class blog

This term we recieved a stuffed toy from our friends at MICDS in USA. We are going to take photos of the toy, and record what it is doing on a blog. I hope this will help our friends at MICDS learn more about life at Woodville School, and in New Zealand.
take a look
http://woodybunter.blogspot.com/

Term 2 and the wiki

last term I started a wiki for the students in my class to post their work to. The have started to reflect, and assess their work and the work of others in the class. Some parents have looked at the wiki and made comments. I have reestablished contact with a class in the USA, and we will be sharing work with them.
This term I will also be using our wiki as a place for me to introduce topics, pose questions and direct the learning.

New Class New Wiki

Today I created a new wiki for my new class. It is intended to be a show case for our learning, and a way for the class to share their learning with other.
Take a look.
https://woodville-room-five.wikispaces.com/

2009

This year I am teaching at Woodville School. So I am no longer blogging from the small school, but from the old school. This is the primary school I attended as a child, and both of my parents also attended Woodville School. I am in a classroom in a block of classes that are the oldest classrooms in use in New Zealand.
At this stage I am still getting to know the systems in my new school, but i do intend to use Web 2 tools with this class.

Building a Learning-focused relationship

In preparation for starting in a new school and with a new class I have been rereading ¨Clarity in the classroom¨ by Michael Absolum. This book is a must read for all teachers.
Michael clearly states how to build a learning-focused relationship. He has included some activities to try.

End of year

Another school year over. For me it brings the end of my time as a sole charge principal. This year I have been on an incredible ICT journey. I have discovered Web 2 tools, not only for my class but for my own proffessional development. I have learned so much from blogs and wikis I have visited. I really encourage others to subscribe to some blogs, and take from them what you can.
Next year I am off to another school and my journey will take a different path. I will be still following blogs and wikis to give me ideas and inspriation to take my new class on an exciting learning journey.

E Pals

In May I blogged about e pals. http://www.epals.com/
For the second half of the year, my class has been connecting with a school in the states through our wikis. This has been very exciting for the kids, and has created a great learning opportunity on many levels. We received a parcel from them, and then put together some things to send to them. The kids selected some art work and two books to send. They took great pride in selecting the things to send.
https://cheltenhamsch.wikispaces.com/MICDS
Have a look at our record of the parcels.
http://geo-squirts.wikispaces.com/
Have a look at our epals wikispace. This school has connected with several school around the world, and keep track through their wiki. I think this a great idea.
Give epals a go.