HIAS ICT Learning Community – Sharing ideas, Innovating with ICT
September 1, 2009 at 4:03 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
For the first time, Havering LA and London Grid for Learning (LGfL) are inviting schools across the UK to create and submit poems that will be judged alongside their counterparts in France, Spain and Finland via video-conferencing on National Poetry Day (October 8).
Poet amd former children’s laureate Michael Rosen, together with John Hegley and Paul Cookson, will be the star poets at the one-day “All about Europe” event that organisers say “will allow children to have the opportunity through technology, to meet role models and participate in developing skills in poetry writing, listening and speaking”.
Entries for the competition can be written in any style and be about any subject – including culture, lifestyle or people – so long as they are also about Europe. Primary and secondary learners can get involved but only one entry per class will be accepted. The emphasis is on originality and – most important – having fun.
Schools can join the celebrations on October 8 in a number of ways. For those in London an LVCnet (London Video Conferencing Network) connection or a fixed IP address is enough, while others can watch the real-time video stream throughout the conference on any broadband PC or by registering free with JVCS (Janet Video Conferencing Service) – other UK learning grids are supporting the event. Using either of these methods, they’ll also be able to make comments and ask questions via the LGfL forum, details of which will be on the competition site for a week from September 28.
As judges for “All about Europe”, which is being hosted at Crownfield Junior School in Essex, the celebrity poets will need to be prepared. Pupils are planning to put them on the spot with questions about their work and life with responses to be broadcast internationally on the day. And with live presentations from participating schools, both in the UK and abroad, they’ll have to work hard at perfecting their own performances which are expected to include poetry readings.
The top prizes are 2GB Mp3 players and signed copies of books from the judges for winners in each of the age group categories – 7-11 and 11-16. Finalists’ entries will be read out ‘live’ during the day with winners notified at a later date.
More information
www.poetryday.lgfl.net
September 1, 2009 at 3:24 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Engayne Primary School has won a boroughwide challenge to collect the most printer cartridges for recycling. The school collected 368 cartridges throughout the school year in the challenge set by Cartridge World Romford. The Upminster school was presented with a trophy, a bird
box fitted with a webcam and shopping vouchers by Cartridge World Romford manager Paul Rawlings. Head teacher Suzanne Ship
said: “The bird box webcam is an excellent addition to the ways
in which we are using ICT to support teaching and learning at Engayne. The children cannot wait to see the first lot of chicks hatch next Spring.” An estimated 65 million printer cartridges are sold in the UK every year but only 15 per cent of them are recycled. A typical cartridge that ends up
in landfill could take 1,000 years to decompose. Dave Smith, ICT consultant
and curriculum adviser for Havering Inspection and Advisory Service, said: “The competition was enthusiastically received by Havering schools
and has helped to encourage the recycling of cartridges with a positive environmental impact.”
Read the original article in Living in Havering #112 below…
http://www.havering.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=19045&p=0
July 29, 2009 at 6:24 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
In July 2009, Scargill Junior School was awarded the Becta ICT Mark.
In the ICT Mark Assessor’s report the following elements were highlighted as ‘Areas of strength/outstanding practice within the self-review framework’:-
- Passion and vision for handheld learning supporting independent, pupil led learning across the curriculum.
- Commitment and enthusiasm from all staff – exemplified in well planned, high quality cross curriculum activities using these resources.
- Management, implementation and review of innovations led by ICT co-ordinator.
Amanda Ireland, Scargill Junior School’s Head Teacher commented, “We are thrilled at achieving the ICT Mark. It is recognition for the fabulous work we are doing to enable our children to achieve lifelong learning and skills in the 21st Century. ICT is key to this and we aim to develop and extend this even further.”
The HIAS ICT Team would like to congratulate Amanda and all the staff at Scargill Junior School for all of their hard work in achieving the ICT Mark, in particular ICT Co-ordinator Karen Webley. This is a well-deserved award and demonstrates the School’s innovative commitment to school improvement through ICT.
If you are interested in working towards ICT Mark, please contact the HIAS ICT Team through dsmith1.311@lgflmail.org
July 29, 2009 at 3:26 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
The ‘*Snapshot on the Visualiser Market in UK and Europe’, a report created by Futuresource Consulting, demonstrates the ways in which visualisers are being recognised across the education sector as a key tool in transforming teaching and learning. Some of its key findings show that:-
· Over 11k visualisers were sold in UK in 2008 and Futuresource forecast that over 17k will be sold in 2009, a growth rate of 56%.
