"There are no natives here"...

...so says Michael Wesch as he reflects on his use of technology to support learning. His experiences also highlight a key message in the New Zealand Curriculum...to explore new and different ways of teaching and learning. The reference to Prensky's (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants also challenge some of the assumptions that we might have around our use of technology and student learning.
As a cluster we are constantly exploring the changing role of the teacher and also our understanding of elearning as a pedagogical practice. Concurrently, while we recognise some students may have grown up with the technology and are confident adopters, this may not always automatically transfer to purposeful use that can impact positively on their learning? To engage with the technology simply to entertain without appreciating how it can be harnessed to make a difference to learning and consequently actions that are 'significant' involve development of new understandings about the technology for both teachers and students..."there are no natives here".
Michael Wesch explores these ideas and provides some useful frameworks, understandings and examples of a 21st Century teacher...well worth investing the time to listen and consider.


Thanks to Jo McLeay for highlighting.
More videos by Wesch and his students...Vision of Students Today, The Maching is Us/ing Us etc...

Fire Engines and Praying Mantis

I dropped in on Room 3 at Northcote Primary last week. They have been learning about their community and the different jobs everyone has "because no one person can be an expert at everything." (wise words from Room 3). You can read all about this class of New Entrants and their learning adventures on their blog.
I particularly enjoyed their drawings of the Fire Engines and they have kindly shared some with me.

Room 3 from Fiona

"It's on the wiki!"

I seem to be 'saying' and 'seeing' this more and more lately (Rachel says it warrents a tshirt ...lol). But fair dues to the wiki...it has been an amazing environment to support learning, for me over the past 2 years as a facilitator, and I know if I was in a classroom full time it would be number 1 on my hit parade. The ability to organise and share is not only a great way to connect and support learning programmes but gives both freedom, speed and creativity to my work flow.

Some featured wikis in our cluster include -Miss Gamby's wiki and Room12
Felicity (yr 1-2)and Jo (yr 5-6) at Northcote Primary are using their class wikis to enable students to access online resources to support current classroom learning and share this with home. Sometimes it can be challenging for the younger students to navigate and these wikis are a useful way for teachers to organise resources and improve access for students.

Charlotte and Nicola from Sunnybrae have used del.icio.us in a similar way to group learning objects for their senior students to access which has worked successfully. Rachel from Nelson Central has also simplified this for her 6 year olds by linking from individual graphics on their wiki to del.icio.us tags. Let me know if you have any other wiki solutions.

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)

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

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

Transforming Learning with Tony Ryan

Our day with Tony was about transformation through action. To first recognise and acknowledge that as teachers we matter and already do so much, so well. We are also learners and were challenged by Tony to explore strategies that not only strengthen our professional practice but also our heart and spirit...what actions inspire us every day? On reflection a couple of key messages included focussing our energies on "The Strength to Teach".

Tony Ryan (2008)

Also the importance of promoting thinking...the "capacity to think and create, and to enact solutions, will become the core survival skill in the next decade". An attitude shift here too in terms of how we respond to a problem. "Everyone is on a line from problem to solution" Tony reminds us. What makes the difference are our actions.
Links and resources which have been generously shared by Tony can be accessed from the wiki
Please share your reflections/highlights/thoughts by commenting below.

Also it was wonderful to have the opportunity to farewell Margaret, Principal at Takapuna Primary and acknowledge her contribution to the cluster over the past 2 years. We wish Margaret all the best and thank her for all her support.

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

Cluster Share April 2008

Thanks to everyone in our cluster for participating in the first cluster share for 2008, specially to those of you who facilitated the breakouts. While this was a first time experience for some teachers both your presentations and your willingness to reflect on your learning and share new understandings with the cluster were much appreciated. Lynne has posted resources and links on the wiki however if you have further questions please feel free to email the relevant teachers.
Instructions for joining the wiki are online too... plus there are lots of wiki experts out in your schools that can help. Remember there are two stages to joining.
First - join wiki spaces and create your user name and password.
Second - login using your username and password then request to become a member of our Central North Shore wiki. This will allow you to edit pages. Please email me if you have any questions or catch up with Lynne when she is in your school next.
Thanks to Sunnybrae Normal for hosting us. Our next cluster share will be on Tuesday May 27th, hosted by Northcote Primary School. If you missed a breakout and would like an opportunity to see it repeated please visit the quick online survey here.

Please let us know if you are interested in contributing either individually or as part of a teaching team.

NZ Interface

It was very exciting to see Sunnybrae Normal School's hand message project referenced in the latest edition of NZ- Interface. Well done Stephen and Room 12!
You can access the article written by Sarah Jones from the MoE's eLearning team online.

NZ-Interface is a quarterly magazine that includes reviews, comment and links to online resources specifically relevant to NZ schools but also includes international trends and issues that are topical.

Teachers in NZ schools can register for a free copy of NZ-Interface online here.

Also if you look on page 11 you can see Lynne Thomas (and her new Mac) caught on location at the Bloggers Cafe at Learning@School.

Software for Learning

Stephen (Sunnybrae Normal) and I sat down with other teachers and advisers last week to explore Software for Learning on TKI. While there are a wealth of great sources for software support and information on the web, Software for Learning enables teachers who are purchasing software to source comparative pricing and support within New Zealand.If you are considering buying software or working on your school’s software budget it is recommended that you check the pricing as listed on the Software for Learning site before you buy. I want to stress this as I am still receiving reports of schools who are purchasing from retail and paying more than they might if they accessed pricing through the Software for Learning site. Also check out the Snapshots of learning where screen shots from software (both freeware and non-freeware) are used to illustrate how the software has been used in learning sessions in New Zealand schools.

If you have any feedback, contributions or suggestions for improving the site please contact Sarah Jones from the elearning unit at the Ministry of Education.

Also recommended:
Directory of Learning Tools compiled by Jane Hart

Educational Software compiled by Suzie Vesper