A resource Jo Menzies would like to share....Would be very useful for group work!

Hi
I have just been looking at an online tool from Futurelab that may have some potential. Exploratree looks like it would be good for students organising and structuring thinking on a topic. It has lots of different templates for ways to look at a topic and it allows you to save share and present your plan, create your own template as well as work collaboratively on one. Could be good for planning research presentations , essays and the like.
the site is here http://www.exploratree.org.uk/
and there is an intro video here http://www.exploratree.org.uk/movie.php
See what you think.
Some info from the site below
Jo
The Exploratree web resource has been developed by Futurelab and emerged out of our work on the Enquiring Minds project. It provides a series of ready-made interactive 'thinking guides' or 'frameworks' which can support students' projects and research. Thinking guides support the thinking or working through of an issue, topic or question and help to shape, define and focus an idea and also support the planning required to investigate it further. Exploratree guides can be used as a basis for whole class discussion, or emailed to individuals or groups to complete. They can also be used as a presentation tool to share your findings and thinking with others. As well as providing a set of ready to use thinking guides, which are completely customisable and shareable, Exploratree also enables teachers and students to create their own simply and easily.
With Exploratree you can:
Use our ready-made thinking guides
Make a new thinking guide from scratch
Use it to set class projects
Print them out (they can go as big as A0)
Change and customise thinking guides, you can add or change text, shapes, images etc.
As a teacher, you can set up the sequence that you want the thinking guide to be revealed in, so that you can stage the thinking activity
You can fill in a thinking guide and complete your project on the website
You can present your project
You can send your thinking guide to a whole group of people
You can submit a thinking guide for comments, so it can't be edited but just reviewed
Work in groups on the same thinking guide

Mentoring: resources

For a copy of some great resources on mentoring, go to:

http://www.3creek.com/resources/booklets.htm

International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI)

For resources, opportunities for fellowships and training, go to:

http://www.issinstitute.org.au/

VISTA: October newsletter

To view the October newsletter from VISTA, go to:

http://www.vista.org.au/newsletters?command=message&id=194&cid=

VISTA: PD opportunity

LEARNING, SHARING AND PARTICIPATING
IN RESEARCH

A free half-day event in Vocational Education & Training (VET)
Research offered at the University of Ballarat and Victoria University
You can participate in this event at either venue: both are easily accessible by train.
University of Ballarat Victoria University
Thursday November 20th
2pm – 5pm
followed by informal drinks
Friday November 21st
2pm – 5pm
followed by informal drinks
Old Chemistry Lecture Theatre,
Building C, SMB campus,
Lydiard St, Ballarat
Sunshine Convention Centre,
EJ Whitten Building
460 Ballarat Road, Sunshine
Registration: Michelle Trethowan
m.trethowan@ballarat.edu.au
or 03 5327 9748
Registration: Leonie Beaton
leonie.beaton@vu.edu.au
or 03 9919 7157
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Professor Terri Seddon (Monash University)
Researching VET: Considering the Occupational Expertise of VET Teachers
Dr Peter Smith (E&T Thinking)
Learning in Workplaces: Apprentices and Trainees
Dr Peter Waterhouse (Workplace Learning Initiatives)
The ACE Experience: Researching Teaching & Learning in Community Settings
AN UPDATE ON VET RESEARCH AT UB AND VU
Speakers from each institution
NETWORKING AND DISCUSSION TIME ON THE
CONFERENCE THEMES
‘What’s hot in teaching and learning’ and ‘What’s hot in VET research’.
Please come prepared, if you like, to share your own research or your
views about what needs to be researched.

Reframing the future - opportunities

PD opportunity: New ways of working in VET. The forum provides an opportunity for VET practitioners from around Australia to network, share and promote good practice in implementing the national training system.

To be held in Melbourne at the Crown Promenade on Monday 17 November and Tuesday 18 November 2008. All VET practitioners are invited to attend. This forum showcases Reframing the Future project outcomes, features leading speakers and provides opportunities for national networking by VET practitioners. For more information go to:

http://www.reframingthefuture.net/NWOW5_Nov08.asp

Resources: Enterprises Enhanced by VET
Resources used in the forums held throughout Australia are now available from the website:

http://www.reframingthefuture.net/ForumAugust2008.asp

New Publication: Insights from Strategic and Change Management Projects in RTOs
This publication provides a sample of eleven of the thirty Reframing the Future strategic and change management projects undertaken in 2007. The eleven projects were chosen on a basis that each of them focused on building capability strategically. Go to:

http://www.reframingthefuture.net/docs/2008/Publications/6SM_Insights_sm_cm_projects_4sept08.pdf

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A resource from Sandy

http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/09/60-open-courseware-collections-to-help-you-be-a-better-teacher/
60+ Open Courseware Collections to help you be a better teacher
Christina Laun, Smart Teaching.org
September, 2008
Many teachers work hard to keep up to date with the latest in educational advancements, curriculum design and general information. Usually, this means taking classes at night or during the summer. With open courseware, however, you can learn about a wide range of topics, from classroom behavior to using the latest technologies at your own pace. While it’s no substitute for real classroom education, it can provide an invaluable supplement and guide to your educational pursuits and classroom management. Check out these 60 places to find course materials to keep you on top of the teaching game.