· The market is valued at £12 million in 2009 increasing 53% in 2010 to £18 million.
· 1 in 30 UK school classrooms now have a visualiser that will increase to 1 in 10 by 2010.
· Almost 50k visualiser sales are forecast in 2009 across Western Europe.
Dave Smith, Chair of the Visualiser Forum comments…
“The outcomes of the Futuresource report reinforce the Visualiser Forum’s assertion that visualisers are becoming the must-have ICT item for schools. We believe that the rate of growth in sales in a period of diminishing budgets, demonstrates how teachers and schools are recognising the ways in which visualisers are impacting on teaching and learning. Simple to use and cost-effective – visualisers are popular with even the least ICT confident teachers. The prediction that the number of classrooms with a visualiser will grow from 1 in 30 in 2009 to 1 in 10 in 2010 shows just how popular the technology is. The pupils and teachers cannot be wrong.”
Read an abridged copy of the report here… Futuresource Visualiser Report
Visit the Visualiser Forum blog www.visualiserforum.org for ideas and case studies of how visualisers can be embedded in teaching and learning across phases/the curriculum.
July 16, 2009 at 5:24 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Following the exciting pan-London ‘Den’ video event, LGfL is delighted to announce that eleven schools have impressed the ‘Dragons’ and will receive financial backing for the projects for which they were bidding. Groups of children ranging from Y1 to Y12 pitched to the Dragons (CEOs of LGfL’s supplier partners Atomwide, Fronter and Synetrix joined by Havering’s ICT Inspector) who were unanimous in their praise for the quality of presentation, interaction and creativity of the bids. The Dragons have provided over £10,000 in support of this programme. Scargill Junior School (Nintendo DSi for Maths’ Enrichment) and Harold Court Primary (Learn beside the seaside) both won funding…
Brian Durrant CEO, LGFL said: “I am delighted that the London Grid for Learning, the consortium made up of all London’s LAs, was able to host another creative curriculum event. ‘Durrant’s Den’ fosters the entrepreneurial initiative of pupils, and brings them right into the ‘Den’, through video-conferencing over the ‘Grid’, without needing to leave school.”
June 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
This resource was recently featured at the HIAS Primary ICT Leaders’ meeting. A sample pack is being distributed to all primary and special schools in Havering by the HIAS ICT Team - please encourage parents/carers to access these excellent materials via…
http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/Get-involved/Supporters-materials/Recommended-reading/Heres-How-Information-Packs/
includes:
- an overview of the benefits of effective technology use within schools
- a useful booklet giving some questions for you to ask when talking to your child’s school about technology
- an overview of the Next Generation Learning Charter including a tear off slip to take into schools to encourage them to sign up
- a selection of “Here’s how activity cards” so you can start using the wealth of learning resources on the internet with your child.
June 24, 2009 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
HIAS_PrimaryICT_Newsletter_Summer_2009
Includes information on the Rose Report and how it relates to ICT, HIAS ICT Bursaries winners, video-conferencing opportunities – including Michael Rosen and National Poetry Day. Also, how to sign-up for the Becta Self-Review Framework (SRF), which provides an excellent audit tool for your school’s current and future ICT provision. NB. The number of Havering schools actively engaged with the SRF and aiming for the extremely prestigious ICT Mark has doubled in the past three months. The momentum is really growing. We hope to be announcing more ICT Mark accredited schools before the end of the Summer Term. If you have Activemark, Arts Mark, Healthy Schools Award etc – it is time to get the ICT Mark too.
June 24, 2009 at 3:23 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
http://www.createascape.org.uk/
Create-A-Scape is a FREE web resource that enables students to design and experience their own learning journeys using handheld computers. Users can create a range of experiences from tours of discovery to art installations – the only constraint is imagination.
June 17, 2009 at 11:25 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Matthew_Turk_Write_Online
Click in the link above to read Matthew Turk’s article on WriteOnline from Crick Software…
Find out more about WriteOnline from Crick Software themselves… http://www.cricksoft.com/uk/writeonline/
June 17, 2009 at 11:16 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
www.iboard.lgfl.net
Click on the link above to open. If you are not opening it via the LGfL network, you will need your LGfL log-in and password.
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