Education ICT

ICT Co-ordinators meeting

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:21:18GMT

Had a good meeting with the Primary ICT Co-ordinators today. It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet with them since returning to work .....

2 blogs in 1 day!

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 22:02:04GMT

Computers in the Nursery

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 00:06:10GMT

East Lothian Blogging Challenge!

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 22:43:45GMT

One School, one Teacher, one Class, one Blog

Can we have one teacher and a class blogging in every school for the start of next term?

Head Teachers Conference

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 22:51:38GMT

View my thoughts on the conference at My Blog .

Using ICT to Support Learning

Tue, 30 May 2006 18:04:27GMT

Today being the last Tuesday in May, I held an afternoon surgery/drop-in session, from 1.00pm 4.00pm for Additional Support Needs issues at Prestonpans Education Centre. I have freed up the last Tuesday of every month since last October for these surgeries so that staff, who are available, can come to see me to discuss issues regarding children in their class who require to use technology to access the curriculum. This has been done so far on a trial basis but if you feel that this surgery/drop in session should continue into next session then please comment, I would be happy to hear your views. If you have not heard about this service would you have liked the opportunity to have attended on occasion?

From 4.00pm 6.00pm I delivered the Inservice course Using ICT to support the Dyslexic Learner. We looked at hardware and software there is available to support the dyslexic pupil. Hopefully participants went away with a few more ideas than they came with.

Music and technology

Mon, 29 May 2006 19:51:14GMT

Had an office day today. Elizabeth Cowan, Fiona Cunningham and I had our team meeting. Much of it was taken up with what we could achieve in the few weeks before Fiona leaves to go to Pupil support. I'd like to thank Fiona for the support she has given the Education IT team for the past 5 years and wish her all the best in her new post.

I had an interesting meeting with the IT department to consider the priorities for the IT spend in schools this financial year. Much of the budget is being set aside for the Schools Wide Area Network (WAN) which will improve the speed and robustness of our networks. This is well worth the investment and will improve the service for everyone, especially as more content is delivered through the internet and the revolution that is Web 2.0 technology.

The rest of the afternoon was spent corresponding with schools for various projects. One of the key communications was to the PT music staff. Music and the technology available to work creatively in music has developed significantly in recent years. I suggested that we meet to look at current and potential requirements of the music curriculum in terms of technology and consider new software/hardware available. It would be ideal if the music departments could reach a consensus of requirements in the modern music department to faciltate the sharing of resources and training. I have set up a wiki for comments, questions and ideas for our meeting (hopefully) on 9th June.

Animation at Haddington Infants

Fri, 26 May 2006 19:01:10GMT

I had a wonderful morning in Haddington Infants. I visited a class of P2 children who had been working hard as production companies - producing their own animations. They confidently told me about the process they went through to create their films and their teacher, Robert Whiteside, explained how they worked independently and used problem-solving skills to collaborate to produce the end results. I was really impressed by the planning, storyboarding and ultimately the filming that the class undertook. One of the children said that it was the best thing he had ever done! Robert told me that this child could be quite disenchanted with some class activities so this was a real achievement! I have published the animations on our ICT web site to allow parents to have a look.

Spent the afternoon at St Gabriels. I was the first time I had been there since they had their new extension completed. It looked great - really light and airy! They have recently had an Interactive Whiteboard Installed. We are intending to have Interactive Whitboards in the new school being built at Tranent so I took the architects to have a look. It has been useful trying to co-ordinate the technology at the start of the build - real joined up thinking.

Its Friday again..

Fri, 26 May 2006 16:38:42GMT

After a morning of Admin. work in the Office Fiona Cunningham and I headed off to North Berwick Nursery to deliver an In service training, to the Nursery Staff, about the use of the server and the new school email system. These new developments were enthusiastically taken on board by the Staff who were already thinking of how they would use the server in the Nursery. Staff were also keen to use the email system and were busy emailing each other from different rooms when Fiona and I managed to take our leave.

Hope the weather improves for the weekend.

A day at the office

Thu, 25 May 2006 21:04:23GMT

It was good to get back at the office today to catch up with all those jobs that can only be done at the desk. Ispent part of the morning looking at the new PC build for primary schools which we plan to roll out in the summer. It is looking really good and should bring the software up to date to mirror the mac build. Johnny Baxter from Gullane is going to test it for us to help us iron out any potential problems. He has helped us in this way before, he tests them with pupils in a really methodical and rigorous way. Thanks Johnny!

I spoke to our finance about the tender we put out for Interactive Whiteboards in primary. It looks as though Promethean came in with the best deal for us so I have given the go ahead for the schools who expressed an interest in purchasing them. Hopefully we can guarantee this price for all schools this year so it should make it easier to procure and install them.

