Connecting Classrooms Project

A few months ago, I was discussing digital imaging equipment with Hilary Norton from Tower Hamlets for an upcoming school connection programme she would be running in Bangladesh. Hilary has very kindly used the cameras, microphones and tripods purchased as part of this project to record some excellent footage of the equipment being used and even found time for a live debate - eat your heart out Brown, Clegg & Cameron!!

Connecting schools in Tower Hamlets with 5 high schools in Sunamganj, Sylhet, Bangladesh..

The trip to Bangladesh was successful, the cameras were brilliant. I was SO pleased with them. I wasn’t sure what hardware and software they would have and when I checked out the Jubilee High School ICT suite (the only one in Sunamganj) I found that they had about 15 computers (some not working L) and a projector. We were very lucky to have a computer suite (VERY rare in B'desh) with a computer attached to a projector BUT the intermittent power cuts (one every hour or so) made it exciting :-/ The computer had Windows XP and Movie Maker etc loaded phew. I took Microsoft Photostory 3 with me and Audacity and was able to load them onto the computer too. ( I also took a pack of codecs, file converters etc just in case!!)

I wasn't sure how much experience the teachers there would have had with digital cameras so had to be prepared for anything. As it turned out very few of them had used digital cameras so the Fuji cameras were perfect since they were simple to use (separate buttons for still photography and video photography and playback)

I downloaded the manual onto my computer so that I could display the diagram of the camera as I demonstrated that buttons to use. We spent some time practicing taking pictures: being careful of the light, focusing on our subject ; and taking videos: moving the camera smoothly and slowly, checking sound and light.

I had to teach how to take pictures/videos from the cameras and put them onto the computers, then we used Movie Maker to make short films to support citizenship teaching. (voxpop, debates, interviews etc) I was working with colleagues who were teaching citizenship so we taught our Bangladeshi colleagues how to make voxpop films and how to conduct and film debates and how to give interviews.

We worked with students (year 9) too and they picked up Movie Maker really quickly, and some of them used Audacity to edit sound files...
We left a camera and easispeak MP3 player with each of the 5 (secondary) schools in Sunamganj when we left and hope to continue to share films and resources.
Thank you so much for the cameras! :-)

iTouches in the Classroom

Today we're lucky enough to have another guest blog post courtesy of Mary Farmer (no relation!) who teaches at The Cedars Primary School in Hounslow. It discusses using Apple iPod Touches in the classroom.

How we got our iTouches

It all started with this Tweet on Twitter from @RM_London which unfortunately I missed.

Luckily though, I came across a post on PTRC forum from senorcalvo (aka @arsenalchris on Twitter). You can read his blog here. He VERY kindly told me how he was in contact with RM who were looking for a school to take part in using iTouches in a primary classroom.

I decided to take a risk and contacted @RM_London and asked if they’d be interested in a Special School ALSO taking part and……. !!!!!!!

Steve from RM said YES!!!

On the last day of term 9 iTouches were delivered to school. It was better than Christmas opening the box!
9 iTouches!!!! One for each child!!!!

THANK YOU RM!

Originally I thought they were ours to use for a set period of time but it turns out they are ours to keep!

DOUBLE THANK YOU RM!!!!!!!

Setting Up a Class Set of iTouches (Part 1)

I was lucky enough to take the iTouches home for the Easter break in order to set them up. The first thing I did was order some silicone cases from Amazon.

I have also ordered a 7 port hub for charging the iTouches.

iTunes asks for a name for each unit and I decided to name each with a number so they are called 01 iTouch to 09 iTouch. For the setting up period I created a screensaver with a pic of each of their numbers.

This really made it very easy to see which iTouch I was working on each time.

Each iTouch has a silicone case which has its number on the back and it is kept in the clear plastic packaging case which comes with the iTouch which also has the matching number on it. The headphones that come with each iTouch have a small sticker with the same number and eveything is kept in A5 zipped plastic wallets with a sticker which has the iTouch number, the name of the person who uses it as well as the colour of the case.

This makes it very easy to quickly see if everything is where it should be.

In each pack is a notebook to use to record notes, ideas, drawings when using an app as well as an instruction sheet on how to use with reading (but more on that later).

Some of the above ideas came from or were adapted from Tony Vincent’s Learning in Hand site.

