I was speaking to a collegue in the states today and he stunned me with the revelation that 1 in 9 marriage starts on social networks like facebook, myspace etc.

This was quite a revelation and one that has me thinking about the importance and power of social networks.

More to follow.

1. Networking – This has been a brilliant opportunity to mix and mingle with leading teachers from across Asiapac. The presence of and our close ties with the otehr two programs, middle years and primary years, has been fun and very educational. All the teachers present are here because they are the leading teachers within their schools. Rubbing shoulders with such teachers is very valuable. The collective knowledge is phenomenal.
2. Understanding of the programs. It is safe to say that even though I teach in a PYP, MYP, Diploma school my understanding of the IB program as a whole was very limited. I walk away from this course looking at the program in a different way, with an understanding of what leads to the diploma program, of the foundations set in PYP, reinforced in MYP and applied in the diploma. Many of the components that seemed to be standalone features of diploma have been shown to be progressions from the earliest days of the primary years.
3. My respect for PYP and MYP teachers has grown immensely. There can be an arrogance in diploma teachers that is completely misplaced and unjustified. Yes we may have in depth detailed knowledge of our subject area, but sso to do the teachers of the other programs but for them it is stretched across 6 or 8 subjects. The level of planning inherent in PYP particularly, but also MYP is amazing.
4. This course was not about subject specific knowledge – the workshops we will present will cover some of this -rather it was a look at working with adults, showing understanding of key elements of the IB continuum – TOK and EE, Learner Profile and CAS – and developing an understanding that these are not separate from our subject syllabus rather rather encompassing. It does require a change in perception and attitude.

So where to from here…

Well, I have already considered some of the changes that I will make to my presentations at ulearn. Some of the activities that we worked through were very useful and I believe will make a difference to how I presented sessions. Similarly my role as a Trainer for ICT, has be influenced by what I have seen work and not work.

One of the most useful elements of the DP part of the course was the presentations by the trainees in their subject area of a TOK lesson. The different approaches the teachers employed was brilliant and very educational. One thing we as teachers do not do enough of (if we do it at all) is observe our peers as they teach and be observed. While being observed can be uncomfortable, the observations of our peers are immensely useful and valuable. I do not mean in the classical mode of a “CRIT LESSON” rather in an informal reflective mode where the pressure to reach the standards and be assessed on these are removed. A situation where your performance of the art of teaching is not contrived rather is natural.

The next challenge, before I even think about running a workshop, is taking this back to the school. I am left pondering this question. “How can I make a difference?” This quote from the TOK Guide sums it up…

“Whoever acquires knowledge and does not practise it resembles him who ploughs his land and
leaves it unsown.” (Sa’di)

Source; Diploma Programme Theory of knowledge—guide. IBO, March 2006 Page 11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU

However, good as he is and nice as it is to watch and listen to, there are a number of lessons to be learnt from this.

I had both my Year 13 and year 12 ITGS classes watch this and I asked them two questions.

1. What was most memorable about this video?

2. What are the keypoints you have learnt from this video?

I then asked them to comment on these two questions on this post

21st Century Learners are:

• Technology literate and adept
• Media savvy
• Flexible and dynamic
• multitasking
• communicators and collaborators
• interactive and networked
• reflective and critical
• instant
• creative and adaptive
• student centric, life long learners & anywhere anytime learners
• have Multimodal learning styles

However, having seen some new classrooms I suspect that some of the fundementals are missed before we even get to a flexible learning space.

I have often written and spoken about VARK – the sensory learning styles – Visual, Auditory, Read/write and Kinesthetic. Predominently as teachers we use the visual and auditory mediums to convey meaning to our students. This is not to ignore the kinesthetic elements or to underrate them in any way, but most teachers work using vision and sound.

How many classrooms are designed to support and enhance these two mediums (or for that matter have the space to allow kinesthetic learning)?

Do your classrooms have?

• Blinds, curtains and sun filters to adjust light levels?
• controllable lighting systems that enable different areas of the classrooms to be lit independently at various levels – highlighting perhaps the front of the room in one situation and the center in another?
• Suitable whiteboards, and displayboards through out the room
• Sound proofing insulating material in the walls and room? Can you hear the students in the next class? what about road or aircraft noise?
• Does your classroom have sound reinforcement? Built in speakers and wireless microphone to reinforce your voice and provide uniform coverage through out the room?
• Do you have AV gear that can be clearly seen and heard through out the space in all conditions. Is your screen large enough to see detail from the back of the classroom? Is the sound system suitable to be heard clearly through out the room with all the students in the room?

When you consider the cost of building a classroom, making consideration for these elements is a minor cost, but one I suspect is overlooked by designers and architects.

How many classrooms have been designed by teachers? or have had the input of the input of the students.

Anyway, the First Class users meeting was illuminating and very interesting. The changes are exciting and very cool. The web interface that was demonstrated (its a version 10 interface) was easy to use, easy on the eye and very very functional.

Here are the notes on the presentation.

Double click to see at full size

Key elements:

• indexing
• 64bit processor
• AJAX support including wikis (wikis are now very important)
• New web interface – pretty radical shift, but very cool!
• Active sync and iphone support
• versioning
• External user support
• Nov 08 for 10 release
• May 09 for 11

I must thank Jim, Rahul, Greg, Mark, Tim and all the first class team for their brilliant hospitality and for answering my many questions. I came away feeling very satisfied and reassured.

Can be competitive between schools and districts. Neat

C-Map Notes

URL: http://www.tabuladigita.com/

Neat game interface, a fun approach to maths and adjustable into other subjects. Would be bandwdith intensive. Cost on application

Well, inspite of legendary stories to the contary; security, customs and immigration at the international side of LAX was very good. Weht quickly and efficiently cleared customs and immigration, with no trauma, no fuss and also no officiousness from staff.

Domestic, however, was different. It was quick and efficient as it was run by a very scary woman. She had our shoes off and through the x ray machines, dressed down a businessman who stepped in front of a couple of kids and generally ordered, bossed and brow-beat loudly every one into quick but oh so thorough security checks.

LAX is huge! Our 747 rolled over to the gates from the runway and then kept going, and going, and going, and going…. We got off at gate 140ish after 10 minutes of taxi-ing between buildings, round corners and past row upon row of planes.

Got to San Antonio at 12.30am this morning and the Hotel by 1am.  Just had a good nights sleep, completed registration and had the boat tour of the San Antonio River. That’s an excellent reconnaissance for dinner tonight.

This is an amazing blog post and one that is as interesting from the comments as it is from the content.

This is a post about some of the all time great photos. Every one has there opinion, but this is a pretty good collection. With each image is a explanation, these to are insightfull and captivating.

A good effort and a good read – don’t forget the comments.

THE GIRL EFFECT

Watch the video on youtube or the girl effect website.

The Message is simple, its honest and its clear. Take care of the girls in the villages, provide them with an education, support them rather than abuse them or treat them a property, and…… many of the worlds problems will disappear. Don’t waste the talent, the potential.

Invest in the girl and she will do the rest