southozsue

UCLan Ponderings

2011-02-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

Looking back this blog was set up in December 2007. My aim for this blog was never to be me writing a journal and telling the world, but to be a place where I add links and bits of useful information I have found that might be useful to others. I know I have readers but not too many commentators (not that I am fussed by that). Professionally I am also not out to pontificate my ideas to the world either. I read many blogs and only occasionally have I actually learnt something new …… reading someone’s thoughts of a conference presentation and getting different angle to mine.
The point of today’s 250 word blog (way longer than my usual “here I have found this”) Is to meet the criteria of a University Assignment I am working on (Child Safety on the Internet). From my previous posts you can see I have an interest See 1 2 3 4 5 6
Teachers dabbling with Blogging with their students tend to use moderated sites allowing for teachers to view posts before editing. Many schools expect some for of User Policy to be agreed with students, parents and the school including such things as only first names to be used, appropriate langage, criteria for images or student work.
Issues outside of school are flaring up with such sites as Facebook and microblogging with Twitter and Formspring, where there is no moderation and action can usually only be taken (ie comment taken down) after the face and it has been seen by the world…. and possibly stored. the think before you click, it a vital element of consideration to avoid any nasties.

Fabulous Movie

2011-01-17T03:34:00.000-08:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie the King's Speech, and a nice thought that Lionel Logue was born in Adelaide. HRH King George VI speech now has a whole new meaning.

Visualisation Tools

2011-01-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

Just a collection of links for graphic organisers or visualisation tools inspired by this interactive graphic: Periodic Table of Visualization Methods

7 Free Diagramming Tools To Create Diagrams Easily
What can turn out to be a complex design can become simple if its represented via a good set of diagrams .......
Tools for Reading, Writing, & Thinking
help students engage in rigorous thinking, organize complex ideas, and scaffold their interactions with texts
Exploratree by FutureLab
Exploratree is a free web resource where you can access a library of ready-made interactive thinking guides, print them, edit them or make your own ......work on them in groups too
MindMeister ...... multi-user planning, brainstorming, and project management sessions all from within a standard web browser.
Gliffy online diagram software, you can easily create flowcharts, diagrams, floor plans, technical drawings, and more.
Bubbl.us is a simple and free web application that lets you brainstorm online.
Kidspiration Activities From Edina Public Schools
Graphic Organisers Resources - Mount Isa District Literacy Coaches (Queensland Australia)
Notemaking ....... "notemaking" because "taking notes" is passive: just as we must make meaning, so we must make notes---in our head, on the page, and in our notebooks.
Printable Graphic Organizers for Teachers, Grades K-12 - TeacherVision.com

free pictures for blogs - Wylio

2011-01-06T03:47:00.000-08:00

Excited by Wylio as a source for images for blogs and other work as it uses Creative commons images.
It allows you to search for Creative Commons images, size, position, paste the code into your article and gives automatic image hosting and attribution.

Google's Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

This morning opening Google and seeing their Holiday Card .... an interactive adventure. It thrilled me even more to see Pierogi as one of their highlights (one of my most favourite foods). I'll leave you to find it and find out what pierogi are :-).

According to the designers at Google it to 5 designers and 250 hours. Here's the link to the whole development and some other designs.

Flip Cameras (and their related cousins)

2010-12-22T03:12:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite gadgets is my Flip Camera which I bought a couple of years ago now. I love its ease of use ....and yes it won't make a Hollywood movie just yet ... but has been great getting students to record what they are doing. The market has now blown open with other companies also creating their own USB enabled cameras.
Today via Twitter I received this link from Wes Fryer's blog using a Flip Camera for a Scavenger Hunt activity - which I look forward to developing one for younger students.
These are some also useful resources for teachers:
Flip Camera Quick start user notes (Janice Johnson-Palmer - Seattle US)
Windows Movie Maker Quick Start notes (Kelly Beattie, Berwick SC - Vic)
Forty-Four Interesting Ways* to use your Pocket Video Camera in the Classroom PowerPoint
Collections of useful links Flips and Digital Cams (Maryna Badenhorst - Vic)

A touch of class to a blog post - Daily Drop Cap

2010-12-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Why o why are always interesting and creative bits found after a finished unit of work. This would have been an interesting resource and discussion starter with my senior secondary students when learning about typography.

