1. Cutting Edge
(1) WebQuests went through some bad times as there were a lot out there that were of poor quality.
They remain a valid and purposeful task that allow students to use different levels of thinking with scaffolding provided to support them. Here is an example of a “Touring Antarctica” webquest (suitable for Yr 7-9), created by Camilla Elliott.
What Does it Mean to be Australian is another web quest with merit that would fit nicely into our SOSE curriculum. A review of the webquest can be found here.
Tom March’s Best Webquests thanks to Camilla!
WebQuests: A Strategy for Scaffolding Higher Level Learning
The 3 R’s of WebQuests : Let’s keep them Real, Rich, and Relevant by Tom March
(2) Web 2 examples - see here
(3) Podcasts are not that new but the way they are being used is developing partly due to Web 2 and partly due to more people using them and therefore more ideas being generated. A podcast is basically an audio recording that can be shared with others using a podcast site like Podomatic or iTunes. You don’t need an iPod to use or make podcasts and iTunes will run on pcs and Macs. You can also make video podcasts.
Having students use podcasts for authentic tasks is a rich learning experience. For example, students could make a podcast that shows their understanding of a maths concept. They can use it to show a sample of learning. Very useful for LOTE – students can make podcasts to show correct pronounciation. This could also be done using VoiceThread.
There are also thousands of podcasts available to be used with students. A good way to find these is to use iTunes and to search in Podcasts for Education. One of the most popular topics for podcasts are foreign languages.
If students have iPods, then encourage them to bring them to school to use. By connecting a microphone (we have one) they can record each other or interviews or use it to take notes.
An example of a grammar podcast (but it is better to use iTunes to find it and other podcasts) apostrophe-catastrophe.
Why not get your students to make their own podcast about an aspect of grammar that they have learnt this year?
(4) Teaching poetry - ideas from Thinkfinity
a) Two-voice poetry two-voice-poetry examples
b) A Poem of Possibilities: Thinking about the Future
(5) Exergaming – PE – Secondary
Exergaming is a new approach in physical education that blends technology and exercise in an effort to boost the physical activity of today’s students. link
(6) Developing 21st Century Skills
(7) TV Production – Middle Primary-Secondary
Two schools visited in Auckland were both running TV studios and each set-up was different. At Marina View School, the students put together a 10 minute show 3 times a week on MVTV. They scripted, made visuals, used blue and green screens, presented, filmed, did the sound, in fact they did all of it under the supervision of the Technology Coordinator. After showing us the show for the day, we had the chance to take over their roles and to see just how competent they were (compared to us). link
This link is useful for working out what equipment you might need and where (in the USA) you can get them from.
(8) Handheld Devices
(9) Public Domain Book Recordings
Librivox hosts public domain (free) audio files of books. These can be downloaded by students (or teachers) and played on iPods or on computers. Romeo and Juliet example here.
LibriVox: catalogue, how to listen,
There are also online books available eg here.
(10) Online ePortfolios
Bucklands Beach School in Auckland is using the internet to host and show portfolios of student work.
An e-portfolio
• is an electronic record that enables learners to record their efforts, progress and achievements over time • is goal driven and performance based• indicates evidence of knowledge, skills, competence and attitudes
• includes self reflection and is a tool for facilitating lifelong learning and career development
adapted from - E-portfolios, a Personal Space for Learning by Ian Fox
Students from Bucklands Beach comments on ePortfolios here.
Examples of eportfolios from Bucklands Beach here. These are amazing – you will certainly be glad that you looked!
(11) Book Trailers – Yr 6 and up – English
Basically these are a book report done using multi-media and in this case using iMovie.
There are many fine examples here and also a link to the assessment rubric.
(12) Google tools – The Power of photos in History – Yr 7 and up – English, History
“Explore with your students the power of images and their impact on history as they research, select and evaluate photographs in an interactive and collaborative lesson.” See the podcast here. Lesson plan placeintime.
