Minutes from Lead Teacher Day

Minutes


ICT lead Teacher Day

18 May 2011

Present

Elm Park: Belinda, Sara, Veronica

Botany Downs: Bridget, Lyndal

Shelly Park, Ruth, Edwina



Agree on Agenda

BEST Practise: BDS made blogging compulsory- It went down well with the staff- the support for the staff has been really good. We thought that it would be a great way to use the skills they have learnt over the past 3 years on the cluster. Look at updating blog roll on the wiki.

Belinda shared City.lego.com link to comic builder create a class login and use for comic building skills.

Belinda also shared Comic Life 2- you can create templates, load to blog or make a movie. Save as a Jpeg! Belinda happy to email instructions, looking around $6 for licence.

ipad puppet pals on ipad, can load extra sets of characters- the application is free. Great resource and motivator for children.

Art Rage also available on ipad.

Garage band- plug it into amps! Choose instruments, and make a band!

Smile box- Lyndal shared.

Tagxedo- like wordle in shapes

Poster-street.com free posters for teachers

Kerppof.com spell a picture

http://www.picnik.com/

Classroom Visits:

Everyone really liked communication for all.

Writing on the mimio

Enjoyed looking through all class blogs.

Wiki use integrated in literacy and numeracy.

Only have a few computers in each room but it’s used so well.

Confidence has increased greatly.

Anna and her digital learning centre has worked really well, and so many classes are benefiting from it! Lots of positive comments!! Well done Anna



SOLO/INQUIRY

BDS had Pam Hook come for a TOD at the end of the Xmas holidays, we got all the maps, and worked through them. We then shared our worked at staff meetings. In the last school hols, we had Pam Hook again and did our planning with her in occupations. Great insight- we planned as a whole school, then broke off into teams to go further. Solo is part of inquiry- it does not stand alone. Staff have had a really good go at it, some are displaying in modelling book, maps on mimio programme. E.g. tornado Lyndal used the cause and effect map.

Look at our school motto- and houses- compare and contrast how we do our BEST always.

Boys are really enjoying SOLO, it helping lift boys achievement.

Lyndal and Bridget bringing SOLO into reading lessons. Its about getting a grasp on the map- when you can use it- and use a wide variety to the maps.

Chapter book exercise- use the SOLO map to do the book review.

It helps visiting other schools to get new ideas and understand how to use it.

A lot of children at SPS sit on multi-structural, using the assessment rubric.

Discussion on how to move them to extended abstract.... Car has wheels, motor etc.... if it didn’t have 4 wheels it wouldn’t work! So use things kids know to get a handle on the TOOLS not the subject. USE the BECAUSE..... So to keep ourselves safe from a house fire we need to... give kids the starting sentence.

Groups share.

DEFINE MAP: My aim is to write a definition: Rubric 1 idea, 2 ideas etc etc

I have several ideas about penguins and can explain them and form an opinion. Use this to collate ideas and write a definition.

Relational: A penguin has two ideas because.....

Extended Abstract: several ideas can explain them (because) and form an opinion.

Veronica shared her inquiry book:

Lyndal shared our BDS inquiry plan.

The value of Inquiry, school visits, everybody being on board and being committed, use our CRT time to get PD, Belinda in doing inquiry and questioning, Pam Hook.

Dear Abbey

Discussion with cluster about school issues and lead teacher support offered.

ULEARN

ULearn Rotorua

Costs, accommodation, information- as it’s during the holidays we may be able to send more teachers...

Learning @ Schools Share new knowledge and ideas



Email I sent to Bruce to sell it at BDS

The U Learn conference is now is Rotorua and takes place during the school holidays.

It begins on Wednesday 19 October (9am start) through to Friday 21 October (1.50pm finish)

It includes 6 breakouts- these are presenters from NZ schools who offer practical learning experiences and 5 keynote speakers

1. Simon Breakspear (Australia)- Author of Talent Magnets

2. Jack Bacon (USA) Author of many educational books

3. Graeme Aitken (NZ) Decisions made by policy makers

4. Jan Herrington (Australia) Authentic learning in higher order thinking

5. Professor Stephan Happell (UK) founder of Ultra lab



Registration is:

Early bird bookings (march- July 31st) $595+ GST

August-October $645+ GST



Accommodation costs vary and prices are based on 2 beds per room:

The Motels/Hotel in the area are:

• Millennium (Official conference hotel) $264.50 per night- (2x queen beds)

• Silver Oaks $130 per night ( 1x queen bed and 1x single bed)

• Distinction Hotel $199 per night (2x queen beds)

• Kingsgate $199 per night (2x double beds)

• Sudima Hotel $159 per night (2x double beds)

• Ridges (not listed) around $190 per night (2 queen beds per room)



Possible teachers to go....

