The London 2012 Olympic Games provide an ideal incentive for each of us to shine and enjoy the rewards from raising our personal development bar and supporting one another and children as we go for gold in all that we do and in every aspect of our lives.
How can we achieve this heightened state?
Let’s start by considering what we VALUE, what we treasure, because this is where much ...
Do you have a policy on how teaching staff should present themselves online? This article includes an ICT code of conduct with rules about online communication for school staff. It also refers to official guidance and a clause in the GTCE code of conduct which covers teachers’ behaviour.
ICT and online communication code of conduct for staff
Hellingly Community Primary School in East Sussex has an ICT code of conduct ...
I know that we were one of the lucky ones who avoided the cull of Building Schools for the Future because our building work had started and contracts signed. The next wave of Liverpool schools, who had worked so hard on their plans and buildings, were left bereft and cast covetous glances at we five schools who continued their build. They joined with the LA and local business men to ...
When is a sign not just a sign? All of the time is the true answer. In the worst case, it can be a missed opportunity to attract new pupils or can make the school appear less than it is. The first thing that visitors, pupils, staff and local people see is the school frontage. An integral part of that is the signs which instantly create an image and perception ...
In part 1 of 'The Lost Art of Listening’, I looked at how we have become somewhat conditioned to accept music as ambient sound. I suggested that you and your students take some time to really listen to some music. We didn’t stipulate what kind of music and I’m not interested in discussing genre or the subjective value of different kinds of music here. What I’d like to ...
Are there any sample 'best value' statements? We link to examples of school best value statements. We also refer to local authority guidance on writing your best value statement.
Many people think that drama is just about improvisation, or performing, but it is actually a powerful teaching tool that can inspire learning across the curriculum. Drama and literacy have always been cosy bedfellows – theatre and plays are the performance arm of drama and are often a natural progression to its processes. Many drama lessons use literary texts – poems, letters, quotations – as a stimulus and writing in role is a ...
How would inhabitants of Kepler-22b rate Planet Earth beings?
If inhabitants of the newly discovered Kepler-22b planet were to quietly visit Earth’s atmosphere and observe the activity on Planet Earth, how would they rate the way we live and how we are looking after our planet? Would they be surprised to see widespread, unsustainable modes of operation that appear to be posing a very serious threat to ...
When a school district adopts a 1:1 technology programme, no matter whether the district itself is purchasing the computers or is instead asking the students and their families to purchase a device (or bring one from home), one of the critical concerns that arises is how to keep those devices safe and operational for years to come. Theft, devices being lost, and devices breaking (by being dropped, for example) are all ...
Every day in my K-8 tech classes, I use a variety of cloud-based tools to enhance the learning experience for my students. There are more of these 'Web 2.0' tools than I can keep up with, but when you teach tech or coordinate technology for your school, 'keeping up' is part of your job.
Here's how I determine which of these hundreds (thousands?) of tools are student-ready:
Before I introduce ...
As an SEN teacher ICT plays an important part in our day to day activities. Think how many ICT based solutions are used every day – many of our students arrive by taxi which is all arranged by your School Management System. You may use an electronic attendance register and monitor your premises by CCTV. Your SEN pupils will have behaviour plans and IEPs generated with a click of the mouse. ...
Securing funds for any business is a challenge and never more so in the current climate. I have spent many years helping with fundraising at my own daughter's schools and local charities but this has become increasingly harder as corporate companies that normally jump at the chance to become sponsors are holding onto budgets.
Many schools now have their own dedicated Development Director who may well have moved from a ...
