So Much to Learn...So Little Time

GLOW - it's champion (and so am I)

It's official, I've been chosen (everyone else interested seemed to
drop out when they heard I was interested!!!!) as our Glow Champion,
and with reservations I'm really quite excited. (Reservations being
that it appears to be a lackey to the mentor without the laptop.) I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on what has up until now been an amorphous idea which seems rather appealing to me.
The whole concept of what is essentially an intranet for every school in a country just seems to make sense, and this idea has been summed up nicely in this article from the Herald.

Why US Is In Awe Of Our Get Up And Glow (from The Herald )

"If you were operating an organisation of 100
different offices around the country, you wouldn't allow each to make
its own decision about what hardware and software they use."

Multinational businesses operate intranets, why not education.

As my loyal reader(s) know I attended a sharing seminar about GLOW last week and met a bunch of very like minded teachers, every one of whom was committed to GLOW and what its potential is and to what it can mean to Scottish education. Jaye Richards, who was also there and who has done stirling (sorry about the pun) work with GLOW in her classes quoted a post from Neil Winton back in 2007 which sums up what is slowly but surely happening:

“I sat in the room watching the demo and realised that there is no
going back — that Scotland’s education system is committed to a radical
shake-up in the way it develops and delivers learning”.

A seismic change is happening in our education system: A Curriculum for Excellence, GLOW, potential massive changes in the assessment system. I see GLOW as integral to this. It should have the potential to change the way every single teacher in Scotland works, for the better and it is incumbent on every single teacher in Scotland to assess what it can bring to their practice. Obviously there are going to be problems. Not everything promised will work, but does everything work now? Until things improve we make the best of what we can.

It actually feels a bit weird writing this not having even mucked around on GLOW, but I can quite simply see what benefits something like this can bring:

GLOW Learn: sharing resources, creating assessments, constructing courses

GLOW Groups: online communities of educators in similar sectors / subject areas or cross-curricular groups, whatever you want.

GLOW Meet: web conferencing facility...it can work, I ahve seen it in action. Even if not in the classroom this kind of technology should save LA's money by cutting down the need to travel to meetings.

As a GLOW champ I am 100% certain that I am going to have to face up to similar kinds of comments that appeared on Ewans post related to the animoto we put together in Stirling but any kind of change brings about resistance and I would hope that slowly but surely I can help wear it down.

CPD, Collaboration, Sharing Success and F2F...and a World Record to Boot.

It's been quite a hectic week with regard to CPD; I've attended 2 events and got quite a lot from both and both of which I have kind of blogged about already, but I had more to say on both.

Firstly I attended Aberdeenshire Council's Motivating Learners CPD event. Although I was presenting (see here) I also got to have a look around and attend the Keynotes. This provided me with a great opportunity to meet Louise from Do.Be.Ltd with whom I have had contact off and on for a while. It was great to meet her and Steven and discuss how we could be mutually helpful. I'm going to update some of my vocab guide podcasts and make them available fro her Do.Be subscribers. I'm also hoping to get a set of Learn.It's to try out their potential in raising students vocabulary knowledge levels.

Tim Rylands was the first keynote of the day, talking about the work he has done using the game Myst to improve kids writing skills. I have to say it was very impressive and I can see it's potential in languages, especially using the backgrounds to work on descriptive skills in the target language. Read and watch what pupils and teachers in Aberdeenshire have had to say about how it was used. Very interesting. HOWEVER it does seem to me that a project such as this was far more amenable to the primary curriculum, where one teacher is with the class all the time and project work is far more the norm.
Something like this should be the sort of thing that ACfE should lead to in secondary schools. Imagine new S1 students undertaking a Myst based project across their whole timetable for the first term. This ensure, hopefully and equality of experience maybe ease the transition, and enhance the getting to know you process in a new school. For example in English it could be used to work on creative writing skills; in MFL pupils could work on expanding their basic vocabulary by describing game characters and creating potential new ones; social subjects could look at the history / geography of the game worlds etc. etc.

After a morning / afternoon of seminars lead by teachers from all over the 'shire the 2nd Keynote was from Derek Robertson of consolarium (and BBC Breakfast "snake oil".) Again he was a very persuasive presenter and much of the work he is leading is bearing great fruit. However, (again), I wondered about how games could aid language learning...commercially available games that is. I had a go on a Nintendo DS with a language training game in it (I've forgotten the name now) and although it was fun, it demanded a lot of prior knowledge even at the lowest level. I would like to see a game which could start from a basic level and help students work on the particular vocab being used in class. I'm not fully sure how Guitar Hero could be used in a languages class...unless of course the "band" were planning a European tour and needed appropriate language. "Paris...je t'aime."

