Kristianstill

This afternoon I delivered my first whole college ICT inset. I was anxious, I was cutely aware that a ‘technology failure’ would have a significant negative impact on my integrity and on staff confidence. To lead 60 of my colleagues on an ICT CPD session via (relatively new) wireless network on their staff issued laptops, left me buoyed but also relieved.

Q What ICT topic would you have delivered for wholeschool CPD on the first day back after the break?

Having thought quite hard about this issue I decided on the title ‘Working with Files and Folders.’ It was a simple topic but one with scope, but more importantly it was a topic that all staff encompass (as long as they use their network).

Next questions, ‘typically, why is wholeschool CPDs dull?’

Well its hard to personalise wholeschool CPD, I knew that I could not help everyone but I could get everyone to help one another…..? and that was my hook. Second I wanted to take a few calculated risks, I wanted to use teachnology, to showcase some of the tools we have been experimenting with. So here is my CPD session, help yourself.

Email links just before attending the session to the Online poll (polleverywhere)and Google Form. Create shortcuts on the staff shared area for safety.

No verbal introduction – French and Saunders – The Computer Whisperer.

The video set a light hearted mood. The staff where then asked to poll their ICT competencies before moving on to the small team quiz hosted via a Google self-marking form. The results were collected via a form, and although I thought having access to instants results was pretty impressive, I am not sure that it was such a hit with the staff?

We went through the answers and I side tracked on one or two additional College innovations that were highlighted by this task. I wish that I had planned and scripted this aspect more carefully rather than racing through the new College website, events calendar, document storage and remote access, helpdesk and shared resource on the Intranet. I finished with the results of our Everywhere Poll that strongly indicated that our staff have a positive outlook.

Was it a success? On the whole, I hope that the staff found the task practical and engaging. I’ll see what feedback I can gather over the next couple of days. I don’t think the staff were blown away – it was hardly the most exciting topic. In reflection I think that this activity may have been more powerful with 4/5 teams in a classroom run by three staff rather than 20 teams in the main hall. It missed the banter between groups and it was hard to manage so many teams.  In the meantime, help yourself to any of the resources.

The results are here.

Its been too long since I spent time on a Middle Leadership CPD learning task. Accepted, I read technology and education blogs most days, I try and write to my blog most weeks and I have taught myself how to use a few new software tools. I continue to contribute to my Personal Learning Network (PLN) although with our new son, thats tailed off a little. I contribute to the Subject Learning Network as part of HIAS and I have also visited four schools this term, when it comes to genuine Middle Leadership and strategy development I need to make time for my own CPD leadership development.

Working at Taunton’s College, I stumbleupon the National College and School Leadership (NCSL). It took two weeks to get my memberhip approved and I completed the highly valued Online Facilitation & Tutoring course. To be honest though, the interface was pretty dismal, clunky but functional. I read the LDR magazines and from that I dipped in and out of the NCSL site to watch some of the excellent leadership videos referenced but I dont think I really took full advantage of the service.

Yesterday I revisited the sites and its had a much needed makeover. It looks ten years younger! Slim lined, functions, modularised (as most Social Networks are these days) and informative. If you have not been recently, its worth a visit.

Its day one of the SSAT conference. The 3000 delegates. Impressive venue and the first two speaker set an enquiring tone. Sir Dexter Hutt, only introduced the conference but I felt that there was more I could gleaned from his approach to leadership and his experiences. IMHO it was a shame he was only introducing the Conference. A key reflection being that unless you change the ‘default setting’ for education, the outcome will rarely be changed. Change the default setting, the example given was to change the ugly 4 rows config of the ICT rooms classroom configuration, and outcome is changed. (I know I that Hamble College needs to challenge our classroom default setup, the ugly 4 rows configuration traditional in so many classrooms, to in turn impact on the way teachers and students and between student interact with one another, currently interaction is limited.)

The default system schools rely on, the way are schools are organised, doesn’t make it possible to make many special efforts, that’s why they are called ’special efforts.’

What would you have your to transform to permit more special efforts?

Sir Ken Robinson followed and the audience warmed to his ’slight of hand’ delivery and humour, did you know he now lived in California? And for the record he was never formerly known as Deardry or Angela? His key message was clear, he lives in California and creativity, ‘original ideas that add value,’ should be a central concern for educators. That creativity and intelligence are not divergent themes. (Ironically and only an minor observation, Sir Ken Robinson used the ‘default text font’ (TIMES NEW ROMAN text) in his Powerpoint, default habits die hard.) Again, a thoroughly thought provoking, expertly delivered, keynote. There are many possible soundbites to highlight, but…

‘The issue is not to reform education but to transform it into something else.’

So to the final point of the post. I am confident you are not interested in a second hand, vacious experience of the SSAT Conference. And thats is my exact reason for writing. Whilst we were listening to the Keynote from ‘up in the nose bleeds’ the video was being screen live on the back drop behind the speakers. So its being videoed LIVE. So it must be being streamed right? But it wasn’t? Why not?

Update:

I am pleased to say that the keynotes are available to watch? To reflect upon? To share with teachers all over the SSAT network? To share with our colleagues on our return? The presentations are being hosted and available for streaming, I am not sure for how long. Sadly the student presentation are not currently available. I have left a request with SSAT for higher quality DVDs be made available for purchase. I will keep you posted.

If you really wanted to get a copy of the presentation / video you should of course contact SSAT or read ‘When Right Click ‘Save Target As’ Doesnt Work.’ (A quick note SSAT presentation a SWF files, similar but a little different).

This week I attended a curriculum support day organised by the Hampshire Information and Advisory Services. I was impressed by the venue, how knowledgeable and accommodating our course leader was and incidently, lunch was too shabby either.

A summary of the information presented; first an overview of Functional Skills and the emphasis on mastery as opposed to competency assessment. In other words, students must be able to show / demonstrate they can meet minimum standards rather than suppassing a benchmark score on a exam. Within 2010 as a key date for Functional Skills, there is a need to move towards a more mastery based ‘teaching styles’ for learners starting examined courses in 2008 (Yr9) . Of courses Functional Skills for Diplomas courses will impact on Hamble College in sooner, which left an important, as yet unanswered question, who is delivering functional skills within our local consortia?

Second, we were asked to reflect on the Conscious Competence Model which struck a cord, as I felt it had CPD potential for our College staff and reflected our learners approach to learning.

Finally we discussed the NEW programmes of study and the delivery models used in  our schools; discrete, partially embedded, mostly embedded and fully embedded.  I sincerely believe that our decision to try and innovative our curriculum delivery model to combine PSHE, L2L and ICT will benefit our students. It provides an immediate context for the students learning and the design process will of course encourage staff to collaborate and think creatively to ensure the full breadth of these curricular components.