Have you personalised your Google Page?

I have always seen the little link in the Google Search Engine page - "personalise your google page" - or some such remark and pretty much ignored it. The thing that attracted me to Google back in the mid 90s was the fact that it provided a clean page - unlike Yahoo at the time - and listed only links you asked it to list without adding a bundle of flashing light advertising. So personalising my Google page (which has always been my home page) gave me images of flashing lights, inane advertising, and clutter - and worse still - its self imposed!!

During the recent storm and between the episodes of power failures, with nothing better to do - I thought I would have a look at what a personalised Google Page offered. I have to say - as I have chosen the items on my Google Page - it is all rather handy. I have place on my Home Google page a small window with the days top news items, along with our current hobby - weather watching. A third small window accommodates my Google Reader account so on opening my Google Home Page I can see immediately, who of my friends and admirers, have updated their blogs.




Then I noticed that I could add permanent tabs to my Google Home Page. Google has a long list under "Add Stuff" - including (but not limited to) YouTube search engine, Google calender, animated eyes (which presumably watch your every move - scary!). YouTube is always a favourite of mine so I added a whole tab dedicated to YouTube's search engine, top viewed videos, Google's favourite google videos, etc - you get my drift.


I thought this 'tab' thing was kinda fun and wandered what other internet sites I like to be updated on quickly and efficiently - and ofcourse my addiction to FaceBook was quickly satisfied with a tab dedicated to my inbox, my friends updates, and profile page.

I looked at the idea of making my new Google Home Page 'pretty' (not usually my thing) and found that actually there are a number of attractive headers which change depending on the time of day (as I blog my Google Home Page is adorned with an attractive setting sun across a pacific beach). Maybe a bit kitsch, and you certainly have to play with different headers as some are more distracting than adorning.

I decided to visit the "Add Stuff" link one more time before the storm raging outside subsided - and to my delight I found ......... PACMAN. This game of my youth (I held the highest score in our 3rd form class in '83! - not sure if I should still be proud of that - but there you have it) now takes centre stage on my Personalised Google Home Page!

Ken Robinson

This talk from Ken Robinson may be a few years old - but definitely a good watch. What seems like an obvious way forward for education, seems to be a new idea for so many. Sir Ken Robinson, doesn't so much give a definitive view on what education should look like, but rather poses some reflective questions about education today. I have felt for some time that early childhood is on a good road. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the school system followed the lead of Early Childhood Education, by following children's interests, strengths and the tools that come so naturally to them, as a vehicle to teach them many of life's necessities. And along the way wouldn't children develop a passion for learning, because they are learning about things that interest them. And wouldn't it be great if assessment did not consist of a hall filled with rows of desks, shuffling papers, tension, stress, and a pass or fail. But rather wouldn't it be great if children could be encouraged through positive assessment practices, and scaffolded by teachers who are passionate because there are sharing their strengths and interests. Because isn't it that which is important - the knowledge, skill and passion TO LEARN - and not the actual data we throw at them? Because the data we feed them today, will probably not be the data they need for tomorrow...

Here's Ken Robinson's take from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design)

Also check out Ken Robinson's views on National Standards

Team Challenge

David Spragg provided a thought provoking day, as he challenged the teachers of the Northland Kindergarten Association, to step forward positively as we face new changes. Many of us are excited by the prospect of having a new teachers join our individual kindergarten teams. David Spragg proffered that if our new challenges DON'T SCARE us, then we need new challenges. That is - there will be some testing times. It was mentioned a number of times that it takes almost two years to settle into a new job, for changes to become embedded, for a team to congeal.

Personality types
We identified our different personality types based on shapes. Many identified with the Squiggle - a person with many ideas, who can see the whole picture, who is a bit rusty on detail. The Circle was the next biggest shape - the nurturer, making sure everyone is ok and working together well. And then the square, rectangle and triangle - more interested in detail, some more so than others, some more obsessively than others. It is important to remember that no one shape is better than another - indeed it is better for a team to have one of each 'shaped personalities' in the team - a team of circles rolling around taking care of each other will not dream or get the job done, squiggles will too might have the ideas, but if the detail is not there the job is not achieved, and the squares, rectangles and triangles need a dreamer.

It was also noted that we need to treat our team members with the same respect that we treat children. If a child said "I'd like to build a rocket today!" - would it be acceptable to respond - "Mmm, No. We tried that yesterday and it didn't work." And yet for some reason we are apt to responding in this way to new ideas from adults. Spragg challenged "What is the worst that could happen in trying out an idea, even if you have tried it before, or don't think it will work - Let your team member give it a go, with the support and enthusiasm we proffer children".

Barriers to flexibility - what are our barriers. Spragg divided the barriers into three main areas - Attitude, Structure, Competence.

