Curriculum changes

Interesting new developments in the curriculum for primary schools have been leaked according to The Guardian. Prescriptive rules about which topics and areas of history to study are being scrapped in a move which should lead to more creativity possible for individual schools and teachers, but there is bound to be criticism of the new emphasis on digital forms of communication.

No, primary school children do NOT need to learn Twitter! But they do need to be aware of the tools of communicaton. Though whether they need to be taught them is another matter - in most schools it's the children who are capable of teaching the teachers about digital literacy.

National Digital Resource Bank

At the recent NAACE2009 conference Jim Knight spoke of the role that NAACE members have played in the National Digital Resource Bank, stating:  

“A partnership with the Spanish Telecommunications and Information Society has been signed…..to develop a National Digital Resource Bank, to create, search for, and share digital content.  NAACE members responded really well last year with members from more than 100 Local Authorities agreeing to share publicly funded Digital Teaching and Learning Resources.

"The UK is renowned for excellence in ICT infrastructure, development of Digital Resources, and willingness to work with other countries and has combined these three elements in this landmark project.”    

There are plans to provide a huge collection of resources - to be downloaded, from a
central repository, hosted on the National Education Network, to school and college Learning Platforms.

There will be a number of press articles over the next few weeks as journalistic interest is very high in the project, most particularly as we are using an Open Source solution developed in Spain. The assistance of both JANET(UK) and Jim Knight were needed to get this agreement and the formal signing took place  a week before Government announced its wish to see more Open Source projects - so a genuine first!

An open source solution has delayed the project but provided substantial cost savings and will enable the project to grow and provide resources for education at minimal cost.  

Using video

Via tombarrett on Twitter: "Nine Interesting Ways* to use your Pocket Video Camera in the Classroom" http://is.gd/gXpf

Having just been shown a student video of (controlled!) explosions in A-level chemistry class. It was never as much fun when I was at school!

If you have a literacy related video do get in touch with Kids on the Net if you'd like us to publish it!

Videoed book reviews? Poetry readings? How-to videos?

Ways to access YouTube

YouTube is still blocked for access in many schools and colleges and I know a lot of people Joyce Valenza on the School Library Journal has posted (more than) eight ways to get round blocking of YouTube - some simple, some deeply ingenious. If you are a teacher who needs to use a YouTube video or two, here's how to get round that block.

Routes - Discover the secrets in your genes

The Wellcome Trust is helping Channel 4 create an Alternate Reality Game for teens based on genetics. So-called "Serious Games" are being used more and more for supporting learning and ARGs are a powerful and exciting development. Keep your eye on http://www.routesgame.com

P.S. According to Wikipedia an ARG or alternate reality game (ARG) is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions. It's a great way to learn!

Turkish school wins 2008 eLearning Awards in Rome

“EuroPoems”, a project submitted to the 2008 edition of the eLearning Awards by Elif Kara, a Turkish teacher from Hisar Egitim Vakfi Okullari located in Kemerburgaz near Istanbul, won the Young Digital Planet Award for outstanding teachers-First prize at the Award Ceremony in Rome on 4 December 2008. Piotr Mroz, Executive Director from Young Digital Planet, presented the teacher with a crystal trophy, a cheque for € 3000 and an interactive whiteboard for her school.

Miguel Roa Guzmán, a Spanish teacher from I.E.S. San Juan de Dios won the Interwrite Learning Award for outstanding teachers-Second prize, for his project "10 x 10 x 10".

Eight schools were awarded in the 2008 eLearning Awards for a total of € 40 000 in cash prizes and equipment worth a similar amount, provided by Interwrite Learning, SMART, Promethean and Intel.

More on outstanding European school elearning projectss at http://elearningawards.eun.org/ww/en/pub/elearningawards/press_and_news/elearning_winner.htm

FREE WORKSHOP: Creative Classroom Approaches to Diversity

WHEN: Wednesday 21st January 2009 from 3.45pm - 5.15pm

WHERE: Benson Community Primary School, Benson Road, Hockley, Birmingham B18 5TD.

• Are some of your topics getting a bit stale?
• Do you want some new ideas to help embed diversity into your curriculum?

This Primary Colours Workshop will give you lots of practical guidance on topics and methods which you can introduce now to both embed diversity and add more creativity to your teaching and learning.

Click Here to register now via email!