Bromley ICT

Powerpoint presentations from the conference can be downloaded from here.

Click here for Richard Gerver’s Presentation

This months Spring Edition contains US ICT Best practice examples and case studies in the following areas

• Creating a Green ICT Environment
• Using a Visualiser
• Connecting Parents and Education
• Using learning Platforms

http://www.eschoolnews.com/media/eschoolnews/BestPractices0409.pdf

Digital Safety Conference 2009: 19 June, London
Members may be interested in attending the Digital Safety Conference 2009 to join fellow thought leaders, practitioners and policy makers from a cross-sector cohort of delegates in an independent debate about the health, reputation and environment of the digital world.

Public registration for the conference will be made available on the site from May 18 however advance registration at a reduced delegate rate is available by a private link that includes a free copy of “Net Crimes & Misdemeanors” by Jayne Hitchcock, President of WHOA.

Advance registration is at:
www.digitalsafety.com/advanced-registration/
www.digitalsafety.com

E2BN Two Day Conference: 23 & 24 June 2009, Wyboston

This year’s conference ‘Celebr8′ will mark the 10th anniversary of E2BN and looks at how ICT has been used across the curriculum to offer new challenges to pupils of all abilities, both in school and at home.
The conference sessions and workshops have been organised to help all delegates to gain the confidence to exploit ICT more effectively within their schools or subject areas. This conference will also focus on E2BN initiatives and celebrates 10 years of collaborative broadband provision.
Joining us this year will be: Russell Prue, Richard Stanford, John Davitt and David Anstead.
We hope you will find the time to join us in celebrating both progress made during the past 10 years and, more importantly, the opportunities for the future.
For the full programme and on-line booking go to www.conference.e2bn.org

Naace continues to play an active part in the review of the Review. Our professional officer attended an important QCA event last week to launch the consultation, and two members of the board will participate in a Council for Subject Associations conference to respond to Sir Jim’s proposals.

QCA, who are managing the official consultation on behalf of DCSF, have asked Naace to organise an event for primary practitioners to focus on the ICT elements within the proposed new curriculum. This event will take place in London on Friday 19 June.

This is a great opportunity for members in primary schools to play a part in shaping the new curriculum. QCA will be able to reimburse supply cover costs (up to £190) and travel costs for those teachers attending. If you would like to be considered for this group, please register your interest at http://tinyurl.com/RoseEvent by Tuesday 2 June.

And don’t forget, www.qca.org.uk/qca_22256.aspx links to the QCA consultation on the changes being proposed to the primary curriculum, the teaching of PSHE education, new subject level descriptions (including ICT) and the teaching of religious education.

The Next Generation Learning Charter Support Courses are running at the following locations in June:

* 15 June 2009, Leeds
* 17 June 2009, Birmingham
* 26 June 2009, London

Details are at www.naace.co.uk/849 where you can find the booking forms.

Overview of course

The course is essential for those concerned with giving schools strategic guidance and support in their progress through the BECTA self-review framework and the Next Generation Learning Charter leading to the ICT Mark.

It is of particular importance to all those concerned with giving strategic guidance and support to schools, including LA strategic managers and consultants. It is not about ICT Mark assessment but it is designed to ensure that support providers have a clear understanding of the ICT Mark threshold.

As a result of attending, participants will:

Have a clear understanding of the stages of the NGLC;
Understand the different degrees of strategic support schools might require when moving through the stages;
Have a thorough understanding of every element of the SRF;
Be more consistent in their judgements of threshold for the ICT Mark;
Be able to plan coherent support programmes which integrate the development of schools’ effectiveness across elements of the SRF, for schools at different stages of progress through the NGLC;
Be able to promote the engagement of schools with the NGLC Target Audience.

Booking closes today. Late bookings- please contact  anna.street at naace.co.uk for availability at your chosen venue.

My name is Gal and I’m an iEARN member.
I would like to invite you and your students to participate in a global educational project called Magical Moments Around the World.

Magical Moments Around the World is a continuous uniting of youth from schools all over the world sharing their magical moments. A global online book written by people for people. A testimonial to the great human spirit that connects us all. And just like the sun shines on us all it portrays a human spirit that’s within us all.

In its essence the project aims to provide every child in the world the right to be aware that we are all connected by one human spirit. This is done by writing magical moments in a global online book on an ongoing basis for generations to come. Students can also interact and upload videos, photos, drawings and other creative work using the collaboration center.

Showing youth that their personal magical moment is part of a human web that transcends borders, continents, race, religion and gender is of incredible human value. And promotes values such as compassion and tolerance.

