Archive for November, 2008
Diocesan and Payne Smith C of E Primary School, Day 2
Thank you to Robert Slight, ICT AST and Projects Officer, for offerring to write about our day of lessons at Diocesan and Payne Smith C of E Primary School today:
“Words like ‘Amazing’, ‘Outstanding’, ‘Inspirational’ are often used when listening to people who work with teachers. Capturing their approach and applying it back in school with our own pupils can often be easier said than done!
How refreshing it was when Tim Rylands visited Diocesan & Payne Smith CE Primary School in Canterbury. His approach was to spend two days at the school. The first day was a day working with teachers and visitors where he showed how ICT can be used to inspire children to write. The second day was working with all the pupils in the school.
During the first day we were asked to suspend belief in the real world and engage in the magical and mystical world of Myst. To achieve this, they were first introduced to Mr Walker! Well worth an introduction. Continue Reading
Diocesan and Payne Smith C of E Primary School, Canterbury
A trip through snowy landscapes to Diocesan and Payne Smith C of E Primary School, Canterbury in Kent.
Thank you to Sonja Weed, Carol Wakelin and their colleagues, for a great day today. Full of joyous laughter. We look forward to a day of working with the pupils tomorrow. Continue Reading
Salford LA
Back in the North West today, invited by Salford LA to work with colleagues from across the authority exploring the educational potential of games.
Tony Ryan ICT Adviser, Salford Children’s Services
We were really looking forward to welcoming Tim and Sarah to work with our teachers in Salford and it was certainly very much worth the wait! Tim took a group of primary and secondary teachers on a rollercoaster ride through an amazing series of engaging, thought provoking and fun, practical activities throughout the day. ‘Inspirational’ is sometimes an overused word when people discuss teacher CPD events; but not in this case! Everybody went away with lots of ideas about how to engage, motivate and challenge learners, using a range of multimedia tools and gaming software. There was a real sense that adults were learning alongside each other, developing real transferable classroom skills and ideas to take straight back to their schools and use!! Continue Reading
4th Wiltshire ICT Conference
Good to be BACK with many old friends! Thank you to Simon Watkins, Ian Baker and their colleagues for a typically EXCELLENT event – efficient, inventive, creative and FUN!
Back on the theme of panoramas from yesterday, there is a virtual tour of the Corn Exchange in Devizes, the venue for today’s event.
As someone with a website, I am often swamped with spam and scam e-mails. None of us are above being sucked in to an innocent looking con, as someone I met today has discovered to their cost.
I found this interesting slide show (amongst a collection) on e-week.com that covers some of the perils.
By the way did you know that the word “gullible” has been removed from the dictionary, and that, if you say “gullible” really slowly, it sounds like “raspberries” (Thanks to my Ellie for those cringe-worthy jokes)
On a more positive note, try visiting instructables for lots of great crafty ideas.
Complementary Education Centres, Northamptonshire
Today we had the pleasure to meet and work with the staff of the Complementary Education Centres in Northamptonshire. Complementary Education is an education provision for pupils who have been permanently excluded from school and school age mothers. Colleagues joined us from the 7 centres:
William Knibb CE KS3, Kettering, (Permanently Excluded Pupils)
Forest Gate CE KS4 Mixed, Corby, (Permanently Excluded Pupils)
Cromwell CE KS4 Boys, Northampton, (Permanently Excluded Pupils)
London Road KS4 Boys, (Permanently Excluded Pupils)
Fairlawn CE KS4 Girls, Wellingborough, (Permanently Excluded Pupils)
Overleys CE, Northampton, (School Age Mothers)
Oaklands CE, Corby, (School Age Mothers) Continue Reading
B&NES TA Conference
Our trip to The Fry’s Club, Keynsham, could not be damped by the ‘mysty’ rain of a damp November morning, for we were greeted by smiles and keen enthusiasm at B&NES TA Conference.
Thank you to Fiona Bell for organising today’s event and for her incredible energy. Thank you also to all of our colleagues today for keeping those laughs and smiles going throughout the whole day. Fun!! Continue Reading
B.F.I., Southbank, London
A return trip to present at the British Film Institute.I was honoured to be asked to giving the closing keynote presentation entitled “Literacy Moves On: reading, writing, playing on screen”. Continue Reading
Improving Boys’ Literacy: Wales conference, CIA Cardiff
We made a return trip to Wales today for the Basic Skills Cymru (BSC) conference on Improving Boys’ Literacy, held in Cardiff International Arena. I was asked to do a presentation on how ICT can be used to inspire boys in literacy, especially those reluctant and failing boy readers. (The conference is primarily concerned with boys aged 9-14 years.) Continue Reading
New Bradwell School
A very smiley, friendly group of staff greeted us at New Bradwell School today. The Head teacher, Phil Webster, took over as head in September of this year, where he was then promptly Ofsteded! It went well and the school received many positive comments:
“Behaviour is excellent.”
“Children enjoy learning and their behaviour and attitudes to learning are mostly exemplary.”
“The school is at the heart of its community.”
“There is a good curriculum that has an excellent range of enrichment activities.”
“There are common strengths across all year groups in teaching, relationships, classroom management and high expectations of behaviour are particularly strong.” Continue Reading
Education Village, Darlington
In these days of working alongside schools and authorities all over our fair land (and beyond) we are travelling the length and breadth of the country. Never more so than yesterday and today. After a really fun night out down in Devon at the Ottery Tar Barrelling, (a fantastic and somewhat surreal event, similar to the bull running in Pamplona!) we drove 5 1/2 hours (in one go) up to another delightful “village”, the Education Village, Darlington.
The Darlington Education Village is a pioneering project – the likes of which had never been seen before in the UK.
Beaumont Hill Technology College, Springfield Primary School and Haughton Community School were brought together, around three years ago, within the Education Village to create one “learning campus” to develop a unique approach to inclusive schools. Continue Reading
Brinkworth Earl Danby C of E Primary School
What a delight it was to spend some time with the staff of Brinkworth Earl Danby C of E Primary School in Wiltshire. We were joined by colleagues from Redland Primary School.
<— Here we are riding “The Hogwarts Express”!
Brinkworth Earl Danby’s School is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School. It was opened in 1992 as a federation of two schools: Brinkworth School in Brinkworth and Earl Danby’s School, Dauntsey . Continue Reading
As well as our events, we like to share interesting, and more often than not, FREE tools, resources and ideas, some old, some new, and we hope you might find something useful. We'd love your thoughts. Tim & Sarah
