Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas!

It's 1am on Christmas morning, we're all rather happy and even though a good night's sleep is starting to look inviting?  It seems like a perfect time to say....


Whether you are home, away or abroad?  Regardless of which holiday you are celebrating?  We wish you and your families the safest, most enjoyable of holidays and look forward to seeing you all next year!

Regards,

Mel, Paul and family.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

PD structucture for the future part 2: Attandence numbers.

Keeping numbers low.

Some networks offer fewer PD workshops seating 60 or more while we keep our maximum numbers to 40.  We operate differently to these networks for certain reasons.

One of the main reasons is that as a smaller network in the beginning, we did not need large attendance numbers.  Any opportunity we offered rarely filled and the attendance cap of 40 was more about working out maximum costs than anything else.  Our early attendances were about 24-32 and the upper limit of 40 was completely theoretical.  As the Network has grown, and now that PD requirements are assessed yearly, attendance numbers have grown to the point where we are reaching the cap in bookings.  A couple no-shows generally makes attendance for full-time PD at 36-38.

Within the last 6 months our membership numbers are beginning to grow exponentially and we see a point not too long in the future where 40 will "not be enough".  We have, however, chosen to remain at an attendance cap of 40. This is not without reason.

The CRT Community.

Firstly, the Network is founded on the principle of creating community.  For too long many CRTs have felt like outsiders without any group to really belong to.  This leads to many frustrations, the stress of which has a negative impact on the quality of their teaching.  By giving CRTs somewhere to belong and ample opportunities to mingle in a social way, the smaller numbers we offer are helping many CRTs to bridge the gaps that are causing them to feel isolated.

With the general rise in morale, the quality of teaching on offer increases.  This helps our members to pull ahead of the pack when it comes to the CRT priority list for schools and who gets work how often.  This is of great importance to us.  To increase our numbers at PD workshops will begin to erode the social nature of our overall operations.

Variety of PD opportunities,

Secondly, we also believe that PD shouldn't just be about hours to maintain your registration.  While there is no dodging those 20 hours, by offering a larger variety of smaller opportunities we are able to cover a much wider range of topics and presenters.  This helps to ensure that not only can everyone get a good slice of their 20 hours, they can also pick and choose the opportunities that most interest them or provide them with the highest benefit to their career.

Not only does this help enable access to personally relevant opportunities, it also helps ensure that the day seems a lot less like "work".  Again, this folds back into the first point;  if you are happy you'll perform better and that's important to us.

Should we begin to raise attendance numbers, we will start to get closer to our goals as stated in the previous post and lose out in variety of presenter and topics.  It will become much harder to "tack on" the additional opportunities which allow us to cover such a broad array.

Expansion outside of Wodonga.

Lastly, these "added" workshops are what have allowed us to expand outside of Wodonga into Wangaratta and are what will also allow us to expand into more rural areas to help alleviate travel issues some CRTs are experiencing.

The funding we receive through the DEECD is intended to support all CRTs within a given area and  logistically speaking the ongoing nature of this funding is reliant on it achieving it's goals.  The 2011 release of the VAGO report on CRT Arrangements made specific mention that not all CRTs were able to benefit from the funding, often due to location issues leaving pockets of CRTs unable to access the benefits on offer.  We have begun to address this issue via the expansion into Wangaratta which has been the "test case" for our expansion onto other areas.

There are also ethical concerns to address.  Centralized offerings creates a situation where some are spending far more time traveling than others on a very regular basis.  This not only equates to travel expenses but also more time away from family and so on.  While this situation can never be made "completely fair", there is certainly leeway to share the load a little.

Summary.

In our view, increasing numbers has a cost-per-head benefit but that is simply outweighed by other concerns such as community, variety, fairness and even the continuance of the support funding we access.  Numbers of 40 for full-day and 20 for 2.5 hour presenter-based PD seem to be the "magic numbers" for a well rounded and equitable approach to providing PD for CRTs in our area.

Regards,

Melinda Lichnovsky-Klock
Wodonga CRT Support Network Coordinator.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Our end of year activity report is up!

As per usual for this time of year, our end of year activity report is now available.

http://wodongacrtsupportnetworkpd.blogspot.com.au/p/end-of-year-report-2013.html

Regards,

Mel.

Some things have been on hold!

Due to the work that's been needed behind the scenes, some things have fallen by the wayside.

These include:
  • Editorial blog posts
  • YouTube videos
  • The CRT Handbook
  • Resource production from the CRT Resource Challenge
  • A presence on Scootle.
etc.

Unfortunately these have been necessary evils in the past few months and for that we apologise.

Now that we have a lot of the background tasks sorted, rest assured these things will again be worked on with zest!

Regards,

Mel.

PD structucture for the future part 1: Yearly goals for the supply of PD.

Hello everyone!


