ICT Assist in the Classroom

‘Ask 3 then Me’. Tapping into wisdom

‘Ask 3 then Me’ is a strategy often used by Primary / Elementary teachers to encourage students to trust their own judgement and to be more self- reliance when working independently.  When facing a problem, students are required to ask three of their classmates before asking the teacher.

We ask our students to use this strategy but forget to employ such sanity savers  as learners in a technological situation.

Think about ways to work smarter. Whether you engage in technology in the classroom, staff workroom or enrolled in an online course, this strategy will come in handy for you too. In a school environment you are surrounded by so many knowledgeable people and online support.

As an online mentor for educators in the Lismore Diocese in NSW, I hear the frustration, embarrassment and doubt from participants as they struggle with the initial online instruction. So many times I read lines like “I feel out of my comfort zone”, “totally overwhelmed”  and “I feel lost”.  My contact information and virtual office hours (for support) are well published and participants know I am happy to help outside these hours when they are totally frustrated. I  also encourage them to seek answers through other channels first. Here is my twist on the original strategy:

ASK 3 OF THESE THEN ME

• Post your questions to the appropriate discussion boards. It is surprising just how many others not only share your issue but have solutions that might work for you as well. Other mentors and technicians regularly check these online thread to offer support when necessary

• Ask ‘Aunty Google’! She is a virtual wiz when it comes to the really tricky stuff. Just type in your question EG ‘how to add an image to post in Edublogs’ and you will be directed to a list of helpful weblinks for Edublogs.  What do you think your online mentor is doing when you ask your tricky question? Trust me … we are Google-ing it!

• Check out YouTube. If you ask the same question as above but add the words ‘video tutorial’ you will be directed to YouTube where a video tutorial can take you through the process step by step.

SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS (Mia Hamm)

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player b. 1972 with a club foot and as a toddler she wore corrective shoes. During her career, she scored more international goals than any other player (male or female) in the history of US soccer. Hamm has authored ‘Go  for Goal: A Champion’s Guide to Winning Soccer and Life’.  I think we can safely say Mia knew a lot about building on her success.

There’s no doubt about it – when it all starts falling into place you tend to become even more successful. Because you are following the instructions and doing the right things you are rewarded with more success, you become more confident and more optimistic about what lays ahead in your course.

How do you reach that level of comfort? Treat yourself as gently as you would any learner in your classroom!

• Print out the instructions and sit them beside your mouse for instant referral. Add notes.
• Trust your own judgement
• Employ my ‘Ask 3 of these then Me’ strategy
• Regard failure as part of any new experience. As long as learning takes place then it is a valuable step to your learning curve
• Cherish your successful moments. Build on them. Celebrate them.

20 MINUTE RULE

When all else fails apply my sanity saver tip that I call the ’20 minute rule’. If after 20 minutes on your computer you have not succeeded in cracking your technical, software or hardware problem – then walk away. Get a cuppa or sit in the sun or do a household chore.

When you return to your computer, that little ‘mental break’ may just give you a tiny spark of inspiration from something you remember reading or enable you to return refreshed and stretched to try to attack that same problem for another 20 mins. If you are still unsuccessful then you must convince yourself that it simply is not just ‘you’ at fault. Ask help from a friend, Google, discussion / support forums or your online mentor.

It’s amazing the number of issues I solve when hanging out the washing!

Images from http://www.openclipart.org

Poster ‘Ask 3 of these then Me’ by Lesleigh Altmann

I have just read Judy O’Connell’s inspiring blog post  called ‘Digital Divide’ where she highlights the growing concern of the digital divide between student’s technical knowledge and that of their teachers. So THANKYOU Jude for highlighting this glaringly obvious issue.

Teachers and parents need find opportunities to bring themselves up to speed on the educational, social and networking tools available to our youth. Our students are so tech savvy but still far too naive. They must have adults to help guide their decision making. Another interesting read is  ’Always Connected‘ report written by Aviva Lucas Gutnick, Michael Robb, Lori Takeuchi and Jennifer Kotler. Outlined are snapshot findings, media usage is traced throughout recent decades and startling key findings.

