Oxley College teachers are involved in a pilot project using iPads with their students. These teachers have received extra training and access to an iPad and can check out the College’s iPads for their classes.
After using the iPads, we’d like to ask students for their input.
Here is the online iPad Feedback Form
Putting a file online allows students and parents to access it anytime, anywhere. This is very handy for things like Revision Guides, Assessment Tasks, Research Assignments, Class Handouts, Scaffold Sheets, Excursion Information, etc.
The easiest way to upload a document is to do it when you are in the Rich Text Editor for a Post or Page at your Faculty’s site on Oxley Learning or the Exams and Assessments site. You can also download a printable version of this tutorial. You can also access a general tutorial on uploading a document from the main WordPress site.
First, make sure your cursor is where you want the file link to appear in your Rich Text Editor, then locate the “add Media” icon beside the Upload/Insert heading above WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) menu.
To upload a file (doc/docx, pdf, ppt/pptx, xls/xlsx, etc.) Look for the “Add Media” icon above the Rich Text Editor menu.
You will then see a pop-up window prompting you to select the file you want to upload. Simply navigate your hard drive to find the file. Note: Always upload a file from your computer, not the Oxley Network as this is much slower and likely to stall the upload.
Once the file uploads, you will see a screen similar to the one below. You will do two things on this screen. First, take the opportunity to rename the file something that might be more intelligible to help people know what they are downloading. An example is in the screenshot. Second, all you have to do is click “Insert into Post/ Page” for the link and file name to be sent to where you left the cursor in the Rich Text Editor.
If all went correctly, you should see a link in the Rich Text Editor (as below).
Whenever you want to Publish or Update what you’ve been working on, click the blue button to the right. This saves your most recent changes and updates what’s viewed on your Web site.
Now View the Post / Page. Refresh the browser to show the changes you’ve made to the site and then test the link to make sure it downloads correctly.
Sometimes you’ll want to create a link to the file you just uploaded on another post or site. For example, such as when the file should also be listed on the Revision Guides page.
All you have to do is
You can also always use the WordPress Lessons site to find similar tutorials.
The following tutorial guides you through booking iPads, Netbooks, Projectors, etc. (all “non-room” types of resources. Rooms are booked through Edval).
1. Go to the Booking system and Log-in
This can only be done from Oxley College. You can Use this Link (http://bookings:8080/mrbs) or simply type http://bookings into a Web browser. Your log-in name is typically your two-letter abbreviation, but you can check it here: list of the log-in initials.
2. Select the Equipment you want
Click on the equipment you want to reserve. Notice that iPads and Netbooks can be reserved in groups for classes. If you need more iPads than the number available, you will need to contact the staff members in advance so you can use theirs.
3. Select your Booking Dates
Click in one of the fields on the date you want to begin your booking.
4. Complete Details of Your Booking
Now the serious business begins. Fill in the fields, paying particular attention to those circled in the screenshot below. Notice you will probably want to select more than the one iPad.
That’s It!
Given that all went as you planned, you should now see the items you wanted reserved for you on the dates you selected.
If not, just go back and edit the booking by clicking in the booked area (green above) and click on “Edit Series” to adjust anything.
Quick Links for ICT Facilitators
Over a year ago, the Technology Committee began a process of determining a set of ICT Skills that all teachers could use to support student learning. Over a period of months, the Tech Committee compiled a list of ICT Skills, drawing from international benchmarks as well as local Oxley College needs. For example, what is considered “best practice” for using ICTs to support critical thinking as well as “what’s the least you need to know” to use the College’s timetable or library software effectively.
Once this complied list was “vetted” by Committee members, it was shared with the entire staff. After this wider input, every member of the teaching staff was asked to complete a self-evaluation identifying which skills or practices they has already mastered.
The results of this survey were consolidated into a list of “Benchmarks and Beyond” that reflected areas where skills and practices were already at a “baseline” level and where further professional learning would be required.
Today, the entire teaching staff meets in small groups (3-4 people) to review the compiled Baseline skills
Collaborative Document: Baseline ICT Skills
After reviewing the document, please add your comments either directly on the collaborative version (if you have a Google account) or in the comments below.
Below is an example of Dropbox and Jotform integration where you can use your dropbox account to accept student uploads. Here’s a handy link from the Jotform web site that shows you how to link your Jotform upload with Dropbox. It’s so easy and cool!
Curriculum Idea Upload
Above is a lightbox version. Below is an embedded upload:
You may find that having a customised map is a helpful thing. You can include your own pegs and views as well as other media and links. Here’s a good video from Google that shows you how.
John Wenborne and Jeff Vardy joined the AGQTP iPad pilot teachers at Oxley College for several sessions exploring using the iPad for classroom-based learning.
Below are some links and resources to support the session. You can still access the links and activities from the first workshop.
We can use this Google Doc to begin to develop the activities you want to pilot using the iPad with students.
One of the things we’d like feedback on is which apps should be part of a “default” set-up. Here are some suggestions. Use the Comment link to add your ideas to the thread started for this topic.
Also consider:
After getting a WordPress Blog, you will want to make a Post. Here are the steps after logging in to your Blog.
From the Dashboard, you can add a post in one of three ways. Click the image here to see a larger version.
We recommend using #1 or #2 as they give you more layout and embedding options, but if you only have a brief “shout-out”, go ahead and use #3, the “QuickPress.”
Once you are in the “Add New Post” screen, add your title and the content you want to appear in the post.
Use the “Rich Text” / WYSIWYG editor (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) to format the text the way you want. Highlight sections, for example, and then click the “Bulleted List” icon to do just that. Play around. Experiment. The exact way your text appears once you publish the post depends on the IWB Blog’s style sheets, so don’t fuss things too much – some is out of your control…
The colorful icons starting with YouTube are all for embedding videos from a range of Web sites. Use the right one for the video you want to embed and it will play right in your post.
To add other media, you can upload / insert it. Use the clip below as a guide.
Once you have the content the way you want, it’s a very good idea to add Tags/Categories so that your post can be filed and retrieved more easily. Use the boxes to mark your post appropriately.
The first time you post your page, you’ll use the “Publish” button. Every time after that, the button turns into “Update Post.”
To see your post actually online, I like to use separate browser Tabs for the Dashboard and the published blog. To do this simply right-click on the link at the top of the Dashboard to open the Blog in a New Tab.
You can see a video from YouTube that covers roughly the same process
1. Navigate from the main OxleyLearning site to your blog
2. At your blog, look to the bottom of the right sidebar for the “Meta” heading and “Log in”
3. Click on Log-in and enter your username (usually your surname) and your password.
4. If you do not know your password, you can reset it by following the “Lost Your Password?” link. Enter your school email address and click “Get New Password”.
You will get 1 email to confirm that you want to reset the password. Click on the link in the email message.
This will take you to the site where you can enter your password (twice). The indicator tells you the strength of your password, but it will accept even if it is “weak.”
5. Once you are logged in to you blog you will see that you are in the “Dashboard” area.
