R-E-A-D on your iPad

[Image Source: news.blogs.slv.vic.gov.au]

The iPad is a very useful eReading tool, especially for developing readers. The built-in iPad dictionary allows young readers to check word meanings within the text with a quick tap (no searching for dusty dictionary volumes) and font size can be adjusted to suit personal preference. If less text on the page is less daunting for your young reader, they can increase the font size and enjoy a more positive reading experience. A student can also widen their literary experience by listening to audio books. This is not 'cheating'. It is a valuable experience for students approaching the upper primary years to be able to enjoy a book in an area of interest, even though decoding the text may be beyond their current reading skills.

Buying eBooks and Audio books can be as expensive as purchasing the printed copies but did you know you can borrow eBooks and eAudio book recordings through Brisbane City Council libraries? With your BCC Library card, you can log in to the Digital Media site and browse Juvenile and Young Adult titles.

Click here to browse the Digital Media Collection

Borrow titles for up to 21 days at no cost. Borrowed media simply disappear from your collection once the borrowing period has expired so you will have no concerns about accumulating overdue fees.

[Image Source: www.stylingyou.com.au]

Some cautions:

• Due to the wide variety of digital media file types on offer, you may need to install a couple of extra FREE apps to allow you to read or play borrowed files. Follow instructions in the Digital Collection site and be assured that Overdrive and Adobe apps are perfectly safe to download from this site.
• Parents please supervise students and check what they are borrowing. As in any public library, there are many adult titles available. The above link will take you to the Juvenile and Young Adult section but does not restrict access to these sections.
• Finally, a reminder that unfortunately it is not advisable to read eBooks in the bath!

[Image Source: techli.com]

Working Towards Independence in Learning

Year 5 students are starting to develop some strategies for greater independence in their learning. Self-direction becomes increasingly important at this stage of schooling. 

In year 5 this year, we strive to:

• explore, discover and find out for ourselves before we ask someone else
• recognise our own strengths
• identify our weaknesses so we can work out how to improve
• monitor our learning by setting goals and reflecting on our progress
• support and learn from our peers

Taking an Active role in learning: Celeste and Axelle demonstrate the use of Dropbox for their peers

Taking responsibility for our own learning involves critical self reflection. Learning reflections will become part of our weekly routine. Students are given sample questions to guide their reflections (below). With regular practice they will become better at reflecting critically, setting goals and articulating their thoughts.

Questions for Learning Reflection by Maria Mead

We have a range of apps that we can use to record our learning reflections...

We are looking forward to exploring these apps this term. Once we are familiar with them, we will be able to choose the best app for the job each time. My own app preferences may be different to those of others. That's OK. That's the beauty of the student-centred Learning Innovations program in Year 5. My iPad helps make me make the right learning choices for me.

Viva la difference!

Morning Fitness Activities

Lovely to see so many parents at the Parent Evening last night! The teachers presented some research indicating how their Daily PE program of morning fitness activities can enhance children's memory, attention span and learning throughout the day. We thought you'd like to see some pictures of your children starting their day at school today. They will be able to explain to you at home what happens at each station. ...They certainly have their favourites!

New App - Mathmateer

Dear Year 5 Parents,

Today your children were asked to install a new FREE app to supplement their maths program.  It is called Mathmateer FREE.

 Click here for a link to the app in iTunes

If you have advised your child's teacher of their Apple ID password, then this app was most probably installed yesterday at school. If not, can we please ask that you arrange to install the app on your child's iPad at home sometime over the next week?

We apologise for this extra task. We will try to keep extra apps to a minimum but occasionally needs and opportunities will arise that will be of benefit to your children's learning. If at any time you wish to advise your child's teacher of their Apple ID password, these extra installations can be managed at school.

Thanks very much everyone!

Please continue to email Maria (mmead@bne....) if you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of the program.

A window into Yr 5 learning spaces

We are gradually but surely progressing through our long list of iPad setup tasks with your children at school. We realise that certain situations at home (especially cyclones!) can compromise home wireless connectivity and tax a family's time and attention so we are especially grateful for your efforts in attending meetings and supporting this program. We trust things will settle for you soon (as the necessary demands diminish!).  Don't hesitate to email Maria (mmead@bne.catholic....) if you have any issues or queries.

We'd like to share some pictures of our early days in Year 5. We already have "favourite" places to work in our learning space. When we are concentrating on handwriting or listening to our teacher we sit in chairs at the tables. When we are creating, investigating or practising skills, we can sit wherever we are comfortable. We start the day with prayer in our own class groups but our dividing door is always open and we use the whole space. For most of the day we watch and listen as a year level group then proceed to work together on group activities. This way, there are always at least two teachers ready to help us. We're becoming very good at putting shoes on quickly. The "shoeless" space keeps us comfortable and our carpets and furnishings clean for lounging. Our teachers are "clean freaks" so we wipe down our tables each day.

