Monthly Archive

Both Chris Betcher and John Pearce recently blogged about the achievement of reaching the “tipping point” – that is, when the number of comments on your blog meets the number of posts you’ve written. Now both the beforementioned educators are far more proficient and successful bloggers than my humble self, so suffice to say I have much further to go to match their achievement (and writing more and more posts is simply stacking the odds even more against me).

What happens, however, when your blog starts off completely in the opposite direction of most; with more comments than posts. Such is the case with the newly launched blog of UK comedian/actor/author/lover of all things high-tech Stephen Fry. His first uber-post (and I mean uber; the thing is huge! I thought I could write a lot!), Devices and Desires has, at the time of my posting, 161 comments! Now, clearly the gentlemen’s celebrity would help him to attract an audience, but this is a phenomenal start for any blogger.

I take my hat off to him. My congratulations on a successful (if not perhaps a little verbose) start to blogging. I don’t think he’ll ever have to worry about the tipping point that the rest of us will mark the true participatory value of our blogs by.

photo credit: Laura Ward

I did mention a podcast in my last post.  Finally, the first one from my students is up on the net!  Our factual recounts are now being produced in a new format and for a much wider audience.

The first podcast is (and those still coming will be) up on our class blog.

… and a hectic one at that!

1. Sorted out a mess that I should have tidied up yesterday afternoon, but was just too tired and over it.  Quick talk to a parent.  Take a phone call.
2. Started the day.  Prayer.
3. Religion lesson.  Have the great idea that we will storyboard Bible stories, illustrate key scenes in a graphics program, then add voice to tell in the story in something like iMovie or a Web 2.0 app (haven’t thought it all through yet).  Student tells me, “you always find something to do on the computer”.
4. Maths.  Assistant principal drops in while one group is learning about volume and capacity via the interactive whiteboard, and the rest are making lots of mess learning volume the “traditional” way (ie with buckets, measuring devices and several litres of water).
5. Recess.  Fix up the scanning of some pictures to support a student’s oral presentation.
6. English block.  Took a long time to settle (students, that is).  Literacy groups/menuboard first; principal drops in for two minutes to see things in action, gets talking with the students at the IWB.  Teachers aide supporting another group.  Move on to students giving their oral presentations.  Several students supported in their preparation by the teachers aides make their presentations to the class, to two very proud teachers aides (and so they should be), and the ESL teacher (whose students insisted that she must come and listen).  Assessment taking place as they speak.  Two very proud students visit the assistant principal and show him on his laptop how to access the class blog and listen to their podcast.
7. Lunch.  Sort out minor issue before going out to playground duty.
8. Silent Reading, followed by Visual Art.  Clean desks again, but this time wiping up paint rather than spilt water.
9. Students go home.  Staff meeting; break open the NSW/ACT Bishops’ Pastoral Letter, Catholic Schools at a Crossroads.
10. Look through data I’m collecting from staff on how they integrate technology into their teaching and learning as a basis for forward planning.  Spend some time on data entry and collation before heading home
11. Then, tonight, engage in some further professional learning (yes, reading and responding to blog posts is professional learning), scan over the online work from the children today, and post myself.

Tired.  Need to get some sleep.  But what a day!