Derek’s blog

Derek’s Blog, launched in 2003, serves as a platform for sharing thoughts and reflections related to his work. It offers over 20 years of searchable posts, categorized by the tags below. Feel free to comment, as your feedback contributes to ongoing reflection and future posts.

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Teaching in the knowledge age

June 3, 2004

More reading on the train – got me thinking about the Knowledge Society. There’s so much hype about this – we’ve had the “knowledge wave” and been bombarded with lists of skills we must ensure our students develop – but how helpful is this rhetoric in helping us shape our thinking about what schools should […]

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Diary entry

The Brains Trust

June 2, 2004

Have just come in from meeting with a group of gentlemen here in Wellington affectionately known as “The Brains Trust” – a small group of people involved in the IT industry who began meeting together when they worked together on the Y2K project. Really interesting discussion around the topic of eLearning, during which I shared […]

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Learner-centred eLearning

May 31, 2004

I was reading this on the train on the way home tonight and felt I have to share it – from the Leonardo daVinci project in Europe, the results of their Thematic Monitoring of eLearning Projects (downloadable as a PDF file) Although the report is based around the activities of some 150 relevant projects in […]

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Pedagogy

Project-based learning

May 31, 2004

Seymour Papert (of “mindstorms” and “Logo” fame) has produced a great summary of his thinking regarding project-based learning at http://glef.org/php/interview.php?id=Art_901 Papert has some particular words to say regarding the inclusion of mathematics and ICT into project-based learning. For me, project-based learning as described in Papert’s article is the epitome of how learning in the “real […]

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Semantic Web

May 31, 2004

A number of discussions going on around theplace at the moment about this topic – (see Derek Chirnside’s Blog). Seems there’s a lot of momentum being created in this direction. I came across this link this morning which takes you to a list of more than a dozen articles related to the development of a […]

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eLearning Strategies

May 28, 2004

Having invested a large amount of my time last year (and some this year) in putting together an eLearning Framework discussion document for the Ministry of Education, I was interested to come across this paper today, (E-Learning Strategies – Embrace or Eschew?) which asks a fundamental question – do we need one? The author asks, […]

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Building the school of the future

May 26, 2004

I came across the following link today in Stephen Downe’s mailing list – Building the school of the future It is a streaming media presentation (not viewable in Firefox) from Microsoft outlining its vision of the school of the future. Not a lot of new material here, but a nicely packaged presentation that provides some […]

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Appreciative inquiry 2

May 24, 2004

Another day with Don Hanna today – plenty of work with the appreciative inquiry approach to change management. (Interesting quite – it’s not change that needs to be managed, but the people affected by it!) Appreciative inquiry does stand up as a reserach methodology of sorts, but is primarily a methodology to be used in […]

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Appreciative Inquiry

May 23, 2004

Have just spent a fascinating day with Don Hanna from the University of Wisconsin, Extension, who is in Wellington for the week. (More details of who Don is and the work he does can be found in the extended entry link). We had a great discussion around the theme of appreciative inquiry – something Don […]

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Blogs

Blog Software Breakdown

May 22, 2004

With all of the interest in blogs being shown recently I thought the following link might be of interest. http://www.asymptomatic.net/blogbreakdown.htm The guy who has put this together has put in many hours of hard work creating a table comparing the various pieces of Blog Software that are available. In addition, he explains quite a list […]

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Diary entry

Back from Fiji!

May 20, 2004

What a break – nine wonderful days in Fiji to attend my sister in law’s wedding. 40-odd guessts, fabulous weather, and not an email link in sight! I’m back feeling totally relaxed and with a mountain of work to catch up on – but I have a feeling it will have been worth it.

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Pedagogy

Resource-discourse explained

May 11, 2004

Following on from yesterday’s blog – the link below will open a page that provides some explanation about the animation and its relevance to eLearning. animation explanation

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eLearning animation

May 10, 2004

In my role as eLearning manager at the Correspondence School I developed a simply model to illustrate the relationships between the various eLearning tools and strategies, both synchronous and asynchronous, that can be used. This model has been included in the Ministry of Education’s ICT Strategy for schools called “Digital Horizons”. The link below will […]

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The future of eLearning?

May 5, 2004

In preparation for his presentation at TechLearn 2003, Mark Oehlert asked a number of reserachers to answer a set of questions on the future of e-learning models and the language we use to describe them. This wide-ranging discussion is captured in the transcript: A conversation on the future of eLearning

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Learning Objects

May 5, 2004

Learning objects are getting a lot of press at the moment. The creation, storage, discoverability and reuse of them are all issues that are the focus of much debate. Here are a few recent articles that I’ve come across with lots of links within them for those curious about these issues.

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Pedagogy

Towards a theory of m-learning

May 3, 2004

Here’s an article that I think is worth a read – not essentially because what is says is revolutionary, but beacuseof the construction of the thinking and the ways the writer is trying to establish links with ;known’ philisophical or theoretical positions etc. All in all a useful starter on the debate around the notion […]

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Educational Games

May 3, 2004

My interest in educational gaming was aroused first when I attended a conference in Finland, and heard Randy Hinrichs from Microsoft’s education division speak about the ways in which the gaming phenomenon needs to be harnessed for educational purposes. one of the lists I belong to is called “Serious Gaming” and in recent postings the […]

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Breaking news!