In a "behind the scenes" way the changes to the DEECD's CRT Professional Learning Support Initiative have been soaking up a lot of our free time.  The funding we receive from the DEECD to provide PD for CRTs in our area forms one of the 3 major pillars of how we operate and it is important that we get it all right and make it work smoothly or others suffer as well!  Unlike last time we were in need of a serious restructure, we chose to continue many operations in the meantime and were much more selective about what we put on hold.

This means a few areas got quiet but allowed us to continue to be beneficial in the local CRT community.  We are now ready to be announcing the results with some solidity!

Important goals for the supply of PD:

We are pleased to say that we have not had to change any of our major yearly goals.  This is to supply:
  • 11 network meetings of 2.5 hours each (total 27.5 hours).
  • 3 full-day, 6.5 hour PD workshops (total 19.5 hours)
  • 2 evening 2.5 hour PD workshops (total 5 hours).
This keeps us above our desired goal of a total of 50 hours of PD per year (total 52 hours).  This goal of 50 hours has some major ideals behind it and we are supremely happy that it doesn't have to change.

These goals were set so that CRTs could:
  • Attend one third of the opportunities we offer and receive a total of their full 20 hours required for registration.
  • Attend presenter-based opportunities only and receive their total 20 hours of PD required for registration.
  • Attend Collegial opportunities only and receive their total of 20 hours of PD required for registration.
  • Maintain a "modular" approach that also allowed CRTs to "mix and match" the collegial and presenter-based for their total of 20 hours of the required PD for registration.
  • Provide a number of opportunities that allows CRTs to exceed the required 20 hours of PD to maintain registration at minimal out-of-pocket costs.

Please note that these are reliably achievable minimums.   The framework also had to realistically reflect budgetary concerns as well as offer avenues to the expansion of the opportunities on offer provided the budget allowed for these expansions.

Some of the reasons behind these decisions will be explained in more detail in an upcoming blog post.

Regards,

Mel.

Thursday, October 31, 2013


Wednesday 30 October marks a significant date in the Wodonga CRT Support Network's calendar each year.  It marks a day of achievement, celebration and support.  And this year it marks 5 years of these things.  Wednesday 30 October marks 5 year since our first meeting, our first gathering of individuals.

I am very proud of what the Wodonga CRT Support Network has achieved in the last five years, what we have grown into and where we are heading.  But most of all, I am proud of the friendships made, support given unconditionally by all members and enjoyment of each gathering.

I am looking forward to what the next 5 years will hold for the Network.  The challengers and the joys and the new people I will met.  Thank you everyone for being apart of a dream I had, and turning it into an amazing group that is known internationally, not only Victoria wide.

Regards,

Mel

Saturday, October 26, 2013

November Meeting Details are now avaliable!

Hello everyone,

Our November meeting is not far away now.  It is scehuled for Thursday 7 November from 4.00pm to 6.30pm at Wodonga South Primary School's Library.

We will be looking at GAMES AND ACTIVITIES USING CLASSROOM RESOURCES!

You can find full details here.

Please RSVP no less than two days before to Mel at wodongacrt@vit.vic.edu.au

We hope to see you there!

Me

PD Announcement: Literacy Games

Literacy Games

A literacy PD with presenter Melinda Lichnovsky-Klock.





Part One: Setting your students up for success.  Building confidence in
struggling students through simple strategies which give them frequent
successes.

 Part Two: Using games to engage your students.  Making literacy "hands-on" and
fun by reducing your reliance on traditional pencil and paper exercises.

Part Three: Games and activities.  How to make a range of games and resources with
common household items such as playing cards, wooden clothes pegs,
newspapers and supermarket catalogues.

Part Four: Teacher play time! You will participate in a range of activities and
games that have been made with common household items to get a
"student's eye view". 
Part Five: Common Focus.  Using a single resource to link mulitple curriculum areas to create a thematic full-day lessons (CRT focus).

There are a maximum of 20 seats available. 

Workshop: Saturday 30 November 2013, 1.00pm - 3.30pm

Bookings Open: Monday 28 October 2013

Full details can be found here!

Regards, 

Mel

Sunday, October 20, 2013

PD Announcement - Mathematics and Hands On Gameplay.

Hello everyone,

We are happy to announce another PD workshop - Mathematics and Hands On Gameplay from the Brainary.

Date:  Thurs 21 Nov, 2013.
Duration:  2.5 hour (4.00pm - 6.30pm)
Focus:  Mathematics, Phys Ed, ICT.
Venue:  Wodonga South PS library.
Catering:  Afternoon Tea (not just a packet of biscuits!), continuous Tea/Coffee, etc.

Activity Focus:  For participants to develop a working understanding of the extraordinary learning transfer achievable with educational gameplay.  Participants will experience both physical and digital educational game play on the subject of maths finishing with a discussion allowing participants to compare and contrast both game play formats.

