eLearning at TIGS: Di Epoff’s Blog

Change the picture resolution of one or all images inside an existing Powerpoint show

1. Click the picture that you want to change the resolution (resolution is the fineness of detail in an image or text produced by a monitor or printer)
2. Go to Picture Tools > Format tab > Adjust group, click Compress Pictures. Note If you do not see the Picture Tools and Format tabs, make sure that you selected a picture. You may have to double-click the picture to select it and open the Format tab
3. To change the resolution for the selected picture only and not all of the pictures in the document, select the Apply to selected pictures only check box. To change all the pictures on all the slides, leave unchecked.
4. Click Options > Target Output, click the resolution that you want.
5. For Moodle: select Email size, for powerpoint in a classroom select Screen size and for high quality projection/slide prints select Print size.
6. Be sure not to overwrite the original file: Save As the compressed slideshow so that you can make a different resolution show if you need to later.

Resize a picture before you insert it into a Powerpoint show

Following are three options for resizing pictures before they are inserted in powerpoint:

Situation A: No special software needed on your computer except and internet connection. Solution: Use a web 2.0 application such as picnik.com

1. Log onto the internet and open picnik.com.

2. Click the Get Started Now button (you dont need to register!)

3. Click the Upload a Photo button and locate your original picture file (Note: it must be a flattened Jpg    file)

4. Click the Edit Tab > Resize button and enter the new dimensions: make the largest dimension 600pixels (ie either width or height - picnik keeps the proportion of the other dimension provided you have the Keep proportions checkbox ticked). Click OK

Situation B: Download free software on your personal computer/laptop for resizing images (school PCs have Picasa already)

Solution: Use Google Picasa 3. Picasa is a fantastic free image browser and editing program that is easy to follow. You can upload your images online to Google web Albums (like Flickr). Or you can export them to a folder or to email.

1. Click the Download button and follow the prompts to install on your computer

2. Locate the image you wish to resize using the browser pane to the left of the Picasa 3 window to locate the folder and then click on the image/s you wish to resize

3. Click the Export to Folder Button underneath the main window and create or locate a new folder to store your resized images in. Check resize > use the slider to the required pixel dimension eg 600 pixels > choose maximum image quality. Click OK. Your resized images can now be found inside the folder you designated as your Export Folder, ready to insert into Powerpoint.

Situation C: You have access to Photoshop (available on all school PCs)

Solution: Use Photoshop

1. Open Photoshop and go to File > Open and select the image you wish to resize

2. Go to Image menu > Image size and change the largest pixel dimension to 600 pixels. Click Ok

3. Check any layers are flattened and Save As a maximum quality jpg file. Remember not to save over the original.

Last week I attended the UNSW Winter Partnership “Technology Based Teaching and Learning Conference” at Kensington. The School of Education presented two days of workshops and lectures covering ICT pedagogies and current research related to eLearning in our schools.The conference was valuable for me in terms of my role as Director of eLearning as well as a classroom teacher.

Dr Matthew Clarke’s Plenary address explored the idea of technology as a ‘fix’ for education and questioned its potential as a tool to change the world. He proposed that the rise of educational technology is increasingly ‘commercialising’ education and warned that it must be perceived as nothing more than a tool. Its relevance should be determined by asking: Does it add pedagogical depth? Clarke cited a 2007 research project that surmised the slowness of teachers to take up ICT as the result of their need to reflect on the pedagogical efficiacy and potential prior to adopting, rather than technophobia. He maintains that the way forward with technology in our classrooms should proceed via evolution as opposed to revolution.

One of the most enlightening points of his presentation for me, provided a light-bulb moment when he explained that children see technological devices as cultural forms whereas we see them as technology! This perception is crucial to understanding the huge divide between the perceptions of students and their teachers. Schools need to adopt technology, not for the sake of having whizz bang devices and hardware, but for its potential as a cultural form that allows teachers to create learning environments and experiences that match the needs and ‘intelligences’ of their students.

Day 2 of the TIGS Moodle for Teachers PD workshop - 12th August 2009

This morning began with a roll up of enthusiastic teachers chatting about the things we had discovered about Moodle yesterday, and the many possibilities for setting up our own class pages.

Formal discussion expanded some issues that arose from the SWOT session at the close of Day 1. Several teachers expressed concern that multiple teachers would be sharing the one subject (course) page and how the contents and activities might be supervised or controlled by Head teachers and Co-ordinators. It was mostly acknowledged that 21st century learning for both students and their teachers is collaborative and that the term SHARING underpins the pedagogy. The strengths of sharing and collaboratively developing a dynamic learning environment were documented in the Day 1 evaluation session and these far outweigh the weaknesses of the transparent ‘open’ page format of Narradan/Moodle. This concern however, was recorded as a threat to other structures within the school, in particular the PYP program. It was noted however, that Edumate itself, is not setup to recognise the different dynamics of the PYP program, consequently work needs to be undetaken to resolve these issues for the Junior school.

Today we learnt about and used the collaborative tools available in Narradan (our Moodle site): chat rooms, assignment, forums, quizzes, wikis etc. Many of these are fantastic and have tremendous potential for develping rich tasks and interesting ICT activities for students

However, the most challenging feature is Quizzes or tests. These require considerable effort to set up, although all questions are filed in a question bank and can be reused in other tests. This is the most clumsy feature of Moodle and does not seem the best way to create tests.

Julian told us how to create a test in Hot Potatoes - available in the Start > All Programs folder we all have on our school intranet and save it, then use the Moodle Quizzes Import tab to import as a Moodle Quiz. I think I prefer the sound of this method!

Another shortcut:  I went online and googled ‘moodle quiz questions’ and found many sites with preset question and answer formats that I imported into Moodle. I was then able to edit the key words and save!  I think I saved at least 2 hours in the process!

We quickly ran out of time today - so much to cover and by the end of the day we were quite numb with information! All teachers attending were positive about the training and left with valuable info and ideas to get started on their own class pages. Julian Ridden was a great presenter and trainer who pushed us through an enormous amount of content with good humour and an engaging presentation format.

Watch my next posts where I’ll publish some formal evaluation feedback.

Day 1 of the TIGS Moodle for Teachers PD workshop - 11th August 2009

12 TIGS teachers from across the K-12 curriculum gathered for a 2 day workshop on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th August to learn how to use the features of Moodle. Moodle is the chosen tool for developing our online teaching and learning portal, Narradan

Our trainer, Julian Ridden (known as Moodleman), is an outstanding educational facilitator who has empowered teachers across NSW to establish up online learning enviroments for their students. Check out his Moodleman Blog that has loads of great Moodle tips and ideas. Scroll through the archives or so a specific search for a topic

Modular (add to adjust change, develop to suit the needs of the user)

Object

Oriented

Dynamic (able to adapt to different needs and uses)

Learning

Environment (blends various tools to create a learning environment)

Moodle is an LMS

Content management system - eg a blog or a wiki

Document management system - eg sharepoint, share drive

Learning management system - eg Moodle, a tool to manage learning

Moodle Characteristics

Not a one-size-fits-all tool. Its an adjustable environment for learning communities designed using pedagogical principles. Teachers shape the product as they use it

Free Open Source Software (FOSS) which means its liberally licensed to give users the opportunity to research, analyse, use and improve the software due to its free unlimited availability and access

For the delivery of learning activities (wikis, blogs, assignments, quizzes etc) and the posting/publishing of resources (powerpoints, image galleries, audio glossaries, podcasts, documents, photos, links etc)

Great communication tools (forums, discussion tools, chat rooms, etc)

Modular: all of its components are adaptable and flexible. New tools and features can be added or altered

Can be customised to suit teacher’s needs

Compatible with different standards eg Mahara for ePortfolios; Sloodle (Moodle for Second Life)

Allows for differentiation of task: journal, image galleries, repositories, portfolios, certificates,book resources, podcasting, video conferencing, story writing, digital storytelling

Who uses Moodle?

Since 2003 users have grown to 56,000. Inside these users there are 9 milion educators

Check out the community of moodleusers  http://www.moodle.org. This Moodle forum is a vibrant community of users who post valuable information.  I encourage you to contribute to this community of practice. You can also follow Julian Ridden via his alias ‘Moodleman’ on Twitter

Samples of Moodle online courses

Schools are reluctant to share their Moodle courses however Julian has setup a Moodle Playpen to provie some examples and allow you to see some courses that have been setup by various teachers. This site allows guest access

Equations and ActiveInspire

The following tutorials will help Maths teachers who are new to using ActiveInspire and who wish to create lesson flipcharts with equations. Equations created with the equation editor in Microsoft word will not copy across into ActiveInspire, although news on the net suggests that the creators of MathType are collaborating with ActiveInspire to streamline the process of inserting and editing equations in flipcharts. Following are some tutorials for working around the problem. MathType is used to create a library of equation resources which are saved in a folder and can then be inserted in flipcharts as needed.

Remember to Save your flipchart as you work, to avoid pain!

Tutorial 1. Make Equation resources with MathType

Step 1: Open MathType and create as many equations as you need on the one page, leaving some white space around each one. Leave this page open on the desktop.

