Conference


 * CONFERENCE REPORTS**


 * U-Learn** - Lesley and Mark attended U-Learn in Christchurch. Click on the links to read their reports.

Click here to view Lesley's Report
 * Lesley - ULearn** - Inspirational, thought provoking and motivating. Thank you for the opportunity to go to this conference. As well as learning heaps it was affirming to see that our cluster after one year into the contract is on the right track.

m.ashcroft@maungakramea.schoolzone.net.nz Other typed notes from presentations below, should you get time to browse, again mostly in note form rather than flowing sentences.
 * Mark** - ULearn 10 was inspiring, packed with ideas and a rich source of current thinking. Below I have posted several sets of my conference notes and a power point summarising key ideas for me. The slide show is a brief summary and will make more sense at the cluster meeting. The link to the presenters' materials could be useful to you for sharing with staff or just to find out what other people are doing. Any comments or questions feel free to email me at:



media type="custom" key="7327541"

The team travelled by air rather than drive which meant we did arrive reasonably refreshed. At the end of the conference the thought of driving back would have been horrific as we were tired not only from the conference but from having been woken up by the hotel fire alarm and having to evacuate the hotel on the second to last night. On reflection I think a two hour flight vs. a 7 hour drive is the way to go.
 * Bus Tour -** Lesley attended an ICT Bus Tour. Click here to read the notes - lots of useful stuff. [[file:REPORT ON ICT BUS TOUR.pdf]]
 * Lesley McCardle - Facilitator**

The conference was invaluable in many ways but for us as a team being together for the first time the collegiality and support we gave each other was a huge plus factor. I feel it will make the facilitation of the contract much easier now that we have had this time together.

Each team member will add their thoughts about conference below this but I can say as a facilitator I gleaned some great information and enjoyed all but two of my workshops and this was only becasue in the end they were not relevant and I should probably have chosen better! The two workshops I attended on facilitation were brilliant especially the last one "Otherwise Fine".

The keynote speakers were excellent and in particular I enjoyed Alan November who used IT to the max in his presentation including Skyping his way into our conference. He gave us a lot to think about and some excellent material to use in our own presentations.

The conference was efficiently organised especially taking into account there were approximately 1300 delegates. There was plenty of time between workshops to explore the sponsor stands and gather as much information about IT tools as we possibly could. A big thumbs up for the conference dinner and the "Beat Girls" - we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

My Musings: -take small steps - one thing at a time! -personal confidence/know your stuff - before teaching it to children. -learn new ideas - you need to listen/watch/talk about/play with new ideas. -collaborative approach - support each other/learn from and teach others. -persevere and practise - you WILL get better at it/push boundaries (take responsible risks!!)/encourage others. -embrace change - it will happen and has to happen, so get excited about it!
 * Beverley Davie**

Overview Attending the Learning@School Conference in Rotorua was a fantastic opportunity for me to begin up-skilling in the area of ICT. Not only did I link up with an inspired group of fellow-teachers, also ICT learners like myself, but returned home with much to think about, and a list of personal goals for myself. I am definitely a 'learner,' and look forward to the exciting challenge ahead in this current 'e-world!'

The conference offered a wealth of personal ideas and beliefs, topics, resources and technology! Keynote speakers raised various issues. Dr Stuart Middleton discussed his views of 'disengagement', looking at the historical perspective (with some causes), and posed more questions than solutions to this major problem. Looking ahead, he challenged the educators, the education system, parents and teachers to 're-engage' students. New Zealand's first ever Tertiary High School offered food for thought. Students of mixed ages were able to complete both NCEA exams and Trades' training over a longer period of time than the norm. Interestingly enough, the loss of Trades' training and apprenticeships, has had a huge impact on our employment figures and skill base.

John Hattie explained that teachers and schools were 'transforming agents.' But are they actually doing it and in the right way? We were asked to consider the quality of teaching and learning; and to look to both the community for help and the actual desired outcome.

Alan November discussed emerging technologies; dealing with global connections; the overwhelming digital world (how do we trust what we read on the internet?) and the need to be self-directed, organising one's own learning. Children are great motivators for other children; they can be challenged to do even better than what they see, and they can become tutors themselves.

Tom Hoerr, encouraged risk-taking and the making of mistakes to assist in learning. He believes that the principal provides leadership and helps in teacher growth to build strong school relationships, which in-turn encourages the best outcomes for keeping students engaged in learning.

