Curriculum Mapping @ the AIS Executive Conference

I’m spending two days at the AIS Executive Conference in Brighton-Le-Sands on Botony Bay, Sydney.  On day one, the committee set up an excellent program featuring John Hattie, Alma Harris and Peter Freebody.  The three keynotes complemented each other and contributed to a solid basis for further discussions.  My interest focused on John Hattie whose book Visible Learning is fast becoming the bible for evidence-based educators.  John made presented an insightful and no holds barred case for what strategies have a greater effect on student achievement.  His bottom-line is that the difference is educators whose attention is on evaluating the effect they have on student learning.  It’s a reminder of the simple wisdom of questions like those put forward by the likes of Rick Dufour:

  • What do we want the students to learn?
  • How do we know when each student has learned it?
  • What do we do when a student experiences difficulty in learning it?

On Day Two, my friend Steven Armstrong (Deputy Head Academic) and I shared Oxley College’s journey so far with Curriculum Mapping.  We offered a “warts and all” tale that begins with a hazy vision of where we want to go and ends (so far) happily with a very successful inspection by the Board of Studies earlier this month.

Our slides are available (+notes page) as well as a handout with a few example maps and template.

AGQTP WebQuests 2.0

First Impressions

  1. Here’s a Stixyboard for brainstorming  “What are WebQuests?”
  2. Now let’s try Putting the WebQuest Pieces Together (doc)

A little history lesson & Background

WebQuests all started with this page posted by Bernie Dodge: Some Thoughts About WebQuests.  I was team-teaching with Bernie in a teacher prep course on creating interdisciplinary units.  I soon began a three year fellowship where the first thing I did was to post the first (non) WebQuest for use outside of our course: Searching for China (version 0.9).  This was, “good, but not a WebQuest.”  Why? A few years later it became this updated version of Searching for China.

Use the QuestGarden Search to explore others’ WebQuests.  Use the Comments on this post to share good ones that you find.

Sample WebQuests by Tom or Web-and-Flow

Getting Started

One really good way to develop a WebQuest is from a ClassPortal.  Below are the ClassPortals you’ve begun.  Do any of the topics suit a WebQuest?

Reviewing ClassPortals from the group

If you want to use this approach (or begin a new blog for a WebQuest) you might want to copy/paste this template into a Page on your blog.

Guides for your Process

Collaborative Checkpoints: add your milestones – Questions, Roles, Tasks, etc.

Resources

Articles

Working with Mater Maria

Welcome!

I’m delighted to have a whole day to work with the staff of Mater Maria College in the northern beaches area of Sydney.

Here’s a set of materials to guide what you do.

Getting input:TypeWith.Me

I’m still convinced that for a school to successfully implement digital learning four conditions must be addressed. They are:

  1. a place to meet online
  2. a set of Rich Routines to do once they are there
  3. a longer process that develops a renewed understanding of Curriculum – shifting from seat time and product to mastery and performance.
  4. finally, a framework that shifts the ownership and management of learning to students (where is has always belonged)

Online Space

  • Get a WordPress Blog
  • Modify the Blog’s Appearance
  • Settings for success
  • Making a Post – embedding YouTube
  • Creating a Page

Rich Online Routines and Examples

All learners (children and adults) come with a range of abilities and experiences.  They progress at different rates.  This truth is one that the Industrial model to schooling has been struggling with for a century.  Fortunately, in the digital era, this limitation doesn’t exist.  1:1 learners can and do progress at individual paces.  What we need are new classroom routines – beyond “chalk and talk” – that nurture and support individuals to achieve their potential.  The “Edge-ucators Way” is a platform for helping students and teachers move in this direction.

Look to Learn:

ClassPortals:

WebQuests:

CEQ•ALL

Varsity College – Gold Coast

In addition to the Innovation Expo, I have the opportunity to share my school-based approach with Varsity College on the Gold Coast. They are leaders in 1:1 implementation with further expansion coming in 2011.

Here are handouts that ICT / Pedagogy people can use.

Collaborative Tools

Some Examples

Look to Learn:

ClassPortals:

WebQuests

Resources

Tutorials

Innovation Expo – Gold Coast for eLearning

Over the next two days the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre will become the hub for digital learning in Australia.  A great group of keynote speakers has been assembled to complement an outstanding cast of local experts.  I’m fortunate to present to the conference on The New Curriculum: when Learning goes 1:1 and a session unpacking CEQ•ALL.

I’m making my 2 Day Workshop handouts available because they bring together my work and a good collection of supporting links.

In addition to the Innovation Expo, I have the opportunity to share my school-based approach with Varsity College on the Gold Coast. They are leaders in 1:1 implementation with further expansion coming in 2011.

Caroline Chisholm continued

Ongoing work with Caroline Chisholm Catholic College in Melbourne focuses on 1:1 learning and their Notebook program.  A special CCCC blog has been set up with sample look to learn activities, links to ClassPortals and WebQuests as well as an 1:1 ICT Skills survey.

AGQTP ClassPortals

Introduction

(review Day 2 outcomes)

Great “ClassBlogs:“

A “ClassPortal” Twist

Resources & Activities

Workshop

  • Create new blog at WordPress.com (from your current account)
  • Brainstorm and Choose YOUR topic for a ClassPortal (see sample?)
  • Create a Diigo Bookmarks Group on your Topic
  • Add at least one Look to Learn Post
  • Copy and paste the Web 2 Tools Panel?
  • Copy, Edit ClassPortals Feeds Pageflakes and add a link to a Pageflakes feed page
  • Add Core links (search engines, collaborators, core tools, etc.)
  • Adjust Sidebar Widgets
  • Write your About page to describe your classroom integration plan
  • Produce content (Podcasts, Videos / YouTube Channel, VoiceThread, Dipity timelines, Flickr streams, etc.)
  • Leverage the  CEQ-ALL (“seek all”) – personal learning framework? (download)

Resources

Works in Progress

Edge-ucators Team Meeting #1

Welcome!

Good the see you all again – in person!

Here’s a handout / agenda

Action Research

It has been said, “Teachers often leave a mark on their students, but they seldom leave a mark on their profession” (Wolfe, 1989). Through the process and products of action research teachers will do both.

Use the handout above and this digest from Eileen Ferrance‘s chapter to get started. The links below provide additional background and more in-depth guidance.

Resources

Mapping your Plan and Data Collection

Studies of Asia Workshops

Welcome!

I look forward to working together for two days to enhance professional practice around Digital Learning and Studies of Asia.   Lindy Stirling, State Advisor, Studies of Asia (see the Studies of Asia Wiki) has organised a series of these two-day workshops for Melbourne and Gippsland.

We will focus on four main categories needed to support every Digital Edge-ucator:

  1. Online Environment
  2. Rich Resources
  3. Digital Learning Pedagogy
  4. Curriculum Continuum

Activities

Let’s begin by introducing ourselves and sharing our backgrounds and interests Stixy

The specific activities and links can be found in this Set of Course Materials and focus on Web 2, creating Blogs and getting easy access to rich resources.

IWB blog tools and panel page

Create a Pageflakes account

Studies of Asia Links

Adding Users and Staying in Touch

Having Users Register at WordPress.com or add students through Dashboard > Users – Invites set to “author”.

Paste the Web address / URL of your WordPress blog

in the comments here so we can not lose your great work

5 Day Workshop Series

Welcome to the first day of this year’s 5 day workshop series on integrating Web 2 tools into authentic learning experiences for students.

Module 1 above will get you started.

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