Primary Deputy

This time last year I was preparing for one of the biggest changes in my teaching career - I was moving to teacher Year Three after nine years in Year Six. I can't say I found the change easy but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I was expecting to remain in Year Three for a while.


After a number of staffing changes in the school it has become necessary for me to have to move year groups once again. Next year I'll be in Year Four! Whilst I was looking forward to building on what I've achieved in Year Three this year, there are many positives about moving to Year Four (which I'll discuss at a later date).


As a result of this move I've decided to change my blog to Primary Deputy. Please alter your feeds. I've also changed my Twitter name to primarydeputy. I was amazed that the name was still available! I wanted to pick a name that I hopefully won't have to change for a while!


Thank you to all readers of Year Three Teacher and I hope that you'll stick me through this latest change!

Monthly Review: June 2011

Busy is the word that would sum up my June!

Holiday in Wales

We are fortunate to have two weeks' holiday at Whit (I say fortunate now, but I will say the opposite when everyone else is off before us in July!). We had a lovely few days in New Quay in South West Wales. It was our first time taking Lily away and we had a great time visiting places like Tenby, Fishguard and Carmarthen.

School University

I need to write a separate blog post to explain this properly. Much of my time has been spent arranging the university, negotiating with local high schools and members of the community to ensure brilliant courses for the children to attend.

Grandparents' Tea Party

The School Council helped to arrange a tea party for our grandparents. It was a lovely afternoon including refreshments, a tour of the school, performances by the choir and orchestra and a gallery of work. The grandparents were very appreciative!

Report writing

We have changed our report format slightly this year which has made them slightly less time consuming. However, they have still taken me lots of time! I'll be so glad to be finished in the next few days.

Ofsted and ICT

I attended a course about the Ofsted inspection requirements for ICT. It was an interesting course and I've picked up some particularly good ideas about e-Safety. I need to write a post soon

Neglecting stuff

I feel that I've neglected many things this month as I've been so busy with work. Unfortunately this is likely to continue into July which is usually our busiest month in school!

Note Taking Apps

When it comes to note taking apps on my iPhone there are two that can't be beaten.

The first is the built in Notes app that comes with the phone. I use this app for keeping notes about things I only need to know for a while for example, ordering meals, shopping lists, guests for parties. I only need to access such notes from my iPhone and don't need them to sync with my computer. I can email them to my computer though if I wish. It's perfect for my use.

When it comes to making more detailed notes, however, I prefer Catch. This is a free app and it is fantastic for use in meetings or for anything that you need to access from a PC. I have begun to use it to take notes at staff meetings, Teachmeets and courses. (I just wish I had an iPad so it was quicker to write). I love the fact that notes are synced online and that I can access the notes from anywhere. I can add pictures and links, and I can add hashtags to my notes to make them easier to search. You can record your voice if you wish to make notes that way. Notes can be fully search online and they can be shared by email. It's also handy to be able to set a passcode lock for the app.

Evernote is also an excellent app but I use this primarily for remembering things that were not written by me like blog posts that inspire me and instruction.

Bee Bots

I recently purchased some Bee-Bots for the school. Programming robots is an area of ICT that we were not really hitting - and it's one of the most exciting!!


So that I could inspire our teachers I asked on Twitter if there are any Bee-Bot resources out there. @ianaddison recommended @simonhaughton and @bevevans22. 


Simon recommended: 
http://simonhaughton.typepad.com/ict/2010/11/learning-to-control-the-bee-bot.html
http://simonhaughton.typepad.com/ict/2010/06/an-introduction-to-control-technology.html
These are blog posts written by Simon - real practical ideas for using the robots.
http://y22011.leamoreblogs.net/2011/01/31/tombot-jerry-bot-tts-x-factor-competition-entry/
An amazing demonstration of how Bee-Bots can grip children's imagination.

http://vimeo.com/18591377
How Bee-Bots can be used in the classroom


Bev recommended:
http://technostories.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/go-beebot-crazy/
An excellent post about how Bee-Bots have transformed Key Stage One.
http://www.communication4all.co.uk/http/BeeBot.htm
There are excellent Bee-Bot resources here - these particularly enthused the staff.


