Graciela Sent Me an E-Card

Here is a link to an e-card sent to me by one of my students. Click here to see it.

Charlotte's Web

Salutations Grade 3! Your homework this week is to post a comment about Charlotte's Web on your own blog. We will watch the film together on Tuesday. I would like you to respond to the following:
1. Describe your favourite part of the film.
2. Tell me one thing that was different in the film compared to the book.
3. Find a picture from Charlotte's Web on the Internet and put it in your post. You will need to 'save image as' to your 'My Pictures' in 'My Documents' first before uploading it to your blog spot.

4. Tell me why you think I chose to study this book in connection with the inquiry about Communication.
5. Choose 5 of your friends and post a comment about Charlotte's Web on their blogs. Remember to use your best netiquette.

6. Give your blog address to Mrs. Jane for checking. Descriptive words and consistent tense will earn you extra points in the 'Use English Properly' competition. I will extend this competition until the end of May and there will be 5 trophies to be won!

Finally, go and visit this website http://www.charlotteswebmovie.com/site/index.php

EDU 5471

Today I learned about wikis on the internet. I had to participate in a wiki set up by my lecturer. The wiki was Edu 5471 Erganomics. I had to post my comments about the issue of erganomics in my school. Well my comments weren't that complimentary. The furniture used is not very comfortable, especially in the computer lab! I guess it's because there are other areas that need attention more.
The next posting that I will put here will be for my students. I want to start a discussion forum here about Charlotte's Web. We will watch the new movie on this Tuesday. My students have all read the book as a part of their English work.
I have read all the readings that I'd said I would do last week and I was most interested in Downes (2004) 'Educational Blogging'. It was interesting to know that many schools use blogs for digital portfolios. At my school we already use a digital portfolio based on Autoplay and flash. This is then burned onto a CD. We will have our first Student Led Conferences this Friday in which the students will show their Digipots to their parents. We are racing to get them finished!

My Class Company GGM

My class have turned themselves into a company. Here is a photo of a recent market day.

My Son Has a Blog

My son Riam has created his own blog, http://www.riamsblog.blogspot.com/
Check it out all.

Teaching

My wonderful students in Grade 3 have starting making blogs! We will be ending our current UOI soon but I would like them to continue using blogs to keep a track of their learning. I have been using email with this class a lot lately as well and I like how I'm able to give them a different kind of personal feedback. This class is quite ICT literate as my school is currently using digital portfolios GR 1-6. We have created our own platform using a combination of autoplay and flash. Even Gr 1 children are able to located personal files on the school system and insert them into their personal folio with a comment regarding the work sample.

EDU 5471

Today I spent at lot of time studying. I have joined QSITE and a special online group set up by Arthur. I have also looked in at the OCC for IBO schools. Those will be my three online forums. I'm now off to read the Skurzynski, Richardson and Downes articles. I still have to print off to read or I've found it just doesn't 'stick'. I'm from the pre-online generation and I'm not able to read online as successfully as reading print. Before I do my reading I plan to participate on the OCC - Online Curriculum Centre for the International Baccalaureate Organization about inquiry learning. So much to do - so little time to spend!

Taruli Sings

Last Sunday Taruli my daughter had her first performance at Botani Square in Bogor. Click here to watch her performance.

Teaching

I will attempt to teach my students how to create a blog today. They are in Grade 3. We are studying about communication at the moment and I would like them to use their blogs as a personal diary.

About my Masters Online MEdTech

About my Masters ...
I am currently onto my second unit in my Masters from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. I'm taking Computer Based Resources in Education at the moment. I have to do a posting about a historical figure with whom I identify with and how I think that they would like the internet and how they would use it. I admire Anne Sullivan, you know, the teacher of Helen Keller. I just found this awesome video clip about her - you can see it here. Anne Sullivan clip link

About my family

I'm an Australian married to an Indonesian. I'm originally from Melbourne and my husband is from North Sumatra, Lake Toba. He is a Batak. I had to become a Batak first before we could get married. I had a ceremony where I was formally adopted into the family of my husband's uncle - on his mother's side. This officially made me a Batak person. I got a clan name, Panjaitan and 3 sisters and 2 brothers plus a mum and dad as well. I was made child number 2.
We got married in 1997 on the 13th of December. We now have 3 children. A son Riam who is almost 8, a daughter Taruli who is 5 and we have a baby son called John who is 10 months old. Life is very busy!
I teach at an IBO school called Sekolah Pelita Harapan. It's a Christian school and is one of the best schools in Indonesia. The work is very demanding and tiring which is why I have a nanny to look after the baby, a maid to look after the house and a driver - oh and a guard/gardener as well.

Introduction

Well I've just started to make this blog. It's a new thing for me. I will focus on life here in West Java. Firstly I guess that I'd better introduce myself, Hi I'm Jane Ross. I'm an Australian but I've been living in Indonesia for the past 10 years. Do I like it here? Yes, I love it.