January, 2010

Digital Leaders — 1 Comment
30
Jan 10

Vital Project

If you are a teacher who believes in challenging and inspiring young people by giving them responsibility and real life experiences, then I need your help. With the potential support of vital (funding), we are hoping to share the Digital Leader program with colleagues in the SE regime (and beyond if your interested). The more schools interested, the more we can do to innovate the programme. Who/what are Digital Leaders? In a nutshell, it is Student Voice for ICT with a production twist. Digital Leaders meet, innovate and publish through Digital Leadership, as well as being expected to be a ‘leader’ within school, similar to the common variety prefect but utilising the power and engagement of all things Digital.

The Digital Leaders are a group of students from Hamble Community Sports College that lead innovative ICT practice at Hamble College and regularly meet as part of the Digital Media and Gaming Club. They contribute to ICT innovation and curriculum development and contribute to school ICT policy.

One particular focus is the use of digital media to cover LIVE events for school and educational groups such as SSAT, Hampshire Information and Advisory Service and Open Source Schools. This coverage is then shared internally through the VLE and externally with parents via the school website.

Digital Leaders are position of responsibility and students apply, and reapply annually for the leader posts. Digital Leaders are given IT privileges, opportunities to develop their software and hardware skills and contribute important role with the ICT strategy for the school.

Loosely based on the GENyes programme, our leaders have grown in confidence and expectation. Students have covered live conferences, support CPD, lead CPD and about to design a Digital Leaders E-trainers qualification for future generation Digital Leaders.

If you are interested then leave me a comment.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Challenge — No Comments
28
Jan 10

Backbone

Dont grow a wish-bone where your back-bone should be.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Curriculum — No Comments
28
Jan 10

Casting the dice

Each Monday I teach 26/31 students from a middle band Yr 10 Class in the morning. In the afternoon, I teach 17 of the original 26 students, plus a further 7 new students. (Finally on Wednesday morning, I teach a very small, but productive group of 11/31) Sequential teaching is proving a real challenge as the group can not be split into appropriate sub groups and the OCR Nationals assessment outcomes comprise of many small, but numerous tasks. Relationships are strained, on both parties, I am aware of that and I try to be more accommodating / tolerant than my usual teaching style, however, I am not sure that its the most efficient strategy available.

Today relationships broke down. I clearly set the class tasks and confirmed their understanding. I emphasised the expected levels of student behaviour in order that I could offer students 1-2-1 student reviews and stressed the mutual benefit of this process. Sadly, numerous disturbances led me to issue two soft warnings and then a final warning, With students failing my final warning and unable to clearly identify the students most irresponsible, I had left myself with little / no room to manoeuvre and very poor aswell as limited disciplinary options.

So the ‘ limited disciplinary options,’ a) issue another warning / or empty threat or b) issue a group detention (5 mins) hereby punishing the few students who did apply themselves as well I myself!?! The well behaved students who were angry with the disrespectful students were now angry with me and I was angry with myself. In an effort to address the balance I created room own room to manoeuvre. I posted a 5 mins count down timer and released students every 30s – if the group were settled. Did this address the situation, no. Any ideas.

Thats a rather long winded explanation for a simple post but here the conclusion. Tonight whilst watching a poor excuse for a puzzle game show ‘Only Connect,’ I learnt about a military punishments. When a regiment was to be punished, to protect its over health, soldiers would cast dice to see who would be punished. Is there a connection, a possible solution.

Popularity: 1% [?]

CPD and INSET — No Comments
27
Jan 10

Hampshire Network Managers Group

Working together for better solutions.
Today, the Hampshire NWMG met for only the second time today at Wildern School. After 12 months conversation, email and badging of EDICT and headteachers has be somewhat successful. I was very proud to see a group of 30+ IT staff convene and witness real quality conversation being shared. The only downside to this growth was that the room was a little over crowded. Three colleagues presented, the next agenda was set and an agreed group task outlined – this meeting had purpose. The meeting concluded with staff being able to met and make professional introduction essential if we are going to foster postive collaboration. If you happen to be a Hampshire aspiring, acting or existing Network Manager, (or even in close proximity), then the next meeting is April 28th @ Perins School.  A note of thanks to Mike Jenkins, who has supported my effort to launch this group, Tim Dalton @ Wildern School for his continued professional support and Sue Whittaker, for her administration support.

Popularity: 1% [?]

CPD and INSET — No Comments
23
Jan 10

Where to Throw Your Stones

Dr Scott MacLeod  writes an edtech focused blog with a slant on leadership and IMHO he has a fair amount of insight worth reviewing. With Vital  about to visit Hamble Community Sports College next week I am mindful of one of his recent posts….

As I’ve said many times:

If a teacher gets it, a classroom changes. If a principal gets it, the whole building begins to change. If a superintendent gets it, the whole district begins to change. [And, if state or federal policymakers get it, the statewide or nationwide climate begins to change.]

Seems obvious, right? So why are so many government / corporation / foundation educational technology reform initiatives (money, time, training, energy, vision) focused on teachers, who at best are usually informal leaders, rather than formal leaders such as principals and superintendents? Do they want systemic change or just something they can tout for public relations purposes?

I do hope they have taken this viewpoint into account and this post in not meant to be a criticism. Will I be brave enough to formally mention it on Thursday? After all, where do you throw your stones, on the edge of the pond or where the ripples will have the greatest impact?

Popularity: 2% [?]

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