Book now: Redbridge Technical Forum 02 - Thursday 11th February

“Switched on and networked for learning.”

This conference is the second in a series of events set up for technical staff supporting and administrating the computer systems within Redbridge primary and secondary schools. The programme is designed to ensure that whatever previous experience you have – whether as an expert systems engineer or as someone completely new to the role – you will find the RTF of real value with relevant information and fresh ideas you can apply easily within your own school.

Agenda:
Thursday 11th February 2010
Redbridge Teachers’ Centre

9am
Coffee & Registration

Morning
1. Hardware trouble-shooting
Some practical help with some real issues that are being encountered daily within our schools.
2. LA news
An update as to the ways the LA is currently supporting the work in schools, plus some featured LGFL services available in London.
3. Best practice
Using the current best practice guidance mixed with practical experience-driven common sense to give you a clear idea of how to replicate best practice in your school.

Lunch

Afternoon
4. In my school…
A case study of experiences from a colleague’s school. The obstacles, the solutions, the bit where everyone is smiling in the end!
5. New technologies
A series of short presentations on the latest technologies schools in Redbridge are considering and the issues surrounding them.

3:30pm
Close with Q & A

Booking can be completed online at http://www.redbridgepdc.org.uk/ or by emailing tina.pennells@redbridge.gov.uk.

Bett 2010 Review and Teachmeet

Hi all, I recently visited Bett like mose of the teachers in Redbridge. I did spot a few of you.

Click on the link to get an brief idea of some of the interesting bits from my point of view. Click

Also I attended a Teachmeet event in the evening, click to check it out.

Nic Hughes

Plan now for the 2010 "Safer Internet Day" - Tuesday 9th February

Safer Internet Day is a European-wide initiative and is the one day in the calendar that will give a focus to internet safety issues. There are a range activities taking place across the week between Monday 8th – Friday 12th February that can raise awareness of how to protect young people online. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre have launched a micro-site at www.thinkuknow.co.uk/saferinternetdayuk which has been designed to give teachers, parents and child protection professionals some ideas and suggestions about how to get involved. The other significant place to go for excellent eSafety resources is Childnet - http://www.childnet-int.org/ - and 10 minutes spent on this site will give you excellent ideas for eSafety assemblies, classroom activities and discussions for all subject areas.

What can you do?

You can help raise awareness of online safety issues in your community and here are a few suggestions and ideas from CEOP to get you thinking...

• Enter the ‘Think before you post’ film competition as a group, class or as a solo entrant.
• Deliver the Thinkuknow resources to the young people that you work with.
• Download the latest cyberbullying episode from Hector’s World – for 5-7 year olds
• Download the new CEOP animated resources for 5-7’s with activities for
  pre school, called ‘The adventures of Lee and Kim’.
• Hold a Safer Internet Day assembly – we have short films with lessons plans for primary and secondary schools.
• Advertise Safer Internet Day on your websites, newsletters and publications – download the online banners and SID badge for your website
• Host a parents awareness-raising session using the Purely for Parent’s presentation.
• Create your own to leaflet drop on your local high street.
• Work with the local or regional media – place an advert, get a journalist to come to your event, take some pics and send them with a press notice to your local paper
• Set up a stand in a local public space to distribute resources and show the Thinkuknow films.
• Encourage young people to deliver resources to other young people, with the support of an adult.
• Encourage local shops (particularly those selling new technologies) to highlight the risks online, by having leaflets by the tills or posters in the window.

If you need support in planning or running an event for parents, do get in touch. Otherwise make use of the resources available from the links above and consider putting the following link http://www.ceop.gov.uk/reportabuse/ on both your website and learning platform for all students to have easy access to.

Alex Rees
alex.rees@redbridge.gov.uk

Gordon Brown's speech to the Learning and Technology World Forum

At the Learning and Technology World Forum held prior to BETT this week Gordon Brown outlined his perspective on education, focusing on the impact technology has had, and will have, on it. Within this speech he officially announces the Home Access Grant, reiterates the parental engagement expectation and personally congratulates one of Redbridge's own teachers.

The whole video is 20 minutes and linked below. The full text for the speech is available here. If you haven't time to watch the whole presentation you may want to jump to some key phrases:

14 mins 20 secs
"...we want every family to become a broadband family. We want every home where there are children linked to the school. For those finding it difficult to afford this I want to announce the nationwide rollout of our Home Access Programme to get laptops and broadband at home for 270,000 families in the United Kingdom. It means that all families can come together, learn together and reap the rewards together."