Now that internet connection is so mobile and so private and so very very hard to monitor, the lack of knowledge of supervising adults compounds the growing divide. Who in their right mind would take on an upper primary or secondary maths class if they themselves cannot function past their 3X tables? Sadly it can happen with technology at every level.

I now work with those educators who are willing to put their hand up for online mentoring in web 2 tools where basic ICT knowledge is a perquisite for the course. Passion and thirst for knowledge essential. It never ceases to amaze me that even the ICT literate adults are gobsmacked at the variety, power, availability and ease with which these web2 tools can be utilised for education.  And so the seed is planted. And grows. The questions and discussions inevitably turn to adult responsibility and student digital citizenship.

In term 4, 2010, a 10 week Web2 Tools online diocesan course was offered as a trial in the hope of drawing in about 20 teachers seeking Institute Teacher accreditation and we were swamped with 70 applicants! A reality check gave 52 applicants the opportunity to do the first ever Web2 Tools for Teachers course. 44 completed the course amongst the pressures of the final weeks of the year.

This year I am working in team to create more such courses and mentor up to 100 participants a term in Web2 Tools, Beyond Web2 and Digital Citizenship. Nearly 90 people from the teaching ranks, principals, assistant principals, teacher librarians and CEO personnel are working on line this term. A few of those 8 teachers who did not complete last year’s course will join the current group mid course. More teachers have asked to join future courses along with CEO leaders, principals, assistant principals, teacher librarians, SSOs (support staff for IT) and teachers aides.

Now we are happily scrambling to support these educators to close that divide through online mentoring. The success of these courses spread through word of mouth: teachers who were keen to learn more and support their students have encouraged others to jump on board.

They are out there and we are here.

By accident or design we need to find ways to break the bubble of  ’not knowing what they don’t know’ and close that gap.

The return of the iPod Touch

iPod Touch devices are back on the agenda at our little Catholic primary school nestled in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. Now we are on the search for great ideas for use in the classroom and more up to date apps.  We are on the march to find inspiring ideas: The list is evolving below so why not start with one of Tom Barratt’s Interesting Ways series:

More links:

• Tony Vincent’s Do’s and Dont’s
• Online community network The iPod Touch Classroom
• Education.edu ‘You are never alone’
• Implementation support – ‘iPod Touch in the Classroom’
• K12 Online Conference 2010 -‘ iPod Touch’

Using FLIP Cameras in Your Classroom

Have you ever come across a piece of equipment in the back of the cupboard and promised yourself to dedicate time to get it incorporated back into your classroom learning environment? Recently I’ve heard such ponderings on the best way to use Flip Cameras in the classroom. Armed with only a little mentoring experiences of my own, I turned to Tom Barratt’s ‘Interesting Ways’ series of collaborative classroom ideas.to pull some information together for my colleagues. Browse Tom’s website for yourself and be prepared to be inspired!

So – what is a FLIP camera?

FLIP cameras are small handheld video cameras that can record 30 or 60 mins worth of video. Connect to your PC with a USB plug that “flips” out from the side of the camera. Although I personally feel that this Flip out USB plug is its most vulnerable point. The functions are basic, but the ease of use will put you at ease as you will not be confused with the bells and whistles “regular” camcorders have.

Why use FLIP cameras?

Instruction on how to use the cameras may take you 2-3 minutes to explain to your class but in reality, it will take students much less time to get it up and running!! Pulling the files off of the camera is easy – just plug it in and use the FLIP software. It will install automatically to save the videos in a specially created folder. Video files can be converted to  .avi files produced by the FLIP camera into a file type that can be uploaded to a blog or website.

1. Instructions for using the camera

Turn on: 30 minute flip  slider button on the side Recording: Push the red button to start, push the red button to stop. Zoom with the + or – buttons. Watching your recording: Push the Play button and arrow through videos using the right and left buttons Delete a recording: Push the delete/trash can button

2. Using it in the classroom

I worked with teachers to us the Flip Camera inspired by Tom Barratt’s ‘Camera in your Pocket‘ series during our mentoring sessions in each stage class group. Each week about 12 students worked with their grade teacher to learn how to use the Flip Cams and either video an area or each other during a HSIE focus. The video footage will be uploaded into the school network to share with the rest of the school.

