1501st post on edu.blogs.com - it's a winner!

Having spent far too long enjoying the superb suggestions for using a visualiser I'm ready to announce who's going to be offered the chance to pick up their very own - for free - from a dodgy pickup on the Redbridge platform of London's Central line. As a double celebration this is my 1501st post on edu.blogs.com. Hurrah! Thanks to you all for following me this long on my learning journey.

I won one of these devices, shown off with a certain degree of style by John Davitt in his recent BLC08 keynote, at the North East London TeachMeet, courtesy of the Visualiser Forum. The suggestions for its use included a lot from the world of science demonstrations, showing how to exploit Nintendo DSes and cutting down on photocopied texts. However, the example that, for me, shows a longer-term sustainability, with the student and not the teacher as the main user of the device, is Jaye Richards' short but sweet idea:

I saw these being used in Finland where there was one in every classroom in the schools I visited. I think though, that I would use it for pupils to do regular show and tell/ mini teaching sessions where they came up and demonstrated something or described a concept using their own objects or designs. I think this is a great way of encouraging real literacy and raising the confidence and self-esteem of our pupils. This approach also encourages deep learning and helps the pupils to take on the responsibility for their own lerning, and that of others. It takes peer-assisted learning to a new dimension.

I like the hook into Finland's exemplary practice, which I've been harping on about on this blog for some time, and I like the fact we're looking at peer assessment and student-centred show and tell, an underestimated skill and one that underpins TeachMeets.

So, Jaye, if you can get yourself and a visualiser from London back home, it's yours! Thanks to Anthony at Redbridge who has been keeping it locked up for me all this time. Indeed, he is the person with whom to coordinate your reunion with the kit.

Comments

[Lorraine Orenchuk]

How generous of you to share. I am hoping to coerce my school admin assistant to order one for my classroom this year as I will be sharing with the environmental science teacher and that means two disciplines will enjoy it! My students love using anything that helps them show others their ideas and ways of thinking. Our first years learn to carefully annotate texts by making connections to what they read (one of many ways we teach to annotate). The visualizer would allow them to read to us and then show where exactly their connections occurred and it could be done in real time, while reading, and then showing the class where their internal light bulb was illuminated. (I am going to look at using jing to personalize this strategy but it would not be as immediate to others.)

Art, cartoons, all sorts of other flat objects would gain visibility thus validating different learning styles. Thanks for sharing Jaye's blog - looks like another one to follow in all of my spare time.

[Jaye Richards]

Thats really great - thanks ever so much Euan. My students will make very good use of the visualiser over the next few years !

How do I get in touch with Anthony? do you have a contact email as there isn't one on his blog ?

[dave t]

*applause* Well done Jaye!

[Dave Smith Chair of The Visualiser Forum]

Anthony can be contacted via his blog

http://redbridgeprimaryit.blogspot.com/

Please keep The Visualiser Forum informed of how you are using the visualiser and the impact that it is having.

http://visualiserforum.blogspot.com/

Very best of luck.

Dave Smith Chair of The Visualiser Forum
ICT Consultant and Curriculum Advisor
The London Borough of Havering Inspection and Advisory Service

http://haveringict.edublogs.org/