You are currently browsing the monthly Archive for August, 2008.
Today I’ve arrived in Melbourne for the 2008 Interactive Whiteboard Conference at Firbank Grammar School in Brighton, Melbourne. It was a fairly last-minute decision to come, along with two other colleagues from my school; a decision helped by the recent increase we now have planned to our IWB rollout for 2008.
For me, this is my 2nd IWB conference, the first being two years ago at Castle Hill when we knew little of the tool and were looking forward to installing our first one in the library. I’ve now worked with an IWB for about a year.
The hope for myself then, is that I can take myself further and go away with ideas to use the IWB to encourage even deeper and more effective learning in my classroom, rather than get the starters (although that’s where my colleagues are at, and we’re taking some different workshops accordingly).
I also hope that this conference is also about more than just the board. Castle Hill was great two years ago because it had a broad spectrum of content that looked at a range of applications of technology in the classroom. It was in a workshop led by John Pearce at that conference that I signed up to Edublogs and started up what is now Learning Curve (it didn’t have such a catchy title then; which means you’re now thinking “good grief, what on earth was it? Surely it couldn’t have been worse!”). I was introduced to blogs, wikis and podcasts - things I have used since and seen the difference they’ve made in the classroom.
Finally, I hope I can continue to stregthen existing, and make some new connections out of this experience. I’ve already met up with colleagues I was introduced to at Castle Hill, and hope to meet some more people sharing the same journey. The networks are what really helps us as professionals in feeling supported, encouraged and motivated; not to mention broadening and extending our own learning.
I’ve found a new gadget that I want to try. It’s the Flip Ultra from Pure Digital.
I’ve been looking for a video recording product for the school for a while now. So far I’ve been leaning towards some of the SD-based cameras out there so we don’t have any tape dramas, no internal disks get damaged if the camera cops a accidental shunt from a student, and we can get files onto the computer via USB or a card reader.
All that was until I came across this on Marco Torres’ blog. Not only does it all look great and very easy to use, it’s very smartly priced - always a good feature for schools looking to maximise the limited dollars. All reports indicate that one of it’s great features is it’s abilities in low-light situations.
So, all I need to do is get one for the purposes of testing for school. Perhaps I can get the kids using it too…? Maybe they’ll need to get it out of my hands first…
Three just come to mind right now…
1. I was acting assistant principal today. Ok, that’s a very long stretch - a system leadership meeting in our Diocese today left me as the second teacher in charge. Fortunately things went nice and smoothly. What I really enjoyed was being included by the teacher in charge in the day’s happenings around the school and treated as a member of the team.
2. I’m going to Melbourne. It was a last-minute decision at our school to send at team to the Interactive Whiteboard Conference that’s on next week at Firbank Grammar. I’ll write more later, but it’ll be the first time I’m travelling such a distance for the purpose of professional learning.
3. I’m using Ning. Well, sort of. IWBNet has set one up for the conference. I’m signed up, now I just have to get on to using it. Another Web 2.0 tool I’m finding a need to become familiar with.
