SaKEmoTO!!!! Sudoku combat

Sudoku champs - i think Catgirl needs to be rewarded for the champion effort she put into her twistedly difficult samurai sudoku on friday whilst others were farting around.
The next challenge is to take on other players live online - are you up to the challenge?

http://www.sudokucombat.com/?GXHC_GX_jst=8258c07850ea6164

PD session on Blogging [for teachers, not students]

Hello blessed fellow educators - this morning you had another session on blogging. Thank you for coming and to those of you who showed an interest and asked interesting questions or gave feedback.

By joining Blogger you can comment here on ideas to help me provide useful information for you and for the other teachers who attend the miniconference in September.

I will appreciate any constructive feedback. I feel I'm doing okay at blogging, but professional development sessions are not my cup of tea. As some of you know, this sort of thing is listed as amongst my worst nightmares. However, with your support I am finding it easier.
It gave me a great confidence boost after the first session to hear from Michelle, Hailey, Haami, Maria, Lacreice, Frances, Sharon and co., that they really enjoyed it and wanted to try it out with their classes. i know some of you hav etried it our with mixed success. Similarly today it was refreshing that Blair had thought of a use for blogging in relation to his specialty area of sports at school.

I think challenging things and new ideas like blogging are a perfect time for us to demonstrate the professionalism that we have indentified as being part of our shared vision.
It is time to be open to new ideas. Educational paradigms are changing.

Cheers!

Teachers - Welcome!

Thanks for coming - please try to see past any language issues that bother you and try to identify any positive potential such a tool might have. I know my students and I enjoy using blogs and it helps us in many ways.
Researchers and educators around the world are embracing blogging as a means to break down barriers between school and home, between teachers, students and parents, as well as to help guide, reinforce, scaffold, inspire, bribe, and so forth.

SO, What do we need to start blogging?
1. a computer
2. the internet
3. an email address
4. interest
5. and for your students, permission from home and some guidance regarding cybersafety and netiquette.

What do you not need?
1. highly developed skills of any type - although typing skills are the main one, possibly.

What is a hindrance to using it effectively at school?
1. disinterest
2. an unreliable internet connection
3. exploding computers
4. cyber safety issues

By the end of this session, hopefully you will have thought about how blogging COULD be a POSITIVE enhancement to your learning environment. I would like us to explore possible uses - I could experiment with your ideas if you don't want to - and we can set someone up with a blog to show how easy it is. We can discuss the necessary steps to setting your students up with blogs in ICT.

Remember - it is available to ALL people in this school and it can be a really neat thing for some of your students. You don't actually have to have any particular magical powers other than imagination and your garden variety teaching skills.

Please feel free to ask for help creating your own blog or setting one up for your class. It won't work for everyone, but it has worked for me and most of my class.

HAve fuN!

Martial arts in class

As it happens, we have expertise in various martial arts in our class.
What do you want to know about martial arts?
Did you realise you were doing basic aikido today? Does anyone know what aikido is?
I have posted some links for those of you studying martial arts as a topic.

aikido pics clips and info:
http://www.aikidofaq.com/multimedia.html

Of course, we now have a dreaded new flea weight wrestling champ. Perhaps judo might be an option for our wrestlers?
http://www.judoinfo.com/

The other main Japanese art is Karate, which comes in many forms:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate

Of course, there is something mysterious and beautiful about the more ancient and deadly way of the samurai:
http://www.samurai-archives.com/

Not to be outdone, other countries have their own arts. China has tai chi chuan and different styles of kung fu. Perhaps it all began with the Shaolin monks:
http://www.shaolin.com/

Even the seemingly peaceful Indian culture has a martial style quite unique in itself:
http://www.kalaripayattu.org/

Of course, all cultures probably had their own ways of fighting hand to hand. In our own beautiful country we have the fearsome Maori warrior tradition with beautiful but deadly hand made weapons:
http://maorisource.com/MaoriWeapons.html

The Rules of Banking

Banking in Room 9 is designed to help you to moderate your own behaviour, to some extent, and to give you choices, creative outlets and to hav efun. However, it is also designed to offer you a chance to experience basic accounting or 'book keeping' and especially to help you learn to use spreadsheet software like Microdsoft Excel. [- this is convenient because we have it, but it's not the only option by any means.]
Please post your opinions about the banking process, new ideas for income or expenditure, marketing ploys you might use to entice customers ... has anyone thought of ways to use blogger to market their bank to the class?

AHA! Death to Spammers!

J, B and L - watch out.... ninjas may still exist and cyber ninjas may be employed to infiltrate spammer gangs - the consequences would be dire for the culprits if caught....

Educational Purposes of Blogs [for teachers]

Dear fellow educators of the 21st century,
there are many reasons for using blogs and many justifications. I am enjoying the experience and find it has added a meaningful dimension to my teaching world. Below I have placed several links to information about blogging in education.

[Students - if you are reading this, please comment regarding your own opinions of the worth of blogging for you, in relation to your school work. Justify your statements... and beware - teachers are reading this, so use correct spelling , grammar, etc...]

8>)

http://www.moe.edu.sg/edumall/rd/litreview/weblogs_in_education.pdf
a summary of the usefulness of edu-blogging from Singapore

http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/eclipse/Resources/blogs.htm
a summary of useful sites relating to blogging, RSS, etc.

http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0450.asp?bhcp=1%20
Stephen Downes (http://www.downes.ca) is a Senior Researcher with the E-Learning Research Group, National Research Council Canada, Moncton, New Brunswick. Comments on this article can be sent to the author at <stephen@downes.ca>.

