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YEAR THREE TEACHER

Reflections from a busy deputy head teacher

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TUESDAY 12 JULY 2011

PRIMARY DEPUTY

This time last year I was preparing for one of the biggest changes in my
teaching career - I was moving to teacher Year Three after nine years in Year
Six. I can't say I found the change easy but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I was
expecting to remain in Year Three for a while.

After a number of staffing changes in the school it has become necessary for me
to have to move year groups once again. Next year I'll be in Year Four! Whilst I
was looking forward to building on what I've achieved in Year Three this year,
there are many positives about moving to Year Four (which I'll discuss at a
later date).

As a result of this move I've decided to change my blog to Primary Deputy.
Please alter your feeds. I've also changed my Twitter name to primarydeputy. I
was amazed that the name was still available! I wanted to pick a name that I
hopefully won't have to change for a while!

Thank you to all readers of Year Three Teacher and I hope that you'll stick me
through this latest change!

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Labels: Personal

FRIDAY 1 JULY 2011

MONTHLY REVIEW: JUNE 2011

Busy is the word that would sum up my June!

Holiday in Wales
We are fortunate to have two weeks' holiday at Whit (I say fortunate now, but I
will say the opposite when everyone else is off before us in July!). We had a
lovely few days in New Quay in South West Wales. It was our first time taking
Lily away and we had a great time visiting places like Tenby, Fishguard and
Carmarthen.

School University
I need to write a separate blog post to explain this properly. Much of my time
has been spent arranging the university, negotiating with local high schools and
members of the community to ensure brilliant courses for the children to attend.

Grandparents' Tea Party
The School Council helped to arrange a tea party for our grandparents. It was a
lovely afternoon including refreshments, a tour of the school, performances by
the choir and orchestra and a gallery of work. The grandparents were very
appreciative!

Report writing
We have changed our report format slightly this year which has made them
slightly less time consuming. However, they have still taken me lots of time!
I'll be so glad to be finished in the next few days.

Ofsted and ICT
I attended a course about the Ofsted inspection requirements for ICT. It was an
interesting course and I've picked up some particularly good ideas about
e-Safety. I need to write a post soon

Neglecting stuff
I feel that I've neglected many things this month as I've been so busy with
work. Unfortunately this is likely to continue into July which is usually our
busiest month in school!

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Labels: Monthly Review

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2011

NOTE TAKING APPS

When it comes to note taking apps on my iPhone there are two that can't be
beaten.

The first is the built in Notes app that comes with the phone. I use this app
for keeping notes about things I only need to know for a while for example,
ordering meals, shopping lists, guests for parties. I only need to access such
notes from my iPhone and don't need them to sync with my computer. I can email
them to my computer though if I wish. It's perfect for my use.

When it comes to making more detailed notes, however, I prefer Catch. This is a
free app and it is fantastic for use in meetings or for anything that you need
to access from a PC. I have begun to use it to take notes at staff meetings,
Teachmeets and courses. (I just wish I had an iPad so it was quicker to write).
I love the fact that notes are synced online and that I can access the notes
from anywhere. I can add pictures and links, and I can add hashtags to my notes
to make them easier to search. You can record your voice if you wish to make
notes that way. Notes can be fully search online and they can be shared by
email. It's also handy to be able to set a passcode lock for the app.

Evernote is also an excellent app but I use this primarily for remembering
things that were not written by me like blog posts that inspire me and
instruction.

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Labels: ICT, resources

FRIDAY 17 JUNE 2011

BEE BOTS

I recently purchased some Bee-Bots for the school. Programming robots is an area
of ICT that we were not really hitting - and it's one of the most exciting!!

So that I could inspire our teachers I asked on Twitter if there are any Bee-Bot
resources out there. @ianaddison recommended @simonhaughton and @bevevans22.

