EARCOS Admin '08

eac2008 A great conference held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, with Alan November opening the first day.
The notes of the Tech Directors job-a-like have been saved on this Google Doc

21st Century Learning in Hong Kong

Great conference in Hong Kong including both International Schools and local schools.

On the Right is Peter Woodhead, the retiring ICT Adviser at English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong and myself with the new title of Learning Technologies Adviser.


Visit 21CLearningHongKong

I have included a video of one of the presentations that I gave at the conference

One-to-One Computing: Anytime, anyplace technology for every student

Multi-touch Tablet

You may be aware of Multi-touch technology like this video below



We are looking at a Multi-touch Tablet from Dell for next year.

EARCOS Teachers' Conference 2008

I will be offering four workshops at the EARCOS Teachers' Conference in K.L.


Workshop 1
Title: Teaching with Tablets: The Development and Use of a One to One Tablet Laptop Program

Description:
This workshop will look at some of the pitfalls and tips for piloting a laptop program. It will consider the total cost of ownership and how such programs can be funded. How laptops can be used to enhance teaching and learning and the special benefits of tablets and digital ink. Notes for the workshop Teaching with Tablets

Workshop 2
Title: Taking Learning Online: Developing an Online Curriculum to Support Teaching and Learning

Description:
This workshop will look at how to developing an online curriculum and use it effectively to support teaching and independent learning, both in and outside the classroom. Notes for the workshop Taking learning online

Workshop 3
Title: Using Multimedia to Enhance Teaching and Learning

Description:
Students of the digital generation respond much better to multimedia than simple text based resources. The research has shown that because of multimedia stimulation, young people's brains are literally wired differently. This session will look at first why and then how to produce multimedia resources incorporating video and sound to enhance teaching and learning. Notes for the workshop Using Multimedia to Enhance Teaching and Learning

Workshop 4
Title: Creating Wonder and not Wander: Giving Focus to Technology Lessons

Description:
Students can waste a great deal of time searching for information and Googling. This workshop will look at strategies and structures to get students thinking more in technology lessons. Notes for the workshop Creating Wonder and not Wander

Teaching Mathematics with a Tablet Laptop

One of the things I have noticed observing mathematics lessons, is that at some point the teacher does a worked example on the board. The students don’t watch and listen, but automatically pick up their pens and try to copy down the example and the workings. As the teacher is blocking the view of the board and their handwriting may need some deciphering; the students fall further and further behind in their copying. At some point they start to filter out the sound of the teacher talking, because it is a distraction from the task of copying. The teacher is in fact talking to themselves. Would be so much better to have the students watch the worked example as many times as they need; rewind or even fast forward!. “On demand learning” means that a student should not be forced to listen to a problem being explained if they already understand it. Below is an example of a problem being solved by a teacher at my school using their tablet laptop. Video capture is used with audio narration. The students watch the problem solved before the lesson and use the quality face to face time in the class to unpack the problem. – I don’t know about you, but I would have to watch the example several times!

Teaching Languages on a Tablet PC

One of the teaching areas that benefits most from having a Tablet PC is language teaching. Paper based resources just do not communicate effectively. Take Chinese for instance, where stroke order is important.

What is needed is a easy way for teachers to create resources on their tablet and students to access them on theirs. The video below was created in seconds on a tablet by one of our Chinese teachers.