The 2 videos below are of a David Metzenthen interview (2009) where he discusses writing, his way of writing for young adults and also Jarvis 24, one of the 2010 CBCA short listed books. David answers questions about his approach to writing very honestly and thoughtfully.
Yesterday the School Library Association of Victoria held another of its conferences for library teams (all staff who work in school libraries). Over the last few years these conferences have offered very successful and practical professional learning for library support staff and others. Yesterday was no exception. I really enjoyed Lili Wilkinson, reader and writer of young adult fiction who also works at the Centre for Youth Literature, at the State Library of Victoria, where she manages the website called insideadog.com.au. It is a site about books for teenagers. Lili is always so enthusiastic about books and reading and she spoke eloquently on her favourite topic reading. She was quite inspiring about reading, no matter what format it may take, be it on paper or on-line. She also talked about the story.
My Multimedia technician, Keely Scicluna, and I were asked to talk about Flip camcorders. I was not sure how to present the information and ended up creating a site via Google sites called TechTools – Flip Camcorders. This was suggested by another of my library co-workers. I was not sure where everyone attending our session was with regards to these kinds of tools but was advised to talk about obtaining the cameras and how our library gives students and staff access to them.
Creating a this space using Google sites allowed me to put in links to useful sites for finding out about buying the Flip camcorders – the different options, the extras that go with them and the prices. I also could put in useful posts and sites that discuss how others have used these great little digital video cameras and some support sites. As I worked I kept adding pages for instance pages with technical tips – simple film techniques, taking video clips and uploading them to the computer and will add soon some advice about responsible and appropriate use.
The site is not fancy as I haven’t done a lot of exploration yet but it was very easy to create and it got the information I wanted to share out there. My other option was to create a wiki but I sometimes find wikis a bit temperamental and not they do not always turn out as I would like them to. Here I could add video and images easily and all the google apps I played with went in seamlessly. There are pre-built templates but you can build your own if you prefer and you can control who can view and who can edit. I would certainly recommend that you have a look at using this tool for creating sites that could easily be used by classes as they space to share projects and classwork.
The keynote speaker for the day was Sandy Philips, Manager of KnowledgeBank: Next Generation, DEECD. She presented information about FUSE , a site that offers all our school community such a wealth of opportunities to find, share and create educational resources. This is an extensive and growing portal of learning resources for k-12.
Sandy opened her presentation with a background view of what we call the Internet and Web 2.0. and how the Internet has changed to a “post anywhere, anytime, and anyhow” resource. She also discussed the 3 different uses, the “Me, We, See” in our schools, acknowledging Stephen Heppell in presenting this concept which relates to behaviours associated with what we do online, from the totally private, the “friends and colleagues only to the totally public publication.
A huge number of resources are available on FUSE without needing a password. Government school teachers already have a login to the other content and a login process is being put in place for non-government schools to access. This is the ‘library’ for government schools and cultural organisations such as Asia Education, ACME, SLV and others are all contributing. Teachers can log and build their own learning resources on FUSE and then submit each for public use or keep it private. There will also be collaborative spaces for discussion, building ideas and sharing etc. Sandy referred back to curriculum content. Thinking, communicating, and being creative are all skills that are encouraged in the ‘new’ curriculum.
Sandy asked us to consider the projects that are being set in our schools for today’s students. Have things changed to use the thinking, communicating, creative skills that are possible with these new resources? FUSE presents a wonderful opportunity to all in schools by offering an enormous range of resources that are appropriate, safe and interesting.
Sandy ended with some cautionary advice. We need to look at what we are doing and consider all the new options available to us. We need to get students to think differently. To explain this Sandy showed a video clip she created, from resources in FUSE, to accompany Billy Joel’s We didn’t start the fire. We were asked to think about how we might approach this activity with our student. For example have the students consider the years since this song was published in the early 80’s
What events have had a global impact?
What were these impacts?
Which ones were connected?
Then could they create an Australian story with an appropriate song.
What event has affected your students personally?
A link to Sandy Phillips’s presentation is available here
Thanks to a tweet by Ruth Buchanan about a post on her Skerricks blog I found this video. It can be found here. (You are supposed to be able to embed it into a WordPress blog but it didn’t work for me so I have put in some screen grabs but they don’t really do the video justice.)
The video aims to contribute to the design and development of visually stunning, fit-for-purpose libraries that support 21st century learning in extended school settings. It shows the contribution an effective library can make to the educational, creative, emotional & reading development of children and young people, and the aspects of design that can enable this.
This 28 minute (UK) video was funded by CILIP School Libraries Group and MLA (Museums Libraries and Archives Council), the DVD features Stephen Heppell, Les Watson (Education Adviser), students, teachers and managers from a diverse group of schools and settings. Each person has a unique view of school libraries but all are convinced of the important role for the school library and teacher librarians to support learning. They articulate the view that teacher librarians and good school libraries are very important for developing student learning and argue their case very convincingly. Stephen Heppell - “libraries are places that can inspire thinking and encourage collaboration” A Queensland example is also mentioned!