15 mins 50 secs
"We realise that for parents to influence and engage in the education of their children they need rich, varied and easily accessible information on the progress, on the behaviour and on the attendance of their children at school. And that’s why we’ve said from 2010 all secondary schools in our country and from 2012 all primary schools will guarantee reporting online to parents. So the mother who’s worried about her son struggling with his reading can find out more about how she can help, the dad who works long hours and can’t make a parents’ evening can keep in touch with his daughter’s progress at whatever time of the day or night that he is free."

17 mins 20 secs
"Dan Lea is a primary school teacher from here in London who won the UK’s Teacher of the Year Technology Award and whose innovations include teaching children to blog as a way of documenting their learning and sharing their projects instantly with family, friends and peers. Dan - congratulations on behalf of all of us for your great success."



Congratulations Dan on your now established international recognition. If you are a Redbridge school and have further questions on either the Home Access Grant, or your own parental engagement strategy please do get in touch.

Alex Rees
alex.rees@redbridge.gov.uk

It's ICT Week!

Both at the BETT exhibition (see www.bettshow.com) and on Teachers' TV (see www.teachers.tv).

Enjoy the plethora of material, resources and ideas that can be gleaned from both these sources. If you can't afford the time to visit BETT during the school week, then you can always visit on Saturday. Teachers TV, of course, is available through all digital TV systems (although only 4-6pm on Freeview) and you can always 'watch-again' online.

Alex Rees
alex.rees@redbridge.gov.uk

Upcoming Events

Hi all.

Just to remind you about some upcoming events this week in Redbridge.

Wedneday - is the KS2 NQT ICT Course
Thursday - is Day 3 of the TA course

Both are in the Teachers Centre and start at 9.00.

Also this week is a little show called BETT. This is THE Education Technology show of the year. If you are't going, why not? It open Wednesday to Saturady and is free to attend. Go there and be inspired.

On the topic of inspiring Friday at Bett is also the Venue for a Teachmeet, these are great inspiring sessions. Currently this has 166 attending and 30 people willing to speak. Check it out and come along. It starts at 6.30 till 9.30. I'm on that list to speak hopefully along with Dawn Hallybone.

I'm attending Friday so if you wanna meet up tweet me and organise something.

Nic Hughes @duck_star

LGfL Next Generation Learning – Digital Technology & Institutional Change Programme

News from the LGFL

Following the success of the Autumn term NGL programme, further dates have now been announced for the Spring term.

School Leaders
The next two NGL programmes for School Leaders will be held at Mary Sumner House, Westminster on the dates below:
NGL 9 – 26th and 28th January 2010
NGL 10 – 4th and 5th February 2010

In order to derive maximum benefit from the course it is strongly recommended that two people from each school attend, of which at least one must be a member of the Strategic Leadership Team. The subsidised programme charge is £150 per delegate. Take up is again expected to be high and colleagues are encouraged to liaise with schools and place bookings as early as possible.

All events will be held at Mary Sumner House, Tufton Street, Westminster.

Colleagues wishing to book places on any of the Spring term events should contact julie.walker@lgfl.org.uk

Home Access Grant - latest information

The scheme will be formally launched, as suspected, at the BETT ICT education exhibition in London next week.

Key information that has been released to date:

• Capita have been awarded the contract to deliver the grant administration service which includes marketing activity. Marketing activity will start at BETT on 13 January and will utilise local papers, radio, poster sites and local events.
  
• It is now possible for schools to sign up to access marketing information for use with your school community at http://www.homeaccess.org.uk/sign-up/
  
• It is now possible for parents to ring 0333 200 1004 to request an application form. The detail of the criteria for applicaton is available on http://www.homeaccess.org.uk/Information-for-parents/ . Obviously if their family currently does not have a computer they will be unable to access this link. You may wish to copy the information on this webpage into your own newsletter, or into a mail shot targetted towards the families who may benefit.
  
• The following companies are approved suppliers and therefore they have all got dedicated sections of their own websites relating to the homeaccess project. You may wish to peruse these if you wish to recommend for educational reasons a particular device or to find your nearest outlet to direct parents to. Each company has in brackets the retail outlets they will use for parents to go to to 'purchase' their computer.
  
  Bli Education - http://www.homeaccesscomputers.com/
  Centerprise (3 mobile, Phones4U, Apollo, Hughes, Brighthouse, Retra) - http://www.cihomeaccess.co.uk/
  Comet - www.comet.co.uk/homeaccess
  Misco - www.misco.co.uk/homeaccess
  Positive IT Solutions (Cartridge World) - http://www.homeaccessgrant.com/
  XMA (T-mobile) - http://www.xma4ha.co.uk/
  

Should you need further information that is not available using the links listed above please do not hesitate to get in touch. We do have a sample application form that can be emailed to Redbridge Schools' Home Access Grant coordinators on request.

Alex Rees
alex.rees@redbridge.gov.uk