Setting up a digital classroom can be daunting.

The resources in this post may help you get more understanding of what you may need to do to successfully set up a digital classroom for your students.
The 60-Second Guide To Digital Classrooms | Edudemic


Via: Accredited Online Universities Guide


You may also find A comprehensive list of digital literacy tools may be helpful.

Get the kids making the most of the tools available: 50 Great Chrome Extensions for Students - chrome extensions, chrome plugins, Education, guest-post, Students - Technically Personal!

If a classroom is not enough -try a farm-a digital learning farm

The Essential Elements of Digital Literacies

View more presentations from Doug Belshaw

iCLIPART for Schools - Millions of downloadable royalty-free clipart images, photos, web graphics, animations, sounds and fonts by subscription.

iCLIPART for Schools - Millions of downloadable royalty-free clipart images, photos, web graphics, animations, sounds and fonts by subscription.

Opportunity for keen student writers.

2012 Storytelling and Story Writing and competitions for students in Yrs 5&6 and Yrs 7&8
Hosted by the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW)

 

Message from  Christine Carlton
President - Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) 
 
Dear Librarians and teachers,
 
The Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) is a not-for-profit association dedicated to the development of and advocacy for oral storytelling, literature appreciation and creative expression through story creation and performance.
 
For Students:
Here is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop arts literacy skills, self esteem, win wonderful prizes and for the school to receive recognition for participation in worthy educational activity that supports development in skills across a number of Key Learning Areas.

 
What: 2 competitions for students in yrs 5 & 6 and Yrs 7 & 8
(i) NSW State Story writing competition
(ii) NSW State Storytelling competition
 
Prizes for each competition:
1st place -$300, 2nd place $200, 3rd place -$100
 
Also: 
Storytelling finalists will be invited to share the stage with Australian and International professional storytellers and perform their stories to a family concert audience at the Sydney International Storytelling Conference Sunday 3rd June 2012 
Story Writing Competition winners will have their stories published on the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) website 
 
When: closing date Friday May 4th 2012
 
Conditions of entry and flyers for both competitions at   www.storytellersnsw.org.au 
 
For Teachers K-12:
Teachers may be interested in our 'Weaving Stories Together' - Sydney International Storytelling Conference to be held in Sydney June 1-3, 2012. See website for details www.storytellersnsw.org.au
 
Kind regards,
 
Christine Carlton
President - Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW)
ccarlton@cia.com.au
www.storytellersnsw.org.au
Competition Email: nswstory2@gmail.com

New teachers need support.

These web resources may be of help to any new teachers out there starting their adventure!!


During discussions on yammer some of the teachers were concerned about ways to help new teachers coming on to their staff. After some discussion and reflection I decided to compile the web resources that were suggested. I chose to created them in a  livebinder: New Teachers Survival Guide  
                                                             Livebinder tutorials are available if you are  interested in learning how to use this great curating tool.

Recently I came across Discovery Education which has a great site for new teachers. The New Teacher Survival Central has lots of great resources for new teachers (and not so new teachers) on technology, parent communication, classroom management, lesson plan resources, and much more.

There are tutorials and training resources that will help new teachers adapt to their new career. The Survival Tool Kit has a best of the web section with links to great web sites for educators.

 I have added these to the New Teachers Survival Guide livebinder. 

To all new teachers out there: ENJOY and please ask for help if you need it! 

Gonski Review is released.

Read the Review Panel's Final Report | Your School Our Future  -The 285-page Gonski review, released today, proposes major changes in the way resources are distributed between private, government and Catholic schools.

In  School funding needs big expansion Katrina Curtis stated: "It criticised current funding arrangements for being unnecessarily complex, lacking coherence and transparency and duplicating funding in some areas."

Noting that the performance of Australian students has slipped significantly based on international comparisons since 2000, the report calls for a "schooling resource standard" - the funding required to deliver a high quality education for every child. The final report of the federal Review of Funding for Schools suggests a new Schooling Resource Standard be established that would apply across the public and private sectors.

Public schools would be fully publicly funded under the standard, while there would be a minimum public contribution to non-government schools of up to 25 per cent of the standard per student.

Businessman David Gonski headed the independent review into school funding. Picture: James Croucher The Daily Telegraph

SCHOOL FUNDING NEEDS BIG EXPANSION: PANEL 

The panel said  "Private Schools that did not charge fees or took on students with very high needs could receive full government funding." Candidates for full funding may be special schools serving children with disabilities, schools where the overwhelming majority of the population was indigenous, and sole-provider schools in remote locations.

"The important issue from a national perspective is not who provides the resources for schooling for all Australian children but that they are actually provided," the report stated.   I must agree!!! however,  the proposals require an estimated $5 billion boost in funding. (The figure was based on 2009 estimates, meaning the cost in real terms would be significantly higher today.)

