Make Create Educate

"Software doesn't have a day off"  Original Article If a teacher can be replaced by software they probably should be because teaching is about relationships. I don't believe robots can engage students like a quality teacher. Teachers are not glorified babysitters and it requires far more skill to be an effective teacher than technology companies and journalists will ever admit.  (This post is not going to discuss what makes a quality teacher. In every profession there are different levels of competency. We have all met good and bad doctors yet we don't lump all doctors in together with the bad ones. The same for teachers.) So many teachers have been reinventing the classroom, implementing technology, new teaching methods and using real world probably solving. Yet rarely do these stories make the news.  If you "google" teacher you are more like to get articles about misconduct than stories of achievement and success.  By replacing te...

Recently I have noticed MOOCs being discussed, more frequently, within my professional learning network (PLN). This year I heard @NatalieGoldman speak on MOOCs and I completed my first MOOC so I thought I would examine what they are, why you would use one and the benefits of them for personal development. What is a MOOC? MOOC is an acronym for Massive Open Online Course. They are often free and run with flexible completion times. To date they have been facilitated by large education groups often universities. Many offer a certificate at the conclusion.  Completion Rates The completion rate of MOOCs is quite low. Wikipedia (I know not a very good source, but easy) claims w hile many people enrol in MOOCs  only 10% of participants complete the course. EdCentral claims a 4% completion rate. This could be because of several factors. Time - MOOCs are often completed during non-work time. Many things compete for this time including family and friends. Finding dedi...

Background For those of you new to my blog. I am documenting my latest project "To increase the number of girls coding in my school". This is the second post in the series. I am not sure how long it will go. Here is a link to my first post in the series Exciting news! I have been invited to speak on implementing coding in a primary school at the NSW Association for Independent Schools ICT integrators conference in September, 2014. To be held at Loreto Normanhurst. See you there! First Meeting Last Friday was the first meeting for my new girls code club, I had about 20 students. I invited girls from two year 3 classes and one year 4 class. Each class has about 12 girls, I also mentioned it to some girls who have shown interest in my Tuesday club that is dominated by boys and only attended a few times. Coincidently there were four year 10 girls sitting near us in the library so I invited them to attend also.  So....a fantastic turn out for the initial meeting with...