Bee-Bots seem to be primarily used in Foundation and Key Stage One but I believe they have a use in Year Three too. Here are some ideas that we will be trying:

• Creating a map of the local area for Bee-Bots to navigate
• Exploring compass directions and making a course for Bee-Bots to explore
• Investigating negative numbers

Here are some other Bee-Bot links:
http://bee-bots-downunder.blogspot.com/
http://www.terrapinlogo.com/bee-bot.php
http://edtechlounge.com/bee-bot-activity-center/


There is software available from Focus Educational which allows children to programme an on-screen robot.


Does anyone else use Bee-Bots in Year Three? What sorts of activities do you do?

ICT Vision

We recently asked our staff to write a vision statement for the subject they co-ordinate. We asked everyone to make sure that it states our beliefs as a school, begins with a statement about where the school is now and it should be aspirational and state how we would like the subject to develop over the coming years.

Here is the one I wrote for ICT:

At SCHOOL we equip all pupils with the experiences and skills of ICT that they will use in a rapidly changing technological world. Children will be confident, independent and safe in their use of ICT. They are able to use technology to communicate, and to access and evaluate information. We aim for our children to develop a range of ICT skills, and an understanding of the most appropriate ways to use them. Children will learn to create pictures and text, music and sound, multimedia, animation and video. They will learn to collect, find, produce and interpret data. They will learn to give instructions and use modelling to investigate solutions. ICT skills are taught and then they are applied to other areas of the curriculum. E-Safety awareness is taught through every unit of work.

We aim to keep pace with educational and technological developments in the world and we have a commitment to provide all teachers with the necessary tools to do their job well, including laptops, interactive whiteboards and interactive whiteboards. Through training, teachers are empowered to give pupils opportunities to learn in different ways through new technologies. We invest money to purchase equipment and software to make the ICT curriculum varied, exciting and complete. 

Most ICT lessons are taught in our ICT Suites. Over the coming years we plan to upgrade our facilities and provide more laptops in our classrooms. We intend to make the school’s learning platform an integral part of our learning at school and at home. The school will work towards achieving the ICT Mark and e-Safety Mark within the next three years.

We intend to develop training and offer guidance to encourage parents to use ICT to further enhance learning out of school for themselves and their children.

Here is a Wordle of the vision statement:

The larger words are the ones that were used most frequently in my statement. Hopefully I've managed to get my main themes across.

The nature of ICT means that my action points are very likely to change over the next few years!

· 

Lightshot Screenshot software

After many years using alternative screenshot software I recently learned about Lightshot. It was instantly better than the previous software I had installed.


I use the free PC desktop version but add-ons are available for Chrome, IE and Firefox.


I like it because when I click the PrtSc button the software kicks in. I can immediately select the precise area that I want to copy. I then have a range of choices of what to do with the image. I can upload the image to share online via Twitter and Facebook. I can copy the image to the clipboard. I could print the image. I can also save the picture to my computer. 


It has made the process of taking screenshots so much quicker and easier and I love the way that the program allows me to do several things with the image.

So that's what Digital Literacy is...

I've heard the term 'digital literacy' being used quite a lot over the years.


I recently stumbled across the best definition of it that I've read:

"Exploiting the huge potential of the Information Age is a task set before all of us. Being able to access information at the time and place where it is required is more possible than ever before, with the advent of wireless technologies, broadband connectivity and intelligent agents. Digital literacy is the means through which this can be accomplished... 

In short, digital literacy is all about making the technology work for you, finding new and interesting ways in which information technology can enhance life and improve the quality of teaching and learning. The digitally literate teacher will be convinced of the efficacy and usefulness of the connected computer."

Transforming Primary ICT, edited by Steve Wheeler 2005 

Monthly Review: May 2011

May was a strange month as I was off on paternity leave for much of the first two weeks. Those couple of weeks were spent enjoying time with our baby. We went out for days out and had lots of visitors. Lily has been great so far and is sleeping well at night time!

Other things that have kept me busy in May are:

New teacher interviews
We held interviews to appoint two new teachers in KS2. Our interview process was excellent: classroom observation, an interview with the school council, a tour of the school (given by the school council), an informal lunch with a few members of staff and, of course, the formal interview. I believe we have appointed the two right people through this very thorough process. I wrote about do's and don't's when writing job application letters here. 

