Teaching in the South Pacific

The New Learning Revolution

Raenette Taljaard — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:47:00 GMT

I'm reading a fascinating book, 'Unlimited - The new learning revolution and the seven keys to unlock it' by Gordon Dryden & Jeannette Vos . 'All of us, together, are surging through the most profound revolution in human history. Its impact is personal,...(read more)

Closer, my dear come closer, with Web 2.0

Raenette Taljaard — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:48:00 GMT

We worry that IM, texting, Facebook are spoiling human intimacy, but Stefana Broadbent's research shows how communication tech is capable of cultivating deeper relationships, bringing love across barriers like distance and workplace rules. from www.ted.co...(read more)

The Wonder of eLearning

Raenette Taljaard — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:01:00 GMT

In the latest Interface magazine, David Warlick says that teachers should focus on information and learning, not on the technology and simply getting ICT into their classrooms. "The purpose should be creating the new information environment, one that's...(read more)

Open source tools for you to use!

Raenette Taljaard — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:36:00 GMT

I had an email from Adrienne Carlson today, telling me about her informative blog post : 100 Best Open Source Apps for Educators . Have a look! Some of the ones I liked were Penzu , a journalling site with opportunities for online journalling for our...(read more)

More about ePortfolios

Raenette Taljaard — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:41:00 GMT

Further to my recent blog post, this video explains the use of ePortfolios very nicely. Read More......(read more)

Fostering creativity in the classroom

Raenette Taljaard — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:28:00 GMT

This fun picture was created with photofunia , one of the tools my teenagers are using to create profile pics for Facebook and Bebo. Sadly, I'm not at uLearn09 this year, but such is the power of technology that I am actually able to follow most of the...(read more)

ePortfolios and eLearning

Raenette Taljaard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:38:00 GMT

At our school we have been using ePortfolios for the past two years, using KnowledgeNet. Using a template, our students keep track of their own learning, upload their projects and reflect on their goals. Parents can view their child's progress at any...(read more)

Student created quizzes

Raenette Taljaard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:15:00 GMT

I have been thinking and reading about how to use technology to improve student's learning, and not just as a teaching tool. Thinking specifically of Inquiry Learning, here are a list of 12 interactive quizzes that student's can create themselves, to...(read more)

eLearning Research

Raenette Taljaard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:44:00 GMT

I found this interesting document via my eLearning Research Network . Just scroll down to the third comment and click on the pdf download. This document highlights a Framework for eLearning Research, which is well written and summarizes the current thinking...(read more)

Do 21st Century Learners REALLY learn better?

Raenette Taljaard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:28:00 GMT

I must admit - I'm feeling decidedly grumpy! I'm not at uLearn 09. For various reasons I couldn't attend this year, and I have to say - I'm green with envy... So, I'll pacify myself by immersing in all things technological, in the comfort of my own home,...(read more)

Teaching Content through Technology

Raenette Taljaard — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:38:00 GMT

I have been struggling to consistently integrate ICT into my daily classroom program for the last 3 years. Now I know what is missing in my classroom practice! According to Mishra & Koehler, 2006 I need a new special kind of expertise: TPACK! (Technological,...(read more)

Ten Tops Tips for Teaching with NET

Raenette Taljaard — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:05:00 GMT

"Innovation is the process of altering existing practice in order to achieve more effectively certain desired learning outcomes" (Fullan, 1985). You can read a summary of his book here . Without these three dimensions of change in ICT, these desired outcomes...(read more)

The Digital Generation

Raenette Taljaard — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:28:00 GMT

From: http://www.schoolwaxtv.com/welcome-digital-generation Read More......(read more)

Cool Tools for Classes!

Raenette Taljaard — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:59:00 GMT

I've found a cool new tool for creating interactive games based on classroom learning. It's called Classtools , and I used it today, both for a reading comprehension task, and for a general knowledge quiz we're getting ready for. Best of all, my kids...(read more)

Skype Share is out of this world!

Raenette Taljaard — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:09:00 GMT

My class and Debbie McSkimming's class just had the most awesome Skype audioconference! The Year 7 and 8's from her school are studying 'What's New?' and my Year 5's were eager to share the technology we have been using! Both Debbie and I stayed well...(read more)