BER Primary School Library and Classrooms

 There are two handouts available to give you more information about 

our new BER buildings:

BER Primary School Library (New Build Projects)
BER Primary School Classrooms (New Build Projects)

ADHD kids trade ritalin for recess and running!!

In a blog called "Schools Matter" there is a recent post called New Cure for ADHD: Recess.

The post discusses the results of a report on school-based physical activity and its association with academic performance, based on a review of 50 studies published in 43 articles 

Conclusion:-for those of you who don't have time to read the post (not long)

"Rambunctiousness in children is normal. And it should be treated with recess, not Ritalin!"

The program, available to all for free at http://www.davidkatzmd.com/abcforfitness.aspx, not only allows for intermittent bursts of activity throughout the day whenever kids 'need' one, but matches aerobic routines to grade level and subject matter.  

Teaching time actually goes up!

Ten Disruptive Uses of Your IWB

I found this fascinating quote today:

As I said before, there is a great temptation to be the didactic teacher when you have this type of technology. While it is fun to play with the toys, you will be surprised when you give your students the opportunity to try their hand at working on the board – and not just to write one word or to circle the mistake in a maths problem. Give groups of students control of the board for extended lengths of time, use your IWB as a station in a learning journey. Even just to brainstorm what they have learnt at the end of the day.Hall Jackson, The Interactive Classroom, May 2010

You should read the whole article.

Professional Learning needs to take a new direction.

 Ben Jones is a Professional Learning and Curriculum Support Project officer with the NSWDET Program delivering the Digital Education Revolution is NSW Public Schools.

Recently Ben posted: If we can’t teach ourselves, who can we teach?
Ben states that: "We are at a cross road with professional learning. Down Status Quo Avenue we can continue to feed, structure and support our dependence on the 16th century professional learning models. The alternative path leads down ‘New Directions’ street requires us to evaluate our position, and then most importantly we need to play our position.

The provision of the Connected Classrooms in our schools and the widespread availability of webinars, online training modules and tutorials open many doors for growing knowledge.

Explore Ben's questions for reflection:
Consider what professional learning could look like?

I particularly love one these professional learning suggestions from Ben which would help build a strong and supportive school culture:

■Provide extra relief time post professional learning for teachers to
pay it forward making it part of school culture and
 ■Build a culture of play and exploration by time tabling 15 minutes play!!