Paid Apps - Activation Links Sent

-->   Year 5 parents please be advised that activation links for all paid apps were sent to students' BCE email addresses this afternoon. The students were shown what to do but had no time today to download these at school. They may download these at home or at school as long as their Apple ID is signed in Settings > iTunes & App Stores.

Below are the installation instructions that were included in the email. Please help your child with the second step below. The activation links will only work once. The apps will be owned by whichever Apple ID is signed into the App Store when the link is activated.

FIRST:

BEFORE you click any of the links, make sure that you are reading this email on your school iPad. Also you will need to be connected to wireless internet.

THEN:

Check that your iPad is logged into the App Store with your school Apple ID. To check this, go to Settings > iTunes & App Stores.

NOW:

You may click the first link below. The first app will start downloading automatically in the App Store app. You can then come back to this mail and click the next link. Continue until all your apps are downloaded.

If you have any problems with this task, please email Maria (mmead@bne...). 

We are all looking forward to using these new apps in our learning spaces!

Post Script:

Dear Parents, 
Please don't think you must create a NEW Apple ID for your child to download these PAID apps! This is definitely NOT the case. The Apple ID you set up for them earlier and used to download their FREE apps is fine!  We only stipulated "your child's school Apple ID" in the instructions above as we noticed a few student iPads still had parent email and iTunes accounts added (in error). Your child's Apple ID may or may not be set up using your child's school email address - whichever email you have used to set it up is fine.
It's always best to install ALL required apps under the same Apple ID. This makes it MUCH easier to update the apps, as no password is required.
Apologies for any confusion.
Thanks to those who have emailed for clarification.
MM

TUESDAY is Safer Internet Day

What's special about Tuesday 5th February, 2013?

It's the 10th Annual "Safer Internet Day"! 

... Hooray!

What perfect timing for our lovely Year 5 students as they begin their program of innovative learning with iPads... In honour of the occasion, this post will recap some of the issues addressed at our Cyber Safety Boot Camps and offer you a 'starter collection' of resources to support your home campaigns for good Digital Citizenship, including internet safety.

Revisiting Resources from Boot Camp evening:

"Let's Fight It Together" - video
This video clip depicts a boy dealing with cyberbullying. A crucial point to draw out of any discussion about this scenario is the importance of reporting incidents to a trusted adult. Situations can escalate and become unbearable if a victim does not seek help early.

"Jigsaw Assembly" - video from Think U Know
What constitutes personal information? How do we keep our personal information private? See what you can learn from this girl's frightening mistakes.

"Never Seconds" Blog
A great example of the value of web 2.0 technologies as tools to learn, communicate, collaborate and  share. See how a 9-year-old girl has used her blog to make changes for the better in our world, starting with reviewing her own school lunches.
Tip: The blog was launched last April. If you take a look at this page and read from the bottom up, you will get a better picture of how it all began.

The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship
Mike Ribble describes each of the nine elements of digital citizenship. Consider which are the most important for your child at their current stage... Comment below if you wish to share your thoughts.

The Digital Compass
We borrowed this discussion activity (from Mike Ribble's book) on Boot Camp night, looking at familiar scenarios involving technologies and discussion the actions taken. You can use the digital compass to discuss any technology-related dilemmas. The discussion of how and why you selected each response is most important. Completed worksheets are being collected at school for regular discussion throughout the year. Please use the comments below to suggest any tricky digital scenarios that may be beneficial to discuss at school or at home.

Image Source: Copyright 2007, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education), Digital Citizenship in Schools, Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey, iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Distribution and copying of this excerpt is allowed for educational purposes and use with full attribution to ISTE.

Children have much to learn from the discussions they have with their parents about these issues. The current parents of 21st century students had no need or opportunity to learn about digital citizenship at school. But we have a wealth of world experience and bucket loads of common sense to draw on. To borrow the words of a 19th century philosopher:

“It is a thousand times better 

to have common sense without education

 than to have education without common sense.”
Robert G. Ingersoll

Other Useful Websites with "Digital Citizenship" Resources:

CyberSmart
A national cyber safety and cyber security education program managed by the Australian Government's ACMA - Australian Communications and Media Authority. Resources such as Hector's World and the CyberQuoll program are used throughout the school for digital citizenship education.

Think U Know
A UK website from the wonderful people at CEOP - Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

Information for Queensland Parents 
Further resources from the Queensland Government - Department of Education, Training and Employment.

Cyber-Safety Button
A free installation for MacOS or Windows from the Australian Government - Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Stay Smart Online
Website for home users from the Australian Government - Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.