So Much to Learn...So Little Time

A top 10 minutes

Had one of the best ever meetings today. 10 mins at break time, 3 buttered pancakes and a cup of coffee...BUT. Someone who wanted to hear about some of the stuff I've been doing, who sounded genuinely excited about it and who thought my latest idea (see below) was rather interesting. Thank you Tracey Stewart from she Determined to Succeed...and thanks to Fiona for letting me know she would be in school.

As a result I have now spoken to Louise McDonough from DoBe about the possiblity of providing some content...could be interesting.

TGStv takes off

TGStv has started with a bang.

We have 4 films available for download over on TGSi: Sports Day, Health Fair, P7 Parents Evening and House Assemblies.

Enjoy.

The Gordon Schools Television

...now known forever as TGStv.
What do you think of the logo...just thought it up on the spot now.

So of you may be aware of my adventure into internet radio with school this last session (TGSi.) Although we didn't get as many "listeners" as I would have hoped I thought the quality of broadcast that went out was pretty high. A lot of good work was done by quite a small team. This next session I am looking at moving on from that into the realms of "TV",  or vodcasts to be more precise. I would like to produce a monthly news programme featuring two anchors and reporters reporting from various TGS events on video which then by the miracles of Garageband can simply be turned into a video podcast.
I also want my more senior students to help create resources which can be accessed by the younger ones. I have a secret yet cunning plan to produce a  kind of soap opera which will back up the vocab guides. We shall see.

YO! Maths Raps.

C'mon all you maths teachers, git down with the Mrs Burk groove.

Mrs Burk is one brave American maths teacher. Her maths teaching raps are a stroke of genius. Have a look at this one then check the rest on you favourite video sharing site...Teacher Tube.

Record You Tube Videos for keeps

Ever come across a great video on you tube and thought you'd like to record it for posterity (or for use in classroom when you can't access you tube in school).

Try vixy.

It doesn't seem to work with every video, but I have had some success. But you can covert to AVI for windows, MOV for Mac, MPEG4, MP3.

ECML

Do you know who ECML is and what it does?
I didn't before I was invited to Graz  and I suspect that many of my MFL colleagues in the UK don't know about...kind of like the European Language Portfolio I guess.
 
The European Centre Modern Languages is  a member of the Council of Europe and exists to support teachers of any foreign language in their work.
Download ECMLEnglish.ppt
Their official languages are French and English (yet their base is in Graz, Austria.)

They basically do a heck of a lot of work promoting innovative language teaching stratgies of which the BLOGS project was one.

Essentially I was invited to the final workshop in the life of this project and was their as (in ECML speak) a multiplier...somebody who would go away and promote the values and ideas developed in the project.

In the previous 4 years of this project a blogging platform was developed and then put to use by teachers and pupils throughout Europe. Some put a deal more effort into it than others. It's aim was to promote and evaluate the use of blogs as a way of promoting creative writing in a foreign language.

Much of our work was to study the posts and comments and come up with examples of different types of writing. I have to say at this stage that although the presentations were of an extremely high standard I was a converted blogger before arriving so much of what was said I already knew, believed or was practising. Still it was fantastic to meet and talk to all kinds of foreign language educators and share ideas, concepts and BEER. I still can't believe I was just hanging with folks far higher up the educational food chain than I yet who wanted to listen to what I had to say.

If I have come away from the experience with one thing it is with ideas as to how to use blogs in a different way from that which I am at the moment. I am really interested in trying to develop this as a way to improve my students writing skills. I also want to get more involved in some of this stuff as I found the networking side exceedingly stimulating. It was great that as we were all from different countries with different ways of doing things everyone seemed to concentrate on the positive aspects of their work and not dwell too much on the crap as we often do when we teachers get together.

My next aim to try to take part in one of these celebrated Teach Meets...any chance of coming this far north you guys...maybe one of you will read this.

Rules for Life-especially for pupils

Star post by Ollie Bray.

Just read a great post by Ollie Bray. He gets way more readers than me but I would like to promote what he has said anyway because I think it concerns all educators and we should be passing its message on to each and every one of our pupils. It will shock many of them, but if it changes the way of thinking of one person it has worked.
And it all stems from Bill Gates.
Click here to read post.
But here is the powerpoint he has made up.
Thanks Ollie.

ECML Photos

Here's my photo's from ECML BLOGS Workshop

Why we should learn a foreign language

Here's a couple of good reasons why learning (any) foreign language is a good idea.
Thanks Kees-Jan.

Big Day

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