communICTy

Download Video: Posted by jsdt4 at TeacherTube.com.

This video has useful statistics on how students use technology for learning in and out of school.

This video clearly explains how the communication of information is evolving from writing on a piece of paper, to text on a webpage, to creating your own videos.  It also explores how this ever expanding mass of information is being searched, sorted, tagged, mashed up and made into something new.

There are a number of versions of this video, but they all have the same message. Not only is the world’s population growing, so is the amount of information that we are producing. Therefore our ability to access this ever growing mountain of data and make sense of it will also have to grow.
However, what it does not mention is that the abilities that we continue to value are still interpersonal skills required to be creative with these new ideas and to collaborate with other people around the world.

Download Video: Posted by alexsavage at TeacherTube.com.

This week I am giving a training day to a group of ICT GTPs. We are going to look at a wide variety of classroom routines to give lessons a similar structure. This is will include:
How to set up a lesson before the students come in
Arranging a seating plan
Delivering a starter activity
Lesson aims and objectives
Giving instructions
Creating a lesson plan

The following video demonstrated I start every ICT lesson. I do not allow the students into my room until I am 100% ready. I stand at the door to welcome them in. They check the seating plan and log on. There is then an activity that they are able to do independently whilst I take the register and ensure that everyone is ready to work.

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All of my lessons use the same online lesson plan template that both the teacher and the students follow. To view an example go to MyTree. You can also view my complete online KS3 ICT SoW.

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Whilst in London for a SSAT conference with Joe Dale in June, we met Leon Cych at our hotel. He heard that we were in town and asked us to do an interview for his blog, Learn for Life. We managed to smuggle Leon’s camera lights and video equipment into Joe’s room (despite a lot of giggling and what must have looked like quite a dodgy sight!).

We chatted about how we use web2.0 in education. Including:

Spellmaster
Hot Potatoes
TaskMagic
Making PowerPoint interactive
PieCast
VerbCast
Ewan McIntosh
The Language Show
TES ICT Blog
Linguanet forum
MFLresources
Flashmeeting
Notre Dame High School blog
MFL blogs
Scotedublogs
Interviews
Skype
Pretty May
Flickr
YouTube
Keepvid
YouTube goes international
Moderating comments
Nodehill Bloggers
Breaking down the classroom walls with technology
How local blogs can create communities
Blidgets
Ning
Google Reader
Feedwhip
eTwinning Ambassadors

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This September, Alex Savage (ICT LPC) attended the 4^th iNet International Conference in Beijing. He gave a seminar on how to bring the real world into the curriculum using ICT. The conference also included presentations on themes such as personalised learning, globalisation and student voice.
The main message of the conference was that successful schools in the future will be those who reach out to other schools to share expertise and collaborate to develop a better curriculum.
Alex also learnt that scorpions on a stick are not as tasty as they sound!