Reading Project Using an iTouch

Many of the children at my school have reading difficulties and reading ages well below their chronological age. Improving reading is a major focus across the school.
I spent time over the Easter break researching what makes a good reader and wanted to find something that would lend itself to using the iTouch and also be measurable so that I would be able to see if using the iTouch had a real impact.
I finally settled on using the iTouch as an aid to improve Reading Fluency and to increase the children’s Sight Vocabulary.

WHAT IS READING FLUENCY?

Fluency is reading a text with speed, accuracy, and expression and the ability to comprehend the material being read.

Speed refers to the number of words a person correctly reads per minute (WCPM or WPM).
Accuracy refers to reading with few errors. Misreading more than 10% of the words in a passage generally means the text is too difficult for instructional level.
Expression refers to the ability of the reader to use correct phrasing, tone, and pitch while reading a text aloud.
Comprehension refers to the ability to understand the text being read.

WHY READING FLUENCY?

A fluent reader is able to use their energy on comprehending the text versus identifying the words in the text. A fluent reader identifies words automatically. There is evidence that immature readers generally lack fluency which means they devote more energy to word recognition, and have less energy for meaning.

WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR

When reading to the children I have begun to make my reading behaviours very explicit and discussing reading behaviours such as phrasing (i.e. the ability to read several words together in one breath), rate (the speed at which we read), and intonation (the emphasis we give to particular words or phrases).

I have completed a Running Record to get an accurate text level for each child. On Monday I will find a baseline for each child of their Words Correct per Minute that they can read. This will be repeated 3-4 times each week. The number of words read correctly will be graphed.

Each child will record themselves reading using the built in Voice Memos app and they will listen to the recording so that they can hear themselves reading. They will be provided with feedback on the number of words they read correctly and an adult will discuss any word recognition errors.
After less than a week EVERY child has made measurable progress AND all are extremely motivated to record themselves reading.

Arjen Robben and Lego

This probably doesn't merit a whole new blog post, but it follows on nicely from one of my earlier blogs, and as a Liverpool fan, schadenfreude is all I have to cling to this season.

ASCL and RM Strategic Forums

Every spring and every autumn a whole bunch of my RM colleagues see months of hard work come to fruition in our technical seminars. I've been lucky enough to attend the Cambridge, Cardiff and Solihull seminars and met a whole range of schools, both RM and non-RM customers, primaries and secondaries and teachers with a wide range of interests and priorities.

This year, as a complement to the seminars and in partnership with ASCL, we're introducing the RM Strategic Forums. These have a slightly different focus to the technical seminars and concentrate on allowing school leaders to come together to discuss their vision for learning. You will get the opportunity to collaborate on how learning spaces can enhance the teacher and pupil experience and how technology can aid teaching and learning, no doubt taking some new ideas back to your school.

They're very much a forum type of event (hence the name, I guess), with the focus on you being the centre of things, discussing your plans and strategy with other teachers and we really hope you will find the day beneficial.

There will be RM staff acting as support and facilitators, as well as guest speaker Richard Gerver amongst other special guests.

The forums kick off in Bristol on 22nd April, head east to London on the 27th, up to Warwickshire on the 29th before finishing up in Leeds on the 4th May. Book your place today!!

When is a pie not a pie?

This is possibly the finest intro to an article I've read in a long while.

In yet another tenuous link to stretch your patience, that Guardian article has got an awful lot to do with computers, in particular, RM Ones. Bear with me on this one!

Virtually every day an email lands in my inbox asking for some pricing for a PC. All well and good, but just as two pies are clearly not the same, all PCs are not created equal. This is even more pronounced with the RM One, which is definitely not just a standard PC.

It is our all-in-one built-for-education PC, designed by teachers and created specifically for use in the classroom. In our first blog guest spot, Adam Stewart, the RM PC Product Manager and a big fan of pies, explains more:

We launched the latest version of the RM One at the start of Summer 2009, and already over 18,000 units have been delivered to classrooms across the country. The new RM One has proved so popular with schools as it has truly been designed specifically for education. At every stage of the 12 month development project, we have involved customers (including quite a few in the London area) to make sure we deliver a classroom PC that builds on the strengths and success of the original RM One. We also made sure that we responded to feedback (both the good and the bad) and opportunities identified in our extensive research.

Through this research we have delivered a number of new and exciting features that address the real needs of education. Click here for an overview of what makes it unique. The most popular features include the even sleeker space-saving design, the improved access and maintenance, robust design, integrated webcam/mic, optional media card reader, the wealth of green features (Re-usable screen, recycled plastics and eco mode settings) and the carry handle (brought back due to popular demand!).