DART provides rich resources for classes

Connections - Virtual Excursions for May 2010

Rural and Distance Education
NSW Department of Education and Training 

Connections Events for May 2010 Free Events Connections offers free Open events regularly.  These are usually of a more informative nature as opposed to highly interactive.  We do try to keep them as interactive as possible, but we also try to make them available to many schools, and it is difficult to deliver both! Please visit our website to view all our free events. Country Access Program - Astro Collie This term, Collie , our adventurous garden gnome is LOST IN SPACE. He has been exploring our Solar System and seems to have lost his way. He needs your help. By finding out as much as possible about the planets and celestial bodies in our Solar System you can help Collie. He will send clues each week to help you determine where he is. You can use this information to plot his course. Can you help him find his way home? Astro Collie's virtual excursions are available on: 12th May 2010 - Astro Collie - Journey Through the Solar System 18th May 2010 - Astro Collie - Weather in Space 25th May 2010 - Astro Collie - Stars and Planets 1st June 2010  - Astro Collie - Space Exploration 8th June 2010  - Astro Collie - Stars and Planets 22 June 2010   - Astro Collie - Careers in the Aerospace Industry Australian Museum You can now view  ALL Australian Muesum events for 2010 at our website. Their events available for May are listed below. Meet the Megafauna Join us for some fascinating insights into Australia’s megafauna. What are the megafauna – are they simply ‘large animals’ or is there more to the story? Meet some of Australia’s megafauna including our biggest and our most vicious predator. See their fossils and compare them with some living relations. This virtual excursion is available on: 17th May 2010 Paleontology Through Puppetry Winny Saurs a life size Muttaburrasaurs dinosaur puppet takes you to her world. Explore the Australian Museum fossil collection, talk to Museum staff and interact with Winny; to find out about her like and dislikes. This virtual excursion is available on: 18th May 2010 25th May 2010 Human Evolution Journey back through time to meet some of our ancestors – including the ‘ape-men’, ‘work men’, Neanderthals and the so-called ‘wise humans’. Find out about the major changes that made us human and use skull features to place our ancestors and ancestral cousins within our evolutionary family tree. This virtual excursion is available on: 19th May 2010 Coming Up - June Dynamic Earth What's In The Box - Dinosaur Puppet Show What's In The Box - Inside The Earth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Our unique and affordable videoconferences let your students experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef without getting wet. Our videoconferences are filmed from within Reef HQ Aquarium, the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium, situated in Townsville, Australia, centre of the magnificent Great Barrier Reef. We can take you into the stunning Coral Reef and exciting Predator exhibits through state of the art videoconferencing technology. What will I see during a Reef Videoconference? a turtle, sharks, sawfish and rays amazingly colourful reef fish living coral in its many stunning shapes and colours some of the Great Barrier Reef’s most precious threatened and protected species … and so much more! Have your questions answered from deep in the tanks from our expert scuba divers who will be linked by microphone within the scuba mask. You can now view  ALL Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority events until July 2010 at our website. Kigluait Educational Adventures Video conferencing to Talkeetna, Alaska. Meet sled dogs, drive a sled and meet the Mushers. Kigluait Educational Adventures offers complete standards-based video conference programs, customizable curriculums, and training via onsite, video conference, and web-based communication tools. The Mushing Series explores the lifestyle of running dogs in Alaska - from racing the Iditarod to keeping your family warm and well fed throughout the long northern winter. There are six separate 1 hour video conference programs in this series. All are supported by Kigluait Curriculum Adventures online Moodle classroom, a daily Kennel Blog, and resource rich Flash Kennels website. You can now view  ALL Kigluait Educational Adventures events until July 2010 at our website. NASA - Space Center Houston NSW teachers and the NASA Space Center education specialists have collaborated to develop education modules and live virtual excursion experiences to the Space Center. These modules and excursions address NSW learning outcomes. You can now view  ALL available NASA Space Center dates until July 2010 at our website. Coming up in June 2010 Fizzics Education - NEW PROVIDER! Fizzics Education offer engaging hands-on experiments and interactive demonstrations designed to improve students understanding and appreciation of science. Our school science workshops have been previously assessed by the NSW Department of Education & Training Performances for Schools Unit. Enrich your curriculum and make your next incursion one to remember! Our science programmes are presented by qualified teachers, science communicators and science undergraduates each with experience in reaching audiences of all ages no matter what the setting . Coming virtual excursions for June include: Chemical Capers Stars and Planets Human Body Weather and Pressure You can now view  ALL Fizzics Educations events for 2010 at our website.

Blogging Is Rewarding

NSWDET has recently introduced BlogED Principals need to register to access this facility.

Check out what some other schools have been blogging about.

This tool will enable staff to quickly and easily establish blogs for each student, in every class, generated using ERN.

Read what Tim’s Blog de Blog has to say in his Education diary about BlogED:
Adoption of new technologies:

With the release of BlogED into its second month, we are quickly trying to assess its uptake. Since April 25, over 6 000 teachers now have been provisioned , and over 24% have actively built a blog. The rate of uptake of any new technology is always a source of interest, and needs to be carefully understood before we can say with any confidence if the adoption is what might be expected .

Are you ready to give it a go?

Teaching-You can make a difference

Love to hear from you

Broadcast Sport- We Create Challenge

 Here's another message from                     Ruth Mason

                                                                                      Senior Learning Design Officer

Learning Design and Services 

Centre for Learning Innovation you shouldn't miss!!

Another term, another terrific opportunity for students to use ICT. Broadcast sport is the next WeCreate Challenge for 2010 and students have from 19 April until 3 May to upload their story to the Broadcast website 

For this challenge students celebrate the sporting achievements of a team or individual in their school. They can also view those of other schools via the website’s Newsroom.

See some of the stories submitted during the first Broadcast challenge (Broadcast: News) by visiting the Newsroom 

The Broadcast sport challenge is one of the WeCreate: Connected Learning Awards and the WeCreate challenges which are being conducted throughout 2010 and can be mapped across a range of curriculum areas.

For details of all the great WeCreate awards and challenges including a downloadable flyer.

We Create: Digital Story Awards

 Have you seen this message from:Ruth Mason
Senior Learning Design Officer

Learning Design and Services

Centre for Learning Innovation yet?

Do your students enjoy storytelling?

Here’s a chance to combine words, images, music, sound and other media to tell a story of human migration.  This award is a collaborative project between the Centre for Learning Innovation and the National Museum of Australia.

All entries must be submitted to the WeCreate: Digital Story Awards website by 6:00 pm AEST on 19 May 2010.

