Thursday 29 May 2008

Cluster Share May 2008

Again teachers shared and reflected on a variety of elearning strategies they have been exploring over the last term. Thank you to everyone for your contributions and support.

All teacher presentations and links can be accessed from the cluster wiki.

As I moved between the sessions I noted how often teachers reported on the engagement of students in their learning as a result of their participation and opportunities to collaborate with others, including a wider audience beyond their school.

One example of this is Living Heritage (available free to all NZ schools), an opportunity for students to "become investigators and storytellers, collaborating with each other to research, write, and publish for an online audience". Students from Northcote Intermediate have developed and published an online resource from their explorations of Tawharanui National Park, its endangered species and the impact of humans . Alison shared the process her class went through to publish their inquiry and some wonderful examples of how elearning can be integrated for a specific, authentic purpose.

Also see Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand for similar opportunities for student's to share their stories ( bottom left of the Te Ara home page)

Sunday 11 May 2008

Slideshare Tip

Many of you have started using slideshare to embed presentations in your class wiki and blog and have been disappointed by the recent addition of a link to other random presentations and advertising. Many thanks to Dorothy Burt for sharing her solution to this problem on twitter.
Give it a go and if you have any questions let either Lynne or myself know.

SlideShare - removing link to random slideshares when you have embedded in your wiki or blog.

Rest of the code remains exactly the same.
An example from Dorothy here

Tuesday 6 May 2008

Dear Room 3...

Thank you for emailing me your pictures and writing. Your butterflies and moths are wonderful with lots of detail, I could even see the little hairs on the moths antennae! I loved them so much I have printed them out and stuck them up around my desk at work...makes it look very cheerful on a dull rainy day. I have posted a picture below.
I know from reading your stories too, that you have been busy exploring and finding answers to all your questions. I am looking forward to reading more on your blog.

Have a wonderful Term 2