| Digital - teacher | Education in a technological world

Term changes

This one just doesn't want to go away does it. The changes to the academic timetable.

"A fixed two-week spring school break is proposed for a new-look term timetable - rather than moving each year to follow Easter.
Agreement on a standardised school year has been reached by a teachers' union and local authorities.
The school year being proposed by the union and the LGA would begin as near as possible to September 1"

Taken from here

To sum it up: three terms during the year. Half term break of one week during each term. Two week break between Autumn / Spring and Spring / Summer breaks. Six week break still during the summer.
The biggest change would be that the terms are fixed, not altered to fit in with Easter. This means that the potential for a nightmare ten week half term is taken away.

Aim achieved

I've just been looking through some of the submissions that come into Dragonsville. Before any of the work from children is published onto the site I take a look through it. If it contains surnames and addresses I edit that out, and if the writing is rude I delete it. We take the safety, security and happiness of the children that visit Kids on the Net very seriously and make sure that the site is always suitable for them.
Anyway, I was checking through some letters that had been sent in, and I even wrote some replies from the dragons to the children (when I get time, I like to reply to some of the questions that they ask). It reminded me that I was talking to a teacher the other day who hadn't visited Dragonsville before, and I explained to her about the letters and replies. Her eyes lit up and she was amazed that there was a website were (1) children could practice writing in the style of a letter (2) have their work published for the world to see (3) be safe in the knowlege that we edit all submissions before publishing them and (4) even get replies back to some of the questions asked.

When I see a teacher getting enthused about using the resources, I feel that we have achieved what we aimed for - using ICT to enhance literacy.

Home again

Well today was my last visit to a school for a while - no more racing around the country visiting schools in different LEAs.
In one way it's a shame, because seeing how each school handles ICT is an eye opener. I think all teachers should be encourage to take a few days 'roaming leave' and visit as many LEAs as possible. It could do so much good for ICT if the best from each school was adopted.
In another way I am looking foward to being based in the office again. For one thing it means I can get up at a sensible hour to go to work, not at 5 in the morning (although to be fair it was 6am that I headed off today).

There are a few more visits, a couple of conferences to prepare for, two articles to write for trAce, contacting people in various places with regards to keeping the publicity for what I have been doing going, and then the small matter of finding a job for September. So, it's not like I'm taking it easy.

Oh - and I have been reminded three times so far this week that school term ends in a few weeks. I GET IT! OK, I'll still be working here through August so let's get the laughs out the way! (No sympathy from the teachers I know when I tell them this). Mind you, with the work that I know teachers have to put in during the summer "break" planning for the new year,  I won't be saying you have it easy.  I still think you do a wonderful job.

PS - I just realised that I have started saying 'you'. I'm still officially a teacher until September 1st, but it feels like I'm not already.

Trains, trains and trains

A busy week so far - Monday I was off down to Bristol on the train to meet with staff at Nesta Futurelab. Nice weather, nice location by the riverfront, excellent meeting - AWFUL train service!
I felt like I was in a cattle truck. People and luggage crammed along the entire length of every corridor, and in the areas between carriages (this is where I spent the entire journey, although I had a reserved seat, that I couldn't get to because I could not walk down the corridor).
Personally I thought it was unacceptable health and safety wise. to have blocked corridors. If there had been any kind of accident there would have been no way for people sat down to have gotten off the train.

Yesterday I travelled to Folkestone. My dairy for the day would have looked something like this:

4.15 Wake up. Oh my god, is there really a 4am?
4.50 Travel to station. No cars on the road.
5.20 Enter station. No staff around. Is the station open??
5.30 Train departs. Amazing site of mist hanging over all the rivers and water.
7.32 Arrive St Pancras. Head for tube. Climb onto Victoria line and get told service supsended. Fire alert!!!
7.40 Travel Northern line with a change at Euston to reach Charing Cross.
8.20 Enter Charing Cross station and board a 'seaside train' (The old sort with all the doors down the side)
8.31 Train departs past the millennium wheel out into the country.
10.10 Arrive at Folkestone.
10.25 Arrive at school. Work with group on Adventure Island.
12.00 Taken to a seafront restaurant for lunch (mmmmm. lovely!)
1.00 Take second group.
2.15 Take third group.
3.30 Talk to staff in staff meeting.
4.30 Walk to station.
4.50 Leave Folkestone.
6.25 Arrive at London Bridge. Head for tube to St Pancras.
6.45 Miss early train. Wait for next.
7.55 Leave St Pancras. Signalling delays make train stop outside station. Catch up with 'slow' train and have to follow it.
10.02 Arrive in Nottingham.
10.30 Walk through front door. Shattered.

I am staying at home today (Wednesday) to recover and find some more energy ready to travel to Chesire tomorrow

Return of the lost mail

This message follows up a message I posted about lost mail on June 4th (called 'A virtual postnapping').

This morning, after a fortnight of waiting, my lost emails were returned to me!
Have they been held against their will in a server somewhere?
Did they decide to wander around cyberspace?
Maybe they took a holiday!

Anyway - I have them now. So, all is right in the end.

Todays thoughts and findings:

Interesting review of technology used in schools from a parent;

'The point is to make the computers disappear from view, so that using one in class or for homework is as unremarkable as using a textbook or a pencil.'

