iLE@RN Projects 2009 - CEO Sydney - Recently Updated Pages

Physical Learning Spaces

michael.burden — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:35:51 CST

These are some of the images from the Northern Beaches Christian School at Terrey Hills. Stephen Harris, the Principal very generously allowed a few of us to spend a day at his school. We were able to look at the two new buildings, The SCIL and the Marina Prior Performing Arts Centre, and see the result of Stephen's vision. We also spent time with Stephen Colless, their 'Pedagogical Wizard'. His passion and energy for using tools like Second Life and Twitter certainly opened our eyes to the possibilities in the classroom. We were also able to see 'The Matrix' in action. This inquiry-based approach used in Stage 4 and below allowed students to work collaboratively in large open spaces.

St Mary's Road

michael.burden — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:10:54 CST

Action Plan

MCEETYA Dimensions	School documentation
Learning Story Inspiring story - Why would another school want to do this project? What were the learning gains for both students and teachers?	This project was created as part of a strategy by the school to achieve 3 main objectives for 2009 in relation to curriculum development. 1. Implement increased differentiation of the curriculum throughout KLA's 2. Utilise and improve the MAC associated ICT skills of the Yr 9 students while also allowing staff to build their computer confidence 3. To develop a cross-curricula project. A 'Day in the life of St Mary's Road' is a theme that will allow all students in Yr 9 to choose an avenue (via technology) to demonstrate some aspect of this theme from their perspective and to express it in a format they choose. For example a student with an interest/talent in music may create a composition using garage band, or an artistic student may create a movie or web page. In order for the student to achieve this they will undergo a series of workshops that the student will register for and within these workshops they will be taught how to use the computer and how to effectively express their ideas. This will take place over a 4 day period and on completion of their works they will be incorporated into a web page. THE PROJECT WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE END OF THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR.
Student Learning i.e. outcomes, program, teaching and learning strategies	Staff Booklet Student Booklet
Contemporary tools i.e. iLE@RN skills - strategies on how they were introduced to the students. Egs. where students are leading learning in an iLE@RN skill /s.	Communities of Learners: the entire Year 9 cohort will be working to create a snapshot of life on St Mary's Rd. They will work in teams or individually to create something unique. Engaging Learning Spaces: we have a number of classrooms that can be opened up to create larger learning spaces. These larger spaces will be used to allow students to move around and see what others are doing. Data projectors will be used to have constant displays of work samples. Creative Thinking Skills: given the theme is very broad the students will need to come up with some very creative ways to interpret the theme in the kla they have chosen. There are no books and no content to draw on. They have to create a unique piece of work. Communication and Collaboration Skills: these skills will be essential for the project to work. At the end of the project a website will showcase all pieces of work. The website creators will need to work closely with each group to ensure everything comes together. Groups or individuals will need to be very clear on their ideas. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: the hardest part will be deciding on how to approach the theme from the kla chosen. Some very creative problem solving skills will be needed throughout the project to ensure the work sample is an accurate reflection of the theme. Questioning Skills: the way both teachers and students question each other will be essential to drawing out the best in the way each kla is represented at the end of the project. There is no formal structure so the level of questioning will be quite wide. Teachers will need to think deeply about how they can use questioning to get the students thinking about the best way to approach the project. Multimodal Literacy Skills: the complete range of multimodal literacies will be on display in this project. Knowledge Creators and Managers: the students will be creating something very unique and presenting it in a way that is accessible by all. Global Citizens with Catholic Values and Ethics: the students will need to reflect on the development of 'St Mary's Rd' as they prepare for their project. The influence of 'The Cathedral' in this theme will help underpin the Catholic values. Reflective Skills: thinking about how we got to be here is an essential part of the project. The students will need to incorporate their journey into the theme and what part they place in 'St Mary's Rd'.
Assessment i.e. pre and post tests, peer assessment, student work samples...	As this project will be an end of year activity the assessment will be informal. What we are looking at with this project is whether or not this type of 'negotiated curriculum approach' is practical in the current structure of our College. At the conclusion of the project there will be a 'whole group' presentation where different groups/individuals will present their work. There will also be a website created which will contain all presentations and work samples from the week.
Reflective practice Mid term - student and teachers thoughts about the learning. Comment on any project adjustments.	The idea for this project came out of a group we formed earlier this year called the 'Professional Learning Team'. This group is composed of a member of each KLA and had been meeting regularly with Dr Jill Forster on ways of differentiating the curriculum. The Professional Learning Team was designed as a group that would become the driving force of learning within the College. It is a mix of KLA Heads and regular teachers who have a passion for 21st C learning. The project has now become the main focus of the PLT and they are working to develop a vibrant learning experience for both staff and students. To continue the development of the group we have invited Phil Nosworthy from Beyond Chalk to help us learn more about how we can use the technology at our disposal to create better learning experiences for our students. Beyond Chalk are a non-profit organisation who through funding by Apple help schools make the transition to a 21st C learning environment.
Reflective practice Final - students and teachers - how has learning improved by participating in the project. Comment on the unexpected.	As we approach the end of the project we can reflect on the changes that have taken place as a direct result of this project. What initially started as a simple cross-curricular project to build on the differentiation work we began with Jill Forster has developed into something that is changing the way we teach at Cathedral. The initial group of staff has evolved with more staff coming 'on board' and more staff wanting to be involved. The input from Beyond Chalk has been crucial to moving the team members forward and opening their eyes to other ways of doing things in the classroom. The members of the group are known as the 'Professional Learning Team' and they will be the key members of the project when it happens. The project will take place in the first week of December and all resources created will be available on this page. Whether the actual project works or not has become irrelevant. The journey we have taken the staff on in preparing for the project has been invaluable and will underpin any future developments in differentiating the curriculum.
Project	St Mary's Road St Mary's Road Website

After viewing three presentations, reflect on the questions below with your group.
Reflective Questions:
1. What was an example of effective pedagogy when unpacking the iLE@RN skills with the students
2. What was exciting or innovative about the project?
3. What could you adapt for your school?
Select one question and add your group ideas to a discussion thread below.

iLE@RN Home

SimonCrook — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:29:42 CST

The Inner-West iLe@rn Showcase Wiki

How do iLE@RN in the 21st Century!

