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A program where you can 'create and share your own interactive stories, games, music, and art'.

The first week at uni we started to use a program called Scratch. This program can be used for teachers and students at any level. It is also has free membership. The first activity that we were required to do was to use the motion button to create simple commands to move the script (the cat). The next part of the activity was to make a sequence of commands. This included the moving the script 10 step and then having the script turn around in a clockwise direction at 15 degrees. The number of steps and the degrees can be changed to suit the way you want the script to move. The next activity was to use the simple commands and have them repeat the commands over and over until you stop the command. We also learnt how to have the script change colour while the command sequence was going. The next activity was to draw regular polygons. The first polygon that was drawn was a square. The next challenge was to create other polygons. This program is great to work with. I had some time just to play, adding backgrounds, pictures and sounds. The goal for using this scratch program at uni is to explore options for introducing digital technologies and related concepts in the primary school classroom, as the Technology curriculum is being introduced sometime this year (2013). This program would fall under the Digital Technologies strand in the Australian curriculum: Technologies. This is where students will engage in the components of digital systems: software, hardware and networks.

Great site for children to create stories, games and animations.

I read a very interesting article written by Joke Voogt (the Netherlands), Chris Dede (USA).Ola Erstad (Norway), which discusses the importance of ICTs in 21t century learning. They reiterated on the topic that "rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) are continuously transforming the way in which we live, work and learn." They explored they skills that are required for living and working in the 21st century: collaboration, communication, digital literacy, citizenship, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, productivity. I agree with Voogt and Dede when they say that "an important change has taken place in the way new digital tools and collaborative environments have enhanced learning, from an emphasis on reproducing information and content to content creation and sharing in virtual environments, which some describe as a remixing culture. There are 3 main literacies that we need to develop: Technological literacy (to be aware of the interplay between technology and society), ICT literacy (the skills needed to make effective and efficient use of ICT) and Information literacy (the capacity to access information efficiently and effectively) (Voogt and Dede, 2011). I think the biggest statement that they make is "using ICT to shift our educational structures from industrial era schools to new types of 21st century formal educational models is important" (Voogt & Dede, 2011). I believe schools are now on the edge of this shift, but some educators are reluctant. I mean to make that shift, to evaluate how I use ICTs in the classroom and how I use them to transform learning, not just to use them as 'add-ons'.

So David said I should share this with you guys. I found it funny! Enjoy!

Just to reinforce the point that at the moment, it appears that using Internet Explorer as your browser is likely to cause more problems than it's worth.

Great use of a variety of ICTs here

Nice work, you certainly have a handle on some effective ICTs to engage and connect with your students :-)

I think the idea of flipped classrooms is something to explore for those working with older students who can take some more responsibility of their learning

Another article looking at the argument between those who see Khan Academy as "the bees-knees" and those who see some problems. There's a point about "lecture-demonstrations" (the model used by Khan) that is particularly relevant to this cause and the idea of the RAT framework.

Mental illnesses don't make you dangerous and teenagers' moods might not just be their hormones - journalist Matthew Jenkin explores common misconceptions about young people and mental health

Article describing games and virtual worlds and their application to learning and teaching.

Found this and thought it was an amazing list. Has helped a lot with prac. What are the best apps for teachers? We asked TED-Ed Innovative Educators and the TED-Ed community. Below, 25 awesome apps recommended for teachers, by teachers. TED-Ed More than 250,000 teachers use TED education tools to spark student curiosity and explore presentation literacy skills. "TED-Ed is an outstanding resource in my classroom," says TED-Ed Innovative Educator Jennifer Hesseltine.

One for the HPE folk.  A Victorian PE teacher who labels himself "The PE Geek".

He does discuss other reasons why ICTs should be used in classes, but unfortunately doesn't give enough practical examples. The gamification he talks about most specifically is a dance game on the wii. Now of course the students are taking part in a game, but their bodies are moving just like they would be if they were dancing without the use of the game, so it is definitely physical. Using these types of games in your teaching shouldn't outweigh the the students taking part in physical activity or sports and training, but it should supplement it. I think using ICTs in HPE will help to improve motivation and interest in students who are uninterested in sport, which is a big focus that teachers face, particularly with junior high school girls. Using these games to get them interested is better than forcing them to take part in an activity where they aren't going to put in much effort anyway. ICTs are also immensely beneficial to students studying PE in senior, as a lot more of the focus is on technique and improvement, so using videos to view performance and receive feedback is great for these students. Especially the apps and programs you can get nowadays that let you pause and rewind video, play in slow motion, and draw on the screen (to check if your body is creating the right angles in the movement etc). In primary they wouldn't be so concerned with technique improvement like this, but ICTs can be used to expose students to sports that they wouldn't normally see or experience. Primary students could research and create their own games and sports using the internet and computers. (It is harder for me to think about the primary context, because I haven't had much to do with it). I am sure there are many ways ICTs can be incorporated in the Primary HPE setting, you just need to think outside the box.

Oops, I think I got PE Geek confused with a PE blog I was reading recently. After looking at the actual link, this PE geek offers so much more! It is actually great, the apps he talks about are great for primary and secondary.

I came across a fantastic app for students called 'Popplet' which is a tool for students to make graphic organizers to visually represent their ideas and thoughts on a particular topic. This app can be used for sharing and collaborating and is an effective pedagogical tool to use in all learning areas.

I used Popplet the first time last week during class and I must say, it is a fantastic app. The students enjoyed brainstorming ideas through the use of this digital tool and were probably the most quiet they'd been all week. I will definitely be exploring this app in greater depth and using it in the classroom whenever the opportunity arises. Thankyou for sharing.