Kent ICT Blog

Many schools in the Kent Birdwatch 2010 project will be using "I-Got-U 120" GPS data loggers to create and publish "Bird Trails" on Google maps. To illustrate how effectively this technology can be used to share information click on the links below.  

Route 1 - Dungeness RSPB Nature Reserve Created by Gill Hollamby (ARC Leading ICT Teacher) and Heather Chantler (RSPB Education Officer)

Click here to view Dungeness Bird Walk

Route 2 - A stroll along the River Medway Created by Lucy Henderson (Maidstone 1 Leading ICT Teacher)

The map is a photographic record of the journey along the Eastern bank of the River Medway from the Malta Inn to The Millennium Park. Schools considering visiting the site should allow between 75 - 90 minutes for pupils to complete the walk.

Click here to view The River Medway Bird Walk

For further information about using GPS technology to publish and share maps contact:

Phil Bracegirdle (ASK ICT Hands on Support Consultant)

Philip.bracegirdle@kent.gov.uk

Fiona Aubrey-Smith, Head of Educational Development, UniServity has the following suggestions for using your learning platform effectively and making parental engagement meaningful which go beyond the sharing of pupil attainment and attendance data:
• Provide continuity of resources, support and guidance for parents to support their child beyond school
• Collaborate to create home/school ePortfolios showing children’s formal and informal learning
• Provide parents with the opportunity to share their parental expertise with each other
• Scaffold key skills practice and revision by providing resources for children to do this with their parents at home
• Bring parents skills, hobbies and jobs into the classroom for children to learn from
• Encourage parental visibility into their child’s class through active participation in learning activities
• Provide parents with continuity of resources, methods and skills to replicate demonstrations at home
• Encourage purposeful communication between parents about their experiences
• Facilitate after-school dialogue between children and their parents about each day’s learning experiences
• Offer opportunities for parental voice to be heard and acted upon when designing whole school plans and policies

Congratulations to Loose Junior School on achieving the ICT Mark. Well done to all the staff. Only 3% of Primary Schools have achieved this in Kent.

The Editable IWB Dictionary (ictgames.com) lets you store useful words and view them in a 3D scrolling dictionary. This can be really useful when working with Guided Groups in Literacy, making the IWB a powerful spelling resource during the main activity, not just the teaching input.

You can download this resource for free from the ictgames website: www.ictgames.com/IWBdictionary/

All of the words are stored in a text file which comes with the game. If you open this text file you can add words, save the file and they will be sorted into alphabetical order and placed on your dictionary. You can keep as many copies of the resource as you like. In that way you can have a Science, Topic or MFL dictionary too.

Have fun, James :)

What is Nature Watch 2010?

NatureWatch 2010 is an opportunity for pupils to use ICT to investigate and learn more about the wildlife found in their school grounds and local area. Planned activities include visits to beaches, woodlands and wetlands. To support the project pupils will have regular opportunities to web conference online (using FlashMeeting) and the opportunity to "blog" with Local Environmental Experts.

Naturewatch 2010 Online FlashMeeting

Following the very successful project launch in Crawley in October 2009 delegates were invited to take part in a "follow-up" FlashMeeting with Andrew Berry (ASK Primary Science Advisor) and Pauline Patterson (Hampshire Science Advisor.) An opportunity for Teachers, Education Officer and Local Authority staff to share developments and explore in more details matters discussed at the launch.

To replay the "online" web conference click here

For more information about Nature Watch 2010 and The Kent Birdwatch 2010 project contact:

Phil Bracegirdle - ASK ICT Hands on Support Consultant

philip.bracegirdle@kent.gov.uk

BUGBEARS( www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bugbears); is a website that helps children communicate their hopes and fears in life with other kids, safely and anonymously. The site allows kids to make richly, animated monsters (Bugbears) that speak with the child's real voice. The issues that are raised can be anything from their worst or most difficult subject at school; their favourite hobbies; parents splitting up to worries about global warming; jokes; aspirations or being bullied . It recently won best children's innovation at the Royal Television Society Awards and is becoming the number one communication forum for young children.  Children can have loads of fun, learn and learn vital communication and sharing skills too.

For every child who makes a Bugbear , thousands can listen to it on the site and show their immediate support with hugs, respect or comments. Children sharing similar concerns learn form the Bugbears, taking comfort and gaining confidence as they realise they aren't alone. Bugbears is all about sharing sincere life experiences and building empathy and support from ordinary children.

Mandy :)

Norad Tracks Santa includes an advent calendar with different activities each day.

Try the Kent ICT Advent Calendar, (does repeat the same four activities through the month I'm afraid).

Woodlands Advent Calendar with fascinating facts about how Christmas is celebrated in differnt cultures.

Build your own snowmen on Kent ICT.

James ;)

PS: Jonathan the Deputy Headteacher from Kings Road Primary (Essex) sent us the link to their advent calendar. Each door has a different piece of ICT work behind it. The calendar includes the names of software used to create each piece of work. What a great idea!

The old Ready Register did not work with all school networks. There were schools who wanted to try the register but could not get it to work. With this in mind I've been working on a simpler version. This revised version works on networked computers, but only if separate copies of the resource are used for each class. It does not include the Risk Rocket yet, but that's coming. Another useful feature apart from the improved name saving is the automatic picture selection. I just need to ask a kind soul to test the new version for me and suggest changes:

To add children:

1. Open the text file that sits next to the Register
2. Type the children's names as a list
3. Save the text document
4. Open the Ready Register 2010 

Download the zipped file here: Ready Register 2010 (Please unzip before using)

James:)

 Mark Warner, teacher at The Downs School  has put together a fantastic search tool for teachers looking for lesson plans, resources and ideas.

http://www.teachrsearch.co.uk/

 Mark also runs several over very useful sites for teachers:

Teaching Ideas – An extremely popular site, with thousands of free ideas, resources and activities for teachers.

Display Photos – Get inspiration for your classroom displays by browsing through this collection of photos

Teaching Forum – Ask for help, share ideas or have a chat in our forum for teachers.

Teachr – A start page for teachers, showing the latest news and ideas. Also has a search engine to help you find ideas and resources easily.

Ideas to Inspire – This site contains a collection of wonderful collaborative presentations, explaining how to use the latest technology in your classroom.

Welcome to the Web – A fun guide to the Internet, helping young and old become more confident in exploring the World Wide Web.

 Mandy:)

A selection of Textease resources with a Christmas theme can be found by following the link below.

You can also find you way there via this pathway:
Software Tab > Textease (LHS navigation) > Christmas Textease Activities

http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/kentict_soft_text_christmas.cfm

 Have fun James ; )