ICTeD Services

Virtual Classrooms - What I learnt from my first experience.

I came in contact via Facebook with a teacher from Indonesia who regularly has teachers and students from around the world Skyping into her classroom.

I didn't think much more about it until one day she contacted me via Facebook chat asking me whether I would be happy to talk to her class in a couple of hours time via Skype.  I was very happy to do this and conversation between myself and the students went well.

We've been in contact since via Facebook which is how I have these photos.

However I did reflect on how a good interaction should go. Here are my Ten Tips

1. If the class you are speaking with do not have English as their first language learn a few basic words in their language, e.g hello, good bye, good morning, good afternoon, please and thank you. If you know some phrases even better. [ You may even be a competent speaker of their language, which would be fantastic.!]

2 Find out the purpose of the virtual class. Is it for conversational English practice? If so, speak coherently, clearly and fluently, so the students can understand. Avoid colloquialisms unless you want to  explain them. If the purpose is for cultural information use the "Same, Same But Different model". That is, discuss differences in the light of commonalities.

3. Be aware of the time difference between them and you. This is important if you want to have synchronous collaboration. You might was this useful. http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

4. Expect technical glitches. Communication across the world can often have drop outs.

5. Test your equipment before the session starts- Internet connection, headset & microphone.

6. Know the contact details of the teacher you are contacting, e.g Skype address. Make sure they know yours.

7. Have a couple of means of communication open with the teacher in case one drops out, i.e. If the Skype link drops out, have email or FaceBook Chat open so you can let the other teacher know what is happening.

8. Have some topics in you head that you can talk to the students about, i.e prepare like it is a face to face classroom visit. The more global the better. I was asked about sport and trying to explain cricket [ even though Australia was playing India in a Test Series at the time] was impossible. However, English Premier League was a different matter. Although, when I answered that Chelsea was my favourite team, the class burst into laughter. I think I'll answer Liverpool or Manchester United, if asked that question again!

9. Expect to have fun and be prepared to do something out of the box. In my hook up with that class I was asked about my favourite music which is Jazz. I was then asked to sing a Jazz song. I thought maybe that "One for my baby … and one for the road" was not all that appropriate, as is my singing voice. But I did sing the Australian folksong "Waltzing Matilda" and then have to explain its meaning.

10. Listen to the students' questions, they are great. Answer thoughtfully, they will be very appreciative.

I thoroughly recommend trying linking up with a class in another country. It was a great experience. Even better do the activity with you and your students. I couldn't do that as it is summer break in Australia, but maybe next time.

 

Students as eLearning Leaders Project 2011 - CyberSafety Module

I have been working as part of DEECD, Western Metropolitan Region, Hobson’s Bay eLearning Leaders' Network, [A Partnership Program with Dell] to develop a six part Leadership & ICT module for Year Five students.

Finding a pedagogical model for this was a challenge. So I'm really looking forward to reflecting on and tweaking the learning model after this event

What comes next are some slide which combining two learning models and how they are to be used in this project.

The Hobson’s Bay Network Leaders' Network meeting on Tuesday [Sue, Kevin, Clare & Geoff] gave direction to what you see is written here. What is here is still a draft and will be further discussed next week. It is published for study purposes only.

What is student leadership?
 
Student leadership encompasses the school’s provision of:
• formal and informal learning opportunities which develop the competency of individuals as leaders and effective participants.
• processes and structures for student representation and the incorporation of students’ views into decision making and the life of the school. [Not Relevant to this project]

The development of student leadership skills involves opportunities which encourage students to:
• act in roles of responsibility with integrity and honesty.
• foster a sense of vision and purpose.
• work with others to determine and achieve collective goals.
• take on responsibilities and use decision making skills in order to carry a project through to a successful conclusion.
• be active, reflective listeners who respond effectively.
• earn the respect of others through their actions.

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/studentsupport/studleadsrc/studlead/primary/

What skills are we looking for from our Student eLearning Leaders?

• Communication skills
• Thinking / Planning skills
• ICT Competencies
• Collaboration Skills
• Mentoring Abilities
• Good Listeners
• Decision Makers
• Project Management Skills

What’s the Pedagogical Model?

• It’s based on the Kids Teaching Kids pedagogy.
• This has been used at many Student Environmental Conferences run by Kids Teaching Kids. A number of schools in Hobson’s Bay Network send or have
sent students to their events in recent years,
• This model is also great for other student lead events and is based on a solid pedagogy! See http://www.kidsteachingkids.com.au/kids-teaching-kids/learning-model.html

There is also a bit of Challenge Based Learning in the pedagogy as well.
• This is Action / Solution Based Learning.
• In this activity there will be a Big Idea or Challenge for students to approach.
• Students will provide an action or solution to that Big Idea or Challenge by the end on the activity.
Based on http://ali.apple.com/cbl/

What eLearning themes could students explore?

