ULearn2010+reflections

toc

ULearn 2010 was eventful and excellent as usual. Staff members have shared their impressions and links in this space.

Highlights:

 * //Being part of a conference where you can see in action technology as an effective tool for learning- you see and hear it being used in real classrooms, real learning centres and by students/families.//
 * //Lane Clark keynote: the importance of deep reflection for effective teaching- emphasis moving towards how we teach and learn rather than what we teach/learn. Recognised a synergy with philosophy of making a real difference and the current aims of Te Kura for student learning.//
 * //Liked the emphasis on helping students identify// just what they need //from a learning investigation and still identifying all the key curriculum aims and delivering to all key standards.//
 * //The two sessions that explored the challenges of the internet -presented by Brett Lee-// **Through the eyes of a child: the Dark Face of the Internet** //and also// **Online Dangers, Rights and Responsibilities- Not so virtual**//. These workshops explored the perspective of the child/student as they navigate the internet and its social networking sites like// Facebook//. Brett Lee revealed the vulnerability to predators and how unsafe situations emerge. He also talked about cyber bullying and included strategies and safe practices for teachers working with students.//
 * //Gala Dinner//
 * //“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who - cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” -Alvin Toffer//
 * //ULearn10 was a great experience for me to refresh my view of myself as an educator and teaching professional. The key note speakers were inspiring and helped me with this. I came away from ULearn10 feeling like I needed to be more “in touch” with the pulse of my students and how I could use eLearning tools to accomplish this. I particularly enjoyed the first key note address with Lee Crocket who challenged me to think “outside the box” with my class and the last key note speaker Stephen Heppell who challenged me to think about the future and eLearning in the 21st century.//
 * //ULearn 2010 was an inspiring event. It was exciting to see nearly 2000 educators coming together with one goal – to encourage effective teaching and learning in New Zealand.//
 * //The use of Twitter during the keynote and breakout sessions was fascinating. So much discussion, conversation and sharing of links and resources occurred throughout the conference. The conversation via tweeting was just as valuable as that from the presenters. It added another layer to the talks. The tweeting and therefore the benefits have continued since the conference with the added bonus of examples of teachers applying what they have learnt and sharing their experiences.//
 * //The most memorable speaker for me was Brett Lee, speaking about the Dark Face of the Internet. His main message was to educate children about the dangers of the internet and how they can protect themselves from on line dangers. He included examples from his experience in the Australian police force catching online predators which were eye opening and highlighted how vulnerable children are without the proper supervision and education both with online predators and bullying. This session was nicely followed up by Steve Wheeler and his presentation on inspiring students through the use of social media. I felt Steve was able to balance out what Brett had presented, reiterating not to avoid the internet and social media, but to include it as part of students learning, such as encouraging the use of text messaging, using Facebook as a form of extending literacy etc.//
 * //Lane Clark’s message about making learning meaningful and relevant, taking students on the journey of learning with you, rather than moving through each topic systematically. Was also a main message which I have left the conference with, and something which I think is important to remember when planning each students set of work.//
 * //It was exciting to see the use of E portfolios by Early Childhood centres to share students experiences with family and friends both near and far. Sharon Carlson and Tania Coutts had collated responses from families who are currently using E portfolios, these were positive and did highlight the need to educate and support families, encouraging them to reciprocate and contribute to their child’s blog. It was great to see how easy these were to set up, simply by using blogger or other online sources.//
 * //A session by Next Generation Childcare, looked out how they use ePortfolios to support the children’s transition to school.//
 * //I was inspired to see and hear the different strategies other schools and early childhood centres have in place for supporting literacy with their students inspiring and extending students thinking and learning and also collaborating with whanau and communities.//

Integration into teaching practice:

 * Strategies for connecting to authentic learning opportunities- not just building on an interest but motivating students to discover the learning challenge and what they need to do to confront what they don’t know and need to know.
 * The strategies for deep reflection- listening carefully to what the student is really saying they need and finding the learning links and curriculum support that underpin it.
 * Linking to context and letting go of the ‘same old-same old’ in delivery.
 * Continuing to build our capacity to use technology effectively and for effective teaching
 * Strategies for safe use of the internet.
 * Adapt to change and treat students as digital natives.
 * Game-based learning wiki I attended session about.
 * The use of Twitter during the keynote and breakout sessions was fascinating. So much discussion, conversation and sharing of links and resources occurred throughout the conference. The conversation via tweeting was just as valuable as that from the presenters. It added another layer to the talks. The tweeting and therefore the benefits have continued since the conference with the added bonus of examples of teachers applying what they have learnt and sharing their experiences.
 * A theme that was running through the conference was that of making learning relevant to our students. The ideas behind this were that a lot of what we teach is either old or simply not needed for our students at the stage that they are at. They live in an age where information is at their fingertips and they can find out what they need when they need it. Students need to be immersed in authentic learning experiences that are relevant and fun. The teachers should be there to guide and inspire students and to ‘make the student’s day’.
 * We must not limit our students with our own limitations.
 * Examples were shared of the use of Voice Thread as a way for supporting literacy, sharing with families and recording the child’s voice. I had not in the past thought of using voice thread with Early Childhood students, so this is an area I will extend upon. Another idea which Tony Ryan suggested was [|www.onedayonearth.org] although he only mentioned this; I thought it would be a great idea for our students as they are from all over the Southern region. I am hoping the use of ePortfolios will also be incorporated in our teaching, through the use of OTLE.

Useful links:

 * Netsafe site: []
 * Ulearn website: []
 * CoreEd website: []
 * Wiki for game-based learning: [|www.gamesined.wikispaces.com]
 * //Effective Online Teaching and Learning// presentation: []
 * Feedback from eLead teacher at their meeting: []
 * Pecha Kucha session: []
 * Microsoft Office 365 launch: []
 * Microsoft Future Vision Montage 2019 Office Labs []