workshop

Studies of Asia in Hume Region

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Welcome to the Studies of Asia Regional Workshop

Please begin by using the comments link on this post to share your personal learning goals for this workshop.
I have the pleasure of facilitating another 2 Day workshop for the Studies of Asia group at the Victorian department of education. Lindy Stirling, State Advisor, Studies of Asia (see the Studies of Asia Wiki) and local educators have organised this session in the Hume region.

After adding your comment, you might like to download the handouts for this 2 Day Workshop.
Studies of Asia Links

Web sites Created by Hume Region Participants

Activity 1: Great examples from previous Studies of Asia Workshops

To get a sense of what we will be creating over the next two days, please explore the work created by participants in previous sessions.  Try to notice the features, strategies and benefits gained from such a learning platform.

Brainstorm what you noticed using a shared Stixy board

Activity 2: Creating Your Smart Online Space

Fine-tuning your Blog

Activity 3: Look to Learn : : Learn to Look

Resources

Online Samples

YouTubes

Looking with Images

  • Pictures of the Week – from Time Magazine – Use this feature regularly to keep up with current events as well as challenge each other to interpret the message and perspective of the photos.
  • Sydney Morning Herald Daily Snapshot – Similar to the Time feature above, but on a daily basis and less about the news and more about culture and the unusual. Question: What would a space traveller decide life was like on earth from today’s photos?
  • Scratch Media! – Australian Political Cartoons from David Pope (better known by his signature Heinrich Hinze).
  • Dan Cagle’s collection of political cartoons
  • 10×10 – Every hour, 10×10 collects the 100 words and pictures that matter most on a global scale, and presents them as a single image, taken to encapsulate that moment in time.

Learning in a Digital Age & discussion

 

Day 2 – Personalising Your Learning to Personalise Student Learning

Paths to Personal Success

Path 1: Create 3 – 5 Look to Learn Activities for your students

  • Export / Import to begin new blog?
  • Copy / Paste this Post into your blog?
  • WordPress Lessons

Path 2: Web 2 Tools

Path 3: Enrich your site with content and rich media

RSS Feeds

Other Media

Path 4: Manage your Rich Media Links

Path 5: Create a ClassPortal

References:
For Ideas & Inspiration

Path 6: Create Specific Learning Activities

Path 7: CEQ•ALL – Student-managed Learning

Feedback

Important – please complete this form (made with jotform)

WebQuest Transformations

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Welcome & Overview

 
I’ve found that there are two main phases to creating and participating in WebQuests.  First there is the whole immersion and information-gathering phase.  Interest is excited and the problem becomes clear so we prepare and soak up lots of new information and perspectives on some specific aspects of the issue.  Although this can sometimes feel challenging because of all the information available, generally, this first phase is an one of engaged and enthusiastic pursuit – there’s lots to learn so we get on with it.

The second phase is different.  It’s a phase we don’t often get to in our Assembly line method of schooling.  It’s the sticky part after information is acquired.  What’s to be done with it?  Do we hold it temporarily, say for an exam, and then left it go or do we want to keep at least parts of it and add it to what might be called our “knowledge.”  You’ve heard of this process many times and with a range of terminology.  Classically, it’s Piaget’s shift from assimilation to accommodation.  Others have referred to it as “construction of meaning.” It’s the “Ah-Ha!” insight that sometimes follows the “Huh?” of cognitive dissonance.  It’s the painful shift from short to long-term memory.  Bloom’s taxonomy and the information literacy processes that embody it might see it as “Synthesis,”  the putting together after of something new from the pieces derived by careful Analysis.  I have come to refer to it as the “transformation of new information into new understanding.”

The problem with this second phase is twofold:  it’s hard work and it’s idiosyncratic. The hard work is because this task is very cognitively demanding – it hurts our heads and often feels like we’re treading water, not sure if we will learn to swim or sink into confusion.  The second problem is the idiosyncratic part – if the process of “making sense” from complex new information is unique to each individual (can you imagine it being any different?), then how do we “teach” it to a big group of students, a classroom of them, for instance?  Wouldn’t it require time?  A lot of one-on-one Socratic mentoring?  How can this work with typical teacher-directed learning when the bell’s about to ring, the semester end and kids are lining up to accept their diplomas?  So it’s no wonder that 80% of WebQuests leave this pesky transformation bit off – but thus aren’t WebQuests.  By my definition:

“A WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students’ investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests do this in a way that inspires students to see richer thematic relationships, facilitate a contribution to the real world of learning and reflect on their own metacognitive processes.”