For full details of this competition go to http://www.cli.nsw.edu.au/digitalstory.

For promotional material you could display in your school click on the Digital Story Awards flyer.

For details of these great awards and challenges go to  http://www.cli.nsw.edu.au/services/wecreate/wecreate.htm and for a list of the closing dates, click on the WeCreate flyer.

Are the New Millennium Learners Making the Grade?

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) releases a new report on technology use and educational performance in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) an international organisation helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalised economy.. Australia is one of the 65 countries involved in the study.  

Francesc Pedró

·         OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation extends an invitation for you to have your say:

Dear all,

The OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, in cooperation with the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry and with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Education, has just released a new report on technology use and educational performance using PISA data.

The report Are the New Millennium Learners Making the Grade? analyses to what extent investments in technology enhance educational outcomes. One of the most striking findings of this study is that the digital divide in education goes beyond the issue of access to technology. A new second form of digital divide has been identified: the one existing between those who have the right competencies to benefit from computer use, and those who do not. These competencies and skills are closely linked to the economic, cultural and social capital of the student.

This finding has important implications for policy and practice. Governments should make an effort to clearly convey the message that computer use matters for the education of young people and do their best to engage teachers and schools in raising the frequency of computer use to a level that becomes relevant. If schools and teachers are really committed to the development of 21st century competencies, such an increase will happen naturally. And only in these circumstances will clear correlations between technology use and educational performance emerge.

Browse it at http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?k=5KSCG4J39DHB&lang=en

As we have now started the preparations for a new edition using PISA 2009 data, your comments and suggestions for improvements will be extremely welcome.

Classrooms our students deserve

Alfie Kohn updated his table from 1996 

Do you agree with some or all of Alfie's statements? 

Take a moment on reflect on these  points.....

Are there areas that you could improve in your classroom or admin area?

	GOOD SIGNS	POSSIBLE REASONS TO WORRY
FURNITURE	Chairs around tables to facilitate interaction Comfortable areas for learning, including multiple "activity centers" Open space for gathering	Chairs all facing forward or (even worse) desks in rows
ON THE WALLS	Covered with students' projects Evidence of student collaboration Signs, exhibits, or lists obviously created by students rather than by the teacher Information about, and personal mementos of, the people who spend time together in this classroom	Nothing Commercial posters Students' assignments displayed, but they are (a) suspiciously flawless, (b) only from "the best" students, or (c) virtually all alike List of rules created by an adult and/or list of punitive consequences for misbehavior Sticker (or star) chart -- or other evidence that students are rewarded or ranked
STUDENTS' FACES	Eager, engaged	Blank, bored
SOUNDS	Frequent hum of activity and ideas being exchanged	Frequent periods of silence The teacher's voice is the loudest or most often heard
LOCATION OF TEACHER	Typically working with students so it takes a few seconds to find her	Typically front and center
TEACHER'S VOICE	Respectful, genuine, warm	Controlling and imperious Condescending and saccharine-sweet
STUDENTS' REACTION TO VISITOR	Welcoming; eager to explain or demonstrate what they're doing or to use visitor as a resource	Either unresponsive or hoping to be distracted from what they're doing
CLASS DISCUSSION	Students often address one another directly Emphasis on thoughtful exploration of complicated issues Students ask questions at least as often the teacher does	All exchanges involve (or are directed by) the teacher; students wait to be called on Emphasis on facts and right answers Students race to be first to answer teacher's "Who can tell me...?" queries
STUFF	Room overflowing with good books, art supplies, animals and plants, science apparatus; "sense of purposeful clutter"	Textbooks, worksheets, and other packaged instructional materials predominate; sense of enforced orderliness
TASKS	Different activities often take place simultaneously Activities frequently completed by pairs or groups of students	All students usually doing the same thing When students aren't listening to the teacher, they're working alone
AROUND THE SCHOOL	Appealing atmosphere: a place where people would want to spend time Students' projects fill the hallways Library well-stocked and comfortable Bathrooms in good condition Faculty lounge warm and inviting Office staff welcoming toward visitors and students Students helping in lunchroom, library, and with other school functions	Stark, institutional feel Awards, trophies, and prizes displayed, suggesting an emphasis on triumph rather than community

Copyright © 1996 by Alfie Kohn. This article may be downloaded, reproduced, and distributed without permission as long as each copy includes this notice along with citation information (i.e., name of the periodical in which it originally appeared, date of publication, and author's name). Permission must be obtained in order to reprint this article in a published work or in order to offer it for sale in any form. Please write to the address indicated on the Contact Us page.
Copyright ©1996. Reprinted from "Educational Leadership" with the author's permission. For more information, please see www.alfiekohn.org

Love to hear what you think.

