Collaborative+Cluster+Meeting+-+Rotorua

**Collaborative Meeting - Rotorua**
Friday 26 February 2010

Mantar Cluster Te Apiti Cluster Town and Country Cluster Feilding Cluster Kainui Cluster (Hokowhitu)?
 * Attendees:**


 * Introduction of attendees**.

Clusters working in groups of mixed cluster members - feedback about the successes and experiences from the conference - powerful thoughts, ideas, places to go that might help us all inform the next steps back at school.
 * Cluster sharing**

//**Group 1**// Feedback - conference - mixed cluster

All keynotes going to be on Ed Talk - embed into Wiki to be used in staff meetings

//Teresa// Alan November - three key messages Digital literacy - how to tear the internet apart - critical thinking Learning community - creating opportunities for kids in your classroom - going deeper into Things that we are already doing and taking them to the next level Giving children ‘real’ jobs - making a contribution - tutorials on You Tube etc Websites - finding authenticity of website - Alta Vista website for children to make own tutorials

//Deb// Inquiry Learning Solo Taxonomy - Waikowahi school Schoolwide Inquiry model - to maintain continuity across the school. Matrix rubric created across the levels eg basic, practitioner, advance - practical for the kids to know where they are at

//E-portfolios// Gaining different perspectives on the different platforms eg EduBlog - can become a supporter and can create 30 accounts that are ad free (see Russell St School website for an example)

//Fiona// Literacy alive though e-books Group teaching - books on the web rellco.wikispaces.com Into the book - teaching children about reading strategies - presentation that talks the kids through questioning. This wikispace has ‘books online’ - into the book (children get key/password) International children’s digital library : http://en.childrenslibrary.org TumbleBooks: http://info.infosoup.org/tumblebooks.asp We Tell Stories: http://wetellstories.co.uk Tumblebooks http://kids.nypl.org/ Lucky Dip Adventure: http://wallwisher.com/wallLiteracyAlive Managing Access to your Digital Resources www.titirangi.school.nz www.infoblitz.co.nz Now become your own author: http://rellco.wwikispaces.com/Digital+StoryTelling Explore Writing Fun: http://writingfun.com

//Karen// Thinking Using Tony Ryans thinkers cards. Keynote etc Finding practical things to use on the equipment to inspire and motivate the teachers. Privacy and security Issues around security and children’s images on the net. Web 2.0 Tools Louise McDonough

//Liz// iMovie Keynote - Stuart Hale How to get the most from Keynote.

//Incidentals// Captial E Wellington, Point England School - TV Stations - worth investigating Rubrics - write what they can do - not what they can’t do - check with Anne Davies (http://annedavies.com) for information on Rubrics

//**Group 2 Reflection on the Conference**// Apple Computers were looked into by Linton Country

Mark Osbourne: Open software – graphics, library managing, Wikipedia – education version. The software can be installed at home – as it is free. Overcomes access issues. Children can continue their schoolwork at home. Some postings have Star Ratings. – Presentation available on line: James (Russell Street)

Issue – Halcombe School – is the communication between school and home no Broadband. Suggest they send programme home on pen drive. Sue Simpson

Sam from Ashhurst: Sending ipods or disks home as portfolio.

Danny Benningfield – about the ways we think and cater for the different ways – no technology required – Practical suggestions that will help our learners.

Julie Walkley: Google Earth website – applying the curriculum to Google Earth. Use for motivation and for the next steps. Finding the changes that happened over the building sites of the Beijing Olympics.

Sue Simpson – e-books: Now aware of the resource online and the strategies

Google: RELLCO (Rotorua and Eastern Language Centre - Resources – online books. Gives teachers ideas for strategies to use with children who have “blocks”. Also check outt “Writing is Fun”

Tony Ryan – Responding to Change – off the topic/ disappointing for audience – was about looking after each others and ourselves so we have the energy to be the best motivators. – Val Ferry Thinking Tools – Tony Ryan. Was showing us how to use his new cards. Children select the card and follow the process. Give the children their power and be thinking “out of the box” – The Travelling Willbury’s – top musicians combined and produced records, remained anonymous and repeated the process because they had enjoyed the experience. We should let children explore their ideas and communicate them on the web. Then they are likely to be motivated to use their thinking and ask the questions. – Val Ferry Sue Simpson: How can you prove to me that your children are better than thinking? Will take this question back to her school and ask staff.

Julie Walkley: Big Book was taken with class. Each child selected a task to do (Book review, description of characters, etc) then to work out which tool to use and how to present their work.

Sue Thompson and Val Ferry: Alan November’s presentation: Self-directed learning by looking at children’s work and use this to motivate your class to work harder. Give the children real jobs. Use the web and teach the children how to use google tools and to verify the author / owner of the website. (Triangulation of info). The teacher needs to model “Bogus” websites.

//**Group 3

Group 4**//


 * Wiki** for cluster is all up and running. Includes calendar for what clusters are doing/events/speakers etc.


 * Central North Island Regional Meeting** - Wednesday 15th September meeting - Gisborne. Ngati awards to follow and would be worth attending. 30th April Meeting at Bunnythorpe - feedback about Milestones etc.


 * Data and evidence collection** - Very important that each school keeps evidence and data and keeps feeding it back to the facilitator who has to feedback to the Ministry - very important to keep this going to ensure funding is maintained. Mid year milestone - every school have the two main goals for the next milestone are posted in the staff room so that collection of data is relevant and ongoing within each school.

//Te Apiti - www.teapiti.co.nz// Collaborative learning community - ability for people to go in a share. Cluster outline - what is happening in the cluster this year - eg thinking and having fun with ICT, having fun with them and upskilling teachers. Overall rubric of meetings, workshops, cluster call back days etc. I wonder blog - feedback from teachers about what they 'wonder' about and others can feedback.
 * Cluster Feedback- where are we at?**

//Town and Country// Wiki up and running - following Feilding model based on a Lead Teacher focus - looking at LT and Pricipals leading the learning in their school - managing sustainability - upskilling P's and LT's - accepting the challenges and positives for the future. Year long emphasis is that LT and Pricipals will get online and use a blog or wiki - to feedback and teach staff in following years. Recognising the expertise the talents already within the cluster.

//Mantar// Needs Analysis for teachers is currently being completed and will be analysed in the next week. Wiki space is underway. Mini conference for end of Term1 holidays with Jane Gilbert and Jan Watts has been organised and an invitation to other clusters to send small numbers of attendees will be offered shortly. We have contacted Michael Pohl and will be looking at getting him to speak later in the year - this will be open to all schools within the Manawatu - particularly the collaborative clusters - notification of dates and details to follow. We have created a Google calendar with all of our events etc. We have a number of Google Docs to feedback conferences and record ICT evidence etc which will be shortly embedded in our Wiki.