Posts Tagged: CPD and INSET

CPD and INSET / Leadership / Management / Reflections — No Comments
2
Dec 10

Microsoft – Innovative Education Forum

Harry 016The week I travelled to Manchester to the attend the Microsoft Innovative Education Forum (IEF). In spite of the long journey and poor driving conditions, I highly recommend you bookmark next years event in your diary. Let me explain why.

This Microsoft event brought a whole host of passionate educators together. You only had to stop for a moment to observe the interactions around you, to listed to the exchange of ideas and commitments to future collaborations. This years event was preceded by the Innovative Teacher MEETing where a wide range of mini and nano presentations set a very positive and upbeat tone for the conference. Whilst making excellent use of our time, I was privileged to meet fantastic educators, such as Dawn Halleybone, Dave Mitchell, Chris Mayoh and Chris Allan and re-connect with even more great teachers such as Ceri Williams, David Rodgers, Dan Roberts, Kerry Turner, Ian Addison……  Which reminds me – I will connect with Alessio Bernardelli, whose teaching philosophy and teaching manner inspired me.

Staff roomI will also like to thank Microsoft for their hospitality. Cloud 23 bar, its stunning 360-degree views of the Manchester night skyline, chilled refreshments, canapés, well as Dan Roberts noted, ‘If Carlsberg made staffrooms…."

Second, the event formally recognised innovative teaching and teachers.  10 inspiring teaching projects in total were recognised, all available to the community via the UK partners in Learning Network to replicate, adapt and develop. My congratulations to all 10 winners and a merit mark, gold star or house point to Microsoft for sharing their ideas so  readily. Neat idea.

This event had all the conference cornerstone firmly secured in place. Keynotes that challenged and inspired, workshops with impact and credibility, professional recognition (Innovative Teachers Awards) and a great venue (if not central). Now add to that, the opportunity to contribute (TeachMEETing), a cross sector audience and wonderful hospitality – well, you get a fantastic event.

In writing this reflection, I feel that more of my colleagues could should benefit from future IEF events. Moreover, that we (you) could foster and support staff and student innovation within our schools, using the VCT and IEF format. Quite simply, staff that submit a VCT could then be offered the opportunity to attend the IEF 2011 and who knows, may even be recognised themselves.

The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.

In this instance, the main thing is to keep innovating.

Popularity: 51% [?]

CPD and INSET — No Comments
5
Jan 09

Staff CPD – Out on a Limb

This afternoon I delivered my first whole college ICT inset. I was anxious, I was cutely aware that a ‘technology failure’ would have a significant negative impact on my integrity and on staff confidence. To lead 60 of my colleagues on an ICT CPD session via (relatively new) wireless network on their staff issued laptops, left me buoyed but also relieved.

Q What ICT topic would you have delivered for wholeschool CPD on the first day back after the break?

Having thought quite hard about this issue I decided on the title ‘Working with Files and Folders.’ It was a simple topic but one with scope, but more importantly it was a topic that all staff encompass (as long as they use their network).

Next questions, ‘typically, why is wholeschool CPDs dull?’

Well its hard to personalise wholeschool CPD, I knew that I could not help everyone but I could get everyone to help one another…..? and that was my hook. Second I wanted to take a few calculated risks, I wanted to use teachnology, to showcase some of the tools we have been experimenting with. So here is my CPD session, help yourself.

Email links just before attending the session to the Online poll (polleverywhere)and Google Form. Create shortcuts on the staff shared area for safety.

No verbal introduction – French and Saunders – The Computer Whisperer.

The video set a light hearted mood. The staff where then asked to poll their ICT competencies before moving on to the small team quiz hosted via a Google self-marking form. The results were collected via a form, and although I thought having access to instants results was pretty impressive, I am not sure that it was such a hit with the staff?

We went through the answers and I side tracked on one or two additional College innovations that were highlighted by this task. I wish that I had planned and scripted this aspect more carefully rather than racing through the new College website, events calendar, document storage and remote access, helpdesk and shared resource on the Intranet. I finished with the results of our Everywhere Poll that strongly indicated that our staff have a positive outlook.

