tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52591882443812875192012-02-20T23:13:35.901-08:00A place to talk about teaching and learning.Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-15161450829610776802012-02-15T08:04:00.000-08:002012-02-15T08:04:40.268-08:00

Found these matchbox resources from my ME830 maths course - while reading Listening Counts. They are a great way of introducing the unknown in a simple and unchallenging way.  Very clever. Also stumbled onto these manipulatives - looks like a huge range of resources for interactive whiteboard use or class blogs.  would be great if they were easily embeddable. Here's the classic towers of Hanoi

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-74853017776237150922012-02-04T03:14:00.001-08:002012-02-04T03:14:52.735-08:00

Here are some brilliant tools for the web. Would add lucidcharts though. Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 View more presentations from Jane Hart

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-70713369042028759192012-02-04T03:13:00.000-08:002012-02-04T03:13:26.995-08:00

Just finishing a 2 week unit on imagery in poems and the class have done a great job of using similes. I like teaching poetry partly because you don't need to write so much so, in terms used on the MAST maths course, it is a lower threshold activity. They used to call this lower barriers to entry in my Degree Economics course. Again, similar to my MAST activities which were rich tasks, it is

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-35383952251945602242012-01-28T03:03:00.000-08:002012-01-29T11:17:19.289-08:00

This site allows you to create great free visuals. Here's one which I made for my Year 5 class to learn about explorers. I like the site because it allows a visual internet supported approach to research. How to get over the problem of copy and paste though...any suggestions?  Just had a comment from Lucid Chart offering me help with cutting and pasting!  I meant the problem of children cutting

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-69591633349408363222012-01-17T12:38:00.000-08:002012-01-17T12:41:49.253-08:00

It's been a long while since I last posted, oh notional reader.  But here's what I'm thinking about tonight. As part of my Maths study I'm thinking about "Richer tasks": must be accessible to everyone at the start; needs to allow further challenges and be extendible; should invite children to make decisions; should involve children in speculating, hypothesis making and testing, proving or

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-75303864523850311902011-02-12T05:36:00.001-08:002011-02-12T05:40:03.130-08:00

Just found this on a Patana site...no real connection, but just quite amazing. I am finding it really difficult to get through the strict filtering at my current school and so find it really hard to share stimulating resources like this one.There has to be a compromise between web safety and over protection.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-62073900405240252052011-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:002012-01-03T08:17:23.081-08:00

Taking risks and making mistakes which you learn from is a big part of my classroom. Creating an atmosphere where children are prepared to participate and make mistakes is the bread and butter of the job. This article clearly displays why we should let children learn from their mistakes.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-26645310197515624912011-01-13T12:48:00.000-08:002011-01-13T12:52:09.688-08:00

Ken Robinson talks as the fabulous RSA graphic is drawn. I'd love to be able to do this, what a skill.Ken's topics range from ADHD to SATs, to the Factory model of education and standardisation and it is great food for thought.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-46893479467935421842010-12-31T01:35:00.000-08:002010-12-31T01:48:48.510-08:00

As anyone who knows me will agree, I am rather partial to a visual.Lucidchart allows you to make flow charts and other visuals in a quick and easy way.Here's a great demo video using Hey Jude lyrics...I love this way of showing lyrics.k-12 Educators can apply for a free licence and that is just what I did here.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-77436357287668933302010-10-05T03:22:00.001-07:002010-10-05T03:22:15.362-07:00

Not the most inspirational of blog titles, I know, but with changes to school structures, including the rolling out of academies and the widespread boycotting of KS2 SATS , I wanted to clarify in my mind, just what it was that I should be teaching as a primary teacher and what (and how) I was obliged to assess.Page 19 of the 2010 QCA National Curriculum Assessments report saysAll pupils enrolled

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-63856355411233835452010-10-04T03:15:00.001-07:002010-10-04T07:04:37.567-07:00

Yes!Having returned from teaching in Asia to living in Devon, I have an interview date.Thoughts bubble rapidly to my consciousness...thoughts of portfolios, interview questions, my choice of 20 minute teaching activity, my knowledge of current issues in teaching.Here is Edge Hill's very helpful guide to interview questions: http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers/DownloadZone/materials_pdfs/CC_11.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-91376561527789781232010-10-04T02:30:00.001-07:002010-10-04T02:30:09.536-07:00