"The Daily Drop Cap is an ongoing project by typographer and illustrator Jessica Hische. Each day a new hand-crafted decorative initial cap will be posted for your enjoyment and for the beautification of blog posts everywhere."

Google Body Browser

2010-12-18T23:37:00.000-08:00

Enjoying playing with Google Body Browser ....Google Earth gone body :-) Great 3D views with labels. I see it as a great IWB resource .... just ponder the annotations.
It needs some installs like Google Chrome (but this will change as more browsers have WebGL support).

Digging up Diggers

2010-12-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

OK .... I admit it ... yes I am an eBay junkie. I enjoy looking at militaria bits and pieces ...and yes buy a few things to use in my teaching. Recently I bought this old photo of a WW1 SA digger. After detective work and research I did manage to identify him. So today's post is a list of useful starting points if you need to research a family member or 'find' (like my little treasures).

Researching Diggers
Department of Veterans Affairs, WWI Research Guide (pdf) a useful flowchart to start with
Australian War Memorial Biographical databases
National Archives of Australia Mapping our ANZACs
AIF Project ADFA database
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission War Graves Photographic Project
Lost Leaders who died at ANZAC

There are plenty more sites on my wiki Digging up Diggers.

is this the end of Delicious?

2010-12-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

First thing this morning Twitter was all-a-tweeting the possible end of Delicious. Being a Delicious user it set me of on the trail of looking what are my alternatives. Through the day many tweets and email lists discussed Diigo and Evernote. In world of collabration this google doc about alternatives was taking shape.

British Pathe

2010-12-16T01:49:00.000-08:00

View and buy films and still photographs from 1896 - 1976. Wide variety of categories: entertainment, fashion, music, historical figures, news events ......

Blogging with students

2010-12-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Thought it was time to use my blog again. 2011 starts a new journey in my career...training teachers in IWBs, Microsoft, BeeBots and anything else that arises. Aim for my blog now is to add a site a day.....well nearly everyday....ones that I have found interesting or useful.

Thinking about BLOGS .....I have used them for my students while on a three week camp ....see Wildy and Wambana 2009 1 2 3 2010 1 2 3 (edublogs). The girls used them as a communication tool for family and friends to reflect on their experiences.

On Twitter today, friend and colleague @pam_thompson shared some useful compilations of class blogs. .... a wide variety of ideas to inspire those willing to dabble.

Top 100 Classroom blogs: examples of blogs across all ages and global

100 Seriously cool classroom blogs for teaching and inspiration

and for something completely different set up multiple blogs with Windows Live writer

ISTE Award

2009-07-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

Purely bragging rights ....here is the intro video clip from ISTE Award Ceremony at NECC09 in Washington DC last week
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B44-bzvQCQA

A rural and remote rambling

2009-05-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

I have just come back from Woomera where I was guest speaker at the Isolated Children's and Parents Association State Conference. Prior to my presentation there was discussion about Internet access to rural families.
I was shocked that in 2009 these families are faced with a second rate education (IMHO). This is not from their educational offerings from Open Access College (DECS SA) but poor Internet access. OAC operates learning which is media rich and requires internet use...therein lies the problem.
The Internet access these families in remote and rural areas is inconsistent...up or down like a yo-yo....unreliable...and what would be frustrating all round for the student, teacher and family. The other issue is expense..... one family at the conference commented that the costs for her 3 children are $180 per month ...with a $60 DECS rebate.
Dare I mention the problems faced with getting the information through Centra.
I feel our rural and remote families need to be heard...... and by the way there is no guarantee the new Telstra network will be any better for the isolated.
I know my suburb in Adelaide was one of the last to get broadband and wireless broadband is not reliable here either...... but what out 'country cousins' are facing is educational neglect.
I'll get off my soapbox now.

Apple - Mac History

2009-01-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

An interesting look at the history and design of Apple computers. I have used mostly PCs but did have a short use of Macs in the early 90s especially after the Coles Supermarkets Apples for Schools campaign. (Schools were collecting Coles shopping dockets and needed a certain amount in $ value to get a free computer or peripheral.)

Green Computing - saving ink

2009-01-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

Here is something to ponder a font that uses 20% less toner (ink). Eco-font prints with holes it...thus saves printing toner. Am going to use it as my default font and see how it goes. So far seems like it will be OK for normal documents.

web 2 and applications

2009-01-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

As I wander through the Web 2.0 world and stop to play with a new tool.... I always reflect on those tools that have been soooo successful I couldn't live without. Today wandering through Slideshare I found this - a slideshare plug in for PowerPoint 2007. I am a great believer in professional sharing but I see this as also an opportunity to work with students and recap digital citizenship and creative commons.

