Creative Writing with a Difference

This is a Sway I have created which has the information on a Creative Writing unit I did with my Year 10s. It included a range of technology to enhance the unit of work. Students spent 5 weeks of class time and their holiday time working on this unit. My aim was to give the students as much control as possible within the unit of work.

I had clear goals as far as what was being assessed  and the objectives of the writing unit. However, I  wanted to create an integrated unit of work that touched on all strands of the English Curriculum. It was also important that the technology used supported the unit of work and did not have a 'bells and whistles' ring to it. 

Another goal was to have students working together collaboratively throughout the 5 weeks. This was achieved through a variety of means including but not limited to:

• Peer assessment
• Sharing of ideas
• Helping students with their writing and the technology
• Students providing next steps in another students piece of work

A professional goal of mine this year is to have student reflect more deeply on their work and learning. I have incorporated more useful reflection over the course of the unit and I have included a comprehensive reflection at the end of the unit for students to work through.

Overall, I have been really pleased with what the students have achieved.

Thanks to Tom Adams our Elearning Integrator for all his help and support with this.

Using Google Earth for Setting in a Text

I thought I would try using Google Earth in my English class. I have a capable Year 10 English class and we have been studying the Karate Kid (remake) for our film study. Instead of doing the usual setting activities I asked students to do the following:

Using Google Earth plot the important settings in the film and explain why they are important.

Students then worked in groups of no more than 3. They found different ways to record the voice-over for the Google Earth tour of the settings. Students used the 'Collaboration' space in OneNote to do the group work. Some students going as far to password protect their collaboration space. 

Students had 1.5 periods and 1 home work evening to do this task. I was lucky enough to have support from Tom Adams (StAC Elearning Integrator) in getting this set up. It seem to work best with students creating the tour in Google Earth then using a tool like Officemix to create the audio on top of the video. Students then could upload into Youtube for ease of viewing.

Take a look:

Here is a link to a blog post written by Sam McNeill for the StAC blog on this activity which is a more in-depth read.

Microsoft tools

As more and more teachers are using Microsoft tools for their teaching and learning I thought I would post some links to some sites I find useful for my teaching practice.

On a side note if you are not on Twitter you should - the best, free professional development tool.

Twitter:

@MSNZEducation
@Microsoft_EDU
@OfficeMixTeam
@Office365


Site/Blogs:

NZ Education Blog - Microsoft in the NZ education sector
Microsoft in Education
Office Mix
Lesson plans on a range of subjects :I am going to adapt this 'Literary' lesson plan for my students
Teacher resources 


YouTube:

Microsoft in Education is a channel worth subscribing to.

Here is a video worth a watch put up by 'Microsoft in Education' with Sir Ken Robinson talking about about the role tools play in creativity and how this can transform education:

As you can see there are a heap of Microsoft resources out there and probably more than just these.

Teacher Cast

Through @Microsoft_EDU I came across a brilliant team called TeacherCast. My previous post is about a video they created on OneNote. I have now just had a walk through their website and have come across a wealth of information on all sorts of categories. There is a youtube channel, livebinder gallery, blog and the list goes on. 

A video worth watching is on 'Curation tools for the classroom' - however it is worth speeding through the first 10 minutes of chat and introductions.

Back to School...Almost

As a teacher in New Zealand our summer holidays are still happening but as every teacher across the world knows at some point before school goes back, work needs to be done.

Today was the date I had decided to start thinking about the new school year. I have had a lovely break, enjoyed the sun, time with family and the holiday period. But today was the day when I thought I would ease myself back into a new school year full of new possibilities.

So, for the first time all summer I hop on to Twitter; my favorite place to start. The latest tweet was from Microsoft.

Armed with my coffee and toast I clicked the link and I get a video on YouTube on OneNote. Whilst I knew most of what they were discussing it was still a very helpful refresher and a way to to get the cogs in my brain working again. What was good was seeing what other subject teachers are up to and how I can use OneNote more efficiently (about half way through the video). I was particularly interested in how to incorporate my lesson plans into my content without it seeming cumbersome.

I recommend following @Microsoft_EDU on Twitter as a place to start.
I also recommend Microsoft NZ  on Twitter @MSNZEducation
Checkout the Microsoft OneNote Teacher Podcast
Checkout Teachercast  and on Twitter: @JeffTeacherCast @TeacherCast

English Big Day Out PD - My presentation

Yesterday I went to the Dunedin HOD English Big Day Out. It was a fantastic day of professional development and another post will appear on the work shops I attended.

This post has the an adapted Office Mix of my presentation on technology in the classroom. This is just my story of how I have used it.

A link to the mix in case it doesnt load below:  https://mix.office.com/watch/d4vjhcbye5bw

Being Brave - Office Mix

I have recorded my first ever Office Mix  and made it live! I feel this is a very brave step as I don't really like to be recorded or videoed. And to be even braver I have made it accessible to everyone - which I know opens the door for criticism - however,  constructive criticism is very welcome.

 I created  this video for my alternative level 1 English students prior to exams. I have rerecorded it trying to get rid of the 'ums'! The 'planning' video is currently getting a shiny makeover before going live.