Apologies if you have received more than one copy of the notice for this newsletter
To subscribe to the newsletter visit http://groups.google.com/group/shambles-newsletter
click to subscribe to the newsletter RSS feed.

Shamblesguru (Chris Smith) http://shamblesguru.com
csmith@csmith.info

Hundreds of new links added since the last newsletter ... it's almost like a drug ... I need a daily fix of new and exciting tech developments that have the potential to support teaching and learning ... so many, so little time.

Two design improvements ... firstly, slowly working through all pages adding Google translate (see top right of this page) App to all Shambles pages to support non-English readers.
Secondly adding a "Facebook Button" to make it easier for visitors to share resources they might find on Shambles .... see the button to the right.

Please use the Facebook button to spread the word about this newsletter ... many thanks

Second Life for Educators Fan page on Facebook
http://es-la.facebook.com/pages/Second-Life-for-Educators/7770933022
Avatar "Fire Centaur" has created a Second Life for Educators Fan page on Facebook!
Members of this fan page will receive relevant educational prizes, freebies, and information about education in Second Life. Members can also participate in discussions, and make wall posts. Membership is Free

TED Talk
I'm proud to say that I had my 18 minutes of fame as a TED speaker last February in Bangkok. Unfortunately the company who videoed the whole thing seems to have let everyone down and not come up with the goods. Fortunately the UK company that helped me do the 'in-world' section in Second Life ... where Chris Smith interviewed Shambles guru is here .... and I'm really grateful to Leon at http://icarusstudios.co.uk .... if you are looking for a videographer or machinimist then I highly recommend him.

Shambles' presentation at TEDx BKK 2010 from =IcaruS= on Vimeo.

I'm beginning to sound like a cracked record ... but time does fly past fast, it is not only the end of term but the end of another academic year ... at least for those in the northern hemisphere (or around the equator).
There is a list of activities that would be suitable with students at the url above ... but one I'd like to suggest .. that is low maintenance ... but fun, easy to do ... and has great impact supporting the collaborative culture of your class ... pastoral or subject/curriculum ... is ....

Collaboratively Publish a Book www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/studpub
There are several websites that exist to allow a group to collaborate on a book or publication that can be displayed online with hard copies that can be purchased online ... printed on demand by that website ... with really good quality books being send to whoever ordered and paid.

So to keep it simple ... have students or teams design a page each .. maybe keep it just to photographs, they can add their creations online ... and then anyone (parents/relatives) can order and pay themselves. List of websites at the link above.

(UK) e-assessment www.e-assessment.org.uk
Ofqual redesigns website on e-assessment.
Originally launched in 2007, efutures is a dedicated website on e-assessment incorporating an online toolkit for e-assessment practitioners. The website is a resource designed to support innovation when using e-assessment in qualifications and explains the policies and regulatory principles related to e-assessment.

(IB) Asia Pacific Newsletter click here

(IB) Workshops and Conferences www.ibo.org/events

(IB) Art Exhibitions www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ib/ibart
IB Art Exhibitions

(IB) and Twitter http://bit.ly/5xrEwY
If you are a Twitterer ... and interested in I.B. then you might like to follow ....
Individuals http://twitter.com/ib_news | http://twitter.com/iborganization |
Group http://twitter.com/iborganization/ib-world-schools
Search http://twitter.com/#search?q=international%20baccalaureate

(IB) Asia Pacific Regional Workshops & Conference www.ibo.org/ibap/workshops
IB Asia-Pacific Events organizes a programme of internationally recognized workshops and conferences that promote the sharing of knowledge and information amongst IB Schools offering Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme. These events create opportunities for professional development and networking for teachers and coordinators from around the region.

I've mentioned PLNs several times in the past ... including quantifying and visualising my own back in 2008 which can be seen at www.shambles.net/csmith/pln although it has become very clear that in this dynamic, organic, fluid, digital age ... the PLN changes daily.
A couple of developments I'd like to share ......

PLN.. Take a Bus Ride http://thebusride.com/users/view/118
There is a 'very easy to learn' website called "The Bus Ride"
The 'Bus Tour' application could be thought of like the old 'Web Rings' .. BUT I'd rather think of it as a tool for digital storytelling.
To illustrate what it looks like I did a "Bus Ride" about PLNs ... took about 30 mins.
I suspect this could be a very useful free website for students across all curriculum subjects.

