bee’s buzz

We’re back on the job after a lovely break – although all too short. We have another long break to look forward to in June/July this year during the 2010 World Cup being hosted here in SA. Great!

We’ve been back at school a whole week already and we’re well into the learning process. I always forget how young the little grade 1’s are at the start of the year. Most of them are starting from the very beginning with basic mouse skills. Last year I had the brilliant idea of putting stickers on the two mouse buttons. The right button has a hear and the left button has a star – so much easier than saying left and right. If a child’s index finger creeps over to the right button I can tell them to press on the star and they immediately know what I mean.

A mouse with stickers to show learners left and right buttons.

The first lesson of the year I concentrate on mouse skills and this year we used the mouse activities from the Computers4Kids programme followed by patterns in Paint. This photo is of one of the little ones making shapes in Paint. 

I’m always amazed at how quickly they learn in Grade 1.  Apart from mastering Literacy and Numeracy they take to computers quickly and easily. Great fun!

Filed under: About our school, teaching and learning | No Comments »

We returned from San Francisco on Saturday, tired but feeling very blessed and privileged to have been a part of ThinkQuest Live 2009.  The journey was long and tiring but team spirits remained high the whole way there and back and the children were awesome. We didn’t have a moment’s problem with any of them. Enjoy the photos of our tour. I acknowledge that the team coach, Claire Dean contributed to the photos I have used in this blog post.

The children meet for the first time in Johannesburg.

Who was there?

Team showcasing their project.

The famous, or is it infamous, Alcatraz prison.

The Golden Gate bridge was a real highlight for me. From the time we started doing our project the bridge has been an icon of achieving our goal. To finally stand on the bridge was awesome.

Wow! What a bridge....

 We also had the opportunity to spend time at Pier 39 or Market Square. We chose Pier 39 and enjoyed the fiesta of sights and sounds, including the noisy, smelly sea lions at the end of the pier.

Mrs Dean, Luzuko and Lithemba meet the sea lions.

Time flies when you’re having fun. The rest of the week was taken up with workshops – there was a choice of four and I chose Team Challenge. My two little boys and two of the East London team chose the same workshop. It was stimulating and great fun. Mike from Synergy is an experienced professional facilitator and he made sure we had a great time and learnt some interesting skills along the way.

The Team Challenge group negotiates the grid with much encouragement and directions from team members.

On Tuesday night we all donned our glad rags and went to a very smart Awards evening in the city. This event was attended by Oracle board members, staff and special guests. One of the children said, “It’s just like the Oscars!” and indeed it felt that way. Each team was called on to stand up and be acknowledged and in the case of first place winners we went up onto the stage. A truly humbling experience for our team to represent South Africa in that moment.

The Tour of a Lifetime enjoying the moment of a lifetime.

Of course what we were really looking forward to was receiving our winners’ laptops and what excitement when we discovered that we would be receiving Macbook Pro’s. A new learning curve for all of us but what a priviledge.

Oh wow! Macbooks.

And so home to South Africa with loads of unforgettable memories. What a tour, what a priviledge, what a team! God is good.

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Wow, three months without posting in my blog! That’s not good but when the going is tough some things have to go. My blog was one of the non-essentials that hasn’t made it into my daily programme lately. Sad, but that’s reality.

Since last I wrote so much has happened. We won ThinkQuest u12 and that alone has involved hours of preparation for the trip to ThinkQuest Live in San Francisco.  Some of the team and their parents had to apply for passports, then came the visa applications which took lots of co-ordination as it involved a flight to Cape Town. We are almost complete with our preparations (we hope) and excitement is mounting.

At the same time, as an educator I have to ensure that my classes get good quality lessons. Then there is the ACE tutoring and Peer Coaching facilitation after hours… not forgetting a home to run and family life, including interaction with an elderly senile parent who has had to be moved to a special facility. Whew! This weekend we completed the last two sessions of Peer Coaching for the year so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

What has been happening in my classes? I’m always amazed at the huge development the grade 1’s go through during the year. Today they featured in our school assembly in the hall as they presented work they have done this term with a focus on Readathon.  So many of them stood in front of the microphone and read with such fluency and confidence. It was wonderful to see especially as for about 90% of our children English is not their first language. And in computers they have also made such advances. They are confident and love the challenge of helping one another. Yes, it’s been a really hectic year. I find myself working through events one at a time and ticking them off then moving on to the next thing.

So what’s next? On 24 – 26 September is the annual Intel Conference in Durban. It’s a great networking event where I have received so much inspiration from others over the years. That will be a highlight for me – then it’s just two more weeks before we fly out of Oliver Tambo airport on Delta airlines headed for San Francisco. I must remember the flowers for my hair…..

