Grape Expectations

Despite my extensive staff training (Bridging the Gap & Bridging the Gap 2) and the fact that I have had a weekly open workshop in the ICT suite to allow staff to answer questions or improve skills with support. It has still been my aim to improve communications throughout the school. The number of handwritten and photocopied notes that I pick out from my pigeonhole is heinious at best and could be responsible for a large proportion of global deforestation. Having provided all staff (120) with e mail accounts and training in how to use them, surely this would bear fruit and some of the intra-school communication would utilise this medium. Alas no. Despite the accessibility of the medium, paper has remained the chosen communication delivery system.
Conversations with management revealed their support for my crusade, however there remained the inevitable catch 22, they were loathe to send out anything important by e mail for fear it was missed by staff, staff did not feel the need to regularly check their e mails because all important information was imparted by more archaic methods.
So was born a weekly prize draw, a case of wine was donated by the deputy head teacher, the concept was I send out an e mail, all respondents are entered into a weekly draw, the winner getting a bottle of wine.

Simple, fun and hopefully encouraging the utilisation of the e mail system.
Week 3 is nearly over, the draw will take place tomorrow using The Hat in morning assembly, there will be a sense of trepidation and excitement from staff and children alike. (The students have become my adversaries in nagging their own staff about participating). Results on responses are as follows:

• Week 1 - 18 replies
• Week 2 - 28 replies
• Week 3 - 34 replies so far (still a couple of hours to go!!)

Its still not even 50%, and I am still struggling to win some people over but nevertheless, it has become a talking point and if people are talking about technology, even something as mundane as e mails then perhaps it will move forward.
When I get to 50% (and I will) then plans are to introduce the complex tasks of: copying in another recipient, opening an attachement and even adding an attachment. More gap bridging is planned, and with the opportunity of some free alcohol appearing to be motivational in

Bridging the Gap 2

With one week left of my Basic ICT course I have had time to reflect on what, if anything it has achieved. As I highlighted in my previous post (Bridging the Gap) I had several outcomes intended for the course:

• Greater confidence in use of ICT across the school.


• Better support for our students in their use of ICT.


• Maximised usage of the hardware and software available.


• A shift towards a 21st Century learning experience for the children.

All of which are worthwhile and I can say with confidence will be a step closer to being realised now than they were 5 weeks ago. So with my reflective head on I looked at what I covered during the weeks, why? And the benefits to: The staff who attended; the school as a whole; me as ICT subject leader and the students we teach.

Week 1 - Computer basics - Nothing earth shattering here, a glossary of terms they may come across (linked to Teach-ICT online dictionary). Just so they know what a wiki, blog, podcast etc are. Not asking people to do them, just know they are there. This was followed with a walk around the Windows desktop, maximising , minimising and closing windows. Using the taskbar. Switching between open applications.

We then played some online games - My justification: It is what the children do, it improves mouse skills, It was a distraction from me talking and everyone was engaged with their computer....

finally a whistlestop tour of file management - How make a folder, rename a folder and move files between folders. Short task provided was a folder full of mixed files which needed to be sorted into some order.

Week 2 - KLZ & E mail - Kent Learning Zone (KLZ) is the sharepoint portal through which staff access their e mails and a range of other information. We looked at the school sharepoint site (I have spent some time making it user friendly) and then accessed the course page on which all the notes, information and links have been posted. I had added a couple of Voki's of a mouse that revised some of the points from the previous weeks input.

We then looked at the e mail accounts - reading, replying and forwarding messages. opening attachments. Adding contacts and organising contacts. I then sent an e mail to all staff, giving the opportunity for contacts to be added and sorted as appropriate to each individual.

Week 3 - The Internet - I did nothing here, largely thanks to @markw29 and his wonderfully informative Welcome to the Web - The site provides a step by step walk though the Internet including: Staying safe, Browsing, searching. It covered everything I wanted to cover - Although it is aimed at children, the tips and idea included were relevant, accessible and well presented. I introduced it, showed them where the link was and then let them play.

Week 4 - Word & Publisher - 1 hour to look at 2 pieces of software that (despite my reluctance to hand the Microsoft empire yet more control) do appear to form the mainstay of ICT tools in the classroom. These bread and butter applications are used regularly by the children in most curricular areas -

Word - I just put a piece of text onto the sharepoint site that could be downloaded. I demonstrated 5 things: Formatting the font (colour & Style); Using the spellchecker; Using synonyms; Inserting a picture and Inserting Word Art. These tools, whilst a tiny part of the software's capability enabled them all to produce a formatted piece of text and the awareness that making a piece of text presentable is a relatively simple task.

