Got to love this video (thanks Anthony Evans, for sharing). Yes, it's a bit of fun, but actually it is a very real warning about watching what you put online. Since I am teaching my kids e-safety at the moment (and the whole school is also learning about it) I thought this was rather timely. So, learn your SMART rules kids (and your way round Facebook privacy settings), you never know when mum is watching ;o)
Showing posts with label ICT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ICT. Show all posts
Friday, 11 September 2009
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Junk, Dust and Floppy Discs
I finally got round to clearing out the ICT cupboards in school. I say cupboards, but really I mean cupboards, filing cabinets, spaces under tables, offices and drawers. There was old ICT kit and software everywhere and I had no idea what we had.
It took a day. I went through everything and created a literal (well almost) mountain of junk for the bins. I found an old, but pristine Valiant Floor Turtle, complete with an old, huge floppy disc for BBC computer! The floppy went but I kept the turtle as an interesting antiquity!
In the process of the clear out, both ICT suites had a good spring clean, although I ended up grey with dust.
So now I know exactly what we have, and where it is, and the number of cupboards filled with kit has halved. It was incredibly cathartic and left me with a feeling of true contentment and the knowledge that I could build on what we had without duplicating resources. Brilliant. Now I need to get the server in.
It took a day. I went through everything and created a literal (well almost) mountain of junk for the bins. I found an old, but pristine Valiant Floor Turtle, complete with an old, huge floppy disc for BBC computer! The floppy went but I kept the turtle as an interesting antiquity!
In the process of the clear out, both ICT suites had a good spring clean, although I ended up grey with dust.
So now I know exactly what we have, and where it is, and the number of cupboards filled with kit has halved. It was incredibly cathartic and left me with a feeling of true contentment and the knowledge that I could build on what we had without duplicating resources. Brilliant. Now I need to get the server in.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
TeachMeet NEL09 Part 2
2DIY from 2Simple. Simple enough for year 1 to use. Children creating their own games and taking great pride in seeing them published on a school website. Great piece of software.
2Simple also looking at the potential of augmented reality. This really is cutting edge.
Now the raffle - I never win anything, but the cause is great. £550 raised for the Cuban school.
Tom Barrett: "Mr Barrett, I have got glue on my laptop"
Technology used right along with traditional classroom tools. "Giving children a permanent technology choice in the classroom makes a huge difference."
Using GoogleEarth - "...most engaging tool out there." Using Vocaroo with GoogleEarth to plan a journey in a story. Setting location marks and adding notes to tell a story in snippets.
Using IM applications in class. Most popular online tool with children.
Sharing bookmarks with kids using delicious.com. (Something Cleveland Junior and Becontree Primary are already doing).
Twitter used in class - only 95% thought he was bonkers. 5% less than last year.
Edith - Year 9 student. Does X=Y?
Talking about technology tribes and Digital Natives. Am I Native or a Bridge? Am I young enough to be Native? :o)
"Young people are helping their parents catch up (with technology)"
Are we challenging students (Natives) enough? Recent OFSTED report says no.
Ollie Bray (www.olliebray.com): Maps, Mashups and Milkfloats.
Games based learning and using Wordle.net
Using free online tools to engage children.
GoogleEarth - showing the world spinning. Children start to have geographical conversations.
Task in a bucket (location lotto!) - pull a location out of a bucket and fly there on GoogleEarth from your school location.
www.bighugelabs.com (be careful how you type that!)
Thanks to the organisers for a fantastic evening (Lords!), and thanks also to all the sponsors.
TeachMeet NEL09 Part 1
Oh dear, I’m at TeachMeet NEL 09 at CEME with my Mac and every intention to blog live. CEME obviously doesn’t like Macs. I can see the Network but I can’t connect no matter how hard I try. So I am reverting to Word and cut and paste!
Next problem: Which room do I choose? I want to see quite a lot of these speakers but they are all in different rooms!
Rats!
Ok I’m in the main hall. Not sure if this is the right choice for me. Can I float?
Tom Whitehead: Fruit faces - use technology to be inclusive.
Oh, that's better! Finally connected to the Internet and breakout rooms moving into main hall.
Leon Cych: Speaking about BBC Learning Open Lab. He is developing a resource showing teachers using different web 2.0 resources.
Also interesting to know that Leon is passionate about Second Life as a learning environment.
Andrew Trimble: Using digital audio to enhance literacy. Pupils recording their play script dialogue. Demonstration of how to transfer their files on to computer ready for podcasting.
Jerome Monahan: Active approaches to everything.
Where hast thou been sister?
Killing swine.
Wonderful sight - a room full of teachers doing actions to text from Macbeth!
Aha! Leads to video conferencing - Global Leap.
Debbie Forster: Computer Clubs for Girls. www.cc4g.net Aimed at getting girls interested in IT. Starts from primary school. Now introducing boys! Pack going out to secondary schools www.bigambition.co.uk
Money raised by raffle goes towards rebuilding Celia Sanchez Manduley School in Cuba which was destroyed by hurricane Ike in 2008.
Break now. I need some food and a beer!
Next problem: Which room do I choose? I want to see quite a lot of these speakers but they are all in different rooms!
