My name is Amanda and I am a Stage 3 teacher at St Kevin's Primary School Eastwood.
I am, together with 12 other adventurous teachers from St Kevin’s embarking on the wonderful Web2.0 journey! We are all very excited about the different things we will discover and learn along the way. I am not only participating in the course but also wear the hat of ’Captain Facilitator'. This gives me the opportunity to experience the journey from two points of view :)
CAPTIAN FACILITATOR
As the facilitator I am aware of the varying abilities we have in our group. Like in any of our classrooms we have those that are experts, those that know a little and those that know not so much at all :) The best thing is that all members of our group are super keen and excited to enter, what some of them feel is a ‘whole new world’. My aim is for everyone feel they can have a go and work at their own pace, without feeling lost! I especially want those who are not digital natives to feel supported and valued!
We plan to meet once a week - Thursday mornings, for 'Breakfast Club' and begin each module together. I will demonstrate how to complete the 'tricky' parts and then give them time to work through the module. This seems to be working for both Module 1 and Module 2. The group successfully created iGoogle accounts and their own blogs!! YAY!!! I felt at times I needed to split myself into three or four versions but at the end of it we all got there! Working through this as a group I feel is removing possible frustration that people might feel if they completed it on their own.
Preparing module notes for each participant helped them work through the first two modules. They were handed out at the beginning of the meeting and broke down what was required to complete the module we were covering. This meant that once we had completed the 'tricky' parts they were able to finish the module in their own time and at their own pace. One other thing I found helpful was giving them little 'notes' in their pigeon holes about parts they needed to complete before we meet e.g. watching any YouTube videos before the breakfast club. This meant that when we came together as a group we would have a short chat over breakfast about the videos and then get straight into it!
The breakfast club is working very well. We have the support of our wonderful principal who has enabled us to cater for the meetings. Each week one member of the group provides breakfast... YUM! So far we have enjoyed fresh fruit and yogurt, cereal, toast, muffins and hot cakes with berries!! I am certain that this energises our minds and prepares our bodies for the adventures of the morning!
In summary - Web2.0 @ St Kevin's Primary
- Breakfast club once a week with yummies provided
- Web2.0 booklets handed out for each participant to keep all notes, passwords and module information together.
- Module preparation tasks handed out before meetings - example: watch videos, explore website
- Module notes handed out each meeting to help assist participants
- Fun is being had by all.... so far!
My Experience
Module One
- One thing that I love about the internet is that there is always something new or a new way to explain something that we might have heard of before. I found the video’s on Web2.0 very interesting and insightful. The main message I feel comes through all of them is that the internet has changed. It has gone from a being a single platform where we would gather information to a multi tiered interactive and collaborative platform that enables the creation and expansion of knowledge in a shared environment. It has moved from the two dimensional to the three dimensional. The impact this has on us as teachers is huge. For some it is exciting and others terrifying... One thing is for sure; we cannot avoid it or hide from it. We need to embark on the web2.0 journey together with each other and our students. I am EXCITED!
I am, together with 12 other adventurous teachers from St Kevin’s embarking on the wonderful Web2.0 journey! We are all very excited about the different things we will discover and learn along the way. I am not only participating in the course but also wear the hat of ’Captain Facilitator'. This gives me the opportunity to experience the journey from two points of view :)
CAPTIAN FACILITATOR
As the facilitator I am aware of the varying abilities we have in our group. Like in any of our classrooms we have those that are experts, those that know a little and those that know not so much at all :) The best thing is that all members of our group are super keen and excited to enter, what some of them feel is a ‘whole new world’. My aim is for everyone feel they can have a go and work at their own pace, without feeling lost! I especially want those who are not digital natives to feel supported and valued!
We plan to meet once a week - Thursday mornings, for 'Breakfast Club' and begin each module together. I will demonstrate how to complete the 'tricky' parts and then give them time to work through the module. This seems to be working for both Module 1 and Module 2. The group successfully created iGoogle accounts and their own blogs!! YAY!!! I felt at times I needed to split myself into three or four versions but at the end of it we all got there! Working through this as a group I feel is removing possible frustration that people might feel if they completed it on their own.
Preparing module notes for each participant helped them work through the first two modules. They were handed out at the beginning of the meeting and broke down what was required to complete the module we were covering. This meant that once we had completed the 'tricky' parts they were able to finish the module in their own time and at their own pace. One other thing I found helpful was giving them little 'notes' in their pigeon holes about parts they needed to complete before we meet e.g. watching any YouTube videos before the breakfast club. This meant that when we came together as a group we would have a short chat over breakfast about the videos and then get straight into it!
The breakfast club is working very well. We have the support of our wonderful principal who has enabled us to cater for the meetings. Each week one member of the group provides breakfast... YUM! So far we have enjoyed fresh fruit and yogurt, cereal, toast, muffins and hot cakes with berries!! I am certain that this energises our minds and prepares our bodies for the adventures of the morning!
In summary - Web2.0 @ St Kevin's Primary
- Breakfast club once a week with yummies provided
- Web2.0 booklets handed out for each participant to keep all notes, passwords and module information together.
- Module preparation tasks handed out before meetings - example: watch videos, explore website
- Module notes handed out each meeting to help assist participants
- Fun is being had by all.... so far!
My Experience
Module One
- One thing that I love about the internet is that there is always something new or a new way to explain something that we might have heard of before. I found the video’s on Web2.0 very interesting and insightful. The main message I feel comes through all of them is that the internet has changed. It has gone from a being a single platform where we would gather information to a multi tiered interactive and collaborative platform that enables the creation and expansion of knowledge in a shared environment. It has moved from the two dimensional to the three dimensional. The impact this has on us as teachers is huge. For some it is exciting and others terrifying... One thing is for sure; we cannot avoid it or hide from it. We need to embark on the web2.0 journey together with each other and our students. I am EXCITED!
Amanda, our fearless leader, you've done a fantastic job of organising our Web 2.0/Breakfast Club group. You are so generous with your time and expertise & have helped us to feel empowered & very supported as we undertake this journey together. Thanks for all of your help.
ReplyDeletePS: Your blog looks wonderful! I almost chose this background! We have such good taste...