Publisher - Once again a load of things I could have done - instead went straight to the 'Publications for print' and looked at the pre-loaded layouts. I chose one and demonstrated that using a layout that worked I could adapt it and change it to suit my personal needs. I demonstrated 5 things: Editing a text box; formatting an autoshape; formatting a line; deleting elements and changing a picture. The task was then to produce a certificate for their class using these tools.

Both tasks were successful in providing an introduction to the software and gave an opportunity to play with the computer.

Week 5 - Excel & Powerpoint - As I write this I have not yet completed week 5, I am following a similar format to week 4 and expect to give a short demonstration with a practical task to clarify each of the applications. I do not like Powerpoint personally and am hoping these familiar applications will provide a springboard from which other software can be accessed be it installed or web-based.

Having completed the bulk of the course, and for the main enjoyed doing it what has it achieved in terms of value are multi-faceted:

The Staff - I have received a wealth of positive comments from those who have been turning up and giving up their own time to move outside their personal comfort zones. This was highlighted on Friday with the message shown below on a small card:

The accompanying bottle of red wine was well received and enjoyed with my steak on Friday evening, but more so was the sentiment of the card - The key word being confident. I have heard a range of positive comments about ICT from people whose approach to and grasp of ICT knowledge had in the past bordered on phobic. I feel that the confidence to turn on a machine and have a go has started to grow amongst the staff.

The School - It is too early to gauge any long term affects, but I am confident that just the fact that all the staff now have school e mail addresses - and because of training over 60% of them are accessing them regularly. We are in a position to communicate as an organization in a more efficient, cost effective and ecologically sound way.

The ICT Leader - If it means that one less person asks me 'can you just' with regards to an ICT problem then I will be satisfied. But even more I have already noticed that the support staff who accompany children into the ICT suite for a lesson are more confident in their support of the children. Being prepared to take a risk alongside the students is a big ask, yet it is happening.

The Students - We are led to believe that we are educating digital natives, and that our students are much more able and confident than adults to embrace and utilise the tools that 21st century learning provides. Generally this is true, nevertheless there are children who struggle to access or understand the worth of these tools. What value to their self-esteem is being supported by an adult who finds the concepts equally baffling? This 2-way scaffolding could be beneficial in raising standards in ICT and helping children to improve their own self-worth. I think it is good that children see the adults around them learning, it helps to foster a positive image of life-long learning. I had a conversation in the dinner hall on Friday with a year 10 student - Student - 'Am I right in saying that the staff have been having ICT lessons after school? Can I ask why?' I explained that they are trying to improve their own knowledge to facilitate the children improving and using ICT more effectively. He looked at me, thought for a while, then said 'Thats a good idea' and carried on eating. That about sums it up, the value to the children is having adults supporting them who can help them to move forward in all curricular areas. If ICT can be used positively in the classroom then our students have one more tool that can foster their own development.

In conclusion, none of it is earth shattering, none of the course was ground breaking in fact it was basic with a capital B. But it has been well received, moved people forward and I am already being approached by other more reticent staff about the possibility of repeating it next term. I have been given praise (which is always nice), I have seen benefits in the classroom and I believe we are one step closer to effectively utilising the plethora of ICT opportunities available in school and online. I would love to bridge the gap, think I may have laid the abutment, more bridging to follow!

Bridging the gap

The multi-faceted nature of a job within the education system can be fraught with many challenges. There are a multitude of different agendas being addressed by specialists, all aimed at maximising the potential of the children and offering them different and exciting experiences. I am one of those specialists, I like to think I have some degree of specialism in ICT and so therefore my agenda is largely technology based. I spend time, and thought into trying to ensure that the technological capability of my work environment is useful and accesssible for all the stakeholders in the school. My frustrations lie not with the hardware or software that I install (even though I sometimes make mistakes), or making it work (this in itself can sometimes be an enigma!) but in the ever increasing knowledge gap that exists between some adults within schools and the students they are helping.
This gap has been my target, I would not force anybody to embrace 21st Century technology, nor would I insist they utilise them in the classroom, but I truly believe that as yet further advances are made in technology, educators need to be aware of and, if appropriate, at least be capable of pointing children towards the tools available.
To this end I have been a staunch supporter, and advocate of the 'converted' (you are probably one if you are reading this) supporting those, who for whatever reason, struggle to access the technology that 21st Century society offers them. For this reason, predominantly, although there are benefits for the children and the school. I decided to offer a free 'Basic ICT Course' to the staff in my school.
I put up a list on the noticeboard, included a brief course outline, and a choice of days (I was going to do an hour a week, for 5 weeks, on a Wednesday or a Thursday). They were to give up their own time and stay late at school, to step outside their comfort zones. CPD is fine when it suits you, but personal sacrifice for CPD can be difficult to buy into. I was amazed, not only was there take up, but I was oversubscribed! Instead of Wednesday OR Thursday, I was having to do both days, 36 people ( a third of the staff), including all the SMT opted in.
I have just finished week two, the altruistic intentions of my actions are supported by a number of staff thanking me for the things they are learning, and putting into practise both at school and at home (I await patiently the arrival of my sainthood or at least a mention in the Queen's Birthday honours list). The ultimate outcomes:

• Greater confidence in use of ICT across the school.
• Better support for our students in their use of ICT.
• Maximised usage of the hardware and software available.
• A shift towards a 21st Century learning experience for the children.

It has been well received, I have enjoyed the praise that has been offered me and there is a discernable buzz around the staff room regarding ICT generally. Hopefully, despite it being a small step, I am making some inroads into bridging the gap between those who can, and those who want to, embrace the technological era.

Do you want to BETT?

Having attended BETT for the last 3 years I was aware that this time was going to be equally manic, tiring and fraught with a plethora of sales people thrusting Shiny glossy leaflets into my hands. So I was prepared for the day and entered into the fray with 3 clear questions:

1. What shall I do about my school website?
2. What are my options for a VLE?
3. How shall I approach my desire to have some 'games based learning' in the school?

A quick walk around the venue talking to nobody, scowling a lot and finding my bearings gave me an overview of what was on offer. Following a coffee and some consultation of the show guide I then did some targeted stall visiting. I am not going to mention names or products, nor am I going to link to any of the companies that I spoke to. Whilst I walked away with a small bag full of leaflets and spent a great deal of time discussing my needs, I was unable to answer any questions with any degree of fortitude, in fact if anything I asked myself more questions... Still that is the nature of the Technology beast.

So you might say: 'A wasted day!' Not at all, a day is only wasted if you do not learn anything from it. I got loads out of BETT, saw some new products, had some great conversations and I think moved my thinking forward. As I said, nothing jumped out at me, no one item or supplier floated my boat, but thinking time, and having time to reflect on my needs was an important benefit.

Following a long day traipsing the halls and galleries at BETT it was finally time for the Teach Meet: #TMBETT2010, as a TM virgin, I sat reticently (as if I do reticient!) in the Apex room as it slowly filled with a multitude of other professionals, I was impressed with the sheer number of people that attended, even more so was having that many i phones in one place, not sure what the collective noun for i phones is but I am going for 'an intelligence of i phones' (mainly because I like the alliteration). Within minutes there was a discernable buzz around the hall as people began to piece together their own PLN jigsaw, replacing an avatar with a face, a user name with a Christian one. There was a hum as these seperate parts discussed work environments, BETT itself and a range of other topics. I have to hand it to @tombarrett the whole thing was impressive. The list of people who stood up to share their classroom practises and thoughts is massive and I refer you to @dawnhallybone's blog for details of the speakers. But my thoughts are this:

• Not one single person who stood on that stage failed to deliver me something; A useful tool; a concept to muse over; something to laugh about; some infectious enthusiasm; in fact most of them offered me all of the above and more.
• Meeting some of the people whom I have: had conversations with; shared ideas with; read their blogs or shared a joke, was equally worthwhile and served to reinforce my opinion that my best CPD has come via the social networking of my PLN.
• The organisation of the event was faultless, from the free drink to the technology available to the presenters (and the camel) and I raise my hat to those who put it together and also the sponsors.

So it is with a heightened enthusiasm that I am typing this, I have used Voki today to embed some instructional tips in my Basic ICT page I have set up for the staff at school. A conversation with @jasondilling on the train after the TM led me set up an Edmodo account today for all my classes to enable a journey into microblogging. I am seriously considering driving forward a Teach Meet in Kent in the near future. My BETT/TMBETT 2010 experience proved to be a profitable one. I look forward to using the tools and ideas I have been gifted, thinking about the opinions and ideas of others and being able to share something of mine.

LO Hell

That is it, I have had enough, if one more person LOL's me I will possibly commit some unthinkable crime.