 So today’s challenge comes with a rare opportunity – working with a small group of teachers who have already spent two days (Day 1 and Day 2) gathering online resources and brainstorming perspectives on an appropriately complex and rich topic.  Today we will see if we can design for each topic a process that guides a group of students toward the light, to accommodation, construction of meaning, Eureka! and Ah-Ha.  One trick we have up our sleeves is that the best Group Transformation processes flow naturally from the acquisition of new information that has preceded it.  Just like a teacher working with a group of students in a WebQuest, I will be working with a group of teachers facing the same Task: given what I have learned, how do I shape it into a new understanding, representing Knowledge I didn’t have before.  The first requirement for this task is met: we have the time.  The second follows with what I hope is Socratic coaching and online resources to inspire possible solutions.

Our Works in Progress

Resources to Support WebQuest Transformations

Further Readings & Background

Transformation Sampler

Web-and-Flow Guides

Design Tools

AGQTP / ISV Day 5 Celebration

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Welcome to our Showcase Day

Over the year I have really enjoyed working with the participants in ISV’s AGQTP project on Leveraging Web 2.0 Tools for Authentic Learning.

Agenda

  1. Gather Sites
  2. Reflection
  3. Showcase Presentations
  4. Next Steps in Professional Learning
  5. Feedback
  6. ClassBubbles?
  7. AGQTP Review

1. Collect your Sites

Send me an email (tom@ozline.com) including a link and brief description so that we can create a Hotlist of your fantastic sites.

2. Reflection on Your “Learning Journey”

While I gather and post the Hotlist to your sites, please take this time to reflect on your learning related to this series. At the beginning of Day 1, I asked you to post your goals for the workshop. Let’s take this opportunity to reflect on these and where this year’s journey has taken you.  You might also like to review our original Stixy brainstorm after viewing previous participants’ sites.  You could include any of these or other aspects to focus on:

  • the workshop experience,
  • Web 2.0 and pedagogies,
  • insights gained from all of us ISV support people,
  • working with colleagues here or back at school
  • the challenges and opportunities of implementing change

Write your reflection in your favourite writing software, then Post it as a Comment here.

3. Showcase

Preparations

First we will take a little time to prepare our sites / presentations.  Depending on what you’ve got, you may need or want to prepare a little overview / teacher’s guide.  This could be an “About” page on your blog or a quick presentation or video. Based on your feedback, we will set group expectations.

Presentations

Each school team will share their work including a discussion and feedback.

Brendan Vanderkley and Marion Nott

  • A link to the “public page” of my Year 10 Psych class on Edmodo (contains posts and responses within the private feed that have individually been marked public), showing some of the things we’ve done over the semester.
  • Edmodo – a secure social learning site/platform that incorporates many Web 2.0 teaching tools in one place.
  • A blog Marion and I have used throughout the year for sharing what we learn at your workshops with a Web 2.0 team back at school (and the wider school community)
  • PowerStudy – a fledgling class portal I’ve only just begun to work with with my classes – and which will develop over this term – on the theme of “the use and abuse of power”.
  • A stixy I used in my psych class to introduce a new unit/topic
  • “Free Technology for Teachers”: a teacher info / PD resource for teachers that covers lots of great Web 2.0 tools

Phillip Lodge

Janene Williames

Allister Rouse and Jackson Bates

Tim Hartwich and Gary Harding – Victory Lutheran College

Luke Skehan and Catherine Bellair

Lisa Field and Janet

4. Next Steps for your Professional Learning

A big part of today is gathering things together.  Besides reflecting on your learning and “packaging” your project as we’ve done, we also want to plan for the next steps in your professional learning, by reviewing what you still want to learn and do related to authentic learning with advanced ICTs.

References

Grab a Badge

You can now officially “badge” your sites so that others know you are indeed a “Cutting Edge-ucator.”  Copy the text below and paste it into your sidebar Text widget or anywhere on a page or post.

<a href="https://ozline.com/strategies/edge-ucators/">
<img src="https://ozline.com/graphics/edge-ucators-badge.png" /></a>

5. Feedback

Please complete this feedback form so that I can improve for next year.

6. ClassBubbles?

If we have time, I’d like to share a new leaning activity tool called  ClassBubbles.  An example is online here for Next Era Ed  (use key “nexteraed”) and log-in with your own details.

