HPS Tech News 2013 (No 5)
11/7/13
Welcome!
I hope you've had a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday break! This tech news edition, amongst other things, will showcase the ICT projects that were published on our Intranet and shared on our school blogs and website last term. As we trial our new English units this term, and write our units for next year, you may find a multimodal/digital tool that was used with success last term that will complement your unit beautifully.
KB
Two of KB's RFF Term 2 projects were shared on our last Tech News flyer: their 'Keeping Safe at School' iMovie trailer and their 'Road Safety' iMovie using the Puppet Pals app. KB also used the WordFoto app to create this presentation below on 'Stop, Look, Listen and Think'. (Shared using Kizoa).
1H
1H as part of their COGs unit 'Our Place', wrote about their favourite place at school. They also took photos and used the Instaframe app on the iPad to create a fantastic collage. Thanks Barbara and 1H!
2D
2D as part of their literacy unit, painted and wrote descriptions of their night zoo animals. They used the Educreations app on the iPad to take a photo of their painting and record their descriptions.
2D also created a fabulous 'Three Little Pigs' movie using Smart Notebook. Jen set up the characters on the IWB ready for the children to record their parts of the story with a microphone attached to the IWB. Thanks Jen and 2D!
3J and 3M
In RFF as part of their COGs unit 'Products, Services and Systems', 3J and 3M used Keynote (on our computers) to create digital stories on the story of eggs, wheat and milk from the farm to the consumer. Their Keynotes were saved as movie files and published on their sites on the Intranet. They were shared on the school website and blogs using Vimeo.
3/4H and 4S
In RFF 3/4H and 4S as part of their COGs unit 'Working Together', worked through the TALE activity 'Neighbourhood Charter'. Students then created their own charters for Helensburgh using Comic Life (on our computers). They were published on their sites on the Intranet and shared on the school website and blogs using Youblisher.
5S, 5T, 6C and 6M
In RFF Stage 3 students researched Canberra and celebrated its centenary as part of their COGs unit 'Making Informed Choices'. They created glogs on Canberra using the Glogster EDU site.
5S Glogs:
5T Glogs:
6C Glogs:
6M Glogs
This iMovie was also created to present Year 6 students' reflections on their trip to Canberra last year. This iMovie was then linked on all of the students' glogs.
What Did Year 6 Enjoy In Canberra?
Australian Curriculum/NSW English Syllabus News
Please keep checking our Australian Curriculum Resources page as new links are being added all the time. Celia has recommended this ACMI site below for helping us create multimodal/digital texts.
The favourites I keep coming back to include the sites listed below; the ABC Splash site, English for the Australian Curriculum site and the Literacy Shed. What sites are you finding useful?
Staff Picks
Margaret has recommended visiting this Pinterest; there are lots of great sites pinned here. A warning though . . . once you enter Pinterest, it may be hours before you leave! Grab a cuppa and something to eat!
Blog News
I hope you have all checked out our newest school blog; Celia's fantastic 'HPS Environment Matters'. It's well worth a look to find out what's happening at our school in terms of environmental programs. I'm sure Celia would love some comments too!
Book Week Resources
It's book week this term and the excitement is building, so please visit the links shown below! Visit our 'Library' links page and in particular the 'Book Week 2013' resource page as new resources are being added here all the time. Since this year's theme is 'Read Across the Universe' you may also find something useful on our 'Solar System' resource page.
Thanks To . . .
Our Australian Curriculum training team - Tracey, Meg and Leanne for all the work they have done, and continue to do, as we travel on this learning journey together. Thanks also to Jen who has set up all the Google docs to allow us to work collaboratively.
Some Extra Reading . . .
Please check out Edudemic's teacher guides on a variety of subjects.
And Viewing . . .
A Story About Sustainability
Thought of the Week
Wait a sec . . . I'll put my phone down after I text my mum, FaceTime my son, check my emails, catch up on happenings on Yammer, visit my Perisher dashboard for the vertical metres achieved while skiing last week, check out recipes for tonight's dinner, have a look at the weather forecast for the weekend and oh, yes, check this out . . .
And something gorgeous to finish . . .
As our beautiful Kinders learn about the senses this term!
The First Taste: Saatchi & Saatchi at TEDxSydney