Bookings open TOMORROW, Mon 21 Oct 2013.

For more information please visit:  http://wodongacrtsupportnetworkpd.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page_19.html

Regards,

Mel.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

PD Announcement: AusVELS and Mathematics.

With Presenter Michael Ymer.

Michael Ymer - Hands On Maths - Wodonga 2012.



  • Understanding the rationale and aims behind the document.
  • Getting to know how the new mathematics curriculum is organised.
  • What are the Proficiency strands and how can teachers employ them in the daily lesson. Activity based session for teachers to trial in classrooms.
  • Achievement standards – how will these inform reporting. Mixed abilities in mathematics. Using the framework of the mathematics curriculum to deal with the diversity of learners in our classrooms. Creating multiple entry and exit points to maths activities so all students can experience success in mathematics.


There will be 40 seats available. 

Bookings open: Monday 28 Oct 2013.  
Workshop:  Saturday 7 Dec 2013 - 9.00am - 3.00pm (6hrs).

More information coming soon!


Regards,

Mel.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

October Meeting Details now Avaliable!

Hello everyone,

Our October meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 16th October from 4.00 to 6.30pm at Wodonga South Primary School's Library.

Meeting Topic: Resource sharing

Bring something along to share!  It could be a lesson, activity, strategy, book, planning proforma, a website or something out of your bag of tricks!

Find something that has worked for you or something you have seen someone else do well.  This is a great way to broaden your teaching ideas and add to your bag of tricks and bank of technioques, strategies and activities! 

Please RSVP to Mel by Monday 14 October.

You can find full details of the meeting here

I am looking forward to catching up with everyone.

Mel 

Sunday, October 6, 2013

CRT PD in Wodonga and Wangaratta to continue.

Well, this year has been a bit of an on-again, off-again affair for CRT PD in the Hume region.  The reasons are many and varied so I won't bore you with the details, just announce that the Wodonga CRT Support Network will continue to provide monthly meetings and PD workshops into 2014 and beyond.

Term 2 saw a flood of PD as we played a game of "catch up" to get in as much PD as possible to make up for the lower than usual amount of PD in the previous 6 months.  Now that things have settled we will be returning to our regular schedule of:
  • 11 x Monthly Meetings per year.
  • 4 x 6.5 hour, full-day PD workshops per year.
  • As many 2.5 hour evening PD workshops as the budget allows for per year.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that we run PD workshops with funding from the DEECD's CRT Professional Learning Support Initiative.  This funding is supplied for the benefit of all Victorian teachers currently working as a CRT.  As a CRT working in Victoria you are entitled to take advantage of the opportunities we offer.  We recommend membership to the Wodonga CRT Support Network simply because it is the most efficient way of keeping yourself up-to-date on the PD workshops we organize but it is in no way compulsory.

As always, we operate on a first-come, first served basis.  Membership does not help or hinder CRTs in booking a seat beyond the ability to keep yourself informed.

PD Workshops in Term 4.

We are also pleased to announce that applications have been submitted for PD workshops for Term 4 2013 (one full-day and one 2.5hr PD).  We do not envisage it taking long for these workshops to be approved and we can announce dates, times and topics!

Meetings in Term 4.

Please note:  attending meetings requires membership.  If you would like to attend a meeting to see what it's about before deciding on whether to join the Network, please email us to enquire about attending as a guest!

There will be 3 Meetings in term 4:
  • Wed Oct 16 : 4.00 - 6.30.
  • Thurs Nov 7 : 4.00 - 6.30.
  • Wed Dec 11 : 4.00 - 6.30.

Altogether this will bring 16.5 hours of valid PD submissions for your renewal or registration for 2014.  More importantly, it is a chance to network with your CRT colleagues and become a member of a supportive and caring educational community!


Regards,

Mel.

Sunday, September 1, 2013

September Meeting details available!

Hello everyone,

Our September meeting is not far away now.  It is scehuled for Thursday 12 September from 4.00pm to 6.30pm at Wodonga South Primary School's Library.

We have Guest Speaker, Marlene Eksteen joining us to run us through some Key Word Signing!

You can find full details here.

Please RSVP no less than two days before to Mel at wodongacrt@vit.vic.edu.au

We hope to see you there!

Mel

Saturday, August 17, 2013

MoneySmart Teaching - Introduction in Albury.


I sent out a notice last week letting everyone know about the free ASIC "MoneySmart" parent and teacher sessions held locally on Thursday.  It was great to see some of you there despite the short notice (for which I apologise)!  Rest assured I'm following a path that will see more of you in the Hume region having access to this opportunity.