7. AGQTP Review

Sydney Region Leaders Conference

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Welcome!

Workshop

As the culmination of an evolving model called The Edge-ucators Way, Tom will engage participants in exploring three core strategies and a model to promote student self-initiated learning.
(Want to try ClassBubbles? – use key: detnsw)

 

Keynote

I have the pleasure of sharing “It’s Broke – So Let’s Fix it” with the leaders of government schools in the Sydney region.  The key points are to focus on our most important tasks: changing classroom practices to leverage ICTs to support the best in evidence-based pedagogies, to break free from a century’s worth of habits and emerge into a new Era of Education.  A pdf of the keynote is available.

The Edge-ucators Way

Look to Learn

Samples

Resources

Interaction: Comment on this Post: how could you use / support Look to Learns?

ClassPortals

References:

For Ideas & Inspiration

Interaction: Brainstorm Topics you think would make good ClassPortals

WebQuests

WebQuests by Tom

Resources

Articles

Interaction: Brainstorm Topics / Big Questions for possible WebQuests (Group 1 & Group 2)

Activity: Creating Your Smart Online Space

Activity – Web 2 Tools

Self-managed Learning Framework for students

C E Q • A LL / Seek all!

WebQuests Day 1

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Getting WebQuests

The following is a WebQuest designed to introduce educators to both the lived experience of a WebQuest as well as some of the challenges and opportunities we face in 21st Century schools.

Introduction

“In the beginning, there was the computer, then the Internet (the Internet?).  In 1994, along came the World Wide Web.  Within 15 years a few things happened…”

Big Question

How should schools change to adapt to the 21st Century?

You have +45 minutes to immerse yourself in your role and begin addressing your task below.

Roles

Technologist

Task: Given the changes in technology, how can it support school-based learning? (click to begin answering)

Pedagogue

Task: Given expert opinions about the old and new ways of schooling, how do you think schools could / should change to suit the 21st Century? (click to begin answering)

Educator

Task: Given the changing landscape of global education, how could / should Australian schools change to suit the 21st Century? (click to begin answering)

Creator

Task: Given the new media and ways of expression, how could / should  learning be represented by Australian schools in the 21st Century? (click to begin answering)

Group Task

Now that you have been able to focus on one aspect that impacts learning and schools in this century, you need to bring this expertise together to answer the Big Question:

How should schools change to adapt to the 21st Century?

Your Team answer must include consideration of each of the four main areas.  In other words, the group response must be informed by an understanding of changes happening in the following four areas:

  • Technology
  • Pedagogy
  • Education
  • Creative Media

[nggallery id=1]
creator / pedagogy / schools / technology

Your team can choose how to present your answer.  One suggestion is to create an Infographic. Here is a description of how to do it and here’s a tool you can use (Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, Team 4 or use a whiteboard wall or?).

Presentation and Feedback

Each team presents their ideas.

Debriefing and De-constructing the “WebQuest”

Use this stixyboard to brainstorm your insights into the WebQuest process

Use the Comments link at the bottom of this post to give Tom feedback on how this experience was for you.

Introduction

Resources

Articles

Next Steps – Homework for next week

  1. choose a topic
  2. brainstorm its related perspectives
  3. If you have time, begin looking for resources

WebQuest Day

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Quick Brainstorm

What are WebQuests? – stick up your thoughts

Introduction

Topics and Questions

Gather Resources & Perspectives

Thinking Tools

Collaboration Platforms

Possible Sources for Real World Feedback

  • Local experts, older students, parents, community clubs, etc.
  • Technorati – Search Real Blogs & Posts –  caution  advised
  • Aardvark – Ask real people who have some expertise on a wide range of real world subjects.
  • AllExperts – post questions to real people.
  • Australian Parliament – House of Representatives

WebQuest Resources

Articles

Resources

WebQuests .9 & 1.0

 

Day 3 – ClassPortals

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Introduction

Tom’s Intro

ClassPortals…

  • Focus on one compelling topic (with all its interesting connections to others)
  • Embody a passionate interest of the teacher and students
  • Continue in the background of class activities drawing attention when something in the real world provokes it
  • Act as a platform for things like writing, podcasts, videos, photos, cartoons, data collection, etc.
  • Make a contribution to the world’s learning

Examples

References:

For Ideas

For Inspiration

Brainstorming and Designing

Task 1: Choose Topic(s)

Task 2: Enrich the Possibilities

  • What would excite student interest in this topic?
  • Why People Care about this Topic
  • Complexity: What Issues and Aspects make up this Topic?
  • Embedded Learning Skills

Task 3: Tapping & Taming the Information Stream

  • Examples: Tom’s ClassPortal Pageflakes or Netvibes
  • Types of Current Information Available (News, Podcasts, Video, Cartoons, Movies, Books, etc.)
  • Initial places to begin looking
  • Possible Student Jobs, Roles, Tasks (consider ICT expertise and Gifted & Talented extensions)

Task 4: ICT Productions

  • Based on Your Skills & Interests & Student Inclination, which ICT Creations seem possible?
  • Any needed software, hardware, online spaces / tools, tech support, tutorials, etc.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Session: Day 4

  • Real, Rich and Relevant Group: Wednesday, 27 July (Day 5: Aug 17)
  • AGQTP Group: Tuesday, 16 August (Day 5: Oct 12)

Studying Asia & ICTs in Ballarat

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Welcome

Please begin by using the comments link on this post to share your personal learning goals for this workshop.
I have the pleasure of facilitating another 2 Day workshop for the Studies of Asia group at the Victorian department of education. Lindy Stirling, State Advisor, Studies of Asia (see the Studies of Asia Wiki) and local educators have organised this session in historic Ballarat.

After adding your comment, you might like to download the handouts for this 2 Day Workshop

Participants’ Completed Web sites (in 2 Days!)

Studies of Asia Links

Activity 1: Great examples from previous Studies of Asia Workshops

To get a sense of what we will be creating over the next two days, please explore the work created by participants in previous sessions.  Try to notice the features, strategies and benefits gained from such a learning platform.

Brainstorm what you noticed using a shared Stixy board

(debrief Web 2.0 terminology?)

Activity 2: Creating Your Smart Online Space

Fine-tuning your Blog

Activity 3: Look to Learn : : Learn to Look

Online Samples


Day 2 – Personalising Your Learning to Personalise Student Learning

Paths to Personal Success – Twiddla EtherPad

Path 1: Create 3 – 5 Look to Learn Activities for your students

  • Export / Import to begin new blog?
  • Copy / Paste this Post into your blog?
  • WordPress Lessons

Path 2: Web 2 Tools

Path 3: Enrich your site with content and rich media

RSS Feeds

Other Media

Path 4: Manage your Rich Media Links

Path 5: Create a ClassPortal

Path 6: Create Specific Learning Activities

Path 7: CEQ•ALL – Student-managed Learning

 

Feedback

Important – please complete this form (made with jotform)

 

Studies of Asia

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Welcome

Please begin by using the comments link on this post
to share your personal learning goals for this workshop.

I have the pleasure of facilitating another 2 Day workshop for the Studies of Asia group at the Victorian department of education. Lindy Stirling, State Advisor, Studies of Asia (see the Studies of Asia Wiki) has organised this session at the Clifton’s in Melbourne’s beautiful CBD.

 

After adding your comment, you might like to download the handouts for this 2 Day Workshop

Studies of Asia Links

 

Work Completed by Participants of this Session

Activity 1: Great examples from previous Studies of Asia Workshops

To get a sense of what we will be creating over the next two days, please explore the work created by participants in previous sessions.  Try to notice the features, strategies and benefits gained from such a learning platform.

Brainstorm what you noticed using a shared Stixy board or Twiddla

(debrief Web 2.0 terminology?)

Activity 2: Creating Your Smart Online Space

Fine-tuning your Blog

Activity 3: Look to Learn : : Learn to Look

Online Samples


Day 2 – Personalising Your Learning to Personalise Student Learning

Paths to Personal Success

Path 1: Create 3 – 5 Look to Learn Activities for your students

Path 2: Web 2 Tools

Path 3: Enrich your site with content and rich media

Path 4: Manage your Rich Media Links

Path 5: Create a ClassPortal

Feedback

Important – please complete this form (made with jotform)

 

Day 2 for ISV

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Welcome to Day 2

Today provides a chance to review and embed skills related to using an online space as the platform for rich and authentic learning. The main focus for the day is to add rich resources through RSS feeds (using Netvibes) and podcast players. We will work toward creating a robust set of tools and interactions that can lead to implementing a ClassPortal.

Day 2 Activities and links at the Workshop page.