Step 2: Open ActiveInspire and a new Flipchart will launch

Step 3: Make sure that you have the Area Snapshot tool in your toolbox. (If you don’t, go to Edit menu > Profile > Commands > Scroll down in the All Tools window to select it. Click add to add it to the main toolbox)

Step 4: Click on the Desktop Annotate tool and the Flipchart will disappear, leaving the ActiveInspire toolbox visible. Click on the Area Selection tool and then click and drag around the first equation. With the equation selected, locate the Area selection dialogue box open on the desktop and click on My Resources. Save the equation in a new folder called Equations inside your Flipcharts folder. Give it an appropriate title. To save time, repeat this step, saving all equations inside the Equations folder.

Step 5: Click back on the Desktop Annotate tool in the toolbox to take you back to the Flipchart. Make sure you have the correct Flipchart open (look at the tabs at the top of the page. Always save and name your flipcharts so that you know which one you are working on. Close any ‘Untitled’ flipcharts that you have accidentally created.

Step 6: Go to Insert menu > Insert Media > locate your Equation folder and click on the desired equation.

Step 7: With the pointer tool selected, click and drag the equation object into the desired location. You will not be able to type-edit the formula as it is now an object. To rescale/resize, right click on the object and drag the bottom right handle out or in.

Tutorial 2: Copy text/pics/objects from Word files

Step 1: Have both the Word file and the Flipchart open.

Step 2: Highlight and copy the text in appropriate sections from the Word document

Step 3: Go to the Flipchart page and Edit menu > Paste. The text comes in as a block. Select the Text tool from the toolbox. You may need to add the text tool to your toolbox first (see previous tutorial). You can now position the text cursor inside the copied text and edit it. You can also use the right hand handle of the text box to resize the width of the box. Click on the Move icon just above the text box to move it on the page.

Step 4: Pictures and objects can be copied in the same way however you cant edit an object although you can resize etc via the right-click menu. Use the pointer to reposition it on the page.

Tutorial 3. Combining equations with copied text in a flipchart for a lesson

Step 1: Copy and paste your text from Word onto the flipchart page. Break your text up into legible segments. Its important to copy the text in small blocks that can be easily moved around the flipchart page to provide sufficient space for inserting equations or diagrams etc.

Step 2: Use the text tool to edit any text as required.

Step 3: Position the text block using the pointer tool.

Step 4: To insert equations: Insert menu > Media files > locate the folder where they are stored.

Step 5: Select the pointer tool to move the equation/object diagram into place.

Step 6: Right click on the equation/object to resize etc.

Tutorial 4. Add Pages to flipcharts

Step 1: Go to Insert menu > Page and select whether you want it before or after current page. Use the Previous Page or Next page tools to move through the pages or click on the page thumbnails in the Page Browser (View menu > Browsers)

Topics  and links

1. What is Podcasting?

2. Podcasting in the Classroom

3. How to use iTunes to find and subscribe to podcasts that you can use in the classroom

4. Welcome to Audacity

5. Creating a podcast using Audacity

Create a new audio file: voice recording using Audacity

1. Open Audacity

2. Create a new Audacity file if a new file window doesnt open

Add voice (record with a microphone)

1. Attach a peripheral device if desired ( a microphone), or use the built-in microphone

2. Go to the control panels (Audio/Sound) to check that it is the active recording device. Or leave as is, to use the built-in microphone (it will not sound as good). Note: your school laptop may not have an inbuilt microphone. If you cannot get sound to record as per the directions below, helpdesk the IT Dept and ask for help.

3. Click the Red record button in the toolbar to commence recording

4. Click the Blue Pause button to pause

5. Click the Yellow square button to stop.

Saving files in Audacity

Use File > Save Project As if you wish to save the Audacity file to continue working on it. Other applications wont be able to read this format. It is a work-in-progress format

Use File > Export as Mp3 to save the final recording in an Mp3 format - for uploading to iTunes or your blog. Name the file appropriately and save it to your home folder - be sure to organise your audio files where you can retrieve them

Use File > Export as WAV for applications that require WAV file formatted audio files

Edit the audio file (if necessary)

1. Drag in from the far left margin of the track until you see a greyed-out area the cursor will convert to a pointer finger - slide to the exact edit point

2. Do the same with the right side of the track

3. Go to Edit > Cut

Add music/effects to your file

Go to my previous Audacity post to read up on how to add a music track to the background, add an effect or make more complex edits

Export the audio file as an MP3 file

1. Go to File menu > Export > select type eg MP3 and the destination folder

2. Be sure to give your file an appropriate title that can be identified in your post

3. You may need to install the Lame MP3 encoder to Audacity first - its an “optional extra”. Follow the instructions at Lame Installation to download and install Lame.

