‘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.

Finally, a short passage I read this week that I thought interesting, especially considering its over 100 years old. Education is many things, but the core values remain, thanks Dangerouslyirrelevant.

If you are not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.

Knowledge speaks out but wisdom listens

It was the title of a Ewan MacIntosh blog post, thinking about our meeting this afternoon, perhaps appropriate.

Also, a plea. If anyone knows of an ICT residental trip, I would love to hear from you.

Furthermore, and this really tweeked my interest, to share on iPods via iTunes. Viewers or students can then sync their iPods and have your presentations available to them even when they are not online or in the classroom! I am thinking great opportunities to collaborate and share between teachers, between teachers and students, between students, to aid revision and all with software that most staff and students are familiar with. So, what do you think?