I.B. Asia Pacific Teachers Convention 2007 REGISTRATION PACK pdf file 500KB
31 March to 2 April 2007, Singapore www.ibo.org/ibap/conference/teachersconvention1.cfm
Focus is "Information Literacy Across the IB Programmes"

DP Regional Workshops Beijing World Youth Academy REGISTRATION PACK word file 400KB
6 to 8 April 2007, Beijing
Focus is ToK ... conducted in Mandarin

IB Asia Pacific Regional Office "2006 Fourth Quarter enewsletter" http://www.ibo.org/newsletter_ibap/novnew_2006/index.cfm

Mixed Bag of Events
    - PYP & MYP Workshops at the German European School, Singapore GO
    - DP Workshops at Cliftons Training Centre, Sydney GO
    - MYP & DP Workshops at Guangdong Country Garden School, China GO
    - PYP & MYP Workshops at Cliftons Training Centre, Melbourne GO
    - DP Workshops at Narrabundah College, Canberra GO

Interestingly I'm guilty of putting the Shambles "Maps" section under Geography when maybe it would be much better as a cross-curriculum resource.

But the reason for mentioning it here is that I though that "Google Earth" was a killer map application but I've found something else that would possibly be better suited for classrooms .... and easier for teachers to learn themselves.

Have a look at Flashearth www.flashearth.com
It is brilliant and allows you to use maps from other providers (not just Google) in a very friendly interface without having to download any software.

There are two areas on Shambles that have attracted a few (but only a very few) emails over the years from visitors who have expressed being uncomfortable with them:

Filter Busters www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/filterbust/
These are ways for students to beat the internet filtering or censorship that schools are operating

Paper Mills www.shambles.net/pages/students/papermills
These are websites and companies that for a few dollars will write a term paper or assignment for a student.

The philosophy (and Policy) for Shambles is "Forewarned is Forearmed" .. after all, the students are going to find (already) these areas themselves and so schools are advised to have them somewhere out in the open in the relevant school policy and practice documents.

The "Paper Mills" issue is part of the bigger challenge of Plagiarism in its many forms, and policy advice and 'anti-plagiarism tools' can be found at www.shambles.net/plagiarism

When considering the filtering of school computer networks of undesirable materials then the technicians are the usual first line of defence as they are called upon to set up hardware and software solutions. But I would suggest that this is a much larger issue involving education more than technology and the whole area of information literacy. Advice to inform policy making can be found at www.shambles.net/informationliteracy

Of course the filter busters could also be used by schools who are trying to get around country filters but I won't, of course, condone this .... I hope the newsletter is not now being blocked.

Google Librarian (6th) Newsletter : Dec 2006 www.google.com/librariancenter/newsletter/0612.html
Lots of info but the item that might interest you most is : Add Scholar to your Site
You can add the power of Google Scholar to your library’s website. To add it to yours, follow the simple instructions ...

Google Librarians Newsletter => Blog ) http://librariancentral.blogspot.com/
Starting in January 2007, the Librarian Center made its home at http://librariancentral.blogspot.com, where you'll find the latest Google news, updates, and tips relevant to the librarian community. The blog includes links to the Newsletter Archive, the Your Stories page, and the Tools and Videos sections.

Microsoft Live Search Books http://books.live.com
Microsofts answer to 'Google Books'. Live Search Books' "Search inside a book" feature also allows users to search the full texts of scanned books.

Microsoft Live Academic Search http://academic.live.com/
Microsofts answer to 'Google Scholar'.... Live Academic Search lets you search academic journals and content for article titles, author names, article abstracts, and conference proceedings.

Teacher-Librarians in Hong Kong Public Schools www.emb.org.hk
HK EMB (Education and Manpower Bureau) have implemented a mandate to apparently provided funding to all local (and subsidised) HK primary and secondary schools to employ 'Teacher-Librarians" .... with lots of training being offered at HKU SPACE .... well done EMB !

Coming of Age

http://hseagle.sas.edu.sg/seamc

There are many link lists on Shambles leading to free continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for all the different staff in schools, here are a few highlighted

CPD for Headteachers and Principals www.shambles.net/pages/staff/princpd

CPD for Librarians and Media Staff www.shambles.net/pages/staff/librarian

CPD for ICT (all staff) www.shambles.net/pages/staff/INSET_IT

CPD for Science Teachers www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ScienceP/cpdscience

CPD for ICT Technicians www.shambles.net/pages/learning/technician/techcourse

CPD for Special Needs www.shambles.net/pages/learning/sen/seninset/

CPD for ESL www.shambles.net/pages/learning/EnglishP/eslcpd

The Open University (UK) "Learning Space" http://openlearn.open.ac.uk
The Open University launched its first free online course last October in its new online "Learning Space" .... a free and open educational resources area for learners and educators around the world.
Learning materials are freely available for you to study in your own time, away from any formal teaching environment.
Visit the LabSpace to share and reuse educational resources. Download some learning materials, adapt to your needs: translate, shorten, extend, add examples... and then of course, place it back for others to benefit.

Tapped-In "Web-based learning opportunities" http://tappedin.org
The online workplace of an international community of education professionals.
K-12 teachers, librarians, administrators, and professional development staff, as well as university faculty, students, and researchers gather here to learn, collaborate, share, and support one another.
Excellent opportunities for staff in international schools .... a downside is that many of the live online events are "USA time" and so not necessarily convenient. (unless your own events of course)

Google continues to grow ... I wish I'd brought shares ..... I could now be retired ;-)

Google Teacher Newsletter : www.google.com/educators      first edition  
Google and teachers have a similar objective: to help people build knowledge by providing greater access to useful information. Google recognizes the central role teachers play in breaking down the barriers between people and information, and they support educators who work each day to empower their students and expand the frontiers of human knowledge. The Google Teachers' Newsletter is one of the ways they are working to bolster that support and explore how Google and educators can work together.

The Infinite Thinking Machine www.infinitethinking.org
A brilliant set of linked resources for teachers media staff and librarians' professional development ....produced by Google.
"The Infinite Thinking Machine (ITM) is designed to help k-12 teachers and students thrive in the 21st century.
Through an active blog, an Internet TV show (video podcast), and other media resources, the ITM shares a "bazillion practical ideas" for turning the infinite universe of information into knowledge. We showcase examples of innovative instructional methods, talk with leading experts, and share real stories from the classroom to improve how we think, learn, teach, and live. And we try to have a little fun along the way."

Google Answers service has closed .... which won't come as a shock because most people I talk to never heard of it anyway .... Yahoo still continue to offer this type of service .... where you can ask questions on any topic, get answers from real people, and share your insights and for free in this case. http://answers.yahoo.com

Inservice
opportunities
for teachers
and
schools
in
Singapore

ICT
across the
curriculum

including
Web 2.0

and
Technology for Primary English Teachers

Surprisingly not many schools have taken up the advertising options on 'Shambles' : we get over 10,000 visitors and over 20,000 page impressions each day during term time.

'Shambles' is a free service because of sponsorship and advertising ... your support would be appreciated .. details at www.shambles.net/advertising

csmith@csmith.info
ePortfolio at www.shambles.net/csmith