Ulearn+2010.


 * Jenny Stearn Ulearn 2010**

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference in Rotorua and was very lucky to have the opportunity to attend Ulearn in shaky Christchurch too. We were quite late in registering and all of my choices for the breakouts were well in truly booked out. It just shows the quality of the conference, that I can say, that all the breakouts I participated in were interesting, stimulating and worthwhile doing. It is still early days yet but I have a list of __//things to do.//__

1. __Spaces and Places__ Steven Heppell's Breakout, looked at teaching in the 3rd Millenium and explored different ways of organising schools and spaces. I had to smile as we seem to be going back to the flexible classrooms of the past (my 2nd year teaching was in a KFC style open plan...10 years later I taught in one where the walls had been built back in!). He suggested a classroom with 3 walls, larger groups, teachers working together, flexible groupings and a wider age age...all definately food for thought. If well organised and thought through, I love the idea. My most favourite classroom had a large sliding door on the front wall that could be opened out completely... it opened onto a covered veranda and out into the playground/community, it was great and if I do anything, from this breakout it is __to use the outside area much more.__

I liked his idea of ME (personal spaces) WE (collaboration/family/community/including using ICT/facebook/etc) and SEE (celebrating learning together) these are used as pointers for the real world and in cyberspace.

Other points of interest......Improve learning spaces and places by.... ....going up...using height..a bit like the Kivas. . ... providing rocking chairs for those moving kids .... watch the light and temperature .... __variable places .... intimate spaces...open spaces__ ....__computers face out instead of towards the wall, more open, collaborative etc__ .... __project photos onto the window t__o the outside world?? ..group of children in charge of changing slide show weekly. We do have a __TV we could possibly do this or similar in our__ foyer. ... an __ampitheatre...__a great idea and one my class wanted to design and build a few years back...mixed ages would in fact allow these sort of things to happen more easily. ... using a wide variety of styles furniture...different functions and purposes ....being aware of the global community by streaming news/events AND EVEN more...cool quotes (sort of) ....if we want to encourage children to be astonishing and stella...we need to put them in astonishing spaces and places. . ...develop a playful active learning environment suited to playful, active learning. __...allow/encourage teachers to be active and playful...allow for different styles to complement each other through team teaching and collaboration.__ ....develop rotational leadership systems ....//learning is a social experience why differentiate by age? gender? why segregate?.... // ...and my favourite quote.... __''a school is a stage you dress for the learning"__

One thing I particularly enjoyed was putting faces to the authors of the books I have read. Karen Boyes was one of these. Her breakout on __enhancing thoughtful classroom dialogue__ was particularly interesting especially in relation to the work I am doing with regards to learning conversations and our Ways of Growing reflection work. One small change I have tried that works well is to use __a starter phrase.. a stem (__ like the reflection clouds)...this does focus the child's contribution, supports those very quiet student who often pass, avoids the constant questions and develops the conversation in a little more directed way.Karen also talked about __Habits of the Mind__...I have known about these via Gore High but not really linked these to the junior levels, There are big connections here to our vision, values and the key competancies...some of the language used within the handout was interesting and could be quite useful.

Tony Ryan was another I had read and I enjoyed the opportunity to work with. His 3rd version of the __thinkers keys__ is to be the last version apparently. He has divided the keys into 2 groups the more creative group and more critical group. He has designed simple visual cards, colour coded for each of the 20 keys. What I learnt was the way to use these..__the focus being the SOLUTION to an issue/a problem.__ By using a small group of keys together, __using a combination from the two sections choosing the order to use them skills are practised in a real life situation. Student voice is developed and students are encouraged to organise and develop thinking and reflection. My next job is to sort those suitable to juniors and work from there and to share this with the staff.__

On the last day I explored the Living Heritage website. A free New Zealand website encouraging students of all ages to tell their own stories about their discoveries re New Zealand/Local Heritage on their own self publishing web page. Our current unit on Coal with Our Great Grandparent link would have been perfect for this.This is a field I particularly enjoy working in and __I will find an opportunity do this at sometime__ and it would be a very good website to __share with the staff__.

My final breakout was about improving Maori achievement. This was from the secondary point of view but was relevant to us. That __connected__ word was there, along with __Tikanga Maori with an emphasis on community and ways of doing things__..... fun, quick fire, active learning, excitment, competition, races, classroom set up, music...memorable sessions allowing for different styles of learning. We played pass the parcel and found questions in each parcel. We played with a Mimio board improving my knowledge of chemical compounds!! Saw student developed power points/movies showing big ideas and concepts. Utube, songs rewritten and sung together to help recall important points were also used.

