Kick out the spam

A tool that could help in the battle against spam and phishing attacks has received industry approval. The DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) system is a method of validating the identity of the sender of an e-mail.

Spammers hide their identity by using a false, or spoofed, address in the millions of messages they send out. DKIM uses encrypted digital signatures to prove a message's origin and a draft standard has been accepted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Firms have pledged to work with ISPs, businesses and financial institutions to roll out the technology as soon as possible

Let's hope that not only do these firms take action against spam, but also that the worst offending countries - the US, China and Russia - also take a stand against this annoyance.

Green green grass

I see that for some reason Trafalgar square has been grassed over for two days, and do you know what, it looks brilliant like this;

 

Maybe this will spark Ken Livingstone into action and ripping up the bland, dull concrete of the square and laying a permanent park there. Just imagine how appealing it would be for tourists in the heart of London to be able to sit, rest, picnic or relax. It has to be better than the concrete, surely.

Support Staff ARE worth it

The government has begun moves towards drawing up a framework for pay and conditions for the 300,000 teaching assistants and other support staff. The development follows pressure from unions representing non-teaching staff and head teachers.

Head teachers have welcomed the move. John Dunford from the Association of School and College Leaders said: "A national pay structure that recognises the key role of support staff in schools is long overdue.

More on this here

A chip on their shoulder

Nicholas Negroponte.  A name you don't know. But a great man. He's the one who came up with the idea of the cheap laptop that could be used in developing countries to give them access to the digital age. How did he do it? Well, he worked with AMD, News Corp., Google, and Red Hat, (which created a Linux-based operating system for the laptop) and the choice of AMD seems to be where big problems have come from.

AMD is, of course, a chip manufacture. One of two major players in the computer chip world, the other being Intel. I imagine Intel weren't to pleased to find their rival being connected with such a great scheme so...

can you guess which company is now selling a cheap laptop (actually at below production cost) to developing countries. Yes - that's right. Intel is. Rather than work with Mr. Negroponte for the benefit of children across the world they've opted to compete and make a loss on each machine they sell.

Pointless, and as Mr. Negroponte says "they should be ashamed of themselves". Too right.

It's official - teachers are rubbish!

How do I know this? Well, it's all do with an initiative from the government. The Excellent Teacher scheme aims to boost standards in England by getting experienced teachers to coach others. The Department for Education and Skills expected 5,000 teachers to apply - but only 34 have, and just 26 qualified.

So, if only 26 teachers are good enough to become excellent teachers, then the rest of must be pretty rubbish at our jobs.

From the mouths of babies...

So it was a Friday afternoon, which meant art, which meant portraits as that was the topic.
Previously the children had learnt how to draw their own face (with the help of a mirror, and a lot of patience from me).
Phrases such as "are your eyes really on your forehead" / "have you got a nose on your chin" / "don't you have any hair covering your forehead" / etc had been frequently uttered in absolute despair as they produced what I thought at first were classic Picasso style images.
The latest lesson involved introducing paint (a chorus of "whoooo" went around the class), followed by a discussion why there was no pink paint in the pallete tray. Finally the answer "we don't have pink skin "was suggested - but only after a lot of prompting.

The task of this lesson was to mix white with traces of yellow / orange / brown to create a skin tone very close to their own. They could test this by putting their hand next to their creation and compare. Simple. Maybe not...

A few minutes into the lesson and one of the boys is asking for mirror. "A mirror?" asks the teacher. "Yes. ", he replies, "I want to see the colour of my skin."

Obviously this child does not consider his hand to contain any colour at all. Bizarre!

Is iTunes the new currency?

I was looking around on the web at articles to do with blogs and web2.0 in general when I came across this phrase on a website;

A  blog can connect you with the people that matter to you. 
Prices start at just five iTunes downloads a month.

Has iTunes become a new international currency then? Is it that popular that you can now use it in the Bureau de Change? And most importantly how many iTunes are there to the pound?!!

Advise me, please!

So, five weeks into my new school and the Head Teachers shows me a letter that he'd received saying that the school had been chosen to join a panel to evaluate and select a Learning Platform to be used throughout the county.
Well, tonight I looked carefully on the Becta website at the list of accredited suppliers. There was the company that is currently providing the county with a staff LP system. It works. It does what it says on the tin. There isn't much more to add to that one.
Then there was the company that currently provides schools with cached curriculum content. I can see potential there if they know what they are doing.
There were others too that talked the talk - but none of them showed any images of what their LP looks like (are they not yet built?)

And then, as a shiver ran down my spine, I noted the name of one more company accredited to provide a LP. It is a company famous for its locked down PCs - and for an inability to show any flexibility when it came to installing additional software. I really do dread to think of the restrictions, blocks and "security features" it would put into its LP if chosen. Oh - and for those still struggling to name it - it has two letters in its title. Any guesses?

The law. An ass. What's the difference?