Filed under: About our school, teaching and learning | No Comments »

Who can forget the tragic events of 16 June 1976? For many white South Africans the day passed under a cloud of the “trouble” with the students in Soweto. For many black South Africans it was a day of pain and anger. Who can forget the iconic picture of Hector Peterson taken by journalst, Sam Nzima. A young boy carries the lifeless body of his friend, Hector Peterson as he runs from the carnage behind. The boy’s sister runs beside him and the terror and pain on their faces symbolize the struggle for a better deal for education for ALL South Africans.

Today we remember and honour those students for their sacrifice. In South Africa it’s a public holiday called Comrades Day.  Today because of that struggle the state of South African education has moved so far. Children of all races learn side by side and can attend the same schools - although there are still great hurdles to overcome before equal facilities are available to all learners.  But as we remember our tragic past there are signs and events that bring hope to all our children.

Today my colleage, Claire Dean and I received the news that our wonderful team of 6 learners from mixed cultural backgrounds have made history by becoming the first winners of the new ThinkQuest Narrative competition. Their entry is titled A Tour of a Lifetime. The team spent four months of hard work planning a virtual tour company and trips to places of interest in our beautiful land. The children in the team know little of the tragic events of 33 years ago but they can take a moment to pause and give thanks to those who gave up their own education and yes, even their lives so the present generation can have hope for a wonderful future. 

We’re going to San Francisco in October! Well done to the tour company, “The Roaring of Exploring”. You can be justly proud of your hard work. We’re on a tour of a lifetime. Enjoy it and give thanks for our beautiful land and it’s wonderful people.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Hector Peterson, Soweto Day, Thinkquest, Tour of a lifetime | No Comments »

This week I had the priviledge of listening to a really dynamic lady, Dr Loretta Giorcelli  Dr G was in Port Elizabeth as a guest of SAALED. On an average day in the classroom teachers are challenged by the variety of skills and abilities of their learners. On top of that one is faced with the challenge of dealing with learners with special needs, whether they be learning or behaviour related. Working at the coal face means dealing with children and their challenges on a daily basis. Professional development is about coping and growing in maturity as one helps every learner reach their greatest potential. The name of the game is differentiation. Each child is unique with unique needs. Some may simply need affirmation, stimulation or encouragement. At the other of the scale are the children who need affirmation, stimulation or encouragement.

Dr G shared for over two hours and every person in the auditorium sat rivited listening to her speak from her own considerable experience as an educator, therapist, head of school. People are fragile and children are more so. Teachers have an awesome responsibility and at times they may wonder what they’re doing in  a classroom. There are times when all of us wish we’d made easier career choices (like carrot farming); but for better or worse we’re in it for the long haul. Most teachers I know actually do love the job and they believe they’re in it to make a difference in the lives of the future population.

 During her talk Dr G referred to the work of Karin Chenowith in her book, “It’s being done: Academic Success in Unexpected Schools”. Her findings report that success comes when schools “have an unyielding belief in the ability of all children (regardless of background) to excel at their highest levels, combined with a relentless commitment to excellent instruction”.

Chenowith sites the following characteristics of successful schools:

•  Setting high expectations for students
• Data-driven instruction (is it working?)
• The wise use of school time
• Ongoing professional development of teachers
• Comprehensive leadership teams dedicated to ethical, innovative management.

This was just a small part of the talk given by Dr G. She went on to talk about her own research but unfortunately the site at www.dest.gov.au/schools/losd is offline at the time of this writing. Dr G shared  techniques such as those that can be found at Positive behavioural interventions and supports.  which inspired every teacher present to reach for excellence in their professional strategies. It was a truly inspiring moment in my personal, professional development.

Filed under: Personal learning, teaching and learning | Tagged: Dr G, PBIS, professional development, SAALED | No Comments »

What would I say to a teacher who is not using technology in their teaching in learning, if they were to ask me what difference it makes? This week I had an experience where technology made a huge difference to a lesson.

As part of the Grade 3 theme on Food and Health this term, I included a Computers4Kids lesson on caring for our teeth. The children hear about dental health every year – blah, blah, blah. This year we have an Internet connection in the lab and I was able to make use of the online video bookmarked in the Computers4Kids curriculum. The video takes the children to Zoothland where they see a super hero version of dental hygiene.

The actual lesson activity is a template and involves inserting text into text boxes and writing their own oral hygiene tips, using graphics as prompts. I have taught the lesson for a couple of years now and it’s been good but not dynamic as far as the kids are concerned. This year was a memorable lesson because I started the lesson by showing the short online video clip using the data projector. I had four groups during the week and every one of the kids was riveted by the scenario and the catchy music had them moving and shaking in time. I hardly had to give any ideas for sentences as in past years because the “lessons” they learnt through the video are memorable and definitely their kind of thing. They loved it and produced good results for their portfolio.