"I think it’s the most beautiful tool of the world and it allows us the most magic thing..."
—Florence Dassylva-Simard, fifth-grade student

Oops - sorry wordsmiths

life got in the way of word study list tonight - my ap0logies. well done to Hannah and those who looked for it.
see you at school tomorrow with accordion novel material and personal project research materials. if you can, bring an A3 pad for your art project.

ART

New or old? Contemporary or traditional? Which did you prefer? What did you like about each? Please be specific - I heard some very interesting opinions at the gallery.
8>)

Origami - art or science?

What did you think? Please explain your answer.

Personal Project Requirements

1. On your blog, make a space for your personal project.
2. Write your topic, essential question, subsidiary questions, sources and resources, as well as your intended audience and product.
3. Add info to that section of your blog as you make progress. Remember, your subsidiary questions may change as you discover more information.
4. Keep up to date

Make sure your essential question is open and fat.

Socio dialogical Colaboration

That sounds flash - Who can write a comment to explain it to the teachers who read this?
Can you explain what it means and why doing it is important for you and your learning?

History and Mystery

A study of ancient History can baffle, amaze, excite and enlighten us.

In relation to some of your chosen topics, investigate these sites as starting points.
Remember to be critical of websites. Try to decide whether or not they suit your purposes. Are they accurate or trustworthy? Do they help you to answer your key questions/essential questions/foundation questions/subsidiary questions?

Enjoy

WHy was the SPhinx built?
http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egyptian-pyramids.html

Did the ROman eMpire disappear? Was it destroyed? How, Why and by Whom?
http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/uc_dorrington1.htm

What was life like in Ancient China?
http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Chinalife.html

Are you a young Picasso?
http://www.geocities.com/ljacoby_2000/picasso.html

So why did Egyptians revere characters with jackal or falcon heads? - the weirdos...
http://www.egyptianmyths.net/section-deities.htm

The Caesar Cypher - there was more than one caesar,
http://www.roman-britain.org/people/_caesars.htm
but we tend to think of Julius when we use that title. He was famous for many reasons and he had many tricks up his sleeve.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_cipher

Those Greeks had a thing or two to say about life. Which one of the famous Greek Philosophers do you think was the most influential?
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/philosophy/index.htm

Now a unified Republic, the area known as Italy has seen many political divisions, including the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, the republics of Florence and Venice, the Duchy of Milan, and the Papal States.
http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=europeanhistory&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arcaini.com%2FITALY%2FItalyHistory%2FItalyHistory.html

Some people are fascinated by more recent history - the 80s were an interesting time in "fashion"... I know - I was there!
http://www.prebble.com/80sFashionFile.html

Perhaps the 50s and 60s might tickle your fancy a bit more - cultural changes were interesting and fashion changes were an outward expression of that...
http://www.teacheroz.com/retro.htm

8>)

Amazing Archimedes discovery

What an amazing find. If you're into ancient brainacs and their works being lost, disguised, hidden, and rediscovered, then read on....


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/05/BAGV0KBJ4O1.DTL&hw=archimedes&sn=001&sc=1000

Fact Finders, Problem Solvers, Technology Users

Remember - your personal project requires a knowledge attack on a topic. While you are investigating your topic, you should discover some interesting question that needs answering. You then need to plan your inquiry. Your audience needs to be identified - ask yourself "Who am I presenting my findings to?" Decide how to most interestingly present your final product. Use the technology we have in the room - plan to podcast if possible. You can use images and recorded voices and music.
The most important thing is, starting with an interesting, focused, open, fat question.
Second - research effectively, take notes in your own words [dot jot], and present your findings in a way that shows you have answered your question[s] and have used the iwrite software [with data projector], or the mp4 player [podcasting], or the internet [blogs, etc].
Be creative - remember, you must demonstrate above average intelligence, task commitment and creativity. Think outside the square and try to impress yourself and your audience.
Have fun!

Clever Latin Acrostic

ROTAS
OPERA
TENET
AREPO
SATOR

'Arepo the sower holds the wheel with force."

Clever Romans, eh?

Inquiry projects

This is where we will post your broad topic for the knowledge attack phase of your inquiry.
i will list you individually, or in your pairs, with your topic. You must come and post your OPEN, FAT, ESSENTIAL QUESTION by the end of week four.
Further dialogue can be engaged in at school and through your own blogs.
Bring your resources to school on Monday.
Good luck.
8>)

personal projects...

...reports and myths and stories to be podcast, fashion shows held, expos designed and modelled 3dimensionally using software Mr Ferry has, inquiry methodology, eco-friendly suburbs designed for council, underground good deed fundraising societies created, vertically-challenged techno asssitance ICT Fix IT MEn company germinated, physical training skill squads developed, and more!

HuzZAH!! 8>))

the world's your oyster
take up the challenge

"the saddest sight of all to see is, far far behind you, all that COULD have been"
...[someone once said something like that , i think.]

MP4 and iWrite

Had a great session with Jenny from Sitech today - she taught me some useful things to do with the iWrite software.
We now have an MP4 device like an ipod but with less memory.
We now have an interesting spanish learning slideshow designed for use with the iWrite pads. yay!
See you at school - bring music for team time - can't find Bohemian Rhapsody....

MAybe you could acquire it online - but don't deal in pirating or buy anything without permission from your parents.

8>)