Barry Island Primary School, South Wales
Great to spend a day with the children, staff of Barry Island Primary School, South Wales, and visiting colleagues, looking at ways to engage and inspire literacy skills through analogue and digital means.
The morning was spent with 50 Year 1′s and Year 2′s, then a quick break and we had the same number of Year 5′s and Year 6′s, together with their teachers and the visitors.
This school is BECTA ICT SCHOOL OF THE YEAR 2010! A fantastic achievement! They impressed the judges by showcasing their ideas and methods of incorporating technology into the heart of school life. Staff were praised for using ICT imaginatively to enhance lessons and support school activities. Children use ICT in every lesson and the school is proud to be completely “paper-free” in its communication with parents.
At the end of the day, we really enjoyed ourselves having a full on creative session with the staff from Barry Island School. We used their iPods and iPads to generate, create, fashion, craft, explore, build, paint, chisel, splatter, and more! Fun!
It is always fun to see people laughing. To see them delighted by new experiences is joyous.
A huge THANK YOU to Headteacher Janet Hayward for inviting us today. Janet is herself an IT graduate, and well aware of the benefits technology can bring. Since arriving at the school in 2000, she has overseen a whirlwind ascent into the 21st century, with interactive white boards, iPads and eight computers in every classroom.
“We don’t want old stuff and we want to lift the ceiling in terms of what we can offer children. They are very creative in presenting their ideas and are used to putting together films and podcasts. Technology is a real vehicle to engage children in learning – and it’s the world that we live in. We are committed to using technology to ensure our pupils progress and achieve their full potential.”
Barry Island Primary is proactive in testing new equipment and is one of a small number of “regional training centres” for Apple.
Further Thank You’s to Deputy Headteacher Ty Golding for all his technical support, and to Lindsey Lewis, the school’s Literacy Co-ordinator, for her energy and incredible organisational skills.
Category: 1) Events and Training days
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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
Had a fantastic day.. Diolch Tim and Sarah.
Thank you for a fabulous day- really enjoyed!
A very special thank you for such a wonderful day. All staff and children were engaged throughout- we are looking forward to using the wonderful apps and websites you have shown us. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Thanks, Tim, for an interesting and thought provoking exploration into making children’s learning (in particular their writing-through the use of ICT) as interesting as watching my beloved Arsenal play their brand of total football. (I think that’s a siiimmmiileeee!)
I look forward to going back to school to try some of the stratagies and ideas you shared.
You did say that spelling wasn’t important, didn’t you!!!
Thanks again.
Huw
PS. Have I been the first to leave a comment???
Thanks Tim for the fantastic course. Just ordered Myst and looking forward to putting your ideas into practice with my year 5.
Diolch!