Low-Cost Multi-touch Whiteboard using the Wii Remote

Johnny Chung Lee has shared a way to create an interactive whiteboard (or any surface really!) with a Wiimote (remote control for the Nintendo Wii). You can download the software that you need for it and read about Johnny Chung Lee here.

For some great interactive whiteboard blogs and resources, check out the Useful Links page.

technoLOTE Podcast Episode 2: Making Teaching More Human

A couple of months ago I was extremely privileged to attend a podcasting PD run by Andrew Douch from Wanganui Park Secondary College. Andrew has recently been awarded Microsoft Innovative Teacher of the Year for his skills, expertise and results in using podcasting as part of his VCE Biology course. Before he showed us how to make a podcast (using Audacity and iTunes) he talked us through why he creates podcasts and how it has changed his classes and his teaching. He also showed us some comments that his students had written and they were all very genuine and inspiring for any teacher. The one that stood out the most was the one from a girl saying that ‘Douchy’ was her favourite teacher ever. On it’s own that doesn’t seem to be particularly outstanding quote, except in this case it was from a student he had never met. Not only had he never met her, but she sent her iPod to him asking him to pass it on to someone in his class next year who couldn’t afford one because she wanted all the students to be able to get out of his podcasts as much as she did.

Listen in to this podcast to hear me interview Andrew about podcasting – and what the title would be of a podcast that was all about him!

Here is the link to Andrew’s website as well as other links that were mentioned in the podcast:

Andrew Douch

Joe Dale’s Integrating ICT into the MFL Classroom

Nodehill Grammar French Podcasts

Ewan McIntosh

MFLE Languages and Technology Podcast

Talkabout Primary MFL – Ning Network

For more on podcasting and how to make a podcast yourself, check out: Some Groovy Podcasting Resources and Where to Find More, DIY Podcasting!, Podcasting: Just Try It.

Voices of the World Twinkle Away…

For November’s Voices of the World task we had to record students singing Twinkle Twinkle to a backing track that Sharon provided, and then create a slideshow in OneTrueMedia. I chose a small group of Prep/1 students and then got the whole class to contribute a picture – although there wasn’t enough room for all 27 masterpieces in the end! I imported the backing track into Audacity and then got the students to sing over the top of it. For the pictures, I took photos of each picture and then uploaded in to OneTrueMedia, then uploaded the mp3 file, selected a style, saved it and then grabbed the code to embed it here. Here is what we created. Click on the little microphone icon to hear to kids singing:

Free MySpace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com