Hello

We're exploring some of the free apps available on the 'net at the moment. A current favourite is Weebly (Google it!), which allow s the creation of simple web pages online.Wordle is well known, but we also think that Bubbl.us is good.

I'm going to develop these apps as revision tools for Year 10 GCSE students and Ill report back on their effectiveness!

CEOP button for web browsers

I found this on IT4L, a blog by Steve Beard

Special offer - Attention Small Schools in England!

Limited funding is still available for small schools in England who are applying for ICT Mark accreditation and will be allocated on a first come first served basis! Successful schools will receive a £200 discount from their final invoice. To qualify for this fabulous offer – the school must have less than 100 pupils. 31 lucky schools have gained benefit from the Small Schools Initiative so far! To find out more please contact ictmark@naace.co.uk.

Now that we are rolling out the use of Gmail as part of the NSIX (Norfolk Schools Internet Exchange) provision, we need to turn our attention to updating curriculum content to take advantage of the new features.  We are also very keen to ensure that we bring the concepts right up to date.  Whilst we may have been teaching mail merge letters to ensure pupils know how to be efficient in their use of ICT, this is no longer the most efficient way to communicate.  The concept remains the same, but we now communicate mostly via email rather than printed letter.  There is a great tutorial by Mark Wagner showing just how to do this.  It may take a little while before pupils have got their contact list populated, but a separate lesson on this may provide the right starting point.

Most of us start a new academic year with good intentions, a bit like the personal targets we set ourselves on New Year's Eve.  Often this might include a learning target e.g. this year I'm going to get to grips with ICT.  Now there are a couple of new resources for the well motivated, which might just suit your lifestyle and provide a low cost option for professional development.  The ICT subject association NAACE has supported the creation of free online ICT CPD courses for teachers and practitioners.  You will find courses for primary and secondary phases and useful guides on things like assessing ICT against National Curriculum Levels.  The second resource to take notw of is VITAL.  This has been created by e-skills UK and the Open University specifically to support ICT CPD in all of England and is supported by the Department for Education.  There are face to face training events, online courses as well as blended learning opportunities to choose from and many are  provided by established institutions in our area.

www.ictcpd4free.co.uk

www.vital.ac.uk

Head teachers and chairs of governors have today received the Norfolk e-learning strategy 2010-14 as part of the e-courier.  The document outlines the vision for Norfolk developed by schools and the local authority and prioritises a shift in pegagogy as well as technical provision.  It also includes an entitlement for our young people.  Please find the full copy online.

Norfolk schools will have received their conference brochures for the 2010 E2BN conference in the last few days.  The summer conference is always a great occasion to catch up with the latest thinking on learning with ICT.  Keynotes include Dale Banham and Prof. Stephen Heppel.

This year's conference 'This Generation's Learning' will look at learner entitlement and how ICT has been used across the curriculum to offer new challenges to pupils of all abilities, both in school and at home.

Delegates can:

• Sample the latest technology through hands-on workshops
• Have access to a range of practical advice and assistance
• See examples of how innovation and best practice is transforming education in schools across the region
• Discuss and debate topical issues

There are already quite a few colleagues from Norfolk booked, so you'll be in good company.

You can see most presentations and some video recordings of our successful conference online:

Presentations

Video recordings

Seb's presentation on the new Norfolk E-Learning Strategy

The strategy document (pdf) will follow shortly.

Futurelab and HP have teamed up to develop Pedagogy 3.0  as part of a global initiative led by HP. Secondary schools may be interested to explore the funding opportunity.  It would be great to have a Norfolk School take part in this initiative.

Futurelab

HP Catalyst Initiative