Early Childhood: a time for inclusion

Early Childhood: a time for inclusion

I really thought this prezi was worth placing here for you.

Inclusion is such an important issue for all of our society to value.

Early Childhood: a time for inclusion on Prezi

Love to hear from you

Personal Learning Networks are at your fingertips these days..

Personal Learning Networks (Revised) on Prezi

David Warlick's revised edition


Love to hear from you

MyPL through portal

Professional Learning Events within the North Coast Region will be available from the 15 March 2010, onwards. Please refer to the PLE for Events prior to this date. ***

Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds from TED

Temple Grandin: Livestock handling designer, autism activist

An expert on animal behavior, Temple Grandin has designed humane handling systems for half the cattle-processing facilities in the US, and consults with the meat industry to develop animal welfare guidelines. As PETA wrote when awarding her a 2004 Proggy: “Dr. Grandin's improvements to animal-handling systems found in slaughterhouses have decreased the amount of fear and pain that animals experience in their final hours, and she is widely considered the world's leading expert on the welfare of cattle and pigs.”

Grandin’s books about her interior life as an autistic person have increased the world's understanding of the condition with personal immediacy -- and with import, as rates of autism diagnosis rise. She is revered by animal rights groups and members of autistic community, perhaps because in both regards she is a voice for those who are sometimes challenged to make themselves heard.

"Autism is part of who I am."

Temple Grandin gets a standing ovation for this talk!!

• Temple Grandin: Why Autism is a gift (cnn.com)

The draft Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history (K-10)

Consultation on the draft
 Australian Curriculum: English, mathematics, science and history



The draft Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history (K-10) will be available for consultation from 1 March 2010 to the end of May 2010. The draft curriculum for these learning areas will be available online through the Australian Curriculum Consultation Portal, and will include content

The consultation website will be available for everyone to read, review, download or print the draft K-10 curriculum. Opportunities will be available to provide feedback on the draft curriculum On-line survey



Teachers and other stakeholders in the broader education community will be able to review the curriculum materials and provide targeted feedback through an online survey.

BACKGROUND
The Curriculum Development Process, outlines four stages in the development of the Australian curriculum.

Phase 1 - The Australian Curriculum

The Australian curriculum will be developed in the first phase for English, mathematics, science and history.
In May 2009, the Interim National Curriculum Board (NCB) published The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: English, Mathematics, Science and History.

Phase 2 – The Australian Curriculum
The second phase of the Australian curriculum development involves geography, languages and the arts. Initial shape papers for geography, languages and the arts will be available for public consultation in mid 2010.


Phase 3 - The Australian Curriculum
The third phase of the Australian curriculum development involves design and technology, health and physical education, ICT, economics, business and civics and citizenship.
The Shape of the Australian Curriculum identifies ten general capabilities to be addressed in the Australian curriculum.


The General Capabilities
The general capabilities are literacy, numeracy, ICT, thinking skills, creativity, self management, teamwork, intercultural understanding, ethical behaviour and social competence. Particular attention has been given to the incorporation of literacy, numeracy, ICT, thinking skills and creativity into the draft Australian curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history.

Australian Curriculum Fact Sheet
This fact sheet summarises the progress on the development of the Australian curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history.

NSW DET implements a new Code of Conduct.

 The aim of this Code is to establish a common understanding of the standards of behaviour expected of all employees of the Department of Education and Training.

The Code places an obligation on all of us to take responsibility for our own conduct and work with colleagues cooperatively to establish consultative and collaborative workplaces where people are happy and proud to work.

This Code of Conduct applies to all employees of the NSW Department of Education and Training, including the TAFE NSW whether employed on a permanent, temporary or casual basis.

Implementation date: 27 January 2010

Official Blog World Maths Day 2010

 World Maths Day has been created for 

students 5 – 18 years old. 

The official competition runs for 48 hours, for as long as it is

3 March somewhere in the world.

Sandy Beach is registered. 

Class teachers need to confirm their interest so I can upload individual students names. 

Practice can start as soon as registration is finalised.

Register from 1 February 2010

Registrations close 1 March 2010

Each student is limited to a maximum of 500 games (each game lasts 60 seconds) during the 48 hour period. 