I was sent this article by a friend today and it made me think more about the pace of life we live, breakdown of the nuclear family and all of that kind of stuff.Formal after school activities are partly the response of society to greater demands on the time of parents who are working hard for long hours, and don't live near the children's grandparents.  Someone needs to look  after the children

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-30576878796922377352010-09-19T13:03:00.000-07:002010-09-19T13:04:47.016-07:00

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-58728201093220157072010-09-15T01:21:00.000-07:002010-09-15T03:27:07.921-07:00

As I cycled to school with my oldest 2 children today, an autumn chill spread from the handlebars, along my fingertips and up to my knuckles. I would have paid good money for that cool feeling three months ago when I was still in Bangkok, teaching at a large international school.The new term is well upon us and with it a fresh chance to ponder on what it is all about. I started a group for

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-75752381829998530602010-05-15T21:55:00.001-07:002010-05-15T21:55:02.556-07:00

Another reason for relying less on textbooks and making learning real.Get a compelling question which produces a compelling answer.  Develop the problems with students.Develop patient problem solving.Start with the visualTo watch the TED talk, click here.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-67292547275433093642010-05-15T21:21:00.001-07:002010-05-15T21:21:52.705-07:00

Here's a great article on the history and cognitive role of handwriting.I would hate to live in a world where we were unable to communicate without a keyboard, and keyboard free is also not  future I would enjoy.We need to straddle both worlds and some of us will lean more on the handwriting side than others.  The question of which to use keyboard skills in school is more about resources,

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-91194133360779916662010-05-15T03:20:00.001-07:002010-05-15T03:20:47.920-07:00

My recent non fiction read has been Dan Pink's Drive.Motivation is the theme.He finds that money works when the task is repetitive.It doesn't wotk when the job required creativity.The key, says Pink, is:M - masteryA - autonomyP - purpose.I could write a summary in several pages, but the video is far more entertaining:

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-36050199827354344702010-05-09T07:08:00.001-07:002010-05-09T07:08:06.664-07:00

Virtual manipulatives is a fantastic looking version of smartboard software.  I just looked at the maths software and was really impressed by the easy to use tools, including base ten manipulatives, a set of scales or balance and a simple timer.I'm sure that smartsoftware has more functions, but is does seem like a good quick and easy alternative.Go here to try it out.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-25798704599142824842010-04-30T21:23:00.000-07:002010-04-30T22:05:35.779-07:00

This link takes you to a pdf of a set of resources called cornerstone assessments. I had heard of Jaye McTighe and Grant Wiggins and Curriculum by design a while back but recently saw a tweet by D krea_frobro747 .Content, process, quality and result are the 4 types of performance criteria he uses.There are some great indicator words they use; for example if you are assessing the process skills

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-71551141244007089242010-04-21T05:15:00.001-07:002010-04-21T05:15:13.890-07:00

When student work culminates in a genuine product for an authentic audience, it makes a world of difference.Look here of the article from ASCD about projects and the  Expeditionary Learning Schools.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-28823510691955022842010-04-15T21:34:00.001-07:002010-04-15T22:20:44.834-07:00

This video is a great example of PBL. It comes from the Buck Institute.It includes segments showing the planning stages and exemplifies how PBL should have a real purpose.Here, the curriculum does not seem to be a rigid force which has to be manipulated, rather the project presents reasons for the skills and knowledge to be learnt.Do the teachers keep track of what has been learned?Do teachers

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-4124609087391182702010-04-13T23:45:00.000-07:002010-04-14T00:11:51.046-07:00

See the Coolcatteacher blog for details of the flatclassroom project videos. Here's one which takes snapshots of communication technology development:Find more videoslike this on Flat Classroom ProjectHere's another on a similar subject:Find more videos like this on Flat Classroom ProjectGreat tech skills...Were these skills taught in school?If they were, what does the curriculum look like?

