Autumn 2009 ICT

Welcome

 

Welcome back and welcome to another exciting year for ICT, both here in Redbridge and beyond. For those of you new to this blog, please see it as your first stop for news on all things Redbridge ICT, if you are also a new ICT Coordinator,please do email me to introduce yourself as soon as possible, then I can ensure you are kept up to date with course information.

In addition to this blog, you can also find more immediate news on my blog and on our Facebook pages. Do bookmark my blog and became a fan of Redbridge ICT on Facebook.

 

Anthony Evans

 

 

In this issue

• Advice for New Subject Leaders
• Feedback from our last Subject leaders Meeting
• Up and Coming Events
• Make a MII

Advice for New Subject Leaders

Taking on the role of ICT Coordinator or Subject Leader is a tough job, though it is probably one of the most exciting and rewarding jobs in a Primary School. We are running a course on this role later in the term, which together with this blog and the borough support network goes some way to helping you lead and manage the subject. In the mean time I recently plucked the brains of two very experienced ICT Professionals to ask them for their top tips for new ICT Coordinators. Here is the first of those videos from Terry Freedman, webmaster of the ICT in education website and former chair of NAACE.

 

Feedback from our Last Subject Leaders Meeting

During our Subject Leaders Meeting in Summer Term, we set you the task of sharing your Links, Frustrations and Celebrations. You did this in a very old school way, using Post It notes and felt tips, so we have done what we can to extract all these and publish them here on the blog;

Links

• ITASS
• LGfL content Grid
• http://www.original.com/ -(flash games to play on whiteboards useful incentive)
• ICT games -
• Ripple Primary School in Barking
• http://www.flashvortex.com/
• http://www.british.council.co.uk/
• http://www.visuword.com/
• http://www.mathszone.com/
• http://www.simplescience.net/
• Animoto for Education

  Did we miss yours out or get it completely wrong? If so then, please comment in the box below.

Celebrations – Things you were pleased about:

• ICT team - core group of ICT people in school
• New SOW working (staff reported back)
• Wireless and netbooks
• Visualiser training was great
• Headteacher pro-ICT
• Everyone is using their whiteboards
• Headteacher is supportive
• Out of class for ICT next year
• Reorganising use of laptops and whiteboards
• Film competition was success / lots of enthusiasm
• Foundation Stage art on computers
• Teachers embracing technology - cross curricular
• Creative use of IWB
• Registered commitment to ICT
• Innovators meetings
• Enthusiasm of children when it was film week - using flip cameras
• Hardware systems are robust
• Keeping technology - keeping in touch with innovations
• Getting the ICT mark
• Kids innovating , blogging - kids interacting
• Reluctant teachers embracing ICT
• ICT is now core subject (Rose Report)
• The way my children have taken on Fronter
• ICT week in school - staff and children's enjoyment has been good to see
• Film competition was success / lots of enthusiasm
• Film competition project
• More specific inset for staff (filtered training)
• Fronter
• New KS2 SoW with training
• New scheme of work
• Most staff are happy
• Enthusiasm of the children when creating their own film

Frustrations – Things that bugged you:

• Not using new software stick with what they know
• Barriers to getting things done
• Basic staff training on small problems
• Slow uptake by staff Staff printing out work and leaving it / not collecting
• So much to do and not being sure where to start
• ICT not taken seriously as subject
• Full time job - not enough time Keeping teachers motivated to use ICT
• Staff - the ones that are whingey and reticent to change
• Headteacher (over controlling)
• Hardware issue needing immediate support
• Has instructor that takes all ICT lessons feel de-skilled
• Network is slow
• ICT TA does not support pupils
• Not having enough time to do projects etc
• Not always using new technology e.g. tape recorders when have MP3 Players
• Technical support (more required)
• Hardware does not always work
• Fronter - uneasy trepidation - how to communicate to staff?
• Network problems
• Encouraging teachers to keep their learning update planning - on server
• Hard to get staff engaged in ICT
• ICT resources
• Lack of technical support When things go wrong - programs clash

Up and Coming Events

PLEASE NOTE: All courses require you to bring a charged Laptop

Self Review Framework Workshops

Whole School ICT Issues Workshop - Element 2 (Organiser: Alex Rees, ICT Adviser) Tue 29/09/2009 09:30-12:30 S4, F8, RTC Please click on this link Redbridge Teachers' Centre to book course place. _______________________________________________________

 Whole School ICT Issues Workshop - Element 6 (Organiser: Alex Rees, ICT Adviser) Tue 29/09/2009 13:30-16:30 S4, F8, RTC Please click on this link Redbridge Teachers' Centre to book course place.

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Primary MLE Basic Training 1& 2 (Organiser: Anthony Evans, ICT Consultant, Rob Spriddle, Redbridge Pimary) Wed 30/09/2009 09:00-16:00 S4, RTC Please click on this link Redbridge Teachers' Centre to book course place. Details to follow shortly. ________________________________________________

 

 

Redbridge Technicians Forum 1 (Organiser: Alex Rees, ICT Adviser) Fri 16/10/2009 09:00-16:30 Hall, F3, F4, RTC Please click on this link Redbridge Teachers' Centre to book course place. Details to follow shortly.

Create a MII

This originally appeared on Anthony’s Blog

Do you want to quickly and easily create a classroom display that will allow your class to showcase their creativity, individuality and all in a very familiar context?

Are you looking for a great starter for your Key Stage 2 ICT lesson?

If you are, then visit or download the Avatar Editor, a free Adobe Air application that allows user to create avatars that look and feel just like Nintendo Mii figures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Miis that you create are not in a format that can be animated and moved around on screen as in Wii Sports, though they can be exported as Jpeg or PNG. Choosing PNG means that you can opt for a transparent background and hence more easily integrate the figures into presentations or Notebook files.

 

 

 

This shows 4 avatars exported as PNG onto a PowerPoint slide with a blue background.