ICT

I can't really believe that amount of ICT I have used (for real) today on my classroom release. Less than a year ago I remember that poem about not using any and that was where I was with my learning. Look at what I have done today:
used my IWB
blogged
gone onto 4 different wikis to find what I needed
communicated about literacy circles with a pupil through her wiki (both of us sent and got replies)
Used some of the things L taught me at our sessuion last night
A senior pupil helped me get my digital story started for my rellco visit follow up
At lunch time E and V were twittering and V sent me one (what ever they are called) and it came thru and I joined twitter and replied.

I am starting to feel like a 21st century learner and while I know I have HEAPS to learn, at last I am feeling excited about what I still have to learn -rather than afraid of it. A wow moment for me today and its been great to have a day with time to reflect about my learning (and all the people who are there to help me.)

reading

I have just spent time looking at Tia's work with her new entrant children on picture books. I am wandering if some of her books might be good for my 'literacy circle' exploring. The Lion in the Meadow was a book that my son (who will be 35 this week) loved when he was a little boy.
I have also liked reading Tia's thought provoking ideas about reading -well the teaching of it and why all the pressure on us new entrant teachers to teach the children to read by the time they are 6. Are we going to lose the joy of words, books in our rush to teach them to read. Hopefully I can do both but I am not so sure.
I tried to join Tia's wiki but once again I seem to be doing something wrong. I will try later.
I never realised how much I would be getting out of R.'s e-fellowship-there's reading, ICT and general learning ideas for me- another great form of personal professional development- Thanks

school

Well if this blogging is to replace my 'reflective journal', today it is going to have to put up with my moaning.
Just when I thought things were going great for me at school - things like the literacy circle excitement, my IWB is now an important (and useful) part of my programme, my feedback from T's observation was positive (with some agreed and very helpful areas of next development), my inquiry is on track, I have got some sponsorship for the coloured newsletter that my class are putting together for our special job we have for Enviro Schools , my kids are learning and say neat things like " I just LOVE school Whaea" ----It happened!!!! My team leader came in after school on Friday and said by wednesday I am to do all the testing in the "6 year net" for each of my 14 pupils for the literacy contract that the senior management is working on. I can see why it will be useful BUT does she realize how long it will take? I have been learning how to do the TEll Me part of SEA as this was asked for also along with CAPs and ID - but was told on friday this is not required at this stage.
As requested I had already done the CAP and Letter ID on the children as part of the SEA (apart from the latest 2) including a transfer in from The Rumaki class- but there are still heaps to do. I had a hissy fit and made my blood pressure go up(I had a doctors appointment at 4.)
I have requested some release time because I will not be able to get it done in the 2 days as well as teaching. Do senior leaders know how much work is required. I do see the value in having good beginning data and have a lot but please some warning when the game changes.
Well I do feel abit better now _I like reflecting!!!

inquiry

For monday staff meeting - sharing what we learnt on our East Cape road trip I am wondering what to do. I got lots of things to think about. I think I might just talk about the idea of having a class inquiry book. I think its an easy way to show the learning journey of the inquiry you have done. Because my 2008 term 4 one on "how to welcome back a loved one' worked for me and I had lots of evidence,I will share how I have made that into my first inquiry book.

I have also started my Zero Waste one so I can touch on that. I hope its OK not to be focussing on the ICT and just on the inquiry. Too bad if it is- I am learning !!!

literacy circles

In my new entrant class we have started learning some of the roles- character describer, word detective and the illustrator. I am already amazed at the depth of the childrens thinking and language -who said you have to be able to read to do this. We have used a big book 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf" An Aesops Fable.
I have decided to use a scrap book to record our work - its an easy way to look at what we have done and also to be able to work on things again.
Highlights of what we have done so far include -the children relistening to the story and telling me the interesting words. We had words like prowling and to help them to understand what the wolf was doing we role played the wolf moving to get the sheep. Next the kids had to say what they were doing -out came words like sneaking, being down low and being quiet. For 'every morning he collected the sheep' we collected 3 items from around the room and then had to explain what we had done. K. said 'I gathered these lanterns."
I am loving the kid's joy of words . Next I want to see where they go with the connector role. Will they be able to make the link to their lives???

e- learning

I have just spent time looking through one of R's e-fellows wiki and seen some great stuff that a junior teacher is doing with her class in literacy.I really want to learn how to do voice thread. I am seeing more and more examples lately of teachers using technology tools to really help their student's learning--- its probably just that I am at last starting to know what I am looking at.
I love it that I am now starting to know what I want to learn about (and more importantly what I want my kids to learn.)-- before I was in that totally confused place of 'not knowing what I don't know????'
I really like the way R is sharing her e fellow 'stuff' and is Ok that I want to know more.

Enviroschools

Room 2 and me have the job in the of doing a newsletter for enviroschools. I have asked people for their big ideas (and I have checked the owhata inquiry wiki to see who has posted theirs - so I can see now that r8 (wiki) r5 and r10 have theirs. What I plan to do (so it ties in with inquiry work) is for my kids to ask questions to clarify the big ideas. Room 10 have put in about looking after Papatuanuku and room5 grey water. So this week we will do more work on questions and when we are ready and my children have practised the questions , we will visit the rooms and conduct 'interviews' for our newsletter. I hope it works out- I will need to talk to the 2 teachers first.

Literacy Circles

I have got onto Robyns blog and room8's one where the children are working on their literacy circle work. At last I can see a real purpose for blogging- one that really helps the learning.
After the East Cape trip we had to do a survey where next steps need to be put in place. One of mine was to get the kids blog up and running. Robyn's blog work has given me real motivation for this.

east cape

OOps, I pressed the wrong button and I hadn't finished about the East Cape. On Tuesday at school we are to share (just briefly )3 things we got out of the visit. Here are mine (at this stage)
1. The strong yet gentle Maori woman leaders we met. They are proud to be Ngati Porou and it was great to see the support one in particular was getting from her tane. What was extra cool was that 2 of the women had been to Owhata School.

2.For inquiry the schools had made real use of their local resourcesboth physical and people.

3.The importance of the hook in right at the beginning. An example of this was from Hiruharama School for their inquiry on celebrations. Each morning something different happened -a teacher wore her wedding dress, there was a birthady cake next day, etc and the children discussed in class what had happened , but more importantly asked questions.

East Cape

I had a great trip up around the East cape with staff from Owhata, Rotokawa, Lake Rotoma and of course Lorraine.

Hundertwasser cats

We have been looking at the art of Hundertwasser and have had a go at 'Hunderwasser' style cats. We think they look great!

blogs and wikis

I am having a great time checking the various wikis and blogs I "belong to" and best of all I am posting comments.

I have learnt to add more details to my own profile- even a photo. Next I am going to learn how to put photos on to this blog.