Simon recommended:
http://simonhaughton.typepad.com/ict/2010/11/learning-to-control-the-bee-bot.html
http://simonhaughton.typepad.com/ict/2010/06/an-introduction-to-control-technology.html
These are blog posts written by Simon - real practical ideas for using the
robots.
http://y22011.leamoreblogs.net/2011/01/31/tombot-jerry-bot-tts-x-factor-competition-entry/
An amazing demonstration of how Bee-Bots can grip children's imagination.

http://vimeo.com/18591377
How Bee-Bots can be used in the classroom

Bev recommended:
http://technostories.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/go-beebot-crazy/
An excellent post about how Bee-Bots have transformed Key Stage One.
http://www.communication4all.co.uk/http/BeeBot.htm
There are excellent Bee-Bot resources here - these particularly enthused the
staff.

Bee-Bots seem to be primarily used in Foundation and Key Stage One but I believe
they have a use in Year Three too. Here are some ideas that we will be trying:

* Creating a map of the local area for Bee-Bots to navigate
* Exploring compass directions and making a course for Bee-Bots to explore
* Investigating negative numbers

Here are some other Bee-Bot links:
http://bee-bots-downunder.blogspot.com/
http://www.terrapinlogo.com/bee-bot.php
http://edtechlounge.com/bee-bot-activity-center/

There is software available from Focus Educational which allows children to
programme an on-screen robot.

Does anyone else use Bee-Bots in Year Three? What sorts of activities do you do?

Posted by James B at 11:50 0 comments
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Labels: Curriculum, ICT

MONDAY 13 JUNE 2011

ICT VISION

We recently asked our staff to write a vision statement for the subject they
co-ordinate. We asked everyone to make sure that it states our beliefs as a
school, begins with a statement about where the school is now and it should be
aspirational and state how we would like the subject to develop over the coming
years.

Here is the one I wrote for ICT:

> At SCHOOL we equip all pupils with the experiences and skills of ICT that they
> will use in a rapidly changing technological world. Children will be
> confident, independent and safe in their use of ICT. They are able to use
> technology to communicate, and to access and evaluate information. We aim for
> our children to develop a range of ICT skills, and an understanding of the
> most appropriate ways to use them. Children will learn to create pictures and
> text, music and sound, multimedia, animation and video. They will learn to
> collect, find, produce and interpret data. They will learn to give
> instructions and use modelling to investigate solutions. ICT skills are taught
> and then they are applied to other areas of the curriculum. E-Safety awareness
> is taught through every unit of work.

> We aim to keep pace with educational and technological developments in the
> world and we have a commitment to provide all teachers with the necessary
> tools to do their job well, including laptops, interactive whiteboards and
> interactive whiteboards. Through training, teachers are empowered to give
> pupils opportunities to learn in different ways through new technologies. We
> invest money to purchase equipment and software to make the ICT curriculum
> varied, exciting and complete.

> Most ICT lessons are taught in our ICT Suites. Over the coming years we plan
> to upgrade our facilities and provide more laptops in our classrooms. We
> intend to make the school’s learning platform an integral part of our learning
> at school and at home. The school will work towards achieving the ICT Mark and
> e-Safety Mark within the next three years.
>
> We intend to develop training and offer guidance to encourage parents to use
> ICT to further enhance learning out of school for themselves and their
> children.

Here is a Wordle of the vision statement:

The larger words are the ones that were used most frequently in my statement.
Hopefully I've managed to get my main themes across.

The nature of ICT means that my action points are very likely to change over the
next few years!
·

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Labels: ICT, leadership

THURSDAY 9 JUNE 2011

LIGHTSHOT SCREENSHOT SOFTWARE

After many years using alternative screenshot software I recently learned about
Lightshot. It was instantly better than the previous software I had installed.

I use the free PC desktop version but add-ons are available for Chrome, IE and
Firefox.

