Microsoft Office Updated

As of this week, almost all computers in the school have been updated with the latest version of Microsoft Office 2008.
The latest version looks a lot smoother and adds many interesting and easy to use features, while still being as versatile as the previous!
Remember: Your old 2004 documents will open in the new version. New documents you make in 2008 WILL NOT open in previous versions of Office. You can however choose to save any document to be compatible with older versions.
If you get stuck, come and see one of us in the ICT Lab.
Thanks again for your support!

Click here to see Microsoft Office 2008 in action

How to Log onto Delicious

1. Goto Delicious
   
2. Sign in. Username = ambritrome / password =ambrit1 (

Search through thousands of links saved by other teachers related to particular topics.

Add links to share with collegues

Thousands of games, resources, links, activities.

Smart Board in the Classroom

Hi all,
Stuck for ideas on how to use the smartboard in your class? Check out the following document! It's loaded with idea's on activities and games you can use on the smart board! Let me know what you think!
SmartBoard in the Classroom (pdf file)

Video in the Classroom

Many teachers have asked about using video in their classroom and how to best find appropriate videos for students.
For now, YouTube will remain blocked on the Ambrit network, as there is yet to be a strong filtering system that stops students watching inappropriate material. As a school, we are responsible for what the students are exposed to whilst using the internet at Ambrit.

However, there are a number of alternatives to YouTube.
The BBC Motion Gallery
This large collection of videos is available free of charge on a large number of topics covered by the BBC. Users are also able to download and save a video clip (with a BBC watermark however) to their computer for later use.

Teacher Tube
Much like YouTube but with an educational focus.



Links to more websites can of course be found by searching through thousands of links already saved at Delicious

Sharing is Caring!

In the current PYP mood of Ambrit, it has become clear that teachers need time together to plan and share ideas, activities,resources, assessment tools, websites and worksheets in order to better plan their lessons and increase student output.
It has now become easier then ever to share links, lesson plans and websites that you find by using a fantastic website known as DELICIOUS.
This website allows you to store, share, organise websites to be used among the wider school community.
Say you find a great website to be used for a literacy lesson. How do you share that with other literacy teachers at school? Sure, you could send an email to all the literacy teachers at school, making sure not to leave anyone out! OR, you can simply add it as a saved link to delicious, automatically letting all teachers know, that you think the website is worth looking at!
More so, not only can you browse links that teachers have saved from school, you can also search for links by keywords that millions of other people may have saved, in turn saving you time, energy and stress! Why spend hours searching through google for a good website, when it's already been done for you!
Check out delicious, sign in with the Ambrit name and password (email brad for the password) and start sharing those websites you find!

Welcome

Welcome back!
This year marks a very exciting year for Technology @ Ambrit! Each classroom is now equipped with a fully functional SmartBoard™ Interactive Whiteboard (IWB). IWB's are a valuable resource addition to any classroom, opening up new, exciting and diverse lessons to engage all levels of students in!
"Interactive whiteboards are used in many schools as replacements for traditional whiteboards or flipcharts. They provide ways to show students any thing which can be presented on a computer's desktop (educational software, web sites, and others). In addition, interactive whiteboards allow teachers to record their instruction and post the material for review by students at a later time. This can be a very effective instructional strategy for students who benefit from repetition, who need to see the material presented again, for students who are absent from school, for struggling learners, and for review for examinations. Brief instructional blocks can be recorded for review by students—they will see the exact presentation that occurred in the classroom with the teacher's audio input. This can help transform learning and instruction." (Wikipedia 8/07)

Another change we've taken this year is the re-naming of the subject. Previously known as Computers, it is now called "I.C.T." which stands for Information, Communication and Technology. This change is to better link technology among the PYP curriculum standards and better reflects the units studied across the school.

Blogs have also taken a BIG leap forward this year! Many more teachers are setting up and using blogs in their class room as a way to involve students more actively in their learning. Teachers are also using them amongst themselves to promote and enhance communication among staff members.

I hope this year will be a positive one for technology, as we prepare our students for the highly technological world in which they live!

Check back weekly for news, updates and links that will be posted. If you would like to leave a comment or if you find something you think is worth sharing, please post it !