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-44512135807234221402010-04-11T21:14:00.001-07:002010-04-12T03:13:54.262-07:00

I have been thinking a great deal recently about what Curriculum 21 or 21st Century learning are all about (are they the same thing?).Some people are heavily invested in IT and so for them the answer is clearly heavily weighted towards IT: wikis, nings, blogs, skype, voicethreads, video. Others seem to have a much broader definitions which include aspects of global responsibility and

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-30617821700608700242010-04-03T22:59:00.001-07:002010-04-03T22:59:01.869-07:00

I thought it was time to think more about how I blog in class and how children should learn to use guidelines to write blogs posts and comment academically rather than socially.  We have talked about being careful when posting comments and e-safety but I have only just started to formalise these into written rules.The langwitches blog was a great starting point, having this document which is

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-71375379831219932442010-04-03T03:34:00.000-07:002010-04-03T03:38:05.635-07:00

This site allows you to paste in text and gives you a wordle like cloud of word frequencies.You can also click on the words from the cloud and this puts them in the centre of a word web of various definitions.I like the look of it and would like it as a widget on the class blog.Have a look here.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-81043553609289377042010-03-30T18:47:00.000-07:002010-03-30T19:06:05.700-07:00

During a parent conference yesterday it was really nice to hear a parent say "When are you going to send us an email with updates and links to what's been going on in the classroom?"It made me realise that many of the parents in my class rely on emails coming to them. They are very busy and need information delivered to them.I replied "Have you heard of RSS feeds? They would be really helpful

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-74762946633917598182010-03-29T05:13:00.001-07:002010-03-29T05:13:34.302-07:00

This video is of a talk given by Howard Rheingold about participative learning using today's technology.  It was part of Reboot Britain .He talks about 5 literacies:attention, participation, collaboration, network awareness, and critical consumption

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-43917010087451980582010-03-28T22:54:00.000-07:002010-03-28T23:32:29.979-07:00

I have just joined a ning...called curriculum 21This was minutes after I learned what a ning is!I think it's a bit like a wiki, a collaborative website with other added extras.Anyway, I joined the ning and then made a group for teachers with children aged 5-11.I was thrilled only one day later when 2 new members joined. Silvia Tolisano was one of the new members, author of langwitches

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-61176623827667183102010-03-26T19:41:00.000-07:002010-03-26T19:45:06.057-07:00

What a great picure, taken at school yesterday. Loads of fun, people making fools of themselves, children participating by bringing in costumepieces and all for the good cause of Operation Smile.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-52640157553816737202010-03-26T06:41:00.000-07:002010-03-26T06:44:09.115-07:00

My last post looked at 21st C learning. I went to the site and saw a gap in the market...maybe for good reasons...in the 5-11 age range.I started a group to find out what others are doing with participative learning technology (like wikis) .Please have a look and contribute.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-13615512788007076832010-03-26T06:17:00.001-07:002010-03-26T06:28:43.104-07:00

Alan November talks about the gap between what we teach and what children need to survive in the real world:we do not teach children to cope with overwhelming amounts of informationevery classroom should be a global communication centrewe have to stop spoonfeeding learning, learneres should learn to be lifelong learnersThere is a shift of control from the teacher managing learning to a culture of

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-80503003172896018942010-03-23T05:00:00.001-07:002010-03-23T05:15:42.714-07:00

Stumbled onto this ebook, which made me think more about creativity but gave me another more pressing, physical realisation too.The references to Daniel Pink's ideas on creativity were a timely reminder. It also made me think about the restrictions on creativity which we often feel when planning and teaching. I was talking today with colleagues about planning in a more creative topic based way

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-13111675410139215122010-03-22T04:48:00.001-07:002010-03-22T04:56:24.895-07:00

When I found this site, I was again amazed by the proliferation in web applications.This site contains, amongst others, SafeShare TV and Quiet Tube which are excellent ways of taking the unwanted ads away from useful youtube video clips.Librophile looks interesting - a search engine for audiobooks.Another site I discovered in Larry Ferlazzo's site is citebite. This is a simple site which

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-40593261526348888912010-03-18T04:21:00.001-07:002010-03-18T04:21:18.132-07:00

Thanks to Richard Byrne from Free technology for Teachers for this clip which explains how google searches for things.It cleared up what an index is, and gives a few ideas about how to make your website appear more in google searches.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-56307316258289345912010-03-16T04:36:00.001-07:002010-03-16T04:36:37.445-07:00

