WEBLOGS
Blogger is a tool that makes it easy to instantly publish weblogs or “blogs.” Blogs are simple
web pages, often made up of short, informal, and frequently updated posts. Blogger makes it
easy to create blogs, post text and pictures, and start generating feedback in minutes.
Blogger makes it easy for teachers to:
•
Post resources, lessons, and homework assignments.
•
Keep parents up-to-date on class happenings.
•
Reflect on their own teaching practices, share their ideas with other teachers and receive
feedback
•
Communicate with pupils, organize discussion between pupils and provide feedback
etc.
Blogger makes it easy for students to:
•
Share schoolwork with their peers, parents, and others.
•
Collaborate on projects and get feedback from others.
•
Keep a reflective journal throughout the school year.
•
Excellent opportunities for students to read and write, especially for those who
otherwise might not become participants in classrooms
.
Using the Blog in the Classroom
As an educational tool, blogs may be integrated in a multi-faceted manner to accommodate all
learners. Blogs can serve at least four basic functions:
1.
Classroom Management
Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to
create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements,
post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer
board.
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2.
Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or
other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional
tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online
mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger
students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in
cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or
suggestions.
3.
Discussions
A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom.
With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions.
Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring
together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to
network and conference with on a blog.
4.
Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries
are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently.
Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more
motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student
individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily
kept for future reference.
Steps for Getting Started on Blogs
1.
There are a number of free blogging tools available.Go to one of the available free
blogging sites (
http://www.blogger.com
;
http://blog.nur.kz
;
http://www.on.kz
;
http://www.livejournal.com
;
http://edublogs.org
; are very popular) or microbloging
services (
www.facebook.com
;
www.nur.kz
;
www.cpm.kz
;
www.mail.ru
)
2.
Provide the necessary information requested. (user name, password)
3.
Create a title for your blog.
4.
Accept terms and select a template.
5.
Publish!
6.
Take into account ethical issue regarding blogging such as:
Inform parents of procedures and secure parental permission.
Teach students safe, acceptable, and sensible behavior as online authors and readers.
Review policies and guidelines pertaining to student access.
Teach the non-posting rules of no complete names, e-mail accounts, or references to
reveal location.
Set clear expectations regarding tone, respect, and consequences.
It is better that posts are seen only by your class, parents or school. From the Blogger
Dashboard, click on Settings, select Permissions, and set who can view the blog.
PODCASTING
Podcasting is a new and emerging technology. It is a digitally created audio recording
which can be shared with others, and most commonly it is done by posting it online, then placing
a link to that file on a WEB site, wiki, or blog.
Many wide ranging educational benefits have already been identified. Podcasts can either
be something pupils create; working independently or in small, collaborative groups; or a
finished product which pupils can engage with, reinforcing learning whether at school or at
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home. Podcasting can be tailored to any curriculum area. Some of the areas that are most often
associated with it are: ICT, PHSE, citizenship, modern foreign languages, speaking and listening
objectives, and communication skills.
Podcasting helps improve pupils’ presentation work and can be especially powerful for
reluctant writers or those with reading difficulty. Podcasting promotes personalised learning. It
allows resources and activities to be tailored to individual children’s requirements. Podcasting
gives the opportunity for pupils and schools to communicate with an audience. The audience can
be internal - within the school, between pupils and teachers or peer to peer, or external - within
the wider community. As with all technologies, podcasting has the potential for releasing the
imagination of children, young people, their teachers and parents/carers.
E-safety
Protecting child identity
As with other technologies it is important to protect the identity of children who take part in the
podcast. They should only reveal one piece of personal information in a podcast. However, they
could invent pseudonyms.
As with any communication technology it is important that children are taught to behave
responsibly. Most schools have an Internet policy which could include podcasting which parents
and pupils sign up to.
POSSIBLE WAYS TO USE PODCASTING IN THE CLASSROOOM
Audio tours
Museums and special exhibitions offer audio tours of various exhibits, educating and
entertaining people. Similarly, an audio can be made by pupils as the way of exploring the
content and showcasing what has been learned, thus making the process of teaching and learning
more active. There are many potentials uses of audio tours, such as the following pupil-created
projects: pupil-led school tours, student art show tour, student-created tour of local attraction,
local history tour, civilizations of the past etc.
Biographical sketch
Pupils can choose a figure to research (literature character) and create dramatic monologue in the
voice of that character. They can describe the actions of the story or respond to the plot.
Book review
Audio podcasts of book reviews could be really helpful for students in selecting new works to
read. The spin off is that the reviewers need to prepare their reviews in a way that engages their
chosen audience. It is good to get some older children to share their reviews with younger
children, thus encouraging them to read further.