How do we engage our students?

Purpose of this Wiki is to create a Community of 21st Century Learners

utilising Web 2.0 tools to engage students --> Joint Knowledge construction

Learning networks that can make a difference!

Questions to consider: How do we teach children to communicate and collaborate to question to think creatively to think critically and to be able to problem solve, to develop multimodal literacy skills to reflect on their learning? Am I providing opportunities for students to contribute to 21st Century virtual learning spaces? • To be Global citizens with Catholic values and ethics • To be a community of learners • To engage in learning spaces • To be knowledge creators and mangers. Give students the opportunity to produce their work in a variety of media formats. What have the students shown that they have learnt from what they have produced? What has the teacher learnt? How do we asses? What are we assessing? What understanding has this child shown me? Self and peer assessment?

Questions to consider:

How do we teach children

to communicate and collaborate
to question
to think creatively
to think critically and to be able to problem solve,
to develop multimodal literacy skills
to reflect on their learning?

Am I providing opportunities for students to contribute to 21st Century virtual learning spaces?

• To be Global citizens with Catholic values and ethics
• To be a community of learners
• To engage in learning spaces
• To be knowledge creators and mangers.

Give students the opportunity to produce their work in a variety of media formats.

What have the students shown that they have learnt from what they have produced?
What has the teacher learnt?
How do we asses?
What are we assessing?
What understanding has this child shown me?
Self and peer assessment?

Regina Coeli Beverly Hills

di_reggett — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:29:57 CST

Gerry McCluskey and Grace Campanaro are leading the iLE@RN project for 2009 with Stage 2 children.

Using the iLe@rn model, teachers will provide opportunities for students to develop Communication and Collaboration Skills, Multimodal Literacy Skills and Creative Thinking Skills.

The technology utilised to enhance students learning will include Interactive Whiteboards with SMART Notebook technology, Too Simple software - 2connect, Flip Video Cameras, Movie Maker software and Digital Cameras. They will also use the 'old fashioned technologies' which include pencil, paper and playdough!

Becoming SMART!

*Stage 2 Project* *Years 3 & 4* *English*	*Grace Campanaro & Gerry McCluskey*
MCEETYA Dimensions	School documentation
Learning Story Inspiring story - Why would another school want to do this project? What were the learning gains for both students and teachers?	When dealing with all new technologies schools need to develop programs which provide opportunities for student enhancement. This program will give children the opportunity to communicate and work collaboratively with their peers whilst developing skills in the areas of SMART Notebook Technology, 2 Simple software- 2Connect, Flip Video Cameras, Movie Maker software and Digital Cameras. Schools which have some or all of this technology may find this project beneficial.
Student Learning i.e. outcomes, program, teaching and learning strategies	Foundation Statements Talking and Listening Students communicate proficiently ideas and information in the classroom. They explore a range of roles when interacting in pairs and groups, using various listening strategies to gather general ideas from conversations, reports or spoken presentations. Students identify the effect of purpose and audience on spoken texts and they shape and present ideas accordingly. Reading Students independently read and view familiar and challenging texts and justify interpretations of ideas, information and events using a range of skills and strategies. They integrate a range of skills and strategies efficiently when reading and interpreting texts and visual images. They explore the structure and grammatical features for written and visual texts. Science and Technology Students select and safely use equipment, computer based technology and other resources throughout the processes of investigation. Learning Outcomes English Values V5 Shows independence in using and learning language. Reading RS2.5 Reads independently a wide range of texts on increasingly challenging topics and justifies own interpretations of ideas, information and events. RS2.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts. Science and Technology UTS2.9 Selects and uses a range of equipment, computer based technology, materials and other resources with developing skills to enhance investigation and design tasks. Teaching and Learning Activities Lesson 1 View IWB SMART Technology of the Digestive System Process. Children discuss in pairs and share new facts viewed. Report back to class. Prelesson 1 Lesson 2 Using 2Simple Software, 2Connect, the children will create a concept map explaining how the digestive system works. Computer lab or group work. Lesson 3 Using IWB the teacher develops a bank of technical terms and key words in Notebook. Prelesson 2 Lesson 4 Using a SMART Notebook page students create a barrier game. They create on half a page an explanation of a part of the digestive system. They sketch the technical part on the other half of the page and cover with the blind icon. Lesson 5 In the computer lab children rotate and play the barrier games to identify each particular technical part of the digestive system. They read the explanation to identify the part then reveal the picture to check if they had selected the correct one. Self reflection. Prelesson 3 Lesson 6 In groups children construct their plans (using a storyboard) for a short video or claymation which will explain the sequence on how the Digestive System works. This will assess children's comprehension and understanding of the sequence. Lesson 7 1/2 the groups use a Flip Video Movie camera and Windows Movie Maker to create short movies from the storyboard. 1/2 the groups use a digital camera and Photo Story to create claymation from the storyboard. Lesson 8 View and reflect on movies and claymation. Written self reflection and self assessment will be completed.
Contemporary tools i.e. iLE@RN skills - strategies on how they were introduced to the students. Egs. where students are leading learning in an iLE@RN skill /s.	Prelesson 1 Year 4 students mentor Year 3 students in the use of 2Connect software and assist them with the development of their concept map. Prelesson 2 Year 4 students mentor Year 3 students in the use of SMART Notebook and assist them with the development of their barrier game using technical language. Prelesson 3 Year 4 children mentor group of Year 3 students in the use of Flip Video Camera and Digital Camera, ensuring knowledge of photography, downloading and working within various programs such as Movie Maker and Photo Story. Year 4 students assist Year 3 students to produce storyboard of claymation/movie.
Assessment i.e. pre and post tests, peer assessment, student work samples...	After analysis of target group it was realised that some children would require assistance in the development of their technological skills so the group of pre lessons was formulated.(See Contemporary Tools) Notebook Presentation. See Video. The uploading of Notebook was difficult and the video had privacy issues so we decided to present them via USB on the day.
Reflective practice Mid term - student and teachers thoughts about the learning. Comment on any project adjustments.	Teachers' thoughts - The project has suffered from an inability to utilise software programs correctly due to the school network. We have adjusted the lessons due to the issues and are currently behind schedule. We have not had all children complete all activities but the year four children have managed to teach the year three children how to use the various types of software. Students' thoughts: - Year 3 feel that if they ask their year 4 partner when they are unsure about an activity he/she can assist them. - Year 3 students like using Notebook software. - Working with buddies helps all students understand their strengths and weaknesses and the advantages and disadvantages of working together. - This activity may make the year 4 students better people as helping year 3 now may make them inclined to help others in the future. - Year 4 feel that they are responsible for helping year 3 students. The program has enabled them to develop greater skills in the software and hardware during the activities.
Reflective practice Final - students and teachers - how has learning improved by participating in the project. Comment on the unexpected.	Teacher's thoughts - The year three students are more confident and competent when using the various technologies. The year four students have developed leadership and peer tutoring skills which has increased their levels of personal responsibility. Students' thoughts: - Year 3 feel that some of them have learnt from then overtaken their year 4 partner in technical knowledge and ability. - Year 3 feel when their year 4 partner starts to interact with them there is more understanding of the processes and programs in all key areas. - Year 3 feel the year 4 partners are responsible and reliable and helps you when needed. The year 4 partners are approachable. - Year 4s have realised that the year 3 s have gained knowledge that has overtaken the year 4's in this time. - Year 4 feel responsible and have a gift to pass on to the younger partners. They are experienced mentors in this area. - There has been an improvement in team work and overall happiness in the entire group of students.

