Vikki's Blog

On the farm with kar2ouche

Miss_R — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:28:12 +0000

I have been testing out the latest title from immersive education.

Kar2ouche: On the Farm: ICT across the curriculum

I liked the activities and the comprehensive teachers pack that accompanies the software. The software makes good use of the links with geography and science. Good selection of backgrounds but I felt there could have been more props and more new characters, more adult female characters and less stereotypical costumes on the farmers would have been good. The age group that this title is aimed at seems to be middle primary but there is scope for using this with older pupils. More comprehensive prop and character options would have enabled this resource to be used with secondary pupils looking at land use conflict – maybe an idea for a future release?

Here is my first attempt – using the audio provided and composing my own storyboard.

Download

History removed due to unpopularity!

Miss_R — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:44:27 +0000

Read this article about a Falkirk Secondary removing History from options….

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7926016.stm

Very interested to find out what people think of this.

“online networking harms health”

Miss_R — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:40:28 +0000

Just been reading the article on the BBC news website about social networking and the possible harmful biological effects from lack of face to face interactions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7898510.stm

Google Earth and Glow

Miss_R — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:44:49 +0000

Today I participated in the RGS Google Earth training workshop remotely via Glow, and I am now the first person to have completed a CPD course in this way. The workshop run by Jamie creator of the digital explorer website was excellent and had a great mix of hands on activities in the computer suite and beyond using GPS equipment and digital cameras.

Jamie started with the basics of navigating around google earth and using layers and I picked up a few tips and tricks. He quickly progressed on to the more ‘advanced’ session where we were using html tags and colour codes and inserting photographs – at that point my internet connection went down but the good old Jurassic park unplug and restart did the trick and I was up and running again and catching up with the rest of the participants located in Glasgow.

Martin Brown from the Glow team and a host of friendly technically minded folk facilitated Glow Meet, the camera and the sound equipment for myself and the other Glow users that popped in and out of the sessions remotely. I had one laptop set up to display the video conference (using Marratech software) while I worked on another computer on Google Earth.

In the afternoon we were outside doing fieldwork. The Glasgow based participants were given GPS and camera equipment and sent out onto Glasgow streets to do some ‘fieldwork’. I made use of my – Christmas present – GPS data-logger. I got my wellies on and braved the sleet and snow and took photos of my local area while recording my location with the GPS.

Back to the computer screen and I was uploading my photographs to google earth and creating a virtual tour of the village. Once finished I uploaded this to the Glow social subjects national group and had a quick chat with Martin in Glasgow. He was then able to download and open my google earth file on the big screen and the participants in Glasgow could see what I had been doing.

Overall I had a great but exhausting day, trouble shooting the technology at my end at speed, while flicking between screens and learning lots of new skills for using google earth in the classroom. My eyes were frazzled from being glued to the multiple screens but worth it.

Here is the .kmz file with my virtual tour which will work if you have google earth installed.
village-resized

BBC Scotland Games

Miss_R — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:37:48 +0000

Just found these games on the BBC website. I like the mountain rescue game thought and skill required rather than just blasting midges.

SECC by night

Miss_R — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:45:23 +0000

SECC by night, originally uploaded by goforchris.

Shame about the bins!

Breakout sessions were new and successful

Miss_R — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:42:13 +0000

Breakout sessions were new and successful, originally uploaded by kardon.

TeachMeet08@SLF: Derek Roberston

Miss_R — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:37:52 +0000

TeachMeet08@SLF: Derek Roberston, originally uploaded by DavidDMuir.

Back to blogging

Miss_R — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:47:08 +0000

Well thought it was about time I got back to blogging, the purpose of this blog is for me to learn how to use edublogs / wordpress so that I can help colleagues with their educational / class blogging projects. So now I have reset my password and emailed me my login – yes it has been that long since I logged in – and here I am!

Summer Holidays

Miss_R — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:23:06 +0000

Well it has been a year since I took up post as an ICT staff tutor. My secondment will continue for a second year but my role is likely to change due to local restructuring. It is the time of year when I am to write up achievements and next steps in my personal review; here is a sample:

A sample of projects I was involved with this year:

Successful probationer support inset days for primary and secondary colleagues; animation using Pivot; ActivStudio and ActivPrimary and voting technologies; interactive quizzes using Hot Potatoes etc.
Series of twilights (Activ Studio; Publisher; Interactive Worksheets; Powerpoint)
Variety of school inset training: blogs, wikis and podcasts; pre GLOW skills; PPMS; CPD Online; Remote Ranger; Quizdom; Activstudio beginner-advanced.
CEOP Ambassador training and training of a further 50 colleagues.
GLOW mentor training.
School website construction.
Davis weather station set up and connection to Intranet.
Organising Love Your Whiteboard sessions with Promethean L & T advisor Jancice Black.

Over the summer holiday I plan to develop our advanced ActivStudio course, it was one of those things that got put to one side over the year but during this extended holiday I should be able to get stuck into preparing the notes, tasks and resources that the course participants will use in the 4hour course. Check back in August and I should have the materials uploaded.