Where do we find that sort of money if all of the recommendations were to be considered and implemented?
School Education Minister Peter Garrett said this morning there would "absolutely not" be a multibillion-dollar cash injection to Australia's education sector as a result of the report. "For those reasons it is important that we take the next steps in this reform process thoroughly and with care . . . The Australian government is committed to returning the budget to surplus in 2012-13 and to ongoing fiscal responsibility," SADLY not to equity!!
See School Education Minister Peter Garrett's Funding Review Address (video)

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has warned any changes to school funding models must be sustainable and take into account the budget challenges of Australian governments.
The report also says all schools, especially government schools, should seek out philanthropic partners for money and expertise. I fear we will not find many who will rush forward with their hands in the air, waving bucket loads of money at us!

As many anticipated, not much will change to improve the equity in providing education to all Australian students in the immediate future.   Bianca Hall,in Surplus before schools as Gonski report decries student disadvantage sums up: "Rather than commit to any of the recommendations or findings in the review, the government will instead embark on another round of consultation. This is in addition to the more than 7000 submissions received, 39 schools visited and 71 education groups visited as part of the 18-month review process to date."

 

SBS NEWS reports that :"The Australian Education Union has responded to the Gonski review by broadly supporting the recommendations."

 

PUBLIC VS PRIVATE ???

Will we ever get it right? Will the Government made the hard decisions necessary?

A once-in-a-generation chance to reform our education system is released.
Can you believe it?  Australia is now the third worst country in the OECD for the proportion of our education budget we spend on public education. We must put more money into the teaching and learning that will help the kids who start out with less catch up." from Please, Prime Minister, More?In the article Private School Review Row Richmond MP Justine Elliot said the review would leave no private school worse off. “The aim of the Gonski Review of Funding of Schooling is to achieve a system that is transparent, fair, financially sustainable and effective in promoting the achievement and well-being of all students in all schools.”SAVE OUR SCHOOLS   SOS - Fighting for Equity in EducationMedia Release  School Funding Review    stated:  "It is absolutely absurd that the chairman of an elite private school has been appointed to decide the future funding of private and government schools. The conflict of interest is overwhelming." Gonski review: Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt on Australia’s problem with science educationThe Conversation spoke with Nobel Laureate, Brian Schmidt, about the state of science education in Australian schools and what impact the Gonski review can have on ensuring all students get the possible opportunity to learn. Schmidt states: "It is a big change and it is a hard change and we shouldn’t underestimate that. This is not an easy thing to fix and it is something that will take ten years to implement and get teachers through, but the benefits will last for 50 years." Schmidt also asks THE question, in my opinion: We are one of the richest countries in the world, why should we be mediocre in our education when the OECD says that is the best way to make a country rich?

FREE classroom printables.

In this day and age there are so many kind and caring, sharing teachers..... Enjoy

Source: livebinders.com via Karen on Pinterest

Teacher- Just what do you do??

Would you like to be a "hip"/ "hipper" teacher? 

Try following some of the advice in the article below.

6 Quick Ways Teachers Can Be Hip

If you choose to join twitter you can follow me @ sandynay

20 Twitter Hashtags Every Teacher Should Know About

I would add specifically for our friends here in Australia and NSW: 

#ozteachers Australian teachers

#auedchat Australian Education Chat

#austl Australian Teacher Librarians

#nswtl NSW Teacher Librarians

#slansw School Libraries Australia NSW

#nswdec NSW DEC issues 

#DERNSW Government issued DERvices to students

Mobile learning tags

#mlearning

#slide2learn

#ipaded

NSW Draft K-10 Sylllabuses v2 out now!!

NSW Draft K–10 Syllabuses for the Australian curriculum in English, Mathematics, Science and History (version 2)

READ

The Draft K–10 Syllabuses are available in PDF (below) and interactive online format.

Draft Syllabuses (version 2)

Content Guides

Handy inclusion: Summary of changes to Draft Syllabuses (version 2)

                                                             RESPOND

Consultation round 2

                             The consultation period is 13 February to 31 March 2012.

Be involved! 

                     Have your say!

                                             Don't leave it until it's too late!

Check out the Table of consultation meetings: 4.00 – 6.00pm

Australian Curriculum site

2012 Safer Internet Day-February 7

The theme for Safer Internet Day for 2012 is 
'Connecting generations and educating each other', encouraging users young and old to 'discover the digital world together...safely'!

Key messages 

Cybersmart’s key messages for schools, libraries and families this Safer Internet Day are:

• Talk about online safety—with all members of your family and school community
• Protect Your Privacy—Check your privacy settings and update your software
• Educate yourself about the online world—check out the Cybersmart resources

 SAFER INTERNET DAY 2012 KIT FOR SCHOOLS

Resources and Lesson Plans

Competitions

 
Visit Stay Smart Online for some top tips.

Suggested iPad Apps for Teachers

DO you keep losing things? You may need: Who has what?: $0.99 AU
                                                        


Who has What? helps you keep track of items that you lent to or borrowed from other.

This app allows you to become your own resource library. Scan out items that you lend and then have automatic reminder sent to remind you who has borrowed it.