Project Overview

di_reggett — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:37:21 CST

Students to create a video using a HD video camera, Flip-video, Windows Movie Maker and Apple iMovie / i DVD. They will use the IWB's for editing. Classes will work together ( yrs 3,5, and 6) to develop collaboration skills. At this time we would work towards a video, showcasing what happens at St. Joseph's which might be used at local pre-schools and orientation evenings.

Project

St Mary's Cathedral College

di_reggett — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:32:40 CST

Teacher Inservice

BETHANY College Hurstville

di_reggett — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:19:29 CST

School: Bethany College, Hurstville	Principal: Frances Warner
Stage/ Year Group: Stage 5, Year 10 English	KLA: English
Teachers in the Project: Con Raptis, Anne Sukkar

MCEETYA Dimensions	School documentation
Learning Story Inspiring story - Why would another school want to do this project? What were the learning gains for both students and teachers?	As part of our Australian Culture and Identity unit with Year 10 English, the aim was to encourage our students to take ownership of their learning, by researching and presenting information on a unit of work being studied in class. This task allows all students to effectively engage with their learning and to effectively collaborate and communicate their research findings using technology as a means to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the topic.
Student Learning i.e. outcomes, program, teaching and learning strategies	Syllabus Outcomes: 2. Uses and critically assesses a range of processes for responding and composing. 5. Transfers understanding of language concepts into new and different contexts. 6. Experiments with different ways of imaginatively and interpretively transforming experience, information and ideas into texts. Teaching and Learning strategies include internet research, group work, peer evaluation and self evaluation.
Contemporary tools i.e. iLE@RN skills - strategies on how they were introduced to the students. Egs. where students are leading learning in an iLE@RN skill /s.	The main focus for this project was using the iLearn skills of Communication and Collaboration and Multimodal Literacy Skills. Students were divided into groups of 4 - 6. Initially, role descriptions were defined and discussed. Each member of the group was allocated a role to play within the group eg; facilitator, time keeper, checker.
Assessment i.e. pre and post tests, peer assessment, student work samples...	Assessment for this project included: - the ability to work collaboratively - content matter - oral presentation skills - use of visual materials - publication of learning material for other members of the class - self-evaluation
Reflective practice Mid term - student and teachers thoughts about the learning. Comment on any project adjustments.	A challenging project for teachers using this style of technology and learning for the first time. Students are far more confident and adept at meeting the challenges of this task, because of their abilty to utilise their laptops in their English lessons.
Reflective practice Final - students and teachers - how has learning improved by participating in the project. Comment on the unexpected.	A thoroughly challenging and rewarding project for staff and students. Students were very receptive and engaged with the demands of the project. Access to laptops in the classroom was beneficial in assisting the progress and development of the project. Students significantly developed their Communication and Collaboration Skills and their Multimodal Literacy Skills by participating in this project.
Project Examples	Movie 1 Movie 2 Powerpoint Powerpoint 2

Romina Megna - Online Music and Technology Unit

rmegna — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:45:38 CST

http://domremymusictechnology.wetpaint.com

OLQP Gladesville

OLQP — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:08:52 CST

http://www.olqpgladesville.catholic.edu.au/home/pia.darmenia/Overview.pdf Creation video

To see an overview and our imovie click the above links.....

Students from year 4 OLQP explored movie making.... We decided to integrate Music and Religion in order to develop a unit of work into a movie. This movie is a collection of a particular groups thoughts and work over six weeks.The challenges were, for the students to explore the imovies program on their Apple computers and use these newly discovered tools to publish their thinking. 15 movies were produced...one was selected at random.

In this video you will hear music, harmonies, story telling, hear psalms sung, explore images, share philosophies, celebrate God"s creation and examine doctrine....all created by the insightful children and the movie is less than 2min!!!!

St Joseph's Rockdale

di_reggett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:25:12 CST

This year at St Joseph's, our Year One and Year Five Classes will participate in ilearn projects in collaboration with Computer literacy Teacher.