After a brief respite at school on Monday I headed off to Stirling Management Centre, for a GLOW outreach event which aimed at sharing examples of success in using glow and meeting up with people with a view to forging future collaborations. I have to admit to being totally in the dark as to why I was invited, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and have come away with a far better idea what glow is all about and what we can (hopefully) end up doing with it.

What was really great was meeting lots of teachers who were enthusiastic about what should be a ground breaking project. Glow is in my mind totally linked with ACfE as it could, if used appropriately, be used to help students satisfy the the for capacities of ACfE. BUT not really having had a play with it yet I don't fully know what it is going to be to me.

Over the last few days I also got to meet some folk who I'd only ever run into via the blogosphere: Iain Stainger, Caroline Gibson and Louise (DoBe.) Nice to meet you.

Finally I was allowed to lead the delegates in taking part of the Global Campaign for Education's World's Biggest Lesson record attempt which also gave us a brilliant opportunity to see how thw GLOW web conferencing package, GlowMeet would work. Guess what, it worked brilliantly. Even though we were only spread over 3 rooms participants were able to see in real time comments being made via the chat facility or over the whiteboard. Fascinating.

So now I am thoroughly knackered.

What is Glow via animoto

I'm really quite a lucky boy. Having just got back to work the boss told me I'd been picked to attend a GLOW conference at the Stirling management centre for 2 whole days. Ok it meant me getting the train at 6.20 yesterday morning, but at least I got a chance to write my reports.
Anyway this conference is about sharing people's experiences with GLOW. But you haven't used it, Adam, it's not in school yet? True, but I now have a very good idea about what it is and what it might be able to do...more later.
Yesterday afternoon we were tasked in groups to come up with an ad for GLOW. Our wee group decided to use animoto, especially having just received an educators code giving free access to make full length videos (Leave a comment with your email and I'll share it or alternatively email [email protected].)
We used screenshots from colleagues glow pages (thanks to Caroline and Theresa) plus some GLOW images from the glow team's presentations, plus some photos taken on the day (and evening.) We recorded vox pops to the question "What is Glow?" and composed some music garageband. Uploaded it all to animoto..et voila.

And here's a second version just using animoto tracks

Technorati Tags: glowscotland, animoto

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Motivating learners - Embracing New Technologies for Learning

On Saturday 19th April Aberdeenshire Council's Education, Learning and Leisure Department hosted a CPD event at Meldrum Academy, called Motivating Learners - Embracing New Technologies for Learning.
The idea behind the event was for teachers to acquaint themselves or update their knowledge of the new technologies that are available out there with the potential to enhance teaching.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to present a seminar. My focus was Blogs and Podcasts. I would have liked to be able to host a hands-on session taking teachers through the recording of a podcast, but that wasn't a possibility with the available facilities so basically I looked at reasons for both students and teachers to blog, reasons to incorporate podcasting in the classroom, some resources available to make podcasts and finally examples of podcasts / vodcasts produced by myself and/or my students.

Unfortunately due to the time limits I was unable to show the delegates who came to my presentation the examples of blogs I'd hyperlinked into my presentation. With that in mind for those who attended and any of my readers here is the pdf file.

Free Your Mind and Your Class Will Follow

Alternatively here's the slideshare embed.

| View | Upload your own

 

Blogs and Podcasts - Free Your Mind and Your Class Will Follow

Exams, Revision, Stress...Help is at hand

National Qualifications Online - Exam preparation

Those fine people at LTScotland have collated a selection of resources intended to help this years cohort of NQ candidates prepare for their exams. Also useful I would suspect for us teachers and parents.

It includes a Exam Guide 2008 produced by the Sunday Herald, although having just looked at it there is no specific guide for Languages...why not!!! The Herald itself has a couple of podcasts available to download, which give tips and advice on how to approach exams.

Exam Guide 1

Exam Guide 2

There is also a link to the SQA Exam timetable, where you can access your Personal Timetable Builder.

You now finally download past papers from the SQA as well. Only last years for the moment, but this will obviously increase year on year.

There is also a section on Study Skills under 4 headings, Do, Get, Remember and Understand.

Well done LTScotland, there are some very useful resources here.

Photo: Stress-O-Meter-Week 2, by Georgiesharp


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Docstoc - Embed Documents on your Blog

Docstoc.com

Just the other day I was wondering whether it would be possible to embed documents on my school's Connecting Classrooms wiki, rather than uploading and taking up precious storage space. At the time I couldn't find anything.
Then thanks to Cool Cat Teacher I fell upon Docstoc.

