Going Mobile

This Is my first mobile post. 


Typed/swyped mainly on a mobile. What I'd like to push myself to do is be more transformative in my actions. Lately I have become read alot (obsessed) about what features are to be available in the latest version of Google Android versus Apple's iOS.
This is an area that is changing so fast that new utility,applications and features are being added daily. 
There are people writing and reflecting on this even more often. We can read multiple updates and perspectives on this as easily as going to the web or even easy if we have them come to us using aggregation (reader) software.
My feeling is that we are a bit myopic in our adoption of Apple products fantastic though they are; without enough people testing other ways of doing things. My reading would tell me there is some realistic basis to this ie that the alternative are not without merit or functionality.


So There is some purpose to this Reading/Finding out but it is limited.

• preparing for purchase decisions 
• predicting future capability 
• finding useful applications 
• to be knowledgeable in the area of rapid change
• this is the fastest developing focus area for new tech

There are a few downsides

• lack of impact beyond the above
• this can become a habitual response 
• more passive than active 
• comes at opportunity cost for other learning 
• often relates to content acquisition rather creativity or adding value

So to break the cycle ...

I am limiting myself to set periods of reflection and to keeping a focus on 

the relationship of this learning to what it can bring for schools and learners as a result. When I read and follow I will put the GEMS into this blog or spaces for others. 

And on that note...

A great tool for android are the swype type keyboards have a look at this video to see how they work. Think this works on iOS but only jail broken phones/pods/pads.

This shows touchpal but swype is another great one.

Great Recipe from Chloe

COOKED  APPLES AND LOLLY SAUCE.

WHAT WE ARE MAKING:

• We are making a yummy quick desert in seconds.
• This desert comes with a sweet sticky lolly sauce and mushy sweet apples perfect for any occasions.
• Great for the out-doors for a Delicious desert.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sugar.
• 1/2 cup of water.
• 2 apples.
• 8 lolly snakes.

Equipment

• Billie including lid.
• Cup.
• Knife.
• Gas canister.
• Wooden Spoon long enough to not get burnt when stirring.
• Flat surface.
• Bowl to put in when serving.

INSTRUCTIONS
[Make sure the Billie is on a flat surface and Gas Canister is turned on)
1:First make sure you have boiled the water in the Billie for a least 5 Min's.
*TIP*make sure you have boiled it with the lid on at high temperature for 5 Min's straight and make sure the Gas Canister is on a flat surface.
2: While water is boiling Cut up the apples into eat-able slice or squares.
3:Once the water is boiled add one cup of sugar into the Billie.
4:Stir until sugar is dissolved.
5:Add in the chopped apples and the lollie snakes into the Billie.
6:Stir the lollie snakes and apples for 5 Min's.*TIP* Stir well so you don’t burn the bottom of the Billie
7:After stirring let it boil for 10 Min's at high temperature stir occasionally to stop the bottom of the Billie burning.
*TIP* If you  have to much water you may have to drain it, the less amount of water the sweeter it is.

EVALUATION
1:Check the snakes, if melted or in tiny pieces its done. If not boil for another 5 Min's and stir.
*TIP* Let it cool down for about 1 min so you don’t burn your tongue.
2: Once done poor into bowls[Best served when hot and sticky]



OPTIONS:
Best served:

• Whipped cream.
• Vanilla ice cream.
• Sponge cakes or a plain slice.
• If cooking at home, follow the same instructions but instead of a Billie use your stove with a Saucepan.

WARNINGS

• Make sure you are careful around the Billie as you don't wont to get burnt or for it to fall over and burn yourself.
• When serving beware that the Billie is hot and it may burn your.

          

How Google Docs Might Help?

During the last school holidays I worked with colleagues looking at the use of Google Docs for literacy and at teacher dashboard an interface layer that works with Google Docs. We asked those present to add their ideas about what they already knew about Google Docs, Teacher dashboard and their use (White Hat – “What information is available” thinking). Let’s start by reflecting on what they said.