 It's incredibly easy. Add new entries with the built in bar code scanner. 1. Scan the Barcode of the Item,  2. Choose a Contact from your Address Book  3. Add a Return Date for the Entry, it is that easy!

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/wer-hat-was/id480481608?l=en&ls=1&mt=8

Global Education is vital.

A World of Difference

adapted from chris@virtualstaffroom.net (Chris Betcher)

Michael Graffin is a young relief teacher from near Perth, Western Australia who has never had his own classroom but has still managed to discover the joys of working across the Internet on global projects. In this episode, Michael is joined by one of his collaboration partners Theresa Allen from Chicago, and also Lisa Parisi from New York, as we discuss the wonders of learning using online collaborative projects.

"The important issue is that every class, every grade level, every subject are needs to start weaving global competencies into their curriculum…not leaving it to World Language classes and teachers." Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano

Think Local, Act Global Katie Day

Michael Graffin – @mgraffin mgraffin.edublogs.org
Theresa Allen  - @tdallen5  techcsrn.edublogs.org
Lisa Parisi  - @LParisi  www.thelisaparisi.com

The Global Classroom Project: 2011-12
Blog – http://theglobalclassroomproject.wordpress.com
Wiki – http://globalclassroom2011-12.wikispaces.com
Email – globalclassroomorganisers@gmail.com

Join in and get your students to be globally aware.

Global Competencies:

The main competencies are:

• Investigate the World
• Recognize Perspective
• Communicate Ideas
• Take Action

Check out the matrix from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano aka Langwitches.

Edmodo:  Global Classroom 11-12 Teacher
Skype Group – contact mgraffin on skype
Facebook – facebook.com/groups/globalclassroom

Global Classroom Contacts
Deb Frazier – @frazierde (Global Classroom Creator)
Michael Graffin – @mgraffin (Global Classroom Coordinator)

Theresa’s Global Projects presentation:  (over 15 projects)
Theresa’s project in Global Classroom wiki: 

Global Collaboration survey answers:  

For further reading check out http://globaleducation.ning.com/page/2011-conference

Have you spent much time in your sandbox lately?

The Sandbox Manifesto

View more presentations from Angela Maiers

Every Library Needs a Sandbox to Play In

View more presentations from Matthew Hamilton

Recent videos from the Innovation Unit.

Look beneath the surface for so much more from Microsoft Office.

So many teachers have access to Microsoft Office but are unaware of the depth of the resources available.

Start here: Have fun....Explore the  Education Collection    

for a great range of K-12 classroom resources including:

• Lesson plans
• Teaching guides
• Product how-tos
• Templates
• Free software
• Teacher community

The School templates section has sections on the following:

Child's emergency contact and medical information

Electronic gradebook for Excel

Classroom management

Electronic teacher gradebook

Office OneNote 2007 Free Teacher Toolkit

The toolkit is a OneNote notebook with templates, how-to articles, training videos, examples, and other resources to help teachers start and then master the use of OneNote in the classroom.

Quizzes and tests

Over 25 templates in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint—from pop quizzes to multiple choice samples and quiz shows.

You must try: 

MICROSOFT MOUSE MISCHIEF -Download for free

Mouse Mischief integrates into Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, letting students actively participate in lessons by using their own mice to click, circle, cross out, or draw answers on the screen.

You will also find helpful teaching resources like the ones below:

Free products and services for teachers:

Scientific Process Worksheet

No Homework pass

Hurrah! Quest Atlantis 5.1. is up and running!

 Quest Atlantis is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-15, in educational tasks.


At the core of student activity with QA is the completion of Quests. A Quest is an engaging curricular task designed to be educational and entertaining.


Students and teachers conduct rich inquiry-based explorations through which they learn particular standards-based content, and at the same time develop pro-social attitudes regarding significant environmental and social issues.


 And now we can welcome Quest Atlantis 5.1. The  QA upgrade is now completed!

This was their first upgrade in over two years as well as their first server transfer! 
 If any minor issues come up they ask that you fill out one of their support tickets (http://atlantisremixed.org/#59)
 as soon as possible so that they can address it, and you can get on your way!

The Teacher PD has also been upgraded to include new information and experiences so that teachers are better prepared to support the curriculum for students. 


They have redesigned the Teacher Training Unit for new teachers and created a shorter, "refresher" version of this unit that is available for any experienced QA teachers who would like to see the changes we've implemented in pedagogy and research.


 The QA team believes that all of their returning teachers will find something new and fascinating in this refresher course.


 Completion of this new "refresher" version is not required in order to continue assigning and supporting the QA content as you've always done. These new trajectories will be activated if you click on the teleport link to Teacherville and/or attempt to teleport through the the hub arch to the right of the bridge. Once you've teleported, talk with Cam, and depending upon your experience with QA, he will help direct you in correct trajectory!


Have fun in QA!! 
If you would like to learn more about the Quest Atlantis program, visit their website,www.QuestAtlantis.org.