Briar, Louise, Lauren, Keiko, Gareth, Jenny, Michelle, Erna/Sue perhaps at another school

Elm Park are sending 4 people to go to U Learn.

Shelly Park are unsure.

Victoria Fair in Scotland- linking classes through skype and blogging in the first week of June as her class are studying schools around the world.

Discussions on schools, similarities and differences.

Look at updating class blog roll on wiki for each school to keep in contact and comment on each others work...????

Lead Teacher Blogs/reflections

ipad Training

I'm really looking forward to getting some cool literacy tips and hopefully meeting for lunch!!! xx

Blogging

Very impressed at how blogging has taken off in BDS- We love http://www.fodey.com/! All classes now have a blog- now I just need to make sure they are regulary updated- A way i'm trying to that is to set commenting as part of homework- and getting the kids to visit other class blogs and leave a positive comment.
Tonight we're showing our Solo maps from class- looking forward to grabbing more ideas x

Blogging Buddies

So proud of my class blog! Yes BDS has decided to make blogs compulsory this year- for many reasons here are 21 super ones!!!

1. It is FUN! Fun!….. I hear your sceptical exclamation!! However, it is wonderful when students think they are having so much fun, they forget that they are actually learning. authentic audience – no longer working for a teacher who checks and evalutes work but  a potential global audience.
2. Suits all learning styles – special education students- needs and abilities.
3. Increased motivation for writing – all students are happy to write and complete aspects of the post topic.
4. Many will add to it in their own time- motivational homework reading and responding to others.
5. Increased motivation for reading – students will happily spend a lot of time browsing through fellow student posts and their global counterparts. Many have linked their friends onto their blogroll for quick access. Many make comments.
6. Improved confidence levels –  Students can share their strengths and upload areas of interest or units of work eg personal digital photography, their pets, hobbies etc
7. Staff are given an often rare insight into what some students are good at. We find talents that were otherwise unknown and it allows us to work on those strengths. It allows staff to often gain insight to how students are feeling and thinking.
8. Pride in their work – students want their blogs to look good in both terms of presentation and content. Blogs allow text, multimedia, widgets, audio and images – all items that digital natives want to use
9. Increased proofreading and validation skills
10. Improved awareness of possible dangers that may confront them in the real world, whilst in a sheltered classroom environment
11. Ability to share – part of the conceptual revolution that we are entering. They can share with each other, staff, their parents, the community, and the globe.
12. Mutual learning between students and staff and students.
13. Parents with internet access can view their child’s work and writings – an important element in the parent partnership with the classroom. Grandparents from somewhere like England may have made comments on student posts.
14. Blogs may be used for digital portfolios and all the benefits this entails
15. Work is permanently stored, easily accessed and valuable comparisons can be made over time for assessment and evaluation purposes
16. Students are digital natives - blogging is a natural element of this.
17. Gives students a chance  to show responsibility and trustworthiness and promotes independence.
18. Prepares students for digital citizenship as they learn cybersafety .
19. Fosters peer to peer mentoring. Students are happy to share, learn from and teach their peers (and this, often not their usual social groups)
20. Allows student led professional development and one more……
21. Students set the topics for posts – leads to deeper thinking activities

This is surely powerful learning!!

Check out my class blog http://www.room20bds2011.blogspot.com/

Website information recieved from 02/03/2011: http://murcha.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/20-reasons-why-students-should-blog/

Reflection...Final days of Eastnet

Today is the final day of the eastnet cluster and out very final lead teacher day :-( So many positives to reflect upon, and the easiest way I can think to sum up 3 years is to do a PMI.

Let me just do a little introduction first...