I cannot believe that in the current climate of protecting children from harm, the every child matters initiative, and all the other ways to keep children from harm, that a story like this one can occur.
I mean, come on. When you read that a school cannot evict a convicted paedophile from a caretakers house within it's own grounds because...

a judge refused an eviction bid in December saying [Timothy] Martin had a tenancy agreement and had not been convicted...The judge said under the law he had an assured short term tenancy agreement and was allowed to remain.

Hello!! What about the law that the children should be able to attend school without being at risk from - and I say it again - a  convicted paedophile?
What is more important here - the safety and protection of a school full of children, or a piddling little tenacy agreement of a society deviant??

Build a movie

A free programming tool called Scratch that allows anyone to create their own animated stories, video games and interactive artworks has been launched.
The digital toolkit, developed in the US at MIT's Media Lab, allows people to blend images, sound and video as it uses a simple graphical interface that allows programs to be assembled like building blocks.

Worse things happen at sea?

So, what next I am asking myself;

• Saturday 12th May. We have no oven. The element blew last week and we are waiting for a repair (it was repaired less than a year ago, so it might be under warranty still).

• Sunday 13th May. Noticed that Charliecat  has a poorly right eye. It's weeping, she won't open it fully and the pupil is bigger than the other. Need to phone the Vet.

• Sunday 13th May. Nusiance phone calls (6 of them) from an untraceable pay as you go mobile number. They eventually stopped ringing when I accidently blew into my PE whistle whilst holding the phone next to my mouth. Whoops!!

• Monday 14th May. Charlie has caught the scent of something, and spent the early evening flipping around, biting the carpet and any hand that came near her.

• Monday 14th May. The bath hot pipe sprung a leak, causing the kitchen light fitment to resemble a lovely cascading water feature. Drained hot tank, no boiler, but leak stopped. Must ring plumber.

I just hope it isn't the car, as I have to drive to Drayton Manor on Sunday.

Remember your e-Safety

From a BBC report;

More than half of children in the UK using the internet have had an "unwanted experience", a poll suggests. The NSPCC found 50.4% of 2,053 children had experienced problems such as bullying, being threatened or sexually harassed while online.

And also;

It is concerned about the popularity of social networking sites such as Bebo or MySpace, which it says 52% of children aged 11-16 use once a day.

The BBCs own Chat Guide has advice on staying safe, as does the NSPCC and Becta

 

Good luck everyone

Well, today is the start of the Year 6 SATs. Good luck to all involved, and especially to "my Y6's" who, until recently, I was working with.

It's a strange thing changing jobs at Easter, I still feel like I should be working with my former class of Yr5/6, and not my "new" Yr3/4 children.

Technology revolution

I've just been watching a fascinating report on the BBC news channel about how technology is changing things in South Africa.

I was amazed when I learnt about how Intel, ubuntu (open source Linux software), and Open Office are working together to provide a free way to join the techological revolution, whereas the almighty and overseeing Microshaft are only prepared to offer (albeit heavily) subsidised) versions of their products. I know which I would opt for if I had to spend the pennies carefully.

Oh, and the "cantenna" (a wireless antenna in a tin can) is just a brilliantly simple solution to stop a wifi link spreading everywhere.

BubbleShare

Looking to add that extra bit of "umphh" to the photos that you add to the school website from time to time? BubbleShare might be just what you are looking for.
Simply upload the images that you are wanting to use, and put them into a slideshow. You can then add clipart to the images, add captions, even add audio and print them out if you wish. It couldn't be simpler to do. Once done, copy the link and embed the slideshow into your webpage or blog post. Here's one I created earlier;

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

One note of caution though - this is a tool for the teacher to use, not the pupil as some of the "latest images" shown on the front page could be inappropriate for children.

Grab a Joost

Those lovely people over at Joost have given me unlimited invites to play with! If you fancy trying out the next generation of TV over the internet, click below and let me know!

Create interactive resources

Magic Studio  allows you to create interactive learning resources to use within the classroom. Once registered you can upload images to share with others / use already prepared interactive activities or create your own. It's straightforward to use - no technical knowledge is needed, and the results look impressive.

Shrek the third

With the premiere having taken place, it won't be long now until the third Shrek film hits the cinemas, and Dreamworks have gone all out on the internet. The official Shrek the third website contains so much for children - games, activities, downloads (colouring sheets for those rainy days!), Shrek sudoku and more. There  is also 'Virtual Shrekland' - a zoomable map of the entire Shrek landscape with animations and videos (will look great when more content is added).
Oh, and they've really thought about their audience, as they have tailored portals for kids / boys / girls / teens and adults - all with suitable content in each portal.

Customised toolbars

On the Bectan Sands website, I've added a new tool - the Bectan Sands toolbar.

It's a small download that, once installed, will allow you to be able to keep up to date with the latest additions to the website through an RSS feed, as well as always being just one click away from the village. There is also the option to use the Bectan Sands search to locate any article through keywords.

If this works well, there may be a digital teacher toolbar coming too in the near future.