I like it because when I click the PrtSc button the software kicks in. I can
immediately select the precise area that I want to copy. I then have a range of
choices of what to do with the image. I can upload the image to share online via
Twitter and Facebook. I can copy the image to the clipboard. I could print the
image. I can also save the picture to my computer.

It has made the process of taking screenshots so much quicker and easier and I
love the way that the program allows me to do several things with the image.

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Labels: resources

SATURDAY 4 JUNE 2011

SO THAT'S WHAT DIGITAL LITERACY IS...

I've heard the term 'digital literacy' being used quite a lot over the years.

I recently stumbled across the best definition of it that I've read:

> "Exploiting the huge potential of the Information Age is a task set before all
> of us. Being able to access information at the time and place where it is
> required is more possible than ever before, with the advent of wireless
> technologies, broadband connectivity and intelligent agents. Digital literacy
> is the means through which this can be accomplished...

> In short, digital literacy is all about making the technology work for you,
> finding new and interesting ways in which information technology can enhance
> life and improve the quality of teaching and learning. The digitally literate
> teacher will be convinced of the efficacy and usefulness of the connected
> computer."

> Transforming Primary ICT, edited by Steve Wheeler 2005

Posted by James B at 10:36 1 comments
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Labels: ICT

WEDNESDAY 1 JUNE 2011

MONTHLY REVIEW: MAY 2011

May was a strange month as I was off on paternity leave for much of the first
two weeks. Those couple of weeks were spent enjoying time with our baby. We went
out for days out and had lots of visitors. Lily has been great so far and is
sleeping well at night time!

Other things that have kept me busy in May are:

New teacher interviews
We held interviews to appoint two new teachers in KS2. Our interview process was
excellent: classroom observation, an interview with the school council, a tour
of the school (given by the school council), an informal lunch with a few
members of staff and, of course, the formal interview. I believe we have
appointed the two right people through this very thorough process. I wrote about
do's and don't's when writing job application letters here.

Returning to work
I hate returning to work after a one day course. So returning after nearly two
weeks was really hard. I felt so behind and so out of touch with everything. I
teach for 60% of the week and this has been too much since I returned from my
paternity leave. Simple things like tidying up have been tricky - I need to sort
myself out!

School University
Each year we have a 'university' for our children in KS2. This involves the
children choosing a course in something that we normally do not offer in school.
Courses include bricklaying, gardening and being a librarian. I had a strict
deadline to put together a prospectus for the children to choose their favourite
courses by the last day of the half-term. So much of my time since returning to
work was spent arranging courses (run by teachers, teaching assistants,
governors, local businesses and local high schools). The children chose their
courses on the last day of half-term - just in the nick of time!

Teachmeet
I attended #tmchesh2 in Macclesfield at the end of May. I managed to take our
assistant headteacher with me so that she can see how they work. I would like
to introduce professional development in this format to our staff in the next
academic year.

Investors in Pupils
I attended a course about applying for a quality mark to celebrate our work in
listening and responding to pupil voice. This will be one of my big targets for
next year.

Best man
I was best man at my friend's wedding at the end of the month. I managed to
write my speech a few days before and I had lots of compliments from guests at
the wedding.

Seeing the physio
After I badly injured my knee on 7th April I have been seeing a physio. He has
been giving me exercises to strengthen my knee. My knee is still swollen and is
nowhere near right, but it is much better. My doctor has referred me to an
orthopedic consultant so hopefully my appointment will come soon.

Posted by James B at 23:35 0 comments
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MONDAY 30 MAY 2011

JUMPSTART LITERACY

Jumpstart Literacy by Pie Corbett is a fabulous book for anyone wanting to spice
up their English lessons!

The best way I can describe the book is that it is full of easy to teach mental
starters for English. At least that's certainly how I have begun to use it.

