May, 2010

Digital Learning / e-Tools — No Comments
16
May 10

Ideas Incubator

About 3 months ago I sent in a request to timeline webware Preceden. We struck up a conversation about a possible feature and we have continued the conversation to Matt asked me for a webware tool wish list. So I emailed, tweeted and chatted with other educators to glean some ideas. Exam season is not the best time to make these requests and the ‘open’ question did not elicit as much response as I thought it would. So, being a Sunday I sat down and got to work. My response to Matt covered three ideas, please add any ideas if you have them.
I now have some ideas if you have to time to code them?
In my review of webware, the most successful educational tools often fall into four main categories. The factual – etext books, content websites, video sites. The practical task orientated webware, mind mapping, or timelines. Third, the author / producer / content creator – Youtube, Voicethread and Myna. Finally those that provide short cuts to great looking content, Animoto, Xtranormal, Wordle. A few webware products have appeared that start to capture the vogue topic of creativity – couple this with the power to create random sets of information – perhaps not practical to create as hard copy teaching resources for the classroom.
One of the best examples I can show you John Davitt’s http://www.newtools.org/showtxt.php?docid=737 now iphone app RAG.
“The RAG is shake-me-up box of delights for the iPhone that generates thousands of fresh learning challenges. Give the RAG (Random Activity Generator) a shake, the cards spin and you are presented with a random activity to do. Primed with over 50,000 possible combinations….”
Only with RAG you have to learn random lessons, I want the same creative input but for the topics I need to teach. I need a partial RAG where teachers can write the lesson topic in the 1st box! That is my first idea, borrowed, I would encourage conversation with John Davitt on that idea, but would 100% use that tool in my lessons.
2. Is creative writing… there is a fab site that helps create random topics but….. http://www.distractionbeast.com/brainstormer.swf

I have some reservations. This tool would be for the sole purpose to getting students started and keeping them writing….. many lessons falter because that don’t get started quickly enough or as the young writers progress they are let down by their inability to be creative or resilient. Many students hit writers block, only because they can find first gear or later can not change gears. Sadly, the site is fantastic, but the options are perhaps a little too random / bizarre. Could we re-create a creative writing tool that offered a choice from themes / adjectives / settings / emotions / emoticons / dates and time / place? English departments would get so much from this. I could write the lists to a database and offer a query but I would not know how to transfer that to a web app. The web app would have tick boxes that allowed writers to set the scope for the writing scaffold. If answered yes, the random gnerate would create the plan.

Do you need a setting? Answer – Yes. A wedding
Do you need some adjectives? Answer - Yes. Tired, Lacklustre, Betrayed.
A date? Answer – Yes. June 27, 1902
A Time? Answer - No
A place? Answer – Yes. Barcelona
Emotic? Answer – Yes :(
What about for Science – show relationships between – randome Science themes / chemicals / reactions??
Another is a tool that shows students how to expand their writing. http://www.telescopictext.com/. There is an idea in there somewhere. Could create a tool that let students put their text in and link to a thesaurus to telescope their writing? More challenging.
Finally and perhaps the one with the most HARD educational evidence supported ideas is the use of manipulatives (Average effect size .89). I am surprised that this tool is not used more in schools but…. Here is the tool.
Provide 5 terms  and 5 answers – match the pairs.  Easy.
The real educational value is when you provide 5 terms but 6 answers – the learning effect goes up 3 fold, in deciding which are the correct answers. The skill, is in writing the question. eg the a simple set crimson, aqua, green, yellow and poppy, grass, sea, sun? Crimson, aqua, green, yellow and poppy, grass, sea, sky, sun?
What about a site that creates manipulative worksheets? Matt, over to you. Skype? These are my best three ideas to date.
Kristian
Lets see where it takes us?

Popularity: 3% [?]

Curriculum / IT Services / Management — No Comments
15
May 10

Important and Urgent then Do It.

