Comments for Fizzics http://fizzics.edublogs.org an angle of reflection Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:28:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 Comment on TALMOS? No thanks. by EdTechRoundUp give TALMOS “right to reply” | Fizzics http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/06/17/talmos-no-thanks/#comment-17 EdTechRoundUp give TALMOS “right to reply” | Fizzics Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:02:10 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/?p=51#comment-17 [...] mentioned earlier that Doug Belshaw had been on the receiving end of some hassle due to an EdTechRoundUp podcast [...] [...] mentioned earlier that Doug Belshaw had been on the receiving end of some hassle due to an EdTechRoundUp podcast [...]

]]> Comment on TALMOS? No thanks. by Doug Belshaw http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/06/17/talmos-no-thanks/#comment-16 Doug Belshaw Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:19:18 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/?p=51#comment-16 Thanks Sinclair! I've been very impressed with the support of the community. It would seem that TALMOS have attempted to pluck one grey hair only to find several grown in its place... :-o Thanks Sinclair! I’ve been very impressed with the support of the community. It would seem that TALMOS have attempted to pluck one grey hair only to find several grown in its place… :-o

]]> Comment on TALMOS? No thanks. by Lisa http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/06/17/talmos-no-thanks/#comment-15 Lisa Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:28:11 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/?p=51#comment-15 Well said! L xx Well said!
L xx

]]> Comment on Microsoft - making it easy to complain about teachers by Mr Mackenzie http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/05/26/microsoft-making-it-easy-to-complain-about-teachers/#comment-14 Mr Mackenzie Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:18:25 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/?p=47#comment-14 Ah. You're talking about feedback. I don't know that we can say that these templates are designed to generate the kind of useful feedback to which (I think) you refer. I have been trying hard to get something I can use from pupils in terms of feedback but you hit the nail on the head when you say you can ask "what they didn't find valuable". Is it the PCGE student inside of me who is trying to establish WHY they don't find things valuable? At this point, I find the pupils are unable, or possibly unwilling, to provide the quality of feedback I am seeking. Perhaps it is unfair of me to hope for an element of metacognition in their criticism of my lessons. Ah. You’re talking about feedback. I don’t know that we can say that these templates are designed to generate the kind of useful feedback to which (I think) you refer.
I have been trying hard to get something I can use from pupils in terms of feedback but you hit the nail on the head when you say you can ask “what they didn’t find valuable”. Is it the PCGE student inside of me who is trying to establish WHY they don’t find things valuable? At this point, I find the pupils are unable, or possibly unwilling, to provide the quality of feedback I am seeking. Perhaps it is unfair of me to hope for an element of metacognition in their criticism of my lessons.

]]> Comment on Microsoft - making it easy to complain about teachers by DJ http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/05/26/microsoft-making-it-easy-to-complain-about-teachers/#comment-13 DJ Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:35:16 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/?p=47#comment-13 But isn't that the thing we want, as teachers? Critical review from our clients of what we do ? I tend to ask students to reflect on lessons, on what they learned and what they found valuable - and, more powerful, what they didn't find valuable. Apart from the obvious standpoint that it will go quite some distance to improving one's own practice, it hijacks the letter of complaint at source. Don't get me wrong, I hate M$ as much as the next guy and I really can't see a need for the templates you mention. But if the lesson isn't hitting the spot, make sure the students complain to you-the teacher, the person most able to do something about it. I'll get me coat. But isn’t that the thing we want, as teachers? Critical review from our clients of what we do ? I tend to ask students to reflect on lessons, on what they learned and what they found valuable - and, more powerful, what they didn’t find valuable. Apart from the obvious standpoint that it will go quite some distance to improving one’s own practice, it hijacks the letter of complaint at source.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate M$ as much as the next guy and I really can’t see a need for the templates you mention. But if the lesson isn’t hitting the spot, make sure the students complain to you-the teacher, the person most able to do something about it.

I’ll get me coat.

]]> Comment on Is there really “dead time” in the school year? by David Noble http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/04/07/is-there-really-dead-time-in-the-school-year/#comment-11 David Noble Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:14:46 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/04/07/is-there-really-dead-time-in-the-school-year/#comment-11 Great post Sinclair. I hope that the reflective effort that you are putting into your posts will come in useful further in your career. Great post Sinclair. I hope that the reflective effort that you are putting into your posts will come in useful further in your career.