Madness goes a step further

I thought I had heard wrong when there was a news report on the radio about a new superschool in Peterborough, but no I checked and I did hear right - when it opens there will be no playground for the children that attend. Alan McMurdo, head of Peterborough's £46.4m Thomas Deacon Academy, said "I think what the public want is maximum learning."
I suggest, Mr McMurdo, that you ask the children what they'd like too. After all, it's them who'll provide the exam results that could put you out of a job if the results are low.

Doctor Who make-a-comic

Have you seen the BBC Doctor Who website?
They've launched a new feature where you can create your own comic strip featuring the Doctor, Martha and a host of villians and props.
I've given it a quick go and it's simple to use. (One thing to mention, you will need to register to get the full features of it, and for children that will mean getting an adult to allow you to join).

It's good to see

I've been adding fresh articles from children who have submitted work to the Bectan Sands literacy project over the past few days, and some of it is really great stuff. Obviously I don't add the submissions that don't make sense, or have nothing to do with "the village", but one article has made me think that the site might be being used as a teaching resource. There has been a submission called "save our shop" - it's a piece of persuasive writing all about the demise of the local village shop to the ever expanding supermarkets. It's a remarkable piece of writing, and obviously follows on from some work on persuasive work in the classroom. Take a look at it, and leave a comment for the author to read. It might even take the form of an online petition!

Happy Birthday

Happy 1st birthday to First News - the newspaper for children. I've been using this in my class, and each time the latest edition is brought in the kids clamour to be the first to read through it. They love the way that it's written.

My only gripe is the price. £1 for a paper with half the pages of a regular newpaper is a bit steep.

Got any change, guv?

The Royal Canadian Mint has unveiled a monster gold coin with a face value of C$1 million (455,000 pounds) that it says is the world's biggest, purest and highest denomination coin.

At the size of a large pizza, at least it should be easy to spot if it falls down the back of the settee!!

Digital black book

Do you worry what would happen if you lost your mobile phone?
Would you remember all those phone numbers, names and addresses that are stored in there?

Worry no more because a new service - mobyko - is here to help. Simply sign up and the service will sync with your phone, and copy your address book onto a secure server. If you then lose your phone, you'll be able to download all your contacts into the new one without any problem.

A life saver!

Another new idea

Teachers should give pupils lessons in how to cope with life and be happy, a government adviser has said. Professor Lord Richard Layard, from the London School of Economics, believes the central purpose of schools should be to teach "the secrets of happiness".

I'm sorry for being thick, but I thought the government had made it clear that schools were exam factories, there to educate the leaders of tomorrow. Or did I hear wrong??

Domesday updated

A while ago I posted an article about the BBC Domesday project - from 1986 - being available online. Now it seems that the British library is keen to follow, and has set up a new scheme to create a 21st century version, through the medium of email.
Parterning with Microsoft they are asking people to send a message from their inbox or sentbox to email@emailbritain.co.uk

"E-mail Britain will allow us to archive a vast snapshot of our present-day e-mail communications and will be of great value for future researchers"

the library was quoted as saying.

Being cynical, my concern is if Microsoft are involved, what are they going to do with your email address once they've got it? I'm going to set up a new mail address just for this, and see what starts to arrive in it once I submit.

Election days and leaving do's

Oh, it's a wicked combination to arrange a leaving do on the night before the local elections!!
Why is this? Because, quite simply, when you go out to meet the staff of the school you have recently left (to say goodbye to another member of the "team"), and you know that you don't have to be up the next day at stupid o'clock you make sure you have a good time!

It was nice to meet up again with the staff I had worked so closely with before moving on. It was interesting to hear how "my children" were getting on without me, and of course it was a chance to catch up on the latest gossip.
It was also sad in a way to know that there won't be many more times - if any - to meet up with a great bunch of people again, unless emails, texts and phone calls take place.
I still say that these people made my time working with them the best of my teaching career. I miss you guys - you rock!

So as I look at the clock it's now 12.48am and I've just rolled in. Time to sleep and enjoy a rare weekday lay in this morning.

iPlayer gets the greenlight

Nice to read that the BBC trust has given the go ahead for the public launch of the iPlayer - allowing users to view aired programs in their own time on an "on demand" basis.
The only gripe at the moment is that on launch it will be available only for people using PCs, it would seem that BBC do not consider Macs that much of a priority.
I find that bemusing for a public service broadcaster who is supposed to ensure that its service is available to all.

The full BBC report

Maths or massage

A school in Leicestershire is beginning the day by getting the pupils to give each other "peer massages" during registration periods. The idea seems to be working as the school has reported a drop in bullying. In fact, it's so successful that there are other schools in the LA that are looking to start a similar scheme too. Watch the local BBC news report about this.

Joost goes live

Just a quick note to say that Joost - the service we mentioned in this post is now available to anyone to sign up to and begin enjoying full screen, streaming TV services.

Well, red faces all round! I was a bit premature with this announcement, as they are still in beta testing mode!
(But, if you want to test it - send me an email and I can give you an invite).

Ahem, following a comment we received about this service, you can visit the Joost site here