open the door…

education.au have released two new reports - just in time for the holiday break (over here in the West)

• 21st Century Learning Spaces provides an overview of what are the characteristics of new learning and learning spaces in the 21st century.

• Web 2.0 site blocking in schools briefly describes Web 2.0 in terms of opportunities for teaching and learning and places site blocking in context within an overall framework that includes cyber-safety and 21st century learning.

Thanks to the education.au team for providing an Australian perspective on technology in education issues.

Graphic novels seem to be ‘flavour of the month’.

I have just finished reading a very impressive review of ‘Alice in Sunderland’ by Bryan Talbot - Thanks to Joy Lawn

As part of my background research I found a Google book about Bryan. I usually restrict myself to Full View books but even though this one was Limited View (ie the ENTIRE book is not available on-line) this one was so good I added it to my library anyway.

And here it is embedded in this post…

Now I just need to figure out how to stop the script embedding books I have previously featured !

Any suggestions?
Note Added 11/4/09 - this site http://code.google.com/apis/books/docs/preview-wizard.html provides more customized scripts

Thanks to Vicki Davis aka CoolCatTeacher for this link.

The second task for the EdNA Blogging Course poses the following questions:

• Why do you blog with your students? What are your intentions? Have your intentions changed over time?
• Draw on your experiences both good and bad of student blogging. What have you done to overcome obstacles?
• Point to some other blogs of note either of students blogging or about students blogging. Would you recommend any particular blogs for others to read?
• Do you have any tips or tricks to share with educators just starting out or wanting to start a blog with their students?

These are great starter questions and I advise teachers who are blogging to drop by the Blogging Course to read the advice of experienced blogging teachers. Unfortunately I am no longer in a classroom and haven’t blogged with students since 2007 but am hoping that will change in the near future.

A couple of contacts who review for Fiction Focus, a publication reviewing Young Adult fiction resources for teachers and librarians, have asked for a ‘voice’ for their students - somewhere they can publish their thoughts about the books they like (or don’t like), to share their opinions with a world-wide audience. I am hoping I can get through the ‘red-tape’ of Acceptable Use Policies, Intellectual Property, online privacy … and negotiate the technology hurdles of access rights and permissions … and can get Principals and parents at the schools to agree to trial a student group blog.

Watch this space for further developments

… and just because I can … here’s a short video from Rachel Boyd in New Zealand about blogging with kids.

Google Earth 5.0 launched on Feb 2nd. (I think)  As the post title says this a quick list of resources that will help you find out more about Google Earth 5.0 so you can share it with colleagues and students.

To get started, download Google Earth 5.

Now if you put a tick next to the ‘Oceans’ layer in the Google Earth software you can get your feet wet.

Check out

• The Google Ocean promotional video on YouTube.
• What’s New in Google Earth 5.0 on YouTube.
  
• Google Earth User Guide.
• PC Advisor: We uncover Google’s mysteries of the deep by Tom Spring.

Also useful:

• The Google Earth Gallery - use the links on the left of the screen to locate these specific categories
  
  Popular
  Educational
  Travel
  Fun
  Sky
  Ocean
  New

As I said … a quick post but I hope it’s enough to get you started

A quick search of Google books today revealed a great selection of books suitable for classroom use across the entire K-12 range. Many have limited previews but I refined my search to isolate only those books offering ‘Full View‘. My preliminary collection which currently contains 184 books - mainly juvenile fiction and a few suited to WA Courses of Study - is available through my Google library and includes books such as:

• Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• Animal farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell
• Q is for Quark: A Science Alphabet Book - suited to lower secondary science students
• A New World Map in Textiles and Clothing: Adjusting to Change - suited to upper secondary students studying the WACE course Material Design Technology - Textiles context.
  

• Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers

Here is an example of a Google book embedded in a blog:

Wild Fibonacci a clear and accessible introduction to the Fibonacci sequence and its presence in the animal world, including the equiangular spiral of a sundial shell, a parrot’s beak, a hawk’s talon, and a ram’s horn.

1/1/09 5:45 pm Just checked this post using IE 7 and embedded book does not show. Firefox works fine. Off to read the forums for help!

I’m sure teachers with access to projectors and IWBs could think of lots of ways to use these online books in their classroom. Please share your suggestions as a comment.

Once this post is published I will head back to my library to ‘tidy up’ and tag entries to make it easier to find resources for specific needs. I will tag by Phase of Development; Text Type and Learning area.

Please let me know if you find this resource useful. Your suggestions for improvements are welcome.

I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

Douglas Adams
English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)

I blame a very busy start to the year at work for my belated re-enty to the blogsphere. I fully intended keeping my New Year’s Resolution to resume posting (with re-newed enthusiasm) but…better late than never.

Thanks to Tomaz Lasic - for tagging me for the 7 things you don’t know about me meme - and Kerrie Smith - for her untiring commitment to helping others - see the EdNA Blogging Corner - for prompting me to ‘have another go’.

So here I am - perhaps not as enthused as I hoped to be but definitely committed - I’ve replied to the forum at the Blogging Corner, submitted a post for the Blogging Carnival, subscribed via rss and added my details to the wiki. That just leaves 7 things you didn’t know about me.

1. I enjoy cross-stitching - but don’t have much time now. I completed this sampler 20 years ago!
2. The most enjoyable - and challenging - years of my teaching career were spent working with PEAC [Primary Extension and Academic Challenge] students.
3. My first serious foray into web based publication was EAGER [DETWA's new and improved version] but the original still exists [It was designed to fit onto a floppy disc - remember them? - so it could be sent to schools with dodgy 'net connections.] This was early in 2000.
4. On February 1st this year I will have been married for 34 years - to the same man!
5. I have just decided that because I am now going to blog regularly I will have to become an edublogs supporter [I can't stand the ads!]
6. I have a genuine fear of hairy spiders. Redbacks are OK - they’re not hairy!
7. I quite enjoy ignoring rules - so I’m not going to name 7 people to continue this meme [See John Connell's blog post on the exponential]

This is a test posting of my delicious tag cloud.

It’s great to see an Aussie presenting at the K12 online conference.

Here’s Chris’ conference teaser:

Make sure you drop by his blog - Betchblog -