ULearn+2007

=Ulearn Conference - Auckland 2-5 October 2007= Rachel Boyd's notes - rachelboyd.jottit.com Chrissy Hellyer's notes - nzchrissy.jottit.com

Workshop wiki: thinkingworkshop.wikispaces.com
 * Preconference Workshop - 'Sometimes the Technology but Always the Thinking' presented by Jill Hammonds**

Practical Things to Try in My Classroom:
 * In Inquiry use web as an interactive tool to contact experts - children can question them and interact, rather than the web being a place to read only.
 * When giving instructions say 'Is there anything that I haven't made clear to you?'. It is the teacher's job to make sure the children understand the task.
 * Spend 5-10 minutes per day developing thinking fitness - teacher as a 'thinking coach' in the classroom.
 * 'A good teacher asks alot of questions, they don't give the answers'
 * At the end of discussions give students 1 minute to finish their discussion before joining the main group - empowers students.
 * Don't need to 'cater' for diversity, need to 'allow' for diversity.
 * Thinking sticks - paddle pop group sticks - put number, colour, shape on each and group in different ways using each symbol.
 * Develop a thinking tool kit with the class (put it on class wall) and then when children get stuck tell them to use the toolkit.
 * Expert jigsaw strategy
 * Pinwheel strategy
 * 1st 10 mins of day - greetings, brain fitness, goals; last 10 mins - reflection
 * James Nottingam - The Pit. When the kids are stuck say 'we are now in the pit - now we need to decide how we will move forward to get out of the pit'
 * 5 Whys - use to challenge children's thinking.
 * Is what we are doing in the classroom scaffolding the children to think or is it just recall?
 * PUS - positives, uglies, Solutions - cool way to do PMI.


 * Keynote: 'The Leading Edge: Harnessing Technology in an Everchanging World' presented by Ewan McIntosh** edu.blogs.com

Web 2.0 Spaces - Does my Classroom have these 6 spaces? Issues for ICT implementation
 * Secret Spaces - eg.Texts
 * Group Spaces - eg. Facebook
 * Publishing Spaces - eg. Blogs, Flickr
 * Performing Spaces - eg. Virtual Worlds
 * Participation Spaces - eg. Markets, Events, Meetings
 * Watching Spaces - eg. TV, Gigs, Theatre
 * Fear of failure
 * Overplanning - room for serendipity? Able and allowed to fail?
 * Thin Slicing
 * Digital Holidaymakers - Tries ICT but then goes back to what they did before
 * Why bother?

A New Role for the teacher A new role for the student

Harnessing the New Technology 1. Audience - critical regardless of student age. 2. Creativity Unleashed - so what do we do with it? 3. Differentiate - Raising the Bar - 2 stars and a wish for blog comment feedback 4. Authentic Goals 5. It's not about the tech, it's about the teach but... Challenges: 1. Media Literacy - 'If you don't believe in ir you don't understand your kids anymore' It is about knowing when to teach and when to stand back. 2. Death my risk aversion 3. Spreading - how to spread the culture - learn how to give the message without making people afraid. 4. Sustainable Energy - how to make it sustainable in the future - not being digital holidaymakers.

Wiki links: http://ictinfusedinquiry.wikispaces.com http://ngatiiroa2007.wikispaces.com
 * Workshop - 'ICT Infused Inquiry - Enriching the Process' presented by Gail Cochrane (National Library Advisor), Lorrain Watchorn (ICT Cluster Facilitator),** **Mark Boyle (AP, Paengaroa School).**

See handout from workshop
 * Workshop - 'The Rules of Engagement' Presented by Tony Ryan**
 * First 90 seconds critical for engagement
 * When feeling swamped with behaviour - look at what works well in the classroom
 * Lesson idea: At beginning of lesson brainstorm with class what bad handwriting (frowning face) would be like and what your best handwriting (smiley face) would look like. Do handwriting and then get children to grade themselves with smile or frown face. Then pass work to 4 peers to grade.
 * Googe Scholar - for ideas of boys, engagement, motivation.