Attitude. We use power play, Cynicism, tradition - to prevent ourselves moving forward.
Structures. Architecture (Not a big enough office, not a big enough playground), Union regulations, Legal requirements (can't do that we're not allowed)
Competencies - Knowledge gaps, Skills Shortage (don't know how to draw), Technology deficiencies (don't know how blogs work), Innovations shortfalls (isn't measurable)

Tantrums - He suggested our barriers can be manifested in what essentially is an adult tantrum. We all do it, it is way to ensure we get things done the way we want them done - but tantrums are not helpful in a team decision. How does your tantrum manifest itself? If you feel a teacher throwing a tantrum in a meeting - Spragg suggests you point it out. It is hard, but a good decision can not be made if one member is throwing a tantrum. It is best to say "Lets put a hold on this decision until you get a grip on your tantrum." Tantrums need to be left at the door.

Philosophy
To build a team philosophy - you first have to be a team and have a personal philosophy within that team. Spragg suggested that we work together for a term, make notes and sort out our own philosophy in words, and then come together and work out a team philosophy.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." - Darwin

So for Manaia Kindergarten, we wait, step forward positivitely and with excitement - prepared for the new road ahead.

1968 - Future of Computers

So what did they get right and what's a little different?
What is our prediction for 2048?

A quote to share around...

This is a quote I found on Naketa's Blog (our fabulous ICT facilitator!) - and I thought it inspiring...

" The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind - computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys of the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind - creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers. These people - artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers - will now reap society's richest rewards and share its greatest joys. "

Source: http://www.danpink.com/wnm.html

Chris and Cru - A fight for Justice

Ok - it's late - but it's passionate!!

Human rights have been disregarded this week. Two young children - twins - three months old - were murdered. After two years of investigation, a charge filed against their father, a trial, and TEN MINUTES of deliberation - somebody has gotten away with murder.

This CAN NOT happen! New Zealanders CAN NOT let this slide!

I do not know if their father, Chris, who has stood trial for their murders, did deal the final blow. Maybe it was their mother, who is rumoured to have gone out drinking on the town the night the children died, who beat them so badly before going out for the night.

The Day Chris and Cru Died - Macsyna King returned from a night away and discovered the boys had sustained substantial bruising. She and her husband took them to the GP - "who ordered immediate hospitalisation for the infants. Instead of going to Middlemore Hospital, which was only 10 minutes away, the parents went to McDonalds and returned home after several hours" (wikipedia). When the children were eventually taken to the hospital it was discovered that they had suffered serious brain injury as the result of skull fractures from blunt force truama.

As the investigations began the public were told that the Kahui family refused to speak to police.
WHAT does that mean?
How is it that children can be murdered in their home and the ones in the house at the time can decide whether or not they would like to speak to the police?
I did not understand then and I do not understand now why the police scrambled as the whanau (extended family) pointed fingers at eachother, defended the parents, and defied police. Why did the police investigating these murders allow this family to get away with it? It took 5 months for a charge to be laid.

During the trial there were many references of the abuse that Chris and Cru suffered at the hands of their parents. It is not doubted that these children sustained continual abuse during their 3 traumatic months. And even on this the law enforcers seem powerless to act.

Are we really going to allow New Zealanders to get away with the abuse of children AGAIN?
Are we really going to allow New Zealanders to get away with the murder of their children?


You can read a slightly different but equally as brutal, version of events here.



A late addition to the May 15th, Blogging for Human Rights Campaign BUT not just a post - THIS IS a call for action. See below.



Does anyone know of a public online forum, where New Zealanders can have their voice? A site that has a moderator who will oversee a mature fight for justice. I would like to see somebody like the Commissioner for Children facilitate such a site. Children need us to fight for their rights. We need to fight for our children!

Other's Uniting in Human Rights
Pentad
DrowsyMonkey
Everyone deserves a good Education
The Right to Exist
For more...

Bloggers Unite - 15th of May

As I curl onto my bed and surf the net before I shut my eyes - with wireless broadband I can help to change the world!!!

Tomorrow BlogCatalog is running it's initiative - uniting bloggers around the world to raise awareness of a single topic of world wide concern. Bloggers Unite's previous campaigns have addressed Organ Donation Awareness (sorry I missed that one), Bloggers against Abuse, Acts of Kindness. On the 15th of MAY 2008 - bloggers will unite again to raise awareness on Human Rights Issues.

So surfers on the web, on the 15th of May, will find themselves reading a similar message over and over again as more and more people unite on world concerns.

For my small part - I discussed this event with Ash at the new and responsive DotDash social network. They too are joining this event. Hopefully more and more social networks, ...... schools, teachers, students, parents and more .... will use this time to band together and unite on a single topic of world wide concern...
and use the internet as a POWER FOR GOOD.

How will Early Childhood respond?
How will YOU change the world from your place in it?

To find out more - go to www.unite.blogcatalog.com