Found a Youtube clip of Ian Gilbert in action with a group of children, using thunks to get them thinking.

What’s a thunk?

A Thunk is a beguilingly simple-looking question about everyday things that stops you in your tracks and helps you start to look at the world in a whole new light.

Now I’m off to think up a few of my own for Wednesday.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0HrpGvAbxM

One of my favourite ideas from this morning has been the idea of making our brains work by posing unanswerable questions – or thunks.
There’s a whole website of them here but here are a few we’ve considered this morning.

What colour is Tuesday?

What is a tree? Is it less of a tree in winter when it has no leaves?

Is a broken down car parked?

Where do thoughts come from?

What is a third of love?

Is there more future or past?

I love this kind of activity that has no right or wrong answer, and makes you explain and justify your thinking. Needs a bit of practice to get it going but well worth the effort. One of the teachers with whom I work starts each day with a question like this – last week they considered ‘what can’t you doing sitting down?’
Provoked a great discussion!

And if you’re on Twitter and fancy receiving some thunks -called #twunks – follow @itlworldwide

Latest #twunk below!

Today I’m at a cluster training day entitled Practical strategies for thinking learning and motivation.

It’s being led by Ian Gilbert of Independent Thinking who, so far, has given us all lots to digest!

More detail later as I start to digest what we’re discovering, but so far I have learnt that-

I shouldn’t have a job
AQA stands for ask any question
Picasso said ‘every act of creation starts with an act of destruction.’
‘It’s better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.’

Photo – Davide Restivo on Flickr

Whilst I was in Nottingham, I met many lovely people frm across Europe.
One such ‘lovely person’ was Lidija from Croatia who, as well as a teacher, is a writer and had asked if she might interview some people for an article.
Guess who got volunteered?

You can watch my interview below, and also others on Lidija’s Youtube channel Pogled kroz prozor including one with @niiloa. Lidija’s article will be published soon – I’ll let you know when!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QspVv6GKe6k

* Pogled kroz prozor means Look through the window

Thanks to Lidija from Croatia, here are some brief highlights of the ‘TeachMeet styley thingy’ at #etwpdw, showing some of the people about whom I blogged earlier this week.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41T8Df33OnY

Thanks to eagle eyed @joedale for spotting it!

According to wikipedia, Plumíferos “is a 2010 Argentine computer-animated film made by Manos Digitales Animation Studio using Open Source software for all 3D models, animation, lighting and render process, under Linux operating system.”

It’s taken years to get to the screens with parts shown as early as 2005.

Some further bits to share-

great song!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysVtm9xBUOM

And very interesting to see the voice actors in this film.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8EEx-ITZJY

Doesn’t seem to be available on Amazon or iTunes yet though…. 🙁

Thanks to @stevebunce for his Tweet that alerted me to this.

Looks a great film. My boys are definitely interested.

I like this version of the trailer as it has the Spanish sound but also English subtitles.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVpowuI2XhE

But it also exists without the subtitles.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNaz9OJm7kg&NR=1

And I quite like the English version which is completely different.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSYI-3IG284

And the best bit…..

Some stunning fun animations here for displaying text.

A talking animal perhaps?

A troubled tomato?

Perhaps a bit of Antonio Machado?

It’s all here!

Below is my seven minute micropresentation from Teachmeet styley thingy (I think that name could stick!) at the eTwinning Ambassadors meeting #etwpdw.

In my seven minutes (I think the lovely @digitalmaverick gave me a little longer….) I talked about

1. using Wallwisher to collect ideas, have asynchronus discussions and review learning / progress.  I set up an example Wallwisher just prior to my presentation and asked my Twitter pals to contribute.  Thank you!

2.using Google Maps to keep an online track of postcards being exchanged in our eTwinning project Greetings across the miles, as well as cards from Postcrossing.  The actual postcards are displayed on the school wall, but by plotting them on a Google Map pupils get an idea of how far the cards have travelled, the position of countries and much more that enhances and extends the experience beyond a piece of paper arriving in the post.

3.using Storybird to write collaborative stories.  I ran out of time at this point and had to be very brief but my idea was to use Storybird to write stories across countries as follows –

• agree on a set of visuals.
• each group writes the story in their own language -or in a common one.
• stories are shared.

I bet no two stories would be the same!

As soon as I liberate it from @digitalmaverick, i’ll upload the video of my presentation.  But until then, if you have any questions, please contact me.

Yesterday, as the European eTwinning Ambassadors PDW at National college of School Leadership in Nottingham drew to a close, I took part in what Drew Buddie aka @digitalmaverick entitled ‘a Teachmeet style-y thingy’.

Drew introduced the idea of an ‘unconference’ explaining both TedX and Teachmeet before opening the floor to others to share their 7 minute micro or 2 minute nano presentations.

I was first up – see the next post for my presentation – and later for a video of it (if it’s not too hideous!)

Other presenters were-

Lieven from Flanders who shared his magnificent projects, all documented on his blog. These included repurposing old computer mice, decorating them and then using TuxPaint to animate them (MouseArt), using Pivot to make animations of bubbles (B@llobees) and also to make animated characters @ni & M@te who travelled to other schools and found out about them.

Two things that particularly struck me were firstly when Lieven said he liked ‘making the unexpected valuable’ which struck a chord, and also the use of technology to back up and enhance more traditional methods eg the Kindergarten pupils made bubble pictures with paint and straws, and those pieces of art were used as the background for the Bubble animations.

Next up was Paddy who talked about his eTwinning project Wii will rock you which used the Nintendo Wii as a stimulus.  I enjoyed this presentation as Paddy underlined that it was not all about playing games, but that the games were the starting point for other activities – writing letters, designing CD covers, planning tours with travel plans and money considerations, cooperation with other children, publicity and negotiation.  They also worked on a joint sports day with a school in ireland with some ‘traditional’ sports day activities as well as Wii based ones.

Then Susi Arnott shared about using comic strips and Comic Life, and how the process of looking at comics enhanced the understanding of texts and enhanced literacy skills.  She mentioned Bitstrips which I will be investigating!

Drew used Twitter to ask why people went to Teachmeets- responses included:

‘the range of ideas’

‘a cross subject sharing of ideas’

‘non threatening’ collaborative spirit’

‘celebrating work done in my classroom’

‘meeting like minded colleagues leads to great PLNs’

‘at least 20 ideas for use tomorrow’

‘widens my ideas’

Nick Falk finished up the meet with a nano-presentation on the use of QR codes and QR readers in mobile phones.  Very interesting, and something I need to investigate!

No camel, no fruit machine and no alcohol; but otherwise pretty like a normal TeachMeet! Oh, and no cupcakes.  Sorry @niiloa