http://elgg.learnblog.net/ict/weblog/2329.html
Spring ICT NewsletterThere are many exciting developments for the subject of ICT as well as whole school ICT. This newsletter includes information and requests for comments. For green headings, please use the comment feature to let me have your views.
Subject Leader Development Meeting 9 - Spring 2008
The New Secondary Curriculum
ICT Secondary Development Adviser Post
SRF Support for High Schools
OCR Support Meetings with Wendy Styles
Learning Platform Developments
Small Devices Pilot
ActiVote Pilot
Literacy support for KS4 ICT Coursework
Initial Teacher Training News
Focus for our work in 2008: Gender, L6, A*-B Grades
Call for Reviewers - Position paper on use of Non-Specialist Teachers in ICT
Other News
Curriculum Online Service
Changes to SRF (BECTA)
Becta newsletter January 2008
Subject Leader Development Meeting 9 - Spring 2008
Our Spring Subject Leader Network will be a whole day training event on the new ICT curriculum. The Norwich meeting is on March 14th and we'll meet at the West Norfolk PDC on March 17th. The curriculum will be introduced to year 7 from September 2008 and although there are some significant differences, many aspects remain. Some departments have already indicated that they will take a lead on curriculum developments such as KS2 - KS3 transition, Personal Learning and Thinking Skills or the Global Dimension.
The New Secondary Curriculum
The New Secondary Curriculum for ICT was published last year and can be found on the QCA website. There are some key differences for both KS3 and KS4. The Secondary National Strategy is responsible for training ICT teachers on the new curriculum. There will be a revised framework, which will include progression maps for KS3 and KS4. They are expected to make a significant difference to the process of assessment and moderation. More details will become available through the training as part of the subject leader networks.
SRF Support for High Schools
As part of Norfolk's E-Learning Strategy the e-learning team is providing support for all Norfolk schools to complete the BECTA Self Review Framework. This nationally recognised tools allows schools to review, benchmark and develop all aspects of ICT using an online matrix. Support for secondary schools includes a course on "Building a vision for ICT" (Learning Diamond), briefings in the Spring Term 2008 as well as a dedicated ICT day as part of the Leadership Academy Programme. School Improvement Partners (SIPs) working in Norfolk will also receive a briefing on this tool and how schools are expected to use it. It is crucial that school SMT take a lead on this aspect of school self evaluation.
ICT Secondary Development Adviser Post
An exciting opportunity to join the advisory team will be advertised in the TES on Friday Jan 11th and our own Norfolk Vacancies website. There is a real buzz developing around ICT in Norfolk and this is an ideal opportunity to become part of the team leading these developments for the County.OCR Support Meetings with Wendy Styles
Wendy Styles (AST for ICT) will be leading two workshops to support schools with the OCR Nationals for ICT. The workshops will provide and overview of the accreditation and seek to establish clarity in relation to key processes and teaching content schools need to establish. Wendy has been supporting a number of schools teaching this course and will be able to point out practical steps based on her experience. These workshops are suitable for schools teaching the OCR Nationals in ICT for the first time this year and those considering the course as an option in the future. The workshop take place in Norfolk (PDC) on February 25th and in King's Lynn (WNPDC) on February 27th. Please book with Anne Mitchell in the usual way.Learning Platform Developments
Excitement is growing as the procurement process for our Secondary Learning Platform is well underway. Bidders have now completed the Pre-Qualification Qestionnaire as part of the European wide procurement carried out by ESPO on behalf of Norfolk County Council. The E-Learning Steering Group is involved in the process all the way and key evaluation events will take place between March 10th and March 20th 2008. Key stakeholders including teachers, students and school leaders are involved through representative groups, demonstration or trial events. The Norfolk Secondary Learning Platform will deliver a Virtual Learning Environment for all secondary schools as well as data integration services. This should allow for data transfer between different MIS systems and Virtual Learning Environments, particularly for collaborative developments in relelation to the Norfolk 14-19 Implementation Plan.Small Devices Pilot
The Norfolk e-learning Team is very excited at the prospect of running a small devices pilot to raise attainment in ICT in Maths. It is likely that the project will involve a number of young people being issued with small laptop or PDA devices connected to the Internet. The focus is likely to be Level 6 and we might look at issues such as 'the digital divide' and/or transition between keystages as part of this project. Schools interested in taking part need to be able to demonstrate capacity for both curriculum development and technical support. Please use the comment feature to register your interest.
