Free webinars - In service training

Have you ever wanted to listen to experts in their field discussing a topic?  This week I have attended two presentations in the US where there have been audiences of over 500 people scattered around the world.  There have been PPTs, voice, chat, questions and Twittering as a back channel.

Where was I?  Well, at home!  What did I attend?  A webinar!  

According to Wikipedia a webinar is - Web conferencing used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. ...

They are often free!  I have just gone looking for more free webinars in order to keep up-to-date and as a part of my life long learning.  I registered on the two URLs below for new interesting learning.  All that is needed is ADSL or equivalent good bandwidth.  Many of us now have uncapped ADSL so it is a good option for learning.

http://www.webex.com/web-seminars/

http://community.discoveryeducation.com/

I did a Google search for webinar free education - Try it.

Gr 12 PAT

I have marked many PATs and feel irritated.  All reports are marked and I am just finishing off a few PPTs. 

We must check that the learners actually answer the question or complete the investigation.  Finding information on the topic was done well.  The survey was done well and analysed. However the survey results were not linked to the theoretical information found on the topic. Problems were not identified in the target group based on the theoretical information found. Solutions were also not based on the habits of the target group.

Put simply the learners investigated … on the Internet and in books.  They then looked at the … habits of the learners in their class. They did not make the link that the data on the Internet said xxx and the learners in their class only did xxx, therefore there was a problem. They did not say that x y z in their class who did not do … and should be doing ….  The learners did not solve the problem.  They gave solutions in general, things we all know.  The work was not finished! 

As we mark each phase we are meant to tell learners where they need to change and improve.  In the planning phase I did indicate to learners there was a part missing but despite much talk and explanation I could not seem to convey to my learners that a huge part was missing.  In future the problems and solutions phase needs much greater attention.  

Preparing for Grade 12 exams

The September exams are coming soon.  To prepare I am going over old exam papers.  I am horrified at how much my learners have forgotten.  I am very grateful, that now, with the 3^rd group of learners writing the NSC, we have a bank of old papers to use. It is quite amusing, doing the practical papers, using Office 2007 in our lab, realising how different 2003 and 2007 are.  What was easy in 2003 is difficult in 2007 and vice versa, especially in advanced Word, Excel and Access.  I hope the 2010 papers take this into consideration, e.g. protecting a Word form in 2007 is tricky but easy in 2003, creating Word forms in 2007 is tricky, removing lines in Access forms is not necessary in 2007, making certain textbooks different sizes on an Access input form is tricky in 2007 but so easy in 2003, etc.  All these small 'problems' make life challenging. 

Access problem

This is for all those good at Access.  I formatted text in a database table with an input mask.  When I did a mail merge, that text displays as if there had been no input mask.  How do I make the input mask format 'stay'?  

In service training

I had a wonderful Friday evening and Saturday morning teaching the CAT students doing an advanced certificate in education (ACE) at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.  They are all qualified teachers working full time, some already teaching CAT.  We did work on

• creating a web to market CAT
• making a PowerPoint for the subject choice meeting normally held in September
• creating fun quizzes in Hot Potato, Excel, PowerPoint and a web editor.

I love teaching adults who are already computer literate. It is such a pity that the course will not be offered in the future as bursaries are no longer available.

PowerPoint 2007 SmartArt

My Matrics are finishing off their Phase 3 PPTs and a few are using PPT 2007s SmartArt.  Wow!  Never again will I make PPTs in the way I did!  I realise that my thinking was still stuck in 1997 format.  Try it!

Digital Divide

Look at this new definition of the Digital Divide by Helene Blowers

Graphs

Chapter 3.2 in the Grade 11 book is such an important chapter and the work so challenging. Graphs really require understand and thought. Nice!

• Non-aligned data
• Axis - Scales, Intervals, Units, Number, Alignment
• Labels - Outside
• Font size
• Columns – Fill (Pictures)
• New in Excel 2007 insert a Shape label onto/into a graph to specially show something

Report writing

There seem to have been problems downloading the Report Writing PPT. I thought it was because there was a space between words in the file name. I fixed that - here it is. Still problems for others although I could download successfully. I have now zipped the file and hope that it will download and unzip successfully - here it is. Please let me know if you are still unsuccessful. Thanks

Office 2007 training

During the holidays I had the pleasure of helping presenting an Office 2007 training course. Here are copies of the Excel manual, PowerPoint, Crossword (to check if teachers knew the 2007 vocabulary) and Access manual and PowerPoint. Most of the files in 2007, are zipped and I hope they will download and unzip correctly.

Exam papers 2010

Place your order for CAT exam papers. Quality papers and low prices. Click here, download and follow instructions.

PAT and report writing

I have marked many PAT reports and ACE student reports. Here is a PPT (in 2007) of points that are badly done in both. Please feel free to use it with your learners showing where to be careful.