Project

Year 2

di_reggett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:55:13 CST

Year 2's 2009 Journal

St Mary's School, North Sydney	Principal: Mrs Rosemary DeBono
Year 2	KLA - English

Teachers - Mrs Cath Pagett

See also:

Home	Year 3 Science	Year 6 CASPA

Home

Year 3 Science

Year 6 CASPA

MCEETYA Dimensions	School documentation
Learning Story Inspiring story - Why would another school want to do this project? What were the learning gains for both students and teachers?	In 2009, Year 2 will increase their knowledge, understanding and skills and will become information creators in a number of KLAs using a variety of technology. The project will include the use of laptops and FLIP cameras and incorporate software such as PowerPoint and Windows Movie Maker. The children have been documenting their learning throughout the year by using PowerPoint software, FLIP Cameras and still digital photography. They will explore PowerPoint and Windows Movie Maker and to edit and compile future presentations. Focus will be on public speaking and oral presentations, as well as online research. All this will be presented using PowerPoint, Windows MovieMaker and FLIP camera editing software. The project will culminate in a DVD presentation of Our Journey of Life in Year 2, 2009.
Student Learning i.e. outcomes, program, teaching and learning strategies	English TS1.1 Communicates with an increasing range of people for a variety of purposes on familiar topics in spontaneous and structured classroom activities. TS1.2 Makes increasingly confident oral presentations. TS1.3 Recognises a range of audiences and purposes for spoken language and considers how own talking and listening are adjusted to different situations. WS1.12 Produces visual and audio texts and presentations using computer technology.
Contemporary tools i.e. iLE@RN skills - strategies on how they were introduced to the students. Egs. where students are leading learning in an iLE@RN skill /s.	The children have adopted communicative collaboration by working in pairs to allow everyone the opportunity to be an integral part of the process. All children have videoed and been videoed using the Flip cameras, and explored & created PowerPoint presentations. By working in small groups, they have been provided with the opportunity to explore the technology, with a small amount of teacher guidance to get them started. Their work has been presented to the class via the Smart Board and then saved onto flash drives to show their parents at home. Critical thinking and problem solving by the children has been fostered by encouraging them to solve their own problems, to become risk takers, to continually save their work so all is not lost if they encounter a problem they can't undo. They experiment with the programmes, discovering new techniques and tools, and then share them for the benefit of the whole class. They have been given plenty of time to explore, rather than working to an unrealistic deadline. They have used the internet to research Transport of the Future, Cultural Diversity and Survival (this time focusing on information reports), and then presented their discoveries to the class. The creative thinking skills are being fostered by allowing the groups the freedom to express themselves in their own ways. Although a particular mode is required for each task, within that there are no boundaries so the groups are free to explore and use any tools they discover - we are all teaching and learning together. The use of a variety of technology, Smart Board, computer (PowerPoint, MovieMaker), and Flip cameras has enabled the children to explore different ways of expressing themselves. These multimodal literacy skills have provided a variety of learning approaches which have appealed to children of all abilities and interests. We have had no problem with keeping them engaged due to the small groups and their access to the technology.
Assessment i.e. pre and post tests, peer assessment, student work samples...	At the beginning of the year we talked about who has used Publisher and PowerPoint, who uses the internet regularly etc. Many of the children use online games eg: Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin but had not used the internet for school use. In pairs, they were introduced to PowerPoint in Term 1 and had to find photos of various types of transport and import them onto a slide. We used WordArt for titles which they experimented with. As an assessment, I gave them 30mins to create a slide about themselves. The rubric stated they needed to create a title, type a sentence, change the font & colour, import a picture from the internet, select a background, use animations and a transition. I was surprised that a few of the children really struggled with this, especially after their fantastic PowerPoint presentations for HSIE. I then realised that there were dominant children using the computers, and others merely observing. We addressed this through class discussion. All work samples have been saved onto individual flash drives and taken home to show their parents.
Reflective practice Mid term - student and teachers thoughts about the learning. Comment on any project adjustments.	During first and second term the children were asked to explore PowerPoint, with a little teacher guidance, but mostly the freedom to experiment with its features and tools. They presented their HSIE Unit from Term 1, Future Transport, using PowerPoint. They had to design and build a transport of the future that took into account issues facing future generations, including various types of pollution. Not only did they talk about their designs, but also the PowerPoint effects they used and how they found them. After doing a technology assessment at the end of Term 1, I realised that some children were 'observing', rather than participating, so now they are aware that both children need to be in control of the computer, taking turns. In Second Term they presented the HSIE Unit: Cultural Diversity, also using PowerPoint, in pairs, to consolidate their learning and to prepare them for the techniques used in MovieMaker. With some major technological issues overcome, we have now begun our MovieMaker work. Every child has filmed, and been filmed, using the Flip cameras. In pairs, the children have been importing video footage we have taken throughout the year and choosing a couple of clips to work with. In their pairs, they have discussed and then created a suitable title, the animations to add to it, transitions between video clips and then saved them into student common for the next group to add to. The main problem we have faced has been the computers finding the link to access the original clips we downloaded from the Flip cameras and saved into studentcommon. Fortunately this has been resolved! With a class of 34 children, taking on this project for the first time has been quite an undertaking, mainly due to the technology issues. I have made use of tech students from Marist, teachers' aides, student teachers and parent helpers, but now that we have ironed out the problems, it will be much easier from here on. I am looking forward to continuing with it next week! The children are really enjoying the freedom to explore the various forms of technology and think they are really privileged, being able to use them so regularly. I am very satisfied when I watch them discuss what they are doing with each other, resolve problems where possible, or ask for help if they are unable to do so. It has also been rewarding watching children who have specific learning needs present items of interest (ie: Weekly News, Holiday Reports) to the class using technology - they are proud of their work when it is presented on the Smart Board. They are applying their learning to new situations, eg: they import photos from holidays into their PowerPoint presentations. The children also love being able to show me things I do not know how to do. The parents are also very impressed by the skills the children are acquiring- they are, after all, 7 and 8 year olds!! An adjustment to this project will be the use of 2Publish+ to present their Survival research this term. I had hoped to use Publisher but we do not have enough computers with this software installed so I am going to 'throw' 2Publish at them and see where they go with it... Next term I think I will offer them the opportunity to use any of the modes we have tried this year to present their work...
Reflective practice Final - students and teachers - how has learning improved by participating in the project. Comment on the unexpected.	The children show evidence of working better in groups, knowing that they will each get a turn. We have changeover time, meaning whoever is in control of the mouse needs to pass the responsibility on to the next person so they can have a turn. Listening to the collaborative discussion occurring between students shows how well their cooperative skills are developing. I believe this happens because they share the "driving" of the project they are working on, they know they will each have a 'turn'. The class as a whole, has become more confident at taking risks, particularly with technology. We ask ourselves, "What is the worst that can happen?" We can lose what we are working on - therefore we constantly save our work so at any point, not a lot will be lost. Their confidence and ability to solve problems is far better, especially when they see that I also make mistakes and need to undo them. Observing the children making decisions that affect the creativity of their projects has been very interesting. The logic they employed was far greater than I expected, and it developed as the year progressed. Obviously we learned much about technology, the Flip camera, PowerPoint, 2Publish+ and Movie Maker, but I think they learned more than this - they have far better skills that will enable them to approach a new situation with more confidence, and be better able to work collaboratively, respecting each person's contribution.
The Learning Story	Year 2 2009

