Over the holidays, while attempting to be less “connected”, I’ve been thinking about how much technology seems to be increasingly infused into our day-to-day lives. With laptops, smart phones, iPads, iPods and other portable devices becoming so common place, gadgets are no longer something we go to, they come with us. This clearly brings about […]
General News
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 […]
Quality over Quantity
I’ve been thinking about how important quality over quantity often is when it comes to effective teaching and learning with blogging, global collaboration and technology. Here are some thoughts… It’s not about how many blogging buddies your class has but about having deep and ongoing connections with classes that you can learn with and from. It’s […]
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 […]
School is out for 2011
2011 has been a fabulous year! In true “Kathleen Morris style”, I have taken on a lot and juggled many different pursuits, but it is all worthwhile to reflect on what has been achieved. Some of my 2011 highlights include: Global Collaborative Projects – I LOVE working on global projects with my students. Some of […]
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The Edublog Awards – Vote for us!
The Edublog Awards have been running since 2004 and showcase some of the most popular blogs in education around the world. The purpose of the Edublog Awards is to promote and demonstrate the educational values of blogging. This is something I really believe in! There were many cheers of delight in 2KM and 2KJ today […]
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 […]
RSCON3 – Free PD in your PJs!
Want the chance to be inspired by education professionals from around the world while relaxing in your PJs? RSCON3 is the third Reform Symposium e-conference for educators. It is 100% free and is scheduled to be held on July 30th – August 1st, 2011. RSCON3 will focus on interactive presentations that help teachers create engaging […]
Guest Post about Twitter on PLN Challenge
As I have blogged about before, Edublogs supports a Student Blogging Challenge and Teacher Blogging Challenge which are two excellent forms of free professional development. The current Teacher Blogging Challenge is called “30 Days to a Whole New PLN”. There will be two or three posts each week about setting up, enhancing, and participating in […]
The Power of ClustrMaps
This post marks another milestone on this blog A huge thank you for all your support! More than two years later, I am still enjoying writing this blog more than ever due to the wonderful community of readers and supporters I am a part of. I use ClustrMaps to keep track of visitors both on […]
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 […]
Keeping up with Blogs
I became a proud iPad 2 owner this week and it’s been a steep learning curve to learn as much as I can about my shiny new tool! After getting my iPad I was inspired to work on updating the blogs in my Google Reader. I know I’m not alone in being a little neglectful […]
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Class Mascots
In my class, we adopted a new class mascot at the start of the year called Leo the Lion. The idea of a class mascot is nothing new. In fact, my good friend Linda Yollis has had her class mascot, Panda, for nearly 25 years! The fantastic thing is that now with blogs, class mascots […]
Top 10 Twitter Tips!
Without a doubt, Twitter is my number one form of professional development and I am always recommending it to other educators. I first joined Twitter in early 2009 although I didn’t start using it daily until early 2010. I find Twitter to be a one stop shop to meet like-minded educators. It is a place […]
Two Victorian Conferences
My team teaching partner, Kelly Jordan, and I have been accepted to present at two conferences in Melbourne in May. As many of you know, Kelly and I have been blogging with our primary classes since 2008 and it is something we are passionate about after seeing so many benefits. In our presentations, we plan […]