Upload the audio file to a blog post

1. In your Wordpress blog, go to the Write menu > Write post

2. Give your post a title and add any written information or media

3. Click on the ‘Add Media’ button above the format pane. The simple Browser Uploader link is the quickest way to add media

4. Browse to locate your audio file

5. Click upload

6. Add relevant information: description etc

7. The link appears in your post and will automatically play when you click on it

Here is an example of a simple audio file created using Audacity that I have uploaded to this post:

nancybursonhumanracemachine

Upload the audio file to a website

Go to my previous Audacity post and scroll down to

Uploading to a website (podcasting)

to read how to upload to a website

Carol Daunt Skyring’s recent blog post on broadcasting high school ceremonies is interesting…. Sutherland Public School is following the lead of international schools by broadcasting their graduation ceremony live on the internet so that grandparents and significant others can watch the service from their home or workplace.

Carol’s blog is a great source about all things videoconferencing. Check it out here

Using the ActivPen

• To select an object: Left-click - Tap the pen nib quickly on the Activboard

• To show the ‘Object Edit Menu’: Right-click - Hover the pen over the Activboard, less than 5mm away from the board and press the button.
• To move objects around the page: Click and drag - Click on the object you want to move, hold the pen nib down on the board and then move the pen.
• Double clicking on the ‘Object Browser’ allows you to show/hide an object. Double-click - Two quick taps with the Activpen’s nib performs the same action as double-clicking with a mouse.

Calibrating the ActivBoard

On the computer:

• Click on the ‘Activmanager’ icon in the menu bar.
• Select ‘Calibrate’.
• Follow the on-screen instructions.

On the Activboard:

• Hover the pen over the lit flame in the top left hand corner of the board, don’t push the pen.
• Follow the on-screen instructions

The ActivInspire Interface

1. Bookmark your blog url

2. Record your url, username and password

4. Log in to WordPress

5. The Dashboard will open

6. Click Change Theme or click on the Design tab

7. Select a theme

8. Click Visit Site to check it out

9. Scroll down to the Site Admin tab and this will take you back into the backend of your blog where you can edit and blog

10. Click the Write tab and a new post window will appear

11. Give your post a title

12. Write something

13. Format it using the format options

14. To add (upload) an image, it must be a small web sized image, so you may need to resize it first and save it to your hard drive before you upload to to the blog. See my post on Resizing images for the internet (use the search function on my blog).

15. To upload, click the Add New Media button in the format pane

16. Dont use the Upload button, go to the Browser Uploader link instead

17. Browse to find your files on your computer

18. Click Upload

‘10 STEPS TO GET TO KNOW 07′

STEP 1

Using the Microsoft online conversion tutorials: Migrating from 2003 to 2007

Copy and Paste the required url below in the Internet Explorer address bar. Dont use Firefox as Firefox wont read links created by Microsoft!

Microsoft Word:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT100766331033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA100744321033

Microsoft Powerpoint:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493271033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101490761033

Microsoft Excel:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493291033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101491511033

Microsoft Access:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT102389151033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA102388991033

STEP 2

The tutorial title page loads. Now Add this link to your favourites: Favourites menu > Add to Favourites (the site doesnt respond well to the Back button)

Click Start, and the tutorial window loads the old Word 2003 interface. If you undertake the specific task like you normally would - eg Edit > Copy, the window changes to a Word 2007 window and a little video shows you the steps, highlighting the key strokes with an orange box

The tutorial caters for different learning styles too! You can choose not to watch the video, but instead, however the mouse over the last step of an action and a little dialogue window will pop-up to tell you the steps in words

Note: to return to the 2003 tutorial, just click anywhere inside the 2007 interface after it has shown you what to do. Remember its not an application, just an interactive tutorial. If you want to practice on the real thing, open the Word 2007 application: Start> All programs > Microsoft Office.

STEP 3

Use the tutorial to find out how to do the following basic tasks in 2007:

Save As

Print

Insert picture

Format columns

Insert table and format it

STEP 4

Use the tutorial to do several tasks that are specific to what you might normally do with Word 2003 until you familiarise yourself with where things are in Word 2007

STEP 5

Discovering Word 2007: a guided journey

You will have noticed some key differences between the 2003 and 2007 versions

The main difference is the Ribbon at the top of the window - everything that used to be located in Pull-down Menus is located in Command Sets within the Ribbon. These sets have additional Tabs/Buttons/menus within them. Everything is much more graphic and easy to see.

