Think about this ...
What are the learning possibilities/outcomes if a student had their own blog? and they are able to do the following:
With the advent of Google Apps for Education (GAFE) all sorts of new possibilities are open to us as teachers and ultimately for our students. One of the possibilities is that a student can have their own blog. Google Apps for Education, remember this YouTube clip?
What are the learning possibilities/outcomes if a student had their own blog? and they are able to do the following:
- Post on it in a SAFE and SECURE environment.
- CREATE their own AUDIENCE
- INTERACT with the audience through commenting
- WRITE on a consistent basis for this audience, DEVELOPING their CRITICAL and HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS
- Develop an e-WRITING JOURNAL that exemplifies outstanding writing and thinking skills through posting and commenting
- Create a continuum of developmental writing and thinking for the entirety of their time at school.
It powerfully impacts READING, THINKING, WRITING and a key factor - PUBLISHING.
- What would this do for students writing and thinking skills?
- How many young writers are in our classes?
- How boring is writing in a book?
- How intrinsically motivating is it to write and get comments back from your audience about what you have written?
- What happens when you write knowing that someone is going to read what you have written and comment on it?
- Thinking changes.
- Writing changes.
- It's risky and even scary, but its also real. Kids love risky and even scary. We are the ones have to make sure its right and appropriate.
If you want to know more about this, then ask Rachel Hedges and Deborah Lambell or talk to me when you have a session with me. GAFE accounts have been created for all Y3-6 children at RDS as well as all of the teaching staff.
I recently read this post by Silvia Tolisano 'Blogs and Labels are about Information Literacy'. Silvia talks about the 'blogfolio' .... "My Middle School is using blogger ... as a platform for our students’ blogfolios. The blogfolio (term coined by Andrea Hernandez) is part blog and part digital portfolio. Students not only showcase their best work, but document their learning journey. A blogfolio shows student work at a particular moment in time (due to its chronological nature) with a reflective component to show evidence of growth and learning over time." Read more
How to COMMENT on a GEMS RDS blog
This would be best viewed using Youtube and in FULL-SCREEN mode.
You can view this on Youtube HERE
How to setup your laptop to download a Youtube video
This would be best viewed using Youtube and in FULL-SCREEN mode.
You can view this on Youtube HERE
You can view this on Youtube HERE
TUX Paint: Great for all levels especially FS1-Year 2
I was asked about a feature on Tux Paint the other day and I have to say I couldn't answer the question. What is more I was busy and that only made it worse! Tux Paint is one of the best paint software programs around. It works on any computer - alas not an iPad - and it is FREE!
In my opinion every EYFS and KS1 teacher should have it on their laptop - use it and get to know it well. Watch the children use it. I got a great idea about symmetry using the kaleidoscope tool from a Year 1 child and then used the next day with Year 2. Such admissions! - but isn't that the way it should be?
Website: http://www.schoolfreeware.com
Tux Paint can be downloaded for free at http://www.tuxpaint.org An online gallery for student work to be uploaded to as well as a whole set of stamp plugins.
Tux Paint works on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7 W7, Mac OS X, and Linux.
If you would like this on your laptop, see me or see our Network administrator, Mr Joy Johnson.
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