Elizabeth and I had a really interesting meeting with Don Ledingham. We updated him on various aspects of the strategy and about the outcomes of our attendance at the eLive conference. I was keen to explore the idea of freeing up the curriculum to engage pupils in projects and self-initiated learning. I see technology as a driver for this change as it is the way pupils today communicate and learn. We have to engage with it to excite and motivate pupils to learn. Don expained some ideas he has about Extreme Learning as a way of delivering the 4 components of the Curriculum for Excellence. I think this is a real way forward. I think schools appreciate guidance in this area and I found this a way of embracing new learning opportunities without throwing out good practice currently in our schools. It was a really animated discussion. Well done to Jacqui MacKinnon - I like the idea of ACE (A Curriculum for Excellence)projects.

Went home to pick up my children. My daughter had fallen and hurt her nose when out playing at nursery. We came home and decided to podcast the story of the fall to our website to enable her 'Baba Anne' (her turkish grandmother) to hear her story- and she's only 3! There's no doubt we have a lot to learn from our children!

The day began with.....

Thu, 25 May 2006 14:09:43GMT

Tuesday began with a longer than usual journey. Instead of the short drive from East Linton to Haddington, today I ventured further afield through the Edinburgh morning rush hour traffic to Murrayfield stadium to attend - no, not rugby training - but eLIVE! 2006, an event which highlights the very best in using ICT in Learning and Teaching. The Keynote Address entitled, Creating a new Culture of Teaching and Learning, was delivered by Alan November, a thought provoking and motivational speaker whose website is www.novemberlearning.com Alans talk began by comparing pupils home use of computers with their use in schools. He suggested that schools use the internet and pupils do the internet, making the point that pupils do far more with computers at home than at school and as long as we hold on to the model in education of teacher based dependency then technology wont make a difference. He went on to describe a school in San Diego where each student has an office and has ownership of their own learning. A school where the children are self directed and self motivated. As I said thought provoking stuff.

The next session was a Masterclass summit for Authority personnel where Karen and I heard about developments in the Masterclass communities Heads Together, Leadership for Learning, Masterclass and Early Years Masterclass. We also heard about some developments within SSDN, a name which we are going to hear more about in the next few years. A very exciting initiative and a first for Scotland worldwide.

Next up was a very lively and interesting seminar on Blogs and Podcasting given by Euan Macintosh and whilst there the assembled group made a Podcast ably helped by some P4 and P5 children from an Edinburgh school.

There is also an exhibition at this event where companies involved with Educational ICT display their hardware and software giving an opportunity for hands on experience. Time was spent catching up with developments in hardware and software particularly in the area of Additional Support Needs.

The final seminar I attended was entitled A Curriculum for Excellence meets SSDN which was delivered by Stuart Robertson. This seminar gave a useful insight into developments within SSDN and how they relate to A Curriculum for Excellence and how SSDN will empower teachers to exploit the new curriculum in ways not previously possible.

A very full day but very worthwhile and then I was heading back to East Lothian through the Edinburgh rush hour traffic again. Im glad I dont have to do this journey every day.

But more exciting journeys to come, watch this space..

eLive 2006

Wed, 24 May 2006 22:42:16GMT

I have spent today and yesterday at the eLive 2006 conference hosted by the City of Edinburgh and held at Murrayfield Stadium. The conference has only been running for 4 years (I think) but every year it gets bigger and attracts more guest speakers. It is a conference for local teachers and this year it was held on an inservice day, making it more accessible for staff. The conference is a combination of keynotes, seminars and exhibitors. There was a real buzz about it this year. I think this was down to the feeling that a 'change is gonna come'. The combination of new technologies such as blogging and podcasting becoming accessible tools for education, the emphasis on self-initiated learning and creativity and the educational focus shifting from content delivery to quality of experience, gave the conference a real 'can do' feel. I came away feeling inspired, if a little unsure of how to support schools to make the change. It is clear to me that technology is at the centre of this change, it is the driving force. Our pupils learn through technology and rather than fear it, we need to understand it, build valuable learning experiences to embrace it and model it's use. It is no longer about disks, cables and wires but what flows through them and that's exciting!

Alan November

I have heard a lot about Alan November over the years but this was the first time that I had the opportunity to hear him speak. He is a renowned educationalist from America and his presentations are thought-provoking and motivating.

Alan began by stating that we should stop telling children what we know and ask them what they know.

There is a huge gap between what children do with technology at home compared to what they do in school. It is very hard to find a school where children are being more creative with ICT than they are being at home. An example is the use of MSN. This is the number one application and schools ban it. Alan thinks it is fear.

Many children have their own sites and blogs. We should ask them what they do with the Internet at home and ask ourselves why we block it. We should use things like MSN creatively and give them a role model of good use. Many of us say that we need to protect children but they use it anyway - at home. Alan doesn't understand this.

The question we need to ask is 'Who owns the learning?' In Victorian times - the teacher owned the learning. If children own the learning it is a different ball game. If we persist in the Victorian culture, technology won't make a difference.

Alan showed us a school in San Diego that had made the change. Pupils had their own 'office'. Initial thoughts might be that there was little opportunity for collaboration but this is not the case. Children are territorial but they are also social. This school values collaboration and has small rooms to facilitate this. Everyday classes get together and play together. Learning is self-directed and self-motivated. The result? This school has the best grades despite being in an area with socio-economic problems.

Alan thinks making the change take about 2 decades. How do we start?