When I was small (too long ago to think about now) I think I possibly did 'laugh out loud' when my uncle, pinned me down and tickled me so hard it hurt. I have witnesssed people using recreational drugs or alcohol who have chanced upon some bizarre event that can reduce them to undescribable levels of mirth. Yet apart from those and the occasional outburst at a particularly amusing part in a sitcom or stand-up comedians routine, I have not witnessed many huge outbreaks of uncontrollable laughter. Then why do people insist on LOL, PMSL and other ludicrous statements in text messages, chat forums and e mails, if these are to be believed, a vast percentage of the population of the world are sat in front of their computers, netbooks, laptops and mobile phones laughing manically like a pack of cyber hyenas.

It sounds like I am a mirthless grouch, which is not true, I like a good joke and am quick to share with others if something relevant, witty and original hits my inbox. However, I rarely (in fact probably never) 'laugh out loud' for fear that the infamous 'men in white coats' arrive with their strait jacket to restrain me until a suitable area of padded accomodation is available. What I do however is smile - normally a small smile, enough to acknowledge the presence of humour in what I have read or seen. So for those of you who share with me on Twitter, MSN or Facebook, or recieve a text from me and get an addendum of SWS - that is just what it is, a Small Wry Smile. Not the ridiculous exaggerated statements commonplace in chat rooms worldwide.

Custard Running

Most of life, in my experience, is spent charging along towards a variety of goals. We spend the week running towards the weekend, eyes open with anticipation. Our pace increases at the weekend as we sprint headlong into a new week. This manic hurtling cycle is only broken just prior to a really big event, A long holiday, a special occasion an important celebration. At those times the running track of life is mysteriously exchanged for a large bowl of custard, the bigger the event the deeper the dessert sauce. I am eagerly anticipating my new post in September, I am looking forward to family camping holiday, cannot wait to go to China to see my brother. Consequently I am currently thigh deep in custard slogging through the last week of term, I know I will get there, I know once the weekend comes the speed will increase through the holidays to an almost breakneck level. But that does not make the custard running any easier.

Cube Life

I have been using animation in the primary classroom for 4 years now (see earlier posts)and in my opinion have successfully got some effective results from the children using a medley of software. My established system, whilst ungainly, worked. stop frame in Digital Blue software, Audio mixing in Audacity and combining the two elements in Moviemaker. I was therefore intrigued, at the Kent ICT Conference and exhibition '09,to see a piece of animation software on show. I have seen a number of products in the past couple of years and they either had an unfriendly interface or did not do quite what I felt they should. So I was expecting more of the same. I stopped and talked to the man from ZU3D




He was helpful and informative as he whizzed through the features of the programme. He quickly and easily created a short stop-frame animation, added titles and sound files. I was nearly impressed - so to the interrogation - The worth of the programme was the receptive nature of the stall holder - he was able to answer my queries regarding Multi-track audio, explain how the other features on the software worked and then listened to and was positive about my development suggestions (what I would like a piecec of animation software to do). I took a trial disc and loaded it onto my laptop immediately (time on my stand spent productively)
The first thing I noticed was how child friendly the interface was:

A series of buttons clearly marked allow: frame capture, preview, live video and deletion of frames.
Titles and a multitude of audio tracks can be added with a simple drag and drop system.
The simplicity of the software is further enhanced by the fact that you can use any digital video camera, therefore a digital blue or a webcam work just fine.

So what made it special - For me there are 2 factors:

Firstly 'Onion Skinning' - The previous frame is cleverly superimposed on the new frame allowing you to see the extent of your move, this also allows for models/figures to be replaced in case they fall.



Secondly the multi-track audio - Whilst not as versatile as Audacity, it offers the abilty to add a variety of sound effects, drag them into position, crop and fade as required.




So I liked it - It has the simple stop-frame animation interface of the digital blue, it has the multi-tracking capability of Audacity and you can drag and drop items, Moviemaker style onto the timeline. I took it home and had a very quick play: Cube Life and I am hoping to get some children onto it in the last week of term.

The final selling point was the website. Showcasing children's work is a fantastic way of maintaining engagement and expanding the assessment opportunities. The ZU3D website provides a gallery onto which completed animations can be uploaded. Content is vetted prior to inclusion on the site and is searchable and comments (also moderated) can be added along with a 5 star rating system. I am looking forward to giving the children a chance to test the parameters of the software and it is on my list of purchases for 2009.

I believe that animation is an engaging way of stimulating children in a number of curricular areas and the ZU3D software offers the opportunities to access this exciting medium in a simple and fun way.