Lets Get Started

Open Microsoft Word 2007 (the application): Start> All programs > Microsoft Office

Keep the tutorial in Explorer running in the background in case you wish to refer to it later

1. Open a new document that includes the following (you can copy and paste some from somewhere):

- two or three short paragraphs of text spaced under:

- one main heading, and

- two sub headings

2. Click on HOME menu. Each of the Home Command Sets expand to reveal more options than are visible (bottom left of window - click on arrow). Play with the first set

3. Position your cursor next to a heading on your page. Click on the Style Command Set and hover the pointer over one of the heading Styles: the heading on your page previews the style result. Once you find one you like, click on the Style button to cahnge the text on the page. scroll through body text options etc and experiment

4. Click on the INSERT menu. Position cursor on next line. Click on the Table button and drag out how many rows and cells you wish to include. The Insert Table option in the pop-up window allows you more options than are displayed

5. Click on the DESIGN menu and with the table selected hover over any of the many table styles to find one you like. Click to change. Play with the Table Style Options button and the Draw Borders etc to see what these tools do

6. Go back to INSERT menu and click Picture. Locate a picture file and insert it. Play with the Picture options: Picture Shape, Picture Border, Picture Effects and the Editing options: Brightness, Contrast, Recolour. Also check out Arrange and Size buttons.

7. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Smart Art button. Select from the many options in the pop-up window and then customise these in the Design menu: with the smart art selected (make sure you’re in the Design menu), try Change Colours, Quick Styles, Change Layout etc.

8. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Chart button. Select a chart style. An Excel pop up spreadsheet opens: enter data, add data or columns or rows and see how the chart changes. To edit data after you have inserted a formatted chart, go to Design button > Click Edit Data and the Excel spreadsheet opens

9. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Links button. Click Hyperlink. Copy the url of my Blog page and click back on the hyperlink pop-up window. Paste in the Address bar bottom of the window. Click OK. The Hyperlink is now a clickable url link on your Word page. To use a title rather than a long url, copy the url of the page - so copy my blog url again. In the hyperlink pop-up window, type Di’s Blog in the ‘text to display’ box and paste the url in the ‘Address’ bar. Click ok. Now when you click on ‘Di’s Blog’, on the Word doc, the blog will load in the browser

10. Now, on your own play with the Page Layout menu, to see where things are located and then go back to anything else that you noticed along the way

For those who prefer more detail, Microsoft has a great online tutorial with written notes. Click on the link below to go there (it works with any browser):

Microsoft Get Familiar with Word

Closing the Gap

In his article,
“Closing the Gap Between Education and Technology”, Chris Riedel refers to Mark Benno’s (Apple guru) claim that our students think in entirely new ways about technology and this is reflected in how they creatively use everyday technology.

Riedel urges teachers to see the value and learning potential of technologies that students use all of the time, and refers to a situation Benno encountered recently involving the use of an MP3 player:

“MP3 players, for example, do not mean by default that the student is listening to music. Recounting a recent experience in an airport, Benno reminisced about asking a college student sporting an iPod and a set of white earphones, “what are you listening to?”

Her reply: “Which ear?”

The young woman he was referring to had two MP3 players and was listening to a chemistry lecture in one ear and music in the other. “It helps me get in the zone,” she told Benno, who shared his amazement at the revelation. Kids use technology in ways many of us would never think of, he said.”

Riedel’s article is well worth a read as it highlights the growing rift between the way teachers currently teach students and the way students teach and learn themselves outside of school.

Traditionally, schools have held a privileged position as the prime point of access for education - places where students go to learn what they need to know to get ahead in the world. Riedel’s article makes me question how long this will remain the case. Benno claims that students don’t ask questions about how to use technology but ask which technologies they might access to solve problems.

They seem to learn the ‘how’ as they solve the problem - they are multi-tasking technological wizards.

Gen Y and the new Gen Zers are much more focused on what they can DO with information and HOW they can do it NOW, than ever before. And they wish to share this process, preferably with their peers.

Problem-based learning opportunities. Collaborative teamwork. Proactive learning. Communal interaction. Process-focused solutions. Visual, social, interactive technology. These point to new literacies, where focus is on what students can DO with information rather than the content itself.

There is a huge cultural shift happening and if we aren’t mindful and proactive, schools will lose their relevance in the very near future.

Profound cultural change implies pedagogical change: a fundamental shift from traditional teaching and learning roles, a re-evaluation of what a 21st century ‘classroom’ encompasses or even looks like and a restructuring of teacher-learner relationships.

Crossing Borders

In attempting to walk-the-talk, I have collaboratively set up an experimental Web 2.0 ‘ning’ social network for TIGS Photography students with a colleague, Kerry Short, from Wanganui Park Secondary College in Victoria - a school chosen for its similar background - a strong community of students who are passionate about photography.

Blended Learning

We have created this network to complement what we both do in the classroom: which is largely develop student-centred programs where students take the initiative in working through a quite rigorous program of scaffolded projects, largely undertaken at their own pace.

Our education.ning site.com site is called ‘Crossing Borders’ and it purposefully challenges stereotypical ideas about teaching and learning. Crossing Borders has multiple functions that contribute to strong educational outcomes and pedagogies: it includes a communal photographic gallery; home pages for students, classes and groups; teacher blogs; community events; information sites for students to access class information at home; tutorial videos made and posted by teachers; and the ability for all members to comment and talk to each other in a safe, transparent and managed learning environment. One of our initiatives is to invite a number of ex-students from both schools (who are now practicing as professional photographers in Australia and overseas). Several are already maintaining a presence on the site and have assumed the role of mentors for our students. This has generated lots of interest from our community of students in a short space of time.