Activities described in the book are:

* Jumpstarting spelling - activities for memorising and improving spelling.
* Jumpstarting words - different word classes and playing with words.
* Jumpstarting sentences - developing control, manipulating and inventing
sentences.
* Jumpstarting writing - establishing a creative frame of mind for imaginative
writing.
* Jumpstarting speaking, listening and drama - activities to develop confidence
in verbal and physical expression.
* Jumpstarting learning - strategies to establish a learning mood in any
subject

An example is Odd Word = Story:

> This is a story-starter game that shows children how stories can spring up
> from the most extraordinary places!

> * Spend a few minutes brainstorming a list of nouns with the children. Write
> these on the whole-class board, creating a 'word wall; of suggestions.
> Encourage them to make their list as varied as possible... it will make for
> more imaginative stories in the long run!
> * The children each select two nouns that do not seem to go together, e.g.
> horse and pumpkin or toothpaste and space, and then have a few minutes to
> begin a narrative linking the two together. Explain to them that this was
> precisely what C.S. Lewis did in his classic tale, The Lion, The Witch and
> The Wardrobe. A narrative might look something like this:
> * One morning, while an astronaut was busy brushing his teeth, he noticed how
> beautifully white they were looking. He was due to launch off into space
> that day, so he decided to take a rocket fill of toothpaste with him, so
> that he could make the stars sparkle even brighter!

I love the simplicity of the ideas and the ways that they can grab attention and
inspire learning. I always felt that one of the strengths of the original
National Numeracy Strategy was the mental starter. It started lessons with a
bang! The ideas in this book could start your lessons off with a bang too!

I think the ideas are suitable for Year Three and upwards.

Posted by James B at 09:12 3 comments
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Labels: Curriculum, resources

SATURDAY 28 MAY 2011

REFLECTIONS ON LOST

I'm currently re-watching my favourite TV series - Lost! It's really interesting
how the 'black vs white' theme, which represented Jacob and the Man In Black,
was actually clearly there right from the beginning. It's now been a year since
the series ended. The trouble is, the more I watch the older episodes that more
annoyed I get about the final series.

I obsessed about the series from the moment I started to watch it. I loved the
way that mysteries were built and gradually explained. The whole thing was
perfect... for five seasons. Then Season Six arrived.

I felt cheated by the final season. Unconvincing answers were given to some
questions, other questions were avoided altogether. The ridiculous sideways
flashes were introduced. The final episode was brilliant and it was not the
finale which annoyed me - really it was the whole of the final season.

Here are some of main annoyances:

* What was the significance of Aaron? The baby seemed to be such a crucial part
of the story of Claire and Kate yet he didn't even appear in the final
series.
* Why wasn't there a Claire flashback in the final series to tell us more about
what made her crazy?
* Why were viewers cheated about the season one finale? We were never told what
The Others wanted with Walt and why they took him.
* Why did Sayid spend all of his life in love with Nadia and then end up with
Shannon in his after life?
* Charles' Widmore's character was one of the most mysterious - yet he ended up
being insignificant. In the grand scheme of things his freighter arriving
actually had no bearing on what happened in the final series. That means we
can write off the entire fourth season!
* I get annoyed that one of my favourite characters, Ben, became a bit-part
character in the final series.
* I loved learning about the Dharma Initiative in Season Five but the were
never mentioned in the final series.
* In Season Three they were building a runway for Ajira flight 316 - how did
they know to do this?!
* Why were all of the Dharma stations built?
* How did nobody see the lighthouse? And why smash it up without ever telling
us anything about it?
* Where did the rest of the statue go to after it was knocked over?
* I wish Eko's character had been explained more.
* Danielle was on the island for 16 years and yet learned nothing about it. She
didn't seem to know where anything was. Why?! It was such a shame that she
was killed in Season Four.

If I could have written Season Six I would have had sideways flashes, but in my
sideways flashes it would show what would happen if the plane never crashed. But
somehow the characters would still have ended up on the island - meaning that it
was always going to be their destiny.

I could go on as I have hundreds of these. I must stress that I still love the
series, but I wish the writers had come up with something better than the
purgatory idea in Season Six, and given a better role to Ben and Widmore.