]]> Comment on How do you do traffic lighting? by Mr Mackenzie http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/01/27/how-do-you-do-traffic-lighting/#comment-7 Mr Mackenzie Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:59:29 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/01/27/how-do-you-do-traffic-lighting/#comment-7 Mary, Thanks for your comment. That's me got comments from Mrs Moodle and Ewan McIntosh now! You're making Moodle sound like the sort of thing I would like to use in my classroom if I could only 1) persuade the school to install it or (more likely) 2) pluck up the courage to install it myself (I think it can be installed from Fantastico on the web host I use for my classroom blog) I've subscribed to you on iTunes btw ;-) Sinclair. Mary,

Thanks for your comment. That’s me got comments from Mrs Moodle and Ewan McIntosh now! You’re making Moodle sound like the sort of thing I would like to use in my classroom if I could only

1) persuade the school to install it
or (more likely)
2) pluck up the courage to install it myself (I think it can be installed from Fantastico on the web host I use for my classroom blog)

I’ve subscribed to you on iTunes btw ;-)
Sinclair.

]]> Comment on How do you do traffic lighting? by Mary http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/01/27/how-do-you-do-traffic-lighting/#comment-6 Mary Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:12:50 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2008/01/27/how-do-you-do-traffic-lighting/#comment-6 This makes very interesting reading because to me this is a perfect example of where a VLE (like my baby Moodle!) can come into its own. We have a module called Choice where we can give students a question (did you understand the causes of World War 2?) and choices of answers - yes, perfectly, yes but would like more help, nope haven't got a clue ...or whatever... and students select their choice after a particular task and we, as teacher get to see in table form who's made which selection -like the red, amber green I suppose, but with the advantage over Hands up in Class that it is done anonymously (to each other) but visible to the teacher who then knows who needs the extra help. This makes very interesting reading because to me this is a perfect example of where a VLE (like my baby Moodle!) can come into its own. We have a module called Choice where we can give students a question (did you understand the causes of World War 2?) and choices of answers - yes, perfectly, yes but would like more help, nope haven’t got a clue …or whatever… and students select their choice after a particular task and we, as teacher get to see in table form who’s made which selection -like the red, amber green I suppose, but with the advantage over Hands up in Class that it is done anonymously (to each other) but visible to the teacher who then knows who needs the extra help.

]]> Comment on I Glour when I think about Glow by Ewan McIntosh http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2007/11/03/i-glour-when-i-think-about-glow/#comment-5 Ewan McIntosh Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:20:22 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2007/11/03/i-glour-when-i-think-about-glow/#comment-5 Hi there, I like the notion of being able to reorganise the navigation as well as the parts of the page, too. It's on the list now! It falls in well with the thoughts I had posted the other day on how personalisable I reckon any VLE should be: http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2007/11/a-different-kin.html I hope you agree with the other ideas in there, too, and anything else you feel could be added or altered, just blog 'em. The notion of being able to see the students' marks across all subjects is an interesting one. There are plenty of schools where this already takes place, albeit through more clunky mechanisms. We had to physically meet at my old school to be able to find out this information, and then use it to work out what made pupil x perform so much better in class y. Used in this way, it can be very helpful for teachers. That said, I'd hope to see more formative assessment taking place in class, and perhaps this summative testing record will be less used until students hit their exams halfway through secondary. Thanks for your thoughts. Hi there,
I like the notion of being able to reorganise the navigation as well as the parts of the page, too. It’s on the list now! It falls in well with the thoughts I had posted the other day on how personalisable I reckon any VLE should be:
http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2007/11/a-different-kin.html

I hope you agree with the other ideas in there, too, and anything else you feel could be added or altered, just blog ‘em.

The notion of being able to see the students’ marks across all subjects is an interesting one. There are plenty of schools where this already takes place, albeit through more clunky mechanisms. We had to physically meet at my old school to be able to find out this information, and then use it to work out what made pupil x perform so much better in class y. Used in this way, it can be very helpful for teachers.

That said, I’d hope to see more formative assessment taking place in class, and perhaps this summative testing record will be less used until students hit their exams halfway through secondary.

Thanks for your thoughts.

]]> Comment on Glowing or incandescent? by Fizzics » Blog Archive http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2007/06/17/glowing-or-incandescent/#comment-4 Fizzics » Blog Archive Sat, 14 Jul 2007 15:28:18 +0000 http://fizzics.edublogs.org/2007/06/17/glowing-or-incandescent/#comment-4 [...] Fizzics with Mr Mackenzie « Glowing or incandescent? [...] [...] Fizzics with Mr Mackenzie « Glowing or incandescent? [...]

]]>