Browse by Tags

All Tags » Teaching&Learning (RSS)
Saturday, July 19, 2008 7:13 PM

If you read just one book ...

Last week Jerry, a colleague handed me a short book, What's Next: 21 Ideas for 21st Century Learning by Charles Leadbeater , and published by the Innovation Unit . Jerry was emphatic as he placed it on my desk ... "This says what I believe ....
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , ,
Saturday, July 19, 2008 7:25 AM

Assessment is for Learning

Thanks to Ewan McIntosh for highlighting the following Assessment is for Learning guide on the Learning & Teaching Scotland (LTS) web site. Thought I'd pass it on!
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under:
Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:31 PM

Harnessing Technology:Next Generation Learning - New Strategy in a nutshell!

I thought that I would try to summarise the key features of the revised and updated e-strategy Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning ; a sort of ' Reduced Shakespeare Company ' version for those who don't have time to read the document...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , , ,
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 6:35 AM

Learning in class?

The chart above is taken from the recently published revision of the e-strategy, Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning . It shows the learning experiences of children taken from MORI survey evidence. Its quite an indictment that the most common...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , ,
Friday, June 27, 2008 4:48 PM

Ikea Primary Capital Programme Bid? The flat pack school? Where's the Allen Key?

Times Online has a news item that shows work beginning on building Britains first flat-pack school in Manchester. Delivered from Switzerland and shipped on 20 trucks, the three storey school is built from 600 computer cut panels. St Agnes CE Primary School...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: ,
Friday, June 27, 2008 4:38 PM

Disarming Britain

Channel 4 has produced a 3D game for young people called ' Dead Ends ' as part of its ' Disarming Britain' season. You play on both sides of the law, as Keith Wilcox, a new gang recruit caught in a deadly situation he can't handle...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under:
Friday, June 27, 2008 4:30 PM

Google Oil!

Thanks to Ewan McIntosh for highlighting this little gem for Google Earth . The ( kmz ) file overlays world oil consumption on to the globe of the earth. Below are some pics so you get the idea. Wow, what a way to show the 'inconvenient truth'...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under:
Thursday, June 26, 2008 6:03 AM

Scrapping subject lessons? replaced by themes ...

I picked up this interesting report of a school in Totnes that has created a foundation year aimed at helping children to become good learners. Whilst the report claims they are scrapping subjects, the story affirms that children still cover the subjects...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: ,
Friday, June 13, 2008 8:19 PM

Shine - talent in all young people!

Shine is a national celebration of all talent in all young people providing creative ways to celebrate and showcase students' achievements during Shine week from 30 June to 4 July. Shine is the place for teachers to show off too. Do you have a hidden...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , , , ,
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 7:59 PM

Exploratree - tools for thinking! ... FREE!

One of the highlights of a recent visit to Cramlington Community High School (In Northumberland, ... not Newcastle. Thanks Ray for the correction to my previous post) was the early preview of Learning 2 Learn software. One of the most impressive features...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , ,
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 7:39 PM

Adventure Rock's the CBBC!

Thanks to the NAACE newsletter for highlighting a great (and safe) interactive virtual island " Adventure Rock " aimed at 6 - 11 year olds. The game requires a download, and allows children to explore and discover on a virtual island. There...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , , ,
Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:55 AM

Managing ICT - Value for Money

The Dept. for children, schools and families (DCSF) has published guidance for schools on the strategic management of ICT. The information can be found on their Standards website in the Value for Money (VfM) section . Advice includes: I CT Development...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , ,
Thursday, April 03, 2008 3:43 PM

Assessment for Learning? Learning to Learn?

I have been involved in a long-running debate around assessment for learning (rather than assessment of learning). Indeed, I believe I have a good understanding of the concept thanks to my colleague Jerry Owens from the secondary transformation team,...
Posted by AlanDay | 2 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , ,
Thursday, February 07, 2008 7:43 PM

New Line Learning Academy + Samsung Q1 = 1:1?

Saw this interesting video produced by LANWAY in partnership with the New Line Learning Academies in Maidstone. The video is clearly a commercial for both the devices and the partner company, but this is exactly the sort of partnership that adds value...
Posted by AlanDay | 3 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , , , ,
Wednesday, February 06, 2008 7:12 PM

So, ... I'm out of touch?