Wiki: http://creativethinkingulearn.wikispaces.com/ULearn+2007
 * Workshop 3: 'Using ICT to Nurture not Numb Creativity' presented by**

Digital Incubator - students encouraged to mash some 2.0 up to reach a solution eg. mtvU.com-Digital Incubator - Flock Idea as to use these creative applications to present work. Link examples off workshop wiki pictures. 3d Advestising eg. Virtual coke cans to kick around shopping mall Go to Creativity in Action link on Wiki for interactive teacher examples. Like Digitstore. Voice Thread - Record a question and send it out - when received can either type of audio record response. //Investigate this for feedback from peers in classroom on piece of work.//

Not just about the thinking tools but applying them to real tasks. Focus on process and metacognition.

Skrbl - good for sharing thinking - //Try this for brainstorming with class in inquiry// http://www.visualthesaurus.com/

Bottom of this link http://creativethinkingulearn.wikispaces.com/Thinking+Tools has examples of real life inventions using BAR Google docs - online projects where you invite people in Game making - just give it to the kids to go with it - send the kids off to learn and then get them to teach the teacher and rest of class. Try Scratch with younger children http://creativethinkingulearn.wikispaces.com/ - //Investigate this as a teacher to check suitablilty. Try also [|www.alice.org] Tried Scratch in workshop and lots of fun to try and learn... maybe children could make character conversations related to book...

Check out teacher-toolbox.blogspot.com - Adrian Bruce's blog - practical examples of tools in the classroom//

http://edubuzz.pbwiki.com/ Average attention span of a podcast listening is 2 mins, 53 seconds Podcasts get listened through because they are listed in itunes rather than just on school websites. Listening to podcasts is as important as creating them - how will you learn to do good podcasts if you don't listen to them? Coffeebreak spanish podcast Look up mathematics video podcasts on itunes. Often things in podcasts are explained in a funny way - makes it more engaging. USB microphone quality is better - line in ones give a tinny sound, picks up all the bumps. USB better. In Audacity: Go into preferences to check which mic is selected. 'Stagers' create the programme. Encourage kids to put on their radio voices. With the spikes in the audacity recording you don't want them all the way to the top but want them to be as even as possible. 1. Record introduction speaking. Then add music. Go on to edu.blogs.com - my bookmarks (go to ewan's delicious) - podsafe- import as MP3. When working with kids always get them to save to the desktop because it creates so many problems going through the saving heirachy. Project - import audio - enter file. Use scoosher to scoosh voice so intro of music followed by voice. Use sound tool to change time - 4 times. Use selection tool to click at the end of the music to start recording next stage. When you finish a section like introduction - use selection tool and use shift to select all tracks - then use generate to amalgamate tracks. 2. To improve podcasts: Edit recording to removing mistakes, pauses etc. Pick out some sound bites so the podcasts are not too long. Use effect option to amplify voices Voxpok - sound bites of interview. Put a sock over the microphone - stops saliva making the mic 'pop' Edit out all pops and lip smacks
 * Workshop 5: 'Making your podcast more pro' presented by Ewan McIntosh** //e//du.blogs.com

Workshop 6: The Critical Success factors involved in the implementation of a Digital Classroom in New Zealand – presented by Malcolm Roberts, Waikato Institute of Technology. Powerpoint will be up on Ulearn sites as well as a PDF of his thesis.

Good things to do for these students:
 * Workshop 7: Using Technology to Support Differentiated Learning and Learning Difficulties**
 * Routine
 * Timetable of what is happening for the day on board
 * Countdown to exams timetable - week by week
 * Daily reminders - they forget and need to be reminded every day
 * Unable to carry info home so email parents, they are more likely to email back - cuts out the long phonecalls
 * 2 biggest problems - reading and writing.
 * Voice Recognition Software - gets the kids to put down what is in their head. Takes lots of training - students have to persevere so the computer learns to recognise their voice - can get 95% accuracy with it. You can get microphones that cut out background sound but once it is trained to know your voice it will pick up their voice.
 * CAT (Centre for assistive technology) site on TKI - piece on prerequisites to use voice software.