Has anyone else got any thoughts about this?

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Labels: Personal

FRIDAY 27 MAY 2011

DELEGATION

I recently enjoyed reading Duncan Bannatyne's autobiography 'Anyone Can Do It'.
There was an important message made about delegation which really applies to
working in schools.

Leaders must learn to empower their staff by delegating so that they can
concentrate on the big picture.

> "Being free to look to the future and work out how to grow is key to building
> a business: it's what a chief executive is there to do. If I had been consumed
> with how each manager was running their department, or had got personally
> involved in details like which bed linen we bought, I would never have been
> able to look for new sites, analyse the competition, negotiate new contracts
> or any of the other things that made us better and kept us competitive. If my
> thoughts were uncluttered by the minutiae of the business, then I was better
> able to see the bigger picture, to lead and problem solve."

If chief executive means headteacher then it means that a business will run most
effectively if managers are given clear roles and responsibilities so that the
headteacher can focus on impact, results and making sure that the school is the
best at what it is good at.

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Labels: leadership

SUNDAY 22 MAY 2011

JOB APPLICATION LETTERS

I have read a lot of application letters recently. We had around 100
applications for a vacancy advertised.

Here are some dos and don'ts that I would suggest to anyone applying for a
teaching vacancy - particularly if you are an NQT and are in the middle of the
job application process.

I'd love to know if you have any further ideas to add to this list. Feel free to
add a comment.

* DO take care - spelling, grammar and presentation count when trying to make
an impression.
* DO say what makes you DIFFERENT. There could be 100 people applying for same
job. What makes you different. Think of all the personal qualities, practices
and experiences you have which others don't. Celebrate them in your letter.
* DON'T say what you think schools want to hear. Schools aren't looking for a
robot - they want to employ someone that stands out. In your application it
is crucial that you don't say the same old things that every teacher does.
All teachers use Every Child Matters - but why mention it in your letter
unless you do something DIFFERENT to them? All teachers try to plan exciting
lessons - but why are yours DIFFERENT?
* DON'T USE TEACHER SPEAK! After working with many trainee teachers over the
years I can spout sentences that relate to the QTS standards in my sleep. All
trainee teachers can do this too and they will try to use it in their
applications. Try to avoid it if you can. If everyone else is going to say
it, what's the point? Say something that counts.
* DO use real examples. I have read dozens of letters (full of teacher-speak)
that say the same old things. "I use behaviour management strategies to
create a productive, co-operative environment in my classroom." Well, doesn't
everyone?! Back up whatever you can with a REAL example of something you have
done.
* DO make the effort - Never send out standard letters - they'll go straight in
the bin. And don't be fooled - keeping it the same but changing the
headteacher's name is very easy to notice.
* DO make your letter absolutely personal to the school. Refer to what you know
about it and what you will could add to the school if you were successful.
* DO go to visit the school - when you have a large number of candidates a
quick way to eliminate potential candidates is to discount anyone who hasn't
made contact with the school
* DO stand out during a visit. This can be very easy if you are shown around on
your own. But it is difficult if you're shown in a group. Ask pertinent
questions. Show personality. Look interested. Don't be afraid. But take care
that you don't say too much or be over-friendly.
* DO select the points that you want to make in your letter in order of
importance. What qualities is the school looking for? What makes you
particularly special? These things need to go in first.
* DO bear in mind the people who are reading the letters. There could be
hundreds of pages of letters to read, and you can guarantee that letters that
go on for more than two pages will not go down well.
* DO include a picture in your letter, e.g. a display or classroom activity - a
good way to make your letter stand out.
* DO think about what you will offer the school - make reference to what you
know about the school from the visit or the school's website. How could you
add to these things?
* DO remember that the job hunting process begins the moment you enter an ITT
course - gain as much experience as you can during training - it all counts.
* DO remember that sometimes it's not what you know, but who. Make an
impression on your placement or get to know teachers through voluntary work
or supply work. A word of warning, though - remember that the interview panel
do not have give you a job automatically just because you are known to the
school. Never assume that the job is yours.
* DO acknowledge gap years and out of school experiences. Have you spent a year
travelling? How has your experience affected you as a teacher/person? You've
worked in a bank for the last few months whilst looking for jobs. How can
this experience relate to the classroom?
* DON'T share everything on Facebook! This hasn't happened to anyone I know,
but I have read in newspapers that employers will sometimes check out
candidates' Facebook profiles.

