Day 5 - Thursday 8th May
What I learnt today
It has been fascinating to see data loggers at work. I’ve had lots of thoughts through the morning about how these could be used at school, and I know the staff will feel just as inspired.
I have learnt how to record light, sound and temperature over time, both in the classroom and remotely. I have discovered how to use external thermometers for testing temperature of liquids over a period of time and how to show such results in a graph. With sound measurements, I have learnt to smooth the graph so that insignificant sound changes are not shown. It has also been good to see a heart monitor at work. I have also enjoyed seeing how an AST has incorporated data-logging into Science lessons, and how children are able to record their findings.
It was also really good to find out how Control boxes work - this de-mystified things for me. I learnt to use Flowol programming and control boxes / mimics.
Helpful too to have lots of websites to use to keep in touch with future developments.
What has hindered my learning.
No hindrances - it’s been a really helpful day. I think it would have been helpful to have time to use flowol programming ourselves.
How might you progress with today’s learning?
1. I would like to buy a couple of Easy Sense data loggers, run some training with the staff, build use into the Science / ICT curriculum, and use with my class.
2. Explore use of Flowol at school. We need to find some money to buy the software ( I will see what is available espeically with Tesco vouchers). I would really like to run some sessions with Year 5 and 6 to teach the children and staff.
3. Explore Focus on Bee Bot software, especially for use with Year 2 and as an introduction to Year 4 Logo.
How could you help your children learn better?
I think the Data Logger will really help children understand how sound, temperature and light vary through a period of time, and to see a practical application of graphing. I will use this in Year 4 to teach how ice and boiling water eventually return to room temperature, to see how traffic noise varies in the course of a day, and if a heart monitor is available, how our heart rate changes as a result of exercise.
The Bee Bot technology will be really helpful as a different way to help children understand instructions and as preparation for Logo.
Teaching control will help children’s logic and sequencing skills further.
And Finally…
Thank you to Philip - a really useful course, I shall be looking back at my course notes for many years I think!
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (1)Day 4
What did you learn today?
With regard to writing Action Plans, I learnt the importance of asking someone different to be involved in monitoring.
It has been very helpful to learn more about the Becta Review, to understand more fully how it can give direction to the school’s plan for ICT and have some strategies for involving the whole staff in the process. I have learnt that to engage as many of the staff as possible will help them to have ownership of the development of ICT in school.
I have also learnt more about e-safety, how to approach training in school, including with parents and Governors. I now feel more fully equipped to write a school e-safety policy and develop systems in school.
It was also useful to see a visualiser at work.
What hindered any learning?
I’m not aware of particular hindrances.
How might you progress with today’s learning?
We have enrolled to start the Becta Review but not progressed further. I need to discuss with the SLT whether we could adopt a whole school approach sometime during the next academic year.
I will draft a school e-safety policy using the resources shared today as a beginning. I will also draft a staff acceptable use policy and prepare a staff meeting for the Autumn term to discuss this further. I also need to make sure that e-safety is included in the curriculum, as it is not at present.
How could today’s learning help your children to learn better?
The Becta Review will certainly have an impact on the development of our ICT teaching at school. I hope that an e-safety policy will ensure the children make safe use of the internet at school and that training in school will ensure they make safer use at home as well.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)School Visits
What I have learnt from the day?
This was a really useful day. We started at St Stephens, then went to Dulverton and finished the day at Gordonbrock. It was a great opportunity to find out how ICT is running in other schools, to see different software in action, to explore planning and assessment, as well as displays and training.
What hindered my learning?
Nothing - although there was a lot of traffic, and this limited the time available in the afternoon, as both Janine and I needed to go back to our own schools.
How might I progress with the learning?
- Set up a months trial of Education City and explore the cost of Espresso, both observed at St Stephen’s.
- Load appropriate software so we can load “multi-maths” via lgfl.net.
- Develop displays in ICT suite.
- Look at schemes of work from Oxford and Greenwich.
- Look at Kent’s self-assessment.
- Set up e-mail accounts via lgfl.
- Explore “Flexi-tree” for Year 4 Unit on Branching Database
- Download Activ Primary 2 from Promethean site.
- Develop Portfolio. Staff to be trained in assessment, so they can give in 3 pieces of levelled work at the end of each term.