How is it going after four weeks? Currently students are on the site in the evenings and weekends, they have posted photos, talked a bit about themselves, formed new friends, shared comments about each other’s works, posted discussion boards, participated in a community ‘event’, talked to students and teachers from the sister school, shared thoughts with mentors and have grasped the opportunity to interact and share their work and ideas faster than we ever imagined! Students are working well beyond the classroom walls, have accessed tutorials and sites that we posted but not covered in class yet!

Its an exciting project and I’ll keep you posted on its progress.<b></b>

Di Goodman (Epoff)

Well, here we are at the start of a fresh new term and year at TIGS. As this is the second year of the Strategic Plan, several major eLearning strategies will shape the future for eLearning at TIGS in 2009.

NETWORK and MICROSOFT 2007 UPDATE

Over the summer vacation, our IT guys, Neil Cross, Andrew Greenlees and Josh Lukins worked tirelessly to update our servers and install Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office 2007 products on all computers across the school. This update will facilitate new ways in which staff can use and access files. Admin staff will receive training in 2007 products in February and teaching staff will participate in faculty workshops in the transition from Office 2003 to 2007, on the forthcoming Professional Development Day on 9th March.

A NEW WEBSITE

Soon we expect to have the first stage of our new school website up and running. The new  site promises to significantly change the way staff, students and parents and the TIGS community learn and interact with the school. It will incorporate many exciting new features such as an online newsletter; a portal to key staff and departmental blogs and later in the year, teacher home-pages where students can gain access to key class information anywhere, anytime. Features of these home pages will include access to class photo albums, student blogs or journals, discussion boards and the ability for teachers to upload podcasts. Of course it will take some time to train staff and students in the use of the website and all of its functions but it has the potential to pave the way to transform the way that students interact with the school and their teachers.

For parents, the website promises to be a goldmine of information about what is happening at school and the new exciting interface that our IT guys have designed is sure to have a big impact!

INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS

Thanks to the generous donation of the P&F, we have just completed the installation of the first of the new Promethean Interactive Whiteboards in the senior school. The IWB is strategically placed in the Goodhew Research Centre in the eastern computer bay, where staff from across the school can book it for lessons.

Training workshops for staff will commence in the next two weeks. Throughout 2009, we will commence rolling out interactive whiteboards across the senior school classrooms. This will continue over the next few years. Maths will be the first department to benefit from the roll-out.

Help Migrating

I am hearing pleas for help from many staff members about the switch to Office 2007, especially Word which everyone uses. Andrew has sourced a great online tutorial from Microsoft that shows you, very simply how to do in the 2007 version, what you used to do in the 2003 version. if you bookmark this it can be a quick and easy way to work out how to do what you need to do.

However you cant see the sites in Firefox (for some reason?) so open Internet Explorer and:

copy and paste the following urls for the application you need help with in the browser window.

Once the site loads, Bookmark the site to make it easier to access next time.

Here are the links to the various office tutorial sites are below:

Microsoft Word:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT100766331033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA100744321033

Microsoft Powerpoint:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493271033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101490761033

Microsoft Excel:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493291033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101491511033

Microsoft Access:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT102389151033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA102388991033

How to use them: its simple really!

After hitting Start, the tutorial window loads the good old Word 2003 interface. If you undertake the specific task like you normally would - eg Edit > Copy, the window changes to a Word 2007 window and a little video shows you the steps, highlighting the key strokes with an orange box.

The tutorial caters for different learning styles too! You can choose not to watch the video, but instead, however the mouse over the last step of an action and a little dialogue window will pop-up to tell you the steps in words.

For those who prefer more detail, Microsoft has a great online tutorial with written notes. Click on the link below to go there (it works with any browser):

Microsoft Get Familiar with Word

Keep an eye on Andrew Greenlees great blog which I’ve told you about before - its got links to Microsoft Reference guides too.

Good luck!

I will be running an after-school workshop using this tutorial on my return from camp, in week 3. An email accompanying this link will provide details.

Andrew Greenlees has a wonderful blog post on this free Web 2.0 product. Go there now:

AG’s Latest blog post on MobaPhoto

Andrew has some great posts on all things IT! He is the teko guru here at TIGS and we would be lost without him!

What does a Dream Library Look Like in the 21st Century?

Monica Watt has asked me to consider what an ideal or ‘dream’ library might look like in the 21st century. Well, I’m not a librarian, however after attending the Learning Technologies 2008 Conference two weeks ago, I have some ideas about what type of 21st century learning environments will create the setting for meaningful student engagement with any kind of learning process.