1. Teach critical thinking and grammar of the internet

Not all information on the internet is as it appears and children need to understand how it works to think critically about the information and content it contains.

2. Teaching children to connect to the world

The way information is presented, even historical 'facts' can be influenced by the author. Example: If studying World War II try searching using 'WWII.ac.jp' This will search for pages published by Japanese academic institutions. The assignment then becomes why the viewpoint from Japan is different. Use technology to communicate with a Japanese school - build relationships.

3. Expand the boundaries of learning - raise expectations

Think beyond the 4 walls of the classroom. Is this the era of 24 hours a day student publishing?

Skills teachers should be equipped with: diagnostic skills, relationship building and raised expectations.

Will Richardson

Will Richardson is an academic blogging advocate. He runs Weblogg-ed.com, an excellent blog dedicated to exploring weblogs in education.

Will began by stating that blogging has been the most powerful learning experience in his life.

It is not about technology but about what it can do ...

Imagination

He exemplifies this through One Red Paperclip The idea behind this blog was that in one year you could trade one red paperclip for something you really want - in this case - a house. Since July 2005, Kyle has managed to trade a number of items, each one increasing in value until he managed to procure a house, rent free for one year. He then traded this for an afternoon with Alice Cooper - perhaps not the best decision? However through his imagination, this blogger has become renowned in America and beyond.

Web is a conversation

The new web is a read/write web. The first 10 years we used it to consume content. In the last 2 years it has evolved into a web where we can contribute easily (web 2.0) to produce content that billions can consume. The role of the blogger is to link ideas and conversations. It is a Rip, Mix and Learn society. We can no longer be governed by existing copyright laws. Content needs to be free to share.

The Change - Teachers should move from delivering content to creating connections. They need to be the agents of change:

From an audience of one to an audience of many

From text to media

From hand it in to publish it

From experts to networks

From working alone to working together

From sometime to anytime learning

Interesting sites:

43 things - 43 things you want to learn. Links to people with similar aspirations.

wikipedia - An encyclopedia written collaboratively by contributors around the world.

MIT open courseware - includes courses and assessments for free.

Global Voices - weblog aggregator for weblogs from around the world.

Flickr - to store, share and sort photos

Pre-cal - an interactive log for pupils and parents to communicate and open dialogue about learning. Example from one school.

Comments and Digital Natives

Mon, 22 May 2006 21:30:51GMT

Hi Karen, glad to see you're getting on OK and that the startup delay wasn't my fault! Re the "digital divide (that) looms between the native users of technology (our pupils) and the immigrant users..." I'm currently watching a talk/PowerPoint that Ewan blogged about today by Marc Prensky called Engage Me or Enrage Me. Ewan's blog: http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2006/05/marc_prensky_in.html) Marc's presentation: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/mfle/images/mflePodcast14PrenskyEngageMe_tcm4-336085.m4a) I thoroughly recommend it - I thought I had an idea how big the divide is, but he's currently in the process of changing my mind! David

That Friday feeling ....

Fri, 19 May 2006 21:46:36GMT

I met Don Ledingham today when I was in the Peffers Place, standing in the cue and waiting for my lunch. He reminded me gently that I hadn't yet joined the blogging community in Exc-el. It is true ... I have had my login since Monday and haven't yet contributed. So here I am ... Friday night and ready to blog the night away!

I have recently returned from maternity leave and in my absence, a bit of a revolution has taken place. Individuals involved in educating young people in East Lothian and beyond have formed a community through contributing to the exc-el website and it is turning into quite a powerful tool. I feel in some ways that I am running to catch up and for someone who has been actively involved in using technology in learning and teaching, this feels a little uncomfortable. It occurs to me however, that this is probably how many teachers feel as the digital divide looms between the native users of technology (our pupils) and the immigrant users like myself. The truth of the matter is that children are very comfortable with technology and learning through technology. They are very often using technology in a more creative and challenging way at home than they are in schools ... and here lies our challenge. This medium is exciting, it does motivate and it provides unique opportunities for learning. We need to embrace it and use it to our advantage (even if, occasionally, we need to work outside our comfort zone)!

8.00
In the office to catch up with my emails. Hadn't seen Elizabeth Cowan for a few days so managed to discuss a few issues.

10.00
Meeting a Penston House with Derek Borthwick, Scotsys and Ross Nicol. We were discussing the new extension for pupils with Additional Support Needs at Ross High. We intend to put interactive whiteboards into 3 of the rooms. We were able to discuss the specification and what would be involved in the installation of the ceiling mounted projector. The idea that all parties can discuss issues at the beginning of the build will hopefully mean that all the work can be co-ordinated and cabling etc for the technology can be hidden. A very productive meeting - good to have a joined up strategy.

12.00
Meeting with Alan Cruickshank about Infrastructure feedback for the SSDN strategy.

2.00
Worked on an advertisement for a secondment opportunity for a co-ordinator of the Microsoft Innovative Teacher Programme. This is a programme developed and funded by Microsoft to promote innovative teaching through ICT. I will post the advertisement and further information about the programme when it is finalised.

4.30
Left the office - beautiful weather!