Thursday, March 31, 2011

31 March 2011

Awesome time today at e-teach. It is amazing to spend time with like minded people. We started with a tour of Grants Braes School. I was particularly impressed with the way the digitaliser was being used. It was sitting on a table and the teacher was working on the floor. She was using is for numeracy work - counting back on numberlines and adding hiding counters. This was with a new entrant class and I was ASTOUNDED with their focus, and their results. I must experiment with my use of the digitaliser. Next we observed a group of students working on i-pads. Around the room pairs and small groups were working - oblivious to everything going on around them. Awesome to see such motivation and enthusiasm. Great to see Craig's class in the Star Newspaper last week, and in Interface Magazine this issue.
As if an afternoon of learning wasn't enough - Caroline, Tania and I ventured to Swell for a sensational coffee, view and chat! Lots more travel for next term. Yay, looking forward to visiting Oamaru and Milton!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Digital Footprint

After spending hours searching for this youtube clip I decided to bookmark it again and embed it here so I have it!!! A HUGE thank you to Michael (teachernz) who persevered and persisted and found it again for me. You're a legend Michael.
I think this is an invaluable clip to watch with learners of today - just to let them 'feel' the extent of the digital footprint they are creating. I envisage some interesting discussion...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Day 3 - Techi breakie at Mapua school

Early start to the day - picked up at 7.30 at the gate. Great staff fun at Mapua school with 16 iPads. I particularly enjoyed puppet pals! The decision between an iPhone and an iPad becomes difficult again...

Google Digital Storytelling Webinar at 12.30.

Out for coffee and cake at Grape Escape.

Time for a spot of shopping at Richmond Mall! Life is good.

Dinner at the Appleshed

Absolutely scrumptious dinner at the Appleshed tonight! Unbelievable seafood - tasted tuna, mussels, marehou, salmon and oysters. Fabulous company, fabulous food, fabulous night...

Day 2 Around Nelson

Today we travelled to Mahana school and arrived in time to see the Year 7 and Year 8s engrossed in a cooking challenge.
The cooks were all soooo motivated and were having a fantastic time creating their own variations of a scone. We were able to sample the first two batches - scone with berry coulis, and pinwheel scone with banana and chocolate. YUM. I love the kitchen!!!
Great tip from here is working with a staff to ensure all know exactly what to do with photos in a school. We all tend to take an abundance of photos and it would be invaluable to have a flow chart to determine what to keep and where.

From here we went to Appleby school where we working on a Google Doc for a Google presentation and chatted with the staff. I was able to share my Twitter link - YAY.

Then we went to St Paul's school for a staff meeting around class blogging.
Great new resources:
http://linklearning.wikispaces.com/
http://bling4yrblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english

Nelson - First day out in schools

Today I met up with Allanah at Oxford cafe. It is wonderful to meet a Twitter friend face-to-face. We visited Tasman Bay Christian school and I learnt heaps of new tricks for my blog. You might notice a comment box appearing, I am more likely to label my blogs, and the best trick of all is photorazor. This is an absolute time-saver. It is a free downloadable photo resizer making high quality small copies of your photos automatically saving them into a seperate folder.
I was fascinated by the 'offices', individual workspaces for the learners. The classrooms seem huge because of the layout and there is so much room for gathering around the tables.
Great to have some new blogs to follow:
http://tasbay4.blogspot.com/
http://sarnee.edublogs.org/

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Day 2

Up early after a sleepless night in Christchurch ready for the next stage of my journey. I travelled to Kaiapoi where I stopped at the supermarket to stock up on water, fruit and a muffin. Off on the road trip to Kaikoura. Gorgeous drive - especially in and around Kaikoura. AMAZING lunch on the beach - seafood chowder and a very nice coffee. Great walk up the street and walk along the beach.
Back into my car and further up the coast I go. I arrived in Blenheim and toured around before deciding to travel on up to Picton. Amazing drive round Queen Charlotte Sound - with lots of stops for photos.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Day 1

After sitting up glued to the devastation of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami until 2am I packed this morning and eventually left Dunedin at 11.30. I reflected on my goals and expectations for the Twitter Tour 2011. This journey for me is about making connections, sharing stories, exploring, and having fun along the way touring our country. Today, I am heading to Christchurch, unsure of what is in store but really looking forward to connecting with very special relatives and friends. Magic journey - brief stop in Timaru for a coffee, I arrive in Christchurch at 4pm. I connect with my relatives and share in their stories and hardship, where every sentence is phrased in gratitude of survival and time is marked by where you were and what you were doing, when the earthquakes struck. I then drove across town to New Brighton - across a zone of devastation, emptiness, shattered dreams, twisted and ruptured roads... past guards and through dust! I took NO photos - none of this can be recorded - but it is forever etched in my mind, and in my heart. We must never forget the people of Christchurch and their suffering. There were two mild aftershocks while I was there and I have a profound sense of awe for all who live through the battle of life that remains... boiling water, using hand sanitiser, the portaloos, the tank for emptying chemical toilet waste, the broken, battered, tortured town.... Sleep does not come easy tonight...

Friday, March 11, 2011

Eve of the Twitter tour...

Tomorrow morning I head of on the first leg of my 2011 Twitter Tour! I am travelling to Christchurch tomorrow, then onto Nelson on Sunday! I have two very special travelling companions, Louise and Eka. They met online tonight and tomorrow they will meet up and travel with me. I had better go and pack!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

This is it!!!

This is it!!! This is my view on the world. After trawling through all my blogs and wikis I decided today was the day for a new blog, a new view, a new year, a new phase in my learning journey. This blog will eventually become the base for my online journey as I link my other blogs and wikis. I will use this blog to share my study journey, reflect on my own development and to share my Twitter Tour adventures. I am very exciting about this new blog and hope to be the part of awesome collaboration over the year. Welcome!!! Please enjoy the journey with me.
Anne K