The discussion centres on 21st century learning and the skills that will be needed and how libraries (and teacher librarians) can make a positive contribution to learning. The ”how” and “what” will be needed as we progress further into this century. The video has many examples library spaces and possibilities. It examines how students and other library users find these and looks at what they want as well as how school library staff (and teachers) find meet these requirements, the architects of new library spaces must be encouraged to throw out their old, historical ideas and look at the use of libraries now and in the future. There are some great quotes, one that I like in particular is “we must be careful and make sue that we do not disable the future.”
The video is very positive. As I have been thinking about the SLAV submission to the National Parliamentary Inquiry into school libraries and teacher-librarians in Australian school, so many of the things mentioned in the video are relevant and supportive of what we are trying to do.
This video is worth watching and listening to for its positive views on the importance of school library spaces and services to learning, now and into the future.
A last quote – Learning is about lighting sparks rather than filling vessels
CBCA shortlist were announced last week. I was at the ACEC conference and the list was put on the “backburner” as I enjoyed the conference sessions. This week we have been busy as it the first week of the term so I have not really looked at the lists until today.
We have this book in the library however I have not yet read it. The reviews have mostly been very good but a few interesting comments from those who have not enjoyed reading it have piqued my interest.
Set in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne there is already a “hook” for our boys. It is a love story but not the “girly” stories that sometimes get written. It is a good story for young men. Marc is a private school boy on work experience. He meets Elektra, an elite runner from Broome, who has been “bought” by another big Melbourne school. The story is about how two young people see their world and the love story is really doomed from the start. Mark realizes that Elektra will run away from him in the end. For all that I have said, the story is humorous and concerns friendship and what you can offer to others. Many of our boys could relate to the characters and situation.
Younger Readers Intended for independent younger readers.
Fensham, Elizabeth Matty Forever University of Queensland Press
Hirsch, Odo Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool Allen & Unwin
Lester, Alison Running with the Horses Viking, Penguin Group Australia
McIntosh, Fiona The Whisperer Angus & Robertson, HarperCollinsPublishers
Murphy, Sally Illus. POTTER, Heather Pearl Verses the World Walker Books
Storer, Jen Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children Viking, Penguin Group Australia
Early Childhood: Intended for children in the pre-reading to early reading stages.
Bland, NickTheWrong Book (Scholastic Australia),
Booth Christina Kip (Windy Hollow Books),
Dubosarsky, Ursula The Terrible Plop illus. by Andrew Joyner (Viking),
Gleeson, Libby Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House illus. by Freya Blackwood (Little Hare Books),
Shanahan, Lisa Bear & Chook by the Sea illus. by Emma Quay (Lothian),
Thompson, Colin Fearless illus. by Sarah Davis (ABC Books)
Picture Book: Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years range (Some books may be for mature readers).
Danalis, John Schumann the Shoeman illus. by Stella Danalis (UQP),
Harvey, Roland To the Top End: Our Trip Across Australia (Allen & Unwin),
Hobbs Leigh Mr Chicken Goes to Paris (Allen & Unwin)
Millard, Glenda Isabella’s Garden illus. by Rebecca Cool (Walker Books),
Oliver, Narelle Fox and Fine Feathers (Omnibus),
Rogers Gregory The Hero of Little Street (Allen & Unwin)
Eve Pownall Award: Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years range (Some books may be for mature readers).
Clode, Danielle Prehistoric Giants:The Megafauna of Australia by (Museum Victoria),
M is for Mates (Department of Veterans’ Affairs in association with the Australian War Memorial),
Macinnis Peter Australian Backyard Explorer (National Library of Australia),
Patrick, Tanya Polar Eyes: A Journey to Antarctica by illustrated by Nicholas Hutcheson (CSIRO),
Reeder, Stephanie Owen Lost! A True Tale from the Bush by (National Library of Australia),
Maralinga by Yalata & Oak communities with Christobel Mattingly (Allen & Unwin)
So many books that the judges must read. I looked at the notables list and then these the shortlist and I am amazed at the reading these people get through. I will be interested to hear the Victorian Judge speak in a few weeks at our SLAV meeting. I do not envy the task that the judges have. To try to choose winners from the many good books is not an easy job. As always it will be interesting to see the eventual winner.The winners and honour books for each category will be announced on Friday, August 20th, at the beginning of Book Week.
Cyber Bullying | Cyber Friendly Website The CHPRC research investigating cyber bullying began in 2006 with young people and their parents and teachers. This research provided new insights into possible ways of dealing with the growing prevalence of cyber bullying and identified innovative school, home and community interventions. Currently the CHPRC has received funding to evaluate cyber bullying interventions for parents, students, student leaders and school staff designed to enhance and evaluate their capacity to deliver evidenced based programs to schools and families.