Retired teachers are skyping children in India, reading them stories, according to the Guardian.Last year in Education Guardian Professor Sugata Mitra appealed for volunteers in the UK to read stories over the internet to children in Hyderabad. "When I last visited India, I asked the children what they would most like to use Skype [the internet telephone service] for. Surprisingly, they said

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-44687154077418453122010-03-15T05:39:00.000-07:002010-03-15T05:48:06.407-07:00

Last year when Michelle, Anthony, Anne, Colin, John, Jackie and I met up we decided to work find out about Project based learning and Enquiry.Here is Colin's review of the literature and good practice.He kindly said I could publish it here.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-37991107082686349852010-03-14T23:40:00.000-07:002010-03-14T23:42:55.857-07:00

There are some great teaching ideas and examples of good practice here in Terry Freedman's ebook.Download here.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-71323313980849276192010-03-13T21:43:00.000-08:002010-03-13T21:57:03.832-08:00

Thanks to barkingupthewrongtree for this post about the benefits of curiosity on memory. In this post, hand gestures are linked with memory retention, with a greater influence on memory than a spoken instructional phrase...So, get physical and get children to incorporate hand gestures to aid memory.Add curiosity by introducing learning in a novel way.This links to the thrust of what Paul Ginnis

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-13882550976078200732010-03-13T05:16:00.000-08:002010-03-13T06:40:57.322-08:00

I was contacted by The Smarties recently. The Australian class is setting up a wiki to learn about how Easter is celebrated around the World.I'm interested in finding out how The Smarties going to update their wiki? Is it going to be done by the children using teacher logins or will they set up accounts for children?I'm experimenting with giving my class their own passwords for a wiki I set up

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-14103726512902782342010-03-11T03:45:00.000-08:002010-03-11T03:50:56.485-08:00

Larry Ferlazzo's recent post mentions ways to keep aware of where traffic is coming from to get to your blog or website. He also gives ways to make sure your links are up to date.I followed his link to Sue Waters' Edublog in which she gives great instructions on how to interpret the complexities of using google analytics.I have used this google site for a while and have seen the effect on

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-92025626039178341642010-03-09T01:20:00.000-08:002010-03-09T01:29:50.238-08:00

Headmagnet claims to be a site that helps you learn and remember facts and faces?Thanks to freetechnologyforteachers for the tipThis site needs a sign up.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-31139725727626473212010-03-06T04:22:00.000-08:002010-03-06T04:25:50.081-08:00

Here are 2 video clips, one of a 21000 strong audience dancing to the Black Eyed Peas...you need to see this one first.The next one is a fantastic advert for reading and books.Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for these tips.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-41466211385369964222010-03-05T18:38:00.000-08:002010-03-05T18:53:58.398-08:00

I have seen this newspaper clip generating site before, but thought I'd mention it again.It's a great format for teaching report writing in your literacy lesson.Virginia Rojas, in here recent visit to school, suggested giving learners a RAFT to help them.R - RoleA - AudienceF - FormatT - TopicChildren could use this RAFT format to give them "supported choice" to present their learning in a way

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-57980820426251577002010-03-04T05:01:00.001-08:002010-03-07T04:55:35.733-08:00

Here are the photos from the visit by Paul and Sharon Ginnis.Paul's photos are from the dramatisation of the fertilisation of an egg...see earlier video post. Paul's book,Teacher's Toolkit: Raise Classroom Achievement with Strategies for Every Learner, includes this and many other strategies which I have only just dipped into. The ones I have tried are very rich in learning, but as Paul always

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-67597358985177111972010-03-04T03:23:00.001-08:002010-03-04T03:37:50.290-08:00

Thanks to Steve Wheeler's blog, for this inspired image!

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-11081118689399027422010-03-02T05:48:00.000-08:002010-03-06T05:06:03.539-08:00

With my move back to Britain being imminent, I am CV writing and sniffing out teaching posts.As well as asking colleagues for a peak at their letters and CVs I've been looking online and have found some useful resources:A whole batch of TES documentsWhat to include:Teacherworld - lists common contents of CVs and the importance of person specifications and job descriptions.NASUWT - page of CV tips

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-18526102981429180152010-02-24T20:04:00.000-08:002010-02-24T20:07:28.028-08:00

A report from the GTC (General Teaching Council) recently showed three factors which can significantly lead towards success in maths.These include:viewing mistakes as positive – identifying them and using them in subsequent discussions; allowing students to develop and justify their own varied methods; encouraging students to set each other problems to solve.The research concluded that

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-22350597293832105212010-02-19T21:00:00.000-08:002010-02-19T21:17:12.063-08:00

This is a great book which prompts lots of thinking!I read it over the half term break after hearing about the author from Anne (she went to see Guy Claxton when he was in Phuket) and Paul Ginnis (see previous post).It is an inspirational book which asks the reader to think carefully about how schools are (or aren't) preparing children for life after school.For me the main messages were the

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-52455443771856175902010-02-06T03:45:00.000-08:002010-02-06T04:49:32.832-08:00

A Saturday course today with Paul Ginnis. He's a great presenter, mixing a blend of theory and in-school evidence backed up by lots of photos. I had seen him almost 2 years ago at NIST.The double whammy is content and metalearning...his idea is that learning could/should contain both.Varied approaches to learning, catering for many learning styles, were included in the session. See video below

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-87247352010768754792010-02-02T01:20:00.000-08:002010-02-02T01:20:47.801-08:00

In our year group we were talking about how we could best assess children's maths progress and attainment throughout year.  We know what many children are good at, can give next steps and are good at this kind of assessment.  This is the bread and butter of teaching. It is the big picture/national curriculum level description which is hard to judge for me and many other teachers. Different

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-83583355285274937792010-01-30T19:22:00.000-08:002010-01-30T20:02:25.210-08:00

I first saw Prezi at a Debating workshop run by Ben Friend...it is a visual and dynamic presentation tool. Here's an example of a Prezi, taken from the prezi site. This one is by a lady called Annette Evans: I've just signed up and will be having a play. Look here for the freetechnologyforteachers blog review.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-28022789266115451962010-01-22T18:58:00.000-08:002010-01-22T18:58:49.610-08:00

Freetechnology for teachers brings you a step by step guide to resize video so that it fits your blog. Go here to find out how

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-84946638679865763392010-01-16T03:57:00.001-08:002010-01-30T16:16:58.551-08:00

This book looks at mainly technology driven project based, cross curricular learning. The part that I am reading at the moment talks about possible pitfalls: Long on activity, short on learning outcomes Technology layered over traditional practice – internet research then powerpoint is not a quality project. Trivial Thematic units – really this points at theme based learning not

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-37714008831056713442010-01-14T17:15:00.000-08:002010-01-14T17:15:01.984-08:00

Capturing Flash animations for your Smartboard slides Now we’re into the real fancy stuff. Many of the websites that you will visit will have some fancy FLASH games on them that you will add to your favourites and will have all lined up to use in a lesson, when suddenly the network goes down. Well this is how to “borrow” those fancy FLASH games and have them stored on smartboard slides, ready to

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-38341343056310973422010-01-08T03:52:00.000-08:002010-01-08T03:52:29.097-08:00

Below is a video which promotes teachers learning new technology.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-74864614687634894662010-01-02T23:20:00.000-08:002010-01-02T23:20:28.375-08:00

Thanks to edublogger for providing this growing list of class blogs. I looked for some classes which were about the same age and quickly came up with a NZ school with a really interesting site.  I commented on a couple of their posts and hopefully they will look at our blog. This is the simple way I am starting to link up learning.  I tried twitter earlier this year, but found that it was too

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-34740605683986860052009-12-09T20:27:00.000-08:002009-12-09T20:27:27.509-08:00

Here are some extracts from the BBC article: Parents should also make sure they ask the teacher how they could help their child at home, she says. But more than three quarters arrive at parents' evenings without having made any preparations or thought about what information they want. The survey also claims that two thirds of parents have been unable to attend a meeting because of work

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-50422968557032566872009-11-18T02:59:00.001-08:002009-11-18T02:59:47.922-08:00

See this tutorial for help with this versatile tool.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-75055932342923025882009-11-16T03:23:00.000-08:002009-11-16T03:23:13.298-08:00