In my explorations of Scootle I came across some lessons and a link to the MoneySmart Teaching website.  I also work in a school where the MoneySmart program is being used although I've never really had much to do with it.  As I also attended both the parent and teacher sessions it's pretty safe to say that when I got wind of the sessions being run locally my ears pricked up with interest.

note:  You must be logged into scootle to view the below links.  Otherwise you will be asked to log in OR be redirected to the closest publicly accessible parent page.  We sent out an email to all Wodonga and Shepparton CRT Support Network members this week with an activation link to join Scootle through special arrangements made for CRTs by VIT.  We recommend that all Victorian CRTs become Scootle members.  Scootle offers links to Professional development, classroom resources and a community for teachers to discuss topics and share ideas (sort of like Facebook but just for those dealing with the Australian Curriculum).

We apologise to our international readers but you will NOT be able to gain access to scootle. 


Money, of course, features specifically in the Australian National Curriculum. The MoneySmart program is currently referenced against the areas of:
It is referenced against 45 mathematics and ICT areas (primary and secondary):

http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewMetadata.action?id=M007694&tabView=curriculum


All further links do NOT require scootle access ;).

It was an interesting pair of sessions and I'm glad I attended both in the end.  The two had slightly different focuses and different atmospheres even though the content was much the same.  The parent session was far more "this is what your kids will be doing in school" and more discussion based where the teacher session was a "straight down the line lets get this into classrooms" approach.  I walked away from both with two different perspectives and I consider both interesting and useful.

Although the parents were shown the MoneySmart Teaching primary handbooks they weren't really given them to walk away with.  Teachers, on the other hand, were given access to walk away with both the primary and secondary handbooks.  I should mention that these aren't little pamphlets either...  It's very nearly 4 kilograms of spiral bound goodness when you put the primary and secondary handbooks on the kitchen scales!

The handbooks contain documentation and groups of lesson plans.  The primary handbook contains 2 groups (integrated studies and Maths) and the secondary handbook contains 3 (7-10 maths, 7-8 science and 9-10 english) and I'll bring these handbooks to next Wednesday's network meeting for those interested to have a look at.  


The range of people in attendance was actually quite varied.  There were parents who wanted to see what it was all about, teachers looking for a way to back their curriculum, Hume banking staff, financial planners looking for tools to help some of their clients out of money troubles and representatives for local community groups.  The range of groups and services looking to MoneySmart as an educational tool is something you don't see too often.

It should also be mentioned that there is an ongoing trial for MoneySmart in Victorian schools the Federal government has agreed to fund MoneySmart in Australian schools for the next 4 years.  It certainly seems like MoneySmart is here to stay and worth becoming aware of both in context and implementation.


Regards,


Mel.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

ICT: Too many mixed signals?

Exactly how serious is the Education system about technology?  There's an interactive whiteboard in most classrooms these days but not all teachers use them for any more than the previous generation of technology:  a whiteboard and a projector.  Some don't even go that far.  On top of that, I remember the first time I went to a CyberSafety PD and they said "Teacher laptops should not be connected to interactive whiteboards" as a safety issue but most schools force the use of the teacher's laptop as a cost cutting measure.  This has a huge impact on us as CRTs.

I walk into classrooms where the lesson plan requires the use of the interactive whiteboard and... The laptop with all of the software to drive the IWB is usually just as "away" as the teacher is or doing whatever it is they are doing.

The way the system is set up simply isn't conducive to being able to deliver a reliable ICT experience.  The same can be said for 1:1 iPad or laptop rooms.  Lacking reliable access to these devices with the same software installed simply prevents CRTs from having adequate access to classroom ICT equipment to become familiar with everything they need to become familiar with to effectively deliver many lessons that are left by classroom teachers when they involve ICT.

In my tutoring I'm also running into another issue.  Students having problems with their education because of ICT.  They either come from an ICT heavy classroom into one that isn't or vice versa.  They have a sudden change in environment and their learning strategies don't match that new arena.  We see that the ICT savvy are taking up this technology quickly and becoming believers while others just aren't.  And there's not really a lot of cooperation between the two camps and sometimes the relationships between them are downright hostile on a few fronts.  There's very little cooperation.  Each camp thinks they are right and doing well in their classroom but a lack of cooperation means the shift between the two can be very difficult for students.

I think we also sometimes forget that despite the heavy focus on classroom ICT in the media and teaching pedagogy, the technology itself is still in it's infancy.  It's still changing and evolving at a rapid rate with new studies causing shifts in "best practice" and the format of apps and other electronic teaching/learning tools.

The last one is that access to ICT outside of school isn't as prevalent as many seem to think it is.  Flip Teaching for example relies on students having adequate access to ICT outside of school.  It can be a heavy burden on low income families who are already paying more than they can afford to keep their children in school.

There's no cohesive approach and bouncing from classroom to classroom, from teaching strategy to teaching strategy, is placing a heavy burden on many students.  Each teacher is following the path they consider best in the absence of a standard framework, navigating a minefield of mixed signals where the next step could be the one that explodes.  It's creating tension to the point where I've sat in staffrooms and overheard 2 skillful teachers who use ICT each telling the other that what they are doing couldn't possibly work; despite both classes doing well.