3. Pulling the files off of the camera

On the side of the flip camera, you will see the slide that ‘flips’ the USB plug out. Plug the FLIP camera into the USB port on the computer. Wait a moment for the “what do you want to do” window to open. You have 2 options: either use the FLIP software or Drag and Drop the files. Instructions for each option.

4. Editing your movies
The FLIP comes with software that allows you to do some basic editing of your videos. If you need more advanced editing capabilities, use Windows Movie Maker or your favorite movie editing software to add titles, trim clips, and compile all clips into one video.

5. Converting your files to use

Visit http://media-convert.com or http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html to download free software to convert the .avi file to a .mov or .wmv for a powerpoint or your blog. You can also convert the file to .mp4 or .flv

6. More Handy Resources

• 7 Things You Should Know About Flip Cameras
• Teacher Tube “How to use the Flip” for teachers
• Teacher Tube “How to download Flip Videos” for teachers
• How to use Flip Cameras in the Classroom
• Teachers Hub – Using Flips in the Classroom
• Eucha College – Resources and lesson plans
• Teaching N Technology Blog post on Flips
• Use a Flip Camera in a Maths Lesson
• 39 Interesting Ways to use your Flip in the Classroom
• More ideas to use your Flip in Primary Schools
• Many more ideas from “Free Technology For Teachers” Blog -excellent ideas
• An excellent example of Yr 5 using the Flip for AntiBullying Campaign
• Recording the highlights of the School Fete
• Free Technology for Teachers – Tips and Tricks with the Flip

So how can we do it at St Mary’s?

Our school is a very small Catholic primary school on the Mid North coast of NSW in Australia. Our student population is around 48-50 students each year. Most of these students are from the Indigenous community from around the  Bowraville district.

At St Mary’s ‘limited budget’ does not mean ‘limited expectations’! Our school vision is ‘Do Your Best” and so with vision and ingenuity born from necessity, our school principal, Claire Mellon has been able to purchase 6 iPod Touch devices as a trial. To say that we are excited is an understatement!  Although we recently purchased 15 ASUS netbooks as part of our National Pride grant, we believe that the iPod iTouch offers something extra for our little school environment. This is a step towards the ‘learning in hand’ environment where students are exposed to the ‘in your pocket’ mobility on a daily basis.

In regular discussions with Claire, we decided to go with the technology that would fit comfortably in their learning world. Researching into ways other students around the world picked up this device, we found that school’s IT Coordinators reported that students used the iPod Touch with ease.  We are in our new school with wireless saturation so we are (quietly) confident that  the iPod Touch screen and keyboard will give students an immediate access to the Internet in their ‘pockets’.  It seemed the only  non-phone option for us this year.

So how do we store these little critters? I investigated the iPod cart to store and manage the sync process of multiple iPods comes at a price (over $2000 for the cart. $7,000 if you buy all the iTouch devices to go with the cart).  I hope that one day we can purchase such an impressive unit – have a look at the specs!

This little cart resembles our netbook cart that stores and charges each unit. The price of which could be well outside our budget at St Mary’s for quite a while. So where to from here? How do we expect to manage multiple iTouch devices? I am sure other school communities face the same dilemma. How can we store and manage and sync multiple iTouch devices?  Until this afternoon, I believed that multiple devices could only be synced to a Mac. Apparently I was in the dark!

This is entirely DO-able at St Mary’s Bowraville!  But I am so pleased to come across this post in the blog ’Classroom20′.

Follow this link  ….. http://www.classroom20.com/ site.

I think that this method could be our direction now that we have a mini lab of iPod devices for our small school.

Any more ideas that would help us begin our journey would be greatly appreciated.

New iPod Touch needs new Apps: what to download for our little school community?

This will be our first venture into using our school iPod Touch. We have been able to procure 6 iPods and we need to work on the best way to utilise them.  Researching available iPod models and appropriate APPS (or Applications) can be a real challenge and there are many informative blogs and wikis out there to Google. Here is a link that I found most useful as it displayed the options for each iPods in a simple comparison chart.

Have a look at this link if you are still undecided which iPod model is best for you -

Also this is an interesting link : 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn.

Our first step into iTouch use was to download appropriate APPS for our students. A very basic level to use these devices, but it is a very good start. This link helped us create an ‘account’ with iTunes without using the Principal’s credit card! How to Create an iTunes account without a credit card

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

A few years ago we purchased 15 ASUS eeePCs with 1GB of memory, 150GB hard drives and a 5 hour battery life and are thrilled with the prospect of working with these new tools. However, we don’t want our school environment to be exclusive to a singular device. Our IWBs,  desktops and netbooks will give students an opportunity to compose and produce work, access the Internet and engage in our licenced and free software in their classrooms. However, we believe that the iTouch can offer that ‘in your pocket’ mobility that can also offer easy access to the Internet and to a wide range of APPS that can be just as easily used in class room, on the sport / PE field and on excursions. Once the device is synced correctly,  the Apps work offline and this is of immense interest for us at St Mary’s.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

So we will start experimenting with our iPods this term. We can envisage how easily the students will enjoy their new devices , using the touch screen with ease. For students who need reward, self confidence and self esteem, this device has already proved to be an invaluable tool. We now have 6 to share between our 3 classes as a trial!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

There are so many tools out there for the iPod Touch. But I do believe that there are a unique combination of factors contributing to the right iPod choice for us. We had to factor in the the size of the unit; what kind of APPS that teachers could choose from; the student input into choosing APPs;  the touch screen with the resizing ability; the access on and off Internet for information. So the iTouch won in favour of the amazing functionality as a learning device.  Exploring the APPS available on iTunes will give us a wide variety of applications for our students who, for the most part, are in need of motivation for engagement. I have downloaded many of these APPS but next week will add to our repertoire on our one-and-only iTouch device.

There are an abundant number of Apps available and with them comes the warning that not all Apps are great educational tools. Some are just snazzy new ways to do more ‘wroksheets’. There are a few sites that I managed to find to help a discerning novice like me! These two sites were very helpful: Apps for K-12 and iPhone and Kids. There are so many Apps coming out each month and so I put   AppMiner on my RSS account to keep updating me with new ones.

Here are a few ideas for our first To-Do-List- to download APPS for our K- 8 students:

• Clock, Calendar, Notes, Calculator, Compass: all are basic yet essential tools
• Yellow Pages and Australian Postcode book:both are a must for an Aussie iTouch
• Safari, many bookmarks made from Internet spots
• Blanks, words are not easy at this level but popular for use and competition
• Procrastinate, organizational tool a favourite for staff in some schools.
• Pocket Phonics, Match, Trace it, Wordsearches – many apps for student’s skill development
• TicTacToe,Draughts, Chess, Code Cracker, Join the Dots, Connect Four: give strategy stimulation for one or more players
• FlipBook Lite, language arts teachers are using to construct interactive small projects
• GoogleEarth, virtual field trips, collaborative groups, across content areas
• Capitals & Countries- both these apps lists capital cities around the world and countries with their basic stats
• Braintuner, skills at low level, speed and competition good aspect of appPI83, very similar to to TI83 being used in classrooms
• WordWarp, favorite word game
• Dice, math tool for statistics and probability
• Lose it!and Pedometer: reference for Health/PE
• NikeTraining, Health/PE, videos used to show proper technique, to recommend routines for students away from school building
• Dice3D, math tool for statistics and probability
• CoinToss, math tool for statistics and probability
• Coin Toss World Edition, math tool for statistics and probability also compares the coins from different countries displaying culture and history to integrate math and social studies content
• WordBook dictionary, Thesaurus tools – a number are available for across content tool
• Mini Pianos, Drum Kits and Guitar chord tutors – several apps to give creative students an opportunity to learn more and accompany music
• Whiteboard, student collaboration tool across content areas
• Flashgram, used for parts of speech although the presentation is for younger students
• ChemTouch & Formulas – both offer handy formulas, Periodic Table and Amino Acid reference chart for Science for our Stage 4 students
• Spell It, Spell Check, Spell Bee- 3 app games in two levels for differentiated abilities
• Enigmo – a fluid dynamics based game. Good for puzzles and strategy.
• Spore – there is a free version that gives you one or two levels to play and is a good starter activity for a jump into evolution.
• Hanoi – simple Hanoi disc game where you have to figure out how to move the stack of discs from one side of the table to the other.
• Tanzen – yet another puzzle, spatial awareness game
• Quick Graph- dynamic graph and plotter – supports functions and easy to use calculator. Not as good as premium versions of graphs, but suffices for most class use.
• iThought & Blue Sky- both are excellent concept mapping tools
• TED- collection of videos from the TED conferences. Great for short clips, how assignments, or inspiration.
• Kindle for iPhone if you have access to kindle or purchasing through Amazon, this can be a great way to read parts of novels. Just released but look for more future support of magazines, newspapers etc. where I think any class can get the students engaged through the written word.
• InquisitorA good alternative for fast searching on the Internet. Gives more helpful descriptions of each link as opposed to the generic Google info.
• The Game of Life, Cellular Automation
• Basic Math, add, subtract, multiply, divide quiz
• IQuotation, quotation database by category, author and favorite
• Idioms, everyday idiom database
• StoryLite, personalized adventure stories
• Genius, typing program