Debate
Record sample of debate for constructive critique with the aim of improving debate practice or
self-evaluation
Explaining and training
Use podcasts to explain ideas and to disseminate training materials .This
means learners can go back and listen, or watch, again and again if they don’t understand first
time.
Journalistic writing – national / international news
The concept of publishing podcast episodes regularly, lends itself well to journalism. Students
could podcast their own versions of the news, or do their own reports on things that are actually
happening in the big wide world.
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Music progression
It would be a great idea to podcast students’ progress and development in the playing of their
chosen instrument.
Lab observations
Keeping hands free to work on the experiment pupils can record their observations, alternatively
teachers can record the steps of the experiment for student to listen to at the lab tables.
Project for gifted and talented
Podcasting is for everyone, but could be a good base for a project for more able pupils, in any
curriculum area.
Revision materials
Get your students to make their own video or sound recordings of things that they will need to
learn for tests or exams and then podcast them for everyone to hear. The wider the audience the
more care they will take with the preparation, the content and the production.
Showcase language learning
Producing podcasts purely in a foreign language is a great incentive for students to polish their
foreign language learning. Podcasting could also be a great aid when it comes to learning the
language too.
Student opinions
Record student reactions to local, national or worldwide news, encouraging them to pick up on
current affairs.
Summer reading program
If you are looking for a way to keep students motivated throughout the summer reading program,
you can set up RSS feed () and publish a weekly podcast just for them. You may include book
talks, set mini goals, and celebrate the achievements of productive readers.
Video podcast of drama
Many drama sessions in school end up with no record of the enthusiasm and excitement of what
was produced. It would be excellent to video podcast a series or set of drama scenarios so that
the students could peer review their techniques and styles.
Video podcast of PE
Technique in sport is often the key to greater enjoyment and greater engagement. It is a super
idea to video skill activities and podcast them so that the students can review what they did and
perhaps compare themselves with their perception of good and not so good.
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TEACHING GIFTED AND TALANTED
CHILDREN
How does one create a learning environment that stretches the ablest without excluding or
alienating the least able – and vice versa? What are the core educational principles or values for
it? Hymer (2002, p. 3) list some of them:
All children have a right to a high quality education.
The primary aim of education is to excite in children and young people a passion for
learning, and to facilitate the acquisition of skills and dispositions which will permit this
passion for learning to be satisfied.
The primary role of the school is to maximize opportunities for all children to reach their
educational goals.
Children educational goals will differ.
No-one-not even the person him or himself – is ever fully aware of an individual’s
potential for learning.
A fixed concept of “ability” is an unhelpful descriptor or predictor of performance.
Children’s educational goals are best reached by the setting and answering of questions.
These questions are best set by the children themselves.
Deep learning takes place collaboratively rather than competitively.
The most affective form of assessment form of assessment is formative (assessment for
learning) rather than summative or normative (assessment for showing or comparing).
Relatedly, promoting learning orientations more likely to lead to effective learning than
promoting performance orientation (concern for grade success).
An inclusive policy for gifted and talented education is the only model consistent with
these principles (gifted and talented students have right to something qualitatively, and
so do their peers, just in case they are gifted and talented too but don't yet know it).
As for research evidence regarding high quality teaching for gifted and talented Joan Freeman
(1998, p.52 cited in Hymer, 2002, p. 60) summarizes this evidence as follows:
Task demand:
New knowledge is presented within the context of a conceptual framework, not as facts
in isolation.
the teacher stimulates thinking by taking a problem-posing as well as a problem-solving
approach to issues and material
the teacher teaches for clear 'scientific' thinking skills to greater depth than normal.
Abstract as well as basic concepts are emphsised.
materials are used which are high in quality, and reading levels demand complex, novel
responses.
Use of language:
The intellectual demands of a lesson are recognized by the level, speed and quality of the
verbal interactions that go on in it.
The appropriate language is used rather than simplified version.
Word-play is encouraged.
Questioning is considered part of everyday learning, to stimulate thinking and creative
problem-solving.
Communication:
students explain out loud, comparing old and new learning and ideas with their peers.
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Research skills are taught, so that pupils can explain on ideas for them-selves.
Encouragement to excellence:
Students get own-time rewards on demonstration of high achievement. This takes the
form of individual projects in accordance with an agreed teacher-student contract.
Goals are set to a high, perhaps professional standard.
Mentors are appointed.
Creative abilities are nurtured.
Projects are completed and work is monitored.
