LEARNING TOGETHER FOR TODAY

"We learn the work by doing the work".....Richard Elmore

[paulmeldrum-blog]

I had the opportunity of visiting Northern Beaches Christian School last week and spent almost three hours with the principal, Stephen Harris and his leadership team. You could not find a team of professionals more committed to improving the learning for the young people in their care. The school runs a range of programs and research projects through the Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning (SCIL) to challenge thinking and transform professional practice.

Read Greg Whitby's complete review of the Northern Beaches Christian School and watch/listen to the student's reflections at  Moving forward | bluyonder

"...a powerful message for all of us".

[paulmeldrum-blog]

This paper from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), outlines a ‘cycle of inquiry’ which systematically builds teacher knowledge to improve teaching practice for students and teachers. The paper shows how principles of student assessment can be applied to evaluate not only student outcomes, but also the learning needs of teachers. 

The inquiry cycle asks teachers to evaluate their own performance through evidence gathered in the classroom and then assess whether their current teaching practices are meeting the needs of their students. Through this process, teachers are better equipped to identify their own needs for professional learning.

[paulmeldrum-blog]

A must see interactive timeline that traces key events as pro-democracy rebellions have erupted across the Arab world. 

This is an excellent demonstration of how we can make data accessible and usable for students.

[paulmeldrum-blog]

Follow the latest tweets on protests around the Arab world and the Middle East from the Guardian network of journalists, bloggers and experts. 

A great example of how social tools and in particular twitter can be used to communicate and share significant world issues.

[paulmeldrum-blog]

A great video of a young Australian student, singing with her guitar, while describing her annoyances with Facebook!

[paulmeldrum-blog]

CHILDREN as young as eight are joining online social networking sites, and primary school pupils are increasingly exposed to cyberbullying, a senior officer at the Australian Communications and Media Authority has warned.

''The issues such as cyberbullying and the excessive use of technology that [were] in secondary schools 12 or 18 months ago are really shifting pretty quickly into primary schools,'' said Greg Gebhart, a senior education trainer with the authority. ''We're seeing a whole growth in kids using Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. It's getting younger and younger.''

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/primary-pupils-snap-up-technology-20110622-1gfja.html#ixzz1QTkcRryA