcast with a world wide audience
As part of there celebrations, they are taping excerpts with some of their previous guests [incl. me] I think I was on last years Christmas special and a couple of episodes in way back in 2007
In 5 minutes, guests for show #100 are asked the following questions



What are you doing now?
     

e.g. Where are you teaching/working?, What are you teaching or what is your project?, Who are you teaching and/or working with?


• Williamstown PS

• VITTA

• MacSchoolsNet [Now with spin off groups]

What has changed since we last spoke to you?
     
e.g. your career, projects you are involved in, technologies that interest you.

• Retirement [54/11]

• AGQTP Projects [eConnect & Integrating ICT Pedagogy into School Communities Workshops]

Looking forward, what interests you and where will you be putting your energy?
     
e.g. Promising technologies, new projects, interesting teaching/learning opportunities

• More sandpit time
• The challenges of being a PD provider
• Writing on ICT Professional Learning and Pedagogy
• Back to the Mac [as well as embracing Win & Lin!]
• Moodle & Open Source
• Netbooks & 1:1

Will add the link to the podcast when it goes to air!

Postscript: Podcast realeased 21.09.2009 http://www.edtechcrew.net/2009/09/20/ed-tech-crew-100-voices-of-the-ed-tech-crew/

Eastern Mac Users Group [eMug] - Inaugural Meeting

Deb and I were invited to the first meeting of eMug this afternoon at Ringwood North PS. This is a great group, thanks to the leadership of Adam and Sue. The group has had an online presence for a few months through its ning http://easternmacusersgroup.ning.com/. This ning is a tremendous resource for eMug and has about 100 members already.
The meeting was well attended with over 25 members. Deb and I were asked to go through the lessons we have learnt through MacSchoolsNet. Hopefully these are useful for the new group.
Here is the presentation for anyone who is interested. Download EMug August 2009 edit.

If you are a teacher in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne [and beyond], with an interest in Macs and education, join this group....

Hume Region [DEECD] Online Conference

This online conference [using Elluminate] is happening over three consecutive days [ starting today]. My session should you wish to listen is at 11:00 a.m, 04.08.2009 [GMT +10:00 ]

My topic, Building a  learning network in your town or region , brings together my experiences with MacSchoolsNet, Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Professional Learning Networks [VITTA PLNs] and the Australia Government Quality Teaching Project [AGQTP} eConnect Project on Virtual Networking in Hobson’s Bay Network [Western Metropolitan Region, DEECD]. I will post how it went [and that my moderators get me through!]. For the benefit of anyone participating in this conference I will link this post to The Tyranny of Distance and the delivery of ICT professional development [Published in VITTA’s Infonet  19.1 [2009]] Download The Tyranny of Distance and the delivery of professional development

Postscript: I found presenting the session quite fun. I enjoyed interacting with the audience. Thanks to Libby and Priscilla, my moderators and Brendan or organising. If you are interested my session is at https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2009-08-03.1751.M.8DC7CD587863F70BF557BAD7E8F537.vcr

Virtual Learning Communities for Schools /1

Today Kevin and I, [and thanks to Jill for assistance in the PD session & David and Simon for building a dual boot image for me, so the 30 iMacs in my schools lab can run Windows under Bootcamp], ran our first session for the eConnect professional learning project. This is an AGQTP project which involves conferencing with webcams, headsets and MS Communicator for 25 schools in the Hobson's Bay Network of Western Metropolitan Region [DEECD, Melbourne, Australia].
Today we ran two "101 sessions" for 50 schools administrators.

Image of participants in one of the sessions [fuzzy on purpose to disguise identity]

... and also the cupcakes that followed!

 

More substantial info on this program too follow.........................

Open Source Software for the Mac in the Primary / Elementary School Classroom

This is a bit of a spin off from my presentations at Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association’s Open Source day [see my blogposts 12.06.2009, 22.04.2004, 22.03.2009 & 15.03.2009]. Deb and I usually run an annual hands on session on freeware and / or opensource software at a MacSchoolsNet meeting. Members that come along get to have sandpit time with some of these apps. Since working for VITTA I have had a bit of time to explore Open Source applications and I have been very impressed. Even though the meeting is not until Thursday 3rd of September, I’ve got the presentation ready now. If you are interested you can download a .pdf of the presentation made with Open Office Impress.

Download Open Source-Mac

My other Open Source resources are at http://www.ictedservices.com/Open_Source_Software.html

See also this great site [not mine] http://www.opensourcemac.org/

[ **** As with any software recommendations in my blog and websites, what I write about, is my opinion only and I take no responsibility for anything going wrong with your computer, server, network etc.. Please read the conditions and product disclosures and EULA for each application. Always exercise care and caution!]

Next Claymation Project: The Mudcakes DVD

I was approached by Sherry & Rick, who are parents at the school I teach at. The are musicians and have a band called The Mudcakes, that essentially play to a pre-school audience, Kindie Rock as it is called. See their website. http://themudcakes.com/. In 2004 they released a CD Songs for Little Monkeys, with tracks such as The Snot Song, Poo Party & Bathtime. You get their drift!

Any way they are re-releasing the songs on a DVD for their upcoming American tour and would like some of the students from my school to do a claymation video clip. I've got a group planning an animation for the track, How Many Teeth?. We may even do another track too, just depends on the time available. A great opportunity for some students to be involved in an authentic task. A great publicity for our animation program at school. More to follow later.