Anne Mirtschin will discuss how Hawkesdale P12 College, a small rural Australian school, has used innovative blended learning strategies to connect, communicate, collaborate and learn locally and globally. Some key benefits outlined are improved curriculum access and delivery, strengthened communication between schools, and opportunities for virtual professional learning and bringing in outside experts. Specific tools that have supported blended learning include videoconferencing, backchannels, interactive whiteboards, and online collaboration platforms. Student outcomes have included increased engagement, empathy, and the development of 21st century skills.

1. Local and Global Blended
Learning
http://bit.ly/glblend
Anne Mirtschin
@murcha

2. • Description: Hawkesdale P12 College is a small, rural school,
where innovative teachers have reached out to connect,
communicate, collaborate and learn collectively, both locally
and across the globe. Anne Mirtschin will discuss the
importance and benefits of global connections and some of
the tools used for synchronous and asynchronous learning.
Stories will be shared to outline the learning that takes place,
the challenges confronted, where to find learning partners
and global projects. Tips and resources to support blended
learning will be shared with participants.

3. About Me!
http://techtalktuesdays.global2.vic.edu.au

4. Our new Australian Curriculum

6. Impact?
Learning is NOW!
me
ssy
24/7
New skills -digital, social, global, networking etc
F li
pped Classrooms
BYOD

8. Benefits of Learning Online
• curriculum access and delivery eg languages, specialist
subjects eg accounting, specialist maths, physics,
chemistry etc
• Strengthen communication and curriculum delivery
links within regions, rural locations and cluster
schools
• Virtual professional learning
• continuity and planning of curriculum provision
• Bring in outside experts into classrooms virtually

9. Virtual linkup with Sydney

10. Sharing learning between schools

13. High definition videoconferencing with students from another school

14. Virtual Tour of another year 4 classroom

15. Demonstrating write on tables through polycom webcam

16. Education Week – Year 6 Ocean Grove share
Cultural Garb with Hawkesdale years 3/4

17. How we looked from Ocean Grove’s point of view

18. Sharing Anzac Stories with Lismore PS

20. Mark Wilson - artist

21. Polycom equipment, interactive whiteboard and
document camera

22. The artist’s sketch using
elctroboard/document
camera/polycom for Year 5/6

23. Student Outcomes

24. Virtual Drama Through Literacy!

25. Hands on Literacy through Pottery
Ms Delightful (Sydney) teaches
Year 4/5, Hawkesdale, Australia

27. 2013 Election Youth Forum –
students across Australia question Canberra

28. Ghungalin College, Canberra
Host School

29. How it looked - #gcf2013!

30. http://global2.vic.edu.au/2013/04/12/deforestaction-2013-polycom-event/

31. Global in Blended

32. Terry Baynton – NZ illustrator/author

33. Replicating the f2f teacher

34. Learning through polycom

35. Student engagement

36. Time to sketch!

37. Student Outcomes

38. Subsidiary Tools/Accessories
• Backchannel for backup support if technical
difficulties eg MS Lync, skype chat etc
• Twitter as backchannel in actual session
• Electroboard
• Documentary Cameras

39. Backchannels
•Twitter
•Skype
•Backchannel chat
•Email alerts
•MS Lync

40. http://projects.twice.cc/

41. http://bit.ly/M5GP36

42. https://edugate.eduweb.vic.gov.au/virtualconf

43. Cyber Safety
http://www.guidetoinnovation.ning.com

44. Zoo Victoria

46. Learning with members from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

47. The virtual classroom!
Using BlackBoard Collaborate - Every student has a voice!

48. Virtual classrooms can be
recorded for those who are ill etc

49. The Bats
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Cara hawk: his wing looks like it's going to brake
4B DGPS: what age do the bats learn to fly?
Billy-Jo Hawk: Did it try to escape from you?
Grade 2/3 Woodford: How many teeth do bats have?
Trevo hawk: what happen to it eye
Cara hawk: how easy is it to brake a bats wing
smithy: arent they posisoness
Grade 2/3 Woodford: What do bats feel like?
jasmine .j: do they hurt
scottinea: are the bats dead or did u catch them alive?
Grade 2/3 Woodford: What do bats eat?
4B DGPS: are they really blind?
Billy-Jo Hawk: Is there black bats, like full black?
Moderator (Miss Iro, Mrs Gow and year 6/7): do bats carry any diseases
Grade 2/3 Woodford: What sort of fauna and flora live in the sinkholes?