My recent post, ' struggling with technology ' prompted an interesting comment from someone closer to the chalk-face than me, and I must admit it caused me to reflect. The essence of the comment is contained in the following excerpt. "That's all very...
Posted by AlanDay | 3 comment(s)
Filed under: , ,
Saturday, February 02, 2008 8:11 AM

Struggling with technology?

According to a Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey report published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) , a third of teachers struggle to use the technology schools are equipped with and want more support and training. Since the survey...
Posted by AlanDay | 6 comment(s)
Filed under: , ,
Saturday, February 02, 2008 8:00 AM

'Repurpose, Create and Share' - call for Bids

Are you using and sharing digital resources for learning and teaching? Becta and the National Education Network invite English schools to join a programme to: exploit online digital resources create new materials to support learning and teaching for secondary...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , ,
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 7:44 PM

Technophobe Teachers?

The following is an opinion from Andrew Pinder , Chair of Becta in an extract from an article in the Times 7Jan 2008 : "State schools spent £1 billion on cutting-edge information technology last year but 80 per cent of them are failing to make full use...
Posted by AlanDay | 2 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , , ,
Friday, January 04, 2008 12:29 PM

Intel pulls out of One Laptop Per Child Project.

It would seem that a 'philisophical difference' between Intel and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project has ended in divorce. It was well known that whilst Intel was on the board of the OLPC project, it was also touting its own solution, the Classmate...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , , , , , , ,
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 10:13 AM

Creating or responding to the world?

I am at a Becta regional event on Personalised Learning, and an interesting position has just been stated. "We have to prepare children for the technological world in which we live" It just made me think ... if the focus of education is on preparation...
Posted by AlanDay | 1 comment(s)
Filed under: , ,
Saturday, December 08, 2007 11:24 AM

Podcasting - quick wins for quality

I've been really getting into podcasting and also into adding audio to slidehare and voicethread shows. The latter are two excellent online presentation tools that allow the user to quickly narrate and publish PowerPoints and create stories based around...
Posted by AlanDay | 1 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , , , , , ,
Saturday, December 08, 2007 9:12 AM

Filtering? 'Control and Constraint' or 'Freedom and Fun'?

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales recently added to a long standing debate about the value of Wikipedia for research. Speaking at the recent Online Information Conference at Olympia, Jimmy is reported as stating that teachers who refuse access to wikipedia...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , ,
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:58 PM

Common i-Whiteboard Format

Becta have appointed RM to develop an interoperable standard for i-whiteboard content formats following a tender process. This aims to solve the issue of resources being locked into particular brands of whiteboard. The consultation has just started, and...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: ,
Monday, November 19, 2007 5:39 PM

Global Village? ... meet your neighbours!

Sometimes an online experience can be so poignant that I am lost for words. One of these was when the US Holocaust Museum used Google Earth to show the destruction of villages in Darfur.The latest is by French Photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand who aims...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , , , ,
Thursday, October 25, 2007 8:24 PM

i-whiteboards - the benefits are clear?

Following outstanding claims for the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards in a recent Becta research report and highlighted by my colleagues on their Blog , I read the full report . Its very thorough, and offers some interesting conclusions if you...
Posted by AlanDay | 1 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , , , ,
Friday, October 12, 2007 11:40 AM

Politics similar to education? Surely Not?

David Cameron’s speech at the Google Zeitgeist Conference in San Francisco offered interesting parallels with education. In it he suggests that the impact of technology is that politicians need to “... let go of power”, and speaks of a people taking more...
Posted by AlanDay | 2 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , ,
Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:04 AM

Creative Teaching Through Technology

For those of you that didn't catch this in a recent e-bulletin notice . Creative Partnerships Kent , in collaboration with Blunt Arts , would like to invite you to attend a FREE one-day course for teachers, focusing on creative teaching and learning through...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under:
Thursday, September 20, 2007 10:51 AM

Assessment? Welcome to Flatworld!

Taking a previous post, “… what are we measuring ?” I believe there is a fundamental problem in how to measure the positive benefits of technology. Whatever new and exciting creative media might be dreamed up in a web 2.0 world, educators and exam boards...
Posted by AlanDay | 3 comment(s)
Filed under: , ,
Wednesday, September 05, 2007 7:16 PM

This life V Second Life - some thoughts!

This week I enjoyed an 'innovations session' as part of an inset day at a secondary school in Gravesham. The gathered teachers, fresh from their Summer break were presented with an excellent ' reduced shakespeare ' history lesson on the world wide web...
Posted by AlanDay
Filed under: , ,