I am sure you have come across the decision making matrix / Covey’s quadrants in one form or another. For 3 years, whilst working at Tauntons College, I faced a copy the matrix when sitting at my desk in an effort to reminded me to prioritise. I found it a very simple but effective model to follow and pending your personality, it might just reign in some of your temptations.

During the past 2 weeks, I have regularly drawn on the model to guide my decisions making as our ICT Department and IT Services strive towards our own ambitious targets. Hopefully by sharing these publically, you may wish to offer your opinions or partnerships, if you happen to be investigating the same curriculum or IT Services decisions.

KS4 Curriculum

Last year we more than doubled the pass rate. This year we have doubled the weighting, aiming for a 5% increase (although the Headteacher keeps pushing for 10%) and we have predicted a 70% increase in CVA. Yr11 attainment is  the priority. We have tracked the students progress very carefully, we know exactly what they have left to do, they know exactly what they have left to do thanks to Gradetrack (in house grades database), but still, hitting our targets still represent a real challenge. In addition to the heavy marking load, staff are currently offering 2 afterschool workshops per week and I offer a third on Fridays. Its all hands to the decks with GTP and PGCE students supporting Yr 11 classes.

May 13th Moderation: How much time do you spend with the moderator when there is still Yr 11 teaching opportunities? Simple answer, the Yr 11 teaching took priority with moderation feedback planned around the teaching. During the lessons I help 2 more students complete a Unit.

Importantly we learnt that a DDDDPP profile would secure a Distinction grade. We had been demanding DDDDMM, so that relieved some of the pressure on some of our aspiring students and will boast some unit grade, therefore CVA.

In summary a very positive report with a number of minor recommendations that will be immediately written into the worksheets for next year.

Sadly our Level 1 moderation was less successful and immediate remedial interventions have been actioned. This puts additional strain on the Department and interventions requires staff commitment. As a Level 1 course, with a small class size (15), albeit with challenging students, I had expected the member of staff to be able to lead it successfully. Too frequently I delegated or expected that appropriate internal verification procedures would be put in place without rigorous follow up. Lack of planning now means I must act upon an issue that is both urgent and important.

KS4 Curriculum Examination:

OCR has just confirmed its extension as a KS4 qualification. This is clearly important, but not urgent and I am glad that I can share this responsibility with the newly appointed HOD ICT. I would love to spend time reviewing the different specification, but it can be planned for.

KS3 Curriculum: We are beginning to see the value of KS3 ICT teaching in Yr9. Yr 9 students are progressing well on Unit 4. At present that has been delegated to the second in Department and I try to be observant but not distracted.

Without question, KS4 curriculum pressure is in the air. Marking loads are heavy, additional workshops wear you down, but its just for 2 more weeks.

All this would be very manageable if it was only the curriculum. Add a new build project, L4L (1-2-1) moving into Year 2 and a vastly improved IT Services makes everything far more complicated. The curriculum decisions might appear quite clear, and to be honest they are, I can assure you the IT Services conundrum, presents a far more complex set of circumstances.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Digital Learning — No Comments
2
May 10

Google Maps Extras

Google maps is my ‘directions’ site of choice. Reading around last week I came across a few hidden extras.

  1. Look between the four-point navigation tool and the zoom slider and you will see a little button. Click on that little button in Firefox or Google Chrome and it will show you approximately where you’re at. Handy if you are not sure where you are!
  2. My old SAT NAV didnt accept postcodes, but road names and GPS coordinates. Click the green beaker-style Labs icon in the upper-right corner of Google Maps and a whole host on options are available. Enable the LatLng Tooltip to see coordinates wherever your cursor is. Quick and very easy.
  3. Create Gmaps from your spreadsheets. Use either addresses or postcodes to create maps and share, for example, Moodle Schools in Hamphire.

I hope they are of some use, PS – I will be looking behind the labs icon more regularly from now on.

Popularity: 2% [?]

