E-Learning Update
E-Learning UpdateThis is a weekly, online 'newsletter' with news items and resources to support information technology and E-Learning at Qatar AcademyTable of ContentsMay 5, 2009Tools from Visual Thesaurus: VocabGrabber Visual Thesaurus has introduced a new feature on its website called **VocabGrabber**, a tool that intelligently extracts words from any document you're interested in. All you need to do is copy a text and Vocabgrabber will instantly pull out the most useful vocabulary words and show you how those words are used in context. You can sort, filter, and save the lists, and also view Visual Thesaurus wordmaps and definitions. It's a boon for students, teachers, English language learners, or anyone who wants to bring some interactive fun to vocab learning. **Spelling Bee** Think you are a good speller? Get your headphones and take the Visual Thesaurus **Spelling Bee** to find out! March 23rd, 2009Learning with mobile devices will take a giant leap forward this week in the Primary School. We have taken delivery of 125 Lenovo S10 IdeaPad netbooks. 11 Idea Pads will rest in their lockable carts in all ten grade four and five classrooms; ready for anytime 21st century learning opportunities. Students are excited and keen to make use of this device for learning.Looking for some Web 2.0 tools to use with students? Check out the Web2.0 Toolbox Mike and Robyn used as part their recent PD. On the pages you'll find an almost overwhelming choice for presentations, graphing, mapping, digital storytelling, slideshow, audio, video and more. Feeling like a risk taker? Try one a week and share with a colleague. Stuck thinking about how to use a particluar Web 2 application for your classroom learning? Email a Technology Integration Facilitator (TIF) and make some time to plan it, then implement it in your class together. Global Collaborations -- Reaching beyond the classroom walls to collaborate, communication and create with other students around the world.
Creating & Innovating -- Below is a sampling of the digital learning activities currently taking place throughout the school. I'm sure if you visited the class or teacher wiki you'd see some wonderful work.
Congrats to these teachers and their students for their 21st century digital learning!! February 9, 2009eLearning in the classroom is full-on. Grade 9 students from Qatar Academy are joining with fellow students from America, Austria and Canada to explore and respond to Digital Citizenship issues that effect us all. Check out the Digiteen Ning. There is also a private wiki where groups are creating multimedia responses as well as a Diigo bookmarking group. Plans are also underway for Grade 9 students to create personal digital stories as part of their English studies. Meanwhile, Grade 10 students are participating in the first FlatClassroom project for 2009 with students from schools in Germany, Oman, and the USA. Check out the FlatClassroom Ning.Finally, preparations are being finalized for the visit to Qatar Academy of 21st Century Literacy Specialist Kim Cofino next week. A two-day program will explore how 1:1 laptops for learning and 21st Century skills can be embedded into Creating the Future for our students. A Supporting 21st Century Learning wiki is being developed and the Professional Development Program is available. February 2, 2009OK, so we have been too busy to update this e-Learning update.....however there is some remarkable material and evidence of the Flat Classroom Conference activities from last week available on the Flat Classroom Conference Ning. I strongly suggest you read the blog posts of teacher and student reflections and watch the videos (reflections and final team projects). Also, listen to the audio recordings of our sessions with Thomas Friedman and Don Tapscott...these are linked on the Ning from the Music widget!Here is the opening video: November 24, 20081. Please e-mail IT support with any requests you have instead of calling one of our IT support consultants into your room as they pass your door. They have to account for their time and have a set procedure to follow. This is made more difficult for them if requests have not been sent to IT support.2. We hope that everyone got valuable insight from Gary Stager's visit. The link to his website is below and is always updated with new ideas. Items of Interest EdTechConnect is a free webinar series to help teachers integrate media and technology into the classroom. Discovery Education connects you with the experts who will answer your questions and bring you new insights. This is available from United Streaming. For the United Streaming passcode contact your librairan. Go to the following link from eSchool news to see various aticles on lap top programs and how they are being implented in other schools. Lap Top Programs Look at Sylia Martinez's presentation at the k_12 conference on Games in Education Sylvia Martinez - Games in Education November 17th, 2008Important Notices1. Gary Stager is in all week working with staff and sharing best practice teaching with Laptops. There is plenty going on so don't miss the opportunity to get involved. He has plenty of links on his website -- www.stager.org  Gary_Stager_schedule_public.doc2. QF password policy requires you to change yours every 45 days. That anniversary is coming within the next few days:-) Before changing make sure you are connected to the network by WIRE, not wireless. Apparently the process only works smoothly if you are hardwired to the network. Items of Interest1. ISTE's November issue of Leading & Learning is out. There are some great articles to read; highlights include:
2. My technology integration link of the week -- A Change in Attitude: Incorporating Technology into the Classroom Gives Curriculum a Boost - Edutopia,org November 11th, 2008Items of InterestMore from the K12 Online conference. This time its about using video in the classroom. This is a very entertaining presentation by Mathew Needleman with lots of useful tips to help you and your students create better classroom videos. There is also a link to Mathew's Blog and other sites with information about video.Film School for Video Podcasters Useful ResourcesMPEG Streamclip is a great (free) tool to use when converting video clips to other formats. I use it to convert clips to AVI, MPEG, MPEG4, DV and Quicktime among other things. It installs and works very easily on the Mac computers but is a bit more difficult on the Windows machines.VLC Player allows you to play DVDs from any region on your computer, without having to change the region of your machine. Remember you can only change the region of the DVD player in your computer 5 times before it locks. November 3rd, 2008Important Notices Please pick up your laptops this week. All multimedia projectors are being given out this week. QF will mount them sometime in the future. Tech Humor  From "Marty Bucella Cartoons" www.martybucella.com Items of InterestCheck out the K12 Online Conference presentations! An excellent professional development opportunity for all grade levels and interests. Click on the conference schedule to choose a session to watch. CLICK HERE - conference scheduleAn example of the conference sessions is embedded below. This one is by Vicki Davis & Julie Lindsay ..give it a listen when you get a chance. K12 Online Conference 2008 Amplifying Possibilities KICKING IT UP A NOTCH: KEYNOTE Items of Interest http://www.edmodo.com/ - microblogging for education ISTE November Magazine available online http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/Current_Issue/L_L_November.htm (add QA login info again from an earlier elearning update) Or try the NEW digital online version http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200811/ Happenings Teachers teaching teachers (TTT) is happening November 4th, 2008 at American School of Doha. 1pm onwards... Gary Stager, November 16-20, his comprehensive website at http://www.stager.org October 27, 2008Important Notices1. Qatar Academy presents internationally acclaimed 1:1 and constructivist learning specialist, Gary Stager, in residence for a week, November 16-20. During this time Gary will work with teachers across the Primary and Senior schools. The focus of this program is on 21st century learning, information literacy and the integration of a 1:1 mobile computing environment.In addition Gary will deliver a keynote address in the school Auditorium on Sunday November 16, 5:30-7:00, "Ten Things to Do with a Laptop - Learning and Powerful Ideas." followed by a Panel session - "What does good teaching with computers look like?" Parents and interested community members are invited to attend. Seating is limited and bookings are encouraged to ensure a place. More information about Gary Stager can be found on his comprehensive website at http://www.stager.org October 20, 2008Important Notices1. All old hardware is coming out of classrooms and offices by the end of this week. Please contact IT Support if you need help with printer configuration etc for your new laptop.2. 21st Century Learners PD group starts this Thursday - Thank you to everyone who has put up their hand to spend time outside of normal hours to take that extra step into shifting their practice into embracing Web 2.0 tools and constructivist strategies. I have started a wiki where our meetings will be documented. I welcome your input to this. First meeting Thursday October 23, 2.30 for 3.00 QA Senior School. Items of Interest1. K12 Online Conference starts today!! This is a FREE, ongoing conference titles "Amplifying the Possibilities". There are 4 or keynote sessions, including the already released Pre-Conference Keynote by Stephen Heppell (UK). Over the next 2 weeks 4 sessions will added every day, free for you to download and view. Luve events in the form of "fireside chats" and a culminating "When Night Falls" event will be announced. See the conference schedule for full details.2. iEARN - International Education and Resource Network - Great resource for global projects. See the new wiki resource about iEARN Qatar. October 13, 2008Important Notices1. All laptops for teachers will be ready for distribution by the end of this week. Don't forget the procedure is to borrow the device from the SS Library then take it to the IT Support desk for final configuration. Please also note the Laptop Users Agreement needs to be updated with specific information. Here is a copy you can download and fill in again: Teacher_Mobile_Laptop_October08_03.doc2. IT Support Office opening hours
More information on this handout:  21st Century Learners.docx5. QA Online PD: We are trying to develop online resources and tutorials that all staff can take advantage of. So far the Online PD wiki is looking a little empty. What would you like to see there? Contact your friendly TIF with suggestions. Items of Interest1. 21st Century Classrooms: What's the Look and Feel?