Returning to work
I hate returning to work after a one day course. So returning after nearly two weeks was really hard. I felt so behind and so out of touch with everything. I teach for 60% of the week and this has been too much since I returned from my paternity leave. Simple things like tidying up have been tricky - I need to sort myself out!

School University
Each year we have a 'university' for our children in KS2. This involves the children choosing a course in something that we normally do not offer in school. Courses include bricklaying, gardening and being a librarian. I had a strict deadline to put together a prospectus for the children to choose their favourite courses by the last day of the half-term. So much of my time since returning to work was spent arranging courses (run by teachers, teaching assistants, governors, local businesses and local high schools). The children chose their courses on the last day of half-term - just in the nick of time!

Teachmeet
I attended #tmchesh2 in Macclesfield at the end of May. I managed to take our assistant headteacher with me so that she can see how they work. I would  like to introduce professional development in this format to our staff in the next academic year.

Investors in Pupils
I attended a course about applying for a quality mark to celebrate our work in listening and responding to pupil voice. This will be one of my big targets for next year.

Best man
I was best man at my friend's wedding at the end of the month. I managed to write my speech a few days before and I had lots of compliments from guests at the wedding.


Seeing the physio
After I badly injured my knee on 7th April I have been seeing a physio. He has been giving me exercises to strengthen my knee. My knee is still swollen and is nowhere near right, but it is much better. My doctor has referred me to an orthopedic consultant so hopefully my appointment will come soon.

Jumpstart Literacy

Jumpstart Literacy by Pie Corbett is a fabulous book for anyone wanting to spice up their English lessons!


The best way I can describe the book is that it is full of easy to teach mental starters for English. At least that's certainly how I have begun to use it.


Activities described in the book are:

• Jumpstarting spelling - activities for memorising and improving spelling.
• Jumpstarting words - different word classes and playing with words.
• Jumpstarting sentences - developing control, manipulating and inventing sentences.
• Jumpstarting writing - establishing a creative frame of mind for imaginative writing.
• Jumpstarting speaking, listening and drama - activities to develop confidence in verbal and physical expression.
• Jumpstarting learning - strategies to establish a learning mood in any subject

An example is Odd Word = Story:

This is a story-starter game that shows children how stories can spring up from the most extraordinary places!

• Spend a few minutes brainstorming a list of nouns with the children. Write these on the whole-class board, creating a 'word wall; of suggestions. Encourage them to make their list as varied as possible... it will make for more imaginative stories in the long run!
• The children each select two nouns that do not seem to go together, e.g. horse and pumpkin or toothpaste and space, and then have a few minutes to begin a narrative linking the two together. Explain to them that this was precisely what C.S. Lewis did in his classic tale, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. A narrative might look something like this:
• One morning, while an astronaut was busy brushing his teeth, he noticed how beautifully white they were looking. He was due to launch off into space that day, so he decided to take a rocket fill of toothpaste with him, so that he could make the stars sparkle even brighter! 

I love the simplicity of the ideas and the ways that they can grab attention and inspire learning. I always felt that one of the strengths of the original National Numeracy Strategy was the mental starter. It started lessons with a bang! The ideas in this book could start your lessons off with a bang too!


I think the ideas are suitable for Year Three and upwards.

Reflections on Lost

I'm currently re-watching my favourite TV series - Lost! It's really interesting how the 'black vs white' theme, which represented Jacob and the Man In Black, was actually clearly there right from the beginning. It's now been a year since the series ended. The trouble is, the more I watch the older episodes that more annoyed I get about the final series.


I obsessed about the series from the moment I started to watch it. I loved the way that mysteries were built and gradually explained. The whole thing was perfect... for five seasons. Then Season Six arrived. 


I felt cheated by the final season. Unconvincing answers were given to some questions, other questions were avoided altogether. The ridiculous sideways flashes were introduced. The final episode was brilliant and it was not the finale which annoyed me - really it was the whole of the final season.