Docstoc.com – free legal forms and business templates via kwout

You can use Docstoc to embed any .doc, .pdf, .xls, .ppt into any website which will allow embed codes. You can also change the settings of the embed. It's also free to sign up and all you really need is a username a password and and email address.

I know you can embed presentations and spreadsheets from google docs but I couldn't see whether you embed word documents, so this was a great find.

Click here to see how I it looks in my partnership's wiki.

And here's one I made earlier...a questionaire for my students at school, to see how they use the web.

Teen Net Use Survey - Get more documents

Technorati Tags: docstoc

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The Next Failed African State

Another African state is going the way of Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, Yoweri Museveni's Ugandaand Idriss Deby's Chad et al. Cameroon, my second home is about to become an absolute monarchy. Paul Biya, autocrat, dictator and general abuser of human rights has, along with his cronies sorry fellow "elected representatives", decided that 25 years in power is simply not enough...he needs more. In other words he has not yet amassed enough of a personal fortune off the backs of the Cameroonian people and the naive donors who throw money at him to improve the life of the people.

There are many that say he has been a force for good in Cameroon; a country "invented" its former colonisers (UK, France and Germany) and one with around 250 different tribal groups and languages. People say Biya has done a great job in maintaining the peace in such an ethnic mix, not too difficult a job if you beat, imprison and generally punish people with impunity. I have a theory on this. It is not that Biya has kept the peace, but that there are so many different ethnicities that no groups can form a large enough alliance to challenge the hegemony. The only reall opposition to the power of the RDPC is the SDF, a primarily Anglophone political party, which due to the geopolitical divide of the country can never hope to gain enough support to seriously challenge. (Out of the 10 provinces 8 are francophone and only 2 anglophone)

In typical Cameroonian style, MPs were paid by the RDPC to encourage them to approve the necessary changes in the constitution. (I am surprised that this was necessary given that over half of Biya's cabinet are members of his own Beti tribe.)This bill which was passed on Thursday not only gets rids of limits to presidential terms but grants total immunity to the president for any acts committed during his term(s) of office.The problem here is that the political elite in Cameroon live a life of luxury far beyond the dreams and imaginations of ordinary Cameroonians; their lifestyles fuelled by extraordinary levels of corruption. (When I went to Cameroon with VSO in 2000, Cameroon was rated, by Transparency International, as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.) They are an elite completely out of touch with the populace.

Not so long ago I blogged about the disturbances which had hit Cameroon, ostensibly against rising food prices. Prices are still rising, and coupled with this destruction of democracy, Cameroon is on the edge. The miltary are apparently everywhere, rounding up groups of youths and imprisoning them. After the disturbances there were reports of corpses floating down the Wouri (Douala's river). Now, despite a return to relative calm, one of Cameroon's more outspoken singers has been arrested for using "strong terms" and thus inciting February's riots in his latest song "La Constitution Constipée."

In one of the few reports I could find by the western media, Radio Netherlands reports that corpses are being held to cover up the real number of people killed during the riots and that people were forbidden to mention that their relative had been killed by bullets.

Here is Eric Beauchemin's report:

All this is going on whilst as per usual the EU, the Commonwealth, USA and the African Union stand by saying nothing and doing even less. Does Africa want another Zimbabwe because that is what will happen unless something is done. Obviously it would be better if change came from within; if despite all the persecution, that at the next presidential elections Biya finds himself out voted anyway...a nice dream for Cameroonians.

Further reading:

Friends of Cameroon» Blog Archive » Cameroon’s descent: Central Africa cannot afford another failed state - but it may get one nonetheless

Index on Censorship » Cameroon singer arrested

"Climate of terror" in Cameroon - Radio Netherlands Worldwide - English

allAfrica.com: Cameroon: Constitution Amendment Bill - Paving Cameroon's Road to Hell (Page 1 of 1)

Cameroon's Final Descent into Absolute Kleptocracy - OhmyNews International

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Cameroon makes way for a king

::Camer - Cameroun ,l'information claire et nette ::

Jeuneafrique.com : Soupçonné d'être l'instigateur des émeutes au Cameroun, le chanteur Lapiro de Mbanga a été jeté en prison

AFP: Au Cameroun, l'opposition en colère contre le "coup d'Etat constitutionnel"

> WWW.ICICEMAC.COM --> Premier réseau de la zone cemac >>>

Technorati Tags: cameroon, paulbiya, democracy

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Listening for Pleasure

Conte-moi la francophonie : Fiche pédagogique

Thanks to the Modern Languages Blog at LTScotland for bringing this site to my attention. I've been looking for something like this for quite some time, ever since a Scottish CILT outreach in Elgin last year in fact.

