Teaching in the South Pacific

uLearn 2008 - Pre-conference Breakout

Raenette — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:53:00 GMT

I've had a fantastic day today with Stuart Hale at the pre-conference breakout. We've learnt fantastic new tricks and at last I know what all the buttons on my camera are used for! We also spent some time having a look at all the functions in iPhoto!...(read more)

I had a cool teacher-moment this week!

Raenette — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:52:00 GMT

I had such a cool teacher-moment in my Year 5 class this week! In the life of a teacher , these moments are rare, but cherished! I've been encouraging my students to become 'powerful learners'. On our ePortfolios, they have to reflect on last term's goals,...(read more)

Retro - look Podcasting tool

Raenette — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:12:00 GMT

I came across this tool, Mixwit , from Dean Groom's post, Learning with an audience . He has been using it to record student's reflections on their use of Web 2.0 technologies, and how it affects their learning. For now, I've just popped a normal MP3...(read more)

International 'Talk like a Pirate Day' is on September 19!

Raenette — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:23:00 GMT

The educators in New Zealand have got together and created a wiki with heaps of resources to support this day. Have a fun literacy and maths day with the mini- theme of Pirates. Or let this be the kick-off to a longer unit. Read about it on my other blog,...(read more)

Ahoy Ye Landlubbers! Talk like a Pirate Day coming up!

Raenette — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:01:00 GMT

I found a post about an interesting event on Amanda 's blog: It's 'Talk like a Pirate Day' on Friday, 19 September! Everyone on Twitter is also talking about it. Check out the cool wiki and add to the Voicethread with your class. It sounds like so much...(read more)

How to make your Digital Photos even more fun!

Raenette — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:57:00 GMT

I've just found a brand new fun application, called dumpr . It's free, and all you need to do is register. As with all the other fun toys I find, I don't know yet how I'll apply it in my teaching, but it's pretty cool! Have a look: I'm sure my pupils...(read more)

I can teach Hip Hop!

Raenette — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:24:00 GMT

I'm at home in bed today. I have two complaints: 1) I've lost my voice. 2) Every muscle in my body is protesting. Now, it may be the lingering flu / lung infection that I've been battling since last week, or... and this is more likely ... it may be that...(read more)

Educating boys.... and girls?

Raenette — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:30:00 GMT

I've always been really interested boys' special teaching needs. But do you ever stop to think about the girls' special needs and maximize their learning? I found this provocative article in the Teacher Magazine (I get a free email subscription) : Teaching...(read more)

21st Century School Speeches

Raenette — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:17:00 GMT

These days, we know all about 21st Century Learners, and most of us are proud to implement the new strategies. Just to refresh my memory I've been reading up on 21st Century Learners: "A 21st Century Learner tends to be a multi-tasker that uses sound...(read more)

Welcome to my class!

Raenette — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:41:00 GMT

This is my class, a group of Year 5 students. (We group according to age level, and they are all 9 -10 years old.) Does teaching in New Zealand differ a lot from your teaching? If so, I would love to know what the differences are! My Montage 8/7/08...(read more)

What a fun class!

Raenette — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:07:00 GMT

I've been trying to find a way to share my student's work in KnowledgeNet in their ePortfolio's. In my quest, I came across One True Media . What fun! Check it out! Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com Read More......(read more)

Reading Rocks!

Raenette — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:50:00 GMT

Teaching kids to read is not that hard. Most of my pupils have learned to decode , and read with fluency , and some can even entertain you with wonderful expression . Teaching them to read with comprehension , however, is a different matter. At our school...(read more)

Funky Faces

Raenette — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:32:00 GMT

I've just had loads of fun with a cool site, called Befunky . It has a collection of applications, including a cartoonizer, uvatars and a video cartooniser. I can't wait to use this in class to cartoonize photos and create uvatars. They can be used to...(read more)

Blog Makeover

Raenette — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:50:00 GMT

I've been blogging now for a little longer than 8 months, and I'm absolutely hooked! I started out, not really knowing what it was all about. My first few posts were, well to say the least, mundane! Now that I actually get it, and have started making...(read more)

I've just gate-crashed a Voicethread!

Raenette — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:45:00 GMT

I feel a bit guilty for joining in the conversation uninvited, but it was just so interesting, and so real to my teaching, that I couldn't resist joining in! Serves you guys right for making it public! Read More......(read more)