Here are some of main annoyances:

• What was the significance of Aaron? The baby seemed to be such a crucial part of the story of Claire and Kate yet he didn't even appear in the final series.
• Why wasn't there a Claire flashback in the final series to tell us more about what made her crazy?
• Why were viewers cheated about the season one finale? We were never told what The Others wanted with Walt and why they took him.
• Why did Sayid spend all of his life in love with Nadia and then end up with Shannon in his after life?
• Charles' Widmore's character was one of the most mysterious - yet he ended up being insignificant. In the grand scheme of things his freighter arriving actually had no bearing on what happened in the final series. That means we can write off the entire fourth season!
• I get annoyed that one of my favourite characters, Ben, became a bit-part character in the final series. 
• I loved learning about the Dharma Initiative in Season Five but the were never mentioned in the final series.
• In Season Three they were building a runway for Ajira flight 316 - how did they know to do this?!
• Why were all of the Dharma stations built?
• How did nobody see the lighthouse? And why smash it up without ever telling us anything about it?
• Where did the rest of the statue go to after it was knocked over?
• I wish Eko's character had been explained more.
• Danielle was on the island for 16 years and yet learned nothing about it. She didn't seem to know where anything was. Why?! It was such a shame that she was killed in Season Four.

If I could have written Season Six I would have had sideways flashes, but in my sideways flashes it would show what would happen if the plane never crashed. But somehow the characters would still have ended up on the island - meaning that it was always going to be their destiny.

I could go on as I have hundreds of these. I must stress that I still love the series, but I wish the writers had come up with something better than the purgatory idea in Season Six, and given a better role to Ben and Widmore.

Has anyone else got any thoughts about this?

Delegation

I recently enjoyed reading Duncan Bannatyne's autobiography 'Anyone Can Do It'. There was an important message made about delegation which really applies to working in schools.


Leaders must learn to empower their staff by delegating so that they can concentrate on the big picture.

"Being free to look to the future and work out how to grow is key to building a business: it's what a chief executive is there to do. If I had been consumed with how each manager was running their department, or had got personally involved in details like which bed linen we bought, I would never have been able to look for new sites, analyse the competition, negotiate new contracts or any of the other things that made us better and kept us competitive. If my thoughts were uncluttered by the minutiae of the business, then I was better able to see the bigger picture, to lead and problem solve."

If chief executive means headteacher then it means that a business will run most effectively if managers are given clear roles and responsibilities so that the headteacher can focus on impact, results and making sure that the school is the best at what it is good at.

Job application letters

I have read a lot of application letters recently. We had around 100 applications for a vacancy advertised.


Here are some dos and don'ts that I would suggest to anyone applying for a teaching vacancy - particularly if you are an NQT and are in the middle of the job application process.


I'd love to know if you have any further ideas to add to this list. Feel free to add a comment.

• DO take care - spelling, grammar and presentation count when trying to make an impression.
• DO say what makes you DIFFERENT. There could be 100 people applying for same job. What makes you different. Think of all the personal qualities, practices and experiences you have which others don't. Celebrate them in your letter.
• DON'T say what you think schools want to hear. Schools aren't looking for a robot - they want to employ someone that stands out. In your application it is crucial that you don't say the same old things that every teacher does. All teachers use Every Child Matters - but why mention it in your letter unless you do something DIFFERENT to them? All teachers try to plan exciting lessons - but why are yours DIFFERENT?
• DON'T USE TEACHER SPEAK! After working with many trainee teachers over the years I can spout sentences that relate to the QTS standards in my sleep. All trainee teachers can do this too and they will try to use it in their applications. Try to avoid it if you can. If everyone else is going to say it, what's the point? Say something that counts.
• DO use real examples. I have read dozens of letters (full of teacher-speak) that say the same old things. "I use behaviour management strategies to create a productive, co-operative environment in my classroom." Well, doesn't everyone?! Back up whatever you can with a REAL example of something you have done.
• DO make the effort - Never send out standard letters - they'll go straight in the bin. And don't be fooled - keeping it the same but changing the headteacher's name is very easy to notice. 
• DO make your letter absolutely personal to the school. Refer to what you know about it and what you will could add to the school if you were successful.
• DO go to visit the school - when you have a large number of candidates a quick way to eliminate potential candidates is to discount anyone who hasn't made contact with the school
• DO stand out during a visit. This can be very easy if you are shown around on your own. But it is difficult if you're shown in a group. Ask pertinent questions. Show personality. Look interested. Don't be afraid. But take care that you don't say too much or be over-friendly.
• DO select the points that you want to make in your letter in order of importance. What qualities is the school looking for? What makes you particularly special? These things need to go in first.
• DO bear in mind the people who are reading the letters. There could be hundreds of pages of letters to read, and you can guarantee that letters that go on for more than two pages will not go down well.
• DO include a picture in your letter, e.g. a display or classroom activity - a good way to make your letter stand out.
• DO think about what you will offer the school - make reference to what you know about the school from the visit or the school's website. How could you add to these things?
• DO remember that the job hunting process begins the moment you enter an ITT course - gain as much experience as you can during training - it all counts.
• DO remember that sometimes it's not what you know, but who. Make an impression on your placement or get to know teachers through voluntary work or supply work. A word of warning, though - remember that the interview panel do not have give you a job automatically just because you are known to the school. Never assume that the job is yours.
• DO acknowledge gap years and out of school experiences. Have you spent a year travelling? How has your experience affected you as a teacher/person? You've worked in a bank for the last few months whilst looking for jobs. How can this experience relate to the classroom? 
• DON'T share everything on Facebook! This hasn't happened to anyone I know, but I have read  in newspapers that employers will sometimes check out candidates' Facebook profiles.