Year Three

di_reggett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:51:40 CST

Material World - Natural and Processed Materials

St Mary's School, North Sydney	Principal: Mrs Rosemary DeBono
Year 3	KLA - Science and Technology

Teachers - Mrs Joanne Frith

Also see: Home Year 6 CASPA Year 2 English

MCEETYA Dimensions	School documentation
Learning Story Inspiring story - Why would another school want to do this project? What were the learning gains for both students and teachers?	In Year 3 this term the students will adopt the role of Material Scientists when they engage in a Primary Connections Unit - Material World: Natural and Processed Materials. The children will investigate materials and their properties. They will also explore the use of materials and the environmental impacts of material manufacturing. The use of technologies will record the students' knowledge, understanding, reflections as they engage in the five processes of learning - engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation.
Student Learning i.e. outcomes, program, teaching and learning strategies	PS S2.5 Creates and evaluates products and services considering aesthetic and functional factors. INV S2.7Conducts investigations by observing, questioning, predicting, testing, collecting, recording and analysing data, and drawing conclusions. DM S2.8 Develops, implements and evaluates ideas using drawings, models and prototypes at appropriate stages of the design process. UT S2.9 Selects and uses a range of equipment, computer-based technology, materials and other resources with developing skill to enhance investigation and design tasks.
Contemporary tools i.e. iLE@RN skills - strategies on how they were introduced to the students. Egs. where students are leading learning in an iLE@RN skill /s.
Assessment i.e. pre and post tests, peer assessment, student work samples...
Reflective practice Mid term - student and teachers thoughts about the learning. Comment on any project adjustments.	Year Three have thoroughly enjoyed their role as Material Scientists in Term 2, when they completed the Material World unit; they even wore the lab coat! They were motivated to learn about different materials and conduct experiements to prove scientific theories. The iLe@rn Project provided a good foundation for Year Three to demonstrate their learning process through a range of electronic mediums. Initially, a variety of mediums were used to capture their learning experiences, such as Flip Cameras, Mind-mapping software, GarageBand and photographic cameras. The overall project had intended to capture their learning journey into a vodcast. There were several attempts to pull all mediums together to create a vodcast of the student's learning but we soon discovered that we had not left enough time to achieve the desired outcome. After re-evaluating, it was decided that Year Three would scale their projects down and simply use PhotoStory to present their learning journey.
Scientists Findings	Team Nylon Team Polyester Team Cotton

HSIE

bancksm — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:34:22 CST

Andrew Cooley's Year 9 Geography Task

Australian Natural Hazards

MCEETYA Dimensions	School documentation
Learning Story Inspiring story - Why would another school want to do this project? What were the learning gains for both students and teachers?	Looking for an exciting way to teach year 9 students? Then I have got the strategy for you! I have developed a fun, interactive way of learning. Essentially I have helped teach (and also learn myself), how to create a pod cast in a fun environment with engaging learning spaces. Students were really enthusiastic about doing this task which was great to see. As a teacher with minimal ICT skills, it was also a great way for me to further develop my skills. It was also a great way to develop the students questioning skills. I took some extra time in class to allow the students to reflect on their experiences that would then help me to assess the sustainability of this type of project in the future. Some of my lower ability students were also very keen and interested in both the content and the overall presentation of the task.
Student Learning i.e. outcomes, program, teaching and learning strategies	Students, in pairs, will be able to: clearly identify the cause/s of their natural hazard describe the effects/impacts their hazard has on both human and economy (industry) Examine a case study in relation to their given hazard· Detail prevention/warning methods· Create a pod cast using still images, video, text, voice and music
Contemporary tools i.e. iLE@RN skills - strategies on how they were introduced to the students. Egs. where students are leading learning in an iLE@RN skill /s.	Questioning skills: After providing a series of questions to serve as a starting point for gathering their information, I asked students to chose a variety of different types of questions. I provided the students with some examples of multiple choice, true/false and short response questions etc. I encouraged students to use a range of questions that would challenge all ability levels in the classroom. Students were asked to use a minimum of one book and three reliable internet sites. This deepened their knowledge of the subject. Reflective Skills: The students were then given an evaluation sheet in which a number of questions were posed to encourage the students to reflect on their learning journey, and to offer me insight as to the modifications I might have to make to this task in future years.
Assessment i.e. pre and post tests, peer assessment, student work samples...	Even though I found that this task is very suitable for assessment, there was not enough equity in terms of resources for all year 9 students to participate in such a task. This teaching strategy achieves all the desired outcomes of the syllabus and further enhances learning by using this fun and creative technology. It was evident that the students were much more engaged and proactive in their learning than the other year 9 class that I taught the same content to by traditional teaching practices.
Reflective practice Mid term - student and teachers thoughts about the learning. Comment on any project adjustments.	Half way through the project I was feeling very positive about my decision to implement such a task, however was concerned that the students that were more capable in ICT were taking on more of the workload. While the collaboration was good in some respects, I had to speak to each person individually to ensure that equal work was being done. This was also brought up in the evaluation, where I asked if students were happy with the amount of work contributed by both group members.
Reflective practice Final - students and teachers - how has learning improved by participating in the project. Comment on the unexpected.	Pros: helped students learn how to create a podcast/furthered their ICT skills enhanced their ability to research and distinguish reliable from unreliable websites, which is useful for all subject areas provided students with an opportunity to reflect on their learning and understand of the importance of reflection in relation to any given task/assessment provided me with more confidence in the use of the Mac in the classroom developed my skills in pod casting, questioning, and reflection students enjoyed the workstation set up students enjoyed the freedom to be creative in their learning Cons: Some groups felt as though the work load was not shared evenly. Very time-consuming to ceate and organise the task. However now that this has been done, this will eliminate this problem for future classes. Some of the students with poor ICT skills felt a little out of their depth in engaging in such a task and would have preferred a more traditional teaching approach. This was reflected in some evaluations. Given that I had not created a pod cast, I found it challenging to teach students how to do this (thank God for ICT support teachrs)