TEACHERS: What we already know about Google Docs?

“Lots of people can work at the same time. Documents can be shared with others easily. Students can file away you work in subject areas. That is collaborative and can be accessed anywhere. Useful in collaboration. Edit, change, comment, assess, note label et cetera on work as it happens. That allows teachers to print student work. Helpful to teacher marking-Can edit the same (or a copy of the doc) and send it back to the students are instant feedback and feed forward.”

Or in a wordle

 

STUDENTS:  Key thoughts  about working with Google Docs in Teacher Dashboard

Lets us become able to complete our work to a higher neatness and a lot quicker.

Teacher can see it at the same time or I you are working in a group then you can work on bits at a time so one person does not have to do all of the work.

lots of people can work on it as well so it can make the completing of the document much faster and it could have more information on it.

I think that teacher dashboard is easier for us so that we don’t have to keep on sharing our work with Mr Clark, we just have to save it with a title.

It is also really great as Mr Clark / the teacher gets to look at every one's work at once instead one by one.

Or in Tagxedo

.

The students reference the idea of collaboration and the power of this more than the teachers as well as the ease with which everything takes place. The students also seem to have a clearer description of the capabilities within Google documents.

Finally interms of what we think/believe I’d like to outline what I believe will work best for learners using Google Docs and why.

I believe documents with multiple readers and collaborators add most to learning…

These documents allow students to: see how others write and to build on ideas. This motivates them to present themselves well in a highly visible environment. Because others are working with them it is more likely that the work will have meaning beyond compliance (sometimes a significant feature of individual work). We could almost add documents with a purpose on the end of the multiple users and collaborators. I believe we will see more educators working in this way as they come to understand the significance of this new paradigm of access. There are a couple of little tricks and organisational ideas that might help when working with many people to one document. It wont happen overnight but it will happen. I'll put these ideas together into a next post.

As I write this this is a little bit of a broken record element to what I am saying

Time to move on…

My understanding is that people will adopt things, change practice and persist when they have a clear reason for doing so:

so

The next steps are to work and share in a similar environment to the students ourselves for our own learning and modeling…

Laughing on Purpose

Earlier this year I went to the ICOT thinking conference. One of the workshops was not at all what I expected. It was on Laughter.
I had thought it was going to be about the importance of humour in the classroom for community; rather it had a interesting take on Laughter and its role in our lives. Helen Thyrvin led the session spending time outlining the benefits of laughter and then preparing us for a session of laughter yoga.

"You don’t laugh better if you think but you think better if you laugh."

and

“For laughter you have to leave you head behind”

At the end of the session I was in a room full of people giggling. How immature. How Naive. What a waste of precious time. But this is is the big So What I felt better for escaping my  slightly serious nature and even thinking about it makes me feel good, feel better to this day. Check out the video at the bottom infectious laughter.


There are Laughter Clubs even











Key components of a Laughter Programme

• Playfulness
• Deep breathing
• Movement
• Eye contact

You Need to drink water afterwards

Motion Creates Emotion how can laughter help

• Coping strategies
• Pain relief
• Fighting depression
• Team building
• Problem solving

The science of happiness -



Links
http://www.gwengordonplay.com/pdf/laughing_for_no_reason.pdf






Doctor Madan Kataria - stress busters
toothbrush between teeth not allowed to let lips touch
Some Supporters
Dr. Lee S. Berk
Dr Hunter Patch Adams
Dr Michael Miller.

Daniel Pink - playful leaders that promote innovation and creativity

Hiring - we should be hiring the person with the best attitude not necessarily the best skills.

Tweets–They’ve got to mean something

Twitter is different way of writing: Recently I received a mention from a man I have a great deal of respect for. It said …

As result of this I have been reviewing why Sam would say this.