50. .......................more chat!
• dont confuse me this tinme
• i dont get why you have that 400 on the debit
side
• i always get confused between debtors and
creditors, who do we pay, and who pays us??

51. You can’t ask
questions of a
textbook!

52. Accounting Class
Cash Journals

53. The Tools

55. File sending and polling

56. Gifted Students

57. Year 8 learn from a Virtual Year 11 student

60. It’s weird knowing that students and teachers in three
different countries plus my own peers were listening to
what I had to say. As I was talking, students would
write questions in the chat and I would try to answer
them.
Georgia, Year 10
I was a bit nervous but once I started talking I was
alright. It’s a weird feeling knowing that students and
teachers in three different countries plus my own peers
were listening to what I had to say. As I was talking
students would write questions in the chat and I would
try to answer them if I could.
Rachael, Year 10

63. Ability to teach anywhere and any time – 24/7

64. Moderator access?
• username and registration with DEECD
Virtual Conferencing Centre
1-2 hours web conference coaching
internet access
headset (w microphone preferably)
laptop, desktop or mobile device
latest java download
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65. Pre-service teacher
continues to teach
from China!

66. What can you do with
Text chat

68. Thursday lunchtimes

70. I enjoy doing linkups like this one as it is a easy
way to learn about other cultures. They say
there is no better way to learn than to learn
from your peers. Using a virtual classroom and
talking to students in other countries is more
interesting and more valuable than any
textbook!
Georgia Year 10

71. International Peace Day
with a Special School

72. Learning Scratch with Lana from Boston

74. Sprites for World Friends project on
World Museum site

75. Useful twitter handles
@see_share_shape
@chetty
@polycomalert
#edvc – educational videoconferencing
#videocollaboration
#polycom
#realpresence
@MsftLync
@skypeclassroom

76. Mystery Skype

77. • [10:56:31 AM] Living Maths: Daivd and Anne,... have you
considered using a google doc.,.. let the kids read and ask
questions and you type all your responses - it will be nice to keep
the "evidence“
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M31ubTjERmWsD6Odn9Ht
APZhYSMo0TmhLlyxw8UVnos/edit
• [11:01:28 AM] Living Maths: map in ... now its too easy ;)
• [11:03:38 AM] Living Maths: Chicago = coghaci
• [10:57:07 AM] David Karnoscak: See you then. Just knock on my
door when you are ready.
• [10:58:18 AM] Living Maths: A true and you can load maps in it and
you can insert QR codes too
• [10:59:18 AM] Living Maths: and you can make an anagram from
the letters in your state's name and let them unjumble the,m
• Or for 10 grade cnelstnriaiogssuiottahicaldoeieimfca
• [11:17:49 AM] David Karnoscak: wow..I don't think even grad
students could figure it out.

78. Students….
Could only ask questions that could be
responded to by ‘yes’ or ‘no’ eg
•are you on earth?
•Are you in the northern hemisphere? Yes
•are you in france
•Are you on a island near Australia

80. Do you teach or have any knowledge of the
native wars between the americans,
seminoles, iroquois, cherokee etc, in the
times of george washington?

82. Parent Information evening with year 1 class from Zambia

83. Virtual teacher from Japan

84. Getting help from Boston, USA

85. Request from Reinhard Marx, Germany
Could you send me a picture of a typical
lunchbox?

87. Led to teaching year 7 Science students in Germany

88. Shared Australian and German food days- Canteen managers from Australia/Germany
connect with skype and share via interpretor.

89. Sharing samples of our typical canteen food

90. German students decorate their canteen with Australiana

91. Two cultures, two languages share with each other
over skype

92. Skype in the classroom
https://education.skype.com/
• a free global community
• enables teachers to collaborate on classroom
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projects
share skills and inspiration around specific
teaching needs.

93. •
• voice and audio,

96. Integrated Suite!

97. Available on:
Computer
Mobile device
Browser

98. Online debating

99. Ghangout for International Peace Day

100. Google Hangouts
A free tool, video calls with 10 others, chat, apps, records to youtube etc

101. Learning from and with German students and global educators in ghangout

102. Challenges
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Bandwidth
Finding connections
Accessing technology
Maintaining the connections
Time zones/holidays/school curriculum

103. Impact – some thoughts!
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Increased engagement
Reduced racism
Empathy
No barriers to learning
Understanding of cultures
Greater awareness of own culture
Netiquette, digital citizenship
21st Century Digital and Communication Skills
Increased confidence
Awareness beyond the textbook
Variety of communication skills etc