Change the way you learn…. As well as teaching I am currently studying for a post grad degree in Special Educa-

tion. This has been incredibly worthwhile and completely exhausting. I recently spoke

to a couple of my old TAFE teachers who commented that they would also love to

study again however, the courses cost so much and family often take up too much

time. These are valid reasons not to return to study and as teachers who are already

time poor, the thought of higher education whilst looking after a class is purely daunt-

ing. Thankfully, the way we study is changing, thanks to Web 2.0 and a number of

education startups that are changing the face of higher education. The sites I will intro-

duce you to do not offer a certified degree and you will not gain any new letters behind

your name, however, if you are up for some self paced learning in new or familiar

fields of knowledge then check out the following sites.

Coursera is a site that claims to offer the worlds best university courses for free. Every-

thing from Computer Science 101 to Introduction to Finance. The site recently offered

a Yale Computer Science course for free and received over 15000 enrolments.

June/July 2012 ONE ISSUE # 4

Web 2.0 for Educators

We now accept the fact that learning is a life-

long process of keeping abreast of change. And

the most pressing task is to teach people how to

learn.

-Peter Drucker

The Kahn Academy is an interactive whiteboard that offers thousands of videos to watch and learn. They offer everything from pro-

gramming, to “How to throw from the free throw line” videos.

ITunesU offers an incredible amount of video lectures for you to look at. From education to computer science and foreign languages.

Many courses come with lecture notes and teachers can create their own courses and submit them to ITunes.

A quick note All links in this newsletter are active and I try not to include full web addresses. If this newsletter has been printed and given to you,

you can find a copy online at http://kanestechresources.wikispaces.com/Newsletter+Sign+Up where you can also sign up.

Kane Baltetsch

kbaltetsch@hotmail.com

http://kanestechresources.wikispaces.com

Web 2.0 Newsle er

Google. For years now it has been my home page. I simply

know that whatever I am doing, Google will lead me there,

quickly and efficiently. However, Google is far more than

just a search engine and recently my tune has switched when

talking about technology with colleagues to “Every teacher

should and must have a Google account!” Here, I have decid-

ed to list my favourite features of Google and sites that show

you how to best make use of them.

Google Scholar—a great way of finding articles about any

academic topic. Here is a great video on how to use Scholar

to find the articles you need.

Google Calendar—More than just a calendar online, this

calendar syncs with many popular email programs and IPh-

one/Ipad apps. You can even get it to send SMS reminders

about upcoming events. I have it send an SMS to me every

week to remind me to put the bin out! Here is a video that

shows you how to use this incredibly useful online app.

Google Way, way, way more than just a search

engine!!

Docs—Google docs is an online office suite that

offers word processing, online forms, presenta‐

ons and spreadsheets that are also integrated

with the forms. Many people I know have com‐

pletely replaced their use of Word in favour of

this no frills office suite that simply gets the job

done.

Panoramio— This site allow users to post pic‐

tures and plot them on a map from all over the

world. For example, here is a beau ful photo

from Il massiccio della Presolana in Italy. This is

great if you are studying other countries and

con nents and can be a great tool for virtual

excursions.

There are heaps of other services as well includ‐

ing maps and site builders. If you don’t have a

Google account get one, it is well and truly worth

I think Google should

be like a Swiss Army

knife: clean, simple,

the tool you want to

take everywhere. Marissa Mayer

June/July 2012 Issue 4

My Favourite Websites This Month

StoryJumper: os an easy to use book creator

online. I like this one because of its simple

drag and drop concept. Very easy for little

kids!

Spelling City: Make flash cards, give tests,

play games, all interac ve and all to do

with your students’ spelling lists. There is a

free and a paid version and they are rea‐

sonably cheap at $30 for less than 5 stu‐

dents and $50 for 30. Premium means

individual student logins, no ads ect.

Inklewriter: Create choose your own ad‐

venture style stories in an easy, free to use

way. Ideal for reluctant writers. There have

been Apple apps created using this very

so ware.

Sidevibe: Changes the way you use web‐

sites to teach. This would be a great addi‐

on to any classroom wan ng to try to flip

their classrooms to a backend, student led

crea ve approach to pedagogy.

Avatars are a way of digitising yourself and creating a character that represents who you are. If you are a part of a forum, you would have already seen them. Recently, my students and I starting experiment-ing with Voki, an online avatar maker that allows students to make a “virtual puppet” and let it speak. Avatars are great for engaging your students and the kids get a blast out of making their very own car-toons. Avatars can be used as tour guides, navigational elements on web pages, introductions to lessons, teachers and they can bring historical figures to life. They are also easy and fun to create, below are a few tools to create your own avatars. Build your wild self: A really fun avatar maker that also gives

heaps of information about the animal parts involved. Here is one I prepared earlier.

The Hero Factory: Students reinvent themselves as a superhero. Here’s one I prepared earlier (as above).

The Simpsons Avatar Creator: Does exactly what it says it will! Logon required although one mass login could work.

So there you have it, heaps of ways to get you thinking about repre-sentations of yourself and getting your students to begin to digitise themselves in the classroom.

Know of a great website share it here h p://bit.ly/ygH0KF and I will include it in the wiki and maybe even the newsle er.

Avatars Create a new you and

allow your student to do the same!

June/July 2012 Issue 4

Web 2.0 for Educators

About Me And why I am doing this….

My name is Kane Baltetsch. I am currently a relieving teacher in the Special Educa on Unit at

Lithgow Public School. I have been teaching in the unit for nearly 2 years. I am currently studying at

Deakin University; Graduate Cer ficate of Special Educa on. I have a special interest in technology in the class‐

room and Web 2.0 technologies as well as crea ve arts in schools, par cularly Drama. I have a wide range of

experiences in Drama including short films, ensemble performances and improvisa on. So…. Why the news‐

le er? I do not believe I should keep resources to myself. Teaching is tough, so why not share the things in this

world that make our job just that ny bit easier. This is my gi to you.

Contact me at kbaltetsch@hotmail.com

Or kane.baltetsch1@det.nsw.edu.au

Kane Baltetsch

Special Education Teacher

(Relieving) Lithgow Public School

June/July 2012 Issue 4

Web 2.0 Newsle er

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