Step into a really easy global connections project. The Postcard Project.

The Postcard Project "in the spirit of developing global connections and getting to know a bit more about other peoples cities/countries."  The project is being co-ordinated by Sarah Leakey, a teacher from New Zealand.

Image Attribute: Postcard JBeach Licensed Under: NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic 

 Such a simple, easy way to encourage your students to develop global awareness. The postcard project provides a real purpose for writing and would fit well when students are looking at their community, same and different.....

Join in the fun- it is easy and low cost- even using old-fashioned snail mail which will really emphasise the way it was (slow) and the way most of them now know-(instantaneous). It could fit in well with The Way we Were....History studies...Then and Now

The project is very flexible (low stress) : "Join in once in the year or ongoing throughout the year."

Are you ready to use your Connected Classroom and the Video Conferencing facilities?

BOS TV - the 2011 videoconference schedule coming soon

The Board’s 2011 videoconference schedule will soon be available on Schools Online.
Topics will include:
· Australian curriculum in NSW updates (primary and secondary)
· Moderation of HSC assessment marks
· Developing HSC assessment policies
· Running subject selection sessions
· Managing ‘N’ determinations
· Disability provisions (formerly special examination provisions)

Videoconferencing is an excellent way for schools to book a whole group of staff to hear important Board advice from the source.

Love to hear from you

Playing to Learn - We do it from very early days as a baby. Why stop??

"Playing to Learn? - Children love to learn, but at some point they lose that and become adults that don't like formal learning. Let's explore why "play" has gotten such a bad rap and figure out how to get it back in education" says Maria Anderson. Have fun watching her prezi below:

Playing to Learn? by Maria Andersen on Prezi 

Games are not like they used to be. They have a very high social component to them. There are claims that "gamers are able to detect, for example, new information coming at them faster" in the article:Video Games Boost Brain Power, Multitasking Skills by Michelle Trudeau. Brain researcher Jay Pratt, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, says that "playing these video games changes your ability to learn, and to find and integrate new information."

Daphne Bavelier is professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. She studies young people playing action video games. Having now conducted more than 20 studies on the topic, Bavelier says, "It turns out that action video games are far from mindless." Both Pratt and Bacelier agreed that moderation is the key.

Did you know that Games Based Learning was identified by the 2011 Horizon Report as two years to adoption. That is not very long. We need to get our heads around this.

According to James Gee in his article:Deep Learning Properties of Good Digital Games How Far Can They Go? "Digital games are, at their heart, problem solving spaces that use continual learning and provide pathways to mastery through entertainment and pleasure."  

Gee states in his video for Edutopia, “Kids want to produce, they don’t just want to consume.”

Would it surprise you that the future of schooling may lie with video games? Read: http://www.economist.com/node/14350149?story_id=14350149  and see what you think.

 Gaming to re-engage boys in learning, a great TEDxPSU talk may expand your thinking a little further. The boys motivation is clear and evident in these games. We need to embrace the games' ability to advance deep learning.

In the article: Game based learning in the classroom  Phillipa Cleaves noted that more than 50% of Yr6-12 students are more interested in practicing problems based around games; over 55% of Yr6-12 students are more engaged in a subject when GBL is used and  nearly 60% of all Yr6-12 students find GBL makes harder concepts easier to understand. These statistics show that we would be on a winner to ensure students used quality games for some of their learning.

Ben Jones, in Computers in schools: IT is becoming child's play, states: " It is no longer a question of when but the more important question of how will we use them for teaching and learning? " Jones presents six ways of using consoles in education and then examines the various consoles on offer.(See the link below for more information on gaming consoles.) Jones also indicated that we need to engage parents and community in the process, as many have ill-informed preconceived ideas about gaming and games. It is  vital that parents and teachers work in a close partnership as we create new learning environments to facilitate optimal learning conditions for our students in this fast changing digital age.  Gaming Consoles in Education 

‘We need to get away from “we’re doing computers”; it’s more “we’re doing learning” with technology integrated in all lessons without having to decamp to the IT block,’ says Andy Goff, director of iLX, a research centre where teachers learn how to get the most from video game consoles. "IT is changing in schools and our key focus is improving literacy and numeracy."

Some parents may say they don’t send their children to school to play computer games and Richard Healey, manager of the Birmingham East City Learning Centre, shares their concerns. He admits: ‘There is a PR job to be done there but we have evidence to show it encourages children to attend school and learn.’ School communities need to ensure that parents are educated along with their children.

For teachers considering introducing game based learning into their classrooms these tips at Educators Connect Digital Games to Learning  may come in handy.

As Phillipa Cleaves (on yammer) summed it up: "game based learning (GBL) is all about collaboration, achieving milestones and advancing. It is such a great way to learn." 

I would love to introduce some of our classes try one of the Mystery Matters games 
from Centre for Learning Innovation (CLI). Be aware access is only available through the DET portal.

Mystery Matters is a series of learning games for students in years 4 to 10. Take a look at the Games information list on the right to see what games are ready to play and what games are coming. Select a game in the list to see what the game is about and when it will be released.

Teachers – take a look at the product brochure (.pdf 169kB) for more information. Each game also has comprehensive teaching notes you can view when you play the game.

Related articles

• Playing to Learn? How to get fun back into education (ictelt.blogspot.com)
• Suggested Reading: A 7 series piece on "What teachers can learn from video games": http://www.cleanapple.com/blog/?page_id=351 from Ben Jones
• What exactly are kids learning?:which has many great references to follow for those who wish to explore this area
• Newsletter: Games-Based Learning #1 (ictineducation.org)
• Games in Education (ictineducation.org)
• Lisa Nielsen: 10 Reasons Students Say They Prefer Learning Online 

Another example of Northcumberland's terrific free digital resources for older primary students

 The Lambton Worm would be useful for inclusion when studying stories from other countries or folk tales .

The Lambton Worm

      

An interactive resource to support the teaching of  traditional tales with activities linked to Literacy narrative units for Year 3 and Year 5.
It includes many additional resources including many Literacy activities. There are Notebook files on many of these activities. There is plenty to explore and choose from. 

Northcumberland Grid for Learning excels in its provision of high quality free digital resources for primary school.

The resource consists of two interactive stories, 

with accompanying Literacy, 

                    Numeracy and 

                ICT support activities.

 

Resources for Kinder and Year 1 teachers including:

* The Little Red Ship interactive story
* Printable book
* Literacy resource sheets
* Numeracy resource sheets
* Clip Art & e-mail Captain Kate

They have added a new story to this collection: 

The Little Red Ship and the Pirates

Find out what happens when the little red ship is followed by the pirates.
Meet the big blue whale and Pirates Jane and Jim.

Fantabulous Variety of Free Nursey Rhyme Resources

Set 1 
Set 2
Set 3
 with 6 nursery rhymes in each set.


Each of the 18 rhymes comes with a range of extra resources:

	a 6 page Smart Notebook with characters, scenes, sequencing activities and suggestions for activities in class
	an A4 printable poster of each illustrated rhyme (Microsoft Word file)
	a set of printable cards for sequencing activities (Microsoft Word file)

 The Notebook files are designed to be used on a whiteboard using Smart Notebook version 10 

Love to hear what you think of this site.