The+journey+begins...

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__Term 2 Week 1:__  On Monday I spent some time showing my class how to use their user name and password to log into Knowledge net. They will use this for Reading and Maths time to use the websites I have selected for each group based on ability and goals. We also revisited using the basic Kid-pix tools and saving the work in their folder. Children will use this programme at Writing and Reading. Each day 1 group draws a picture, writes their story and saves it into their folder. We used the things we had learned again on Tuesday. At Reading children used PM Readers on the computer. On Wednesday, children used the bookmark bar to open our class blog. Children look/listen to videos on our blog. On Thursday we did some videoing of one of our shared books using masks children had coloured in last term.

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__Week 2:__  This week the children used the Smart Board to do activities on our class page, PM readers, Kid-pix to illustrate response to big book, and the class blog in our Reading programme. Children also took turns to write their story in Kid-pix at Writing. Each day a different group got a turn. Children use the bookmarks bar to open our class blog and Vocaroo. The class blog is used as a listening post activity and Vocaroo is used to record their reading. Children have become very confident in saving their work in their folder. They are very supportive of each other. They also practiced using their username and password to log into our class page to use the activities. Children were excited to learn how to take screen shots and some of them used the skill when they had completed their kid-pix picture. We started a recording in Garageband but it is still incomplete.

Some of the pictures that show a healthy diet for Greedy Cat:
 * = [[image:AS.png width="213" height="163" align="center"]] ||= [[image:EK.png width="213" height="163" align="center"]] ||= [[image:JC.png width="215" height="165"]] ||= [[image:SH.png width="210" height="158"]] ||
 * = [[image:EW.png width="214" height="163" align="center"]] ||= [[image:JK.png width="212" height="161" align="center"]] ||= [[image:TM.png width="215" height="160"]] ||= [[image:BTh.png width="217" height="163"]] ||

Here are the comments from kids about using computers. [|We like Computers]

 Week 3:  This week we did some recording in Garageband and inserted pictures made in Kid-pix. We had a Reading lesson with no ICT and this was observed by a peer. Here is what was recorded. The children had lost engagement within 6-10 minutes of the lesson that had matching cards activity, sight words and board games. [|Peer Observation]

Week 4/5/6 We continued to do all the above. We made podcasts as a class using Garageband and Kid-pix slideshow. By the end of Week 6 four children made a Kid-pix slideshow independently. What was exciting to see was the enthusiasm of these children. They simply wanted to reach the end to see what their "movie" would look like. 2 of them came back at playtime and said they wanted to complete their work. The recording took some time as the children had to practice their words and they are my early readers apart from 1 who can read anything. They wanted it to be perfect and I gave them the option to choose to re-record. I did get some help from my DP who offered to complete the recording for us with the children.Here is a link to 1 of the 1st slide shows in kid-pix which they then exported to ipod format. <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">[|Rabbit and Frog] In week 5 we had lots of comments on our blog and the number of visitors is growing. We have a senior class from our school that visits our blog during Literacy and sometime posts comments.

<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">__Week 7 and 8:__ The group of 5 children started to plan their story retell during Reading in Week 7. This was included in their Reading tumble and were given some time on Friday. They created the slide show in Week 8. They were unable to record as it was a short week and I out of class too. I was happy with the outcome. The children tried hard at making sure they typed out their story carefully. Each time they started working on it they did not want to stop. On Friday we borrowed laptops and created a picture to respond to our shared book 'Don't you laugh at me!' We made a slide show without voice over with the pictures. The children chose their transition. <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> In week 8 I worked with a group of 5 to create a podcast in GarageBand. I did this in my ICT release time. I chose one of my children who finds lots of things hard in the classroom and has speech problems. When we did the recording he tried his best to read his story clearly. I was so impressed by him. They all supported each other and reminded each other what to do. We used images of their weekend news and they read their little stories. On Friday we borrowed laptops and each created a picture in Kid-pix in response to our shared book. Children saved their work, took screenshots of their picture and named it on the desk-top. We will use our ICT skills time next week to make a podcast. I will let the 5 children do it with the whole class.

