Can we do better? November 29, 2009
Posted by bobharding in Teaching.add a comment
According to research carried out by BECTA ..
‘Invisible’ parents: Of the parents who admitted they rarely made contact with their child’s teacher, nearly a quarter (22%) said they did not see the benefit for their child. The majority (67%) of school staff said that these parents simply do not realise how important their support is in their child’s development. And 60% said that these parents often feel their job stops at the school gates.
Confidence issues:42% of teachers said the reason so-called ‘invisible’ parents have so little contact with the school is that they lack the confidence to discuss their child with teachers – 43% of school staff admit parents might find them ’difficult to approach sometimes.’ One in five (19%) parents are worried about bothering teachers and more than a fifth (22%) say they don’t want to add to the teacher’s workload, resulting in many taking a back seat in their child’s education.
Lack of information: More than one in ten (11%) of the parents who do initiate communication said they felt dismissed by teachers as an ‘overly demanding’ parent and a further 11% commented they often feel they are imposing on the teacher’s time. More than a third (36%) of school staff encounter parents who want ‘constant reassurance’ and others (19%) who try to ‘influence everything that goes on in the classroom.’
So in the red corner we have some parents who can’t get enough information and conversation about their children’s learning, with teachers who resent having parents crossing some imaginary line of learning and teaching competence. In the blue corner we have other parents who the schools want to see more of and teachers who think that, actually, coming in to see a teacher must be too threatening for at least a quarter of parents.
Digital London November 29, 2009
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The west end has been fully re-created and links to real shops to re-create the whole experience.
Makes ‘retail therapy’ possible from your armchair. Watch the video
Yearbook November 29, 2009
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We’ve mentioned the idea of using LuLu to create the Y11 yearbook in the past. This way the pupils can buy the book online and you only print what you need – you can also buy further copies later if needed.
This BBC article has a bit more detail including the book binding machine that can print and bind books in 5 minutes – any book you like – WOW – consider that for a moment. Available in store NOW
Better batteries November 29, 2009
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- It is possible to use Algae to create ultrathin batteries. Currently only done in research labs but it could mean embedding power into thinks like clothing and into paper even.
- Nokia are working on a battery that recharges itself from the (already available) ambient radio waves. Current prototypes ‘harvest’ about 10 Milliwatts this way. Given that an MP3 player takes about 100Milliwatts you can see that we’re close but still some way off.
Use it or loose it? November 28, 2009
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There is a big drive to use the resources in schools better. This will be a key foundation of the cutbacks that will be needed in the next few years. (something like £750M savings needed)
Ed Balls recognised that the huge investment into technology in school hasn’t had the impact it should.
Bottom line is that the BECTA self review framework is quoted as good practice and something the government is pushing.
16,000 schools have accessed the framework, and significant numbers are making progress. But better exploitation of ICT across the system would yield better outcomes at lower cost, especially where schools use it as a shared resource.
The White paper is 27 pages – have a look at Page 11 (pdf page 12)
Is it just me – or are these cartoon icons beginning to grate your nerves as well?
The cuts are coming November 28, 2009
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Children’s Secretary Ed Balls today called for a new drive in schools and local authorities about investing public money effectively, while securing frontline services post-2011.
First steps will be Smart Meters for cutting back on electricity. There will also be a focus on making sure that underspend will be clawed back – I can’t imagine that this will be a huge problem next year though …
Studio Schools November 28, 2009
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A new type of school designed to engage more practical pupils has formally been announced by Schools Secretary Ed Balls.
Two pilot Studio Schools, which offer an innovative new curriculum involving practical learning and paid work, have today been approved by Ed Balls.
The schools, which have a focus on business and enterprise, will cater for 14-19 year olds from a range of abilities. They have been designed to better suit the needs of young people who might not otherwise reach their full potential in a traditional school environment.
3D scanning with a webcam November 25, 2009
Posted by bobharding in Software.add a comment
It looks like it’s still in the lab at the moment but ..
Basically take any 3D object, place it in front of a standard webcam, turn it around so the web cam can take several images all round and a 3D model is built on the fly.
Print it on a 3D printer and you have a 3D photocopier.
Or have I missed something?
WOW
![proforma-11222009[1]](http://ictnuggets.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/proforma112220091.png?w=244&h=113 "proforma-11222009[1]")
Opera 10 Out of Beta November 25, 2009
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The Opera web browser is now a full release version.
As well as normal browser ‘stuff’ opera has Turbo mode where web data is compressed en-route and delivered faster, thumbnail preview, bookmark sync
BUT
the main thing is that Opera serves files as well as receives. Everyone now has a simple drag and drop way to serve websites, media, social messaging, files and photos.
This has BIG implications for schools.
3D Via November 24, 2009
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This has got to ba a good thing – a rival for Googl;e Sketchup.
SDVia shape is the simple 3D design tool that Microsoft recommends for use with Bing Maps (was multimaps). It looks quite easy to use – probably easier than Sketchup.
I also took the opportunity to look again at Bing Maps with 3D tilt and rotate built in – very nice. It now has a pinning feature that is probably better than Googles at the moment.