PLN Organising Tools www.shambles.net/pages/learning/infolit/pln
When I organised my own PLN I used a graphics program (Adobe's Fireworks) to do the fancy visuals which could be time consuming if I wasn't so comfortable with that program.
There are now some online Apps that are designed to make it easier for you to collect and display your own online digital footprint ... some are listed at this Shambles page.

Flat Classroom Conference 2011 www.flatclassroomconference.com
China, February 25-27, 2011 @ Beijing (BISS) International School
I do admire the passion and energy of these guys ... and the student-centered approach.
"Co-founders of the Flat Classroom Project, Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay, have joined forces with colleagues and supporters from around the world to provide another opportunity for a face-to-face, real-time event. The aim of getting together in the one place is to fully extend and foster connections and collaborations that will ultimately improve classroom practice and pedagogical approach using technology as part of a global flat classroom."
There are also some workshops opportunities this June/July see Julie's Blog

TechEx Conference http://techex2010.org
14,15,16 October 2010 venue: British International School, Phuket, Thailand
The event is aimed at teachers of all subjects and age groups, managers and administrators, librarians, teaching assistants, student support specialists and activity and club leaders.
We are expecting up to 700 participants from around South East Asia and Asia Pacific region.
Strands for the TechEx :
ICT on a shoestring | Apple Classroom | Librarians | Cross-curricular integrated technology | Parent strand - Facebook security, Vista/Apple workshops | Social Networks and Virtual Worlds
Virtual TechEx pre-conference meeting in Second Life
http://bit.ly/TechEXinSL
Sunday 10th October 2010 7:00pm Thai Time ... full details on the webpage .. free session max 70 people ... if you have not tried Second Life yet then this would be an opportunity that had some relevant to your attendance at the conference. Hopefully you will be able to meet with the eight strand facilitators.

ISTEC (Thailand ICT co-ords) http://istec-at-cis.wikispaces.com
The last meeting of the year ... May 31st, 2010 at Concordian in Bangkok
The last meeting was the first time hosted in Chiangmai ... at Prem.

SMART Board 3-day Certification Training Course jpriebe@nist.ac.th
From Jay Priebe at NIST in Bangkok ....
"Are you interested in splitting costs for a 3-day Smart Board Certification course to be held on some 3-day period during September-November at NIST in Bangkok? The idea here is to split the cost between 10-15 people. I estimate 800USD per participant for the training alone (if we can get 10 people in the course) which is lots cheaper than travelling to Canada to take individual training. Final exact cost will be determined closer to the course when we know exact costs and numbers. Participants would be responsible for own transport and hotel. Lunch would be factored in to the cost. If interested , you can send details to jpriebe@nist.ac.th.

Global Learn Asia Pacific 2010 www.aace.org/conf/glearn
17-20 May 2010 .... Penang Malaysia
Global Learn Asia Pacific 2010
Global Conference on Learning and Technology
Note that details for 2011 and 2012 are already on the website

Barcamp Chiangmai (Thailand) http://barcampchiangmai.org
Saturday 12th June 2010
@ Media Art and Design building, Chiang Mai University Art Museum
Registration at this Google Form

TEDxTokyo http://tedxtokyo.com
15th May 2010

FOBISSEA Schools Courses www.fobissea.org/prof_dev.php
Courses organised by the FOBISSEA Professional Development Centre
FOBISSEA: Federation of British International Schools in S.E.Asia & East Asia

The International Leadership and Management Program
www.internationalleadershipandmanagementprogram.com
... a school-based practitioner program, designed to impact both directly and indirectly on improved student learning in your school.