Doug Belshaw's book #getthatjob is well worth a read for further guidance about applying for teaching jobs.


You may also want to check out the PGCE Survival Guide.

21st Century ICT Learning Part 2

Here is a list of resources and websites that we learned about on the 21st Century ICT course I attended. I have added details about where they could fit into the new curriculum.


Glogster
Interactive online posters

• Finding information
• Creating multimedia
• Creating music and sound
• Creating text and pictures

Scratch
Programming language

• Giving instructions
• Modelling

GoControl and Flowall
Control simulation software

• Giving instructions
• Modelling

Pivot
Stickfigure animation

• Creating multimedia, animation and video
• Creating music and sound
• Creating text and pictures

Primary Pad
For collaborative writing

• Creating text and pictures

Prezi
Presentation tool

• Creating multimedia, animation and video
• Creating text

Primary Wall
Collaborative sticky note wall

• Creating text and pictures
• Finding information

2DIY
Creating games, quizzes and activities

• Creating multimedia, animation and video
• Creating music and sound
• Creating text and pictures
• Giving instructions

We also had a look at Purplemash which covers several areas of the curriculum.

Bad Day Toolbox

After reading this post at the SimpleProductivityBlog I have put together my own tool box to help me break out of a bad day.


Here is my list of things I can do to make myself feel better in the midst of a really bad day:

• Watch my baby girl and wonder at how amazing life is
• Go for a walk with my wife
• Listen to my favourite music
• Tidy up
• Go for a run
• Go for a beer with one of my friends or family
• Watch a TV comedy programme
• Help someone
• Leave the building/room - take a change of scenery
• Read a book
• Eat some chocolate
• Drink Lucozade (only in very extreme circumstances as I don't want to re-ignite my Luzocade addiction)

Baby's online profile

It would appear that I inadvertently opened up a small Twitter debate shortly after our baby was born. I had remember Doug Belshaw writing that he had registered a web domain for his children shortly after their births. I've always had in mind to do the same when our baby was born.


A few days after Lily was born I registered websites in her name using www.123-reg.com. I believe it is important to give my child the opportunity to have a web domain in her name - in the future I'm certain that it will be vital for professionals to have an online presence (see - high hopes for her already!) In the meantime, I'm using Posterous to create a website (a private site which only family and friends can access). Her web address forwards to it.


I also registered her name as a private limited company using www.theformationscompany.com. (High hopes once again!) I just wanted to be able to give her this option in the future.


I asked Doug what else he thought was worth registering. He recommended http://knowem.com for registering social media.


The debate that my question triggered can be found here: http://storify.com/dajbelshaw/should-you-register-domains-and-social-media-accou?awesm=sfy.co_5OX&utm_campaign=dajbelshaw&utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=direct-sfy.co


My own view is that I intend our daughter to be ICT savvy and have a real understanding of the potential of the internet and also of the dangers. I am ambitious for her and want to offer her any help I can. Registering web domains and social media profiles is only a small thing now that might just make a big difference in the future!


Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

2DIY

My class and I have fallen in love with 2Do It Yourself (2DIY) which is an incredible piece of software made by 2Simple Software. This is not new software, as it has been around for a few years now, but I have only just begun to use it!

This is a unique child-friendly yet incredibly powerful piece of software.


