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Learning Maths with 4KM and 4KJ Posted by Mrs Kathleen Morris on Friday, September 21st 2012      We were recently inspired by the work of our blogging buddies in B4. These students from New Zealand made some maths videos with their teacher, Mrs McKenzie. When 4KM and 4KJ saw the videos they decided they’d like to make their own. All of the students chose a topic that we had covered this term in our maths classes. We came up with some tips for making a maths video that teaches the audience something. Some of our tips were: I

We came up with some tips for making a maths video that teaches the audience something. Some of our tips were: Introduce yourself Talk about the learning focus Define new words Give an example Solve your problem step-by-step End with a tip/farewell message Speak clearly and loudly Use kid-friendly language Do things slowly

Equivalent Fractions

Here are some key messages around internet safety that I believe all students should be aware of. Most of these are tips I share with my students with some ideas from Susan McLean. Always ask an adult if you’re unsure of anything when you are online. Don’t sign up for sites that are 13+ if you are not old enough (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram etc). Remember YAPPY (the personal information you should not share online) – Your full name, address, phone number, passwords, your plans.  Don’t add people as online friends unless you know them in real life or have parent permission. Never arrange to meet an online friend without talking to a parent. Remember that you cannot believe everything you read on the internet and you can’t trust everything online friends tell you. Choose sensible names for usernames, email addresses etc.  Talk to your parents about what you’re doing online and let them know when you’re going on the internet. Know what cyber bullying is and tell someone if you think it’s happening to you. Cyber bullying is when someone picks on you, annoys, embarrasses, or threatens you over and over again using technology, such as the internet or a phone. Protect your digital footprint: don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want all your friends, family, teachers and future employers to see. Treat others online the way you’d like to be treated.

I used to think blogging was an add-on. I didn’t realise that it can be seamlessly integrated into the classroom literacy program. I used to feel guilty about taking time away from my reading and writing curriculum. It was a light bulb moment for me when I realised that blogging is literacy; and an authentic and important style of literacy too. Now a day without blogging as part of my literacy block would be hard to imagine.

Using an iPod Touch in the Primary Classroom Posted by Mrs Kathleen Morris on Monday, August 8th 2011      2011 is the fourth year I’ve been using an iPod Touch in my classroom. My students enjoy using these hand held devices and they can be used to enhance student learning in many different areas. In this post I will describe how we set up our iPod Touches and how we use them. Funding In 2008, I was successful in applying for a DEECD Emerging Technologies Trial Grant. We purchase 8 iPod Touches and some professional development time. Since then, our school has budgeted to purchase a small number of iPod Touches. We generally buy our iPod Touches from BigW and get the lowest memory model. More than half of the classes at our large primary school now have an iPod Touch in their room (we also have a small number of iPads that we’re beginning to trial). Equipment A headphone splitter was purchased for each iPod Touch which allow the device to be used by a group of five students at one time.

A headphone splitter was purchased for each iPod Touch which allow the device to be used by a group of five students at one time.

While our headphone splitter works well to share one iPod between 5 students when they are listening to stories, podcast or videos, activities that involve apps are better in a 1:1 or 1:2 situation. We have found one way to get around this. If a group of students were playing an app, they might take it in turns to have a go with the app while also engaged in another related activity. For example, students could be taking it in turns to play the app Wurdle, while other students play the Boggle board game.

It is free (you can upgrade to remove ads and have private groups. See below to win an upgrade!). It is easy to navigate and edit. It allows you to store a collection of bookmarks in one location. It can be used across all curriculum areas with all age levels. It has a clean and simple look. It has a bookmarklet feature which means you can add links as you’re browsing. There is an iPhone app.

Look at the Clustrmap and see if you can answer any of these questions. How many different countries have we had visitors from? What continents have we had the most visitors from? Have we had visitors from all seven continents? We have eight more weeks of school. How many visitors do you think we’ll get?