ICT Learning

ICT across the school

Primary

How blogging is giving pupils self-confidence and fulfilment

Blogging is now a worldwide phenomenon with weblogs reaching a potential audience of hundreds of millions. Blogs have been described as the ultimate in publishing for the people and have been used to challenge governments and the press. Steve O'Hear, one of Britain's digital evangelists, explores how blogs can be used in schools. Steve finds some enthusiastic primary age bloggers and sees how it helps in literacy, ICT skills and a range of other subjects. He finds many of the benefits extend beyond the curriculum. Blogging can help pupils: Develop confidence Improve their self expression Get a real sense of fulfilment from publishing their work In West Blatchington School in Hove, blogging is practised by everyone from the head down. Steve visits the school's after-school blogging club, a special bloggers' assembly and sees weblogs being used in the school's autistic unit.

Blogosphere

How wikis and blogs can be put to use in the classroom

The use of blogs and online collaboration in education is explored as teachers discover how and why they should make good use of them. Head of geography at Bury Church Secondary, Sally Sumner, uses blogs as a resource in the classroom and as a revision tool, having overcome her initial doubts about her ICT skills. MFL teacher Janet McCann finds blogging invaluable for motivating the boys in her class, and discusses why the pupils find this technology so engaging. At Priestsic Primary School, Nottinghamshire, ICT co-ordinator Tom Barrett uses online collaboration tools for peer assessment, developing the pupil's literacy skills. Collaborative online educational games are also shown, providing a safe environment on the web for pupils to improve their numeracy skills.

Blogs/Wikis

How using computer games can inspire Year 3 and Year 6 pupils

These practical examples and resources can help with using ICT in the classroom. Follow a Year 3 teacher as he investigates whether using computer games in his primary class can enhance teaching and learning. Many teachers are sceptical about using computer games in the classroom. Key Stage 2 teacher Neil Webster's reservations are banished when he meets Dawn Hallybone, a Year 6 teacher, who's already using computer games in class to great effect. Neil later demonstrates the technology he has learned, as he puts it into action with his KS2 pupils.

Computer Games in the Classroom

A Year 2 teacher beats her ICT phobia by teaching data handling

See a Year 2 teacher overcome her own fear of ICT while improving her teaching of data handling at Key Stage 1 by using the advice of a fellow teacher. Data handling is often conducted using traditional pen and paper methods in the classroom, but ICT offers an effective and simple way to teach data handling at all levels. Lynne Hall spends time with a fellow primary teacher Chris Thomas and discovers the benefits of using ICT to reduce the data handling workload. After observing Chris, who confidently uses ICT in data handling, Lynne returns to her school and creates an engaging lesson for her KS1 pupils using her new pedagogy.

Data Handling in the Classroom

New initiatives to improve literacy levels in traveller children

This programme takes a look at new initiatives that have been introduced to tackle falling literacy levels and attendance in traveller children. Evidence suggests that traveller children are the group most at risk in the education system. Is distance learning the key to raising academic achievement amongst traveller communities? A number of children try out laptops and data cards, keeping in touch with schools from remote locations. There is a focus on the positive effects such initiatives can have in terms of achievement and inclusion.

Distance Learning

Tips on how to implement e-safety in the primary classroom are shown

Startforth CE Primary School in Barnard Castle demonstrates five key tips to help primary teachers deliver e-safety education in the classroom. Year 3 and 4 teacher Vicky Bain makes use of online resources to deliver online safety messages to pupils. Differentiated activities enable her to reinforce important messages across a wide range of abilities. In Year 1 and 2, teacher Jilly Kearton works with pupils to create their own set of age appropriate e-safety rules. Meanwhile, in Year 6, teacher Martin Cluderay gets pupils talking about key issues by using role-play activities. Finally, Headteacher Linda Sams speaks about the value of embedding e-safety across the whole school.

Five Classroom Tips

A look at a wholeschool approach to e-safety across a primary school

Staff at Parkwood Primary School in Bradford demonstrate five key messages which underpin its whole school approach to e-safety. Pupils deliver an e-safety assembly to parents, and local authority ICT consultant Paul Scott is brought in to raise awareness through a presentation to parents. Paul also runs a staff training session developing teacher's knowledge of new technologies and their e-safety risks. In the classroom, Year 5 pupils are encouraged to use technology positively as they plan and create their own videos on cyberbullying. And in Year 6, teacher Kelly McGreavy tests the pupils internet safety knowledge, as the school strives to embed e-safety across the whole curriculum.

Five Whole-School Tips

How two schools use ICT to ease pupils' transition to secondary

The way two secondary schools are using ICT to take the trauma out of transition from primary and secondary teachers is the focus of this whole-school video on ICT learning. Painsley Catholic College in Staffordshire uses video conferencing to ease primary pupils into the school. The Year 7 intake can be brought onto site and given the same lesson by the same teacher across five different classrooms. The school aims to extend this video link into the primaries themselves to give them a greater taste of secondary education. Fear of transition has been even greater at the King Edward VII High School in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The school, which has 2,000 pupils but a Year 7 intake of 100, has created a centre for lower years that features its own dedicated wireless network. This provides easy access to a website and portal dedicated to Year 7 pupils. The new students visit for two days but are encouraged to log onto the portal from home for virtual tours of the classrooms and curriculum.

Hi Tech Transition

A Florida teacher tackles her pupils' hurricane fears

Teacher Annette Jankowski is determined to turn a succession of hurricanes in Florida into something positive for Surfside Elementary School. Annette attends a teachers' workshop run by a local TV station, inspiring her to begin an ambitious project on weather with the 3rd Grade science unit. The project's tasks include designing a model house, built to withstand a leaf blowing hurricane, whilst learning the importance of design and teamwork in the process. With the help of a TV meteorologist, the pupils research hurricanes to develop literacy and ICT skills, as well as tackle their anxieties about the harsh weather conditions they have experienced.

Hurricane House

A school uses free software to challenge and engage pupils

Headteacher John Row uses free software for use across a range of subjects to challenge and develop the ICT skills of pupils at St Mary's CE Primary School, Shropshire. John believes that unless pupils are stretched at school there is a good chance that computer literate children will 'power down'. He uses the free software to keep children engaged and stimulated. One programme enables pupils to create their own stop frame animation projects, and by downloading the software at home, the children can continue to work out of school hours. They can then post their finished products on the school's blogsite for their peers to see. Other programmes John uses include a digital audio programme that allows the children to record performances of the school choir and create mp3 files which their parents can download from the school's website.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

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