My Journey Through RSCON3

Way back in May, I had a private message from Shelly:

I mulled it over for a short time, and gave her a negative answer, citing connection problems as an excuse. The deadline came and went; then came another message. Subtly, being the smooth operator she is, she said something like she wasn't sure if she'd asked me before, but if she hadn't, she would like me to present.

That was when I learned that it was impossible to say 'no' to Shelly!

By June 19, I'd stepped out of my comfort zone and accepted.

I'd never attended an online conference before; I might have spent a few minutes in a webinar, but that was the extent of my experience. The seed of nerves was sprouting fast.

Add to that, the training sessions came and went, and I barely made the last, held on 17th July. Although Jo & Phil Hart are a phenomenon, most of the people in the room had done previous training, and I was, to put it mildly, a little lost.

Thankfully, the training sessions were recorded, and my life was saved. I watched the first one, and even before I'd watched the second in its entirety, I already felt confident. Of course, having a training room was indispensable. I would pause the recording, rehearsed it in the training room, and continued. I hung around the training room even though I might not have been practising. I received people and helped where I could. The best form of learning is teaching! And, need I say, the best form of teaching is learning!

From then, my journey changed its pace dramatically; it was like shifting from first to fifth gear. A week later, I'd volunteered to moderate for a few presenters, in response to a call for help. Me, moderate! A complete novice. The seed of nerves I mentioned earlier, by now, has grown into a tree.

You know, when one moves at such a pace, there's just no time to be looking back, or even turning the head. One has just got to remain focussed on the journey. RSCON3 was like a perfect platform for me, the container I needed to snug in comfortably.

Those of you who had been following the symposium would have seen me drifting in and out of rooms. They were desperately short of hands, and it was like my karma to appear when and where help was needed. There was no room for fear. Amidst such company of selfless generosity and passion, one can't help but be engulfed by it. I was no longer a novice. And if there was something I didn't know, I had two amazing mentors in Jo & Phil Hart.

So, I'd just like to thank Shelly for her subtle insistence that I took part, to Clive, for his amazing schedules, which made searching for information so much easier, and to Jo & Phil for teaching me so much in so little time.

The feedback and the energy before, during and after the journey has been tremendous. I've read hundreds of comments, all, bar one, of which have been positive. I've noted down things that could be improved upon on a list, to which that single negative comment had no contribution, ironically.

Thank you all, organisers, presenters, attendees, for contributing to my incredibly memorable journey.

How to attend RSCON3 e-conference. All you need to know!

With the RSCON fast approaching, there are some of you still unsure about whether to attend perhaps because you've never attended an online conference before. Here is a basic tutorial to help convince you.

It's very easy. There's no hidden cost - it is absolutely free. No spam, no ads, no tricks.

First of all, take a look at the schedule. The schedule is a Google document, so you do need a Google account to be able to access it. Note: if you have a gmail, you already have a google account. You don't have to have a gmail to have a google account; you can use your existing email to apply for a google account - the choice is yours. The schedule looks like this:

Select your time zone. For example, if you're in London or in the Canary Islands, click on UTC+1, and you'll get another link. Click on this.

This will bring you the document which will list all the sessions in your time zone, thanks to Clive Elsmore.

Look through the schedule, take note of those you can attend. On the day itself, you'll have to click on the link in the column, 'Webinar Link'. Be early. Give yourself time to settle in, to check your configuration, to learn how to manage the icons, etc.

RSCON3 will be run on ELLUMINATE platform. Although Elluminate is now Blackboard Collaborate, it will not affect RSCON3. When you click on the webinar, you'll be asked for a session login name. Do use a name as this is how you will be addressed. Presenters sometimes address you directly, especially if you have a question to ask. When you've put your name, you'll be asked to download a very small file. This is necessary. Save it somewhere easily accessible. It will execute Java to bring you into the room. If you haven't got Java in your computer, you can download it here.

Run the downloaded file (double click it). You will then be taken to the room of the session. This is how it looks like. When you come into the room, you may be asked if you would like to download a file - this would be the presenter's slides. Say no. Once you're in the room, say hello to everyone, and join in the fun!

I hope that everything is now clear. If there's anything you still don't understand, all you need to do is ask! Hope to see you there! Fri 29th July - Sun 31st July. My session's on Sat 30th July, 19:00 BST (UTC+1).