Learning Goal(s):

My overall learning goal for this project is to essentially implement different forms of teaching strategies into the classroom by means of technology. I would like to create a sense of enthusiasm and excitement amongst the Stage 5 students using their Macs, in order to teach the unit of Australian Natural Hazards.

My plan is to assign students to groups of two. In those groups, students will be given a Natural Hazard to research. They will then have to answer a series of questions relating to their hazard in the form of a pod cast. Their pod cast must include still images, video, text, voice and music.

After creating their pod cast, students will then create a question sheet with 5 questions attached. Then, I will set the classroom up into work stations where the students (in their groups) will walk around to each others Macs, watch the pod cast, and then answer that groups question sheet (in relation to the pod cast).

So by the end of the exercise, all students will have watched each others pod cast, and answered each others 5 questions. I will then place all pod casts and the correct answers onto a CD and give each student a copy of it.

For myself, I am hoping to also learn how to create pod casts and also am very interested to see if this style of teaching will have significant advantages over the traditional method of teaching for this unit (text book, handout, etc).

Overall, both the students and myself will be going through a very exciting learning experience with this project.

Andrew Cooley

LaSalle Catholic College Bankstown

OBEIRNE — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:52:39 CST

For our iLe@rn Project this year, I created a NING for Year 11 2010 Preliminary English - AOS Journey.

If you'd like to join the NING, which has been set to PRIVATE as a default to ensure that it is a good student resource, please email me @ michael.obeirne@lasallebankstown.catholic.edu.au.

OLA Pagewood

oladeanne — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:22:16 CST

Using the collaborative ile@rn model initiated in 2008, we will further develop multimodal literacy and creative thinking skills through the use of digital story telling. Other ile@rn principles the project encompasses are: reflective, critical and problem solving skills.This will be done using both Movie Maker and Photostory. The project will explore how digital story telling can be used as a teaching strategy across a number of KLA's and enhance children's creativity and communication skills. Project participants are Rebecca Ellem - Year 1 and Deanne Di Stefano - Year 2.

CONNECT, COMMUNICATE AND CREATE DIGITAL STORIES!

MCEETYA Dimensions	School documentation
Learning Story Inspiring story - Why would another school want to do this project? What were the learning gains for both students and teachers?	WHY?? Digital story telling inspires learning.It enhances the ability for students to COMMUNICATE their own ORIGINAL ideas to other students and allows them to listen to others who communicate their ideas to them. It encourages visioning, problem solving, logical, planning and analytical skills. It allows for project based learning while enabling students to connect to the curriculum an a creative way. Digital stoy telling fosters collaboration.
Student Learning i.e. outcomes, program, teaching and learning strategies	ENGLISH (Terms 2 & 3) TS1.1 Communicates with an increasing range of people for a variety of purposes on familiar topics in spontaneous and structured classroom activities. TS1.2 Makes increasing confident oral presentations. TS1.3 Recognises a range of audiences and purposes for spoken language and considers how own talking and listening are adjusted to different situations. WS1.9 Plans, reviews and produces a small range of factual texts for a variety of purposes. WS1.12 Produces visual and audio texts and presentations using computer technology. WS1.13 Identifies how own texts differ according to their purpose, audience and subject matter SCIENCE (Term 2) LTS1.3 Identifies and describes ways in which living things grow and change HSIE. (Term 3) SSS1.8 Identifies roles and responsibilities within families, schools and the local community, and determines ways in which they should interact with others. RE (Terms 2& 3) S1.2 Demonstrate growing familiarity with Scripture stories. S1.3 Demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of Jesus and his teachings.
Contemporary tools i.e. iLE@RN skills - strategies on how they were introduced to the students. Egs. where students are leading learning in an iLE@RN skill /s.	Collaborative group roles were introduced first to include:"Facilitator", "Timekeeper" ,"Recorder" and" “Summariser". Children initially completed tasks in their "learning groups" working with the teacher and completing a whole class task. Each group completes a part of the whole class project. Once this was completed children were then able to complete each set task in their "learning groups". Very little explicit teaching was needed. Allowing children to use other forms of literacy to express their ideas(multimodal literacy) was initially introduced through the use of Photo Story, then Movie Maker using still photos. This then developed into into video use. Reflective skills were encouraged through the use of online journaling. (MyClasses collaborative journal).
Assessment i.e. pre and post tests, peer assessment, student work samples...	journal refletions (MyClasses & Class Blog) storyboards work samples -( movies produced) - samples linked on "our Journey" page. video record of student interactions. CHILDREN'S REFLECTIONS: Isabella Danza - Fri 26 Jun 2009 (MyClasses Collaborative Journal) most of my group fight the hole time but i like it Emmanuel Tzanakes - Thu 21 May 2009 it helps me to co-oporate with other cheldren in my group. ClaC Classmate2007 said... When other people do things that I don't know how to do I learn how to do it.July 6th 2009 (Class blog) Classmate2007 said... If you work in groups you have more brains -Antonio August 28, 2009 12:24 PM Classmate2007 said... When you work on your own, its very hard to do so. When you work in a group it is easier. We all show each other how to do things. - ShonaAugust 28, 2009 12:57 PM Digital Storytelling Assessment Rubric: http://www.umass.edu/wmwp/DigitalStorytelling/Rubric%20Assessment.htm
Reflective practice Mid term - student and teachers thoughts about the learning. Comment on any project adjustments.	Children needed to be given time for their personal reflection. The project has evolved using other multimodal forms such as: audio, animation (photo manipulation) and looking towards blogs. Learning spaces have had to be flexible with furnishings. Issues dealing with copyright will be further explored by project teachers. Plan to include more iLE@RN skills worked into Term 3 program. Group rotation roster is needed to ensure equity within groups. (See attachments.)
Reflective practice Final - students and teachers - how has learning improved by participating in the project. Comment on the unexpected.	Decided to remove clips from youtube that had any children depicted on them. Although parents were keen to view these resources at home, I didn't feel comfortable in placing the children in a public domain. Still struggle with the concern about making sure everything used is copyright free. Class blog was developed to assist with reflection skills. Powerful learning tool. Other ile@rn skills were naturally drawn into this approach to teaching and learning. Even though questioning and problem solving weren't a planned focus, they became a critical part of the process. All elements of the model seemed to naturally flow in one way or another. Didn't need to focus on just one KLA. The ile@rn skills crossed many areas and using them became more of the way I now teach, rather than a project I was working on. It became more of a project about how the implementation of the ile@rn model has changed classroom teaching practice across KLA's.