"Create your own interactive Flash resources, activities, games, puzzles, quizzes. With this software teachers and primary school children can create cross-curricular, personalised resources and use them on whiteboards, websites and even on Learning Platforms. There are plenty of opportunities for meaningful learning as children plan, design, create, publish and play."


The software could just as easily be used by teachers to create games and activities for their class as it is for children to use it to demonstrate their learning. It has cross-curricular potential and it could be used in all year groups!


I began using the software with my class by demonstrating the very basics about how to set up a matching pairs game. They were shown how to save their work, create pairs, use the drawing and typing tools and change the timings and sounds. Within 40 minutes they had learned lots of other things - adding music, recording sounds, changing the colours of the backs of cards, adding instructions, animating the instructions menu and more. I believe this is the beauty of the software - it is great for allowing the children to just 'have a go' and find out what they can do! There were a number of 'magic moments' around the ICT Suite as everything that was discovered had a wow factor!


Here are the tasks I have (currently) planned to set the children to try:

• Make a times table matching pairs game
• Create a map labelling activity for our junior building (ready for our Year Twos)
• Put together a multiple choice quiz about Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
• Create Venn and Carroll diagram activities to demonstrate what they have learned
• Make a game about Isis collecting all of the pieces of Osiris' body
• Design a catching game to catch all of the organs removed and placed in canopic jars during mummification

Websites and resources that could be useful if you are interested in using 2DIY are:

• Examples of 2DIY projects: http://www.2simple.com/2diy/examples/
• Lots of ideas are shared here: http://www.2diyarchive.co.uk/
• Southwark Primary's 2DIY planning: http://ict.southwarkprimary.net/2009/11/09/2diy-planning/
• Simon Haughton's 2DIY planning: http://www.2diyarchive.co.uk/2010/01/simon-haughtons-2diy-planning.html

The games that our children have made can be found on our school website here.


Do you use 2DIY with your pupils?

Monthly Review: April 2011

Looking back, April now just seems like a blur. Our baby girl, Lily, was born on the 19th and since then life has been completely different!


Here are the highlights:


Baby

Lily Grace was born after a very long labour (my poor wife!) She has already turned our lives upside down. I know I'm biased, but she is the most beautiful baby ever! I can't believe that something so tiny can cause everything to change! How does one little person take up so much time? Any why is everything for a tiny baby so big?! 


Reducing work hours
Since Christmas I've gradually been reducing the hours that I've spent at work. I now arrive at school by 7.45am and leave at 5pm. It can be tricky to fit things in, but I'm trying to get smarter with my use of time. I must keep this up so that I can get home to see the baby!




ICT course
I attended the second part of my ICT course. It was really helpful and I have lots of ideas to share with staff. Unfortunately, due to other priorities, these will have to wait until the new school year whilst I trial them in my own class.


Updating e-Safety & Acceptable Use Policies
I wanted the new versions of these policies to be more specific about social networking - in particular by staff, and in the policies we offer recommendations and guidance to help colleagues to stay safe. 

Toodledo Vs Teux Deux

Toodledo and Teux Deux are both productivity apps for the iPhone and websites - to do lists. Which one is the best?


Toodledo
Good points

• Easy to add tasks
• Add tags to tasks
• Have due dates
• Easy to create repeating tasks
• Easy to link Toodledo account with Google Calendar
• Tasks can be added on the iPhone without an internet connection - it syncs later

Bad points

• Not the best looking interface
• When a task is not completed it is marked as overdue and I quickly get frustrated at myself when I fall behind with things.

Teux Deux

Good points

• Looks great
• Tasks that are not completed are added to today's list

Bad points

• You can't set repeating tasks
• I can't seem to add tasks without an internet connection

After trying both, Toodledo wins. Whilst Teux Deux looks great, the lack of ability to add repeating tasks ruins it for me. Repeating tasks on my to do list keeps me organised.

Interactive Resources

Earlier this year we purchased a community licence for Interactive Resources which is made by Primary Games Ltd. This website offers maths resources which including games for the children to play on their own, class games, editable worksheets and class teaching tools, all in a really simple to use child- (and teacher-) friendly format.


We decided to go for a community licence (£250 for the year) which, at only £100 more than the alternative, seems like a bargain. This licence means that the site can be used freely in school and the children can use it at home too!