RSCON3: 3rd Reform Symposium e-Conference 29th - 31st July 2011

In a few days, about 8000 educators from over 40 different countries are expected to attend a free 3-day virtual conference, The Reform Symposium, #RSCON3. This award-nominated e-conference is going to take place on 29-31 July 2011. Participants can attend this online conference from the comfort of their homes or anywhere that has Internet access. This amazing conference provides all educators, be they new or currently active on social networks, the opportunity to connect with other teachers and professionals in the field of education worldwide. With over 12 Keynote speakers, 80 presenters, and 3 keynote panel discussions, you are bound to be inspired!

• View the schedule to plan which presentations you will attend!
• Download the flyer to share with your school!
• Watch this YouTube video of the conference in January 2011!
• See if your school will count this as continuing education credit!
• Consider hosting a viewing party!

I'd like to thank the incredible organizers - Shelly Terrell, Kelly Tenkely, Chris Rogers, Lisa Dabbs, Melissa Tran, Clive Elsmore, Mark Barnes, Ian Chia, Cecilia Lemos, Jerry Blumengarten, and Kyle Pace - and Steve Hargadon of Classroom 2.0, The Future of Education, EdTech Live, etc. for making this incredible conference possible.

Lie or lay? How to remember these nasty words?

No doubt, these words are among the most problematic for a lot of people, myself included! Pop music only serves to make things worse; just as groups like The Beatles singing "She's got a ticket to ride, but she don't care" doesn't help learners with the third person singular verb, Eric Clapton's "Lay down Sally" and Bob Dylan's "Lay lady lay" don't help us with lay and lie.

What not many people realise, however, is that don't was a standard contracted form of does not until the early 20th century, and is still being used today in some parts of Britain by the British (not by foreigners in case you were thinking that) in spite of it being grammatically incorrect. Since when does colloquialism bother about grammar, right?

Similarly lay being used intransitively (I'll explain shortly) instead of lie is frowned upon, but, according to Merriam-Webster, has been used since the 14th century, and was accepted until the late 1700s, when attempts were made to correct the misuse. Just as don't for third person is being used colloquially now, so is lay instead of lie.

All that aside, you're here to learn the right forms, correct? So, let us take a look.

LAY - LAID - LAID

This is a transitive verb, meaning it needs an object: we lay someone or something down, we can lay a table, and birds lay eggs.

Remember that both Dylan & Clapton were using it 'incorrectly'.

LIE - LAY - LAIN

This is an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn't need an object: we lie on the bed, Sally lies on the grass next to me. For other meanings, click on the heading above.

We also have the phrasal verbs 'lie in - lay in - lain in' meaning to stay in bed for longer than usual, and 'lie down - lay down - lain down' meaning the same as lie. So, we can say we lie on the bed or we lie down on the bed.

LIE - LIED - LIED

This is a regular verb, meaning to say something that is not true: she's always lying about her age, why did you lie to me?

Happy Birthday to me!

Today, this blog celebrates its 2nd birthday, and I'd like to think that it has helped some of you some of the time during this period. Thank you for your support, even though most of you have been rather quiet!

I have been too busy blogging ;-) to bake a cake, I'm afraid, so a virtual one will have to do!

According to Blogger's statistics, the blog has received a total of 80,464 page views over these past two years, and here are the top 3 posts:

Label the animal cell (1,366 page views)

Classroom objects tagging game (1,232 page views)

Daily Routines tagging game (1,127 page views)

RSCON3: 3rd Reform Symposium e-Conference 29th - 31st July 2011

The Net is buzzing with excitement at the prospect of the 3rd Reform Symposium e-Conference, organised by teachers for teachers, to be held over 3 days from 29 - 31 July. It's free, naturally. Their last conference, held earlier this year in January, managed to attract over 4,100 teachers from 80 countries. This time, they're hoping to gather 8,000! Are you going to miss out? I've embedded two of their flyers for you to distribute among your friends, colleagues, and schools - the first one is a one-page version, and the other is a comprehensive five-page one.

The main focus this year is on how teachers can create engaging and motivating lessons.

I'll be presenting on Sat 30th July. I hope to see you there!

RSCON Flyer One Page Version

The Reform Symposium Free Online Conference Flyer for Schools

Sir Ken Robinson on work, talent, opportunities and passion

When Sir Ken Robinson speaks, one usually listens. He's a wonderful storyteller, a great speaker. He has no need for notes, merely relying on his memory, his experience, his passion. And, he's funny. Talking about passion is his passion. Recently, in March, to be exact, he spoke in Conway Hall, London; he spoke about finding our purpose in life. So, when I found out that Vimeo has published a video of his sermon, I rushed straight in. As usual, he spoke with his typical wit, recounting story after story. Even though it's 50 minutes, I can assure it'll be well spent.