As language teachers we try to teach the skill of listening in almost every lesson, and this usually take the form of some kind of exercise with students trying to answer questions in one shape or form. It is rare that we actually get a chance to allow kids to listen to something in the target language simply for the pleasure of it...my apologies to those colleagues to whom this generalisation does not apply.

The tales on this website come from 4 francophone countries, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and Haiti and they include stories about why horses don't speak, and how the lion became king. As is traditional in most African tales animals play a huge role. The objectives of this site are not only to preserve in a modern format the oral tradition of story telling prevalent in ancient African societies, but also to aid the development of language skills through the stories.

The site provides written transcripts of the tale in French along with high quality recordings in French, and for some tales in a tribal language, eg Bambara or Seereer. Thus exposing students not only to stories from around the world in French but also in the languages in which they were originally told. What better way to allow kids an insight into the culture of countries which some may never even have heard of.

Each tale also comes with a "fiche pédagogique" to help teachers use this resource in class. On first view these lesson plans are aimed more at French lessons in francophone countries rather than modern language lessons here in the UK, but I am sure the ideas could be adapted. However what is wrong with simply allowing students to listen to these tales, and with the judicious help of some vocabulary items, try to understand them and talk about them afterwards. This would expose pupils to more French and not only the french French of text book resources, but also the French of francophone Africa (and Haiti) which has an entirely different rhythm and timbre.

With exams on the horizon I've been trying to encourage my fourth years to simply listen to as much French as possible, without necessarily doing any related exercises, mainly to get their ear a-tuned. With this wonderful thing called the web there are so many opportunities: widgets enabling you to listen to 20+ French speaking radio stations, podcasts galore, web tv including TV5, all can be used to enhance listening skills.

Photo credit: The Earth is Listening, by elmada

Technorati Tags: listening, french, teaching, learning, globaleducation,

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Brain Training for Languages

Game Announce: Learn Foreign Languages On Your DS

So the gaming in education craze is hitting languages. Now I am not a fan of gaming per se. For one I am utterly useless and secondly the word gaming brings up images of those killing and car jacking games that all my students talk about. BUT I am prepared to open my mind and think about the uses of appropriate games to aid in the teaching and learning of languages. Having watched Derek Robertson of LTScotland on the BBC (thanks to Ewan's handy recording) I was rather impressed by the work that is going on via Consularium.

On first thoughts something like this could be an excellent way of acquiring vocab, especially if you could set the game to work on vocab pertaining to a specific topic. I wouldn't be averse to trying out this kind of thing for say 5-10 minutes at the beginning of each lesson or every other lesson. Plus it appears the games are being developed with Berlitz, therefore there will be some serious language learning content...I would hope.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not advocating that this kind of approach should over take teacher based language teaching, but it could be an enjoyable yet useful addition to a teachers tool box. (Nightmare for security though...count them in and count them back...)

Virgin and Berlitz are planning a series of games (going under the title of Mind Your Language with Spanish and English being the first releases (due this summer) and French, German and Japanese to follow in autumn.






It will be interesting to see whether these games have a similar sort of impact on the general populace as the Brain Training games have had.

By the way if you get to read this Derek, I'd be prepared to trial these games in my class if you wanted to set up a project...


Learn Another Language On Your Nintendo DS ~ Game Invasion

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendods, mindyourlanguage, derekrobertson, gaming, consolarium

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The Penalty of Absence

I am slowly discovering the extent to which some of my classes have suffered during my absence over the last 4+ months...quite shocking really, but I won't go into details except to say that despite having a French supply teacher for some of the time one of my students told me that they had learned more in the 40 minutes we did today than in the whole time I was off. Very, very scary.

Anyway most of them are sick to death of worksheets, dictionary exercises and vocabulary exercise booklets. TIME FOR SOME CREATIVITY METHINKS.

My S2's are the main beneficiaries as they seem to have suffered the most. In collaboration with my S4 class my S2 French class are going to produce short films to illustrate the vocab found in each of the first 3 units in S1. S4 have already written the scripts and I've split my second year class into groups to plan the work. To set the ball rolling I showed them this wee presentation I cribbed from CBBC's How to Make a Movie guide.




They are now tasked to storyboard the script.I got hold of a blank storyboard here. I'm looking forward to see what they come up with.




Technorati Tags: filmmaking

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