Video

After much problem solving, by both pupils and teacher, this group of children finished their video, and have embedded it on their blog, and on Aimee's page on our wiki. The kids used the digital camera and movie maker to put this together.
This inquiry learning project promoted the skills of team work and problem solving.

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d9bf95ea0e85a90c125c

"Inquiry teaching needs to be cultivated if we are to develop students able to thrive a unpredictable, but potentially exciting, 21stC. " Canadian educator Sharon Friesen.

Bruce Hammond has recently blogged about Sharon Friesen's ideas on Inquiry teaching. An interesting read. "Leading and Learning"

Video

Sometimes things just don't work out as you expect, and you are forced into another direction. Is this problem solving?
I couldn't get the video camera to talk to the computer, even though I know I have done this in the past. So the group of children who were making a video had to be redirected onto plan b. I introduced them to PhotoStory3. I am sure this will do the trick.
One of the other members of the Feilding ICT Cluster had put a post on the cluster wiki about photostory. Thanks Jenny it is so easy to use.
Have a look at our cluster wiki. Under school showcase there are some interesting things being shared.
http://feildingictcluster.wetpaint.com/

Video

Next week I am going to aim to get video uploaded onto the class blogs.

Conservation Week

This week is conservation week. To help the children refocus on the enviromental work we had done in the past, I introduced them to two great sites.
Tree People

http://treepeople.co.nz/Home.mvc/

The children had a lot of fun joining this site, inviting friends and family to join them. They each made a pledge that would help the enviroment.
My pledge is to recycle paper, and take reusable bags to the supermarket. I am getting there!
I really recommend this site to other classes.

The other site we used was the conservation site. There are great videos on there that were easy to watch. We found one about Turakina Beach, which we had visited a few weeks ago to plant Pingao.

Another site well worth a visit.


www.conservationweek.org.nz

World Literacy Day

8th September is World Literacy Day.
The Manawatu Reading Association have put out some great suggestions for the day.
Here is a site they recommend for our parents.
www.readtoyourkids.co.nz

I am going to introduce my class to Looky book on the day.
http://lookybook.com/

I am also going to share the Readers Oath with the class. We will make a book mark with it on.

Readers Oath
I promise to read
Each day and night.
I know it's the key to
growing up right.I'll read to myself,
I'll read to a crowd.
It makes no difference
If silent or loud.
I'll read at my desk,
At home and at school,
On my bean bag or bed,
By the fire or pool.
Each book that I read
Puts smarts in my head,
'cause brains grow more
thoughts
The more they are fed.
So I take this oath
To make reading my way
Of feeding my brain
What it needs every day.

Debra Angstead

Class Blogs

This term we are working on team work, this can be hard in such a small school. I have got two teams keeping a blog each, about a technology unit we are doing called, "Stuffed Potatoes". I am getting the teams to use blogs as a way to record the process. Keeping a blog can help the students share their work with their families and friends. It is a natural progression to an e portfolio. We put a link to the blogs on the home page of our wiki, this makes it easy for the students to access.