Cluster Day 4: U Learn and Beyond

We are meeting at Te Mata School on Friday at their library. Thank you so much to Mike Bain, Danielle Burroughs and Kate Hindmarsh for hosting.

Apps for a writing workshop

There are 21 confirmed. Of the 20 attending in the morning, 13 will be sharing from ULearn. We will be sitting in groups of 4, then rotating around. Everyone getting a chance to hear from everyone. It is expected that those who didn't attend ULearn share ideas or examples of eLearning from your class or school. It's all interesting and beneficial, even if it's been seen before, it is the pedagogy and the way we use tools (not the tools themselves) which are important. All of us are sure to have connections, ideas and examples to keep the professional conversations going.

At the end of the B.Tict session, we will add examples right here, on this blog.

U Learn post-conference website

Please visit the ULearn website where there are photos, links to videos, quotes from delegates, as well as prize winners, news, etc.

IFTTT: put the internet to work for you

B.Tict Smackdown

Here is the slideshow for the Smackdown, which is part of our B.Tict day on Friday. It is packed full of great ideas and is a truly collaborative effort.

Educamp Wellington and Hawkes Bay

Go with the flow- follow your passion- take responsibility for your own learning
Saturday saw Kerry Elphick and me rising at the ungodly hour of 4am. What on earth for, I hear you ask..?  Educamp Wellington was taking place at Wellington Girls College. Educamp is a user generated 'unconference.' It's free! No real agenda is set, and it's up to you to determine the focus for the sessions, grow your learning and have fun. The people that are there on the day are the people that are meant to be there.


Educamp Wellington was hosted by Stephanie Thompson, of Tawa Intermediate. A few hours of driving was a small price to pay to meet Stephanie, an exceptionally knowledgeable and uber tech savvy teacher. Stephanie has recently returned from being made an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) in Bali. To balance that accolade, she is also one of nine NZ teachers that were invited to be inducted into the Google Teacher Academy last week in Sydney.    

Our day started with introductions and moved on to an e-Learning Smackdown where participants shared ideas within a two minute timeframe. There is no pressure to share, but I found that it's great if you do, often people haven't heard of the thing that you may think is old hat! The ideas were recorded on a Google presentation  and all participants were encouraged to collaborate on this. 


The next part of the day ensured that you own your learning. Participants were asked to write what they are able to share, and what they would like to learn about onto a post it note. The notes were collated and sessions  drawn up based on the learner's needs. You were free to "vote with your feet" at any time, and move to another session should you want to. 














Our day wound up with a late lunch at the backbencher. The rich conversations continued there over our delicious lunch. The "Royale" rocks! I found it an exceptionally rewarding day of learning and sharing with other teachers. I am excited that I now have some new colleagues to collaborate and share with. 

You may like to read Ruth's reflection of Educamp Dunedin which also took place on Saturday.

Next Saturday, I am hosting Educamp Hawkes Bay  along with Matt O'Dowda of Richmond School. The day starts at 9.30am with coffee, and a Smackdown follows soon after. We would love to see you there! 

What conversations could you share on the day that may help make a difference or move you forward in your thinking? How might we support each other and contribute to creating new possibilities?