Cluster+Activities+&+Reflections

This page is for members of our cluster to share the professional development and learning activities they have been involved in and their corresponding reflections.
 * Sharing Professional Development Experiences & Personal Reflections **


 * Digital Literacy Using Multimedia Resources **



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On Friday 22nd October we had a fantastic whole cluster day with teachers from across our cluster participating in the "digital literacy using multimedia resources" practicum. Five eTime facilitators travelled down to Timaru and ran the practicum sessions that incorporated the use of either Keynote or PowerPoint. It was great to see teachers engaged in developing their ICT capabilities and reflecting on how the use of such tools can help teaching and learning practices. Please add a reflection below by clicking on the pink "Post a Sticky" button and typing in a brief statement. The things to reflect on are the skills, knowledge and strategies explored during the day and how you can utilise what you have learnt back in your classroom. media type="custom" key="7307969"

As part of the practicum we spent time exploring how the learning process (topic study, inquiry...) and use of multimedia resourses (Keynote, PowerPoint) can promote and encourage effective teacher actions and the integration of the key competencies. These reflections identified the opportunities that these contexts provided (digital literacy using multimedia) for enhancing teaching pedagogy and the integration of the key competencies. Some teachers also identified specific teacher actions and strategies to ensure that their teaching has a positive impact on student learning.
 * Effective Pedagogy & Key Competencies Reflections **

|| ** St Joseph's Temuka ** || ** Waituna Creek School ** || || ** Timaru South School ** || ** Makikihi School ** || ** Waihao Downs School ** ||
 * Please upload examples of teachers reflection on effective pedagogy and ICT integration, to share with the cluster and to provide as evidence for the Milestone. **
 * ** Geraldine Primary[[file:GeraldinePedagogyReflection.pdf]] ** || ** Temuka Primary ** || ** Carew Peel Forest School **
 * ** Highfield Primary ** || ** St Joseph's Timaru **

Lead teachers Practicum was held at Timaru South School on Wednesday 13th October @ Timaru South School. Click on the image link to the left to access the wiki page that provides information and links for the professional learning activities explored during this Lead Teachers Practicum.
 * Lead Teachers' Practicum **

Key focus for this practicum were:

In-school Support – Leadership PD on providing on going support Term 4 Practicum - Digital Literacy Using Multimedia Milestone 2 Report – Collaboration & organisation for completion Cluster Sharing
 * School leadership workshop on providing ongoing in-school support
 * Exploring ways in which school leaders are, or can, providing ongoing support for their teachers ICT development and integration
 * Confirm Term 4 in-school support dates and key focus

**School Lead In-school Support** Lead Teachers participated in a workshop around in-school Leadership and identified programmes to implement to provide ongoing support for their teachers ICT development and integration. Can each school please identify a programme that you plan to further explore and implement as an outcome from this workshop. // What are the actual activities & strategies for the programmes you are planning to implement? // || **People ** // Who are the people involved and their individual/collective responsibilities? // || **Expected Outcomes ** // What are your expected results from the programmes implemented? // ||  ||   ||  § Deliberate long term plan in place for ict, incorporate an expectation of action research, which need to be embedded into integrated, numeracy and literacy § Linking with appraisals Insert learning purposes an goals to help raise achievement, with ict as a tool rather than a goal (eg, not teaching imovie but incorporating it) || § Teachers
 * **ICT Leadership - Providing on-going in-school support ** ||  ||
 * **School **............................. ... || **Programme **
 * **Geraldine Primary School** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * **Carew Peel Forest School** ||  § Action research plan will be completed for the class wikis, including evaluation of current achievement

§ All teaching staff

Individual teachers and principal || § Action research plan for the class wikis are completed and implemented, used to enhance teaching and learning § Planning incorporates and reflects on ict every term § Ict is included in portfolio system § Ict is explicitly referred to in planning, curriculum programmes and school programmes § Self review is occurring (staff) § Students and teachers are sharing and reflecting on goals and learning ||   ||   || Begin to develop progressons of the Learnig-to-Learn tools across the school. Providing in-school support in use of applications utilising our expertise. Encouraging staff to use ICTs as a communication tool more readily. || Principal Senior Management Lead Teachers Staff || Consistent approach to delivery of ICT. Teachers will have increased confidence. Students will be confident in setting goals and setting their learning around real contexts. Students will begin to make choices about tools that assist their learning. ||  ||   || //Professional Readings// //Mentors/Budding// || //All teaching staff and Principal.// || //Readings - To make links between pedagogy and the effective ICT practices.// //Bus Tour - Inspiration, motivation.// ||  ||   ||
 * **Temuka Primary School** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * **St Joseph's Temuka** || Plan to combine with Mandy at Temuka Primary using student tutors to introduce Glogster || Ali Mandy Tayla anyone else interested to run through basics of glogster || Give a chance for other student tutors to become the experts and buddy up with others in and across the schools ||  ||   ||
 * **Highfield School** || Linking our ICT PD when developing our school-based curriculum.
 * **Timaru South School** || //Explore a bus tour.//
 * **St Joseph's Timaru** || Visit other schools