Doug Belshaw's book #getthatjob is well worth a read for further guidance about
applying for teaching jobs.

You may also want to check out the PGCE Survival Guide.

Posted by James B at 15:00 1 comments
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Labels: Everything else

THURSDAY 19 MAY 2011

21ST CENTURY ICT LEARNING PART 2

Here is a list of resources and websites that we learned about on the 21st
Century ICT course I attended. I have added details about where they could fit
into the new curriculum.

Glogster
Interactive online posters

* Finding information
* Creating multimedia
* Creating music and sound
* Creating text and pictures

Scratch
Programming language

* Giving instructions
* Modelling

GoControl and Flowall
Control simulation software

* Giving instructions
* Modelling

Pivot
Stickfigure animation

* Creating multimedia, animation and video
* Creating music and sound
* Creating text and pictures

Primary Pad
For collaborative writing
* Creating text and pictures

Prezi
Presentation tool
* Creating multimedia, animation and video
* Creating text

Primary Wall
Collaborative sticky note wall
* Creating text and pictures
* Finding information

2DIY
Creating games, quizzes and activities
* Creating multimedia, animation and video
* Creating music and sound
* Creating text and pictures
* Giving instructions

We also had a look at Purplemash which covers several areas of the curriculum.

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Labels: ICT

SATURDAY 7 MAY 2011

BAD DAY TOOLBOX

After reading this post at the SimpleProductivityBlog I have put together my own
tool box to help me break out of a bad day.

Here is my list of things I can do to make myself feel better in the midst of a
really bad day:

* Watch my baby girl and wonder at how amazing life is
* Go for a walk with my wife
* Listen to my favourite music
* Tidy up
* Go for a run
* Go for a beer with one of my friends or family
* Watch a TV comedy programme
* Help someone
* Leave the building/room - take a change of scenery
* Read a book
* Eat some chocolate
* Drink Lucozade (only in very extreme circumstances as I don't want to
re-ignite my Luzocade addiction)

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Labels: Productivity

BABY'S ONLINE PROFILE

It would appear that I inadvertently opened up a small Twitter debate shortly
after our baby was born. I had remember Doug Belshaw writing that he had
registered a web domain for his children shortly after their births. I've always
had in mind to do the same when our baby was born.

A few days after Lily was born I registered websites in her name using
www.123-reg.com. I believe it is important to give my child the opportunity to
have a web domain in her name - in the future I'm certain that it will be vital
for professionals to have an online presence (see - high hopes for her already!)
In the meantime, I'm using Posterous to create a website (a private site which
only family and friends can access). Her web address forwards to it.

I also registered her name as a private limited company using
www.theformationscompany.com. (High hopes once again!) I just wanted to be able
to give her this option in the future.

I asked Doug what else he thought was worth registering. He
recommended http://knowem.com for registering social media.

The debate that my question triggered can be found
here: http://storify.com/dajbelshaw/should-you-register-domains-and-social-media-accou?awesm=sfy.co_5OX&utm_campaign=dajbelshaw&utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=direct-sfy.co

My own view is that I intend our daughter to be ICT savvy and have a real
understanding of the potential of the internet and also of the dangers. I am
ambitious for her and want to offer her any help I can. Registering web domains
and social media profiles is only a small thing now that might just make a big
difference in the future!

