Connect Web 2.0 Competition

Teaching and learning are changing. Web 2.0 applications such as blogs, wikis, podcasting and other tools such as gaming devices can give students the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and share their learning in an online environment with an ease never before possible. There is enormous potential for education. How will you respond? 

Explore the possibilities and enter the 2009 SLAV and Connect Web 2.0 Competition! New to web 2.0? Explore links in the Connect web 2.0 topic. Find out more about Global projects and collaborative partners and make connections that will enhance the learning of students at your school - and beyond!

Teacher-librarians are encouraged to work in a team to develop an online collaborative project incorporating use of a blog and/or wiki and other tools such as gaming devices. Emphasis is on creative, innovative use of the technologies and how they are used to engage students in learning in new ways. Your project will need to be part of a curriculum unit and you will need to also submit the unit planner.

Entries will close at the end of Term 3 with presentations made at the annual SLAV International School Libraries Day Awards Dinner in October. This competition supersedes the successful WebQuest competition held in previous years.

Criteria

Projects will also be assessed for effective use of web 2.0 tools and/or other technologies including gaming, creativity, clarity of instructions and overall presentation. It is not just about increased use of technology but HOW the technologies are used ... an idea illustrated in the video Shake it Up, based on Karl Fisch's original presentation. 

The opportunities provided for communication and collaboration, thinking and communication are key. VELS should be clearly addressed. Along with Discipline-based learning domains, you may wish to explicitly incorporate Interpersonal Development, Personal Learning, Communication, ICT and Thinking Processes. You will need to create a unit planner for your sequence of learning. You may wish to use the Intel planning template or another appropriate planner. 

Essential information:

• Develop a unit of learning in collaboration with a group of teachers including at least one teacher-librarian within Victoria. You can work with others anywhere in the world but the prizes will be given to a Victorian school
• Your team will submit one unit planner and one application form
• The prize packages will be awarded to each team (not individual)
• You must be willing to have your project and unit planner highlighted on and linked to from Connect
• Online environments (such as blogs or wikis) must be ‘public’ so that anyone can view them
• You will need to consider your CyberSafety responsibilities – review the Working with the Web website to assist with this
• To ensure that all schools in Victoria can access your project or WebQuest, any links featured within your project must be included in the Connect. Be sure to check that each website is available
• To request new sites for inclusion go to Suggest a Site. Sites are subject to a Quality Assurance (QA) process and are checked for safety considerations. Include your email address to get feedback on your site suggestion.

Entry Guidelines

As part of the application process, you will need to answer these questions

• What did you try to achieve with this project?
• What technologies/tools were incorporated?
• In what ways did use of these technologies enhance the learning process?
• In what ways did students communicate and collaborate through the project (if not yet completed, how do you expect this to occur)?
• How did you incorporate thinking processes/questioning/approaches to ensure opportunities for students to explore issues or concepts in deep ways?
• How did assessment of student outcomes occur? What general observations can you make?

Use the application form to do this. Email it, along with your unit planner, to connect@edumail.vic.gov.au before the end of Term Three.

2008 Winners

• Earth 2.0 Headquarters - Is it possible to create a completely sustainable planet? Julie Squires, Mark Phillips, Casey Grammar School. Read more about the project on Global Teacher here.
• Schoolyard Blitz - Students design an outdoor space for their school using google sketchup. Jodie Tilley, Pennie White, Mooroolbark East Primary School. Read about the project on Global Teacher here.

2007 Winners

• Africa's Child - What responsibility do we have to the children of Africa? Pam Macdonald and Melinda FitzGerald, Lyndhurst Secondary College
• Energise me! - Research an alternative energy source Matthew Jackson, Andrew Haley, Lesley Phillips, Marie Yanni & Ben Bryant, Overport Primary School

Online Projects and WebQuests

Further information

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Podcasting
• Cybersafe classroom

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