via IFTTT This may very well be a case of my teaching brain going into shutdown mode once the christmas decorations go up, but I’ve got no idea of what I want to do for my Course 5 project. Nothing. I had vague ideas of something that would collaborative, hopefully between schools. There would be some... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT Although I teach in a technologically rich school, there is no 1:1 Programme below year 6. Instead, we have a set of 8 class iPads and a trolley of MacBook Pros (shared among 3 classes). Having a mixture of devices is interesting. Given the choice, the kids will always reach for a Macbook over... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT As a child do you remember having a view-master? This analogue augmented-reality device enabled two generations of kids to view in three dimensions scenes from around the world from the comfort of their own home. Fast forward a few decades and we have a new, more awesome version. Google Expeditions. I see space //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsA few... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT I’ve just finished up a unit into how humans use energy to support progress. It’s the big ‘science’ unit for the year with a strong focus on the scientific process. The traditional approach to this is a set of teacher-initiated experiments where the class goes through the process of observing, forming hypothesis, testing,... Continue Reading →

When I was training to be a teacher, flipped classrooms were starting to gain prominence thanks to the emergence of Khan Academy. Educause defines a flipped classroom as:  a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session,... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT High school leaving ceremonies are always nostalgic affairs, a firm line between childhood and the world beyond. Yet one speech stood out in the hundreds given across the Southern Hemisphere at this time year, the one where the Head Boy is told the week before the ceremony he has cancer and will likely... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT This week our COETAIL task is to examine Problem Based or Challenged Based Learning . The ideas seemed familiar, perhaps because I trained and taught in New Zealand. The New Zealand curriculum outlines its vision for confident, connected, actively involved life-long learners. The curriculum is not heavy on content, instead it is strong... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT My school puts on a range of weekly workshops for parents on a variety of topics – from settling in to life in Singapore to what learning looks like in the classroom. I noticed one of the topics up for discussion was iPads. Rather than the adults doing the talking, I suggested to... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT This weekend I took part in a lively COETAIL chat on disrupting Professional Development. Often PD is thought of as a weekly one-size fits no-one death by powerpoint ordeals known as ‘periodic detention.’  Yet when I think of PD I think of: Online conversations via Twitter, Facebook, Reading, writing and commenting on blogs Quick conversations in... Continue Reading →

via IFTTT At the start of Course 3 I proposed the idea of #coetailsketch. The idea being that COETAILers could have a go at putting into images their thinking and sharing those images. I love using Paper53 as a great app. Over the years the App has become a lot more shareable with its only community... Continue Reading →