SuperClubsPLUS Update

At the beginning of August, I wrote a post about signing my class up for SuperClubsPLUS. After the initial success with my own class, I now have all of our five 3/4 classes signed up and the response from the students has been overwhelming. This initiative has been an amazing success and I cannot recommend it enough! There is so much to offer to students, both in learning about web 2.0 technologies and general ICT skills. Here is an article I have written for the next ICTEV journal:

SuperClubsPLUS -

Here are some videos about SuperClubsPLUS:

ABC News coverage of SuperClubsPLUS Australia from Martyn Wild on Vimeo.

Super Cool SuperClubsPLUS! from Martyn Wild on Vimeo.

Wireless Electricity

As a technology enthusiast I realise the need for electricity and access to it. I have many cables running under my desk and an array of power boards, just about any new gadget requires electricity either to run it or charge it - and a cable and powerpoint as well! As an educator, I see huge tangled messes of cables in all classrooms that have computers.
I love having a wireless mouse and keyboard, but have often thought wouldn't it be great to have wireless electricity. I once told someone and they said it was impossible. Check this out...

21st Century Learning

A Staff Meeting Presentation using Prezi.com

Here is a presentation I did the other day using prezi.com - a great presentation tool:

from prezi.com

The three video links are here - I don't think the links work on this embedded presentation:

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Another inspiring talk

This talk is about the power of communication technology to enable global change.

SuperClubs Plus

I have just signed up my grade to Super Clubs Plus and I am most impressed. Super Clubs Plus is a closed online community for students, where kids can join to safely talk in club forums, build Home Pages and get help with their homework. As you can see (VELS documents below), it covers many areas of each states curriculum comprehensively. Students have to earn stars and badges as they progress by initially completing a cybersafety quiz to get their first star. Once earned, students can build their homepage (like a website) and can also choose one of their pages to be a blog. They can email, visit kids from all over the world's homepages, leave comments, join a great range of clubs (in doing so can earn badges) and join on 'hotseat' forums with authors and many other exciting and engaging people.

VELSwithstars -

StarswithVIC -




Click here to see some kids from England talking about their experiences with Super Clubs Plus.

Xtranormal | Text-to-Movie

Xtranormal is website where kids can create simple animated movies. Students choose their characters and type in the dialogue, in minutes they have created a simple animated movie. Here is one I made:

New Cyber Safety Website for Australian Schools

After a two week holiday, I am back online and looking forward to posting more ICT information for my readers!

The Australian Government has just created a brand new website called Cybersmart:

"Cybersmart provides activities, resources and practical advice to help young kids, kids, teens and parents safely enjoy the online world.

Cybersmart also offers training and resources for schools and materials for library staff.

Developed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Cybersmart is part of the Australian Government’s cybersafety program."

Fantastic sites for kids

I have been using the website, "Tutpup" with my kids and it has been an overwhelming success. They can practise their quick response to basic number concepts, times tables and spelling. The reason why it is so successful, is that the kids compete with other kids from all over the world or with someone on the computer next to them. Children can create their own account at home or, as I have done, a class account can be created and you can track their progress. If you are trying to find a fun way for kids to practise their maths skills, then I thoroughly recommend this website.

Note: It is still in beta (prototype) stage.

Another website worth visiting is Tikatok, a place where children can create and share online storybooks. One interesting feature is, for a fee, they will publish the student's book and send it professionaly bound.

Sir Ken Robinson in Australia

As you may or may not know, I really am a fan of Sir Ken Robinson - an expert in creativity and educational reform. Well, he has been in Australia and interviewed on one of our most respected current affairs shows. The interviews were aired over two nights and these are the links:

Interview Part One

Interview Part Two

Definitely worth a look!

Cyberbullying - digizen.org

I came across this website the other day called digizen.org and I was impressed by the section on cyberbullying. There are videos and plenty of resources for teachers to discuss this isuee with their students. You can watch the main video and then see the individual interviews with the characters, powerful stuff. This site is aimed at upper primary and lower secondary students.

Robin Hood Primary School

There is a school in Birmingham, England called Robin Hood Primary School that does some fantastic things with ICT education. Have a look at this video and then visit their website.

Learning beyond the boundries of the classroom

I would like to write a post about my class blog. It has been almost half a year since I started it and feel it is time to reflect on a few things:

Why did I create it?

As ICT education is a real passion, I wanted to find a way to provide my students with access to learning via technology beyond the classroom wall. I also thought it would complement our home learning program by providing engaging and enjoyable activities that support a range of learning areas. It was also a way to share the student's work with the community via the Internet.

How has it been recieved?

I have had many parents provide postive feedback about the blog. It has been wonderful to see comments by relatives of the students who live far from the school, but through the blog have a portal to their learning. The children enjoy the challenges and activites that cover all learning areas. As we are a global community, the responses from children overseas has been rewarding.

Where to next?

I teach a grade 3/4 class and am pleased that three of my grade 4 boys have created their own blogs. A grade 4 girl from another class has decided that they need their own blog and I have assisted her in creating one. I hope this trend continues, however from this experience I would like all my students to eventually use a blog to document their learning.

Check out the latest puzzle on my class blog - it is a real beauty!

Local animation and web development company

Came across a company called, touchmypixel, that is a Melbourne based game and website developer. They have created a game called, "Scary Girl" and is well worth a look. The graphics are amazing! Have a look at their other projects as well.

A great talk

This was a video recommended by a fellow State Council member, Rob Rankin, from a Twitter post.
"An inspirational man!!! Watch Benjamin Zander before taking your next class."
Thanks, Rob!