I Click, Publish, Send, Upload, Tweet and Chat.  My thoughts, ideas, images, voices, opinions are public and read by my PLN and searchers. I try to stay involved in this stream of information because I value it. I put tweets and posts into this stream to express what I am thinking to those who I would like to hear me. When I am reading observing or learning from this stream; putting back makes me feel like a true participant. I have always thought myself an OK writer but never a good editor.

@Samjarman made me realise I shouldn't just say anything, in any form I like; when others are going to read it. The implications for me are important enough to make this post necessary.

What had Sam seen in my tweets?

 

“So there is someone reading my tweets and they want something to be there”

My thinking is that the following might be important:

• Consider literary discipline to communicate effectively within 140 chars ie tighter not looser.
• Punctuation and intonation are my friends.
• Consider what the audience will need to understand what the tweet means.
• What purpose does the tweet have beyond self expression.

I like the idea of action: “Don’t think Do” Ewan McIntosh, “Ready, Fire, Aim” Michael Fullan and “Planning is Guessing” Jason Fried @jasonfried. These ideas are about the importance of doing.

What I am seeing is that audience and peers create a standard though under which efforts and actions will quickly try to navigate, realign and improve. This is the aim part that Fullan talks about. I hope that  the firing off of Tweets has help me aim via feedback.

On the bright side
I am motivated to get better at this so feel free to follow me @davein2it

Links:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9132410/Twitter_Tips_How_to_Write_Better_Tweets
http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/01/how-to-write-better-tweets.html

Pilgrimage to Thinking - Why do it?

Having travelled for 36 hours to attend the international conference on thinking in Belfast I have been both jet lagged and  tired. It has been a fantastic antidote to that time in the air. The first day included a group presentation led by Robert Swartz who is a leader at the National Center for Teaching Thinking.

Part of his session looked at what strategies can make thinking explicit.
One of the propositions with regard to thinking skills  was that they require a context and process in which to be placed.


Robert used a Thinking Map or organiser to look at Part Whole relationships

Determining Part-Whole
Relationships
1.  What smaller things make up the
whole?
2.  For each part, what would happen to
the whole if it were missing?
3.  What is the function of each part?


I decided to try to apply this to my own understanding as to what made up a conference such as this thinking one. My feeling was that these are powerful learning experiences and wanted to critically look at why. The tool did help me to come to the following personal viewpoint after this is a look at the process map I used. The graphic organisers and perspective tools add to the depth of thinking I think.

Relating Part to Whole

The reasons we attend conferences or professional learning is to add to existing understandings and create potentials. These experiences might provide preferred futures for ourselves our learners, schools and communities. One such opportunity is an international conference which has a particular place due to its unique features. The motion involved: travel, pilgrimage, exposure to new faces and new ideas creates an immersive environment that goes beyond the keynote and workshops. There is invigoration and determination to take as much away from this opportunity. Keynote speakers generally represent considered authority and bring together contempories to challenge each others thinking. These people set some of the big questions for the audience to consider and bring an authority and respectability to the event. The programme brings focus to the ideas and concepts concerned in a way that other learning situations are unlikely to achieve.

Part Whole Thinking

Roberts co-authored this book which maybe worth a look: ‘Infusing the teaching of Critical and Creative Thinking into Content Instruction” by Robert Swartz & Sandra Parks (The Critical Thinking Co.) It can be purchased online from The Learning Network NZ.

Reality Check Market Day

Market Day Marketing


I was thinking that the year 8s were up for a big challenge with their Market day.
The big challenges I see are

• Co-ordinating the group together so everyone works for each other in clear roles (I guess alot of people are using google docs for that one)
• Having a catchy product name and an inviting stand
• Having a quality product and selling it to the public

I found a whole lot of pictures from last years market day perhaps having a look at these might give you some ideas about colours, styles, signs etc that are effective.

Any comments on the Market day from last year?
What style of fonts work etc


Advertising with a jingle


One piece of software for recording jingles is  audacity here is one persons guide
If you look for a tutorial video on youtube you will probably find one I call this Watch and Do