More than just knowing stuff!

A person’s a person, no matter how small!

What a wonderful message for our students. I have just returned from seeing Horton Hears a Who with a colleague. Now you may wonder why I went to a children’s movie with another adult??

I have to say I am a lover of great books for kids and that is where Horton comes in. Over the last few years of teaching I have discovered the power of Dr Seuss books and have used them extensively in my planning for learning. A few years ago I planned a whole integrated unit around values and personal learning, which I based on Dr Seuss books and his messages of friendship, tolerance, negotiation and persistence, as well as other values. We even discussed the dispositions of characters such as Horton according to Art Costa’s Habits of Mind.

I think there are many options to develop some real thinking around Horton Hears A Who. These are some possibilities for developing good reflections of the messages of the story with the use of purposeful new technologies –

Create a Voice Thread with each student sharing -
• a quality of Horton that makes him a special friend
• their favourite moment
• a way that they are like a character from the story

Create a wiki for students to create a class reflection using
• Plus Minus Ideas
• deBono’s 6 Thinking Hats

Create a short claymation/animation based on the qualities of Horton and post to Teacher Tube.

Any other suggestions?

2 comments March 27th, 2008

Ordinary People doing Extraordinary Things

Download Video: Posted by MissB924 at TeacherTube.com.

5 comments March 9th, 2008

Moving forward with the Ultranet…

In the last two months I have been working in my new role of ‘Ultranet Coach’. What this really means is working with schools and leaders in my region to support them in the use of ICT (Information & Communication Technology) as a meas for being ready for the Ultranet. Each school is unique and has its own strengths and challenges.

In Victoria we are working towards creating learning environments that best support 21st Century Learners. With this comes the use of ICT tools and online learning spaces and a shift in mindset. This is where my role comes into play!
I am excited about the work I have done so far, but more excited about the way school leaders are embracing the move into this new learning paradigm and the willingness to have a ‘coach’ in their school.

Add comment March 9th, 2008