<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;">__Week 9:__ This week we were lucky to have The Apple Bus tour and Suzie Vesper visit our class. I say "Lucky" because it gave the kids another opportunity to showcase their work to an audience. They shared their slideshows and podcasts. They talked about how they created these. They answered questions the visitors asked them and were excited to talk about their learning.
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__<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Week 10/11: __ <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Some samples of using Kid-pix during Story Writing:

<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Some work the children have created using GarageBand. <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> AS's Retell <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">media type="custom" key="6666661"

<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">EK's Retell <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> media type="custom" key="6666659"

<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">JK's retell media type="custom" key="6666655"

<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">BTu's retell <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">media type="custom" key="6666651"

<span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">What did the kids achieve at the end of Term 2?
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">All kids are able to log into K-net using username and password
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Most kids can log into the computer and keep the eps junior folder ready for use on the desktop
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">All children are able to save in their folders and most are able to look for their work in the folders
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Mouse skills and key board skills have improved and so has the recognition of letters of the alphabet
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">7 out of 12 (1 child has left) can confidently create a basic podcast independently
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">5 can confidently create a Kid-pix slideshow independently
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Oral language has improved, children are aware of using expressions when reading
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Children are able to talk about what they have read and answer questions
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">All children have moved Reading levels

__Term 3 Week 1__ This week I introduced the kids to Art Rage. I showed them the basic tools and asked them to discover for themselves. Our Eastnet Cluster had an expo this week when teachers in the cluster presented workshops. My workshop was how to use GarageBand to create a podcast. I had 2 children from my class that demonstrated how this is done. I received lots of positive feedback and most teachers said that they found the use of children for the presentation very powerful and would use podcasting in their Literacy programme. __Week 2/3:__ Children found Art Rage very difficult and I did not see much of them even trying. Instead they used GarageBand and Photo Booth. I noticed that my Reading Programme was very noisy as children used the other activities instead of a structured computer activity. In about 3 minutes children started arguing or throwing the cards around. I was surprised to see my kids unengaged for most part of the lesson. I talked to them about it and someone said that they were not getting to use computers and so it was boring. When I asked who agreed with that, all hands went up. They said they liked it when they knew what to do with GarageBand or Kid-pix instead of just playing around with Art Rage. Honestly I find Art rage difficult, I guess because I am not confident with Art. We were fortunate enough to have BJ (our ICT facilitator) come to our class and demonstrate how to make a glog in Glogster. The kids were excited about creating posters using the easy tools in Glogster. They also uploaded their recording and photo. We encountered some internet problems and so only 3 kids were able to complete their posters. On Friday the 3 children supported the others and soon all the posters were ready. Here are some examples: media type="custom" key="6703037" width="40" height="40" media type="custom" key="6702967" width="40" height="40" media type="custom" key="6669219" width="40" height="40"

__Week 4-8:__ The kids have continued to use Kid-Pix, Kid-Pix slideshow and GarageBand podcast in our Literacy programme. More children have learned to do this. The 'more experienced' kids rush to help/support other children and new ones. They are advised to tell kids what to do, not do it for them. The Reading programme is busy with children engaged. We have used some Fridays to complete slideshows as I have been out of class quite a bit and children have no access to computers when I am out of class. We have had less time for children to plan their retell, but they are able to talk about the story now and create their slides directly. I still edit their work. Children have worked to create group slide shows with a leader who gives each child a turn when it is their slide to add the transition and recording. I have had positive feedback from parents that visited on our Celebration of Learning Day and saw the children working in groups to complete the recording. Children had an opportunity to share their slide shows/podcast with the Principal for a Day. We have tried to use FotoBabble this term and children have found this really easy to do. We have mostly used it to record our published stories. I am trying to get a group of kids to use it independently. <span style="background-color: #fbfda5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;"> media type="custom" key="6916881" width="80" height="80" align="left"

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__Some collaborative Retells:__

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