hiruharama

=Kia ora Koka Sue,= He mihi tenei ki a koutou katoa mo ta tatou hui puoro.



Na Karla = = =Creating an Avatar...= Sometimes it's not appropriate for our children to be pasting their photos onto the internet. An alternative for them is to crate an avatar of themselves and use this instead. An avatar is your online character, I had a heap of fun at [|www.meez.com] creating mine as did my children... my 9 year old zipped her way around this site in no time at all. The avatars embed easily... very cool little site. media type="custom" key="848967" =Boolean Search Logic= Finding the required information on the internet can be nightmare! Children need to be savvy about sifting out unwanted hits by clearly defining their searches. This can be done using boolean logic. There is a neat tool on the internet which uses a visual drag and drop to make this process easy for them. Please follow the following link to take you there... [|Boolify] There is also plenty of information on the internet regarding the use of boolean logic, I have linked a PDF here that you can print out to help demistify it! [|Boolean.pdf] The other tool they need to learn to use is the advanced search function in Google, this will help identify requirements such as language, file type and site or domain. Have fund and happy searching!

In-house Professional Development
A programme of "in house" professional development has been organised based on the currents needs of teachers. 7 April - Wikispaces and the Nati Cluster Goals 12 May - Web2 Tools and Centre4 introduction to staff 26 May - Digital Learning Objects and the Digistore 9 May - Exploring e-portfolios 23 June - ACOT, where are you on the continuum? Sharing time - How do you integrate IT?

Hiruharama Teachers Working Together
We had the wonderful opportunity to work together unpacking the Marautanga along with other L1 and L2 Te Reo schools on the EC. It was a neat day and very exciting to see how the intentions of the document really fit with the goals of our ICT Cluster. Roll on the Nati Awards!!!

Comic Life
Ivan shared this cool little programme with our staff on Monday, see the home page. It's very easy and I think the kids will have fun with it. Would be great to see them planning a comic using a story board and then going out and taking the photos for it to record the story. Here's my tutu, did not bother to read any instructions and still managed this OK. [|Page_1.bmp]

**Kia Ora koutou nga hoa mahi i roto i tenei ropu ko te Nati Cluster...** Firstly congratulations for such a wonderful week away at the Learning@School conference. Lots to think about, lots to action and lots to learn about. I certainally enjoyed my week away and hopefully you all came away inspired. I'd like to share some of the key messages that I got from 2 of my breakouts at the conference.

=**//__[|JAMIE McKENZIE]__//**=
 * We need to embrace the sensory, tactile experiences. Digital is not the be all and end all, technology need to enhance learning. Print collections are still important.
 * Information needs to be accessed in a clever way from the deep internet by using advanced search functions and boolian searches, beware of Wikipedia as a reliable source!
 * Students need to wonder, ponder, wander and consider as part of the inquiry process.
 * Correct framing is critical for inquiry and questioning.
 * We need to be savvy about recognising emotive or convincing language. Citizens need to think - gather evidence and come to their own decisions supported by reliable data.
 * We live with the "Poverty of Abundance"... what does this mean to you???

=**//__[|MARK TREADWELL]__//**=
 * Language and Thinking are the pillars of the curriculum, creativity and discovery are psrt of thinking.Language and Thinking are the pillars of the curriculum, creativity and discovery are psrt of thinking.
 * Children and teachers need to be taught about metacognition, there is a specific language for this.
 * In a book based paradigm the end product is knowledge... in an internet based paradigm the end product is understanding. Understanding is a precursor to creativity.
 * Concepts can be transferred to multiple contexts BUT when concepts are introduced too early it is cognitively too challenging for the child and they disengage. As teachers we must teach concepts in a variety of ways in order to connect with the range of experiences and world views that our children bring to the classroom.
 * Our brain is a complex organ that is only just being understood, we need to couch learning in positive experiences so our brain wants to repeat them.
 * As we mature we create conceptual frameworks. Children need multiple opportunities to create conceptual frameworks.

The other key message is...

UMAJIN and MARVIN are cool... our kids will love them!
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