The National Assessment Agency (NAA) is releasing the final batch of KS3 ICT onscreen assessment tasks to schools from Monday 10 November. These tasks cover the curriculum area sequencing instructions and are accompanied by a set of support materials that can be viewed and downloaded from the NAA website naa.org.uk/ks3ict.

Areas discussed:

English and ICT liaison group – requirements of group and planned work
ICT teaching and room provision in schools
Diplomas – Logistics of curriculum modification, staffing and finance
OCR Nationals – Place in Functional Skills, possible use of Unit 1 as FS exam and QCA’s possible future attitude.
Functional Skills and its impact on all subjects – collaboration decided as only way to cope with the approaching demands. Ofsted thought to be likely to be starting to ask pointed questions. Led to SRF on Becta’s Matrix.Becta site. Clearly described as whole school involvement but especially SLT. Not appropriate to pass to ICT SL or Co-ordinator.
                SRF start
http://matrix.becta.org.uk/GMATRIX_6206325_96001252/1213374707344/rebrand/matrix/srf/index.cfm
                SRF introduction
http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=srf&catcode=ss_to_srf_int_02

Collaboration – schools willing but needs to be found in one place. RG to explore solutions but KS3 Blog will hold the information temporarily until an improved site can be found
Curriculum design improvements at KS3 – Best practice thought to occur when difficulties and issues that arise in KS4 are addressed in appropriate KS3 planning. Strategy has significant new planning material links on previous document along with QCA
Pupil’s evaluation capabilities felt to be improving. Some pupils first choosing to build their own success criteria as the appropriate first step in problem solving
Framework has produced some good new guidance material
Alex Savage has produced more material: – Cyberbullying and Podcasting while Scratch units nearly finished
            Units and other resources
http://communicty.wikispaces.com/ks3ict
            Podium as an improvement to Audacity but cost involved.
http://www.podiumpodcasting.com/

This is the temporary page for us to all add in links to our work or good resources we have found. I will transfer all the links when an easy alternative is available.

Strategy Renewed Frameworks
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/framework/rsfw/ufw/ 

Strategy Planning tool
The planning tool application has been developed to help teachers prepare their lesson plans. On this page click the Installing page link to get to the download information and linkhttp://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/framework/rsfw/pt/

New Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4  Programmes of Study  http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/ict/index.a 

Scratch - possible alternative sequencing activity
You will need to register to get the download
http://scratch.mit.edu/

There was a story in the Guardian last week, focusing on social networking and the service available from e2bn.  Look here to find out what Jez Thompson said:

http://education.guardian.co.uk/link/story/0,,2277968,00.html

2008 sees the 60th anniversary of the world's first stored program digital computer, designed and built here at the University of Manchester.

As part of the celebrations, the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester is running a Computer Animation Competition for UK schoolchildren aged from 7 to 19. There are great prizes, including notebook PCs, cameras, LEGO Mindstorm, and mp3 players.

To enter the competition, entrants will create an animated Computer Graphics film (maximum length: 1 minute) using Alice, a free downloadable computer animation system for Windows, Mac and Linux that requires no knowledge of programming. Don't worry about becoming Computer Animation experts! We want to see your students' ideas, and Alice is easy to learn!

The competition is open until ** 1 May 2008 **, with an Awards Ceremony and Animation Festival held as part of the Anniversary Day at the University on 20 June 2008, which is also a University-wide public Open Day.

For full details of the competition please visit our website:

   http://www.cs.manchester.ac.uk/Digital60

If you're interested in entering the competition, please register on our site. it takes only a few seconds, your details will not be passed on, and of course there's no obligation.

If you'd like a free large wall-poster, please just ask - we'll very happily send you one while stocks last.

If you have any queries, you're very welcome to contact me directly.

Sincerely

Best wishes
Toby

Toby Howard
Chair, Digital60
School of Computer Science
University of Manchester
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~toby/

Is anyone thinking of using a Social Network to engage students in learning ?

Is Social Networking something schools should avoid ? See Becta advice

What about the concept of 'in loco parentis'?

Should schools be teaching how to be safe on the Social Networking sites - Bebo / MySpace / Ning / Facebook etc....?

Should schools be blocking Social Network sites ?  

What about a safe Social Network ?

Has anyone looked at E2BN recommended safe site LL4Schools ?
 

More questions than answers I guess. Do you have any thoughts on this ?

 

Have you any experience of converting Powerpoint slides to video files (such as .wmv). I'm looking at a couple of shareware programs, but would welcome any recommendations. I know that Keynote will perform a similar function through Quicktime, but I don't have a Mac, so I needs something Windows based (and that can work on a school laptop).

NAA has sent the new issue of Countdown, the KS3 ICT onscreen tasks newsletter, to schools this week. The new KS3 ICT assessment tasks and support materials are being launched at the end of October and this edition of Countdown contains information about what the tasks comprise, how they are supported and the timetable for future batches.

To download a copy, click on this link: www.naa.org.uk/downloads/countdown_v10_aw_web.pdf

Practice that i will ceratainly take away from this meeting is:

To have a look at SCRATCH (cheers jez)

Yacapaca (again cheers jez)

use of WINK (cheers niel)