GRADUATION

Yesterday was our graduation and prizegiving. I performed in Kapa Haka, Orchestra and Choir and was pleased to receive a certificate for Excellence in Graphics and Design, which is inspiring if I become an architect.
I also got quite a shock when my name was called out for a Whaia te Tikitiki award. There are about 6 for each year group for students who have participated in all areas of school life, Arts, Sports, Academic, e.t.c. Whaia te Tikitiki is our school motto. It means Reach For The Heights, and it's in Maori. I was very, very happy to get this award and had a long citation read about me!

This is my award:

WHAIA TE TIKITIKI

REACH FOR THE HEIGHTS

WHAT I'VE LEARNT

Whaia te Tikitiki is a motto I will never forget. Intermediate school has been one of my most memorable experiences and these two years have brought so much fun into my learning.
I can hardly imagine me not knowing how to blog, but I didn't, at the beginning of 2007. I didn't even know what a blog was, or that it was possible for a student to let the student voice be heard worldwide through ICT. Then I was taught how to blog, and I gradually picked things up. Even halfway through 2007, when asked to name a few Web 2.0 tools, I was still defining what Web 2.0 was in my mind, and could only think of Wikispaces, Blogger and Voicethread. Now I know so many tools that do so many cool things! I've definitely come a long, long way since my time at Intermediate began.
Yes, learning with ICT is fun. Going on a computer is leisure for some people and to be able to use them all the time at school makes learning a whole lot more interesting. Recording voice and posting on the web are only a couple of many pleasures students experience when they have completed some ICT work.
E-portfolios are so neat and you can keep putting things into them without them gaining weight. You don't have to carry them around anywhere, yet they are accessible from anywhere in the world. With internet, that is!
We are growing up into a very different world. One with computers and nearly everything done electronically or digitally. I'm going to embrace these opportunities because you will need lots of ICT skills in the future.
There is something special about being able to google your own website or see images that you've used come up in Google Image searches. About seeing words you've written on the World Wide Web, for everyone to read. About the overall package of blogs or wikis, and how neat they can look when finished & updated and about being able to make the student voice heard in the world. Watching your clustrmap as it fills up with hits from all around the world, even places in which you don't know anyone living there!
It is pride and that can only encourage us to keep posting. Blogging is fun.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

YEAR 8 DAY OUT

Tuesday was meant to be a trip to the pools (with a hydro slide and dive pool) for the whole of Year 8 as our end of year day out. Unfortunately it was raining and we couldn't use the indoor pool so for half of the day we all went to the cinemas to see High School Musical 3. We all got a free icecream / popcorn.
I really enjoyed the movie, as usual.

THE 39 CLUES

As I've mentioned before, this is going to be an excellent series. I read the first book, The Maze Of Bones, and received and read One False Note, the second book.
Before the release of One False Note, on the 1st of December, there was a webcast which can be viewed here:
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/videos/index.htm?pid=1847353729&bcpid=1847353729&bclid=1896836069&bctid=3265446001
and a few kids from countries all around the world got to ask a question to the author of the second book about the story. I did this, and my question was chosen! It is answered on the webcast at 39:40 minutes. I asked about Dan and Amy's mother. (Answer)
In return, the 5 kids from my class who also asked questions but weren't answered received a 39 clues balloon, cap, T-shirt, pen, card pack and the second book, each, including me! It was very exciting!