Pilot for Promethean Voting Handsets
The recently unveiled Promethean Voting Handsets will be put to the test by a small number of Norfolk Schools. A secondary school and two primary schools will be evaluating the impact of this interactive technology as part of a joint project during the Summer Term. If your school is equipped with Promethian IWB and you are interested in taking part, please use the comment feature to let us know. It is anticpated that the focus will be on a subject other than ICT.
Literacy support for KS4 ICT Coursework
Seven Norfolk High Schools are currently involved in a literacy project led by Jan Jarrett. Literacy Co-ordinators in each of the schools worked together to establish how subject leaders can be supported in developing pupils' ability to write coursework in ICT. Evaluation often features as an issue in Chief Moderators' reports and our English experts were quick to identify some of the opportunities for collaborative work. The project is supported by an online space on Norfolk Learning Communities.
Initial Teacher Training News
Norfolk and Suffolk Advisers and Teacher Trainers are working together on a project with the working title of 'Blue Cow'. There is clear concern about the recruitment issues experienced by many departments. One of the key aims is to increase the number of ICT teachers trained and/or working in Norfolk. This long term project also seeks to improve the quality of initial teacher training in relation to ICT for both subject teachers and for ICT within other subjects. Suffolk and Norfolk Initial Teacher Training (SNITT) is always keen to hear from schools prepared to take on GTP or SCITT trainees.
Focus for our work in 2008: Gender, L6, A*-B Grades
During the Autumn Term Network subject leaders for ICT agreed that concentrating on attainment in relation to boys, Level 6 at KS3 and higher grades at KS4 provided the right focus for raising attainment in 2008. Clearly, schools need to set their own priorities by considering targets and an evaluation of 2007 data. Data analysis presented during hte subject leader network provided confirmation that in Norfolk these issues form opportunities for development.
Call for Reviewers - Position paper on use of Non-Specialist Teachers in ICT
Due to staffing issues the use of non-specialist teachers to deliver the KS3 ICT Curriculum (in some cases even KS4!) is common practice in some Norfolk schools. This situation is not desirable and Norfolk schools successful in teaching ICT (CVA measure) are characterised by stable departments staffed by specialist teachers. Many subject leaders have expressed their frustration, where staffing changes frequently and non-specialists are relied upon. It places a significant additional burden on the subject leader and departmental arrangements for curriculum development, assessment and moderation can suffer as a result. The ICT team will issue a position paper on this issue later this term and we are keen to receive comments and feedback during the drafting stage. If you are prepared to collaborate on this, please use the comment feature to let us know.
Other News:
Curriculum Online Service to continue until the end of eLCs
The Curriculum Online website and catalogue, which has been managed by Becta since January 2005, gives teaching professionals access to digital learning resources that can be bought using eLCs - e-learning credits. This year's £50m allocation of eLCs will bring the overall total of funding to over £500m since the Curriculum Online Project started.
Curriculum Online will continue to support the use of eLC funding until the end of August 2008, when the service will cease, in line with the ending of eLCs. Until then, Becta aims to maintain an optimum service for both teachers and suppliers.
Changes to SRF (BECTA)
Becta made changes to the Self Review Framework in collaboration and agreement with their partners: Ofsted, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), the Training and Development Agency (TDA), the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), the National Strategies, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) and Naace.
The changes are part of an overall programme of improvements to make the self-review framework simpler and easier to use. More specifically we are merging or removing strands within the framework which contain duplication. This will reduce the amount of work that a school has to do complete the full framework and cut down on the amount of cross-referencing between elements for ICT Mark assessors.
When a school accesses an aspect that has been removed using the online tool, they will be given information about what they have previously recorded in this aspect and where the data has gone (if it has be combined with another aspect). The idea is that these changes will happen in a transparent, intuitive and user friendly way, so that users can see and accept the changes to the text they have entered while they are using the matrix tool.
Further, there are changes to Matrix account which schools need to know about:
- NCSL accounts will no longer be linked to the Matrix - The NCSL Learning Gateway will be separated from the Matrix site, including Becta's self-review framework
- Make sure schools have a lead self-review framework account - If there are several accounts in a school you need to tell us which is the main one
- Users should only have one account per email address - If you have several accounts on one email address you need to tell us which account you will use
Becta newsletter
At the time of writing the ICT Advice Alert for January 2008 was not yet available online. Key news items includeBy September 2010 all secondary schools will need to offer parents real-time access to their child’s data. Find out how your school should prepare for this requirement.
Building programmes for schools
Four major capital building programmes are currently taking place for schools in England. Find out what we are doing to support these programmes.
An effective vision will enhance your learning, teaching, management and administration
Learning platforms: how can they help you?
This leaflet outlines the key benefit of a learning platform
Find out what funding is available for ICT