- Consider use of additional laptops in classrooms.
- Set up regular software training sessions with staff.
How could this help the children to learn better?
- Although we have a range of software, there are “holes” in our provision. Some of the software seen at the other schools will help the children to develop new skills.
- Once display boards have been put up in the suite the children will be able to see what can be achieved.
Diary - Day 2 Wednesday 19th March
What have I learnt today
The Scheme of work from Wokingham- a good model of how to incorporate cross-curricular links into a scheme of work.
The Sigmoid Growth Curve - interesting to help me understand the management of change as new developments are introduced.
How to assess and level work using a “broad brush”.
How to develop my ICT portfolio further.
2 Create a Story - how to record sound.
What has hindered my learning today.
I don’t feel that my learning has been hindered, it has been a helpful morning, and there has been time to reflect on how I can take things forward at school as well.
How might I progress with today’s learning.
I have decided to start to draft a 3 year plan for ICT. I have just been given a shadow management group at school - I will present my ideas to them on a mind-map and from this put together a strategy. I will then seek a meeting with the Senior Leadership Team as this will have an impact on budgets, School Action Plan and my request for time out of class.
The list of tasks I have to address ( in no particular order) are as follows, I’m sure the list will grow once I start working on the BECTA SRF.
- Write an e-safety policy - will need to discuss some issues with SLT about this.
- Devise a planned strategy/timetable for updating computers in school
- Request display boards to be put up in the new ICT suite
- Run a staff meeting on assessment, ensure staff have a mechanism for assessing children’s learning.
- Begin the BECTA SRF
- Develop the curriculum, to introduce a more cross-curricular model - e.g. the Wokingham model (discuss this with SLT and staff)
- Develop a rolling programme for ICT CPD - to be run after school, establish whether some of the shadow team would be willing/able to run some of these courses.
- Decide how ICT monitoring will be improved in school - especially establish a programme of lesson observations from Sept.
- Develop the portfolio further - train staff to level and describe the context in which work was undertaken.
- Develop a rolling programme to clean projectors in school.
In addition I want to explore 2CreateaStory more back at school and want to buy some pc mics for the suite.
How could today’s learning help the children to learn better
The children’s learning will be enhanced if there is a more integrated scheme of work in school and if staff are more confident with assessment.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Day 1 Diary : 12th March 2008
What did I learn today?
Lots…I’ve learnt to use “Photofiltre” to make special effects for photographs, to add information to a blog, to use Google Earth and use this to set up a powerpoint database. I needed some more time to do this properly. I had to show mine to the group (oh embarrasment!) but was really “wowed” by the powerpoints others had prepared - I’ll be doing some practising!
What hindered my learning today?
I feel limited by my own technical skills - I have been on a really steep learning curve today, and whilst I came on the course to learn how to develop ICT in school, I’m finding that my own ICT skills are developing too.
How willl I progress with todays learning:
Firstly, there’s some organisational things I’ll take back to school :
- I’ll set a 3 year budget plan
- I’ll download Photofiltre and teach the staff to use it. I need to change the culture in school so that children use cameras more, in order to do this I need to buy more cameras. I love the idea of children taking photos in lessons, and then using these in the ensuing weeks to build on previous learning, and help them make links. I’m going to start to use this software with my ICT club, these are children who have limited use of computers at home. I think they’ll love it!
- My ICT file needs some work before Jackie and Janine visit…!
- I like the idea of delegating software budgets to subject leaders - I’ll talk to the Head about this.
- I had asked the technician to download Google Earth - he found some problems and these haven’t been resolved - I need to remind him.
Perhaps most importantly I need to show some of this exciting “stuff” to the staff to develop their skills too.
How could today’s learning help the children at school to learn better
With my Year 4 class I’d like to use photofiltre as a stimulus for creative writing - perhaps linking this with “Stories from Imaginary Worlds”. It will also develop their pattens in our ICT topic “Developing Repeating Patterns” - which has so far been only drawing based. I’ll be using Google Earth to support my Geography topic on “Chembakolli” and will show them how to develop a powerpoint about climate.
I’d like to show the lgfl climate site with Year 3 - weather project.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Life in the Library
This was my first picture using Photofiltre. A footstool in the library which has been twisted. I don’t really like the colour - I think I’ll try to make it prettier. Watch this space.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)
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