Classroom Provision for the Gifted and Talented (Goodhew, 2009)
Classroom Provision for
gifted and
Talented
Not more work
but work of a
different
quality
Regular
constructive
feedback
Some access
to people like
themselves
Variety of
learning and
teaching
styles
Flexible
grouping
Occasions to
be independent
and creative
Higher order
questioning
Differentiation:
pace, support,
tasks,
languages
Homework
that moves
learning
forward
Creative use
of ICT to
enhance
learning
Outside
experts
Time to think
and play with
ideas. Fun
See Chapter: Using
ICT in teaching and
Learning(p. 68)
See Chapter:
Critical thinking
(p. 62)
See Chapter:
Possible methods
of active teaching
and learning (p.3)
See Chapter:
Formative
Assessemnt (p.79)
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Differentiation remains important in planning for the full Ability Range, thus planning
appropriate lesson for most able in the context of a mixed ability group can be done in different
ways. The approach will depend on the age of pupils, the subject and teacher. for instance there
are two following models/approaches used by different teachers:
1) MUST SHOULD COULD
Must (Absolutely necessary)
Should (Desirable for whole class)
Could (More open activities)
2) CORE PLUS ENHANCEMENT
Enrichment
One intervention strategy for talented and gifted pupils is to offer pupils an enriched curriculum,
either within or beyond the classroom. With the aim of providing pupils with interesting and
meaningful experiences, which motivates their learning and stretch their capabilities there is a
need to enrich the curriculum. such enrichment should broaden and deepen the learning
experience. Pupils should be encouraged to think and expand their horizons, they should be
motivated to want to do more. Thus, according to Graeme Kent (1996, p. 44), "the enrichment
process should help the able children's fluency, enabling them to respond in different ways and
find different solutions. It should develop the flexibility of the children, helping them to
experiment with ideas, situations and techniques. It should provide them with opportunities for
originality, using their imaginations. It should lead children to elaboration, adding extra ideas to
their responses and using and adapting the ideas of others".
All pupils-
Core
activity
ASSESSMENT
Continued
work on core
activity
Higher achievers will
move to the enhanced
task, where higher
level of performance
required
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General Tips for Engaging Able Students in the Classroom summarized by Goodhew
(2009, p.80)
1. Make sure that work for gifted and talented students differs in quality, not quantity - they
should not have to do more work than others.
2. Avoid what Joan Freeman calls The Three Times Problem - explaining a task to the whole
class, then again for those who were not listening and again just to be on the safe side - by which
time many able students will have switched off. Direct additional explanations to those who need
it and allow the most able to get on.
3. Use Personalized homework tasks to challenge students who need more stimulations or are
nervous of working on different assignments in class.
4. Keep a box of fun thinking puzzles in the corner of the primary classroom for students who
finish very early (Pupils will need some kind of feedback/interest from the teacher or they may
not do them)
5. Have a box of quick subject-specific thinking activities for use at the end of a lesson or when
one group finishes before the rest. Some departments have graded activities to encourage sudents
to stretch themselves by moving through levels.
6. Build up a list of suitable websites for students wishing to stretch topic in greater depth. The
school librarian may be able to help.
7. Use able students to record key points on the board during discussion sessions.
8. At the beginning of the lesson ask a group of able students to prepare the plenary session.
9. Where edited texts are used, give the most able students access to the full version.
10. Occasionally, limit the number of words able students can use to get across a particular idea.
This forces them to use language very accurately.
11. Use students' gifts or talents in other arias to enhance classroom learning. For example, ask
the creative lyricist to create a rap o a topic being covered in a subject or the keen design
technology student to model a particular landform for geography.
12. Have fun.
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Formative assessment
Key strategies involved in formative assessment
Creating a classroom culture in which all involved see ability as incremental
rather than fixed.
Involving pupils in planning both appropriately pitched content and
meaningful context.
Clarifying learning objectives and establishing pupil-generated and pupil-
owned success criteria.
Enabling and planning effective classroom dialogic talk and worthwhile
questioning.
Involving pupils in analysis discussion about what excellence consists of –
not just the meeting of success criteria, but how to best meet them.
Enabling students to be effective self- and peer-evaluators.
Establishing continual opportunities for timely review and feedback from
teachers and pupils, focusing on recognition of success and improvement
needs, and provision of time to act on that feedback.
These strategies for formative assessment provide both teachers and students with
the framework with which to steer the decisions made about tasks and techniques.
The techniques change and there are often many ways to fulfill a strategy, but
principles need to be constant and the basis for school consistency. Techniques
will often be different from teacher to teacher, and necessarily so for different age
groups, but strategies and principles which create ultimate frame of reference for
effective practice.
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