Category: Interesting Ways

Don’t Just Tweet, Create Something!

Google Docs, Interesting Ways, Networks, TwitterPublished onUpdated on2 Comments on Don’t Just Tweet, Create Something!

I have been fortunate enough to see many resources created by the thousands of willing educators using Twitter. However in my opinion there is a strong case for using hashtagging more systematically, so that we better organise and structure the resources, ideas and thoughts we all have.

A Twitter hashtag uses this symbol # folllowed by a unique word, abbreviation, acronym or phrase that defines the subject or theme of the tweet it is included in. It is a great way to filter and organise tweets so they are easily found by your network.

Simply put, the more we use tagging the easier it will be to find the most relevant tweets that share resources and advice etc.

One example of a resource created using hashtags is the sentence starter tweets I began under the tags #sentstartdecisions and #sentstarttree. I wanted to gather together ideas for sentence starters that can be used in the classroom. Each tag is specific to a topic or theme that gives other teachers a little bit of a focus for their contributions.

They have proven really successful, with nearly 100 contributions for just these two tags – a great resource for the classroom, to inspire planning and to engage young writers. However the tweets are not that useful as they are – indeed there is also the retweets that use the hashtag, so it is mildly littered with less than useful tweets. I have taken all of the sentence starters and created separate Google Docs presentations with them, a sentence starter per slide. I suspect that in this form it is more useful and accessible to teachers and students.

(Please feel free to edit the above presentations and add your ideas)

In fact by using the Twitter hashtag I have in effect added a step in the process. The Interesting Ways series is so successful because when users contribute they archive and extend a version of the presentation itself – there is no middle man, well there is me and I often add ideas on behalf of people, but there is no middle step, you add your idea and that’s it. Using a hashtag and then having to generate a presentation from that tag before it’s Twitter lifespan runs out is time consuming. (Tweets will eventually not appear in a hashtag search)

On the other hand, adding a sentence starter idea via Twitter is less clicks for a teacher using Twitter – they don’t have to go to Google Docs, add the slide etc. So it is easier to do it there and then and add the hashtag. In fact some school children were contributing with their teachers this week.

I believe it is important we encourage the alacritous members of our network in some form of creation. Whichever way you gather the ideas engage them in creation as much as conversation.

My 2010

Blogging, Interesting Ways, QR, Shared Search, SuperheroesPublished on6 Comments on My 2010

I have been reading Linchpin by Seth Godin. It has already been one of those books that seems to speak to you directly, one that for whatever reasons strongly resonates with you at exactly the right moment. On his blog he reviewed his year, what he shipped or completed.

Here is mine:

  • Instigated Google Teacher Academy London
  • Organised and ran TeachMeet BETT 2011 [with the amazing help of Stuart Ridout]
  • Presented Google Maps session at Google London HQ for GTA
  • Launched and took part in TeachMeet Takeover
  • Launched Curriculum Catalyst
  • Launched Shared Search
  • Interesting Ways gets it’s first presentation with 50 ideas
  • Google Forms Interesting Ways hits 50 ideas in less than 24 hours
  • Planned and completed a great Superheroes topic
  • Australia topic also a success
  • Started the #classblogs hashtag raising the profile of class blogs
  • Contributed to the Vodaphone Parenting magazine about digital life
  • Got a new job
  • Moved house
  • Got through my first 2 terms as a Deputy Head
  • Installed a new netbook resource at school
  • Found a simple and practical use for QR codes in the classroom
  • Helped teachers in my new school understand the value of class blogging
  • Every class in school has a Posterous blog

It really is amazing to write everything down so simply – I am already looking forward to what 2011 has to offer.

Violating a Creative Commons License

Interesting WaysPublished onUpdated on73 Comments on Violating a Creative Commons License

scaled.php?tn=0&server=593&filename=etkLast night I was told by Richard Lambert about an Australian company using our “Interesting Ways to use an iPad in the Classroom” resource as a handout at a sales event. You can see the image clearly showing how they have used it, breaking the terms of the CC license. The MD contacted me overnight after the deluge of comments via Twitter. This is my reply to Andrew Bennetto the Managing Director of edsoft Interactive.

