Scratch Update

In a previous post, I introduced the free programming language for students called "Scratch". This free download was created by Mitch Resnick, from the MIT Media Lab. As I am about to introduce this to my students, I have included this video about the program:




I will be posting about how my students go...stay tuned!

Web Browsers

I am trialling a new web browser, Opera, and am very impressed with it so far. I was using Mozilla Firefox, but for some strange reason it does not work with my Optus wireless modem on my laptop. Although I have no major problems with Internet Explorer, I have found that other browsers work better when creating blogs and viewing videos. So if you are using Opera or another web browser leave a comment on what you think.

Brainstorming Tool - bubbl.us

If you want free brainstorming or mindmapping tool then take a look at bubbl.us It is free to use and if you register you can upload share your maps. Here is just a brief example:

The Hat

As term two is about to begin (for Victorian teachers anyway) I have found this free download call The Hat. It is a fun way for selecting partners for activities or for choosing individual children for particular classroom roles. I might use it for randomly seating students at the beginning of the term.

Another photo sharing website

Found BubbleShare, another convenient way to share your photos. Here are some pics from my holiday to Adelaide as an example.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

Useful application - hott notes

Hott Notes is a great application for putting virtual sticky notes on your desktop. It is completely free and I use it a great deal - I do tend forget things!

Although on holiday...

If you want a different (and fun) way to share your holiday pictures, visit Slide - I used it to create this montage of images from my trip to Apollo Bay.

Positive opinions on video games and children

I found this article (Games 'valuable learning tool') in "The Age" (a popular Melbourne newspaper), April 9th 2009. I certainly agree that video games, in moderation of course, can be beneficial to children. With new platforms, like the Wii, there are more opportunities for interaction amongst young users. The article is based on the research by Don and Patricia Edgar, who are authorities on children's media, education and social trends. Their discussion paper, "Television, Digital Media and children’s learning" is a fascinating read! They wrote the paper by invitation from the VCAA (The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority) about the potential of media technology to improve children’s learning.

...and then there is this:

Technology News

"THE Federal Government has announced the "largest infrastructure decision in Australia's history" after deciding not to award the national broadband network contract to a company.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Government would lead the development of a national fibre-to-the-home broadband network up to "100 times faster than what many people use now".

The ambitious project will take up to eight years, cost $43 billion, create tens of thousands of jobs and will see fibre-optic cable laid out to individual houses.

The fibre-optic network, providing speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, will cover 90 per cent of Australians, while the rest will have access to a mix of wireless and satellite connections."

text courtesy news.com.au

SEE NEWS REPORT HERE

One year to go...

In 365 days it will be the opening of ACEC2010. To celebrate I have found a video with a range of clips from the movie 2010, an adaptation of the Arthur C. Clarke book. For entertainment purposes only...

Pivot Animation - Save as a movie file

As previously mentioned I use Pivot Animation with my students - a great introduction to animation skills. Here are some useful tips...

Save your Pivot animation as a movie file:

• When you go to save the animation there will be options down the bottom - choose the "Save as type" option and then choose the "Gif" option. Save the file.
• You can now edit and put together your animations using Movie Maker

Insert a background:

• Choose the "file" option from the top left. Now choose the "load background" option. If you want to use more than one background - save each seperate a animation as a gif file and then put them all together using Movie Maker or other video editing software.

Hole in the wall project

Speaking at LIFT 2007, Sugata Mitra talks about his Hole in the Wall project. Young kids in this project figured out how to use a PC on their own -- and then taught other kids. He asks, what else can children teach themselves?

ACEC2010 - Social Activities

As part of my role on the organising committee for the National Conference (ACEC2010) is organising social activities for the participants. I have created a blog, Melbourne ACEC2010, to promote social ideas around Melbourne.

The Ultranet

Here in Victoria the schools are taking on a new ICT initiative, the Ultranet program. From the Victorian Government Website:

"The Ultranet is a student centred electronic learning environment that supports high quality learning and teaching, connects students, teachers and parents and enables efficient knowledge transfer. It will establish a schools environment for the future that improves the educational outcomes of all Victorians."

The question is, are schools ready? This diagram is also from that website.




Would love to hear from schools in Victoria about their thoughts and experiences.

Fantastic Animation Website

Hi all, as you may have guessed - I have a real passion for animation and especially the learning in ICT that it promotes. Please take the time to check out this website, StopMotionAnimation, and make sure you click on the "links" option - a brilliant resource! Also, please checkout the "handbook" link, once again some fabulous resources there too!