Time4 Online Conference

The Time4 Online conference starts today on Centre 4. This link will take you directly to the Conference Programme. From here you can access all the Keynotes and workshops.

The conference starts with a Keynote from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, "Keeping Up with the Net Generation". You have the option of listening to the keynote in conjunction with a slideshow or viewing the slideshow only, which has been posted online. The conference organisers also recommend that if your connection is slow, mute the sound while the keynote loads, then replay from the beginning.




As with all material posted online Keynotes and workshop presentations will be available anytime after their scheduled release date so you are able to listen and revisit at a time that suits you.
Also if you register for the conference using your Centre4 Username and Password you will receive conference updates directly to you email.

time4online

...on the subject of online conferences...

2nd Annual K-12 Online Conference–”Playing With Boundaries”

Announcing the second annual “K12 Online” conference for teachers, administrators and educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice! This year’s conference is scheduled to be held over two weeks, October 15-19 and October 22-26 of 2007, and will include a preconference keynote during the week of October 8. This year’s conference theme is “Playing with Boundaries.”

Call for proposals is here.

K12online07

Online Conference for Clusters

ICT PD Online is hosting an online conference on Centre 4 from 28th May - 8th June. This is an opportunity to explore examples of collaborative online learning and Web 2.0 technologies in teaching and learning....like blogging. Also you will be able to access audio and video links and support material, and participate in collaborative areas. The conference will begin with a keynote presentation from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, one of the keynote speakers from the 2007 TUANZ conference.

This is the first time we have had access to an online conference as part of the ICT PD cluster network and I am looking forward to exploring how this might work for us as a cluster. Participation is also easy as you can join the space by logging in with your Centre 4 user name and password.

To support CNS Cluster teachers I am aiming to post recommendations and links to key conference activities over the next couple of weeks. To start with I would suggest you visit the Pre-Conference Preview This page provides an overview of Web 2.0 Technologies impact on education including articles and examples of teacher use. This background material supports the conference themes and preparation for the keynotes and further collaborative activities.

Look forward to seeing you there.

time4online

Numeracy Symposium

Posting this, as promised, for the teachers who attended my breakouts at the Numeracy Symposium today. Well done to my colleagues in the Numeracy Team at TEAM Solutions for organising this event featuring Peter Hughes, Principal Lecturer in Mathematics Education in the Faculty of Education. As an eLearning facilitator the benefits of working with a curriculum team provide valuable opportunities to support effective teaching.
My breakouts introduced teachers to digiSTORE and the Learning Objects. I have posted all support material including links and my presentation notes. I have also included links to key eResources available to NZ schools. I would recommend that teachers consider investing time in familiarising themselves with these resources as they provide an effective strategy for accessing relevant, quality resources to add value to your learning programmes... in comparison to spending your valuable time wading through a google search. Please email if you need any support with digiSTORE.

Numeracy Symposium support material here.

Cluster Share - PhotoFUN

Following up from the successful Northcote Primary Cluster Share in March, Sunnybrae Normal School hosted our second share, PhotoFUN. Again this was an opportunity for teachers to demonstrate how they are integrating eLearning to add value in a variety of curriculum areas. Thanks to the Sunnybrae staff who provided us with some effective and creative use of digital photography throughout the school. The programme also included a valuable session lead by Cathy O'Hanlon, DP at Sunnybrae on the art of taking quality photos. Cathy acknowledged what she had learnt from Stuart Hale while attending iSchool last year and has shared some excellent tips and work she has done with digital photography since.

As the facilitator I am in the privileged position of spending most days in our cluster schools experiencing first hand some of the wonderful learning.
Consequently we have set up a collaborative project for the cluster at PhotoFUN - Why learning is fun at our school. we hope this project will also provide more opportunities for all teachers to experience the learning in our cluster schools.

To find out more about the PhotoFUN project and links to resources demonstrated at the cluster share, including Cathy's presentation, visit the Central North Shore wiki

Lots more photos to see on the wiki too...including some taken by teachers during the Photo Challenge...good effort team!

ComicLife for Windows

For all of you have been suffering a little Mac-envy out there, the wonderful people at Plasq have announced "Comic Life for Windows beta has started!"

Mac users have been loving ComicLife for a couple of years now and I have been asked many times if there is a version for Windows. Plasq are inviting testers, especially teachers and students to download the beta and give them some feedback.

My del.icio.us links for comics

Online Encyclopedias

While Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, is still my favourite, I have been exploring the Encyclopedia Britannica Junior (available through EPIC) with teachers in the cluster. Both are excellent resources for both teachers and students.
*Include these in your classroom or intranet links
*Identify key resources that can add value to your lessons and learning activities
*Plus opportunities to model through the data projector and familiarise students with the online environment and how it can be accessed effectively to support their learning.

Search results will collate all articles as well as multimedia items (video, images, diagrams) and other recommended web sites. Te Ara especially has some spectacular multimedia resources and while there is a search option the categories are very easy to navigate through.



I have highlighted some key features including access details for Encyclopedia Britannica Junior here . If you are registered for DigiStore the same User name and password will access the EPIC databases.

CNS Cluster - you are all registered. If you have misplaced your login details check with your lead teacher or email me.

Click here for support registering for either DigiStore or EPIC