Resources can be added to a folder for each teacher - a great way to store all of the resources you like to use with the children, and a great way for the children to find the resource you want them to use!


This fabulous resource has really helped me in my move to Year Three. Through this site I have resources that are easy to find, age-appropriate and exciting for the children. I can use tools like the Class Clock which I find easier to use than the ITP on the Standards Site. 

I have also used the site for homework activities, and also encouraged the children to use the site at home to support what we do in class.

I'm intrigued by www.content-creators.co.uk which has just been released by Primary Games. This site allows a school or individual to buy credits which can be used to make their own interactive resources.

21st Century ICT Learning

I recently attended an East Cheshire ICT course called 'Developing an ICT curriculum for the 21st Century' superbly led by @jokprice. This was a course I had been eager to attend for a while so that I could find out how to develop our curriculum further.

The QCA scheme – and the Cheshire scheme of work that is based on it – is increasingly outdated and is not reflecting how ICT is used in everyday life and throughout the curriculum. This course would revamp how ICT is taught in the authority.

Here is a short summary of what I learned:


The National Curriculum programme of study can be usefully divided into 3 main themes. Each of these themes is sub-divided into strands to ensure that the full programme of study is covered. In the new curriculum elements of each strand need to be covered at least once a year and revisited later in the year.  This will allow opportunities for children to use and apply ICT capability in a range of contexts. ICT should be taught through the topics so that it is embedded in the whole curriculum. The new curriculum proposes that ICT is taught in major and minor units, where a major unit moves the learning on and teacher input is provided. In the minor unit, learning is revisited or prior knowledge is built upon to create the consolidation and a 'spiral' effect.

The three areas of the curriculum are

Sharing Information

• Creating text
• Creating pictures
• Creating multimedia, animation and video
• Creating music and sound

Collecting and sorting information

• Finding information (internet and CD-ROMs - although surely people don't use CD-ROMs anymore!)
• Handling data (graphing, databases and spreadsheets)
• Data logging (sensors)

Controlling and exploring

• Giving instructions
• Modelling

My immediate thoughts were that our school does loads of sharing information, and elements of finding information. When working in Year Six I introduced handling data and giving instructions but I'm not convinced that my staff know enough about these areas. Data logging is something I am aware that is missing in the school and so our Tesco vouchers this year are being invested in this area.


Our ICT curriculum will be redeveloped in the new year and I can't wait!

Monthly Review: March 2011

March seemed to last forever! I've been trying to cram so much in before the baby arrives.

ICT Course

At the beginning of the month I attended a course that introduced a new Cheshire ICT scheme. It was really interesting and very worthwhile attending. I still need to gather my thoughts about it and introduce the changes in September.

Not drinking

Not that I'm a big drinker, but I've avoided all alcohol this month in case the baby arrives and I need to drive my wife to the hospital. However, the baby still isn't here!

Leadership course

I enjoyed a course on leadership styles.

Visited Liverpool World Museum

We took our Year Threes to the museum to learn about Ancient Egypt. We watched a show about Egyptian artefacts and were given a presentation on the natural history of Ancient Egypt. The artefacts were fantastic and I loved seeing the children's enthusiasm and interest in our topic develop during the visit.

Performance Management
It was good to be given some training on performance management. One of the outcomes from the training is that we are reviewing the job descriptions of all staff in the school.

eCaph
It was good to see Teachmeet style training being promoted to senior leaders at an event at Cranage Hall.

Parents' evenings

We are very lucky to have supportive parents in school and it was, as always, a pleasure to meet with them this month.

Using 2DIY

My class and I have fallen in love with this amazing programme from 2Simple during March. We have made a few different games, and I love how it gives a real opportunity to make ICT really cross-curricular. I need to share some examples of the children's work...

eCAPH

Each year in school we have a fancy dress day to celebrate our book fair. And each year I try to arrange a course for that day so that I don't have to dress up! This year I managed to arrange one for the afternoon meaning that I still had to dress up as James and the Giant Peach in the morning and then get changed to drive to Cranage Hall for an ICT event.


eCAPH was a mini-Teachmeet intended to raise the profile of this form of CPD to headteachers and senior leaders in East Cheshire. There was also the opportunity to hear about Uniservity's learning platform upgrade and Microsoft's new software licensing plan.


