Looking for great Google PD?

If you are looking for some PD to support your use of IT in the classroom, in particular Google apps such as Google Drive and Google Earth, you may be interested in the events organised by Apps Events.

They organise regional 'Summits' which are meetings where teachers attend workshops given by their colleagues from around the region. Last year, I attended one at the International School of Prague which was excellent. They also offer Google Certification Boot-camps which train participants to become Google Certified Trainers. I went to one in Brussels and am in the process of completing the certification. I think that many colleagues would also find this a useful, though challenging, undertaking.

If you would like more information, please click the link or talk to Steve Weatherell. The process of applying will be through the PD Committee, just like any other professional development activity.

http://www.appsevents.com/home

Condensed TED Talks podcast

Many of you enjoy TED Talks, I know. I have found an excellent way to hear a few in a condensed way, which is the NPR TED Radio Hour. What they do is find the best bits from some talks on the same subject and make a collage as well as interviewing the talkers. It's brilliantly edited and really good radio.

TED Radio Hour is an audio broadcast which is available as a podcast (downloadable file) or can be streamed from their website. I feel professionally obliged to recommend the recent one on Predicting the Future, but the programmes on Memory, Story Telling and Making Mistakes (my favourite) were also excellent.

When does one find time to listen to something for AN HOUR? It can be a challenge, but I try to combine it with the daily mindless tasks of commuting or cooking or shopping or exercise. I hope you get to enjoy TED Radio Hour too. Here, though, is a fascinating video talk (if you've got 15 minutes). Did you know that IQs have nearly doubled in the last 100 years? James Flynn explains why.

Why is the screen rotating?

Has this happened to you? The students are working and their screen changes orientation so that it is sideways or upside down. They profess amazement. What has happened is that the student has used one of Windows' shortcuts (link here if you want to know about it). It could have been an accident, but I have noticed that at the moment this knowledge is quite current among our students. My approach is to gently remove the computer from the culprit and the rest of the class decides not to follow suit.

Could you move all your documents to the cloud?

Dear colleagues,

At the TTT today, I described to some colleagues the process of using Google Drive to store ones files rather than on a local disk (your PC, separate drive or H-drive on the school server). I have done it and would like to share the experience with anyone who is interested. Below are the questions we addressed in a slideshow, and below that an embedded document with the answers. They are Google documents (what else?), so will develop as we gain in experience.



Yikes! On an iPad, that document below seems to go on forever. Click the questions to go to the answers on this work-in-progress.