The Teacher Toolbox

Dear All,

Here is the flyer for a professional development workshop Dr Jim and I are running in Sydney in a couple of weeks. 

Feel free to print out the pdf version of this flyer from here and present it at your staff meeting.

The Flyer

Dr Jim Mullaney futurepd.org/ and Adrian Bruce adrianbruce.com will be getting together to deliver two one day Professional Development Workshops at Kincoppal Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart, New South Head Road, Rose Bay, Sydney, Australia NSW 2029 on August the 13th and 14th.

Adrian Bruce is a multi award winning educator, ‘edu-blogger’ and ICT consultant who maintains the website adrianbruce.com. His site gives away around 100 000 educational resources a month to teachers all over the world and his blog currently has 48 000 subscribers.

 

Jim is a WA-based Learning Technologies Consultant who has delivered keynote addresses and conference workshops at several NSW conferences over the past few years. He runs innovative, ICT-rich Professional Development workshops all over Australia..

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DrJim’s workshop will cover digital storytelling and free tools for Web 2.0.

The read/write web is full of cool tools that are free and easy to use. For example, Google have a whole suite of web-embedded tools that have fantastic applications in the classroom. Not only are they free, but they enable creation, collaboration and sharing of information and resources in ways we haven’t seen before. Other tools let us experience the power of digital storytelling using multimedia applications that are powerful, simple and free.

Adrian’s workshop will cover all the skills required for blogging, podcasting, creating digital artworks and exploring CAD (computer aided design) with children. Course participants will leave this session with a plethora of great teaching ideas in their tool-box, an incredible amount of inspiration and realistic goals to implement back in their schools and in their classrooms.

The workshops will run from 8.30am until 3.00pm and are suitable for educators across all learning areas and phases of development. The cost is $250 (plus GST) per teacher. This cost includes registration, sole use of a computer in all sessions, morning tea, lunch, a comprehensive handout and a complimentary 1 Gb USB Flash drive loaded with useful Web 2.0 resources, activities and ideas.

More details (including booking form) can be found at the FuturePD website – www.futurepd.org/sydney.htm

You can book by phone, email or using the online form on the website www.futurepd.org/sydney.htm

Phone: 08 9409 2036
Fax: 08 9467 2811
Mobile: 0408 979 288
Email: drjim at futurepd dot org
Website: www.futurepd.org

Do come join us! We’d love to see you!

When going through tough times in schools over the years, friends & I developed a protocol whereby we were only allowed one really big ’spit’/whinge first thing in the morning and that was it for the day.

We allowed each other ‘One Dummy Spit’ as a form of catharsis. Anything beyond the first spit was considered self-indulgent and verging on self pity - We encouraged each other to point this out to anyone who wished to take it further.

In the end it was how we stayed sane in a world filled with petty staffroom politics.  A world that resembled an extension of the high school playground pecking order. A place filled with over inflated egos and people who ‘just didn’t get it’.

That said though, negativity only breeds more of the same. Talking behind backs breeds more of the same. Bitching about people = more of the same… rah, rah, rah.

There comes a time when you either decide to seek solutions, make a stand and fight for what you believe in or just sit back and project incompetence.

Just remember that what is best for your students is ALWAYS paramount in informing the decisions you make!!!

Show  some LEADERSHIP people and not just droll management!!!

cheers

Adrian

With the growing popularity if my blog and website I am constantly sent emails asking for ‘link exchanges’. Most people just want a link on a popular website to up their Google rankings so that their profile is raised. You would be amazed at how many online gambling sites think that their site would be great for my readers and their students

Occasionally though I do come across a genuine site that has a lot to offer the educational community. I’ve had a bit of a cruise around this FREE video site (but I haven’t signed up yet) and their look to be some excellent resources there.

At the moment the site focuses on the Sciences but I see that that they are branching out into poetry.

So check out the Teachers’ Domain to see what you can find to inspire your students.

Adrian

PS Here is the email request…

Hi Adrian,

I stumbled upon your wonderful site and became a quick fan of your
work.   I work for Teachers' Domain here at WGBH - Boston's PBS
Station.  I'm not sure if you are familiar with our site, but we are a
free digital library of resources for teachers in science, math,
language arts and social studies.  Our videos, lesson plans and other
resources help supplement teacher's lessons by engaging students with
PBS content and incorporating media and technology in the classroom.

We are about to expand our content next month in all subjects and I
was wondering if you'd be interested in posting about us on your site
or in your blog.  Please check out our resources - I think the would be
of great interest to you and your readers... and best of all they are
FREE!

Thanks and I look forward to being in touch.

Daniella
WGBH - Boston's PBS Station
www.teachersdomain.org

By combining the first line of Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ and the Build Your Wild Self character generator you will get a great narrative starter or a launchpad into literary description.

The Story Starter

‘As (insert name) awoke one morning after disturbing dreams, he/she found himself/herself transformed into an enormous creature.’

Franz Kafka - Metamorphosis - 1916

Surrealism is either a form that students either love or hate. In my experience I find boys tend to like the Surrealists much more than girls. I wonder what your experience is?

Surreal Painter is another online art tool that allows you to make all sorts of design decisions in creating your own surreal art.

NB You might like to try put the only Surrealist joke I know.

Q. How many Surrealists can you fit in a phone box?

A. A fish.

cheers

Adrian

PS Thanks a heap to karlyb from my Twitter network for this tool.

When exposing children to Art’s diverse makeup I always make sure I throw Mondrian into the mix.

It is so cool to see students firstly mock Mondrian’s works but when you challenge them to emulate the works they find it much harder than they had initially imagined. At this point I throw in the line, ‘ Surely there is a beauty in the way the paint is applied to the canvas. How do you think he got it so ‘flat’ looking? ‘.

In the realm of traditional media I have had most success in producing ‘Mondrian like’ homages by giving the students small paint rollers and black electricians’ tape.

Now we have online tools such as the Mondrian Machine

… and life is sooooooooo a little easier

Adrian

After watching Ze Frank’s talk on TED (as recommended by Adrian G) I’ve been looking around the web for online art creation tools. NB I’m not looking for these to to replace traditional media but rather to enhance it. These tools allow students to experiment with a multitude of ideas very quickly as they refine the Design Process.

The Collage Machine is one of the tools that I’ve been interacting with to create discussions about the ideas behind collage.

Adrian

Throughout my career I have found that students really like the work of Kandinsky. They seem to like the interplay between geometric shapes and colour. Tonight I’ve been experimenting with a tool called Brushster and whilst it can do many things, I was instantly reminded of Kandinski’s work and set about emulating it using this tool.

See what you think.

Adrian

I’ve been quiet on my blog for a couple of weeks now as I’ve been writing a print article for EQ magazine here in Australia. During this time I’ve had to show sooooooooo much self discipline as there are so many ’shiny things’ out there on the Web to distract me

One of those ’shiny things’ that you just have to try is befunky. See what you can create and show to the world!!!!

cheers

Adrian

I often say to my students that, ‘Drawing with a mouse is like picking your nose with your elbow’ to which I tend to get a bit of a chuckle from the punters.

That said, Scribbler is a site that I’m currently using to explore online art tools with students. I find tools such as these can open up a great deal of discussion about what ‘Art’ really is.

NB I’ve found that if I combine Scribbler with German Expressionism I am getting results that I wouldn’t normally get with primary aged students.

cheers

Adrian