• Creating Resources for their classes back at school.
• Creating Online Content, [Ultranet etc.].
• Creating tutorials for other students.
• Action / Solution Learning.
• Virtual Classrooms.

Let’s put this all together!

The Big Idea
Being safe online [CyberSafety] is important for all users of the Internet.

The Challenge
Show how we can make our students to be all great digital citizens.

So what will the 6 weeks look like?
• Each has a half day session and the network Professional Learning Centre
• Maybe 4 students form 5 schools = 20 students
• With 1 Dell laptop each + EduStar Image
• Teacher support
• Technical support
• Back at school activity

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six
This project is exciting, will write further, both the planning and the practice [and the evaluation].

What’s Burning in eLearning? Session 6 - “The catering was pretty lousy! Professional learning without leaving your desk”

Thanks to Jo McLeay, Project Officer, Professional Learning, Victorian Information Technology Teachers' Association [VITTA] for being my guest this afternoon.

Recording Link: [For optimum success here copy and paste this link into your browser [ Firefox works well]. rather than clicking on the link. You should be asked for your name and an email address to access the recording]
https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2010-08-31.2340.D.7502D29627F59D7D6FC46968E51AD6.vcr&sid=2007026

• What professional learning can you do on your without leaving your desk?
• What are some of the hot Web 2.0 sites that you can use professional learning ?
• How do you set up and grow a Personal Learning Network?

• Meet my Guest:
Jo McLeay,
Project Officer, Professional Learning,
Victorian Information Technology Teachers’ Association [VITTA]

Synopsis
Mark will be in conversation with Jo McLeay, Professional Learning Officer, Victorian Information Technology Teachers’ Association on using online resources, tutorials, and social networking to set up a Personal Learning Network.
There was a time when teachers thought to have professional learning that they needed to leave your school, go to a venue and be "talked at" for a day. We now understand that teacher professional learning is much, much, wider than that. Part of this wider definition is the Personal Learning Network [PLN]. Using Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, Twitter, Facebook, you can have access to the best educational minds on the planet 24/7/365. Jo will demonstrate her favourite Web 2.0 tools forusing in a PLN and also give participants a list of great educators to follow on the internet. Participants will also be able to chat to Jo about their experiences with PLNs.

Structure of Session

• “Professional learning without leaving your desk”

• Let’s have a survey!
Which social networking website do you use the most for professional learning?
• A Social networking [e.g. Ning, Facebook]
• B Social bookmarking [e.g. Delicious, Diigo]
• C Wiki, Blog or Microblog [e.g. Twitter]
• D Web Conferencing [e.g. Elluminate, Skype]
• E None of the above

• “Professional learning without leaving your desk”
• Where do you start?
• What is Synchronous & Asynchronous?
• How do you build up a following in your PLN?
• How do you grow your PLN?
• What is the value of linking Web 2.0 tools together?

Let's go through these categories in detail

• Social networking [e.g. Ning, Facebook]
• Social bookmarking [e.g. Delicious, Diigo]
• Wiki, Blog or Microblog [e.g. Twitter]

• Web Conferencing [e.g. Elluminate, Skype]

What resources are there for teachers requiring further assistance? Try http://www.vitta.org.au/events/category/training-events

• Questions on Notice Panel & Audience Discussion
• Why do I need to use Web 2.0 tools?
• Why do I need a PLN?
• If I must have a PLN, what is the best Web 2.0 tool to use for my PLN?
• I’m a DEECD teacher, won’t all this be covered by the Ultranet anyway?
• What about my privacy? Won’t everyone find out personal stuff about me?
• Should students be part of my PLN?

Contact details
Mark Richardson
Williamstown Primary School
richardson.mark.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

Moodle for Teachers - Online Course [M4T-3]

I just received my Moodle for Teachers: Intermediate [M4T-3] Certificate  for the four week online course I completed earlier this year [32 hours all up]. Thanks Nellie, Jenni and the rest of the crew! This course [ and many others was run by ITALL - Integrating Technology for Active Life-long Learning]. It was blended learning using Moodle for asynchronous content and WiZiQ for synchronous web conferencing.

See these websites below and follow IT4ALL & WiZiQ on Twitter & Facebook

IT4ALL Courses http://www.integrating-technology.org/
IT4ALL Global Exchange http://www.integrating-technology.com/
IT4ALL Ning http://integrating-technology.ning.com/
WiZiQ http://www.wiziq.com/

Why did I do this course?
• We had just built a Moodle server at the primary school where I teach and I really wanted to explore the pedagogy of online learning. Each week of the course had readings, tasks, web conferences and discussion forums.

Why would I recommend this to others?
• Absolutely! Great dialogue and collaboration with educators from all over the world [ although this can mean completing webinars in the early hours of the morning if you in Australia!]

