Archive for April, 2009
Buile Hill High School, Salford
Day Two of our visit to Salford LA working with Secondary Schools. Today, delivering lessons to Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 3 pupils at Buile Hill High School.
Salford LA, Seconday Literacy
A return visit to Swinton Park Golf Club, invited again by Salford LA, this time, to focus on Secondary Literacy. Thank you to Assiya Hussain for organising today’s event and coordinating the delegates, both from within the authority and beyond – Halton, St Helen’s, Bradford and Manchester.
St Mark’s C.E. Junior School, Salisbury II
A second day at St Mark’s C.E. Junior School, Salisbury, in Wiltshire, this time, with the children.
Thank you to Matthew Steale from Nomansland and Harptworth Primary School for his reflections about the two days.
The introduction to the virtual world of ‘Myst’ on the first day was fantastic. It was also great to pick up so many useful tips on how to make the use of ICT more exciting for the children.
Seeing all of the theory from day one put into practice with the children on the second day was brilliant. The enthusiasm of the children for the lessons was a joy to behold, and the quality of the writing they produced was remarkable. I have rarely seen a class of children so reluctant to put down their pencils and go out to play!
Thank you for some great ideas, which I’m sure will go down a storm back in my own classroom.
St Mark’s C.E. Junior School, Salisbury
The first of two days with the staff and children of St Mark’s C.E. Junior School, Salisbury, in Wiltshire.
We were joined by staff from Wyndham Park Infant School, St Andrew’s Primary School, Greentrees Primary School, Harnham Infants, Harnham C of E Junior, Hindon C of E Aided Primary, St Martin’s C of E Primary, Nomansland & Hamptworth C of E Primary, Pitton C of E Primary and Whiteparish All Saints C of E Primary.
Special thanks to Ruth Toms, Head of Lower School, for hosting and suberbly coordinating the event.
Kingswood House School, Epsom, Surrey
What a fun way to end our first week back after Easter. A trip to Kingswood House School in Epsom Surrey, a preparatory day school for boys aged 3-13 & girls aged 3-7 set in the heart of the Surrey countryside.
Our thanks to Jan Smith, and her colleagues, for hosting an excellent day of creativity.
Moving Image Media Literacy Conference, Bracknell
We were honoured to be invited to the Easthampstead Park Conference Centre for a training day which acted as a finale to The Bracknell Forest Moving Image Media Literacy Project 07-09.
Bracknell Forest have been running the project to inspire creative use of Media/ Film and ICT with a view to raising standards in writing in the region.
Having completed an impact report for the first 18mths – results are very encouraging.
The final year of the project is focussed on Schools moving from ‘Reading Film’ into making films. The aim is continue to promote creative media use and multi-modal Literacy.
Sandy Lane Primary, Bracknell
Our third day in the Bracknell Forest area, and a trip to Sandy Lane Primary, to work alongside the children throughout the school, having spent time with the staff on Monday.
Thankyou to Liz Norris, headteacher, her colleagues and children for a fun day.
Well done all!
What style the children had: writing things in to existence, creating worlds of words in our minds too.
With a few staff we were discussing elements of online safety and other areas regarding the world of digits.
Whitegrove Primary School, Day 2
Our second day at Whitegrove Primary School in Bracknell Forest.
Thank you to headteacher, Christine Tsakmakis, for hosting a VERY enjoyable day.
The children were delightful and very responsive, coming up with excellent, creative ideas. We spent the day working with children from across the age range of the school. Some were RADA quality in their dramatic involvement. Lost souls on the edge of time, intriguing pirates with unsavoury eating habits, hardworking horticulturalists… you name it, we had it.
We like to set challenges to children. The children really tackled them head on.
Talking of challenges…
Tuesday?
If you are ever unsure whether it is Tuesday or not (?!!) you can always check out the comprehensive and extensive IsItTuesday.com for an up to date answer!
It is accurate to the nearest day!
The level of graphics and the interactive elements are really quite enthralling.
Whitegrove Primary School, Bracknell Forest
Down from the mountains and in to the forest… Whitegrove Primary School in Bracknell Forest. We were joined by colleagues from Sandy Lane Primary.
And what fun we had!
Everyone was out of their holiday mode, in fired-up form and full of creative ideas.
Enjoyed a good chat around the subject of Web 2 tools in education with some colleagues today who are using Fronter as their learning platform.
For some links on Web2.0 tools…
Snow business…
Wow! What a week! For a weak and wobbly-legged weirdo, I had a wonderful wild and wacky wander in the world of… oh, Blow the alliteration: WE WENT SKIING!!
We spent a week in Alpe d’Huez in the Alps and what a gorgeous place it is. The weather was perfect and the challenges… manageable!
I had a go on a marvelous contraption designed for disabled people.
In a monoski, you sit in a moulded seat that is mounted to a single ski and use hand-held outriggers to maintain balance and steer.
A monoski is even used in the competitive sport of Paralympic Alpine skiing.
I am now a “Rif Nel Veteran”! (O.K. The Rif Nel, is the basic nursery slope and it took an age to get down it in little sections but, I DID IT!!)
I even had a go at “conventional” skiing! Well, when I say skiing, more like team skiing to keep me upright but I managed it, …and Sarah is a natural!
Thank you to Claude from the ESF, our friends Russel, Gill, Ben, David and Pauline for getting us up on the slopes and me down them.
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