Develop more comprehensive follow up and accountability for next year, involving classroom observations, more ICT staff meetings and a more formalised action research process. Develop a schoolwide ICT skill development progression for students. Develop and further the initiatives with student "technies" || All

Lead teachers and principal.

All || To explore what we don't know yet and share the cluster's existing expertise. Staff set. are supported and achieve outcomes. Students have a range of ICT which they can competently use and choose from to support their learning.

Able students are extended, a layer of technical support is available throughout the school. ||  ||   || Continue to develop class wikis. Senior students to become tutors || All All Lead teacher || More able students are extended and are able to assist younger students. ||  ||   ||
 * **Makikihi School** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * **Waituna Creek School** || Schedule meetings to share information with staff from previous practicums.
 * **Waihao Downs School** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||

**Glogster Mini Practicum** During Term 2 Sue ran two after school sessions using Glogster. These provided the opportunity for teachers from across the cluster to further develop their Web2 skills in an effort to improve and enhance their class wiki spaces. Glogster is Web2 tool that makes developing a Wiki easier, more vibrant and fun. Glogster helps to solve some of those wiki formatting frustrations. It enables teachers to develop motivating wiki pages that are more creative and interactive than the standard wiki page.

Click on the Image link above to go to the Glogster website. Click here to access the Glogster Handouts and notes.

**Term 3 In-school Support** Another round of in-school support has provided the teachers with time to follow up on their learning and implementation of skills developed through the different aspects of the ICT Contract.

Access information and the in-school support feedback by clicking on the image links above.

**ICT Leaders Practicum** Click on the image links to access the Agenda, Minutes and information from this practicum

**Wiki - Wiki - & More Wiki** We had five days of cross cluster ICT professional development during the holidays. The key focus was "Digital Literacy Using Online Resources", specifically making or further developing online learning environments using Wikispaces. Below are a few reflective comments and images from these challenging, but rewarding, days. For the rest of the reflections, personal goals and links to online learning environments [|click here] or [|here].

** Cluster Sharing 24 June 2010 **
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An opportunity to share findings from the Action Research and celebrate successes.


** Digital Literacy Using Still Images Practicum ** media type="file" key="Practicum.MOV" width="360" height="360" align="left"

Practicum 1 was a great success. The teachers from across the cluster all created a Digital text using still images. Teachers used either Picasa and Photostory3 or iPhoto and iMovie to create a text.

The example shown was created by some teachers at St Joseph's Timaru. It is a personal recount of their day at the practicum. **Great Work!**

** At Timaru South School there was a very positive feeling amongst the Staff. This practicum would be one of the few ** PD sessions to be so positively received by all staff. This has set us up with high interest for the next practicum in July. Well done Sue.

Please add some reflections and information about how you plan to implemented the skills developed at this practicum into your class programme. media type="custom" key="6481509" align="center"
 * Practicum 1 Reflections and Implementation **
 * The practicum was great fun, lots of collaborative learning. We enjoyed working in groups and all working on the same level, using software which was new to all of us. We found Picasa was a waste of time, it is domineering program and does too much file organisation, and doubles up with what we could do with Photostory. //St Joseph's, Timaru//
 * //We all loved the practicum as well. And have enjoyed experimenting back at school. Have found Picasa had to come to terms with as well. Most pupils have started a photo story some have had time to complete and others haven't. This is due to demand on cameras, laptops and time. Some have shared these in assemblies and with classes others are still trying to finish. All teachers have had great ideas and can see opportunities for use of photostory. Kids take it on board much faster than us and loved using this program. St Josephs Temuka//
 * // Enjoyed the practicum held at South School. All classrooms here at Highfield have spent time with follow-up in the rooms. Great opportunity for collaborative learning across the school - senior students often sharing their knowledge and expertise with others (both younger students and teachers). Highfield, Timaru //
 * // Hi good to upskill myself with the camera and I'm using it daily in the classroom. The children are becoming competent photographers. We are able to critique our skills with the new overhead projectors. Kay Lawrence @ Temuka Primary //
 * // Came away from the practicum with loads of ideas to use in the classroom. The children made two i-movies for our Art Show and I used the video setting on the camera to video speeches for children to peer and self assess. The data projector is used daily in the classroom. At Timaru South I'm pretty sure I must now be out of the 'Turtle' ICT group . Jo O @Timaru South //