Breakouts sessions varied amazingly. Tony Ryan encouraged teachers to have a positive well-being, with a ZEST for teaching. Teachers needed to be healthy and positive and have coping mechanisms for stress. Louise McDonough, from Scotland, introduced a variety of Google Earth activities (where I could map a pathway from my home to school), and Web 2.0 resources, which could easily be used in classrooms, along with a host of suitable websites to engage students.

The topic of school website building was frustrating for me, as I tried to grasp new concepts, but perhaps it made me appreciate how computers/ICT can be confusing at times and pose more difficulty for some students (and teachers!) than others. In constrast, the Open Source school, provided a fascinating session; opened my mind to ICT at work in a modern, forward-thinking school, with staff passionate about self-learning, working collaboratively with students who were encouraged to be curious, creative and innovative and most importantly, being part of both the local and global communities. The Albany Senior High School model offered a taste of future teaching and learning. It summed up the ICT initiative for me; and made me think about the my future in teaching. Why am I teaching? What am I teaching? How can I achieve my goals and assist my students in reaching their goals? Am I looking ahead to the future? How open to new learning am I?

Finally, 'what teachers need,' offered hands-on ICT activities, delivered by ICT cluster teachers (just like me a year or two ago!), skillfully demonstrating work that their students had completed and showcased. I came away believing I could do that too!

Thanks to Lesley for all the planning for the conference, and, in advance, for the future hard work. I found the conference highly motivating, and enjoyed working alongside colleagues I very much look forward to working with over the next three years! Let's go to it!!


 * Kath Wynn - Team Member**

As a team member I endorse everything Lesley has said. The conference was huge, stimulating and very ‘hands on’. Although my mind was reeling by the end of it, I came away satisfied that I had gained some very useful information that I hope I can successfully pass on.

I enjoyed all of the workshops I attended, although the first two were a bit challenging trying to find my way around an Apple computer while learning how to build a community through blogging and then taking that idea global! The sixth workshop introduced us to some great e-learning tools and resources to use in our classrooms and we were actually given a DVD with all the software and resources needed to put them into practice.

Like Lesley I found the keynote speakers well worth listening to. They were all innovative in their thinking and left us with a lot to ponder on. Stuart Middleton set the standard with a talk laced with humour in which he outlined what causes disengagement in western education systems and how we can combat it. And Tom Hoerr, the final speaker urged us to ‘make NEW mistakes’ and to ‘teach kids to fail wisely’. Now there’s a thought!

I’d like to thank all the members of the team for making our time away so memorable and especially I’d like to thank Lesley for being such a wonderful facilitator for our group. I really appreciate all the effort and organization she put in to make the conference run smoothly for us.

Thank you very much Lesley for organising everything. It was one of the best PD sessions I have ever had. Much food for thought, particularly how little I know and how much there is to learn, to keep up and teach the children! It was great fun being with all the other team members. The kids wanted to know what I had found out so I have started to use Comic Life as a writing tool for my weakest writers. Have to go, time to be a headless chicken or an octopus (many hands) again. Look forward to Tuesday. We announced our launch in the latest community newsletter, and have invited the BOT.
 * Sophia Green (Wilkinson at the conference!) Team Member**

These are the workshops our cluster attended.

[] This is the link to the Conference page.

We depart Rotorua on the Friday at 5.50pm and land in Whangarei at 7.55pm
 * Flights** - We leave Whangarei at 6.05 and land in Rotorua at 7.50pm.

You can leave your car at the airport for $10 per night. It's actually taken from the airport to a secure site but you complete the process at the airport. Cash only.


 * Hotel** - We are staying at the Kingsgate Hotel which is about 30 mins from the venue. Dinner is booked for our arrival at the hotel for the first night. The hotel has a pool so you may like to bring your swimming togs.


 * Shuttle** - A shuttle has been booked to take us from the airport to the hotel.


 * Cluster Meeting** - I have booked us a room for 3.30-5pm on Thursday while we are at conference.


 * Conference Dinner** - I have booked Table 3 for the nine of us.


 * Friday Afternoon** - A tour of Hells Gate will be available. A shuttle will pick us up from the hotel at 3pm and take us to this venue where we will have free time to explore until 5pm when we will be picked up and transported to the airport. Our bags can be stored at the venue.


 * What to Bring -** You may bring your laptop if you wish - optional but I think useful. Walking shoes will be useful for before and after conference and walking around Hells Gate.