This, to me, says that the education system overall is somewhat at the same stage as schools in the video rather than being all that serious about technology in education.  Promoting up-to-date teaching practices regarding ICT is all very well and good but without having a stance on what those "up to date teaching practices are" makes it hard to create an adequate structure for schools to operate within.  Even if they do?  The technology and pedagogy surrounding technology in the classroom is still in a state of rapid evolution.  What works well this year might not work so well next year or even after the next reliable and valuable piece of research comes out.

So we move onto the second issue in the video; does it really stifle my creativity as a teacher?  Well, having had a serious think on the subject, no.

The way my husband explained it to me is this:  "Do I have a mobile phone?"  The answer is "yes he does" but he goes out and buys a new pre-paid sim when we go on holidays.  As soon as we get home he pulls out the sim card, throws it in the bin, packs away the phone and puts it into the cupboard.  He is firmly of the opinion that he has a phone plugged into the wall to make and receive calls, a computer for the internet, a tablet for the internet if he wants it while sitting in the back yard with the kids.  Why does he need another way to make a call or get on the internet unless he's out on the road on holidays?  In the context of the conversation what he was saying was "just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it or even that it's actually needed considering the other options placed before you".

ICT in classrooms is engaging and effective, there's no arguing with that.  It belongs there, like my husband's mobile phone it serves a purpose and is great when that purpose needs addressing.  The thing is, I can certainly choose not to use it when I see another way to do the same thing. As long as the education I provide is as engaging and effective without it there's simply no reason to treat it as any more important than any other teaching tool.  I have to use it at a certain level to make sure my students are prepared for what's coming if they hit an ICT heavy classroom in following years to be sure but even the "experts" acknowledge that classroom technology isn't as crucial as many believe it to be.

In fact I feel I would be robbing my students if I didn't focus on other creative classroom tools too.  It's the creativity of my students that would be stifled and I'm far more worried about that aspect.

It's 100% true that ICT can be a very creative tool.  Making audio and video files, creating games and apps and even drawing and modelling things in image programs.  One thing we must never forget is that there's limits.  You can design the perfect paper aeroplane but what you can't do is reach into the screen, grab it and throw it across the room with your friend.  Technology can't let you do everything.

So no.  I don't feel like my creativity is being stifled in the slightest.  Classroom technology isn't the teacher, it's a tool for the teacher to use when the situation calls for it.  Just like any other tool in your arsenal as a teacher.

Regards,

Mel.


Saturday, August 10, 2013

August Meeting page is Up!

Hello all,

The next Wodonga CRT Support Network meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 21 August 2013, 4.00pm - 6.30pm.  We will be looking at 'thinking differently'.

Wodonga CRT Support Network Meetings are an arena for Collegial Learning.  It is the intention that we bring our ideas to the table, discuss them and all come to a better understanding of the topics.  You are free to either bring your ideas, strategies and resources or just come along to participate and learn!

You can find full details about the August meeting here.

Please remember if you would like to attend, email Mel at wodongacrt@vit.vic.edu.au.  This is not "required"!  You can still turn up if you haven't sent through an RSVP!  It just lets me know how many nibbles to bring along etc ;).

Regards,

Mel Lichnovsky-Klock
Wodonga CRT Support Network Co-ordinator

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Affording tablet computers as a CRT.

"iPads aren't cheap..."

I've heard this so many times from CRTs who would love access to something like this to use in their classroom.  Unfortunately the "powers that be" have decided that the iPad is the tablet to go for and they are the standard in Victorian schools and, believe me, this isn't without it's share of controvercy.  It's not just the price either, there's a range of technical issues as well.  the "powers that be" have simply decided that the iPad is a better source of educational apps (which is again a little controvercial).

For CRTs of course, being part time workers, the price can be a very big issue.  Many just don't have the money to be lashing out on things like iPads.

http://store.apple.com/au/buy/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad

The cheapest on offer is $539 (or $679 is you want to be able to have mobile internet).

Of course there's also the iPad mini which is significantly cheaper.

http://store.apple.com/au/buy/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad_mini

$369 looks a lot more inviting ($509 for the cheapest with mobile internet).

So how did I get my iPad then?  Well, I simply got one on a "plan" the same as a mobile phone.  I signed up on a contract and am paying the iPad off over time.  This made it far more affordable for me by being able to pay it off over time.  Many phone companies are doing the same and it makes it a whole lot easier to be able to afford something like this.  It's the first affordable point of call as far as I am concerned.

What can you do if this is still out of reach for you?  It's becoming more and more clear as time goes on that Android devices are rapidly putting tablet computing into the hands of just about everyone.  Of course we are teachers and iPads are what's primarily used in Australian government schools so...  How do they check out for us?