Here are some ideas about what we need to teach in the future. Ten Trends RmcView more documents from Rodd Lucier.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-28162354271348681752009-11-16T02:58:00.000-08:002009-11-16T02:58:04.896-08:00

Cyberbullying is a growing problem in primary schools, according to the Anti-Bullying Alliance. See BBC Many of the 227 10 and 11-year olds questioned said they used social networking sites, even though users are meant to be over 13. It defines cyberbullying as deliberately upsetting someone using information technology, especially the internet or telephone. Almost a quarter (23%) said they

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-87109180690252872122009-11-14T20:40:00.000-08:002009-11-14T20:40:04.862-08:00

See the full PicLit at PicLits.comHere is a great visual prompt generator for writing.  Although sign up is required if you want to save the projects, it is quick and easy to do.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-5294731489171339932009-10-27T18:53:00.000-07:002009-10-27T18:53:42.107-07:00

Thanks to Anthony Tilke for this recommendation. Yesterday at a parent teacher coffee afternoon some mums of sons were looking for ways to enthuse their children into reading. Here's a website which offers some advice and a downloadable booklet. Please send me any comments if you get the chance to read it.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-84977537098151129602009-10-25T06:58:00.000-07:002009-10-27T01:42:30.357-07:00

Two items have recently appeared about ipod Touch. The first is below: The second is a story about a school in Oklahoma which is handing out ipod touches to all teachers and students in the school...for grades 3-12. It would be interesting to know how they are being used and how it is affecting their classroom learning and home learning.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-49954829743408634122009-10-25T06:44:00.000-07:002009-10-25T06:44:07.896-07:00

Fabulous ideas here from Tom Barrett's ICT in my classroom. It includes useful information on editor numbers (Did you know that up to 10 can edit a document simultaneously, while 50 can collaborate on a spreadsheet at any one time?):

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-79430650231051979172009-10-25T05:56:00.000-07:002009-10-25T05:56:31.548-07:00

Here are some great tips for using some of the less obvious google features and some other search sites too. The newsletter is by Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology For Teachers, a blog which always has some great ideas.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-48597494917253812542009-10-14T22:56:00.000-07:002009-10-14T22:56:48.135-07:00

Websieving and Sharing Google - http://www.google.co.th/             - wonderwheel - search for term sieving http://www.google.co.th/search?q=sieving&hl=en&output=search&tbs=ww:1&&tbo=1             - google squared - http://www.google.com/squared/search?q=pharaohs search for term pharaohs http://www.google.co.th/search?q=sieving&hl=en&output=search&tbs=ww:1&&tbo=1 diigo - https://

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-2788423593859742832009-10-12T18:11:00.001-07:002009-10-12T18:11:41.740-07:00

Has email had it's day? Is email not quite quick enough in these days of twitter and facebook? That's the gist of the following article from the Wall Streel Journal.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-38314481341633939572009-10-12T04:31:00.000-07:002009-10-12T04:31:49.715-07:00

Beauty is only skin deep?  It might be only a few pixels deep. A great video below which should make you question every magazine picture you ever look at. Thanks to Wes Fryer's blog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-66800962044252682912009-10-09T20:30:00.000-07:002009-10-09T20:30:52.254-07:00

Here's a blogpost from Wesley Fryer's Moving at the Speed of Creativity, a blog which I'd recommend you look at.  It affirms the kind of learning which goes on at residential visits and through the International award. Lots of good ideas here.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-1390488657061365832009-10-08T04:31:00.000-07:002009-10-08T04:59:36.139-07:00

For student blogging tips...from a student go here...For poetic tips for a primary teacher blogger audience, go here.All of these links are thanks to Edublogger's recent blogging tips competition.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-56561578004244717882009-10-07T03:31:00.000-07:002009-10-07T03:59:24.731-07:00

You tube now has the only known video of Anne Frank. Her neighbours were filming their wedding and there was Anne, at the window sill of the very house she lived in.Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo and Colin Brown for the tip.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-15343713836559740662009-10-06T04:04:00.000-07:002009-10-06T04:09:43.434-07:00

For an interesting article which challenges the assertion that the internet is a bad thing, go to Vincent Rossmeier's write up of an interview with Dennis Baron, author of A better Pencil.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-66741235688011097432009-10-03T22:25:00.000-07:002009-10-03T22:28:58.559-07:00