The following videos were made by my Year 2 Class. Emphasis is not on the quality of the production but rather the skills needed to connect, communicate and create.

Live Stream SR Showcase

pehogg — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:54:54 CST

The Southern Region iLe@rn Showcase was successfully broadcast live via UStream TV on the 27th November from St Patrick's College Sutherland.

If you missed the day or want to review a presentation, select from the 5 chapters (ilearn1 to ilearn5) that were recorded. Clicking on the link will take you to Ustream in a new tab.

All Saints Catholic Boys College, Liverpool

mbw761 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:03:56 CST

2009 iLe@rn Project Participants from ASCBC, Liverpool - Mr Jim Clifford and Ms Alison Weber (Assisted by Matt Wells eLearning Coordinator)

In the spirit of these projects being as much about our teachers learning not just students, I have attached a PDF file which I have called (for now) 21st Century Skills. It is VERY much a work in progress (starting tonight - updated 15/05/09).What I am endeavouring to do is clarify (in my own mind) what it is we need to be "imparting" to our students if we are to successfully enable them as 21st century global citizens. Matt

---oOo---

The Plan So Far...

After a pretty successful initial planning day, the results can be seen in the attached pdf file (Plan 1 - see below in 'attachments' section on this page: I'd link it here, but unfortunately seem to be having some problems with firefox so if anyone else can do this please feel free!).

We are looking at a year 10 group of English students, two classes of mixed ability, and our hope is to increase the enthusiasm with which our students approach the term 4 poetry unit, and hopefully of course both their enjoyment and understanding of poetry as a literary form.

The students all have laptops for school and home use, and our focus at this point looks like being a web 2 based approach that promotes the students as collaborative creators of knowledge and content... sounds nice! :)

Have a bit of a look at Plan 1 if you have a chance and please feel free to post us any ideas or comments that you might have.

Happy iLe@rning!

Jim and Alison

---oOo---

Mary MacKillop College

almadivanovic — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:54:08 CST

We are working on two iLe@rn projects this year - English (Year 9) and Visual Arts (Year 10).

Visual Arts Our Year 10 students received their laptops last year. There was much excitement, as students and teachers began to explore the possibilities of incorporating new software into teaching and learning experiences. As predominantly visual learners, art students explored podcasting, animation, video and digital photography to a much greater extent to what we were able to achieve without individual laptops. This year, having introduced the new iLe@rn project and upon conducting a Pre-Test, I discovered that the students seemed a little bit worried that they would be missing out on the more traditional aspects of artmaking practice. I also discovered how little students knew about web2 tools. It seems that as teachers, we often assume that our students are well versed in most aspects of new technologies, but I found otherwise. As a result, I decided to combine the current research on learners and learning in Visual Arts education with students' love of exploring traditional art practices and the application of new technologies to these areas of teaching and learning. We have developed a Wetpaint site, exploring ideas of Beauty and Style in painting. Part 1 of project: The current research on Visual Arts and classroom practice is questioning the use and function of the Visual Arts Process Dairy. The Year 10 students have put aside their paper diaries and begun their online VAPDs in a form of a Blog. I have asked some students to temporarily unlock the privacy settings, so that you can view their blogs. You will see that having been given the opportunity to discuss their work online, the students are talking about so many aspects of their school life. They know that teachers are reading these blogs, but they are still quite happy to share a significant amount more that what we hear in the classroom. Here are some examples: VA Blog 1 + Comments VA Blog 2 (interests) VA Blog 3 VA Blog 4 VA Blog 5 (ext) + Refl Part 2 of project: Critical and Historical Study - see attachment

Visual Arts
Our Year 10 students received their laptops last year. There was much excitement, as students and teachers began to explore the possibilities of incorporating new software into teaching and learning experiences.

As predominantly visual learners, art students explored podcasting, animation, video and digital photography to a much greater extent to what we were able to achieve without individual laptops.

