Educating the Dragon

A little survey I carried today between some students in a town in New Zealand, country kids in NZ and Chrissy’s Bangkok students for international flavour.

I posed the question:

Was wondering if you could do a little survey. “What are your top two past times?”

The results were interesting even if I am still awaiting the town schools numbers

Country Kids in NZ

1. Sport

2. Seeing Mates

Bangkok Students

1.Reading

2. Computer games/sports

What interested me further was: What sports were they referring to? The Country kids had horse-riding, rugby, motoX, netball and boxing on their sports list.

We shall await the Townie’s results.

Perhaps you would like to survey your class, and let us know?

I’m hoping that Dr Scott McLeod is not becoming immune to the potential of school reform through business. I’ve decided to publish my response to his post

Subscription via e-mail; Trying to reduce corporate PR pitches

by way of my post as, due to my excessive use of helpful links the comment was trapped by the anti-spam, which is a good thing really- I guess.

I think it such a shame when there is friction between business and schools. They both seem to loose out. I have been involved in a wonderful collaboration between business and schools for some years now here in New Zealand. Sitech Systems, now supported by BreatheTechnology set up a Champion School programme to

support the role out of IWBs across the country. This meant that 50 schools got reduced price technology and free ongoing professional development in return for being showcase schools. Through the ongoing professional development provided by the company I have had many encouraging encounters both in the education system as well as in business. Every year there is a conference where everyone come together to share ideas. Both the schools and the businesses involved have learnt heaps. Even the manufacturers in the USA, Interwrite have benefited. These schools have also gone on to pilot heaps of other technologies…

It is also a point of note that I have my blog and am reading yours as a direct result of this initiative.

No motive is pure in business, however I do feel that Sitech’s ethos does place the student’s (and teacher’s) development as a 21^st century learner front and centre.

 

Useful Links:

http://www.sitechsystems.co.nz/

http://www.breathetechnology.co.nz/

http://breathe.elearning.ac.nz/

http://educatingthedragon.edublogs.org/tag/championschools/

Oh dear, I think my delicious account is going to take a bit of hit with the loss of the icons on my Firefox. I had trouble enough with them there. Any hints people as the Firefox update just made them vanish.

No complaints from me, when I look out of the school library window (which happens to be the classroom window too) I see this. Clear skies, rolling hills and mutterings of “can you see the two pheseants?”

Yep, have to say I am enjoying this, even with ERO (Education Review Office) looming on the horizon.

Links and helpful sites from the nz-interface magazine that I thought are worth a proper look.

www.oxfam.org.uk/education

www.googleittrips.org

www.wesay.com

www.listen-and-write.com

www.fishandkids.org/flash_display.php?flash=catchandsave.swf

www.stocknewsgame.com/play_game.php

www.go4english.com

www.drinking-water.og

www.hearwho.com