Here's a link to an interesting looking article about online networking.It was done in 2007 so is maybe a bit dated in this swiftly moving digital age.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-929970309946461832009-10-02T03:59:00.000-07:002009-10-02T04:14:17.498-07:00

One way to get great teaching ideas is to observe colleagues teaching. We are having lots of informal drop-ins at school this term where members of the management team come along and sit in, without an agenda, and sometimes help out with what we are doing. This is followed up by a brief email.This form is a way of sharing good practice. If you go to watch another teacher's lesson informally,

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-66420252453371354322009-10-01T18:43:00.001-07:002009-10-01T18:58:38.032-07:00

Here's the link to a set of tips for smartboard use.Found this at Mr C's blog.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-91391923842056735212009-09-29T01:24:00.000-07:002009-09-29T01:42:09.119-07:00

Safeshare.tv is a simple to use way of showing youtube video clips without the accompanying adverts.Sounds too good to be true?Have a look at the stop frame animation here which I'm going to use in my Year 3 class, knowing that the annoying adverts will not be there.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-8604421938514358532009-09-29T01:17:00.000-07:002009-09-29T01:23:41.265-07:00

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-65371432554574235212009-09-28T05:43:00.000-07:002009-09-28T06:20:28.801-07:00

Here are some great links by Larry Ferlazzo.There's a good web2.0 teacher toolkit here at ChangED, by Angela Cunningham.This is a collection of webquests organised by 9 big museums and gelleries in England.Twurdy is a search engine based on Google BUT it has a readability score, from 0 (easiest to read/simplest language) to 1000. Seemed effective from what I saw.Using Technology to Support

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-56739580569704580272009-09-26T01:00:00.000-07:002009-09-26T01:32:38.443-07:00

I was working away on my MA module which is to design a small scale research project. I have chosen to look at a form of differentiation which has been around in America for almost 30 years, and is called curriculum compacting. It appears quite frequently in the American literature, but I don't think it has really emerged as a concept in UK or international teaching.Anyway I stumbled on a few

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-45675346125129585482009-09-22T01:43:00.000-07:002009-09-22T01:50:30.786-07:00

How do you get children to connect hard work with progress?Here's an extract from Reflections on teaching in which Ms Mercer describes a lesson in which she shares children's perceptions on the link between effort and results:Larry Ferlazzo did a post on an interesting lesson he did with his students to get them to think about their own brains. He wrote about it here, noting that many of his

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-16159981335563335752009-09-21T05:45:00.000-07:002009-09-21T05:50:55.318-07:00

Want some help teaching search strategies?This google for educators training material is a good start. It has 3 levels and 3 areas in each. Google doc presentations with embedded video make it more animated.There are also accompanying teacher notes.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-61827594181619743282009-09-03T04:45:00.000-07:002009-09-03T04:48:57.769-07:00

This slideshow is basically an advert for blogging for teachers. Why should teachers blog? See the slideshow below.A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at SchoolView more documents from Sacha Chua.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-86707111360536895032009-09-03T04:20:00.000-07:002009-09-03T04:44:28.352-07:00

According to Heinneman, 25 % of children in UK primary schools read only 1 complete book a year in class. See linked BBC article.If this means children's own reading books then it is really shocking. If it means class readalouds, then I'm less shocked. I'm sure the Literacy Strategy's focus on a wide range of genres potentially reduces the amount of time that teachers have to read single

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-47033663116708648902009-08-31T04:51:00.000-07:002009-09-01T07:33:30.803-07:00

Fresh out of Google is the google docs translate facility. You can copy in a load of text, from one of over 40 languages, and translate instantly to another language!Sounds amazing...I had a thai email message and copied it over into English...the results were average to poor, but I got the gist of the message.You need to have a google account, but with the wealth of cloud-based software which

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-85546732560506052632009-08-25T04:30:00.000-07:002009-08-25T04:36:20.076-07:00

If you haven't seen this, then do it now! Lots of ideas to think about technology and how we prepare children for it.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-83023055342305330132009-08-25T04:05:00.000-07:002009-08-25T04:12:23.357-07:00

