Allanah's Appleby Showcase

I am starting to feel a bit better after the dreadful cold I had the other week and we are keen to share a couple of new podcasts with you. Thank you to those kind people who emailed, blogged or left me comments about my attempt at podcasting from home last week.

Today was a first for us, Elliott, Nicole and Zach were chosen to go to a Lead Children's Day with our ICT cluster at which they were able to use Quicktime Pro to make short animations on our safety theme.

They will be able to show us how it was done.

1.3MB 20 seconds

I have been at home this week with a nasty cough and cold and tomorrow I need to set a new homework task so to help get my message across I thought I would send my class a podcast explaining what I want.

Each week we have a homework Bubble Map that we have brainstormed of activities we can do to support that week's target. Over the year the grid has built up over time so much of the grid just ticks along and children record what they have done in each of the grid boxes as they complete it.

This week I want the children to think about something they can teach the rest of the class. This task needs to be ready for us to hear about next Thursday!

1.5MB 1 minute 25 seconds

Rob Waddell won an Olympic Gold Medal for rowing the single scull at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Now he is grinder for the Team Emirates New Zealand yacht to help us to win back the America's Cup in Valencia, Spain.

Following from our contact with Zoe's parents in Valencia we were able to talk to Rob and ask him questions about his work.

This was our most ambitious podcasting project yet as TVNZ, our national television network, got wind of the story and sent one camera crew around to film us at Appleby and another to Zoe's parent's flat to film Rob. We are going to be on TV!!!!!!

Rob Waddell was a fabulous person to talk with, his sense of humour and warmth came across so well to all of us assembled at 7pm back at school on a cold winter's night. Thanks for your time, Rob- it was great to be able to talk with you.

I am sorry that I had to edit out some of the interview as it was just too big a file but we will enjoy watching the full movie played back at school.

13.5MB 9 minutes 35 seconds

Today we had a sharing day showing other classes at Appleby School some of our learning about our 'Destination' studies. You may have seen our sharing video about our Destination- New York, in last week's podcast.

The New Entrant classroom, Waimea, learnt about life in Tonga. We had a shared ">umu lunch for the whole school. Waimea also made this video about how to get coconut cream from a coconut.

5.1MB 1 minute 26 seconds

What an awesome week we had with linking across the globe!

On Wednesday Lauren spoke to some students in Outram School, Dunedin who have been learning Spanish. Lauren spent last year in Chile so is a fluent Spanish speaker.

On Thursday Moutere classroom spoke to Zoe, whose family is in Valencia, Spain, as part of the New Zealand contingent to help us win back the America's Cup. Watch this space for a further podcast with crew from Team Emirates New Zealand. Listen to our first podcast in this series

On Friday my class came back to school on Friday night to catch up with Dino who is spending the morning with Cefn Fforest School who we link with in Wales. He was able to meet in person his on-line buddy, Harry.

It was awesome also that, because it was night-time many mums and dads, grandmas and grandads, were able to come down to school and see how the children were linking with each other and better understand what we are doing.

These opportunities for learning and communicating are so rich, real and relevant. An awesome and exciting time for us all. Thanks for the team from Skype who offer us these Web2.0 tools for free!

15MB 5.16 minutes

Ryan impressed us with his go-karting trophies that he brought to school to how us for news time. Appleby School is lucky to have a go-kart track really close to it. Dino and Ryan travel all over New Zealand to go to go-kart meetings.

Ryan, Elliott and Kieran recorded this podcast.

1.5MB 2.47 seconds

We are learning about living in America and our friends in Binghamton, New York, are helping us answer some of our questions. They sung us some songs and said the Pledge of Allegiance for us. We tried to say it with an American accent but are not too sure how it will sound to American ears. We also learnt God Bless America which we sing with much enthusiasm.

Then we thought we would sing New Zealand's National Anthem in Maori and English.

Lastly it was my birthday last weekend and our friends in Wales sung Happy Birthday to me in Welsh and English which was lovely and well worth sharing.

4.6 MB 6.46minutes

This week Nicole, Tegen and Shania chose, prepared, photographed, recorded and edited this podcast all on their own. Other children helped them with the bee drawings.

It is great how children are getting more and more confident at using the technology and speaking clearly for an audience. A few children are even making podcasts just for fun before school!

1MB 1 minute 36 seconds

ANZAC Poem

They shall not grow old

As we who are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them,

Nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun

And in the morning,

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

Shania, Tyler and Elliott put together this podcast about their attendance at New Zealand's ANZAC day dawn parade. ANZAC stands for Australia & New Zealand Army Corps- a grouping of our soldiers who fought and died on the battlifields of Gallipoli in the Great War. It was on 25 April 1915 that some say New Zealand was born as a nation, through the sacrifice of our soldiers on foreign soils.

1.7MB 2.52 minutes

One of the families from Appleby School has recently left to go to Valencia, Spain for a few months to be involved in the America's Cup. Zoe's Dad, Rod, is helping install animation software designed by New Zealanders that will help people all over the world get more enjoyment of the America's Cup because they will be able to see in 3D where the yachts are up to.

Rod came to school and spoke to our senior classes about what he is going to do and then we each took a photo and spoke about it so you would know more too. The beginning sound bite is of when the New Zealand yacht 'Black Magic' won the America's Cup in 1995.

We hope to hear more from Rod while he is in Valencia.

Wouldn't it be great if we brought the America's Cup back to New Zeland.

3.3MB 6 minutes 18 seconds