Lead teachers Practicum was held at Timaru South School on Tuesday 27th April. The key focus for this practicum was to: Ensure everyone is prepare for the two practicum that are coming up Start developing a school ICT wiki for each school in our cluster Introduce the Action Research Model that lead teachers will be introducing to their staff Outline the opportunities the in-school visits provide Outline the Cluster sharing session - Thursday 24th June, 4:15-5:30 @ Highfield Work on the cluster Milestone Report Explore cyber safety policies and procedures Access Minutes
 * [[image:LeadTeachersPractImage.png width="151" height="154" align="left"]]Lead Teachers Practicum **

Ashburton Borough School was the the host for our first Regional Cluster meeting on Friday 19 March which was attended by National ICT Facilitators, Facilitators and Project Directors. Sue Williams and Lindsay Robertson attended as representatives for our Greater South Canterbury cluster. The agenda can be found at the Canterbury Cluster Network Wiki.
 * [[image:Regional_Cluster_Meeting.png width="161" height="163" align="left"]]Regional Cluster Meeting **

The meeting explored the National ICT Goals, the ICT rubric and the requirements of the up and coming milestone reports. During the sharing part of the session We shared the benefits of the cluster wiki for communication and looking to the future-for collaboration
 * Some other items shared of note were
 * The use of games to engage students learning e.g. Xbox by Sue from Methven Primary School
 * Using Wordle to document teacher responses and show trends through the variation in text size upon publishing
 * Google Docs (go to forms under the file tab) which collates feedback notes, puts it into a spreadsheet and can then be imported into Google Calendar. Useful for making bookings.

// The Next Regional Cluster meeting is on 17th September @ Papanui High. // || ||

The Learning@School Conference is three days of back-to-back inspiration, education, ideas, strategies and fun, equipping New Zealand educators with all they need to transform their teaching and learning. With a focus on integrating new technologies to empower learning and transform leadership, Learning@School provides a great start to our ICT cluster.

**Mary Chamberlain - National Standards**
==== Mary's advice was to "pace it in your school to what has to be done this year. Two interesting things I learnt was that by March the website for national Standards will have all assesments mapped to the standards e.g PATs .and by the end of March -How to adapt student led conferences to meet reporting to parents requirement - will be on there. ==== ==== **Hitchhikers guide to web2 tools** Have a look at this wiki - it has lots of tips and ways to enhance your wiki plus lots of other web2 tools . Lots of things for me to play with back at school. http://hitchhikerweb2.wikispaces.com ==== Carmel - St Josephs Timaru

** 9 in 90 Minutes - Martyn Weatherill and John McAlesse ** This was a great session - motivational, quickly paced and provided for me the WOW of the conference. Provided us with 9 tools to implement immediately into our classrooms. These included making the most from excell, photo mosaics, animation, green screen filming and more. Each participant left with a DVD providing us with the software, instructions and samples of student work. Copies of the DVD (applicable for Apple and PC) may be obtained from Howick Intermediate. principal@howickint.school.nz I can recommend it. //Mike Hogan- South School//

**Dr Stuart Middleton - Keynote Speaker** ** A lively and entertaining speaker. He spoke of what he referred to as the Epidemic of Educational Disengagement. Australia, USA, Canada, UK and NZ all have an educational system that serves the traditional white middle class society well. However our societies have and are changing and what we traditionally have done is no longer working as well. Do we carry on as before, or do we make the changes needed to engage todays society? ** ** He also talked about the disengagement between our economy and the education system. The fact that there is little career choice for those who are low or unskilled workers, (remember they were disengaged from the education system). We don't export manufactured goods any more, we export the companies.He was also critical of that fact that there are many courses that our youth can sign up for and go into debt for, but he considered a lot of those courses to be totally useless for careers or economic growth. Makes you think! ** ** Murray Davidson - Timaru South ** **Beginner's Guide to Wiki and Blog! Where do I start? (Samantha Thompson)** This session started with the absolute basics of what wiki and blogs are, and the ways that they are currently being used in Samantha Thompson's Northland school. She shared her class wiki and we explored the ways that it is specific to the needs of the class and school. Samantha's class have added tutorials that they have created and voice threads where they give feedback on each other's writing around a regional cluster of schools. The session made us think about the huge benefits that using wiki may bring to our children through incresed collaboration with each other and the community. We had the opportunity to //begin// creating our own wiki with Samantha's guidance....sadly that's as far as we have got! Plan to persue soon. Grant Willocks and Mandy Gregan - T.P.S.