Of the Keynote speakers, Lee Crockett was a great way to start the conference and he was interesting, stimulating and thought provoking. He reminded us about 21st century learners and their needs...much of this I have heard before except the idea of changing brains that process differently...__where photos are processed faster than text...where students scan in an F shape and not left to right across the page, where key colour preferences and contrasts are important, where immediate feedback is important and where learning is needs based, not 'just in case'.__..these differences are created by a bombardment of digital images to a digital generation developing different styles and preferences. It is still important however to develop both the left and right brain skill set but it is important to see where the dominant set is coming from and to work from there. I intend to explore his ideas of __fluency__ through his website and I did not see that gorilla!! __Be open. Be still. Listen.__

Lane Clarke was another I had read and heard about and I enjoyed hearing her speak. I really only know bits and pieces about the Inquiry learning process but now realise that there are __different processes involved depending on the pathway one has to travel.__ The __planning template is very interesting and certainly will be of some help in working through a planning sequence within the syndicate.__ It is great to listen to someone so full on and enthusiastic about her topic. __Stories__ really do help make things make sense, although I did feel I was a bit saturated towards the end as I tried to keep up with all the ideas. I will particularly take away the ideas that __questions that are asked, develop in complexity as the learning develops-__-keep giving lots of ongoing opportunities to ask questions...using __different coloured stickies during different parts of the topic will give you an indication of when the questions were asked and how the thought processes and the connections are developing.__

Thanks to Kelly and Wendy for sharing this conference with me, I enjoyed your great company, fine wine, good food and a cold beer were a great combination. Thanks also to the cluster and to WGS for the opportunity to experience another conference. It was fantastic and very worthwhile, I appreciate the opportunities you have given me personally this year and hope that I can share, develop and act on those ideas. Change is our current topic. I have decided that it is not always necessary but it is inevitable. From this conference, one of the key ideas I have taken is that it is important __to take risks and lead changes__ sometimes, instead of necessarily just being resilient and reacting to change all the time. So the big question is: Where to next?


 * Kelly Mitchell**

I really enjoyed Ulearn 2010. Like Jenny, the breakouts I wished to attend were also full, so I didn't know what to expect with the breakouts I had chosen. I was pleasantly surprised with all the breakouts I went to, taking useful hints and ideas away each time. I also enjoyed the company of Wendy (East Gore) and Jenny from West Gore.

I went to a breakout all about how to use the internet more effectively with kids. In general I learned alot about the workings of the internet that I hadn't previously come across. They also gave us two websites to refine your search that is suitable for children. Google __quintura, ask kids, spacetime 3D__ for Websites with info for kids on them. This breakout also had great ideas to use your blog in the classroom - save as a draft then check as a newsboard activity, and use as a guided reading session. A great way of having ict integrated into your programme - not as an extra! Flickerstorm?? not sure of spelling - is a source of photos where you don't have to worry about copyright. They also talked about cross checking your info from the internet to check validity. **Don't believe all that you read**!!!!

Another breakout I attended looked at the use of lots of tools with digital cameras and videos. I would really like to experiment with Green Screening which is where you put a photo of yourself into another picture. Alot of these were mac tools. Paula Jamieson has forwarded me a list of pc websites that are similar. This wiki has the 'greenscreening' instructions for PC users http://putyourselfinthepicture.wikispaces.com/. This is a cluster Wiki (their cluster is totally PC) so might be something useful here http://rellco.wikispaces.com/. Here are a couple of MUST see sites (you have probably visited them already!)http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/ http://useict.wikispaces.com/100+ways+to+use+IWB+and+DP. There are lots and lots more on their wiki:https://tewhakatipurangahouictpdcluster.wikispaces.com/

I enjoyed listening to Lane Clark. Her ideas made sense, I would love to see her in action. She told us that teaching has to be relevant, that is so true. She told us of a really inquiry unit on making big books to send to children in Africa. It was great.

Helen Otway is from a brand new school in Melbourne. She talked about the way they went about setting up the school. They have an amazing ratio of chn to computers and produce some fantastic work. Their learning spaces are all open, with three classes in one big space and curved shaped desks for children to work at. I really liked the school vision = Dream. Believe. Inspire. (showing respect, valuing the community, being safe, aiming high)

From another workshop I liked __Thinking is your reality!__ If you are a negative person it equals negative life. Something very important to teach our children.

I would like to incorporate lots of Paula Jamieson's ideas into my programme, I just need to work out where it all fits! SO much to think about. I would like to thank WGS and the cluster for the opportunity to attend Ulearn.