Rats!
Ok I’m in the main hall. Not sure if this is the right choice for me. Can I float?
Tom Whitehead: Fruit faces - use technology to be inclusive.
Oh, that's better! Finally connected to the Internet and breakout rooms moving into main hall.
Leon Cych: Speaking about BBC Learning Open Lab. He is developing a resource showing teachers using different web 2.0 resources.
Also interesting to know that Leon is passionate about Second Life as a learning environment.
Andrew Trimble: Using digital audio to enhance literacy. Pupils recording their play script dialogue. Demonstration of how to transfer their files on to computer ready for podcasting.
Jerome Monahan: Active approaches to everything.
Where hast thou been sister?
Killing swine.
Wonderful sight - a room full of teachers doing actions to text from Macbeth!
Aha! Leads to video conferencing - Global Leap.
Debbie Forster: Computer Clubs for Girls. www.cc4g.net Aimed at getting girls interested in IT. Starts from primary school. Now introducing boys! Pack going out to secondary schools www.bigambition.co.uk
Money raised by raffle goes towards rebuilding Celia Sanchez Manduley School in Cuba which was destroyed by hurricane Ike in 2008.
Break now. I need some food and a beer!
Monday, 2 February 2009
New Camera
Panasonic DMCTZ5 Digital Camera - Black (9.1MP, 10x Optical Zoom)
No mucking about. I can't cope without a camera, and since this one has been tried and tested in the family, with great feedback, I decided to go for it.
I have just bought 6 of these:
Panasonic DMCFS3 Digital Camera - Black (8.1MP, 3x Optical Zoom)
for school. I am hoping that they will be simple to use (reviews suggest they will) and produce a really good photo. I don't see why kids in school should settle for grainy, poorly focused photos. If you are going to do photo work - do it properly!
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Busy Start
It has been the most interesting and busy of beginnings. Dropping into a year 6 class, the term before their SATs, was never going to be easy. But despite being 'tested', having 2-3 lots of marking every day and being in a new school, in a new borough and working with systems I'm not used to, I'm having a ball!
There is a lot to get my head around just teaching in year 6 for the first time, but there is also stacks to do with the ICT.
I arrived at the school with an ICT action plan in my hand, and just 4 weeks in I can start ticking things off. My first discovery was that the ICT policy is 9 years old - ancient for any school policy, never mind in a subject area in which your equipment is out of date in 18 months! So I am in the process of writing a new one (although it might have to wait until the half term).
So far I have:
There is a lot to get my head around just teaching in year 6 for the first time, but there is also stacks to do with the ICT.
I arrived at the school with an ICT action plan in my hand, and just 4 weeks in I can start ticking things off. My first discovery was that the ICT policy is 9 years old - ancient for any school policy, never mind in a subject area in which your equipment is out of date in 18 months! So I am in the process of writing a new one (although it might have to wait until the half term).
So far I have:
- written an action plan
- begun developing a strong ICT team with Robert, our fabulous IT technician
- bought photo editing software and 6 digital cameras for pupil use
- invested in a data logger which is already being used by year 5
- unearthed a 6 year subscription to EducationCity.com. 2 years gone and no one knew about it! It's being used now!
- started blogging with year 6
- introduced a cross curricular ICT and art topic for year 6
- worked with Robert to research a server for the school - watch this space.
- started to re-write the ICT policy
Saturday, 13 December 2008
The Force is Strong on the Mac Side
After much thought and drooling over other people's, I finally bought an iPhone. I've had it for about a month and a half now and I have to confess that my conversion to church of Apple is now complete. For the first time ever all my contacts, diaries and e-mail accounts are in sync and up to date. I feel rather organised and virtuous. I have hardly switched on my PC since buying the Mac. The poor abandoned machine gets switched on periodically so that I can print but once I rearrange my network it will be visited even less frequently. Loving the iPhone but there are one or two things about it that annoy me:
- To do lists do not sync from iCal - in my opinion this is a huge oversight and one that needs sorting very soon
- Battery life is shocking - but I knew that before I bought it
- I don't like the iPhone version of predictive text - it doesn't appear to learn your regularly used words and it is all to easy to send out a text with a random word substituted
- All of the alarm tones are a bit weedy - none of them are guaranteed to wake me up
Thursday, 30 October 2008
A Door Opens
After seven years at Cleveland I have taken the plunge and last week I accepted a new job. It means working in a new school, a new borough and a new role. It is scary and exciting all in one go but I am more than ready for the move and it feels right. I'm still going to be teaching and in class full time but my new role is ICT co-ordinator and I have plenty of ideas to get ICT integrated across the curriculum, including the use of blogging in the classroom!
In truth, I can't wait to get started - there is lots to do and big challenges ahead but I am very ready for them. I feel very guilty about leaving my current class part way through the year but it had to be done unfortunately. So, half a term to go and I'll be gutted when it actually comes to leaving but for now...... :o)
In truth, I can't wait to get started - there is lots to do and big challenges ahead but I am very ready for them. I feel very guilty about leaving my current class part way through the year but it had to be done unfortunately. So, half a term to go and I'll be gutted when it actually comes to leaving but for now...... :o)
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