John Larkin http://www.larkin.net.au Education, training and professional development Mon, 21 Dec 2020 02:21:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 Iridescence in the Illawarra http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2016/11/19/iridescence-in-the-sky-over-the-illawarra/ http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2016/11/19/iridescence-in-the-sky-over-the-illawarra/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2016 21:54:31 +0000 http://www.larkin.net.au/?p=8576 There was iridescence in the sky wet of the Illawarra last night. The sunlight passing through the icy clouds, creates a rainbow effect.

The post Iridescence in the Illawarra first appeared on John Larkin.]]> There was iridescence in the sky west of the Illawarra last night. The sunlight passing through the icy clouds, creates a rainbow effect as the light is fragmented into its constituent colours. These clouds would probably be considered to be iridescent or maybe even nacreous clouds.

The effect was visible for an hour or so before sunset. The higher clouds were occasionally obscured by “local” clouds lower in altitude.

Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra Iridescent clouds over the Illawarra
The post Iridescence in the Illawarra first appeared on John Larkin.]]> http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2016/11/19/iridescence-in-the-sky-over-the-illawarra/feed/ 2 TESOL WebQuest http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2016/05/30/tesol-webquest/ Mon, 30 May 2016 13:38:42 +0000 http://www.larkin.net.au/?p=8555 I have been working on a WebQuest activity as part of an assessment task for a subject I am currently enrolled in at the University of Wollongong.

The post TESOL WebQuest first appeared on John Larkin.]]> webquest screen shot

I have been working on a WebQuest activity as part of an assessment task for a subject I am currently enrolled in at the University of Wollongong. The subjects is EDGT940 Materials and Technology in TESOL. I created a dedicated web site with its own sub-domain as well as a PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint presentation is a scaled down version of the web site content.

webquest ppt image

As I mentioned over on the webquest site the activity is targeted at students with English skills at the A1-A2 levels of the Council of Europe scale. The learners should be capable of both understanding and communicating straightforward information regarding familiar situations in everyday contexts, particularly with respect to travel and web based terminology.

The students will be required to be exercise skills in reading, writing and, to a lesser extent, listening. The final product is a tri-fold brochure that features a travel itinerary for a specific destination, information regarding the currency system of that same destination and a range of helpful English phrases for the traveller.

Eventually I shall add a capacity for the students to actually publish their brochures online in a manner similar to that for sites created earlier such as the Dead Dude Diaries and I Was There When.

The post TESOL WebQuest first appeared on John Larkin.]]> TESOL times at uni http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2016/04/05/tesol-times-at-uni/ Mon, 04 Apr 2016 21:05:57 +0000 http://www.larkin.net.au/?p=8534 Recently returned to study at university and presently enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in TESOL.

The post TESOL times at uni first appeared on John Larkin.]]> Tesol splash

I have recently returned to study at university. I am presently enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in TESOL. Being a student again is most enjoyable and interacting with teachers from across the world and regionally is both rewarding and inspirational.

I have created a dedicated web page designed to gather together in one place the web sites, resources and activities that come my way or that I develop as a student of TESOL at the University of Wollongong.

One of the subjects in which I am enrolled is EDGT940 Materials and Technology in Second Language Teaching. During the course of this subject I am required to create four blog posts evaluation an ESL textbook and three ESL web sites. The evaluations are featured on that TESOL page.

The post TESOL times at uni first appeared on John Larkin.]]> App Smashing Ideas http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2016/03/01/app-smashing-ideas/ Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:26:15 +0000 http://www.larkin.net.au/?p=8316 The following links are resources for the App Smashing workshop at the iPads in Education Conference.

The post App Smashing Ideas first appeared on John Larkin.]]> A collage of iPad education apps

The following links are resources for the App Smashing workshop.

App Smashing Sites and Examples

Apps For Smashing brought together by Greg Kulowiec ADE

Keith Heggart adds these apps to the mix…

  • ThingLink ~ This app looks quite interesting…
  • Evernote ~ I agree… this a great all round bit of technology)
  • Showbie ~ Excellent way for share and collect the creative products of App Smashing
  • Adobe Voice ~ Simply Brilliant
  • Snapseed ~ Legendary app and it is free!

Here are a few apps I suggest can be used to mash things up a bit…

Painting & sketching

Mind Mapping

WhiteBoard

Image Processing

Video

Creativity

Research

The post App Smashing Ideas first appeared on John Larkin.]]> iPads in Education Conf http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2015/08/12/ipads-in-education-2015/ Wed, 12 Aug 2015 09:14:57 +0000 http://www.larkin.net.au/?p=8297 I am heading up to Sydney today to attend the iPads in Education National Conference. Shall be conducting a couple of presentations on Thursday and Friday.

The post iPads in Education Conf first appeared on John Larkin.]]> Participants at John Larkin's iPad in Education Workshop NYGH Singapore

I am heading up to Sydney today to conduct some workshops & presentations at the iPads in Education National Conference. My stuff is concerned with creativity, inspiration and even a bit on assessment strategies in relation to the iPad in education. Resources for the workshops, as well as additional support materials, are linked to below.