Professional Social Newtorking 2

2008-10-25T18:38:00.001-07:00

Professional Social Networking 3

2008-10-25T18:34:00.001-07:00

Getting involved with professional organisations and online communites - a great way to support and enrich our own professional learning.

Professional Social Networking

2008-10-25T18:30:00.001-07:00

ACEC 2008 Conference

2008-10-04T03:34:00.000-07:00

Been away in Canberra for the last week - most importantly for the Australian Computers in Education Conference - but also a guest gig at the Australian Boarding Schools Conference. Links to my presentation notes on my wiki are ACEC and ABSA.
My thinking out loud ...........what amazes me is the huge up take of Interactive Whiteboards and yet we are still saying the are not being used appropriately ... I sat through presentations by university people, consultants and classroom practitioners. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter what type of board there is but how it is being used. Hmmmm the pedagogy of the IWB....watch this space!!!!!
The development of Web2.0 tools the impact for education continues to build ... mobile technologies. ...... To wikipedia or not to wikipedia ...... I have the philospohy of experiment and learn ....don't run away and hide .... because education and schools are not keeping up with the toys (computer, mobile phone, wii) at home.

Beyond the acceptable user policy… empowering with digital citizenship

2008-07-22T04:58:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the conference next week...however last week I presented at the Annual CEGSA State Conference....so here's my bit from there....

Beyond the acceptable user policy… empowering with digital citizenship

What is the etiquette for a mobile phone when out to dinner? On public transport? The volume of a MP3 player on the bus / train / tram? Technology is part of our daily life but is has happened with no rules of ettiquette or appropriate behaviour.

Most of today’s students are entirely comfortable with technology, but are they using it appropriately? How can teachers help students become responsible digital citizens? Our students need to learn now to not only be good citizens in the traditional sense, but also good “digital citizens” of the 21st century.

Schools have in place Acceptable User Policies or some form of contract signed by students (and staff) outlining the do’s and don’ts of network use. While investigating specific teaching and learning to inform and educate students and parents about cybersafety, the work of Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey provided a framework of nine elements which could be applied across K-12 and incorporate skills for responsible digital citizenship. This framework is suitable across all year levels and faculties while still combining with our specific units of work on cybersafety in the Junior School and Middle School Social Education lessons.

My Digital Citizenship wiki is a work in progress of reading and resources which I have found useful.

Presentation at ICPA Conference

2008-07-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

Next week I am really looking forward to presenting at the Isolated Children's Parents Association Annual Conference in Hobart. The abstract for my presentation is:

Being SMART….our kids and technology

Our children are totally immersed in technology, it is a part of their lives and being but are they technologically savvy? As parents and caregivers we have a role to help our children be aware of the ‘dark side’, yet reap the benefits of the communication tools of the 21st Century.

S is for Safety….Internet Safety ……. Commonwealth Government support through the NetAlert program
M is for Manners …. Being nice to each other ……Cyberbullying
A is for Advertising …. Awareness of purchasing…eBay …credit cards on the internet
R is for Research…awareness of copyright and plagiarism
T is for Technology….awareness of privacy in MySpace, Facebook , chat

I've borrowed the SMART acronym from the CyberSMART curriculum from the US....which is one of the many programs and resources I use in my teaching.

I hope this page will be the commencement of a discussion amongst delegates and readers from issues raised at the conference.

Australian Copyright and YouTube

2008-06-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

After much discussion on the OzTeachers email List Barbara B went straight to the source, the Australian Copyright Council for their comments...... so the Copyright ruling has been made clear.

Paperless society

2008-05-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

and who says we are a paperless society....here is a useful printable papers site.

Web Literacy...9 things students need to know

2008-04-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Teachers and students need new literacy skills as more and more of the resources they turn to are web-based. Here are tips on what to help them learn. more

SN and privacy laws

2008-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

another case of technology moving faster than law....however this article considers Social Networking and Privacy Law more

Copyright

2008-03-11T02:18:00.001-07:00

The issue of Copyright and the appropriate teaching to students about Copyright leads to many interesting discussions..... especially the perception that if it is on the web it is free for all. The BBC reported today about schools getting billed for use of images on school websites...link.
In Australia Smart Copying is a valuable resource for schools.