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Posted by James B at 09:47 2 comments
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Labels: Everything else, Personal

THURSDAY 5 MAY 2011

2DIY

My class and I have fallen in love with 2Do It Yourself (2DIY) which is an
incredible piece of software made by 2Simple Software. This is not new software,
as it has been around for a few years now, but I have only just begun to use it!

This is a unique child-friendly yet incredibly powerful piece of software.

"Create your own interactive Flash resources, activities, games, puzzles,
quizzes. With this software teachers and primary school children can create
cross-curricular, personalised resources and use them on whiteboards, websites
and even on Learning Platforms. There are plenty of opportunities for meaningful
learning as children plan, design, create, publish and play."

The software could just as easily be used by teachers to create games and
activities for their class as it is for children to use it to demonstrate their
learning. It has cross-curricular potential and it could be used in all year
groups!

I began using the software with my class by demonstrating the very basics about
how to set up a matching pairs game. They were shown how to save their work,
create pairs, use the drawing and typing tools and change the timings and
sounds. Within 40 minutes they had learned lots of other things - adding music,
recording sounds, changing the colours of the backs of cards, adding
instructions, animating the instructions menu and more. I believe this is the
beauty of the software - it is great for allowing the children to just 'have a
go' and find out what they can do! There were a number of 'magic moments' around
the ICT Suite as everything that was discovered had a wow factor!

Here are the tasks I have (currently) planned to set the children to try:

* Make a times table matching pairs game
* Create a map labelling activity for our junior building (ready for our Year
Twos)
* Put together a multiple choice quiz about Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
* Create Venn and Carroll diagram activities to demonstrate what they have
learned
* Make a game about Isis collecting all of the pieces of Osiris' body
* Design a catching game to catch all of the organs removed and placed in
canopic jars during mummification

Websites and resources that could be useful if you are interested in using 2DIY
are:

* Examples of 2DIY projects: http://www.2simple.com/2diy/examples/
* Lots of ideas are shared here: http://www.2diyarchive.co.uk/
* Southwark Primary's 2DIY
planning: http://ict.southwarkprimary.net/2009/11/09/2diy-planning/
* Simon Haughton's 2DIY
planning: http://www.2diyarchive.co.uk/2010/01/simon-haughtons-2diy-planning.html

The games that our children have made can be found on our school website here.

Do you use 2DIY with your pupils?

Posted by James B at 23:06 0 comments
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Labels: Curriculum, ICT

SUNDAY 1 MAY 2011

MONTHLY REVIEW: APRIL 2011

Looking back, April now just seems like a blur. Our baby girl, Lily, was born on
the 19th and since then life has been completely different!

Here are the highlights:

Baby

Lily Grace was born after a very long labour (my poor wife!) She has already
turned our lives upside down. I know I'm biased, but she is the most beautiful
baby ever! I can't believe that something so tiny can cause everything to
change! How does one little person take up so much time? Any why is everything
for a tiny baby so big?!

Reducing work hours
Since Christmas I've gradually been reducing the hours that I've spent at work.
I now arrive at school by 7.45am and leave at 5pm. It can be tricky to fit
things in, but I'm trying to get smarter with my use of time. I must keep this
up so that I can get home to see the baby!

ICT course
I attended the second part of my ICT course. It was really helpful and I have
lots of ideas to share with staff. Unfortunately, due to other priorities, these
will have to wait until the new school year whilst I trial them in my own class.

Updating e-Safety & Acceptable Use Policies
I wanted the new versions of these policies to be more specific about social
networking - in particular by staff, and in the policies we offer
recommendations and guidance to help colleagues to stay safe.

Posted by James B at 16:59 0 comments
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Labels: Monthly Review

SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2011

TOODLEDO VS TEUX DEUX

Toodledo and Teux Deux are both productivity apps for the iPhone and websites -
to do lists. Which one is the best?