On Friday I am filling in for Keith Heggart who cannot make it on the day unfortunately. I was invited to cover for Keith so I will be sharing ideas brought together by Keith on creativity, the SAMR model, iPad “app smashing” and the Australian Curriculum. “App Smashing” was coined by the app chap and history educator extraordinaire… Greg Kulowiec.

 App Smashing

Inspired by the creativity and transformational thinking of Keith Heggart ADE and Greg Kulowiec ADE

App Smashing Sites and Examples

Apps For Smashing brought together by Greg Kulowiec ADE

Keith Heggart adds these apps to the mix…

  • ThingLink ~ This app looks quite interesting…
  • Evernote ~ I agree… this a great all round bit of technology)
  • Showbie ~ Excellent way for share and collect the creative products of App Smashing
  • Adobe Voice ~ Simply Brilliant
  • Snapseed ~ Legendary app and it is free!

Here are a few apps that I know can be used to mash things up a bit…

Painting & sketching

Mind Mapping

WhiteBoard

Image Processing

Video

Creativity

Research

Pedagogy

Australian Curriculum

The SAMR Model

 Workshop Activities & Resources ~ Assessment

  • Document 00 NSW Stage 5 History Syllabus Depth Study 3 ~ Australia At War PDF
  • Document 01 Curriculum Integration Matrix: Depth Study 3 ~ Australia At War PDF | Word
  • Document 02 Mind Mapping The Topic PDF | Word
  • Document 03 Mapping The iPad Activity PDF | Word
  • Document 04 Planning Rubric PDF | Word
  • Document 05 iPad Presentation Assessment Rubric PDF | Word

English

  • Sample English Curriculum Matrix Word | PDF (Primary)
  • English Language Rubric for Student #1 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • English Language Rubric for Student #2 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • English Language Rubric for Student #3 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • English Language Rubric for Teacher Word | PDF (Primary)

Mathematics

  • Mathematics Rubric for Student #1 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • Mathematics Rubric for Student #2 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • Mathematics Rubric for Student #3 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • Mathematics Rubric for Teacher Word | PDF (Primary)

Science

  • Science Rubric for Student #1 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • Science Rubric for Student #2 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • Science Rubric for Student #3 Word | PDF (Primary)
  • Science Rubric for Teacher Word | PDF (Primary)

Assessment Task Rubrics

  • Mind Mapping Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Personal Narrative Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Class Participation Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Group Choreography Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Class Discussion Assessment Rubric 01 Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Class Discussion Assessment Rubric 02  Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Blogging Assessment Rubric 01 Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Blogging Assessment Rubric 02 Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Online Discussion Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Video Project Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Web Page Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • ePortfolio Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)
  • Team Web Page Assessment Rubric Word | PDF (Secondary)

~ Download all Assessment Documents and Rubrics listed above as a Zip File via DropBox ~

 Quick Guides

Additional resources on www.larkin.net.au

Key iPad in Education Resource Sites

iPads for Learning

Tablet technology in Western Australian Public Schools ~

Edutopia

Inclusive Technologies

Evaluating iPad Apps

Kathy Schrock: Critical Evaluation of Mobile Apps

Tony Vincent: Ways to evaluate iPad apps

Education Rubrics

Teacher Planet: Rubrics for teachers

Kathy Schrock’s Guide To Everything

Western Australia Department of Education and Training

iPad Apps

OSMO ~ not an app but an amazing peripheral

Language, Expression and Storytelling

Mathematics

Science

Cross Curriculum

Mindmapping and Concept Mapping

Art and visuals

Video and animation

For Teachers

The post iPads in Education Conf first appeared on John Larkin.]]> Crossing the event horizon http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2015/05/26/crossing-the-event-horizon/ http://www.larkin.net.au/blog/2015/05/26/crossing-the-event-horizon/#comments Mon, 25 May 2015 22:26:22 +0000 http://www.larkin.net.au/?p=8265 My recent experiences will forever serve as a milestone for me as it was the moment during which I completed the crossing of an event horizon in my career.

The post Crossing the event horizon first appeared on John Larkin.]]> John Larkin at the end of the walk

My recent wonderful experiences at the Singapore National Academy, which served to reassure me that I actually am an inspiring and experienced educator, will forever serve as a milestone for me as it was the moment during which I completed the crossing of an event horizon from one stage in my education career to the next. I have been on a voyage, rather perilous at times,  during which I travelled from a period in my career that can only be described as a truly iniquitous black hole through to a new universe in which I am surrounded with leaders in education that are dedicated, innovative, and caring. These leaders are expert practitioners and not pontificating puppets. They are leaders with vision, a real vision that one can witness, sense and experience.

As I navigated that event horizon in recent months and crossed over into an enlightened and enriching universe I found myself spending rewarding times at Nanjing International School, Western International School of Shanghai, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore), the Mantle Librarians’ Conference (Newcastle) and the Singapore National Academy (Surabaya). When I completed the crossing it was clearly and unambiguously revealed to me that the previous environment which I had endured was a dark singularity ~ an education system and an over-arching organisation, that some would allege, is blackened by mythological ignorance and instructional ineptitude. A system seemingly mired deep in the past, inert and immovable.

I have departed from that existence and embarked on a new journey filled with hope and inspiration.

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