A while ago now I posted that I made a move to tablet computing. Most of what I say there still holds true even though I have since also bought an iPad for various reasons.  I still feel that for teachers in general it's "still not enough" to have just a tablet and you also need a laptop or home PC.  Tablets are pretty much still about convenience in the the classroom though things have certainly gotten better (with my husband currently trialling an ASUS TF300T android tablet for general use).

This means apps and Tablets as a tool for you to use in the classroom are the more important aspects after price as far as I am concerned but there's still plenty on offer for your students with Android apps.

Some apps for the little ones!


  • Kids Numbers and Math Lite: Educational game maker Intellijoy offers this free game to effectively teach preschoolers numbers, addition, subtraction, and more without sensory overload.
  • AniWorld: A look at animals covering what they eat, where they live and their growth cycles..
  • Kids ABC Letters Lite: Another offering from Intellijoy, Kids ABC is a "trace me" game with letters, numbers and shapes.
  • Learning Letters for Kids: This is a straightforward app for teaching children the alphabet.
  • Kids & Toddler Puzzle Puzzingo: A BestAppsForKids award winner, Puzzingo is an addictive yet educational game to engage the mind of toddlers with 25 professionally illustrated puzzles.
  • Kids Pedia – Color Magician: Language learning, science, geography, art, math, health, and more all rolled into one with games designed by professional educators.
  • Kids Piano Lite: Don’t neglect your child’s music education! This app reproduces those little toy xylophones in the bright colors kids love.
  • 123s ABCs Handwriting Fun: Children learn basic handwriting by tracing letters, hearing them spoken, then shaking the screen to erase and repeat.
  • Pepi Bath Lite: It’s never too early to start teaching your toddler hygiene education, and this app is a great tool for that.
  • 0-10 Numbers Baby Flash Cards: Toddlers might as well get used to studying with flashcards. This app uses them to teach them the first 11 numbers.
Most of these work just fine on an android phone and it's a great way to check out what you'll have access to before buying a tablet!

As usual I've tried these out on my daughter (now 4 yo) and it's a little hit and miss but the apps do their job as well as any iPad app.

Note:  I got this list from here as I'm out of touch now that I have an iPad.  All up there's 50 apps currently being used in schools the world over going further up the chain of education including higher grade levels and educational organizations (national geographic, NASA, TED talks and others).

I also have to mention:

Kid Mode from Zoodles.  You're taking your own personal device into a school so you need some way to protect everything you don't want younger students (or your own children) to have access to.

Kid Mode is a combination "child safety lock" and "kid safe games organizer".  You also get periodic reports about what's being played, the curriculum areas they cover and more.

Click here to go to the Education section of the Google Play app store (includes free apps).

The conundrum.

You can't buy an android tablet for every student and to stay current with what schools are doing you need to be familiar with the iPad.  In some respects this means that iPads are still the "go to" tablet in some ways.  Unless more schools start accessing what Android tablets are offering it's not going to be a "major tool" as far as apps for students are concerned but more of a sideline.

The thing is, tablets aren't all about the students so I'll recap on a point I made earlier this year.  Although I've shown this video in a previous post it belongs here too:



Cameras are standard features on tablets and the larger screen is a lot more appropriate for showing things to a class than a phone.  It doesn't really matter what type of Tablet you have (iPad, Android, Windows) most of what's described in this video is perfectly suitable to any of them.

When I go to iPad workshops this is something that I feel is all too often ignored in favour of apps which you can use in the curriculum.  Of course this is understandable in many ways as teachers have access to other classroom technologies as standard so it's not a "popular" subject in many ways.  Especially in schools that don't make it easy for CRTs to use the Interactive Whiteboard, tablets make a really good (and sometimes better) classroom tool for you as a teacher.

In this department, Android tablets will still serve you very well and I don't think CRTs should balk at doing a little bit of research on them and seriously consider getting themselves one.

Although the DEECD only has iOS and Win8 based tablets in it's "Curriculum Tablet Authorised Suppliers", there are already Victorian schools deploying Android Tablets and their use is bound to get more widespread.

A small word of warning though, buy from a reputable supplier and avoid online purchases from "fly by night" operations.  It's one of those things where the cheapest you can buy is usually cheap for a reason...

Saving some money on Internet capable tablets:  

If you already have a smart phone with 3g/4g and a decent data allowance, you can set up your phone as a "wi-fi hot spot" to connect to the internet.  You can secure this connection with a password to prevent everyone from accessing it.  You can then let your Tablet use your phone's existing internet connection saving you some money on buying a tablet with it's own 3g/4g modem and SIM card.  It does tend to use your phone's battery pretty heavily though so it's a good idea to have your charger handy when doing this!

