‘The effect of a very small change in the initial conditions of a system which makes a significant difference to the outcome.’
Our touch typing experiment? This term we are introducing every ICT class (year 7, 8, 9 and 10) with just FIVE (hence a very small change) minutes of touch typing using the typingweb free resource. In summary, Typingweb is
100% free
Web-based, and can be access anywhere
Teaches typing technique
Provides progress statistics
Here is the education bit. A warm front to lessons, students arrive, login, access Tyingweb right from the intranet page. Punctual students get the first 5-7 minutes practice that provides a transitional phase into the lesson, students who are a little tardy get less time or miss out. No more disrupted or staggered starts.
To extend this, my mentees get a further 4 x 15 minute sessions of mentor time as we meet in my teaching room. My mentees performance in just 2 weeks has more than doubled, and as it is web-based some students are now practicing at home. In ICT lessons,students typing speeds is pretty constant, but students are eager to arrive and disappointed if they miss out on typing web time.
We hope that if the students progress to typing with 10 fingers and thumbs that will be a serious improvement on the two index fingers the majority are using now and an valuable life skill they will continue to use long after they leave Hamble College.
This is why I love MY news, exposure to something I would never have ever looked for, nor stumbled upon. All thanks to RSS.For those of you unfamiliar with RSS, I will keep it short as not to annoy those that do, because they are thinking you really should have heard of RSS by now.
RSS feeds deliver self selected news to you, where-ever you choose it to be, the theme behind recent BBC campaining. In my case I have grown accustomed to having MY news accessible to me where ever I am, using Googles ‘Reader.’ I simple log into my Google account and read MY news. Its 24/7 CPD.
Now here’s the fix, I am reading TED’s (you should spend some time there too) list of speakers for 2009 (from their BLOG RSS) and mouse-over Ed Ulbrich, digital story teller and that’s me intrigue. From Ted to Digital Domain and I am inspired. Check out their film reels, dig a little deeper and they show how some of the CGI effects are created in ‘behind the scenes.’ Breath-taking visual effects with simple explanation, enjoy.
What a fantastic example to inspire the students, to stretching the boundaries of their perception of the advertising world in which they exist. A pool of production quality examples for Units 4 and 21 in the OCR Nationals. I haven’t even exhausted all link. Digital Domains, get stuck in.
‘Finding the right way to view your data is as much an art as a science.’
Topic or Tool: Many Eyes. A project and website set up to enable anyone to share data and data analysis. More importantly it allows anyone to create, edit, share data visualizations.
What does it cost? FREE.
How it could be used for teaching?
Anywhere you use data, Many Eyes can help. Sharing data, presenting data, investigating and evaluating data. This resource includes over 16 different visualisation tools so if its data you need to check out Many Eyes.
If you can not find a novel use for Many Eyes then I would be very surprised. We will be using Many Eyes to target and explore the large data sets now mandatory for the new curriculum. Combine this with the statistics available at the OECD (organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and you have a powerful lesson in the making. Or perhaps you may decide to use a Google Form to collect data not solely from one group of students but a whole year, school, county, country? Is that large enough? As an example, we researched and sourced over 291 unique movie titles (any imperfect entries or duplicates were deleted, 611 total entries were recorded) from 4 groups working collaboratively and simultaneously in preparation for Unit 7, ‘Use and Design Databases.’ The data set was certainly more comprehensive and current than the measly 30 the board provided. If you want to add to the list, please do. We add some fun challenges, like the oldest film, long Directors name. If you want a copy of the list, you only have to ask.
In November, Microsoft released a major update to its Windows Live online services. The Windows Live suite included updates for mail, messenger, photo gallery and more, I was particular interested in how Movie Maker would work. I blogged about the Windows Live Family Safety features although I am not sure our students won’t find numerous ways around these features. There are also a two new additions: Windows Live Sync and the Office Live Add-In. Silverlight is now also part of the Live Essentials suite.
We now also have Live Sync which allows you to sync any kind of file to the 25GB of space that Microsoft’s SkyDrive online storage service now offers. Now this has potential. I had read somewhere that the LIVE OFFICE would include OneNote? I have not seen evidence of this yet? Anyone?
Regardless we move forward. I am considering to use a folder and group to develop a group of Moodle ICT teachers. A place to share information and documents. I let you know how we get on – my only reservation with this option is that the Moodle group will set up a Moodle LP for this purpose.
Watching television the other day I enjoyed a commercial. I am not losing my marbles. The GotoUni commercial is set to lyrics or a poem in a very ‘The Streets,’ type of genre. Visually the ad is not bad, little more than a photstpry, but its the lyrics that impressed me, but I am sure there is a lesson in there somewhere… students creating their own ‘Life is a Great Thing’ video? What would they put in their video?
In November, Microsoft released a 
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