Prizes will be awarded to the top students in each age category, ages 5-8, ages 9-13 and ages 14-18. Even teachers and parents will want to take part! There has been a new category added this year.

Each game lasts 60 seconds and 1 point per correct answer is awarded.

Students play at home and at school against other students around the world in live games of mental arithmetic. A 2010 app will soon be available for students to use on their iPods and iTouchs. Students who answer the most questions appear in the Hall of Fame. Students cannot select their level but will be moved to higher levels up as they progress.

This is a truly unique world event and a fantastic way to promote numeracy within your school. Past results show that students will make significant improvements in their mental arithmetic skills and have fun in the process.

..and it's absolutely free of charge 

download this  World Maths Day poster

Please post a message to our first wishwall.

 Our first wishwall is up and running. 
Wishwall is a new way to communicate.
It is an online Notice Board Maker.
View a demo wall @ Wallwisher demo

Please check it out and post a message. You could post your own message or work with your kids to post a family message @ Latest Happenings at Sandy Beach


Love to hear from you

Effective Teaching, Quality Instruction and Professional Development: My Learning Style

Effective Teaching, Quality Instruction and Professional Development: My Learning Style

Teaching life's most important lesson...

Kiran Bir Sethi shows how her groundbreaking Riverside School in India teaches kids life's most valuable lesson: "I can."
Watch her students take local issues into their own hands, lead other young people, even educate their parents.

Will Richardson discusses online tools, communities of learning and pursuing our passions.

2010 Year of the Girl Guide

Have you tried twitter yet? Try it -You just might like it!!!

 NSW DET teachers:

Twitter HashTags to follow recommended by benpaddlejones

• 
  
  #DERNSW
  #EdChat
  #EdTech
  #Education
  #eLearning
  #Learning
  #NewEdBlogs
  #NSWDET
  #PLE
  #PLN
  #Teach
  #Teachers
  #CCP
  #NSWK-6
  What are HashTags

NSWDET employs sledgehammer approach to change.

 On his blog Parallel Divergence,  Stu Hasic questions  How many teachers are keeping up with the changes that are going on all around them? 

 

Image via CrunchBase

"Everyday my email inbox alerts me to at least one teacher who has become a new follower on Twitter. Now while I’m definitely not the best ed-tech guy in Twitterland to follow, I like to think that for each of those emails, a light bulb has switched on somewhere and a teacher is working to change, or at least keep up with the change that’s continually going on all around them."

Stu Hasic 

Will the sledgehammer approach work?

In a (wal)nutshell, the sledgehammer approach is:

1. Give computers to every student.
2. Build the expectation in the community that they will be used in school.
3. Shame teachers into action/change.

Read this blog and consider the many important questions Stu poses. 

Stu points out that "Coinciding with Australia’s next (scheduled) Federal Election and only half-way into this four year “revolution”, there will be the evidence needed to either justify or pull the plug on this ambitious and much needed change in school education."

What do you think?

Connected Learning Awards

The Connected Learning Awards give students opportunities to design and create digital works for real-life purposes. Students develop skills in communicating, collaborating, self-directed learning, problem solving, researching and publishing their findings.

The Centre for Learning Innovation (CLI) has a 2010 flyer out entitled ‘WeCreate’ - a calendar listing its activities by term for students K-12 for 2010.

There are a number of activities that will inspire and engage your students – ES1 and S1 divisions are also included.

21st Century Literacies - Howard Rheingold

Howard Rheingold spoke about 21st century literacies 

at the Reboot Britain event in London, July, 2009. (about 40 minutes)

We need to get beyond skills to literacies:Skills plus community=SOCIAL MEDIA
 
The five most important ones:
* Attention
* Participation
* Cooperation
* Critical Consumption (cr*p detection)
* Network Awareness

They all need to work together.

Not just interactive sites for Smartboard...SO MUCH MORE!!

I do understand that it is rude to shout but this site is worth shouting about!!

 

If you are looking for Interactive Games Sites, 

SMARTBOARD sites, Slideshare, Videos, Lesson Ideas, or Third Party Sites you will find plenty of value here.

Sites are also listed by subject area including: 

Maths

Science

Language Arts

and Social Studies

MUSIC

M.U.S

Image via Wikipedia

.I.C.

Musicians United for Songs in the Classroom, Inc.

M.U.S.I.C. is a nonprofit organization promoting arts integration through the study of popular music.

It provides Critical thinking and media literacy curriculum and products for grades 7-12.

 

Be careful what you tweet