However, before we can answer Monica’s question, we need to ask more questions:

What is a library today?

A library today is quite different to what it might have been several years ago, as users needs have changed significantly.

What do library users need from their library?

If we dont know the answer to this question, then a library runs the risk of being unnecessary, redundant.

What do users need to do there?

Do they need to use the library as a resource centre? A skills workshop? A private space? A service provider? A help-desk? A classroom? A portal to global communities? An information hub? A social networking site? A learning community?

Most likely a library needs to be all of these things and more.

Essentially, a library  should help facilitate information access and processing. Yet today, most information is accessed online using computer technology rather than via print, and the ways in which this information is accessed and shared is changing minute by minute! So, libraries need to be adaptable and flexible to remain or become relevant to existing and emerging users. I think a library needs to focus more on teaching users how to process information, and this means providing the skills needed to process information in a predominately Web 2.0 online environment. This may be require a paradigm shift for librarians as the focus moves from information itself, to information pedagogy.

The 21st century library should foster 21st century approaches to learning.

George Siemens, of elearnspace.org,

explains that networks and connectivity lie at the heart of all learning today. Watch this YouTube video :

Library 2.0,

to understand what learners today face in terms of information overload. Are we teaching students the life skills they need to be capable of filtering and processing all this information? How can we help them safely and purposefully negotiate the complex information networks and communities they encounter online?  How can a library help them do this?

In their own time, our students use ICT to search, access and share information, predominately for the purpose of online social networking. This has accelerated to the point where it is almost out-of-control. Perhaps a dream library is a network of information that enables students to learn how to search for, access, share and use information wisely, ethically, intellectually, skilfully, and most importantly, in meaningful ways.

In his blog, Library Walls, David Bogardus

circles the same issue I am raising (also published in CSLA Newsletter). He asks:

“What is the ideal school library? How do we create a space that allows students to be constructive with the information and ideas stored there? How can creativity be archived for others to build upon? We need to go well beyond Dewey to access the answers.”

Bogardus, an American school librarian, reflects on how Gen Y students access and share information online, in much the same way as a gopher builds mounds: erratically and haphazardly, with play being the central focus. He refers to their use of MySpace.com to illustrate this point:

“I wonder if our students’ hunger for content and self-expression often lead them to adopt my gophers’ model. Students will invest days on their MySpace page if they feel it will have an impact on their dating life, but often overlook the connection between the pursuit of knowledge and the eventual lasting contributions they will be able to make to their future family and community. As librarians, we can help build bridges between the tunneling for information and personal success. Our best work may be realized when we work one-on-one with a student and connect the classroom content to this student’s own goals and aspirations”.

It seems easier to know what a dream library needs to do in the 21st century:

It needs to equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to process information using the technologies they need and wish to use in their daily lives. The role of the library needs to be active, rather than passive - it needs to direct students to make good choices in the consumption and distribution of information. It needs to help students filter and process, to link authentic learning experiences with the technologies they play with and need for their life ahead of them.

Tony Wagner in his article The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need–And What We Can Do About It

lists 7 essential skills for 21st century survival:

1. Critical thinking & problem solving

2. Collaboration and leadership

3. Agility and adaptability

4. Initiative and entrepeneurialism

5. Effective oral and written communication

6. Accessing and analysing information (I would like to edit this for our purposes: access, analyse, filter and process information)

7. Curiosity and imagination

A dream library should develop and implement pedagogies that help our students achieve these life skills. A dream school library in the 21st century needs to be more than what we have come to expect from a traditional library. It needs to be like a 21st century classroom: a dream classroom, that focuses less on delivering content and more on helping our students learn how to effectively learn with, and manage, information and technology.

Then what does the dream library need to look like to achieve this?

Wow! thats a tough one! That requires a few questions to be answered first. And then perhaps another post!

Jo Kay from JoKaydia’s workshop

Learning Technologies Conference 2008

Friday 7th November

A look at Second Life

Jo is actually, or rather virtually, ‘JoKay’ - a character in the online community ‘Second Life’. Created back in the 90s, her character is now infamous in the online community and she has a huge following of Second Life ‘gamers’. I wonder if you can call it a game however, as Second Life is a virtual life that anyone can live through a constructed ‘avatar’ - an online identity chosen or created to suit just who it is you choose to be!

JoKay is one of Second life’s most successful citizens - a virtual entrepeneur! She has created her own nation/realm called ‘JoKaydia’, merchandises her own range of products, and is a real estate landlord! She runs educational conferences, organises hot air ballooning events and much more than you can imagine, for an online community of people.

