Flip cameras used for Outdoor ICT

During the IT Diploma residential, learners have been equipped with Flip Ultras to record ideas and experiences. Some reflection later with the video embedded in a blog completes the multimedia experience!

Live from the top of the zip wire.

Doncaster IT Diploma Residential

Climbing tower

Of the three schools involved with our IT Diploma collaborative, 15 kids came away to the north Peak District for a 3 day residential.

The objective was to get them to gel as a team, make friends and get to know them individually. Staff from two of the schools joined me from the CLC equipping the learners with Samsung NC10s and a Flip ultra camera. They went on to take part in archery, zip wires, climbing walls and abseiling as well as mega-meccano and camp fires!

A flavour of our IT work included creating a blog to record some of our outdoor activities. We used the Forest school framework (Mikk Sarv) to think about the learning behind the tasks. The framework is: Hand – what did I physically have to do? Sense – what did I feel? Smell? Touch, taste or hear? Deed – what was the goal? What was asked to do? Story – a narrative, sequence; start, middle and end in a few sentences. Point – what was the point of the exercise? Was I challenged by choice? Learners went on to comment on each others’ posts and add stills and videos embedded from Flickr and YouTube.

Twitter/ Monitter records: #dditres and #outdoorict

More captures from VWNaace June09

An interesting sequence from the Virtual Worlds seminar in London:

Virtual Worlds seminar – NAACE, London

Virtual Worlds are increasingly being used to provide rich learning environments in which teachers can engage learners in new and engaging ways. This event is aimed at both those that know little about Virtual Worlds, and need an introduction to look at ways in which it might help them in their work, and those that have some experience and wish to make more of it in their professional life.

Led by Chris Smith (Shamblesguru Voom in Second Life), the day explored Second Life as a environment for Teacher CPD, how one Local Authority is using SL, SL Teen Grid and how some schools are using this with teenagers, and alternative lower cost ‘walled garden’ virtual worlds for younger age groups.

Best value part of the day was a panel session held in-world with some international beacons of virtual worlds.

Xtranormal – text to animated movies

Xtranormal.com offers a free service to convert text to an animated movie – a good alternative to D-Film!

One of many types of animation style

Google Apps in Education – join GTAUK

Google Teacher Academy UK (#GTAUK) pressure group here – sign up to add your voice! (http://bit.ly/GTAUK)

GTA cert

In the US, around 50 innovative educators are selected to attend each GTA based on the merits of their online application. Potential applicants include classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, technology specialists, librarians, administrators, professional trainers, and other education professionals who actively serve K-12 teachers and students.

Participants are selected based on their professional experience, their passion for teaching and learning, and their successful use of technology in K-12 settings. Since the program relies on a “train-the-trainers” model, we are particularly interested in educators who actively provide technology-related mentoring or training for classroom teachers.

The Google Teacher Academy is a FREE professional development experience designed to help K-12 educators get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google’s free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local region.

Apple’s preoccupations post-WWDC’09

Ok, so I’m a fanboy…

Apple’s preoccupations 24 hours before WWDC

Talk about digital natives; electronic music sans electrics

I don’t know if this constitutes music but it is amazing… generational or digital divide?

When you think that any 14 year old has never lived without Internet and mobile phones being the norm, no wonder she makes electro-pop without a mic!

Thanks for Quark advice…

Mostly via twitter, lots of tutorial sites coming through.

Anyone found screencasts showing how to use quark xpress 8? I’d appreciate the link if you can.