In the Know

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Staying Safe Online

There are many wonderful resources on offer that teach students how to manage their digital footprint. However,I particularly like this one from Belguim.It would be an excellent tool to use when teaching students about safety and online privacy issues.

Free Range Learning

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Last year I posted about high quality educational resources that are now free online.ABC Splash and Gooru are just two examples that have been developed for schools.OER (Open Education Resources) is an area that is expanding exponentially, giving everyone the opportunity to learn outside the traditional classroom.However, learning doesn't mean only information and in fact we can become quite overwhelmed with what is on offer.
Maria Anderson in her TED Talk "Recipe for Free Range Learning" talks about the pitfalls of self directed learning and uses the concept of a recipe to ensure success.She suggests that high quality information is important as are other elements such as directions,engagement,reflection and learning challenges.Throwing lots of information at student's online certainly wont guarantee learning.Watch the video to find out what other elements are required to develop knowledge and skills.

Australian Curriculum Resources

Thanks goes to Jan Chalmer for alerting us last week to Australian Curriculum Lessons.It looks like this site was launched last September to support the Australian Curriculum, providing lessons covering English, Maths, Science, History,The Arts and Special Needs.It is very much a "work in progress" with the bulk of the lessons being in the English and Maths domains.It is free to register with Australian Curriculum Lessons and as teachers are able to submit content the database will no doubt continue to grow.

What Makes A Great Teacher?

When developing your own professional learning network, I would highly recommend that you follow the blog, Teacherthought . It's simply written and easy to navigate with the most popular articles stored on the right side of the page.It's a fantastic site for learning about how technology can improve student outcomes in the classroom.There are lots of articles to read that include blended learning,using Twitter in the classroom and ipad ready classrooms.I have linked one of the most popular articles for the month :25Things Succesful Teachers Do Differently

For more self reflection you might also like to look at "What Makes a Great Teacher" on Smart Blog on Education

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Welcome Lyn

Welcome back everyone to the In The Know Blog. We also happily welcome Lyn McNally to the ISC team as our new Library Technician/ICT Support Assistant.Lyn grew up in Sale and has recently returned with her seven year old son,Tyler. Lyn has lots of library experience and skills having worked in the Warragul Regional College Library for many years. She is also currently studying a Batchelor of Applied Science Library and Information Management at Charles Sturt University.Lyn has settled into her new role very quickly .We are already appreciating her energy and enthusiasm.

The Age Digital Edition

To kick off the new year,the ISC has purchased subscriptions of the Age Digital Edition for all Year 12 students to support them in their search for world news and current affairs.The Age Digital Edition is an exact replica of the Print Edition with added features such as

easy to search feature with the ability to search the Archive for up to 6 months
Easy to print and email
Read aloud function
Can be translated into any other language

All Year 12's have been shown how to register this week which gives them immediate access to the service both at school and at home.
We have also purchased a class set of subscriptions (25) so that all teachers and students can have access to this service.Teachers are encouraged to use this online resource in class which obviously gets rid of the need of having to purchase multiple hard copies.Please see the ISC team or go to the ISC Portal Document Section for username/login details .

Critical Thinking Skills

You might like to have a look at this series of videos funded by the Australian Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. As we all know, training students to think critically is all important in the synthesis of information.These videos clearly show students how they can build arguments and create new knowledge. A great resource.