Constructing Modern Knowledge http://constructingmodernknowledge.com
July 12-15, 2010 - Manchester, NH USA
Computer-rich Learning Adventures for the Creative Educator
Guest speakers include: Alfie Kohn, Deborah Meier, Dr. James Loewen & Peter Reynolds

For Maths Teachers www.tsm-resources.com
TSM WORKSHOP (3-day Residential )
13-14-15 July 2010, Oundle School, Peterborough, UK
A real treat for secondary Mathematics Teachers
3 days of hands on ICT practice in Excel, NSpire, Cabri, Autograph. Also possible to qualify as an Autograph Certified Trainer. Evening talk by Simon Singh.

also ... ATCM in Malaysia KL 17-21 December http://atcm.mathandtech.org

The 17th International Conference on Learning
www.ied.edu.hk/web/events.php?id=20100706
6th to 9th July 2010 Hong Kong HKIEd Tai Po Campus
The 2010 Overall Theme is “Creative and imaginative futures for schooling”.
The International Conference on Learning is for any person with an interest in, and concern for, education at any of its levels - from early childhood, to schools, to higher education - and lifelong learning in any of its sites, from home to school to university to the workplace.
The Conference will address a range of critically important themes relating to education today. Plenary speakers will include some of the world’s leading thinkers in the field of education.
The Learning Conference is held annually in different locations around the world, each selected for the particular role education is playing in social, cultural and economic change.

EARCOS Weekend Workshops www.earcos.org/ww_workshops.html
One of the advantages of an EARCOS membership is access to a programme of weekend workshops across the region.

Conferences and Events in Australia www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/events
Listed at Edna.

Spotlight on Solutions, ISTE Webinars http://bit.ly/6NL6v3
Spotlight on Solutions is a, free webinar series spotlighting the products and services of the ISTE 100 corporate members. The webinars will highlight products offered by their corporate members, demonstrating how they can benefit your district, school, or classroom.
Topics coming up .... Digital Storytelling, School of the Future, Building Teacher Leaders, Digital Citizenship, Critical Thinking and Web Literacy, Project-Based Learning.

21st Century Learning (Hong Kong) Conference .... Tag: #21CHK
Ning Social Network http://21clearninghk.ning.com        Website http://21c-learning.hk
17 to 19 Feb 2011
Conference bringing together educators sharing about how to "Make 21st Century Learning Real"

Shanghai Learning 2.010 Conference www.learning2.asia
16th to 18th September 2010
This will be the third in this series of conferences in Shanghai ...
A brochure can be downloaded from
http://www.learning2.asia/file.php/1/learning-2010-brochure.pdf

  Web 2.0 Workshops in Singapore
www.synergyst.com and http://singaporeworkshops.com
31st May to 4th June 2010 in Singapore
Each workshop is a mixture of Web 2.0 tools, pedagogy and classroom management ... using whole group work and also individual hands-on.
Brochure from www.synergyst.com/forms/ICTforTeach&Learn.pdf

In house programmes are also possible in individual schools and organisations ... for details contact Cheng Fun at Synergyst in Singapore chengfun@synergyst.com

  Web 2.0 Workshops in Sydney
www.australiaworkshops.com | www.sybasigns.com.au/seminars.htm
24th to 28th May 2010 in Australia

For a list of workshops from Chris Smith visit
www.shambles.net/csmith/workshops

ALESS Connect http://alessconnect.ning.com
A Ning network for librarians in international schools in Hong Kong.

Courses for Library Staff www.shambles.net/pages/staff/librarian
Continuing Professional Development for Library and Media colleagues ... the Shambles list continues to grow.

Google Librarian Newsletter http://groups.google.com/group/librarian-newsletter?hl=en
The title says it all ...

Britannica Buzz http://asiaedu.britannica.com.au/Educators/Newsletter.html
The second edition of Britannica Buzz is online from the Encyclopedia Britannica team in Australia.
I notice that the newsletter is also highlighting discounts on subscriptions.
You can follow the Britannica (Asia) team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BritannicaASIA

Battle of the Books (Hong Kong) www.bobinhk.com
Whether you're a parent interesting in finding out more about Battle of the Books or a school keen on participating, feel free to browse the site for a host of resources and support materials.

Gov. Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians in Australia
www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/edt/schoollibraries
On Wednesday 10 March 2010 the Minister for Education, Hon Julia Gillard MP, asked the Committee to inquire into and report on school libraries and teacher librarians in Australian schools.
I know there are 'lots' of Australians working in Int.Schs in S.E.Asia ... so this should be of interest. The Australian Library and Information Association page is possibly one of the places to keep informed . www.alia.org.au/schoollibraries and also the Blog at www.alia.org.au/blog

Singapore Librarians http://silcsing.wikispaces.com
A reminder of the Singapore folks wiki ... it looks very busy.