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I am deeply disappointed about what I saw of the handout for your iPad Breakfast event. The presentation / resource “Interesting Ways to use an iPad in the Classroom” has been crafted by teachers all across the world willing to share their own ideas. That sense of openness and sharing is key to these resources – this ethos has been developed by myself and countless others, not just over a few months, but through years of encouragement and hard work.

Your company violated the terms of the license clearly stated on the title slide of the resource.

Just to be absolutely clear about how the licensing is unavoidable – when you open the document, via whichever link or method available, you see the title slide, which states:

“This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike 3.0 License.”

I do not think there is any excuse to say that you were unaware of the license.

The final slide of the presentation also clearly states my name, email address, Twitter name and blog address. It is abundantly clear that I am technically the owner of the document. Once again, no excuse to say you were “not aware of the source.”

From the photograph I have seen that the pages have been edited to remove the names of the teachers that have contributed the idea to make it anonymous. Your logo suggests in fact that you own the document. The teachers who have taken the time to add their ideas deserve the proper attribution and once again this violates the license.

You did not give proper attribution for the entire document – but you also removed the correct attribution for each individual idea.

In your email you apologise, I trust that if it is one of your employees who has created this document that you take appropriate steps to ensure that it never happens again. On behalf of all of the teachers involved with the “Interesting Ways” series it is only right that I staunchly defend and protect the ethical manner with which they have been constructed and should be used.

In your email you go on to ask for permission to use the resource. I am sure you will understand that my answer has to be “No”.

In schools across the world there are teachers trying to educate our children about the correct use of digital content on the web, copyright and honest attribution – you are setting an extremely poor example.

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If you share my thoughts on this then please, let’s hear them!

45+ Ideas For Class Blog Posts

Blogging, Interesting WaysPublished onUpdated on38 Comments on 45+ Ideas For Class Blog Posts
  1. Share a photograph of your classroom. Explain about the different parts of it and how it is being used. Invite other teachers and classes to write a similar blog post explaining about their classroom. Encourage children from your class to leave comments about what they like about it or even suggestions for changes they would like to see.
  2. Publish children’s work. Don’t just post work that is flawless but also invite comments and suggestions on work that can be improved.
  3. Publish your shared writing. As you produce writing with the class in your lessons, post it to your blog and invite the class or blog visitors to improve something and to comment.
  4. Share your classroom rules or charter. This can be done at the beginning of the year and is a good way to share your class agreement with the wider community.
  5. Share a photograph of a classroom display.
  6. Post a video of SMARTBoard or IWB session during a maths lesson. For example the written methods for multiplication are included, the children can use it as a revision aid – the parents get to see how the school wants it set out AND the children get to comment on their favoured method.
  7. Posting images from a digital microscope for the children to comment on. “What is under our microscope?” – or even asking for people to guess what the image is and to comment on the suggestions.
  8. Posting homework tasks every week – eg. maths problems, children to comment as their task.
  9. Art gallery. Post pictures of all of the artwork created in a session, make a gallery or slideshow.
  10. Post Concept Cartoons for science prior to a lesson or a week of work. Children are asked to comment on what they think will happen and then these can be used as a start to the first lesson or as an intitial assessment.

I have started a new Interesting Ways resource which includes these classroom blogging ideas –

Please feel free to add your ideas, however simple or complex, to help develop the resource.

Tech-Neutral Interesting Ways: IDEAS WANTED!

Curriculum, Interesting WaysPublished onUpdated on3 Comments on Tech-Neutral Interesting Ways: IDEAS WANTED!

The presentations below, from the Interesting Ways series, are deliberately tech-neutral and much more broad than their counterparts.

It would be great to build some new momentum with them again and gather together some further ideas from the community. Of course these ideas may well include the use of technology but there is no expectation for it to be included, anything that is a good idea gets in.

Remember One Idea, One Image, One Slide always works best. I have opened them up to be edited so you should be able to go ahead and do so without needing an invite. Look for the Edit option from the Actions menu. Any problems with this though just drop me an email or Tweet.

As always I look forward to your ideas and contributions to the shared presentations.