What did I produce?
A seven week Moodle course for my school colleagues, as part of the introduction of Moodle at my school. It is a conbination of pedagogical readings and practical tasks using Moodle.If you are interested in looking at my Moodle course, leave a comment below and I will give you guest access to it.

The next Moodle for Teachers Intermediate Course [M4T-I] starts soon [see the website listed above]. There are also Beginners and Advanced Moodle Courses. However, is you miss this one there are new courses happening all the time
All upcoming workshops have a one time registration fee US$39 to cover costs and keep IT4ALL running! However, those who cannot afford the registration fee, can apply for a scholarship.

The course outline for Moodle for Teachers [Intermediate] Course is below

Goal
The goal of the M4T-Intermediate workshop is to help educators ensure the quality of online learning through systematic instructional design of online and blended online courses (BOL) and instructor training on online pedagogies.
Description
This intensive, four-week-long workshop is designed to engage you in theoretical and practical aspects of online learning and teaching with a Learning Management System called Moodle. By successfully completing the program you will be ready to teach blended online learning (BOL) or blended learning (BL) courses using Moodle. In the workshop, you will be introduced to online learning pedagogies and best practices. Moodle course development tools will be demonstrated, reviewed and practiced. As online learners, you will learn to understand online learning from the student's perspective so you can prepare your future courses with the learner in mind.
Workshop Context
You will collaborate in teams to design or redesign a course on your chosen topic. You will add content and resources, explore web 2.0 technologies, integrate synchronous and asynchronous learning activities into your course and develop assessments for online learning. You will also be encouraged to reflect on the process of developing your course and to share your learning experiences with your peers.
Workload & Format
M4T requires participants to be active at least 8 hours a week on theoretical and practical aspects of online learning (individually and in teams). 
M4T will include asynchronous (via the Moodle) and synchronous (via WiZiQ) components. 
Workshop Layout
This 4-week facilitated workshop will cover the following topics:
    •    Week 1: Connect, Communicate & Collaborate
    •    Week 2: Moodle Course Design
    •    Week 3: Moodle Course Development
    •    Week 4: Moodle Course Facilitation & Assessment
Expected Learning Outcomes
By the end of the workshop learners should be able to:
    •    Use Moodle editing tools
    •    Use communication tools to communicate with team members
    •    Use collaboration tools to collaborate and create team documents
    •    Design and develop a Moodle course in conjunction with team members based on a constructivist     pedagogy
    •    Integrate web 2.0 technologies into their Moodle course
    •    Add Moodle resources to their course
    •    Add Moodle activities to their course

    •    Critically reflect on their own and others work and provide constructive feedback for course improvement

Have a go at it! it is a great opportunity!

"What's Burning in eLearning: The Hot Topics of Technology in Schools"

 

Planning my first Elluminate PD Series a the moment.

"What's Burning in eLearning: The Hot Topics of Technology in Schools" is the title. This is part of the Web Conference Leaders Project, run by the Virtual Conference Centre  of Innovation and Next Practice [DEECD].

In this first Webinar my guest is Tony Richards of ITmadeSimple. This will be a discussion about emerging technologies in school

What's Burning in eLearning? - What’s on the Horizon for P-12 schools?

WHEN:                             
Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 4 – 5pm. Melbourne, Australia time [GMT / UTC +10]
PRESENTER:                  
Mark Richardson
SUMMARY:                      
What will be the latest emerging technologies that will hit schools in the next few years? How pedagogically sound are they? How will these technologies enhance teaching and learning? Will schools, teachers and students readily take them up? Tony Richards from ITmadeSimple, will discuss the projections of The Horizon Report 2010 K-12 Edition [New Media Consortium], http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-k12-2010/ as well as sharing his ideas on the topic. What do you think of cloud computing, collaborative tools, game based learning, and mobile devices? These are rapidly becoming part on the school landscape. While others such as Augmented Reality and Flexible Displays may be just over the horizon..

SESSION LINK:           
https://sas.elluminate.com/d.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=whatsburninginelearning

Join in if you are interested, it would be great to have you along. Just click on the link, there's no need to sign up or register.

Virtual Learning Communities for Schools /1

Today Kevin and I, [and thanks to Jill for assistance in the PD session & David and Simon for building a dual boot image for me, so the 30 iMacs in my schools lab can run Windows under Bootcamp], ran our first session for the eConnect professional learning project. This is an AGQTP project which involves conferencing with webcams, headsets and MS Communicator for 25 schools in the Hobson's Bay Network of Western Metropolitan Region [DEECD, Melbourne, Australia].
Today we ran two "101 sessions" for 50 schools administrators.

Image of participants in one of the sessions [fuzzy on purpose to disguise identity]

... and also the cupcakes that followed!

 

More substantial info on this program too follow.........................