You can see the new RM One in action, or read the 4-Star PC Pro review and come along to the RM BETT stand to see One for yourself.

There you have it! To compare it with a PC is like comparing Wigan pies with Adlington pies.

Alain Prost, Jean Alesi, Nicole, Papa and Lego

Bonjour les jeunes et bienvenue au grand prix!

Ok, so you might have to dust off those old textbooks and search for that pocket anglais-français dictionnaire you last used on the booze cruise (back in the good old days when you got 1.67 euros to the pound), but this is a superb example of using technology in a fun, creative way.

Lego Animation Road Race

It's not even the use of Lego which stood out, although it does provide a seamless link between blogs. I've no idea how many photo stills they had to take to generate this 2/3 minute video, but that's a lot of effort. What got me thinking was that every school in the UK has got the capacity to create this kind of content, and instead of bringing board games in on the last day, why not let everyone loose with a camera or a visualiser, throw in a bag of Lego or some plasticine, and see what they create?

Cameras were the most popular product ordered in the Tesco 2008 scheme, with over 10 000 going to schools across the UK, and this is a resource which is being used more and more.

You'll need some video editing software - Adobe School Collection or Textease Movies CT cover everything you'll need.

Not only does this fit in with Creative Curriculum initiatives, it's an excellent example of collaborative working and just imagine how cool it'd be for pupils to take home a video they'd made. You can't stick it up on the fridge, but you can put it on youtube, share it with family across the globe and put the best ones on the school website.

Dirk Kuyt and Lego

This Sunday, Capital Letters had quite a lazy day. Falling victim to Sky’s hype of 29^th November being Super Sunday, an entire day was spent on the sofa drinking copious amounts of tea, and watching (in this order) England take an unbeatable series lead in South Africa, Liverpool win the Merseyside derby, Chelsea beat Arsenal and Barcelona squeeze past Real Madrid.

Anyway, I digress. Mrs. Capital Letters was not impressed with my behaviour, choosing not to mark the day with adjectives such as ‘wonderful’, ‘well earnt’ or ‘quality time with the family’, instead digging out Roget’s book and finding ‘frittered’, ‘unnecessary’ and ‘a waste of a day’.

I digress some more, and I’ll get to the point now - that, whilst South Africa’s lower order collapsed, I stumbled upon an article in the Observer which struck a chord. The UK, apparently, needs to find 600 000 new engineers in the next seven years. Admittedly, the report was published by the Engineering and Technology Board, who can safely be said to have a vested interest in the matter. But it got me thinking, why the apparent dearth of engineering students?

The DCSF is attempting to tackle the shortage through the Science and Innovation Investment Framework, a ten year strategy aimed at (amongst other things) improving the numbers pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) into higher education and increasing the numbers of STEM teachers. As an ICT company RM has a role to play in helping nurture the STEM graduates of the future. Traditional software products such as Multimedia Science School and RM Maths certainly play a part by focussing on topic based learning. RM Maths in particular has had success in the primary SEN environment where the ‘little and often’ approach is most appropriate. But what about the learner who is more hands-on, and struggles with the abstract?

We only very recently uncovered probably the only cross-STEM solution available – Lego Education Centres. The link-up between Lego and Education isn’t immediately apparent, but Lego’s Education division have created a fantastically innovative product which engages pupils’ enthusiasm and desire to learn, whilst at the same time uncovering an aptitude for technology and engineering. Available in a modular format which allows you to pick and choose as many or as few options as you’d like in your centre, it’s probably this very customisability which has seen the earliest adopters being specialist science and technology schools keen to take advantage of the way Lego makes these subjects ‘fun’ – something which can be tricky to do with STEM subjects. The amazing thing is, Education Centres encourage children to take control of their own learning, promoting collaborative working and generating a real sense of purpose and enthusiasm amongst pupils. As Lego is something we all played with as kids, they also reach out to the local community, and are a great resource for feeder primary schools.

With the theme that Lego is fun as it’s more hands-on, I won’t waffle on anymore, but will instead invite you to look at the centres here. If you want the chance to look at the kit yourself, onsite demos are available, just give us a call on 08450 700 300 and we’d be happy to arrange something. To steal some other Danish marketing, they’re probably the best Education Centres in the world.