Western Australian Government to fund study into Cyberbullying

2008-03-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

The West Australian Government will spend $400,000 on a world-first five-year study into cyber-bullying, amid growing concern about the damaging effect on children being targeted by abusive text messages, emails and degrading digital photos. more

WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier

2008-03-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favourite blogs.
This blog is made up of transcripts of Harry Lamin's letters from the First World War. The letters are posted exactly 90 years after they were written.
Harry's Profile Blog

Windows Live Skydrive

2008-02-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

Access 5 GB of free storage from any online PC or Web-enabled mobile device.
overview Just another way to get students to backup rather than relying on their portable storage devices drives...lost....left at home...in their locker...chewed by the dog..... etc
Files can be private, shared with friends or public.

The Connected Classroom

2008-02-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

An interesting 5 minute video to get the thought processes ticking over...as educators how are we incorporating technology into learning.... or is it still digital immigrant, digital tourist, or digital denial????
The Connected Classroom

Internet Safety - Hector's World

2008-02-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

A great resource from NetSafe NZ
Hector's World Animation with Lesson Plans R-6
Parents can be encouraged to install the Hector Safety button on their home computer. (Developed by Microsoft NZ) Hector swims in the corner of the screen while on the Internet if something upsetting appears, a child can click on the safety button and Hector covers the screen and then seek adult help.

Australian Government Digitial Education Revolution

2008-02-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

The Digital Education Revolution is a major part of the Commonwealth Government Education Revolution.
The aim of the program is to contribute sustainable and meaningful change to teaching and learning in Australian schools that will prepare students for further education, training, jobs of the future and to live and work in a digital world. website

Digital Photography

2008-02-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

All about Digital Photos...a brief primer on digital photos by Ken Watson .....good starting point more

Our National Curriculum

2008-01-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

First Steps Toward A National Curriculum

The Prime Minister and Minister for Education, today announced the appointment of Professor Barry McGaw as Chair of the government’s new National Curriculum Board. more

Cyberbullying.....via mobile

2008-01-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

I guess this is something we already knew about but now there is the research to prove the extent of bullying via mobile phones in schools. more

National Assessment Program - ICT Literacy Years 6 & 10 Report

2008-01-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

My school was involved in this in 2005....how I feel things have changed since then........ http://www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/NAP_ICTL_2005_Years_6_and_10_Report.pdf

top 100 tools for learning

2008-01-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

This list was compiled from the Top 10 Tools lists of 109 learning professionals during July and August 2007. 100 Tools received 3 or more (positive) mentions and a further 50 Tools received 2 mentions. more

UK Ofsted research

2008-01-13T23:57:00.000-08:00

Since September 2005 Ofsted (UK) has selected a total sample of 60 primary and 60 secondary schools for the annual ICT subject survey. read results here

of the considerations...I relate to

Pupils’ use of ICT inside and outside school needs to be known about and taken into account in planning schemes of work.

something we all need to ponder

Schools counter cyber bullying in class

2008-01-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

From today's news:

SCHOOLS are being forced to give students special lessons on how to treat each other with respect when communicating online amid an explosion of cyber bullying among teenagers. more

Home servers

2008-01-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

have a laugh....find out about the stay at home server.....and don't forget to read the book...... Mommy why is there a server in the House?

student data security

2008-01-07T00:30:00.000-08:00

Although this is from the UK.....applies to many of as well........

Sensitive information on school pupils is being put at risk by staff who take it home with them, an IT firm says.
Teachers in nearly half of England's primary schools back up pupil data on CDs and memory sticks, which they then take out of school, research suggests. more

ICT Competencies for Teachers UNESCO

2008-01-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

UNESCO guidelines for teachers to use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve education will be presented to education ministers from more than 100 countries and to the press at the Moving Young Minds Conference in London on 8 January........ more

One laptop per child scheme

2008-01-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

just read on ABC News online: ....
American computer chip maker Intel has withdrawn from a project aimed at giving millions of cheap laptop computers to children in developing countries........ more

Colgate Slideshow

2007-12-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

Drag and drop images, sounds and themes....to create a great mashup.....great fun .....Colgate site

up and running

2007-12-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

holiday project
get this blog up and running