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February 2011

Starters in ICT lessons

By PGCE, SD - ICT, SeminarsNo Comments

SD Seminar

A started activity

Buy a bag of sweets like quality street.

Hand out sweets and ask them to use the sweet to describe a certain topic

This helps focus creative thinking reflection reward simple

Book on pimping your ride

10 starters on Microsoft packages

Anagrams –

Interactive hangman

Memory games

Interactive word search

Dingbats –

Word search

Tool bar quiz of the different tools on programs match the icons with the function identifies aras of

Audience and purpose. – PowerPoint think who is

Data capture

Looping games q and a on sheets but answer and question is different on sheet. So the kids call out question and thn pupils have to respond with answer

Logo quiz – brand identity

ICT in society starters

Will it blend YouTube Videos?

Brick in washing machine

Image  close-up

Research questions eg.words 1st bug

Draw ICT equip in homes

Name ……. as many as you can think of (List)

Programming starters

Spot Key Procedures in scratch

Word search and quiz

Sequencing – arramge in correct sequence

Masking game layers guess the celeb

Shock spook scratch game

Spot the difference

Animation vs animator

Colour scheme designer http://colorschemedesigner.com/

Kids teaching themselves

By Beliefs, TeachingNo Comments

I just watched an inspiring video on how kids can teach themselves. Sugata Mitra shows how kids teach themselves by giving them technology and computers. These kids had no previous experience with computers or even the english language but as he showed over 3 months the kids from rural villages where able to teach them selves over 200 words of english albeit slightly wrong but non the less they did know how to use the computer. It was amazing to think that kids can just teach themselves in groups and by trial and error. Kids are able to problem solve on their own given the chance. “What we do allot of in IT teaching is instruction but that is quite flat and this doest always engage the higher level of learning. Think of yourself as a facilitator of learning not an instructor.” Andy Hutt.

So group work and self learning will be something that i will try in my next teaching practice.

The other aspect that i really think was amazing is how amazing Gods creation is and how he has created us a human beings to be able to work and figure out things like technology. It just shows how remarkable the human brain really is. God has created us in an amazing way and its so refreshing to see his handiwork on children across the world.

Teachers statutory framework and professional duties

By PGCENo Comments

It is clear from the teachers pay and conditions documents 2010 found here http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/payandpensions/teacherspayandconditionsdocument/a0064179/school-teachers-pay-and-conditions-document-2010

that there are a series of bandings that teachers can be paid with the basic NQT starting at £21558  per annum. When you start working at a school it is a good idea to get a document such as http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/doc/a/ae-ao/annual%20statement%20of%20a%20main%20pay%20scale%20teacher%20%20%20september%202010.doc to have this pray scale secured. Also have a look at this article which explains teachers pay quite well. Independent school can sometimes pay above this rate they can also pay below this and offer housing to some staff.

As well as this teaching commitment teachers are have certain duties that they are required to do one of which is tutoring pupils and making sure they register on time. Teachers also have to do duties such as seeing of pupils on the bus after school there are also break time and lunch time duties that teachers can opt into but these are not demanded of them as they need their lunch break.

Web 2.0 and Teaching

By PGCE, SD - ICT, SeminarsNo Comments

http://www.dvolver.com/live/movies-527579

Web 2.0
This is the ability to share information and participate with other people through the Internet. It is a great way to collaborate with other people online. There are a variety of ways that people can get involved with the web 2.0 phenomena. These are through a variety web platforms that people can now access so quickly and easily.
The term “Web 2.0” (2004-present) is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. (Wikipedia 2011)
The term was first discussed in a conference between Tim O’Reily and Media Live international this was in 2004 after there was an increasing amount of new exciting web applications and social websites.
Some people would say that it is a simple natural progression of web development and there has just been a natural progression into this area term. Others would say that since 2004 there has been a boom of web 2.0 websites.
From my findings I have found that the main difference is that prior to this web 2.0 phenomena there was no sharing and uploading and collaboration on the Internet. Web 2.0 has changed traditional media, which is passive and self-absorbing.

Areas of the web that involve Web 2.0 theories are things like blogging, podcasting, using social websites like facebook and twitter, tagging and commenting on websites.

Some example of social web 2.0 Websites
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Bebo
• Myspace
• Wordrpress, Blogger, Posterous

Benefits of Web 2.0
• Ability to share information and files and folders easily
• You can collaborate and get to know other people in your profession or area of expertise.
• Real-time sharing
• Access from across the world with cloud technologies.
• Interactive vs Passivity
Pitfalls of web 2.0
• Controlling copyright is harder as content is so easily shared.
• Information has not being created by experts only amateurs so credibility is les reputable – so bias and accuracy
• No moderation in some cases you rely on other users to moderate
• Problems of e-safety
How does this effect teaching ICT
As it is such a huge part of what is going on in society today. Everywhere you look you will find social networking links and sites such a facebook and twitter and the ability to interactively collaborate on the web. This highlights the need to embrace, teach and educate pupils in the area of Web 2.0 technologies. It is not only the technological understanding that they need but also the social skills and aspects of e-safety that come into play when dealing with these new web technologies.
• Pupils should be taught how to best utilize social media to gather information.
• They should also be taught basic coding skills to enable participatory aspects of their website.
• They should be made aware of different strategies to share the work that they create by posting it on various websites or through blogs.

Exploration of using Web 2.0
I personally have found the use of twitter a great tool for broadcasting my own thoughts to the public sphere. It has also been a great way to read up on teaching tips from other teachers and even pgce students across the country.
Another great teaching forum is the TES teaching and resources forum which has loads of resources and articles that are specifically based on ICT teaching as well as advice for trainee teachers in the form of guest speakers collaborating on dedicated forum posts.
I have made a few podcasts to posterous using two techniques. One was by recording and editing an interview on audacity and then uploading the mp3 to posterous to create a simple blog post, which then in turn created the pod cast through the posterous system. I have also used my iphone as a method of recording a voice memo and then emailing this to the my posterous account which in turn then creates a blog post and adds to podcast blog role.

I have also been able to use a web animation site called dvolver.com that has a pre setup set of stages and scenarios that allow for a few selections of scene changes and also a selection of characters. Then dvolver simply uses speech bubbles to visually show the speech that is being made. In my case I just used a simple series phrases that allowed them to talk about what web 2.0 is. I then used this animation and embedded it into my blog at this address.

I found dvolver simple and easy to use and pupils at year 7 even younger could use this with some instruction. I have used xtranormal,com to do the same process here of reinforcing theory that has been taught and I feel that xtranormal is a better and more interactive tool but more suited to the older pupil possibly year 10 +