My name is Bridget and I started my teaching career in July 2005. I started teaching a lovely year 6 class and although I loved all things computer previously to starting, my class had already been set up and all my ICT passion couldn't be implemented due to the fact I was a BT, terrified of making changes and the class had one ancient computer! I made a huge mistake by trying to fit into a mould and doing the job of a teacher who was nothing like me! She was much older and not interested in anything technology. The school didn't communicate with emails or anything... some days I had no reason at all to turn on a computer and all class work was done at home on my own computer.

So 2006 begins and I have the confidence behind me to make room 20 my own. I begin adding my personality to my new class and getting the children rotating on the lonely computer doing mostly publishing, power point presentations and search engines for their action learning (a way of teaching that was being implemented into the school on my arrival).

2007- and teaching a year 5 and 6 class now I decided to purchase a laptop of my own to use in class and get more rotations going on the computer. I continued to buy CD's for children to save their work on. We showed our work to other groups, but never to whole class and I stayed safe using publishing in word, power point and search engines- although the laptop didn't have internet so children who wanted to use search engines had to wait until the ancient box in the corner was free....

2008-Year 5 class- The Eastnet cluster was introduced at the beginning of the year and in a staff meeting teachers were asked who was interested and to apply to Bruce. This was my chance to get on the ground floor of something fabulous and something I loved doing!

I applied- and missed out :-( I was gutted!

After the first term a lead teacher got a job in another school and an opening for a new lead teacher was going up for grabs- I jumped at my chance! So my journey begins- Bridget Smith- Lead teacher!!!!!!!

I felt like I spent the rest of the year catching up (The other had already been to a conference in Rotorua and returned jam packed with fabulous ideas) I felt a little less confident- and took a bit of a backseat waiting to find a program or website I could use with my kids.....

I began implementing things I had taken away from our lead teacher days- the kids could do it- and they loved it! I was feeling passionate again!

Laptops were intoduced, wireless networks, digital cameras (although shared).... and I moved up from CD's to a memory stick! PS I also welcomed a mimio and projector into the class :-)

2009- A move to the middle school and teaching year 3 and 4's- could they do ICT being so young??? A wiki site was set up by the lead teachers- my job was to search and find interactive websites aimed directly at the middle school. So ICT began to flood through the door... we began blogging, using interactive websites, web2 tools, you name it.... we were doing it!

2010- OMG I AM NOW THE HEAD OF ICT!!!!!!! Can you believe it? What a huge shift, and a great experience. A busy year running a class full time, doing action research, writing milestone reports and learning the ropes of systems, training experts, running a team, and running staff PD.

So begins my PMI to sum up my personal 3 years experience.....

PLUS= So many positives!!! Computer programs, websites, search engines, web2 tools, interactive sites, mimios, projectors, action research, meeting new people and visiting new schools, being on the ground floor of introducing inquiry, projectors, flip minos, digital cameras, easispeaks... you name it BDS now have it and we are active!

I cannot thank Belinda enough for helping me in my career. I have learnt so much from her but more importantly and above the thousands of new programs I can and o use.... the students in my class love school and learning!

MINUS= I have one negative and that is the workload- Running a classroom full time and doing all of the other responsibilities I have in the school- not related to ICT (like magazine and Dance group) I really really struggled sometimes to feel passionate- as is evident in my reflections throughout my lead teacher blog posts.

INTERESTING= I found our lead teacher days inspiring and the conferences interesting. You become a better teacher when you leave your little box and visit other schools and grab new ideas. When you challenge and force yourself to implement something new into the classroom quickly to retain that new knowledge from a lead teacher day- even though you feel so tired and overloaded with work- you know the rewards of watching the kids be so excited will wipe away that initial "I can't be bothered attitude" and you can can go home knowing- you made a difference today :-).

What an experience- I am so happy to have been a part of watching that huge shift in our school, and I am a better teacher for it. Very pleased that we will continue to meet next year- it's all about sustainability!

OMG I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by!
I am so pleased with the outcome of my action research, it's my professional goal next year to continue with it. Staff are looking forward to having an active year 5 and 6 ICT expert group in class and staff meetings! I also had another idea.... make each Teachno Ranger have a learning blog of their OWN! to write their reflections- log their learning and collect ideas of what we do in Techno Training sessions.... hahahahah can't wait!
Looking forward to catching up on Wednesday Lead Teachers, it's our last official catch up so lets make it a great one :-)

Action research blog

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