This means you can save yourself some hard-earned dollars and avoid a more expensive mobile internet capable version of a tablet and yet another SIM card to pay for.

At home, of course, you can use your wireless internet connection just like you do for a laptop.

A starting point:

Added on edit:  Sorry, Harvey Norman no longer offers this document as it has integrated more features into it's website to help make the choice.

To help you get off the ground it's a good idea to have a look at the Harvey Norman Buying Guide for Tablets.  It will help you understand some of the things you are looking at if you aren't so technically minded!


Regards,

Mel.

Friday, August 2, 2013

CRT Pay Increase for Victoria.

We have just received the good news that the Education Minister has signed the Ministerial Order that covers the conditions and pay rates of casual relief teachers working in Victorian Government schools.  Starting from 29 July 2013 (a few days ago!) CRTs in Victoria have received their pay increase!  This takes the form of a staggered increase until 1 August 2015.

Hourly Rate
Maximum Daily Rate
% Increase
Effective from:
$45.13
$270.80
2.641%
29 July 2013
$45.60
$273.60
1.034%
1 February 2014
$47.22
$283.30
3.545%
1 August 2014
$47.32
$283.90
0.212%
1 February 2015
$48.88
$293.30
3.311%
1 August 2015

We would like to thank the Minister for Education, The AEU and everyone else who helped bring about these results.

Regards,

Mel.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Resolving "CRTs are lesser teachers" with the potential to be a top-class educator.

For a while now the main theme of the Wodonga Network's blog and YouTube channel has been the professional identity of casual teachers.

As we all are aware after having worked as a casual teacher for a few months, the opinion of CRTs in many schools, and indeed entire education systems, can be pretty low.  The "standard" view is often "lesser teacher" or, at it's worst, "glorified babysitter".  Over the years I've come to understand that this is a culturally ingrained view.  I need to strongly stress that this cultural view is held by both sides of the fence.  It's not just Schools and government authorities who are the issue here, it's us too.

It doesn't take long for many enthusiastic graduates to have that enthusiasm taken away when they step into the role of CRT.  Evolutionary psychology describes our minds as "a set of information-processing machines that were designed by natural selection to solve adaptive problems faced by our hunter–gatherer ancestors".  Our evolutionary reflex is to adapt to our surroundings and often the easiest way to do this is to accept the mantle of "lesser teacher".  To forget that we are university trained to be professional educators and adopt the role that's expected of us.

Of course, like our student's coping mechanisms, this has the negative side effect of actively blocking the growth of high class knowledge and skill, preventing you from developing a strong and valuable professional identity.  The key is to accept the situation but not accept the cultural expectation as truth.  This sounds counter-intuitive to many but it provides you with a solid position to effect change.

By accepting the situation you become far more aware of the ways in which to deal with it.  By refusing to accept the moniker of "lesser teacher" as truth, however, it opens up a vast array of pathways to growth because you come to understand that how you need to act is not who you are or what you want.  You know where you are and where you want to go and you can start systematically removing the barriers between you and your intended destination.

I'm a CRT.  In fact I identify myself as a "career CRT" which raises a lot of eyebrows.  The one thing I've never done is that I've never accepted myself as a "lesser teacher", only the fact that occasionally I need to act like one to meet the expectations of classroom teachers and schools.  Of course that's a little meaningless without describing where it's gotten me.

Well, I have teachers who specifically ask for me to replace them because they respect my skill as an educator.  I have classroom teachers stopping me to discuss struggling students because I'm considered a skilled colleague.  I hold two non-school Leadership positions as VIT CRT Network Coordinator and even though these are voluntary positions I am accepted as a teacher with leadership ability by schools.  I've become a skilled and effective literacy tutor and also a provider of professional development workshops for teachers.

None of which says "just a CRT", "lesser teacher" or "glorified babysitter".

Avoid accepting second best from yourself even when that's all the rest of the world expects from you.  When everyone else expects a lesser teacher?  Change their expectations, not your own.

Regards,

Mel.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Why you should use MyPD on MyVIT.

It's leading up to registration again and we are getting requests from many for dates and times of PD they have attended with us. No matter how organized you are? Things happen! In one case one of our members lost all of their PD records in a house fire.

As a Network there's a limit to what we can help you replace when things go wrong. We can give you dates and times but we can't help you recover your notes or your reflections. Sitting down and entering your PD periodically into MyPD gives you protection when things all go pear-shaped! If you lose your PD records, or they are destroyed for reasons out of your control, VIT is still safely keeping a copy of it for you.

This will ensure that no matter what happens your re-registration remains safe and hastle free even in the face of adversity.

To get your MyVIT account:

https://my.vit.vic.edu.au/TEACHERS/Account.aspx/SignIn?ReturnUrl=%2fTEACHERS%2fHome.aspx%2fIndex

Select the appropriate link under "I don't have a MyVIT account" and follow the instructions to create your account.

