In this episode we explore the issues that arise when a school starts thinking about moving to a one-to-one computing model using laptop computers, an area in which Australia has been somewhat of a pioneer. We talk with Paul McMahon, an Australian educator living in Hong Kong, about the sorts of planning and background issues involved in transitioning a school from a fairly traditional learning environment to one in which students are given laptops as learning tools.

• All Saints’ College Perth
• Learning Solutions, Hong Kong
• Computelec
• The One Laptop Per Child Project

Have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year!

 Episode 7: Getting One to One: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Luc Zwartjes is a geography teacher from Belgium who has developed a deep interest in the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and GPS (Global Positioning Systems) with his students. Luc’s work with his students using GIS is a fabulous example of a passionate teacher working with students on real-world problems using sophisticated technology to create engaging tasks.

As well as an excellent overview of the potential of GIS in the classroom, Luc offers some subtle yet profound insights into the role of technology, the teacher, and the student in a 21st century classroom… providing a bird’s eye view of both education and the planet.

Links relevant to this episiode:

• ESRI - GISsoftware
• The Eduspace project
• Eduspace Article written by Luc for the IGU conference in Brisbane (1.5Mb PDF)
• Google Earth
• GE Pro qualifications for schools to apply for 2 free Google Earth Pro licenses (PDF)

Some useful books for learning more about GIS

• Exploring the Dynamic Earth (with worked-out projects for use with ArcView 3.2x)
• Mapping Global cities
• Mapping our world
• GIS for everyone

As always, comments are welcome. Please pass this podcast on to any geography teachers you might know. If they won’t listen to a podcast, burn them a CD… but they ought to hear this episode!

 Episode 6: A Bird's Eye View: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Interactive Whiteboards seem to be a popular topic of discussion amongst teachers, so in this episode we talk with Bryn Jones from Fremantle, WA, and Paul McMahon from Hong Kong about a range of ideas and issues around the use of IWBs. We also touch on the value of an IWB enabled classroom as well as a number of new IWB technologies for the future.

Links for this episode:

• Onfinity
• Ideal Resources
• E-Beam
• Learning Solution Hong Kong
• ICTPD
• Atomic Learning
• Easiteach
• Quizdom
• Taiwanese Quiz Device (Internet Explorer only)
  
• SMART Technology
• Promethean
• One Laptop Per Child Project
• Dongtan - China’s sustainable city project

As always, your feedback and comments are welcome. Enjoy!

 Episode 5: Look at the Board: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episiode we explore the use of Skype as a communication tool by hosting a group Skypecast with members of the Australian OzTeachers group. Skypecasts enable a large group of people to get together in a virtual chat space and talk in real time.

After spending some time sorting out the quirks of the system, we managed to have a few interesting conversations about online collaboration, international sharing, and how Skype might be used in an educational context.

My apologies in advance for some of the audio quality in this episode - large group Skypecasts can get a bit noisy (as this one did at times) but there’s still plenty of good stuff in here.

Links from this episode:

1. Skype
2. Skypecasting
3. OzTeachers
4. Anne’s blog about our Skype call
5. Chris’ blog about our Skype call

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this episode! You know who you are.

 Episode 4: Across the Pond: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode we talk about the best strategies and ideas for introducing interactive whiteboards into your school. We chat with John Pearce from Geelong, Mal Lee from Canberra and Margo Metcalf from Sydney. John is a grade 3/4 teacher who uses IWBs in his classroom, and Mal and Margo are from IWBnet and they help teachers get started with IWBs. Together, they explore some fabulous ideas and tips for implementing IWBs successfully.

Links from this weeks episode:

1. Mr P’s Interactive Whiteboard Blog
2. IWB Net
3. PDtogo SMARTBoard Podcast

As always, you’re welcome to drop us a line in the comments!

 Episide 3: It Takes Leadership: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What is Web 2.0 and why is it important? This episode talks with Michael Cridland, a young Brisbane teacher who is looking at ways to incorporate podcasting and blogging into his classroom.

Some of the links mentioned in this episode are:

• Michael’s Class Blog
• Brett Moller’s Blog
• BOSE In Harmony with Education program
• Adrian Greig’s ICT Learning Inovation Centre
• Bloglines
• Judy O’Connell’s Blog
• The PodBiz Project

As always, any feedback on this episode is welcomed. Just leave us a comment below.

 Episode 2: The New Web: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here it is, our first episode!

Anne Baird from Wedderburn K-12 school in Victoria talks about her technology support role in the school, and explains how she tries to assist classroom teachers make effective use of technology to promote higher order thinking.

Links mentioned in this episode include:

• Anne’s Blog
• Teaching and Learning Wiki
• Tom March’s Blog
• Their World (video)

Hope you enjoy this first episode, and special thanks go to Anne for offering to be our first contributor. If you enjoy the show, your feedback is always welcome in the comments section below.

To subscribe to the podcast, read the How to Subscribe section for more info.

 Learning for Life: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download