Creativity,+Connections+and+the+Cluster

=Creativity, Connections and the Cluster=

Review of Creativity and the Competencies workshop
Please click [|here] to link to our cluster space to comment on the value to your staff of the Mental Berocca session "Creativity and the Competencies"

Time to play
[|Sony Acid Express] - Free download

[|Onion Street - Music Room] this looks like a great site for our year five up students

"This is intriguing once downloaded. I think kids would love it.  Best to be plugged into internet rather than on wireless"

[|Flexi music and Music game C] more suited to beginners or our junior children

"Is very comfortable and not so complicated - great as it is simpler for beginners, it's fun, colourful and easy to use. Great for children to create their own music to go with their presentations.  That way higher order thinking goes into the music selection rather than using "cool" music from other artists" You can only download a seven day trial after that the cost is US $16.

[|The Pure Drop] - a website that celebrates traditional and world music, it's a treasure trove (albeit Australian)

Resources to Support our Lead Teachers in supporting their team!
In NZ we now have numerous networks of classroom teachers working together to find and share resources to support us to keep up and keep savvy. We no longer need to be the know-alls or experts in any field in particular...but we must know how to access what it is we would like or that others would like. In the interests of sustainability of this contract, and keeping our lead teachers with their heads above water here are some options:

[|Become a googler:] this option of searching with keywords is great! However, it is based on the assumption that you use keywords wisely (ie k12+lessons+music creation), and that you manage your internet surfing time well. If you can do these two things you can easily google for resources!!

Become a member of [|Centre4]: Centre4 hosts the ICTPD network across NZ. It links you to what is happening and has happened in relation to the ICTPD Cluster contracts. Membership is free and once in you can search for what is relevant to you and your staffs needs. You will then have access to plans, discussions, ideas, etc. Once you register as a member you just need to have this access code (ictpd) to get into ICTPD online. These resources are tried and true by kiwi teachers in kiwi classrooms.

Don't forget [|TKI]: this is the real treasure trove of them all! The Ministry is always updating this site, lesson plans are there...everything you would need. Better yet, you can either search this site or click on the appropriate kete to lead you to what you might like. Your students can also use this site!

Making Connections!
Connecting with our New Curriculum

Connecting with rich, people resources beyond the four walls of our classrooms: [|Digital Conversations]

[|Virtual Learning Network]

Making the Most of what we have in our school
Most of our schools have intranet capabilities, this is known as Smart-Net.

What is your school currently using it for? What questions do you have about it? What would you like it to be able to do?

Why do we defrag our computers? How/why do you disc clean? What do I do when things can't be defragged/disc cleaned? Defragging is not applicable to windows xp machines. Defragging is just tidying things up. If you are asked to run a disc clean up then it is ok to clean up as it just helps your machine to run smoothly.

How can I connect to the internet at home with my new laptop? untick the proxy server when at home, then click on the refresh button of the browser or restart the machine.

How much does it cost to lease 10 pc laptops vs 10 apple laptops?

Why don't some laptops roam and what does this mean? This could refer to a roaming profile which kicks in when you log on. It is a preference to log on to your school domain. It enables you to access your stuff from other machines and any other time. This is not necessary. You are better to save yourself a folder on your cdrive. Google Advanced - Drew recommends using this. Go to www.google.co.nz, click on advanced search, and use the options in the blue shaded area. This is great for teaching them to think about exactly what they are looking for - ie good info literacy skills.

What do the different icons on the internet browser mean? They all have different functions. You need only keep the ones you know about. So we can get rid of some of these buttons

Why do some of our lap tops connect at the REC sometimes and not others - when we do the same thing? A proxy is something that will act like your server ( a connection to the internet or network), it has a name that involves numbers called an IP address (eg. 10.79.45.1). The proxy setting is set inside your internet explorer, when you change the number you are letting the computer know the pathway into a different connection such as when you connect to the Rotorua Ed Centre. Look for the little icon on the bottom right hand corner of your screen that is made up of two screens flashing or with a red cross which means you are not connected at all. Rochelle put the smart net link in here please that refers to TCP/IP. In the properties of the TCP/IP we need to choose to check 'Use DHCP to get IP'