What are you using in the way of APPS for your iPod device?? Can you shed some light on some more useful APPS before we move on to adding Microsoft docs and Podcasts to our storage??

Next job will be to look into the podcasts that are available on iTunes for students. WETA Learning Media is also available on iTunes and use story to bring topics to life in HSIE, Science and Health. Three in particular have caught my attention:

Hooked on Phonics: uses images and songs to teach rhymes, phonics, letters and reading for early readers.

Global Wonders: a video podcast introducing students to the cultures of the world with entertaining cartoon characters, actual video and images from other countries.

CNN News: This is a 10 minute, commercial free, news platform for students in Stage 2. Interesting to see what kind of news it will bring into our classrooms for current event discussions.

I also found some great  ideas shared on Twitter this week:

Tony Vincent’s “Learning in Hand”

80 excellent podcasts for every kind of classroom

Deirdre’s “iTouch Learning

Live Binders

Create your own lessons

Lots more APPS from ICT@C

UTECH Tips gives more ideas for APPS in the classroom

Looks like we will have some Busy Bowra weeks ahead of us!

Recently I have been working online with teachers who wanted to explore a range of web 2 tools to add to their teaching toolkit.  One tool, Google Maps, sparked such an interest that it prompted me on a journey of discovery too. Today I worked out how to get my photos into my maps!  Jenn Mears’ WebDesign describes how to do it with Picasso but I found the same process is possible with Flickr (another of our tools explored this term).

Initially, Google Maps was created as a navigational tool for the bewildered traveler but the customizing options built into Google Maps make it an invaluable collaborative tool for the digital classroom. By using an IWB, students can brainstorm their way to a better understanding of Google Maps and the world around them. Andrew Churches encourages educators to consider using these Web 2 tools  to construct their own ‘virtual field trips’.

Teachers and students are finding creative was to engage in this high quality resource by:

· Using the Drag ‘n’ Zoom,

· Rotatating the overhead imagery,

· Inviting collaborators to edit their maps,

· Adding place marks, lines shapes,

· Adding text,

· Embedding photos and videos,

· Sharing maps with other collaborators,

· Using street view to see the location in real view

· Grabbing the peg man to hop to different locations

After an intensive and satisfying Google search I found lots of ideas for  Google Maps in the classroom:

• English – create a map tour of play, novel or poem, try Google Lit Trips to engage in the greatest literature road trip stories
• Digital Storytelling – with Google Maps; We Tell Stories – digital fiction from Penguin (especially the 21 Steps);   Silvia Tolisano’s  LANGWITCHES’ Blog  gives two great Digital storytelling tutorials in Part 2 and part 5
• History – go on virtual excursions to search for locations of events or create a narrated tour of an historical event. Eg 12 California Missions; use Google’s prepared lessons or make an historical log of events
• Geography -  search for locations, explore physical features and go on virtual field trips try importing GPS data and then add photographs and video from a field trip. Juicy Geography is a great site for ideas and resources.
• Religion – search for locations such as Bethlehem or narrate the life of one of the scriptural figure studied. Use push pins to mark each focus
• Science - look at power generation and locate wind farms, oil rigs or plot the distribution of animal species in a specific area using My Maps. Although these are not Google Maps they are certainly very helpful interactive map links: Volcanos of the world;  NZ earth quake map
• Physics – bus routes to learn about speed, velocity and displacement
• HSIE and Geography– tracing the journey of explorers with added comments; locating monuments around the world; use street view for Half Moon Island in Antarctica; penguins ; Antarctic landscape; Antarctica Tours;  Google school lesson ideas ; Primary HSIE ideas or use this ANZAC walk to inspire a Google Map. Another valuable map too good to pass by is this interactive map that changes the size of each country to represent the data chosen for that subject
• Modern Foreign Languages – search for locations, create tours, give directions and narrate in a foreign language such as in Box of Tricks and Slideshare
• Citizenship: show where events are taking place, fair trade and global awareness as in the Google UK Schools site
• Maths – use Google Maps to calculating road distances, petrol consumption and costs, look for shapes in the environment such as pyramids or conduct an alphabet shape scavenger hunt with cheat-sheet of letter shapes; use real world puzzles; calculate distance speed and time in the Three Peaks Challenge
• General Ideas - Postcard Exchange Project ; Robert Elliot demonstrates how he uses Google My Maps in his classroom; Primary teaching ideas on the Google UK Schools Site

Why not start using Google Maps?  To provide this stimulating level of engagement will encourage students to find their voice by collaborating with each other to problem solve. You only need to create a Google account.

How do you use Google Maps in your classroom?  Please share your ideas with us and post a comment on your experiences.

I browsed through Library Thing and found a few favourites and also found ‘The IWB Revolution’ by Chris Betcher and Mal Lee.  I just HAD to add that book to my shelf as I was one of the 8 contributing teachers from around the world to talk about how I used IWBs in the classroom. The popularity rating was well over a million but there were no reviews for this book so I became the first one.

I think Library Thing would be really useful in a school. Imagine the focus a teacher would achieve if they created a library widget that highlights great literature from the school and local library and embedded it into the school website, wiki  or the class blog.  A few possible hiccups to get around – a  teacher would have to join Library Thing under a professional name so the students couldn’t view his/her personal library!

Just had another idea (probably not new but it is to me). Image the impact a class Library Thing would be on other classes across the same grade. Students given a voice to collaboratively collate and recommend a reading list for their peers. The Library Thing account would be something like ’4A’s 2010 Book Shelf’.

Imagine how fantastic a student’s own Library Thing would be instead of the plain old boring Reading Book Log students have to fill out with mundane fill in blanks such as ‘book title’, ‘author’, ‘how many pages read on this date’ and a one word comment on the book such as nice or boring. It would certainly interest reluctant readers by helping them to identify books that address their interest.

What do you think? How would you see it used beneficially in an educational setting? Post a comment and lets hear your opinion.

http://howsecureismypassword.net/

This link is going on our next staff meeting agenda!

How frustrating can it be to create and maintain a plethora of passwords (try saying that one three times!) We have to juggle passwords for  our general emails accounts, school logins, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, wikis, Flikr not to mention the high security passwords for banking and stock management. So its no wonder we stare at the computer screen biting the bottom lip in an attempt to remember password whats and  wheres.

So when I discovered this link, I just had to try my passwords out to rate their security. My super dooper 14 character school technical password passed with flying colours. Apparently it would take 19 million years to crack! Sadly some of my other basic passwords took only 3-4 minutes to crack. Thanks to Judy O’Connell for bringing it to light on her blog Hey Jude.

One of the biggest problems with passwords is that users tend to forget them or lose the secret place in which they are kept. But beware of simple reminder options like the dogs name or your family name etc. You may as well leave the front door key under the welcome mat too!

Try to use nonsense words or words that have a mixture of other characters in them such as ‘$ign@Home’ and make them as long as possible (that is still easy to remember).  Mixing upper and lower case letters is a great help too. Do make sure that your password cannot be deciphered when you enter it on the keyboard. (12345 is a bit of a give away!)

Are you still worried?

This weblink Diceware Passwords could be of help.