Learning, Teaching and ICT

This is just a short post to say what I’ve been up to recently.

I’ve decided that if this is really going to be a CPD blog, then I need to post more frequently in order to reflect on what I’ve been doing. I really want to keep this blog going – but I’m starting to struggle.

This morning, however, I had one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments when checking my weekly calendar.

I realised that since starting my secondment, I tend to put my energy in to planning for the week ahead rather than reflecting on the week that’s just passed.

… So from now on, I’m going to use this blog to try to truly reflect – (and try to learn from my experiences). I’ll include the highlights from each week (don’t think for one minute that I’m not working like a dog for the rest of the week – ‘cause I am!)

Last Week’s Highlights:

• Monday – I had planned to visit a school to help staff to become familiar with the new Think Quest website. I’ve used Think.com in the past with pupils but after stumbling upon the new web 2.0 tools, this resource lost most of its appeal for me …. and for the pupils in my class. As it’s part of my remit, however, I felt obliged to ‘sell it’ as best I could. Prior to my visit, it transpired that there was a problem with the school’s new account with Think Quest, so I thought it best to have something else up my sleeve . I amended the presentation to include the benefits of introducing children to Blogs, wikis and all the new cooltoolsforschools stuff. The staff were blown away by what I had to share, and by the end of the session, everyone of them had set up a new class blog – I’ll keep you posted about the eventual outcome of this (will they keep them going?)

• Thursday – On Thursday I went back to visit Carronshore Primary School. Class teacher, Cassie, had agreed to work with the children on the GoAnimate program after I told her that I was giving an in-service delivery on its benefits. I love this website and the potential it holds for improving literacy skills. I’d played about with it prior to visiting Carronshore and I completed this effort on Saturday …. andthis one earlier this evening ?. The children in Cassie’s class know (like me) that it makes work feel like fun! I helped them make the first scene. They chose friendship groups to work in (2, 3 – 4 children at most in each group). Each group was supplied with an A3 piece of paper divided into 6 sections. After some think/discussion time, they illustrated each scene. I then showed them how to bring their scene one to life using the GoAnimate program. They loved it – I can’t wait to see if they manage to complete scenes 2 to 6 the same way – I’ll let you know! The plan is that they then create a piece of writing based on their group effort – time will tell

More Lightbulb moments to follow

Well I did it! I finally graduated with a Master’s Degree

Evelyn W was there too. We’ve both worked very hard over the last five years and we finally we got there!

It was ‘touch and go’ a few times for both of us, but we supported each other through the times of self doubt.

After the ceremony I met up with my sisters …… they obviously know me well!

The bottle of Champagne and the ‘sparkly’ mouse and mousemat present just about sums me up

This entry is inspired by Kim who commented on my last post :

‘But just think how much you will be learning along the way ‘……….

(thanks also to Pam for her comment!)

One of the items on my long list was to:

• Introduce the use of vodcasts (audacity and windows movie-maker) to assist enterprising education

  I should have felt at ease with this item on my ‘to do’ list because it’s something I’ve done many times with classes.

Presenting to contemporaries, however, is most definitely not within my comfort zone so I was a bit on edge this week when I stepped up to do my bit – just one slot in the 4 hour CPD session on how the use of ICT can benefit enterprising education.

I’d brought with me an Mp3 file made by some children last year when we visited the local Bookbinders (by chance I still had it somewhere on my laptop at home). We listened to this and then I then showed the difference that was made when we added pictures to the voices.

I demonstrated how to export a recording as an Mp3 file using Audacity, and then import it to Window’s movie maker along with some pictures. The ‘audience’ then created their own mini vodcast.

Despite my lack of presentation skills, I was delighted that the feedback was extremely positive. Everyone (almost instantaneously) saw the potential for using this as a tool to improve story writing.

It was definitely the highlight of my week!!

Earlier in the day, I prepared a quick reminder guide for them (I know what they produced isn’t really a vodcast …. but the potential’s there?)

… And next week’s highlights?:
• Wednesday’s Leonard Cohen concert
• Friday’s graduation ceremony :-)!!

These are notes to myself about my ’booked’ CPD courses (until March 2009) requiring preparation time …. time management is now at the top of my CPD agenda : )

• Supporting Nursery Staff in using the new Schools- Online websites
• Introducing the use of vodcasts (audacity and windows movie-maker) to assist enterprising education
• Supporting SMT in schools to introduce innovative ICT activities to engage pupils and parents (e.g. using flickr tools to share themed photographs of school life)
• Supporting teaching staff to become familiar with the new ‘Think Quest’ facilities – including how to set up and maintain pupils’ sites
• Supporting ancillary staff to use facilities in the new Schools-Online websites such as uploading documents (newsletters, etc.) and to access and use the calendar facility
• Familiarising myself with the benefits of the Go-Animate programme, supporting Cassie in its use, preparing suitable CPD course material to enable staff to use the program creatively to improve literacy at all levels
• Supporting schools in CPD events to improve maths teaching (specifically collaborative problem solving activities ) by making it more active and cross curricular (real life maths). Adapting my own ideas used in class previously and developing a CPD activity for Primary school teachers at all stages.
• Developing up-to date CPD materials to help teaching staff make children aware of steps to take to protect themselves when using on-line environments
• Spending time familiarising myself with Front Page in order to prepare for scheduled CPD activity for staff whose schools are using this type of website
• Preparing CPD material to introduce staff to the concept of ‘Online Storytelling’ by using activities such as windows movie maker and ‘photobucket’ to improve literacy
• Familiarising myself with already prepared CPD material that I’m asked to deliver as a ‘stand in’ for other team members who are unavailable
• Preparing material to deliver a requested ‘sharing of good practice’ CPD event
• Familiarising myself with Smartboard use to improve the teaching of Modern Languages (looking at existing materials and up-date them for 2008/2009 delivery)
• Preparing resources for planned Cpd courses to introduce teachers to freely available online tools (animoto, slideshare, myplick, voki,etc) and to demonstrate how they can be used creatively to improve learning in literacy and in a variety of other curricular areas.

Planned self-study activities consist of:

• Liaising with teaching staff who are already using methods I’m not familiar with – podcasting hosts, the use of hand held games in education, voting tools
• Continuing to work on improving delivery and presentation skills of previously delivered courses (e.g. blogging courses, podcasting courses)
• Attending (when possible) Smartboard courses offered by other team members
• Attending In-service Day course on CPD Find by LTS (to help with vision for VTC!)
• Attending In-service Day course on Comic Life
• Attending the BETT conference and selected presentations – as well as the associated TeachMeet event

I also plan to build in time to enable the upkeep and continued (what I think are) important changes to the Staff Area of the VTC!

This has been put on hold during October / November so that in-school visits to all primary school co-ordinators (50 schools, I think?) can take place.

It has been known to visit 3 schools in one day – a time-consuming, but valuable exercise …..in my opinion

Phew !!!