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

View more presentations from Br1dget.

Cluster Share

Last night we met one last time as a cluster to share our school inquiry, lead teacher action research and what we are generally proud of achieving. It was so nice to see everyone and get a good look at how far every school has come since being on the cluster. Huge Thanks to Belinda! Many schools were so grateful at her imput into bringing their school so far in ICT and inquiry. It was really sad knowing that it was the last time we'd meet for the year and I hope with out being on the cluster, we will stay in close contact and share these fabulous experiences.
Well done everyone :-)

Action Research

YES!!!!!
I am back on track! (Thanks B2) I have completed the training for the Techno Rangers. They have the "how to" sheets ready for the staff meeting and I managed to work screen shot... its just fallen into place, I'm so excited!
I have made an excellent start on my presentation for the next cluster share (Emailing it to you soon B2)

A great start!