Popplet - Congruency and Similarity

I was introduced to Popplet by a researcher who has been working with Frances and me on digital writing.

So I tried it out with both my Mathematics classes as I intended to use this at the entire level for eLearning this year. The girls found it interesting and came out with pretty good mindmaps of their understanding of the topics.

Google Sites - Communicative Arts 2012

Frances, the coordinator for Secondary One Communicative Arts, is a very dynamic and focused teacher and she suggested for the entire level to conduct the dramatization unit via Google Sites. I couldn't have been more pleased :)

The trainee teacher, Shawn, was very forthcoming and volunteered to create the template for the other teachers to adopt.

The 1S2 Communicative Arts Google Site was officially launched in Term 3 and this is the link. TO make my site more dynamic and reflective of what the girls have been doing, I have also included works the girls have done in Semester 1.

Intel TEACH - Transforming Learning with One to One

Boon Keng encouraged me to coordinate and conduct an Intel TEACH workshop after going through two series of workshops in 2011.

I worked with Desmond, the HOD ICT from North Vista Primary School and enjoyed learning from and working with him.  Here's the link to the brochure Mrs Tan, my principal, sent out to invite teachers to join us.

Together with Desmond, we created a group on the Intel page:

It was an honour and a wonderful experience to work with Shelley Shott too, who came all the way from USA to co-conduct this workshop with us. Desmond even created a YouTube video to show some of the things that went on during the workshop. Many thanks to Christopher from Intel who provided many logistical assistance like a thumbdrive that contained the learning resources for the participants and certificates endorsed by Intel.

SkyDrive - EL Phrasebooks

As the Sec 1 girls go through Lower Secondary Computer Education Programme (LSCEP for short), I thought it would be good for the girls to create their EL phrasebooks via SkyDrive since they will be learning about it.

The ICT trainers created the respective class folders and worked with the students to create their phrasebooks. This will allow them to archive their works over their four years in CGS and all their language teachers would be able to see how the girls have progressed. We shall check back and review on the usefulness again later.

Linoit - Reflections for Mathematics

During one of the Mathematics lessons, I realized that the girls might not understand why they are doing corrections for problems they have done wrongly so I wanted to think about the rationale and I used Linoit for this purpose.

I can always revisit this again to remind the girls what they have put down as Mathematics is a language about accuracy and clarity and as Mathematicians, they must make sure what they present is clear and precise.

HeuMi - Another major lesson observation

Boon Keng told me the International Advisory Panel is coming in March and would like me to design a lesson involving HeuMi. Let me explain, HeuMi is a multi-touch table that allows four students to sit at each side of the table and collaborate on a thinking template simultaneously. It allows them to put in notes, ink and annotate, surf the Internet for information, perform screen captures of what they have done and also save these into a USB drive. We have also designed collaborative tools like timers, a spinning wheel and even talking chips so that we can use these tools during a typical lesson.

It took me a while but eventually I managed to design a lesson that bridged the unit we were at, which was storytelling, to storywriting. Here's the lesson plan.

To get the girls ready to use the device, I designed a prior lesson which requires them to analyze a character from Harry Potter using the MEAL structure. The picture shows the analysis done by one of the groups. The girls were to analyse how indirect and direct characterisation is done by Rowling in creating an impression on Luna Lovegood (actually I wonder if the girls noticed the name meant something too!)

eTips - an initiative

To give more air time for my eCoaches, I suggested for the eCoaches to create and send out eTips on a monthly basis. This is the first eTip created by me. Very rudimentary but I hope it starts the ball rolling: