Has Exc-el helped you improve education?
David Gilmour
Thursday 08 June 2006
Other education authorities, from Borders to East Renfrewshire, are now taking an interest in Exc-el. We're also seeing interest from organisations such as Learning and Teaching Scotland and HMI, so have decided it's about times we explained what we're up to.
The most important thing people want to know is whether it's helping improve education in East Lothian, so that's the reason for the question. It's clearly early days, so it's important we pay attention to any small signs of improvement so that we can build on what we're doing right. On the other hand, there will be some things we need to improve - I'm quite happy to hear about them too!
Please leave a comment (which can be anonymous), or email me if you prefer. Thanks.
Comments
Using Exc-el
Dawn Finlayson
Sunday 11 June 2006
I've really enjoyed keeping my blog on exc-el - now that the 'official' part of the learning team experience is nearly over I hope to continue it, only perhaps with a different criteria - the life of a teacher in a rural multi-composite class comes to mind.
I think the concept of exc-el is great - my private life is filled with blogs, forums and websites (I run a formula 1 website for fans which includes a forum, and I have learned an amazing amount about so many diverse things - issues from politics to child-rearing - from people I would never have had the chance to 'talk' to before.
I can see the huge potential that exc-el has in East Lothian for teachers (and children!) to learn from each other - just reading other people's blogs and the replies to them makes you see some things in a different light, or start to consider possibilities you might never have thought of. And it would be a very safe way for young children in East Lothian to begin using the internet in an interactive way.
I think that eventually a platform like this will be part and parcel of all learning and teaching - when I worked for Highland council we had something similar and after a while a lot of people began to use it more and posted all sorts of useful resources in the forum, which you could just download and use immediately in class (with your interactive whiteboard if you were lucky enough to have one!) - things such as word banks for textease or other programmes used in the county are so much more appealing if every single teacher doesn't have to make up the same one themselves, but can just download the one they need from the forum where someone else has thoughtfully posted it!
I hope more teachers in East Lothian start to use exc-el, and see it as a useful resourse and also a trigger for discussion and inovation in their schools.
One negative point though - I really dislike this software. I heard there was a chance that we would be moving to a different software? Seems like a good idea to me. :)
I think the concept of exc-el is great - my private life is filled with blogs, forums and websites (I run a formula 1 website for fans which includes a forum, and I have learned an amazing amount about so many diverse things - issues from politics to child-rearing - from people I would never have had the chance to 'talk' to before.
I can see the huge potential that exc-el has in East Lothian for teachers (and children!) to learn from each other - just reading other people's blogs and the replies to them makes you see some things in a different light, or start to consider possibilities you might never have thought of. And it would be a very safe way for young children in East Lothian to begin using the internet in an interactive way.
I think that eventually a platform like this will be part and parcel of all learning and teaching - when I worked for Highland council we had something similar and after a while a lot of people began to use it more and posted all sorts of useful resources in the forum, which you could just download and use immediately in class (with your interactive whiteboard if you were lucky enough to have one!) - things such as word banks for textease or other programmes used in the county are so much more appealing if every single teacher doesn't have to make up the same one themselves, but can just download the one they need from the forum where someone else has thoughtfully posted it!
I hope more teachers in East Lothian start to use exc-el, and see it as a useful resourse and also a trigger for discussion and inovation in their schools.
One negative point though - I really dislike this software. I heard there was a chance that we would be moving to a different software? Seems like a good idea to me. :)
Thoughts on exc-el
Alan Coady
Thursday 08 June 2006
As a visitor to exc-el:
1. Access to the big picture – which helps me remember to bear in mind the pupils’ big picture (pressure of time can lead to me seeing them as only guitarists)
2. Communication - normally instructors are not part of whole staff meetings in school and we find out, sometimes by luck alone, what is going on. There are sometimes good reasons for this e.g. we have our own dedicated in service days – necessary for practical matters.
3. Advance knowledge of possible initiatives and the chance to comment on them – is a pleasant change in a world of faits accomplis.
As a recent contributor to exc-el:
1. Focus - keeping a blog encourages me to gather and crystallize thoughts in a manner which would not happen in simple reflection.
2. Verification/offshoots - it also encourages me to check up on some spellings, facts etc. and this nearly always results in stumbling upon other interesting areas.
3. Literary workout - although it’s early days, I would hope that sustained writing of this sort – for an unidentifiable audience - will have a positive effect on writing reports; talking concisely to parents in five-minute interviews; discussing issues with colleagues etc. Obviously, I do not speak to pupils in such a formal manner and so I’m not sure what effect, if any, there might be in day to day verbal contact.
4. “Sharing good practice” was one of the main things which convinced me to try out the blogging experience. In a practical subject, I suspect that this may result in some posts seeming as though they were FAO instrumental or class music colleagues only. I hope this is not a problem. I frequently drop in on specialist websites and don’t take the huff if I feel I should bow out. The sharing aspect will only really kick in when more specialists join in – I suppose it’s not everyone’s thing.
1. Access to the big picture – which helps me remember to bear in mind the pupils’ big picture (pressure of time can lead to me seeing them as only guitarists)
2. Communication - normally instructors are not part of whole staff meetings in school and we find out, sometimes by luck alone, what is going on. There are sometimes good reasons for this e.g. we have our own dedicated in service days – necessary for practical matters.
3. Advance knowledge of possible initiatives and the chance to comment on them – is a pleasant change in a world of faits accomplis.
As a recent contributor to exc-el:
1. Focus - keeping a blog encourages me to gather and crystallize thoughts in a manner which would not happen in simple reflection.
2. Verification/offshoots - it also encourages me to check up on some spellings, facts etc. and this nearly always results in stumbling upon other interesting areas.
3. Literary workout - although it’s early days, I would hope that sustained writing of this sort – for an unidentifiable audience - will have a positive effect on writing reports; talking concisely to parents in five-minute interviews; discussing issues with colleagues etc. Obviously, I do not speak to pupils in such a formal manner and so I’m not sure what effect, if any, there might be in day to day verbal contact.
4. “Sharing good practice” was one of the main things which convinced me to try out the blogging experience. In a practical subject, I suspect that this may result in some posts seeming as though they were FAO instrumental or class music colleagues only. I hope this is not a problem. I frequently drop in on specialist websites and don’t take the huff if I feel I should bow out. The sharing aspect will only really kick in when more specialists join in – I suppose it’s not everyone’s thing.
Help desk vs Reflective practice
Ewan
Thursday 08 June 2006
Blogs like this are not really intended to be a help desk, which is what it sounds some people expect. Maybe it's worth making more explicit the fact that these blogs are learning logs of the people keeping them, and not a wordy help desk to sort out problems. Blogs are generally positive problem-solving-based tools rather than sorting problems out retrospectively.
Funnily enough I was speaking to the national AifL coordinators meeting this morning about blogs as learning logs and eportfolios. The link is here:
http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2006/06/assessment_is_f.html
Funnily enough I was speaking to the national AifL coordinators meeting this morning about blogs as learning logs and eportfolios. The link is here:
http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2006/06/assessment_is_f.html
Improving Education
Team Teach East Lothian
Thursday 08 June 2006
The Weblog has been a real asset to Team Teach , With over 300 trained staff throughout the department it keeps them provided with up to the minute news and saves on all those mail drops, as well as giving potential new candidates the opportunity to learn all about Team Teach and choose if it is right for their proffesional development. We try to update it weekly to let staff know what extra training the tutors have attended and are now offering.and is a very handy way for them to leave messages for the trainers instead of us taking days to return phonecalls.
exc.el site
Maureen Shillinglaw
Thursday 08 June 2006
I think the time factor comes into using this website.
Should I require assistance with anything I tend to email my cluster schools and we all help each other that way.
I really don't have time to go into this website and log a question and wait on someone taking the time to reply to it.
Normally if I need assistance it is with something that has come up and needs immediate action, so with emailing my cluster I would normally have a reply within a short space of time. As we are using emails all day we know that someone will pick it up during that day.
It is not that we don't wish to use this system as I believe we can all learn from it. It is just the time factor. I am sure most schools will agree!!!
Should I require assistance with anything I tend to email my cluster schools and we all help each other that way.
I really don't have time to go into this website and log a question and wait on someone taking the time to reply to it.
Normally if I need assistance it is with something that has come up and needs immediate action, so with emailing my cluster I would normally have a reply within a short space of time. As we are using emails all day we know that someone will pick it up during that day.
It is not that we don't wish to use this system as I believe we can all learn from it. It is just the time factor. I am sure most schools will agree!!!
Exc-el and education
Richard Wilson
Thursday 08 June 2006
As a recent convert to blogging and all things connected, my opinion is that it has helped in both my own education and that which I now offer to the pupils in my school. The recent work that people can see on our web site at East Linton since October of last year is evidence enough. The pupils are highly motivated and a positive change in mind set is becoming apparent. This was always going to happen but the opportunities that have opened up to me by looking at other blogs and sharing ideas has proved to be a great catalyst in my own practice and the shared experience with the pupils. I like Don's musings about getting more people on-board, don't muse just do it. Perhaps in light of accelerating changes all teachers should have their own blog, their pupils most certainly will. The divide will only deepen and widen if new opportunities are not grasped.
The short answer is yes!
The short answer is yes!
Blogging
Don
Thursday 15 June 2006