VLE and Moodle — No Comments
2
May 10

Teach Meet Moodle

I am really pleased that @MoodleDan has proposed TeachMeetMoodle (TMM). May 3rd is fast approaching (Moodle2Beta)and so the Moodle landscape has the potential to evolve quiet swiftly / dramatically, albeit quiet slowly in terms of most school Moodles. Where are we at Hamble College? We are fast approaching our Moodle’s 1st birthday. Skoogle is making a small, but valuable contribution and we are working hard on how to make Skoogle the focal point of our learners academic lives. We are striving for digital competence within our staff and raising academic standards through the VLE. How?

  1. With the support of @SchoolsICT we have MIS integration. All the students courses are live, we display their timetables and achievement points, we hope to share more soon.
  2. Developing the learning activities within Moodle and staff confidence in using them. eg Nanagong and Checklists are the latest two.
  3. Through our continued to work with SchoolsICT, our next effort is to make Skoogle the focal point for parental engagement. I believe that a schools VLE is the most obvious place to engage parents, its there when they need it – we now need to present what they want to see. Back to SchoolsICT who are working  diligently on their latest product ZiLink.
  4. We hope to develop Personal Learning Plans (possible integrated into ZiLink) as the primary mentoring tool for our pastoral system.

Meantime we are looking at Live@edu integration and possible Mahara e-portfolios for the NEW Skills Centre being built on site. We hope TMM we help us connect with other schools wading through these challenging times. If you are interested in TMM, then just drop MoodleDan a Tweet or comment here. Lets not wait 12 months for MoodleMoots to get collaborative Moodle collaboration and ideas sharing into our schools, and lets get more schools to Moodlemoot next year.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Digital Learning — 1 Comment
2
May 10

Curriculum 2010

Since January 31st OCR have been failing to meet their own deadlines. Friday, some three months late, OCR National were reaccredited on the NQF. Speficially the ICT qualification ’will be available from August 2010, and the revised units are available now.’

What has changed within the units? We have been promised ‘essentially the same content’ but with ‘extra clarity and explicitness’ in the assessment criteria.

How many units are required? Previously students complete 1.5 per GCSE. Now its 2.5. This is the result of unit glh being slashed by 30% and expectations being raised from 90glh to 100glh. Like many subject leaders this immediately changes the OCR landscape.

Which unit combinations are available? This is not fully answered but a rather complicated outline of Mandatory units, Option B, C, new Short Course equivalents and so on is. My guess, it will be the usual Unit 1 plus 1 unit from Section B and a half units from Section C. We have to wait until June 15th and the update Handbook for that.

As an aside, why is exam boards work in 40glh blocks when the school taught year is essentially 30 weeks long?

What does that mean for the rock face practitioners? 1 GCSE equivalent OCR Nationals (AWARD) now require significantly more work (66%), even if that work is still pitched at ‘OCR Nationals’ level. Respectfully, students can achieve a passing grade through a ‘do-as-I-do’ approach to teaching without ‘learning’ too much for themselves. For subject teachers, that means sifting through the revised specifications, noting and responding to the changes. I have reviewed Units 1, 4, 7 (our previoulsy 2 GCSE course) and would suggest that this process is manageable.

The review process now broadens out to include all GCSE qualifications and the best fit for your school. Do the NEW GCSE specifications offer your students more value now that the OCR Nationals have been scaled back significantly? Would you offer a NEW GCSE plus Functional Skills? Would you offer OCR Nationals plus Functional Skills? Can your students complete 5 OCR units within their KS4 provision? I know that our students were stretched too far when they attempted to complete 2 units per academic year, but did manage 1.5 units.

Without question, with students achieving 2 GCSEs (for appropriately 65% of students) and forecasting improving pass rates for the final two years of OCR Nationals, a reduced weighting for ICT pass rates from 2013 will not be welcomed news by the Senior Leadership Team. Time to think outside the box? Can 2.5 units be delivered in Yrs 9 and 10 with Digital Communications in Yr 11?

Popularity: 7% [?]

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