Toodledo
Good points

* Easy to add tasks
* Add tags to tasks
* Have due dates
* Easy to create repeating tasks
* Easy to link Toodledo account with Google Calendar
* Tasks can be added on the iPhone without an internet connection - it syncs
later

Bad points
* Not the best looking interface
* When a task is not completed it is marked as overdue and I quickly get
frustrated at myself when I fall behind with things.

Teux Deux
Good points
* Looks great
* Tasks that are not completed are added to today's list

Bad points
* You can't set repeating tasks
* I can't seem to add tasks without an internet connection

After trying both, Toodledo wins. Whilst Teux Deux looks great, the lack of
ability to add repeating tasks ruins it for me. Repeating tasks on my to do list
keeps me organised.

Posted by James B at 23:01 0 comments
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Labels: Productivity

WEDNESDAY 13 APRIL 2011

INTERACTIVE RESOURCES

Earlier this year we purchased a community licence for Interactive Resources
which is made by Primary Games Ltd. This website offers maths resources which
including games for the children to play on their own, class games, editable
worksheets and class teaching tools, all in a really simple to use child- (and
teacher-) friendly format.

We decided to go for a community licence (£250 for the year) which, at only £100
more than the alternative, seems like a bargain. This licence means that the
site can be used freely in school and the children can use it at home too!

Resources can be added to a folder for each teacher - a great way to store all
of the resources you like to use with the children, and a great way for the
children to find the resource you want them to use!

This fabulous resource has really helped me in my move to Year Three. Through
this site I have resources that are easy to find, age-appropriate and exciting
for the children. I can use tools like the Class Clock which I find easier to
use than the ITP on the Standards Site.

I have also used the site for homework activities, and also encouraged the
children to use the site at home to support what we do in class.

I'm intrigued by www.content-creators.co.uk which has just been released by
Primary Games. This site allows a school or individual to buy credits which can
be used to make their own interactive resources.

Posted by James B at 22:25 0 comments
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TUESDAY 12 APRIL 2011

21ST CENTURY ICT LEARNING

I recently attended an East Cheshire ICT course called 'Developing an ICT
curriculum for the 21st Century' superbly led by @jokprice. This was a course I
had been eager to attend for a while so that I could find out how to develop our
curriculum further.

The QCA scheme – and the Cheshire scheme of work that is based on it – is
increasingly outdated and is not reflecting how ICT is used in everyday life and
throughout the curriculum. This course would revamp how ICT is taught in the
authority.

Here is a short summary of what I learned:

The National Curriculum programme of study can be usefully divided into 3 main
themes. Each of these themes is sub-divided into strands to ensure that the full
programme of study is covered. In the new curriculum elements of each strand
need to be covered at least once a year and revisited later in the year. This
will allow opportunities for children to use and apply ICT capability in a range
of contexts. ICT should be taught through the topics so that it is embedded in
the whole curriculum. The new curriculum proposes that ICT is taught in major
and minor units, where a major unit moves the learning on and teacher input is
provided. In the minor unit, learning is revisited or prior knowledge is built
upon to create the consolidation and a 'spiral' effect.

The three areas of the curriculum are

Sharing Information
* Creating text
* Creating pictures
* Creating multimedia, animation and video
* Creating music and sound

Collecting and sorting information
* Finding information (internet and CD-ROMs - although surely people don't use
CD-ROMs anymore!)
* Handling data (graphing, databases and spreadsheets)
* Data logging (sensors)

Controlling and exploring
* Giving instructions
* Modelling

My immediate thoughts were that our school does loads of sharing information,
and elements of finding information. When working in Year Six I introduced
handling data and giving instructions but I'm not convinced that my staff know
enough about these areas. Data logging is something I am aware that is missing
in the school and so our Tesco vouchers this year are being invested in this
area.

Our ICT curriculum will be redeveloped in the new year and I can't wait!

Posted by James B at 23:05 0 comments
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Labels: ICT

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