Hands on Literacy Conference www.handsonlit.com
Saturday 13th November 2010 at Tanglin Trust School in Singapore.
The second biennial Hands on Literacy Conference. A day of professional development for educators from across all curriculum areas reflecting that literacy is a whole school responsibility.

School Library Symposium 2011 http://schoollibrarysymposium.wikispaces.com
Saturday 15th January 2011 at Dulwich College Shanghai, China
21st Century Librarians: Sharing, Learning, Growing ... a day of professional development for people working in school libraries in professional or para-professional capacities.
Contact slnsymposium@gmail.com if you would like to present.

Free email account with address username@internationallibrarian.info
www.internationallibrarian.info/
Would you like a free email account with the domain name @internationallibrarian.info
If yes then just send me an email with your first name / last name / and the username you would like and I shall create it for you. The actual email engine being used for this is Google's gmail .. so very reliable, confidential and trustworthy.
After I've created the account for you then just log in at http://mail.google.com/hosted/internationallibrarian.info to send and read email ........ ONLY for librarians and library staff.

  Do you know of any International Schools for Sale?
Do you know of any International Schools that may be 'up for sale' now or in the future?
If so then please pass this invitation to the appropriate person ... with a request to contact me csmith@csmith.info ... I will then pass the details on to the potential purchasers in complete confidence.

English Schools Foundation (Hong Kong) http://bit.ly/ESFpics
These photographs may be of interest to old (previous) ESF staff .. in fact pre-2002, time flies when ....

Early Childhood News (Australia)
www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/ece/ece_news/EarlyChildhoodNews
This is an edna newsletter, published monthly, featuring quality online resources for those working with children 0-8 years old. It includes a monthly theme for online resources, key dates from the Australian Schools Calendar, online projects, professional networking news from edna, upcoming events, conferences and opportunities, and selected news and websites.

Student Response Network http://studentresponsenetwork.com     contact Stu Hasic
I found out earlier this year about a classroom student response classroom (voting) system that comes out of Australia. It requires no additional hardware .. no clickers or handsets ... all done with software.
It is quite impressive, easy to setup and affordable ... well worth a look.!
For all curriculum areas ... and I suspect would compliment a 1:1 programme.

Academic (A3) Wall Calendar 2010-2011 www.shambles.net/calendar
Shambles produced this calendar each year and it is well received ... it is in Word (.doc) format so you can download and add your own events .. hopefully this will save you some time.

ISC Research www.iscresearch.com/newsletter
These guys continue to develop their online and offline systems mapping the world's English-medium international schools. They research and analyse developments in the market and have the most comprehensive and up-to-date schools database. They have a range of services for suppliers, organisations, parents and heads of school.
In their latest newsletter ...
   - The Changing Face of International Schools
   - Country Focus: China
   - International School News Roundup
          : CHINA: Dulwich College goes to China
          : MUMBAI: India backs foreign schools
          : SINGAPORE: Canadian School announce new campus
          : Australia - Australia to Reform International Education Industry
          : US: Henderson International School to Close
          : India: GEMS Edu expands K-12 segment in Delhi
          : UAE - Raffles International School opens two new nurseries

International Student Newsletter www.internationalstudent.com/newsletter
The InternationalStudent.com newsletter is sent out once a month to our subscriber database. Each month we include useful information such as international student news, feedback from our mailbag, articles, and we highlight products and services that are designed for international students.

The Best and the Worst of International Teaching www.ticrecruitment.com
International school recruitment specialist Teachers International Consulting (TIC) researched a broad group of experienced international teachers recently. The aim was to find out from seasoned teachers the best and the worst of teaching overseas.
Teachers of 13 different nationalities who have spent an average of ten years working in international schools were interviewed. 67% said the biggest overall impact of teaching overseas was gaining an understanding of many different cultures. 60% believed that the experience had significantly broadened their teaching skills and knowledge beyond what they would have achieved in their home country. Everyone said that they saw the experience as an adventure. As for the worst of teaching overseas, 37% said it was missing family and friends, 14% said it was the difficulty of initially making new friends in a new location, 8% said language barriers and another 8% said coping with cultural differences.

iNet online conference for students www.ssat-inet.net
8th to 15th March 2010
The March iNet online conference for students only encourages young people to consider what changes need to take place in their schools so that they are well prepared for the future world in which they will live and work. The topic is ‘Students as agents of change. What should teachers and adults involved in your learning be doing to prepare you to learn, live and work in the 21st century world? What can you do?’