This year, having introduced the new iLe@rn project and upon conducting a Pre-Test, I discovered that the students seemed a little bit worried that they would be missing out on the more traditional aspects of artmaking practice. I also discovered how little students knew about web2 tools. It seems that as teachers, we often assume that our students are well versed in most aspects of new technologies, but I found otherwise.

As a result, I decided to combine the current research on learners and learning in Visual Arts education with students' love of exploring traditional art practices and the application of new technologies to these areas of teaching and learning.

We have developed a Wetpaint site, exploring ideas of Beauty and Style in painting.

Part 1 of project:
The current research on Visual Arts and classroom practice is questioning the use and function of the Visual Arts Process Dairy. The Year 10 students have put aside their paper diaries and begun their online VAPDs in a form of a Blog.

I have asked some students to temporarily unlock the privacy settings, so that you can view their blogs.

You will see that having been given the opportunity to discuss their work online, the students are talking about so many aspects of their school life. They know that teachers are reading these blogs, but they are still quite happy to share a significant amount more that what we hear in the classroom.

Here are some examples:

VA Blog 1 + Comments
VA Blog 2 (interests)
VA Blog 3
VA Blog 4
VA Blog 5 (ext) + Refl

Part 2 of project:
Critical and Historical Study - see attachment

All Saints Catholic Senior College

alasdair.hey — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:41:41 CST

A Project by Enzo Santoro and Alasdair Hey

All Saints Catholic Senior College has approximately 580 year 11 and 12 students at its campus in Casula.

Our staff are very keen to embed contemporary digital learning into their pedagogy. As a Senior College, with the close proximity of the Higher School Certificate, we are conscious of the need to bring focus to our students learning. Our students and staff agree that digital resources are a unique platform upon which to deliver lesson content and to receive/send feedback in assessment for learning. We acknowledge also the potential for digital content to deliver a temporal and pedagogical shift of learning - from here-now to anytime learning and from teacher centred to student centred learning, respectively.

Our project has focussed on teaching and learning in Visual Arts.

Our Rationale for this project has had two objectives, those being:

1. To develop a scaffold with which students can engage with past HSC questions in Visual Arts, deconstructing questions to determine the source (if any) of misunderstanding, either in question interpretation or source interpretation, and to give themselves and their teacher feedback about their responses.

2. To develop a multimedia tool for the teaching of a process in Visual Arts which is believed to be misconceived/misinterpreted by students on first instruction, thereby allowing multiple reflection and review of that process by students.

Rationale Detail

Part 1: Assessment for learning - HSC Responses

Provide a scaffold to assist students formulating a strong response to HSC questions, which can be easily shared between teachers and easily modified to suit multiple examples.
To engage students in the process of reflection of source material (image and text)
To encourage students to apply correct information and terminology in relation to the syllabus: frame, practice & conceptual framework.
Allows teacher to collect data on student response and determine areas of weakness in student response.

Part 2: Blind Contour Drawing Process

Digitally recorded presentation of process allowing for clear view for large class size.
Demonstration able to allow specific focus on the individual steps of the process and attention to close detail.
Remove focus from teacher and allows clear demonstration whilst freeing the teacher to elaborate and reinforce key ideas.
Allows students to reflect and review process at any future time.

Timeline
T1: Initial Consideration of Project
T2: Development of Resources
T3: Testing of Resources

Addressed Components of the iLearn Model

Critical thinking & Problem Solving Skills
Reflective Skills
Engaging Learning Spaces
Communities of Learners

Our Lady of Mercy College Burraneer

kerriejo — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:22:04 CST

Voice of Protest - ilearn Project

For our ilearn project we have chosen to create a Technology Assessment task for a Year 9 teaching Unit called The Voice of Protest. This unit aims to develop an awareness in the students of the world around them, through the study of song in popular culture. It reinforces their understanding of Poetic Techniques studied in Stage 4, highlighting how the medium of music can affect the tone and meaning of the lyrics. The students are encouraged to think creatively about how others express their opinion through the poetic form.

The Task:You are to prepare a presentation, using technology, about a Protest Songwriter. Your presentation must include biographical information about the era in which they wrote and the issue/s they were protesting about. A detailed discussion of the concerns of at least one of the protest songs written by the songwriter must form part of your presentation. This must not be one of the songs studied in class. Your presentation must conclude with an assessment of how successful the songwriter was in addressing the issue/s and in bringing their concerns to the rest of the world.

The task requires the students to develop the ilearn model skills of: communication and collaboration (this skill was employed in the production of the individual media products and in the presentations – presenter and audience) creative thinking (used in the creation of ideas for the presentation and in the acquisition of construction skills) multimodel literacy skills (used in the research of a songwriter, listening to and analysing the lyrics of a protest song, presenting to the group and listening to the other presentations)

The Process: A podcast was produced introducing the unit and outlining the task and some of the technology options for presentation, e.g. podcast using garageband, keynote, imovie, iweb. This was placed on student data and the students were emailed to notify them of the podcast. Hard copies of the Notification Sheet, Planning Sheet and Checklist were given to the students in their English lessons. A request for the presentations to take place during exam week was made. This included a request for the ICT Support Officer to check the data projectors in each of the rooms being used for the presentations and to be present in and around the rooms during the two periods allocated for the presentations, to deal with any of the technical hitches. The student presentations took place on the first day of Exam Week. This went very smoothly except we should have asked for a three period allocation for the task. Fortunately the students had a study period in period three and we able to complete the remaining tasks.

Evaluation of the task – the students were very positive in their response to the task. They enjoyed the freedom to choose who they researched and how, they found it interesting (the people they researched; the issues; the importance of protest songs; various ways to present protest songs; the political issues). The students in their evaluations identified some challenges that will need to be addressed before we run the task again: more discussion of the task in class and possible approaches, particularly for those students who are not as confident with the use of technology, the students were told about the time limit in class, but this was not printed on the Notification Sheet all the students are at different stages in their use of technology.