This eTeaching Excellence conference program has been designed to provide teachers, school leaders, parents, school community members and students with an insight into what is currently available. Our aim is to get the message out so that as many students as possible ultimately benefit from eTeaching opportunities. Powerful and effective teaching and learning experiences have been chosen for each session.
(a) Key Interactive Features (with reference to mimio Studio, SMART
Notebook and Promethean Flipchart features and files)
In this session delegates will learn more about the benefits of the
interactive features of an interactive whiteboard (IWB). Key interactive
features of all IWBs will be demonstrated and discussed with reference to
mimio Studio, SMART Notebook and Promethean Flipchart features and files.
All IWBs have key and common interactive features that are more important
to understand and embrace than knowing how to drive a particular brand of
IWB. Driving a particular brand will be made much easier by understanding
the principles of interactivity which underpin all IWBs.
An IWB allows integration between “teacher – student - lesson content” in
ways not previously possible. With an IWB teachers are able to utilise
technology to create a more engaging learning environment, interacting with
students through the technology.
There are a number of IWBs on the market, utilising their manufacturer’s
propriety software to create interactivity. Whilst the depth of
functionality differs between brands they utilise a basic set of functions.
The ability to interact with the IWB at the point of contact is a very
tactile operation that utilises the IWB as concrete material. This is a
powerful and very distinct difference from a projection screen setup where
the user is merely using a remote control method with no point of contact
interaction. This high level of interaction sets the IWB apart from other
technology devices and elevates it to a greater educational device than a
traditional whiteboard on which the user was able to only write and erase.
(b) Interactive Polling (with reference to free product Poll Daddy and
commercial product Qwizdom interactive classroom response system)
Assessment and student feedback is the bread and butter of the classroom
teacher. In this session the many benefits of using interactive polling
software, both commercial and online, to facilitate the teaching process
will be explored.
See how technology can facilitate quick polling and instantaneous student
feedback. Within moments of activity completion, teachers have concrete data
at their disposal to help them document student performance.
( c )Authoring Software (with reference to authoring software Fuse
Creator)
This session is for delegates who want to create high-quality,
interactive activities for their students, but don't have a degree in
computer programming. Well, now they don't need one.
There are many reasonably affordable products available on the market
that will help teachers create engaging interactive content, quickly and
easily, which can be used over and over on school or personal computers,
websites and VLEs.
(d) Online Applications for Problem Solving (with reference to free
products Webspiration and Google Docs)
One of the buzz words in education at the moment is collaboration – more
significantly collaboration to solve problems. Teachers have been aware of
the need to provide opportunities for collaborative problem solving in the
classroom. The best professional development activities for teachers are
also based around collaborative problem solving activities. One of the other
buzz words in the world of ICT is the notion of “cloud computing”, or
working with online applications as opposed to programs installed on
computers. This session will introduce you to a couple of cloud computing
spaces, Webspiration and Google Docs – cloud computing spaces where
collaborative problem solving can be facilitated.
In this series of activities participants will be asked to crystallise
their thoughts about what e-Teaching is. Initially they will complete an
online survey via a Google Form. They will then be introduced to the concept
mapping site Webspiration which is the online equivalent of Inspiration.
Having created a concept map, participants will then transfer this
information to a Google Document to flesh out the ideas further. They will
then look further at the results of the initial Google Form before exploring
how to create a form.
(e) Collaborative Learning Spaces (with reference to Edmodo or Ning)
There are many exciting technology products which have been developed in
recent years that provide excellent opportunities for enhancing
communication and collaboration within and beyond the classroom. Two of
those products are Edmodo and Ning.
In this session, Edmodo or Ning will be used creatively across conference
groups located in different rooms all working on the same project at the
same time.
In the collaboration phase of the session, presenters will lead the
Edmodo or Ning experience for the delegates and will act as mentors and
facilitators in their rooms during the session.
Delegates will investigate the uses and benefits of Edmodo or Ning and
create their own “personal collaborative learning space”. In a shared
learning space constructed for the session, they will collaborate with their
delegate colleagues on an authentic task related to the issue of cybersafety.
Delegates will experience the benefits of eTeaching using Edmodo or Ning
to communicate and collaborate. They will learn how to give their students
opportunities to connect with other learners potentially across Australia
and anywhere in the world.
All registration fees must be paid within 14 days of the
invoice being issued or in advance of the date of attendance. Which ever date
occurs first, applies. Refunds will be given as follows: up to 14 days before
the commencement of a conference. No refund will be given after that time;
however an alternate person may attend. If an invoice is unpaid and cancellation
is not received up to 14 days before a conference, payment will be pursued.
Whilst every effort will be made to run advertised conferences, IWBNet reserves
the right to vary the advertised schedule. Minimum numbers are required for all
events to run as scheduled. IWBNet is not responsible for lost monies due to the
cancellation of the event within the above timeframes. Program content is
subject to change without notice.