Read it here.

Oh, following the service station discussion previously, I stopped off at the Newport Pagnell services today as I left Milton Keynes.
What an unfortunate time to arrive there - I think the nations pensioners were on a trip. The place was packed solid, so I left!

So lucky

One of the advantages of being the Digital Teacher in Residence is that I am able to visit such a variety of schools all around the country. In doing so I get to see so many varying types of technology being used within schools. I have been into schools with ICT suites, schools without, schools with desktop machines, schools with laptops, schools with thin client machines.
Yesterday I was introduced to the RM Smartboard (I'd not used this type of interactive whiteboard before) and it was great. I stood in front of a class with Adventure Island displayed on the whiteboard, and used the small 'pen' to move around the screen and write over the map we were looking at. So much easier than having to draw on a seperate board and then turn back to a computer screen.

Another advantage of this job is that I get to travel around, and see so many different areas; from motorways to country lanes, and in the great weather that we have been having recently, you cannot beat a drive down a country lane.

Finally, I also get to sample the varying types of coffee on offer at Motorway service stations!!

(I recall these services from my childhood as being unique; going on a holiday, dad driving, stopping at one in the middle of nowhere and finding there was one building with a transport cafe, shop, amusement arcade, grotty restrooms and a few other things).

Well they have changed a bit since those days - they look much smarter now, the restrooms are cleaner, have more fast food outlets in them, and the restaurants are nicer, and they even have branded coffee houses within them.
So, no more coffee in a cracked mug while sat on a metal framed wooden chair, at an old table with a stained plastic checked tablecoth, full ashtray in the middle and the gentle wafting of ciggarette smoke throughout.
No, now its all no smoking, plush carpet, smart tables, comfy chairs, and even video screens and radio to watch / listen to. Lovely!
Oh, and I seem to be visiting the Tamworth services quite regularly. Not sure why it's that one, but lots of my journeys seem to involve the A42/M42

Blogging in the classroom

Here's an interesting report about using blogs within the classroom.

There is a blogging type tool ideal for younger children to use called Livejournal. Not only can you make your regular entries, but also use little emoticons to show how you feel, as well as list your friends, current music, interests and community livejournal groups you belong too. Ideal for secondary schools, and perhaps the primary wanting to go down the new technology route and try out something different.

See an example here

A rethink

Here is an interesting news story about a new idea for schools taking place in America that I came across yesterday.

Off topic

I'm reading through the latest book from Stephen Kings Dark Tower series (he's onto book six now, Song of Susannah).
Now the first three I read many years ago (I can't remember how many, but it must be getting on for 15 years back). They were great. A 'gunslinger', travelling in his world towards a dark tower, drawing in 3 people from the other worlds. Eagerly I awaited book four (Wizard and Glass). Bizzare - lots of references to L Frank Baum and the Wizard of Oz.
Last year was book five - Wolves of the Calla, hurrah back to the good stuff, but it also introduced one of his previous book characters (Father Donald Callahan), and then references to what happend in the book itself ('Salem Lot), but told as if true by the character 'Pere' Callahan.
I thought, the author is putting his books into this book???
And now, Song of Susannah is going further down the road. The gunslinger and a friend are heading to to Maine to meet ... yep , you guessed it - Stephen King.

It's getting very bizzare.

Time to dash

Well, I'm off again around England meeting and working with a range of teachers in schools who are piloting Adventure Island.
I'm wondering whether I ought to take my camera and take some photos of my travels to remind me where I went to.
I could put them into a photo album called 'on my travels' or something similar.

So on Tuesday I am off to Berkshire, then Wednesday I travel to Dudley. I'm back in Nottingham on Thursday for a meeting in the city, but then it's back into the car and down to Milton Keynes for Friday.

How I am going to be able to stay awake through Saturday evening at the Jools Holland concert in the ground of Belvoir castle after all that driving I'm not sure.

Through the marvels of technology I've ararnged for a few entries to appear on the blog while I am gone. Enjoy them, they're both links to interesting articles.

Technology and sport

Euro2004 has kicked off in Portugal, and websites are the pushing the new technology that is available for its viewers.

Over on the Euro2004.com site they have made their site accessible to those with literacy difficulties. The browsealoud function has been added to the site, so that after a short free download a user can roll a mouse over text and hear it spoken to them.
It's just a shame that are charging for their audio and video content.

BBCi is offering additional services to digital TV viewers. Yes, satellite viewers have seen this before, but for those of us on cable its a welcome change - pressing the red button on the remote gives you the choice of listening to either the TV match commentary, analysis, radio5live commentary, or simply just the noise from the stadium. In addition there is a live 'highlights' package that replays the best parts of the match as it is taking place, a news feed, forum and 'live stats' throughout the game.
And it isn't just football - Wimbledon will be 'red button friendly' too.

On their website (renamed bbc.co.uk recently to avoid confusion with the digital TV services) they have the virtual replay machine. This neat bit of software lets you view certain moments from all of the Euro2004 matches played, and you can view from various camera angles, follow a particular player, slow down and freeze the action. So, if you thought that the ref was wrong to have given a penalty, check it out here and see!

Well done the bbc for trying out new ideas using the technology you have. Now, if I only had the option to delete over rated, celebrity seeking footballers from my screen it would be perfect!