So what difference does technology make? I well remember how teachers had to choose educational videos they would need from the National Film Library Catalogue six months in advance! They would arrive on the given date and too bad if the teacher wasn’t ready for them because they had to be returned by mail two weeks later. One never knew what to expect in terms of content and condition of the video. Who remembers the old wind on, noisy projectors we used back then? What a pleasure to click on a link on the computer, open the video and review it a day or two before the lesson.

And that’s just one difference technology makes to teaching and learning….

We had another great experience this week. A few of the children who stay at school  for After Care joined me at 4:00pm to Skype a class in Jacksonville USA. The Jacksonville kids are doing a tour Around the World with 80 Schools. It was a real WOW experience for the boys as they saw and spoke to children so far away in real time. They caught a glimpse of life beyond our school or city. Most of our learners have not travelled outside of Port Elizabeth and few have access to computers or the Internet outside of school, so their general knowledge is a bit lacking. This morning when I checked my Twitter account there was a link to a video clip that Silvia had edited and uploaded for us which means the rest of the grade 3’s can view it next week. So thank you to innovative and creative teacher, Silvia Tolisano for the experience. Which brings me to another difference technology makes in education. Twitter. I would never have met Silvia without Twitter. Three little boys’ lives have been enriched by a 15 minute Skype call and hopefully it will ignite a desire to learn more. Technology in education is dynamic!

Filed under: teaching and learning | Tagged: Around the World with 80 Schools, Computers4Kids, teaching and learning, technology, Twitter | 1 Comment »

It’s only Wednesday but we’ve had a stimulating week so far. True to my resolution in the post in this blog on 18 April, I have held back from helping the learners who are struggling with a skill. I find more and more that their peers step in to help when needed and that re-inforces their own learning. Of course the computer room is noisier  but the children appear to enjoy their time in there. I’m always amazed at what even grade 1’s can achieve in computer lessons. We recently did a lesson in Drawing for Children where they right clicked to draw a symmetrical pattern, then they filled in the colours.

This week they made a butterfly using dot to dot joining. The template is in Word and is one from the Computers4Kids programme that we have. They use the line tool in Shapes to join the dots. The real cool part came when they had to draw and colour shapes in a symmetrical pattern using the shape library. They learnt so many skills doing this including drawing the shapes,  fill colour, and ctrl drag to copy the identical shape from one wing to the other to create the symmetry. A couple of years ago I would never have tackled this lesson with our grade 1 classes because I would have considered it too difficult. Those were the days before the data projector at our school and I had to do demonstrations on one of the pc’s with about 16 little people trying to look on. Now I have this wonderful demonstration tool projected onto the wall and I can take the learners through the skills step by step. Isn’t technology great?

 Most of the learners didn’t manage more than three symmetrical shapes and of course there were those who couldn’t join the dots from 1 to 40 without stopping, which interferes with the use of the fill tool. I learnt so much as I went along too. I discovered after the lesson that one can edit the points after joining the dots. Some of the kids discovered the shadow effects and had to show me how that worked. They concentrated really hard and appeared to enjoy the exercise. It’s such a pity we don’t have a decent printer so they could print their work to take home and show their parents. The little ink jet colour printer we have is most inadequate and the cost makes it a rare treat to have their work printed. Generally we do one a term per grade. Email is a rare luxury in the homes of most of our learners so that’s not an option either.

The point of my blog today is that children will do as much as one expects of them. The more I expect the more they produce. A few years back I taught computers in a school where we had grades 1 to 7. I would never have expected grade 1’s to do what my present group does. I really considered them to be babies. It shows – one gets what one expects!

Filed under: Personal learning, teaching and learning | Tagged: Computers4Kids symmetry | No Comments »

The life of a teacher is frenetic. Simply organising one’s classroom management is stressful without adding other activities. Joining Twitter is classes as an “other activity”. Like all new learning experiences it can be compelling and thereby energy sapping, in spite of the excitement of exploring and sharing links and ideas. So what about Twitter. It’s a great web tool. The possibilities are extensive and new ideas are added almost hourly. During the past few weeks I’ve picked up ideas that I will definitely be using. I’ve also signed up a couple of our learners for Around the World in 80 Schools project. We’re really looking forward to that!

The same teacher who is co-ordinating the 80 schools project has a fantastic blog with loads of information. Thank you Langwitches aka Silvia Tolisano for sharing so many links and ideas – via Twitter of course.

This week my grade 1 classes had great fun with Sebran software. This is a free download with activities for early learners. This was another idea I found through my Twitter friends. The photo in this post is of some of the learners in class today. This was just part of their lesson. The other half hour they drew pictures in Drawing for Children of the different uses of water. Most of them opted to use the motor car stamp and drew themselves washing the car – using the water saving bucket. So cute.

All these links seem just too good to be true. One problem – the school’s bandwidth and a need for more RAM on our server. When a whole group of learners try to access a website at the same time it’s very slow and frustrating. My school has come a long way technologically in the last three years. New PC’s, an internet connection, a data projector and the ability to Skype with other classes to name just some of the new technology. Online games is just the next hurdle to overcome, provided we can access the necessary funds. Keep dreaming…..

Filed under: About our school, teaching and learning | Tagged: technology Twitter langwitches | No Comments »

This week was the first full week in five. April in SA is fraught with public holidays that cut up and shorten the weeks. Whilst lazing at home I love it but it wreaks havoc on learning programmes – not to mention business productivity.  So here we are at the end of a regular five day week.

The week was a good one in terms of lessons. Grade 1’s drew pics of “Me and my Friend” in Drawing for Children software. It’s a great little programme with lots of stamps, a variety of tools and a colour palette – and it’s a free download. I had meant to save a couple of examples off the server to upload in my blog but …. Perhaps next week. The pictures ranged from cute to unrecognisable. The majority of our learners don’t have access to computers outside of the computer lab for one hour a week so they are pretty unsophisticated when it comes to skills. Some of the kids may have a computer at home and their efforts show it. It takes lots of encouragement and praise to keep everyone motivated when they can’t get the eyes right or the line for the mouth shoots off the page. During the process they learn Ctrl + Z and they practice click and drag. Of course they love to complete the activity so they can get onto the real stuff – a choice of educational games in their special grade 1 folder.

Last week Grade 2’s drew a picture of ways of saving water around the home. These were copied and pasted to a Word doc and saved. This week they opened their doc and we used Word Art to turn them into posters which were printed out and proudly taken back to their class teacher. They are busy with a water theme so it’s topical and they loved transforming their headings into Word Art. In class the poster will be saved in their class portfolio which goes home to the parents periodically.

Grade 3’s looked up Food Groups in Encarta for Kids. They then made a bubble in Inspiration 6 for each of the food groups and searched for graphics for each. The real fun came when I showed them how to put a circle or square around each food group then they learnt how to make the line thicker and add a colour. It’s a bit tricky for little ones in version 6 – I hope later versions have improved on that process. Version 6 is not very intuitive and it’s pretty outdated but the possibility of upgrading is not on the horizon so we enjoy what we do have. Those that managed to do the line formatting quickly were encouraged to go and help someone who was struggling. They just love doing this and the recipients are happy to be coached. It’s a great way to take the pressure off myself with all those little hands waving for assistance.

As part of their food and health project the grade 3’s had to record everything they ate for a whole day – snacks and all – and next week they’ll type the information into a template in the form of a table. For that they will practice keyboard skills and tab between cells. Once it is complete they will study their eating habits in the light of what they’ve learned about food groups and they will then have an opportunity to reflect on their ThinkQuest home page. I think each classes’ lesson went well and we all learnt from one another.

I have some ideas boiling around in my head for grade 1 next week…. Hmmmm. I do love being in the computer lab. For most children it’s the best place in the school and I’m the popular teacher.

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

This week started my “walk to school” regime. I have been unable to walk a distance for about 5 years due to degenerating knees. Two knee replacements and a year later I’m ready to launch into walking for exercise. I have been doing aqu-cises in a heated pool for about 3 years and now it’s time to hit the road. School is only 3km from home so it really is a gentle 30 minute stroll in the cool morning air – laced with the exhaust fumes of passing cars of course. Winter is on it’s way and then I will have the challenge of walking in the dark part of the way but we’ll deal with that when we come to it. The beauty of walking is one gets to greet people along the way and peer into the window of the second hand bookshop on the way.

I have been blown away by the benefits of Twittering. I actually signed up about 18 months ago but didn’t get it until I revisited it recently. Thanks to the great bunch of teachers I am following I am learning something new every day. I found another great Twit to follow today. http://twitter.com/teachtec There’s just no end to the possibilities for sharing ideas and experiences which is stimulating.  

I feel a bit like a kid at a funfair. There is just so much to do and see I don’t quite know where to start…….

Filed under: Personal learning, teaching and learning | Tagged: blogs, funfair, Twitter, walking to get fit | No Comments »