Easy Assessment with your Mac
==== I went to this session not quite knowing what to expect, other than that there was going to be a focus on literacy. I was probably thinking along the lines of tables and graphs! The surprise was we learnt how to use the movie part of **Photo Booth** (I didn't even know it had that capability) for assessment. A child can be recorded reading and then the movie can be played back for the child to watch and listen to and then reflect on questions such as "What do you think about your reading?", "What do you think you need to improve?" etc etc. The work can be saved as a Quicktime movie which could later be used for a number of purposes eg - baseline data, showing improvement (another OTJ!), student led conferences and next step learning. Teachers can also make effective use of this simple tool (less in your face than a movie camera) to reflect on their own literacy teaching eg questioning skills. It can also be used to record a child doing a running record which is marked later. This would lead to more accurate marking and some extra information from the visual eg body language. ====

**GarageBand** can also be used to record assessments (sound only) and the work can be sent through to itunes and also saved as mp3.
==== Until this workshop I certainly hadn't thought to use these tools in this way. I think making use of them with both students and teachers is a another way to both collect evidence and encourage reflection. With e-portfolios on the horizon I can see this type of evidence being of real value. I haven't had a go yet.... but intend to next term, to collect some data from individual children in an oral language target group. I'm off for a wee practice now just to see if I have got it right! PC's - I guess there is some equivalent? ==== Kay Ward

**Mark Treadwell - "What Ever Next; Implementing the NZ Curriculum**A motivating speaker with really interesting and relevant content about implementing the NZ Curriculum. This session reinforced the process involved, and the awesome flexibility that we have been given, to develop our school based curriculum. //"He re-emphasised for me the importance of Conceptualised Curriculum and the development of the underlying understandings - which was great for me as it is a model I work through with schools & truly value."// //Sue Williams - eTime//

Learning at Conference
This was a great time for future thinking about where our school is positioned for ICT usage and what the future holds. The concept of " The cloud" and what this technology brings to us is exciting and makes possible the interactive environment between home and school. It got me thinking about the possibilities and raised more questions than I had answers. I now have a path which will allow us to start putting in place the required steps to achieve an interactive environment. The other presenters who had an impact on my thinking were; Derek Wenmoth Ten Trends 2010 ICT on Learning and Teaching. www.sedl.org/pubs/teaching99/ Karen Boyes Developing 21st Century Learners & Thinkers. There 6 important considerations for teaching in the 21st Century. 1. Resist the temptation to “tell” 2. Stop teaching decontextualised content 3. Stop giving students the final product of our thinking 4. Make a shift in our thinking - problems first, teaching second 5. Progressively withdraw from helping students 6. Re-evaluate evaluation This workshop will cover the above six areas and relate them to developing your students as thinkers. //Li//ndsay Robertson Geraldine P

**HECTOR’S WORLD & CYBERSAFETY **
====This session of vital importance highlighted the concept of ‘digital citizenship’, which encompasses the ethical and critical thinking aspects of using the Internet, and of helping children to become aware of what to trust in their use of computers. Internet safety needs to be an important consideration in preventing children from accessing dangerous material. The skills required for children to develop to become responsible ‘digital citizens’, with positive digital imprints, apply to all faces of the key competencies. Visit http://www.hectorsworld.com/island/index.html====

**Mastering iMovies09 in 90 Minutes - Yes you can! **
====I completed this breakout the intention of using directly with my class. The facilitator was excellent and was able to give us the skills in a way that was easy to pick up and understand. All participants had access to a new MacBook Pro and this enabled us to work at our own pace. The facilitator showed us all aspects including the advanced features including a green screen, fading in music and taking background sounds out. I was able to come back into the class and use these skills the first day couple of days back. I now look forward to using this more in my teaching both as an a presentation tool and an assessment tool.====

**Using Web 2.0 Tools to Create Engaging Environments for Students **
====This Breakout was aimed more at the High School students but i still got a lot out of the the facilitator and the web sites that were spoken about. I have listed many of the web site and it really is a case of having a look at them and working out if and how you can use them in a classroom setting. I found out that using Google there is a application called Wonder Wheel and this helps students to refine searches. [] [|www.wordle.net] [|www.show.zoho.com] [|www.dipity.com] [|http://xtimeline.co] [|http://etherpad.com] [|www.blogger.com] [|www.animoto.com] [|www.savethewords.org] [|www.quizlet.com] [|www.freerice.com] ====

Matt Gollins
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 91%;">Waituna Creek