3. GSpace - http://www.getgspace.com/ Gspace provides FREE Online Storage to access your files everywhere. Gspace turns the 2GB of your Gmail account into free online storage. With Gspace you can manage unlimited Gmail accounts to store all type of files within its simple, user friendly interface. Listen your favourite stored music directly from your Gspace, view your collections of pictures and manage your Gdrive files as well. Download Gspace now and transfer files between your computer and Gspace at anytime, from everywhere! September 21st, 2008Important Notices1. Hardware update: The Tablet Laptops are being readied for deployment and the Dell XPS's arrived at the school this week. IT support is working hard to get these imaged and ready to go out to staff within the next few weeks. You continued patience is appreciated; and if all goes well perhaps some will be ready by the Eid break:-)2. The Primary school has been going WIKI WILD -- every teaching classroom and subject area have a wiki page and the majority have had initial content and welcomes to the school year added. The goal for the Primary School is to have all pages up and started before the Eid break. 3. Thanks to Lara and Abdulhameed for finishing the re-imaging job on the computers in the two Primary School computer rooms. Both computer rooms are now fully functional and ready for students. Most classrooms from P3 to G5 have had the student laptops installed and configured; only a few more to go. We are almost there! 4. Contact IT Support via email:itsupport@qf.org.qa or Tel: 454 0070. The drop in support office is open in the senior School for all students and staff before school and during breaks. Any other times are by prior arrangement. Items of Interest1. Volunteers to present workshops at the Qatar Reading Association (QRA) Teachers Teaching Teachers event in October! T he QRA is a professional organization that was established in Doha in 1999. The QRA strives to promote literacy education, to further professional development and to provide interaction among teachers in Doha. 2. Computers in sc hools have the power to enhance the classroom experience for both students and teachers. But the benefits can easily be lost to distractive elements such as games, instant messaging, and web surfing. Read this eBook for strategies on how to minimi ze distractions and maximize the educational pot ential of your digital cl assroom. To view this ebook you will need to register with your email. Classroom Management in the Digital Age3.  Web 2.0 tools play an increasingly important role in everyday life. Not only are people more connected, but they have more opportunities to find information, share ideas and be creative than ever before. Most educators who use some of the new, free, online tools to accomplish tasks find rich rewards. Yet many others are curious about how the tools work, and even more, what exactly they can do with them in the classroom to help their students learn. This eBook is designed to explore the reasons for using the most popular Web 2.0 tools and guide you as you explore the read/write Web on your own. To view this ebook you will need to register with your email. Web 2.0:from Curious to CompetentSeptember 15, 2008Important Notices1. Hardware update: Most projector mounts have been installed around the school now. The next step is to have the digital projectors put on them! If there are any issues with this please let IT Support know.2. Our IT Support team has now standardized to include Jyothi, Lara and Abdulhameed. Mahmoud is not on QA campus anymore. Please note the way to contact IT Support is via email: itsupport@qf.org.qa or Tel: 454 0070. Also, the drop in support office is open in the senior school for all students and staff before school, and during breaks. Any other times are by prior arrangement. Items of Interest1. TUSQA Award (Technology User Star at Qatar Academy) this week goes to Munira Shaikh in the SS Science Dept, in recognition of her efforts to trial United Streaming, the digitak video-on-demand and online teaching service. For details on United Streaming contact Munira or Sudha (SS LIbrary)2. A quick reminder about the K12 Online Conference coming up in less than a month. The organisers released the publicity flyer. So, I invite you to open, print and post this around your school. 