I have revised the posts I have written in the past to create a nine page, five step guide to beginning a class blog. Feel free to view, print or download the document to help you get started on your blogging journey. Five Steps to Starting a Class Blog If you’re having trouble with the […]
Tools, Sites, And Apps
Kids and Online Tools: The Legal Side
There are so many free online tools out there that are fabulous to use in the classroom. These tools can potentially allow your students to create, collaborate, communicate and express themselves in a multitude of ways. To find recommendations of tried and tested online tools to use in the classroom with step-by-step instructions, visit my […]
Photo Slideshows in Blog Posts
Start small When you start blogging it is important to start small and try to not be overwhelmed by what other people are doing. With time, support, perseverance and inspiration, your blog will continue to grow and improve. When I first started blogging with my students in 2008, we wrote very simple posts containing text […]
New Teacher Blog: Guiding Digital Nomads
I first met Aine Murphy (@ainetmurphy) when she was completing teaching rounds at my school in 2010. We bonded over a common interest in technologies, blogging and global collaboration. Aine taught in Ireland for ten years before moving to Australia and retraining at Deakin University. She is now teaching Grade Three/Four at Point Lonsdale Primary […]
Learning to Type: Student Bloggers’ Progress
In March 2018 I wrote a comprehensive post about teaching typing. I also compared four free online tools for learning keyboarding. Find that post here. On 21st July, 2011, all of my students participated in a typing test using 10fastfingers. They had to test themselves three times and then I recorded their best words-per-minute score. […]
Are You On Twitter Yet?
Earlier this year, Kelly Jordan and I gave a few presentations on using Twitter for educators at various events. If you’re not yet on Twitter, read this post to find out some reasons why you should be. Confused about the Twitter language? Hopefully this brief explanation will help. Need more tips? Check out my post […]
New Blog by Shawn Avery: Tech Tutorials
One member of my PLN who I have formed a strong connection with is Shawn Avery (aka @mr_avery). Shawn is a 6th grade teacher in Massachusetts and his class blog is http://mravery.edublogs.org Shawn has some excellent ideas for integrating technology in the classroom and has done some inspiring work with movie making (check out his […]
Doing Things the Long Way
In many ways, technology can be time saving. Especially if you know the best way to use it! Yesterday I attended and presented at the 2011 VITTA (Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association) Conference. One of the sessions I attended was run by Andrew and Beverly from Mitcham Primary School. They gave a terrific presentation about […]
Looking Back 2004-2011
I finished university at the end of 2003 and started teaching in January 2004. Like all graduate teachers, the beginning of my teaching career was a steep learning curve. Fortunately, I felt like I had a lot of role models around me on staff. As I embarked on my career, I remember thinking a lot […]
Using an iPod Touch in the Primary Classroom
2011 is the fourth year I’ve been using an iPod Touch in my classroom. My students enjoy using these hand held devices and they can be used to enhance student learning in many different areas. In this post I will describe how we set up our iPod Touches and how we use them. Funding In […]
Learning to Type
Over the years, the need for my students to be able to type has become increasingly important. Being able to type with reasonable speed and accuracy helps students to better cope with the technological world they live in. Students are increasingly going to be held back in their school work, everyday life and future career […]
All About Twitter Hashtags
After writing my Teacher Challenge guest post on using Twitter to build your PLN, I was asked by a number of people about hashtags. I know when I first started using Twitter, it took me a little while to get my head around what the # symbol meant. This is a handy feature of Twitter […]
Windows 7 Features I Love
I’ve been using Windows 7 for eighteen months now. I felt a bit silly when I finally decided to learn how to use one of Windows 7 most advertised features the other day- the “Snap” feature to display two windows side by side. It looks great! This discovery made me think about the large number […]
Are you on LinkedIN?
Recently I read on the oz-teachers mailing list a warning for teachers about using social networking sites unprofessionally. This UK article, suggests that teachers should be cautious of what they post online and check what information is available about them. Teachers are warned that schools are scouring social networking sites and googling potential candidates for […]
Top 10 Email Tips
Email is something many people have been using for 10-15 years now. I remember first getting an email address in 1999 although the way I use email has changed dramatically since then. I would never have thought of checking my emails over breakfast in 1999 yet now my breakfast email session is ingrained into my […]