May 3, 2004

Download file In today’s Dominion Post newspaper (IT Weekly section) – an article about the Learning Relationship Management System (LRMS) software being developed at the Correspondence School

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Diary entry

My blog started

May 3, 2004

Today is Monday 3 May – I’m in CHCH to focus on the T4T4T project. Key things for me to do for this week include: – create blog access within the site – work with Glen to create report component – work with mentors to emphasise focus on changing professional practice – look at “stickies’ […]

Please get in touch to discuss your plans. FutureMakers is an approved provider of Ministry-funded, regionally allocated professional development (RAPLD). Search for Derek Wenmoth on the MoE website’s provider list when making an application.

What others say

The Learning Environments Australasia Executive Committee has received a lot of positive feedback, which is greatly due to your wealth of knowledge and information you imparted on our large audience, your presentation has inspired a range of educators, architects and facility planners and for this we are grateful.

Daniel Smith Chair Learning Environments Australasia

Derek and Maurie complement each other well and have the same drive and passion for a future education system that is so worthwhile being part of. Their presentation and facilitation is at the same time friendly and personal while still incredibly professional. I am truly grateful to have had this experience alongside amazing passionate educators and am inspired to re visit all aspects of my leadership. I have a renewed passion for our work as educational leaders.

Karyn Gray Principal, Raphael House Rudolf Steiner

I was in desperate need of a programme like this. This gave me the opportunity to participate in a transformative journey of professional learning and wellbeing, where I rediscovered my passion, reignited my purpose, and reconnected with my vision for leading in education. Together, we got to nurture not just academic excellence, but also the holistic wellbeing of our school communities. Because when we thrive, so does the entire educational ecosystem.

Tara Quinney Principal, St Peter's College, Gore

Refresh, Reconnect, Refocus is the perfect title for this professional development. It does just that. A fantastic retreat, space to think, relax and start to reconnect. Derek and Maurie deliver a balance of knowledge and questioning that gives you time to think about your leadership and where to next. Both facilitators have the experience, understanding, connection and passion for education, this has inspired me to really look at the why for me!

Jan McDonald Principal, Birkdale North School

Engaged, passionate, well informed facilitators who seamlessly worked together to deliver and outstanding programme of thought provoking leadership learning.

Dyane Stokes Principal, Paparoa Street School

A useful and timely call to action. A great chance to slow down, reflect on what really drives you, and refocus on how to get there. Wonderful conversations, great connections, positive pathways forward.

Ursula Cunningham Principal, Amesbury School

RRR is a standout for quality professional learning for Principals. Having been an education PLD junkie for 40 years I have never before attended a programme that has challenged me as much because of its rigor, has satisfied me as much because of its depth or excited me as much because of realising my capacity to lead change. Derek and Maurie are truly inspiring pedagogical, authentic leadership experts who generously and expertly share their passion, wisdom and skills to help Principal's to focus on what is important in schools and be the best leader they can be.

Cindy Sullivan Principal, Kaipara College

Derek Wenmoth is brilliant. Derek connects powerful ideas forecasting the future of learning to re-imagine education and create resources for future-focused practices and policies to drive change. His work provides guidance and tools for shifting to new learning ecosystems through innovations with a focus on purpose, equity, learner agency, and lifelong learning. His work is comprehensive and brings together research and best practices to advance the future of teaching and learning. His passion, commitment to innovation for equity and the range of practical, policy and strategic advice are exceptional.

Susan Patrick, CEO, Aurora Institute

I asked Derek to work with our teachers to reenergise our team back into our journey towards our vision after the two years of being in and out of 'Covid-ness'. Teachers reported positively about the day with Derek, commenting on how affirmed they felt that our vision is future focused. Teachers expressed excitement with their new learning towards the vision, and I've noticed a palpable energy since the day. Derek also started preparing our thinking for hybrid learning, helping us all to feel a sense of creativity rather than uncertainty. The leadership team is keen to see him return!

Kate Christie | Principal | Cashmere Ave School

Derek has supported, informed and inspired a core group of our teachers to be effective leads in our college for NPDL. Derek’s PLD is expertly targeted to our needs.

Marion Lumley | Deputy Principal |Ōtaki College

What a task we set Derek - to facilitate a shared vision and strategy with our Board and the professional and admin teams (14 of us), during a Covid lockdown, using online technology. Derek’s expertise, skilled questioning, strategic facilitation and humour enabled us to work with creative energy for 6 hours using a range of well-timed online activities. He kept us focussed on creating and achieving a shared understanding of our future strategic plan. Derek’s future focussed skills combined with an understanding of strategy and the education sector made our follow up conversations invaluable. Furthermore, we will definitely look to engage Derek for future strategic planning work.

Sue Vaealiki, Chair of Stonefields Collaborative Trust

Our Principal PLG has worked with Derek several times now, and will continue to do so. Derek is essentially a master facilitator/mentor...bringing the right level of challenge, new ideas & research to deepen your thinking, but it comes with the level of support needed to feel engaged, enriched and empowered after working with him.

Gareth Sinton, Principal, Douglas Park School

Derek is a highly knowledgeable and inspirational professional learning provider that has been guiding our staff in the development of New Pedagogies’ for Deep Learning. His ability to gauge where staff are at and use this to guide next steps has been critical in seeing staff buy into this processes and have a strong desire to build in their professional practice.

Andy Fraser, Principal, Otaki College