3. iPods in the Classroom This one came from the ISTE SIGHC bulletin. It is a research paper detailing the use of iPods as a model project for 'innovative and engaging languyage instruction'. The iPod Project: A Mobile and Mini Lab reveals some interesting statistics about the rise in motivation, amongst other things, when using iPods for learning. 4. Don't forget to read the great articles in the September/October edition of ISTE's Learning and Leading with Technology. Here are some teasers for you: (but don't forget to login with Username: bstubbs@qf.org.qa Password: dohaqatar)
September 8, 2008Important Notices1. Using Wikis in EducationAs the year progresses there will be a variety of guidelines and policies available to provide scaffolding for teacher and student use of technology and online learning. We have already the Laptop Agreement for teachers - Teacher_Mobile_Laptop_May08.docx and are working on a use of laptops for classrooms document. This week however we release the 'Using Wikis in Education' guidelines for teachers and students at Qatar Academy, found on the Policies and Guidelines wiki. Read this carefully as it outlines best-practice and expected use of wikis across all levels of the school.2. Get FIT now! in other words, Get Fired up through Information Technology
Notices of Interest1. Laptops for Schools e-Book - Many of you will find this interesting. It details how other schools are implementing the Intel-powered Classmate PC. Lots of good examples and ideas to help move us forward with our 1:1 program here at QA.2. Young Minds, Digital Times - An inaugural film competition open to all students from Grade 6-12. There are rules and prizes and opportunities for budding film makers. Take a closer look and encourage our students to participate! 3. ISTE Community Ning - ISTE released their community Ning last week. Another great way to connect with other educational technology teachers and leaders. 4. Simply Books - See what Judy O'Connell, 'Hey Jude', in Sydney, Australia is doing for her school with this new reading and literacy initiative. 5. Voicethread tutorial - Are you using Voicethread or about to?? This is a great tutorial created by Miguel Ghulin. As a TIF for more help!! September 1, 2008Important Notices1. Laptops and teacher responsibilityPlease be reminded that ALL teachers and are responsible for the safety and security of mobile computing devices used at Qatar Academy. There are 2 main categories of laptops in the school now for which ALL teachers need to be aware of their responsibility:
2. New IT Offices and IT Support drop-in center
3. Password changes – please note these requirements for all users and network ID Passwords (this is a Qatar Foundation stipulation) Recommendations and Advice Users will be prompted to change their passwords. It is important to follow the requirements below to successfully change your password:
4.Chancery – Please note that ALL problems and questions regarding Chancery are to be channeled through our new Software Specialist, Rami Samha. He can be contacted via email rsamha@qf.org.qa and has an office in the New IT Support area (former Islamic corridor, Directors office). Notices of Interest1. We encourage all staff to access the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) online journal. Lots of great resources and articles to download.
2. Orientation week Professional Development
3. We have been talking about the E-Learning for Life Ning, an educational network. If you are not a member of the Ning yet, come on in and get your feet wet. This is for teachers only, not students, and has international membership as well. For example you could join the Mac Users Group, or the Blogging for Learning Group and post resources and send message to these interested people. 4. Get FIT now! in other words, Get Fired up through Information Technology
These sessions are on a 'drop in' basis and provide opportunities for teachers to ask questions, share resources etc. There will be some theme sessions coming as well eg using digital cameras, starting your blog etc.....The IMPORTANT thing is to let us know WHAT YOU WANT! |