Regards,

Mel.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Just graduated and becoming a CRT? Welcome to the madhouse!

It's that time of year again and mid-year graduates are heading out into the CRT workforce.  Some of the most common questions we get asked at the Wodonga CRT Support Network revolve around "exactly what's my job as a CRT?"  This usually revolves around short-term non-contract work and I thought I'd provide a few of the more common answers new CRTs are looking for.



I really can't stress strongly enough that first and foremost it's not "your job" when you are in classrooms for short periods, it's you doing someone else's job.  In this sort of work it's really important (usually for your own sanity as much as any other reaosn) to understand that classroom teachers don't get to do whatever they'd like to either.  They have a curriculum to work to, their students have individual learning styles they need to plan around, school initiatives and policies to follow and so on.  They need to get to know their students and then plan an adequate path that meets their schools guidelines and initiatives to get all of their students to where they need to be by the end of the year.

As CRTs we hold a great potential to throw a rather large spanner in the works.  A day here and a day there without the plan being followed adequately and suddenly the class can be thrown into disarray.  The teacher finds themselves having to do extra work to re-plan for the short term to get them all back on track and this is something that the teachers, and the schools they work for, aren't likely to view in a positive light!

While you often won't be recognised for following someone else's lesson plan perfectly, it's when things don't go quite according to plan that you get your chance to shine.  Being good at your job is more than teaching the lesson, it's teaching it in an enjoyable and engaging way that ensures the knowledge transferrs to the students effectively.  This invariably sees you finishing some sections early and you are able to throw those few extras into the mix.  The time fillers from your bag of tricks and even full-blown lessons of your own design.

The key to having teachers and schools aware of your skills is communication.


Communicating with the teachers you replace and the schools you work in should not be seen as optional.  It's their job to communicate a lesson plan and other appropriate information to you and it's your job to communicate to them how you followed through on it, what you weren't able to follow through on and why.  Even if you are in a school that you don't feel is holding up their end of the bargain you should still do your best to hold up yours.

Don't let formal communication be the limit of how you inform teachers and schools of who you are as a Teacher!
  • Communicate your dedication to teaching by always being 15 minutes early!
  • Communicate respect for the teacher by cleaning off whiteboards etc and leaving their desk as tidy as when you arrived!
  • Communicate your professionalism by providing a full day of engaged learning in the best and the worst of circumstances.
Open lines of communication are, by far, the most effective way for you to break the mould and step away from the moniker of "just a CRT" and the implied "lesser teacher" label that is all to often applied to us.


Regards,

Mel.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Scootle for CRTs.



Learn, teach and collaborate using digital resources to support the Australian Curriculum 

Scootle is an online tool for teachers that offers resources, teaching and testing tools and a community to enable professional networking to build your PLN. 

Scootle User Guide for Teachers.

Scootle comes in 2 main parts:-  a bank of resources and tools and "scootle community" which is a little like Facebook but restricted to teachers.

The bank of resources is well organized by curriculum area or as an alphabetical list and there's a lot there.  They are also linked to the "Learning Paths" (lesson design tool) and "Improve" (a bank of pre-generated tests for students).  It's best to explore it than have it explained to you so I'll bow out at that point.

Scootle Community is a lot like Facebook and blogs all rolled into one but for professionals (more like LinkedIn if you are familiar with that).

Your account gives you:

  • A basic profile to fill in.
  • Notifications and messaging.
  • The ability to join or create groups.
  • the ability to create connections with other users (like "friends" on facebook).
  • The ability to set events.
  • A basic blog.
Overall it seems like it's going to be worth while for CRTs to join, especially if they work a lot of contracts or are looking at full-time work later on and want access to the lesson planning tools and other resources.  Scootle also promises to be a great tool for professional networking by creating connections and joining the groups that suit your professional learning needs.

Joining Scootle as a CRT!

Of course as CRTs we often don't have Edumail accounts which is the primary way to join up with scootle.  CRTs instead join by contacting their state relevant authority.


In Victoria  you should email digital.content@edumail.vic.gov.au and request an account.

If you are using this link to open your email program it will automatically fill in the Subject line for you.  If you are doing it manually you should use the subject line "Scootle query".   You should also make sure you include your VIT registration number in the email as this is used to verify that you are a registered Victorian teacher and eligible for an account.  Having it in there right up front will expedite the process.

After you have been verified you will be sent an email with a link to activate your Scootle account!

Other states will have a different jurisdictional authority and you should email help@scootle.edu.au and ask to be directed to the authority for your state.

I've jumped in and created a network for Casual Teachers and invite everyone to join me!

In the future VIT will also be creating a group specifically for Victorian CRTs and it sounds like there's some exciting plans afoot so we should all keep an eye out for that one too ;).

Regards,

Mel.