Useful Ideas

There are some nice phrases that the students can compile and share with their friends. One of the ways to compile these phrases is using Wiki as a platform and categorizing them into different themes.

I like the "Go Chinese" website which can read and translate passages for the students.

One useful idea

I found that the use of word cloud as very useful, especially for iPW and English. It would be very helpful in getting them to dissect really difficult articles.

A cool free on-line quiz site

Stumble onto this free on-line quiz site ProProfs Quiz School as I am creating the activity for 24 Oct.
Like the interface and features, check it out!

One useful idea

Just found out about this website from John. Would explore this further. :)

http://www.boinx.com

Turn your Mac into a TV studio! BoinxTV is a pioneering live production software for creating Live to Disk, Live to Internet and Live to Stage video. Record stunning studio shows, podcasts, sports events, concerts, sermons, lectures and more using your Mac and multiple cameras.

One Useful Idea

The use of the Wordle.net, Clustrmaps and Prezi.com are useful information and presentation tools for students. Definitely tools that we can explore further to enrich the learning and teaching experiences of both students and staff, especially as a means of communication by the students, for the students.

TWO useful sites

Ted.com and gapminder.org

Ted.com is a site where you can find engaging speeches by professionals in their respective industries

Gapminder.org is to chart statistics over time, beginning from the 1960s, uber cool!

New Idea

Manage to get into Sketchup for students to create 2D and 3D drawing.
To explore the use of this free Google application for topic in Ratio and proportion.

One USEFUL Idea

The Media Showcase platform where the teaching and learning journey could be recorded, archived and and shared by peer practitioners.

Useful Idea

Posting comments in students blogs could be a good motivator for them to continue to blog especially if the comments were from the school leaders and not just the teachers per se. The other thing was that capturing their learning is a powerful feedback tool to parents than mere verbal/written comments. Lastly, wordle is fun!

Useful Idea

Discover one interesting way to use word cloud for learning :D
All the while, I thought word cloud is just a fanciful way to present text that made up a passage - as a "decor" to the website. It has never crossed my mind that it has a place in T&L.

Tapping of the fact that the size of each word is dependent on its number of occurence, relative to other words. The most frequently occurred word will be given the most 'airspace'.
Hence, in a way, gives us an idea the key emphasis of a passage.

Have made an attempt using our school's website - the Overview of our Curriculum and I get this (click at image to see enlarged version at Wordle site):


So, key words that catch people's attention when they read the Overview are "Students", "Learning", "SST", "Integrated Approach"... Oops! Where's applied learning? Where's Technology? Where's Science?

Here's another attempt based on the number of times each word I entered into the textbox:


Potential for T&L:
(1) Summary - Generate a word cloud to surface key words/emphasis to have some notion what the passage is all about first before reading
(2) Writing - To check whether we have put in enough emphasis on the areas we want to highlight in a message.
(3) Visual - one way to do a communicate key messages across - with key words that we want people to takeaway.

Useful Idea

Capturing the growth of students in learning (via discussion threads; video clips) and showing that to parents during "Meet the Parent's Session" will be a powerful way that we can engage parents and make understand how their kids really learn and grow. The traditional report card has too little information/static for us to engage the parents in a meaningful discussion/dialogue so that both school and home can better support the kid's learning.