Create the space for dialogue
Ever since the new update from Edublogs the theme I have been using no longer shows me the buttons and links I have previously added and been able to use.
So I am looking for a new theme – and slightly intrigued to find out if I can change more about the look and feel of my edublog than I currently do. I know that Joseph has added a few bits and pieces to his, like clustr maps.
Today we once again hosted headteachers taking part in the Strategic Leadership of ICT (SLICT) programme from the NCSL (National College for School Leadership). This will be about the 3rd year in a row we have hosted for the event. We had seven visitors with us this morning from different schools around the UK. We are always happy to welcome colleagues to our school, so that maybe they can learn from our experiences.
Much of today’s talk was centred on our development, over the last 3 years, of interactive whiteboards in each classroom and what strategic lessons we have learned from that process. But we did also begin to explore the “next big thing” – and we discussed how new technologies will be making an impact on what the future curriculum will look like.
I did give out this blog address, so if there are any of today’s visitors reading this I do hope that all went well with the rest of the day and the very best of luck with your future ICT plans.
Looks like there is some work ahead…just spotted this on Ollie Bray’s blog
Last year I produced some Google Earth resources inspired by the BBC’s groundbreaking Planet Earth series. I wanted to show the children where these amazing places were and although the video available on the BBC site is great, it does not contextualise it geographically.
So I made some resources on habitats using the videos available there was:
I posted them over on my forum for Google Earth resources, why not download them, take a look and let me know what you reckon- I think the video is only available to UK users (sorry 
)
I will be integrating their use in our science work this term when we look at how animals are best suited their environments.
I do not think old Will had this in mind when he named his theatre down on the banks of the Thames but I showed my children the Globe Theatre in all it’s glory on our digital globe – Google Earth!
As an introduction to the playwright and his works (we are looking at Macbeth over the next 2 weeks) I used GE to explore Stratford and look at his birthplace, then we zoomed over to the banks of the Thames in London to explore the great Globe Theatre. Using the 3D models in Google Earth 4 we were able to really get a good understanding for what the building was like – and is like today I suppose as it has been carefully restored.
The children were naturally highly motivated and they loved the fact that we could even see little model people in various thespian poses on the actual model stage! One child even asked me what the play was they were doing!
I think I will use a tag related search in Flickr to get some current photos of the theatre too. And perhaps gather together the Shakespeare resources I find useful and post them up soon.
[Thanks to Frank at the Google Earth Blog for the image]
I have just viewed Joseph Papaleo’s K12 screencast presentation on video conferencing and Google Earth and I was delighted to find a reference to the Maths in Las Vegas Google Earth resource that I made. Even though they were being downloaded from the BBS forum those resources did not get much feedback – so thanks Joseph for the kind words! (Looking forward to working with you and your colleagues next year 🙂 )