...according to researchers from Duke University,... communicating your values and expectations about education; pointing out connections between schoolwork and current events; encouraging children to set goals and follow their dreams; discussing learning strategies, and preparing and making plans for the future. Basically, it means helping your kid make good decisions about school, with an

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-13867861869914445672009-08-15T17:57:00.000-07:002009-08-15T18:06:38.164-07:00

Just found this link to risk taking, featuring Michael Jordan in a Nike ad, via my google reader subscription to movingatthespeedofcreativity. And here is another youthube clip, same theme, with American heroes:

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-57749488630534088782009-07-22T18:52:00.000-07:002009-07-22T18:56:51.816-07:00

Look here for an amazing array of web2.0 tools. Lots of widgets for the blog as well as almost too much other stuff!This came from Larry Ferlazzo's site which is overbursting with great ideas, with a particular focus on EAL/ESL.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-60525205094647391272009-07-13T17:44:00.000-07:002009-07-13T17:50:04.552-07:00

Have a look belowfor some great ways to use wordle in your classroom. I found this set of slides through clif's notes. I'll definitely use it early on in the new academic year to display children's own self descriptions.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-51461188476667357252009-06-18T07:08:00.000-07:002009-06-18T07:14:45.500-07:00

Want to know about how twitter was formed, and how it has evolved from its original concept...from the mouth of its creator?Click on the blog post title.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-56898473611734736342009-06-07T02:37:00.000-07:002009-06-07T02:46:52.886-07:00

Wordle is a great tool for either showing words in an interesting way or summarising the high frequency words contained in a document or website.Wordle IdeasView more OpenOffice presentations from JenniferW.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-38846446071982594432009-03-27T18:30:00.000-07:002009-03-27T18:34:55.008-07:00

I have been a subscriber to this site for a year now and there is always something interesting or useful.  I have passed on suggestions from it many times.Subscribe by email or RSS feed...haven't got my head around RSS yet!

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-70743170808641729362009-03-12T19:25:00.000-07:002009-03-12T19:31:22.299-07:00

Found this through Angela Maiers twitter feed.Full of great ideas for presenting, notetaking, recording and mentions different learning styles too.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-18123533915342442752009-03-09T01:14:00.000-07:002009-03-09T01:23:17.433-07:00

We met and decided that if we meet next week briefly on Monday 16th, then aim to collect all of our reviews which point towards Project Based Learning for the following Monday, 23rd March. This would allow us to collect information on this site by the following week, 30th March. We could invite along MAMI and others. We could also include suggestions for ways forward...Action research, Year

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-32316555663447330022009-02-28T01:55:00.000-08:002009-02-28T02:23:41.458-08:00

Had a very thought provoking session today with Kathleen Baertschy from Concordia and came up with these ideas and questions:Importance of making memoriesmake time for storiesmake connectionsAs a learner, I like to know where I'm goingActively participating helps me to learnThere is a crack in Everything, That's how light gets in (Leonard Cohen, Anthem)It's not your experience which is important,

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-58187631660479123942009-02-27T03:49:00.000-08:002009-03-09T01:32:28.330-07:00

Stumbled onto this site via twitter and tweetdeck. Has lots of features which I didn't know about, some seem obvious after you have read them, like writing over text using white pen and then erasing when using the slide in class (tip 9).This site also has some great primary whiteboard games and links.

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-48098259044661143372009-02-21T22:09:00.001-08:002009-02-21T22:09:21.809-08:00

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-57727758747924152972009-02-02T01:24:00.000-08:002009-02-02T01:28:57.754-08:00

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-10828330333160007422009-02-02T01:08:00.000-08:002009-02-02T01:17:10.525-08:00

Jackie, Colin and Ben were reviewing diigo bookmarks and talked about how it compared with the BPS link and learn system:easier to use - single button pressmore powerful - tagged and so allows greater search capabilityBen showed this blog and was excited to see the feeds from the diigo site had come through...set up last week.Ben also mentioned his month long experience of twitter. Following the

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259188244381287519.post-53201081933511430122008-06-08T21:10:00.000-07:002008-06-08T21:12:21.431-07:00

Have a look here if you want some easy to follow help with technology in education. I had a look at the video for setting up a wiki using wetpaint and found it informative and simple. May have a go...

Ben Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13564246197309771600noreply@blogger.com0