Perhaps these skills are the result of risks that can be taken in a virtual life. Maybe this is the value of such communities? After all if you fail, what can be lost? Well, real dollars at the very least, even if your ‘real’ identity remains intact! Yes, Second Life has an economy based on real US dollars! Not even virtual is free!

In terms of the value of Second Life for educators, JoKay  tells us that:

- The whole architecture of JoKaydia is designed with network learning in mind

- The fun and play in Second Life connects and engages learners

- Learners have to engage to participate

- Learners can engage in action learning tasks and can collaborate to achieve tasks

- There are educational spaces in JoKaydia where people can meet, collaborate and hold events. Jo has held several such events

- People organise community events where people can engage in a shared experience as well as fly all over

JoKay is as real in the virtual world, as she is in real life!

She owns several islands in JoKaydia and rents them out to virtual tenants. They pay her in real US dollars each month! She also owns a merchandise store where citizens of Second Life can buy products such as T-Shirts etc!!

Jo and JoKay merge in mixed reality events where the community gathers for realtime live events, and they stream the audio and some vision of the event into Second Life to share with people from across the world.

Jo also uses Flickr, Twitter and Facebook to provide an online presence for her character, as well as the 3D presence. She has a huge following who twitter to her incessantly

What do I think of all this?

This looks fun but scary at the same time - I wonder… how does an avatar transform your sense of ’self’ when you find yourself in a virtual body, moving through a virtual world, talking to virtual friends (Jo says many of her virtual friends are also real friends in real life!), spending real money in a virtual world(!), living actual time as virtual time?

Perhaps the reason why Gen Y kids love virtual online worlds is that here, risk-taking is safe. Some say we have robbed this generation of the real-life experiences gained from taking risks and learning from consequences. We have controlled their outcomes at every turn, created soft landings for them. Perhaps they revel in the sense of control they can assume in constructing a new virtual identity (I wont say fictional as Second Life is far from fictional), and the lessons they learn, albeit virtual-risk, actual-safe!

Is this the future? A kind projected life memory, as ‘real’ as the past is, in our minds and imagination?

Will people one day live their lives more virtually, than actually? Will virtual become actual? Suddenly the Matrix is looking very ‘now’……

Learning Technologies 2008 Conference

Friday 7th November

Polycom Product Demonstration

I am convinced that video conferencing is the way of the future! The technology has progressed so significantly that it seems quite simple, accessible and affordable. What excites me is the way it opens opportunities to develop and access new learning communities for students, anywhere in the world.

I would like to use it in 2009 to establish a photography network for my TIGS photography students and those from Wanganui Park Secondary College in Victoria. I am curently investigating ways I can work with photography teacher Kerry Short to get the project up and running in Term 1 2009. Students will connect with students from another school to collaborate and learn in an online community through video conferencing, engage remotely with like-minded students through discussion boards, blogs and online galleries and  maybe even collaborate using a wiki.

Kerry and I can access and share each others expertise with all students to expand knowledge, information and ways of learning. This is exciting!

The Polycom demonstration showed how different video formats can now talk to each other and showed an interesting desktop solution. I’ll investigate the options at the exhibitors stands later today.

Learning Technologies 2008 Conference

Friday 7th November

Using ePortfolios to support delivery (Brisbane TAFE)

Roxanne Cooley and Anthea Leggett’s workshop:

An ePortfolio: a “digitised collection of personal information”

An ePortfolio is a good way to connect industry workers to educators, to recognise the experience, skills and knowledge needed in the workplace.

In education it can be used for:

1. SET plans - learning plans about goal setting

2.xUniversity graduates - CVs and research evidence

3. VET - competency achievements

How to create an ePortfolio:

- Record, aggregrate and fasten artefacts

- Publish and present

- Invite selected audiences to view and comment

- Personal reflection and comment

They are trialling an ePortfolio project whereby IT workers can be nationally accredited via RPL and ePortfolios. They have established connections between:

- Industry

- Educators

- Project sponsors

- Learners

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework website has lots of information on ePortfolios. Its focus is to evaluate the effectiveness of the EPortfolio tool.

5 processes are involved in creating an ePortfolio:

1. Collect

2. Select

3.Reflect

4. Project

5. Present

Learning Technologies 2008 Conference

Friday 7th November

Toward a Learning Utility

Mark Keough’s workshop:

He asks us to drop the e from eLearning!

“The future is never designed from the past”, where technology is concerned.

He offers us a model for growth rather than control, that shifts emphasis from institutions to communities. It is a Learning Relationship Management model. See his blog for details:

Things to contemplate for the future:

1. Mikeseyfang: intellectual property

2. rss: the value of this

3. iPhone and iTunes and the direction this technology is taking us!

4. Self publishing as a lifestyle: through blogs, wikis, social networking sites etc

5. Identity and authentication: who are we?

Thought provoking stuff!