I would be happy to elaborate and hope that we can work together.
For more information visit the website at:

www.magicalmoment.net/EN

Best wishes,
Gal Kleinman
Magical Moments Around the World
Email: contact@magicalmoment.net

Do ICT suites have any place in 21st century primary schools? Katy Potts weighs up the research findings and comes to a decisive answer: ‘No!’ So why do so many school leaders still press for ICT suites? And what’s missing from ICT strategies that leads them to seek the supposed safety of obsolescent solutions?

 
Pupils at St Jude and St Paul’s CE Primary School, Islington, enjoy the benefits of using ICT as and when it is needed most - in the classroom.
 
Learning with ICT in a typical UK primary school consists of an ICT suite with on average 15 PCs, often a room on the top floor away from the rest of the school – or a trolley of laptops for the whole class to use once or twice a week.

Back in the classroom there’s an electronic whiteboard, and one or two PCs for the children to share. There have been pockets of innovation in local authorities around the country where children are provided with their own mobile device - but these are still exceptions, not the rule.
 
The limitations of delivering learning through ICT in weekly timetabled slots in an ICT suite have been discussed widely in research and publications. The question most often raised is, how personalised is teaching 30 children a dedicated lesson once a week?

Think about it – could you save up all the times you need to use ICT into one slot a week? And when your slot does come round, what happens if it clashes with other events? And if you can’t rearrange the timetable, then the room is often left unused. (As a visitor to many schools I have been shown to the ICT suite as a spare empty room to work in!)
 
These suites can restrict ICT to under-used spaces and prevent it from being used in those places where it is most needed – back in the classroom, across all subjects and across all learning. It should be used routinely, with a flick of a switch, as and when it is needed to support transformational learning.

Click here to read more

Here is an interesting project from E-news in America documenting how Ipods were used in helping ESL Students in their studies

 ”During an International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) webinar titled “iPods as Teaching Tools for Language Learners,” Grace Poli, media specialist at Jose Marti Middle School in Union City, N.J., and an Apple distinguished educator, discussed how the iPod is transforming learning in her school. 

At Jose Marti, 90 percent of the student population does not speak English at home, many of the students are new to the United States, and 54 percent are either special-needs students or limited English-proficient students.”

Click here to read more

‘Do Londoners care about the environment their children will inherit?’

On the 30th June at 2.00pm the London Grid for Learning will launch the ‘Low Carbon London Project’ at the headquarters of The Royal Geographical Society.

 ‘Low Carbon London’ is a unique on-line resource which focuses on the issues surrounding carbon emission targets and what it will take for the Nation’s capital to meet future targets.

 The project has been developed by LGfL in collaboration with the Greater London Authority and features a range of media including unique video interviews with key personnel involved in Climate Change Mitigation in London. The resource also features support for stakeholder role play in class and leads towards students completing a decision making exercise at the end of the project.

 Support for Behaviour for Learning (SEAL), Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) and Common Teaching Strategies (CTS) are built into all the lesson plans. This is designed to support all teachers in delivering these materials regardless of their teaching context.

 The launch event will feature contributions from Senior Climate Change Mitigation Policy Officers at the Greater London Authority, project creators as well as students and teachers from pilot schools.

 Attendees will have the opportunity to meet those involved in the project creation and witness a live debate on the issues - between London students taking stakeholder roles.

 Although aimed primarily at those concerned with Key Stage 3 Geography, teachers of Science and Citizenship will also find the resource and the event useful and relevant.

 This valuable, though free, event is open to all London Teachers and LA colleagues.   Light refreshments will be served from 1.45pm.

 The event will also be broadcast live from the Royal Geographical Society by Russell Prue of Anderton Tiger Radio.

 Further information and booking (which is essential) is available via www.events.lgfl.net

We are pleased to bring you further details of the Next Generation Learning Support Courses:

• 15 June 2009, Leeds
• 17 June 2009, Birmingham
• 26 June 2009, London

The conference is essential for those concerned with giving schools strategic guidance and support in their progress through the NGLC.
It is of particular importance to LA strategic managers and consultants, and indeed all those concerned with giving strategic guidance and support to schools. It will also be of importance to ICT Mark assessors and others, although it is not primarily about ICT Mark assessment.

As a result of attending, participants will

• Have a clear understanding of the stages of the NGLC
• Understand the different degrees of strategic support schools might require when moving through the stages
• Have a thorough understanding of every element of the SRF
• Be more consistent in their judgements of threshold for the ICT Mark
• Be able to plan coherent support programmes which integrate the development of schools’ effectiveness across elements of the SRF, for schools at different stages of progress through the NGLC
• Be able to promote the engagement of schools with the NGLC

Details and the online booking form are available at www.naace.co.uk/849; enquiries to office@naace.co.uk