Saving Files in the Cloud www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/filestore
More or my work is being stored "in the cloud" .. just a fancy term meaning "on the internet".
Especially Google Docs, Evernote, xMarks, Flickr and Dropio ... but since the last newsletter I've moved heavily into using Dropbox (free option up to 2GB storage)
Dropbox allows me to not only keep files online but also sync them across different computers (PC and Apple) ... they also archive deleted versions just-in-case .... this is now definitely in my top 5 applications to help with 'real work'.
There are many other options (list on Shambles) ... including file storage options in Google Docs and Microsoft's 25 GB free in SkyDrive.

History of Technology www.shambles.net/pages/staff/icthistory
Does it make anyone else feel old when students return blank faces when mentioning VHS, film, record deck, cassette tape, 8 track, slide projector, 35mm slides, pencils ;-)

Tech News : Technology News and Analysis http://emergingtechnologies.becta.org.uk
TechNews is a news service aimed at those in the education sector keen to stay informed about technology developments, trends and issues. It aims to filter the vast amounts of technology related information available to highlight what is important for an education audience.

WikiSpaces : 300,000 free classroom wikis http://bit.ly/daZ1cI
In April ... "we gave away our 300,000th free classroom wiki! This classroom has joined over 2.4 million other educators and students in one of the largest educational communities on the internet."

Naace Connect (ICT Video Newsletter) www.naace.co.uk/953
In the Spring 2010 edition ... mini professional development videos on ...
Mobile Phones supporting English | Web 2.0 Applications in Modern Foreign Languages | Barriers to adoption in Secondary Schools compared to Primaries | Home Access Project Bridging the Digital Divide |

International Technology in Education Mark (ITEM) www.naace.co.uk/item
The International Technology in Education Mark (ITEM) is a whole-school Technology accreditation for schools throughout the world that will become available during 2010.
Accredited by Naace, the professional association for educators interested in advancing education through ICT, and an ISTE affiliate, ITEM uses a self-review framework which integrates with the NETS standards to produce a unique accreditation scheme suitable for international schools.
It enables schools to self-review their Technology provision across all areas of the school by setting out a structure of elements, strands and aspects to facilitate self-evaluation, benchmarking and action planning.

To Ning or not to .... www.notning.com
In April, Ning, the platform that allows you to make your own online Social Network, announced that they were changing their business model ... to phase out their free versions.
This resulted in quite a bit of concern in the education world as there are thousands being used by teachers worldwide.
In early May they announced their new pricing structure with the possibility of a third party sponsor paying for some education Nings. For more details and alternatives visit www.notning.com

The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book www.ictineducation.org/web2
From the world of Terry Freedman
87 projects | 10 further resources | 52 applications | 94 contributors | The benefits of using Web 2.0 applications | The challenges of using Web 2.0 applications | How the folk who ran these projects handled the issues. And what they recommend you do if you run them | What were the learning outcomes? | Free |

Showcase Area on Shambles
http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict
One small development I started since the last newsletter are some areas on Shambles that Showcase individual applications ... so far there is
| Wallwisher | Wordle | Voicethread | Prezi | Animoto | Photo Story 3 |

Global Education News www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/news
"Global Education News"is a monthly communication updating readers about global issues, current global education events and new materials.

THINK Global School http://bit.ly/9d3UER     www.thinkglobalschool.com
Opens September 2010 Becoming The World's First Global Mobile High School.
Students Learn about the World by Experiencing It Firsthand.
THINK Global School announced that their host schools for the first year will be Young Business Creatives in Stockholm and MLC School in Sydney, with a school in Beijing/Hong Kong to be selected shortly.

The Global Education Collaborative http://globaleducation.ning.com
Helping Teachers and Students Reach the World
Please take a moment to stop by and check out the slew of new projects that have been posted in the Global Education Collaborative ... Ning Social Network with over 2600 members.
Recent new members hail from: Portugal, Spain, Israel, Brazil, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Iran, Algeria, Somalia, Bangladesh, Australia, India, Netherlands, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka

This featured video in the newsletter is from a collection in the "Video in the Classroom" area of Shambles .. see the "my digital life collection" ... and this video is 2 years old ... wow!