Zamzar – Free online file conversion Allows you to download youtube video’s and others with web-address. When ripping music / video from youtube you can create a wmv. or mp3 file
November Learning Alan November’s Website. A good site that is on the cutting edge of technology. Some great lessons. Alan Novenberwas a keynote speaker ACEC 2010.
Jenuine Tech.com — WELCOME A website for teachers created by a teacher who wants EVERYONE to bring fun back into teaching. You will always get useful (and fun ideas) to use with your classroom!
Tagxedo – Creator Similar to Wordle, Tagxedo is a new style of word cloud generator
Home – Wise Up To IT – Australian Government – Australian Communication and Media Authority While the internet can be a great tool for research, communication and entertainment there are also some risks. On Wise up to IT, four young people tell their stories about cyberbullying, online stalking, internet security and online grooming. Their stories explain what happened and how they dealt with the situation. The video clips prompt users to think about who they are really chatting to online, what personal information they are posting and whether or not their computer is protected from scams and spyware. Each clip is between two and four minutes and is accompanied by support material including a handout, lesson plan and a copy of the video script.
Welcome to the Moon Project Site Moon Project. For students in grades 4-8 to join dozens of teachers and hundreds of students in this collaborative, global, science inquiry about the moon.
ms1001tales2009 – home The 2009 site for the Middle School 1001 Flat Tales an international collaborative project for writing stories
RBG Melbourne – Home The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne’s mission is to advance knowledge, enjoyment and conservation of plants through excellence in biodiversity research and management, horticultural displays and educational programs. The website is very informative and provides information on gardening, research and conservation.
grammarvideos – home Here is a great use of a Wiki for students and teachers: a compilation of videos about grammar. The concept is really simple : contributors to the wiki add embeds of videos from YouTube about grammar concepts. Videos currently included on the wiki include the passive voice, negative forms of “must” and “have to”, prepositions of place (at, on, in), who vs. whom, I vs. me, which vs. that, personal pronouns and many more.
Shakespeare Insult Generator! (Playing With Plays) The “Shakespeare Insult Generator” by “Playing With Plays” is a very fun way to help your student discover Shakespearian English. The concept is very simple, you download a PDF document which contain three columns. All you have to do to create an insult is to choose one word from each of the three columns and here you go. It is a much better tool than using modern foul language! All the “instructions” are provided on the “Playing With Plays” website.
Science Movie Worksheets ”Showing science videos and the occasional Hollywood film in the classroom is an innovative way to demonstrate science concepts and expose common misconceptions while providing a thought provoking change of pace for students. “
English Language (ESL) Learning Online – UsingEnglish.com This is an on-line resource for ESL teachers. A UK site set up eight years ago and now includes a wide variety of resources for both learners and teachers. Even though most of the content on the website is based on British English, some of the content was also developed by English contributors from the US, Canada and other English speaking countries. It includes References, Worksheets, Handouts, Lessons Plans, Articles, Tests, Quizzes, Essay Samples and many more.
Resources for teachers A site that lists free resourses for teachers. It is categorized by different subjects including maths, science, technology, physical education, SS and special education. It provides links and descriptions of the ways the websites could be used in education.
How to Access 30,000 FREE eBooks for the iPad | GilsMethod.com ”With over 30,000 free eBooks in the ePub format, Project Gutenberg will probably be one of the most frequented sites by iPad owners. The iPad natively supports various eBook formats, among those is the ePub format which is used by Project Gutenberg. Books range from classics like Iliad to more recent books by Mark Twain. The how-to below will show you where to get the ePub formatted eBooks and how to add them to your iTunes library so that you can enjoy them on your iPad.”
Data in, Brilliance Out | Tableau Public Tableau Public is a free application that brings data to life. Create and share interactive charts and graphs, stunning maps, live dashboards and fun applications in minutes then publish anywhere on the web.
BBC News – Children who use technology are ‘better writers’ Article summarizing recent finding that shows students using technology especially for writing have better core literacy skills. “Children who blog, text or use social networking websites are more confident about their writing skills: – The National Literacy Trust.
TwitterGadget: Auto-refreshing Twitter client TwitterGadget is a clean, robust, web 2.0 style client for Twitter.com, designed to submit and view status updates via your iGoogle homepage, Gmail account, or directly in your browser.
9 Sites to Create Cartoon of Yourself for Facebook and Twitter Profile Here are 9 websites that allows you to create a cartoon character of yourself. They are free web services and applications which can create cartoon of yourself and you don’t have to pay an artist for your cartoon illustrations. Here you can find some of the best tools including Face your Manga, South Park and Meez ( A 3D Animated Avatar generator ) character generators.
Rhondda