Here are some of the ideas from the afternoon:


Google lit trips
This site brings books to life by using Google maps to direct you to the places where each part of the story takes place.

Prezi was recommended - it's a tool for creating online presentations, as an alternative to PowerPoint.

Jingproject.com - great for recording screencasts.

The Uniservity learning platform is due to receive a massive overhaul in September. The new version, called Life, looks so much easier to use, especially for non-techy teachers and will make it much easier to embed things like YouTube in the platform.. A migration plan will be rolled out soon with a view to beginning upgrades from September.

Songsmith is available for free from Microsoft's Partners In Learning website. This interesting piece of software generates a backing track in the key that the person sings in.

Leadership Styles

At a recent leadership development course I enjoyed learning about leadership styles. Kurt Lewin (1939) identified three major leadership styles:

• Authoritarian or autocratic
• Participative or democratic
• Delegative or Free Reign

As a school leader, I think that all three styles need to be used at particular times. A good leader need to learn when to use them for maximum impact for achieving results and maintaining good morale.

Authoritarian:

"I want you to..."

As a school leader this is the style that would perhaps have to be used when a change has to happen. When a new government or local government policy or initiative is introduced, a leader needs to use this style of leadership to instigate a change. This style would be used in discipline cases.

Participative:

"Let's work together to solve this"

A school leader would be part of the leadership team where decisions could be made together. But involving all staff in decision making processes is a really powerful way to bring a team together.

Delegative:

"You take care of the problem.."

A school leader can empower employees to make decisions. Although the leader is still responsible for the decisions that are made, they cannot do everything. Employees can be empowered can can gain confidence when you demonstrate trust and confidence in them. 

Seth Godin aludes to these leadership styles in his blog post:

"A friend sent me a copy of a new book about basketball coach Don Meyer. Don was one of the most successful college basketball coaches of all time, apparently. It's quite a sad book—sad because of his tragic accident, but also sad because it's a vivid story about a misguided management technique. 

Meyer's belief was that he could become an external compass and taskmaster to his players. By yelling louder, pushing harder and relentlessly riding his players, his plan was to generate excellence by bullying them. The hope was that over time, people would start pushing themselves, incorporating Don's voice inside their head, but in fact, this often turns out to be untrue. People can be pushed, but the minute you stop, they stop. If the habit you've taught is to achieve in order to avoid getting chewed out, once the chewing out stops, so does the achievement. 

It might win basketball games, but it doesn't scale and it doesn't last. When Don left the room (or the players graduated), the team stopped winning. 

A second way to manage people is to create competition. Pit people against one another and many of them will respond. Post all the grades on a test, with names, and watch people try to outdo each other next time. Promise a group of six managers that one of them will get promoted in six months and watch the energy level rise. Want to see little league players raise their game? Just let them know the playoffs are in two weeks and they're one game out of contention. 

Again, there's human nature at work here, and this can work in the short run. The problem, of course, is that in every competition most competitors lose. Some people use that losing to try harder next time, but others merely give up. Worse, it's hard to create the cooperative environment that fosters creativity when everyone in the room knows that someone else is out to defeat them. 

Both the first message (the bully with the heart of gold) and the second (creating scarce prizes) are based on a factory model, one of scarcity. It's my factory, my basketball, my gallery and I'm going to manipulate whatever I need to do to get the results I need. If there's only room for one winner, it seems these approaches make sense. 

The third method, the one that I prefer, is to open the door. Give people a platform, not a ceiling. Set expectations, not to manipulate but to encourage. And then get out of the way, helping when asked but not yelling from the back of the bus. 

When people learn to embrace achievement, they get hooked on it. Take a look at the incredible achievements the alumni of some organizations achieve after they move on. When adults (and kids) see the power of self-direction and realize the benefits of mutual support, they tend to seek it out over and over again. 

In a non-factory mindset, one where many people have the opportunity to use the platform (I count the web and most of the arts in this category), there are always achievers eager to take the opportunity. No, most people can't manage themselves well enough to excel in the way you need them to, certainly not immediately. But those that can (or those that can learn to) are able to produce amazing results, far better than we ever could have bullied them into. They turn into linchpins, solving problems you didn't even realize you had. A new generation of leaders is created... 

And it lasts a lifetime."