ICT confident and exploit ICT opportunities 10
ICT confident and use ICT opportunities 63
ICT competent but rarely use ICT opportunities 20
ICT less than confident but curious 0
ICT bruised and less than enthused 7%

Was it a success? On the whole, I hope that the staff found the task practical and engaging. I’ll see what feedback I can gather over the next couple of days. I don’t think the staff were blown away – it was hardly the most exciting topic. In reflection I think that this activity may have been more powerful with 4/5 teams in a classroom run by three staff rather than 20 teams in the main hall. It missed the banter between groups and it was hard to manage so many teams.  In the meantime, help yourself to any of the resources.

The results are here.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Digital Learning — No Comments
24
Apr 08

Animoto Hits the Spot

animoto-logo.gifNow I must admit I have always like this mini web app. I used it to create short films for family, for CPD and for mini showcase films of student events. I plan to create my first feature length animoto of the Hamble College students talent that is LIVE tomorrow evening.

I was pleased to read, in many different places, that Animoto is now free for educators. It’s a really easy web app to use, just ask our Geography teacher who in 3 easy steps created her first short Animoto (approx 15 minutes work whilst chatting and marking). What is more, she announced with confidence, that she would show the rest of the Department ‘how to’ it. Rock face support for Animoto! Use it to start a lesson or assembly, get students to add images to audio, key image montage and any more ideas, please leave a comment.

Popularity: 3% [?]

VLE and Moodle — No Comments
22
Mar 08

Its All Free

How about this…. I am learning how to type using a FREE online typing program, whilst listening to a FREE conference (“Preparing Our Students for the 21st Century” a panel discusses a variety of challenges facing education albeit in the United States) through iTunes and blogging about it on a FREE blog package, Edublogs. Thats very much appreciated. 21st CPD?

Popularity: 3% [?]

Curriculum / Reflections — No Comments
7
Feb 08

In an Effort to Keep Saturday Think Free

Visited the Year 8 tutor room on wednesday. Tutor was very helpful. We move forward on this issue. I want to leave the weekend for thinking. For planning and reflection. So this is my weekly wrap up. Every other thursday I get to spend some quality time do important jobs. Today start with cover, which went surprisingly well. I arrived to cover a history class looking at medieval festivals. We completed the task and took the students outside to experience shin kicking. I think it hit the mark. It certainly brought the students closer to understanding the topic. Next week cheese rolling. Wow, there is so much more we as teachers could do with practical learning – importantly it also made me think where and how I could make ICT more practical, this is not the first time I have thought that….. but it needs more thinking time. Also, I was a little disappointed, ICT limits teaching due to the PCs. We really lack the opportunity to create with our environment and surroundings. I shared the Sir Ken Robinson resources, introduced Mrs L to CPD in the car, well I loaned her my Flashdrive with a FM transmitter, of course I added the SKR clips. I also gave Mrs L a copy my favourites, more links than you can shake a stick at – surely this is a way to share resources. I connected with HIAS, spoke with Janet Roberts, joined the forum, requested a review day, and signed up for the annual conference, continued my connections with Wildern. Short listed the IT Tech candidates, sought advice on a staffing issue and I believe we made a positive step forward (I could of course be wrong on that point). Prepared an ICT Newsletter update, requested a spot on the MOTs meeting, Baracuda is in. OCR resources agreed. Added the Dance pic to the homepage. Added the Staff AUP. What still bothers me is that discipline in ICT is not improving swiftly enough for my liking. Why? Is the discipline communication good enough? Is it a more difficult challenge than I realised? I do believe we need a team of 4, not 3. One staff member for each room – but I read tonight ICT staff are in high demand!?! On which note, HCSC needs to get the ad out. Half term is for the strategy plan. Boy do I need to get the thoughts out and in type instead of swimming around up there! Just added tonight; How to encourage the uptake of an ‘Enquiring Minds’ programme. Parents evening fine, but as is often the case, saw most of the students who can be rewarded, but need to speak with others also. Did we miss an opportunity to showcase the school to the parents on parents evening? Projector was cold, nothing showing. What percentage of parents visit? Can this be improved? How to communicate with parents – email? Do we need to ask our parents? How much money would this save? Focus, next term is the term for some style projects.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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