Kristianstill

Well I never managed to post this Summer roundup! This is a retrospective posting….

It has been a very busy summer, some difficulties were expected and some managed. Of course, many unexpected!

We have had some real difficulties with the Network, expecially external usage eg financial packages and County services. One or two gliches were unavoidable as we mored from a College appointed Network Manager to a Contracted Network Manager. Unfortunately our new staff member we not available until the week of the new term.

Curriculum Overview:

Although I have written and developed the resources for Unit 4 for the OCR Nationals Level 2 course (in OneNote), I know that there will need to be revisions. However, at least we have a full scheme of work for Year 9, including exemplar and online home access resources. It will be interesting to see how Unit 4 is received in comparison to Unit 7 – Databases.

Unit 1 is being planned and prepared by another colleague, as is the NEW Level 1 ICT course. As part of the delivery of this course,  structured by Mr Ord, we are including specialist low ability support from Learning Support. Again, it will be interesting how this course is received and the impact on the other groups.

Our new appointment, Andy and I have already spent a few days preparing his teacher room. Walls have been stripped of old displays, cupboards emptied, furniture moved and early expectations discussed. Andy has been very positive and I am very much looking forward to working and learning from him.

On a personal note, my wife are expecting our first child in the next few days, so I am hoping to be able to post maybe one more time before College starts. Here’s hoping….

I have been working with OneNote, writing a scheme of work for our new OCR National in ICT, Unit 4 should be curious. Planning and constructing a scheme of work in OneNote has been a learning experience, OneNote has also offered some ‘oh, thats neat’ solutions to preparing and scripting a scheme of work, but at other times I have been a little frustrated that it was not WORD with extras. One real educational plus, OneNote has helped me reach students with low reading abilities as I have been able to record audio instructions maybe I will leave a video next time?

Here are a few things you and your students can take advantage of…

First you can write an entire notebook in one ‘location.’ This is highly likely to keep the students more organised and therefore more focused. Even then, the sections of the unit can be sub-divided further.

Like WORD, you can then hyperlink between pages, but however not to locations within a page.

Getting use to the text not defaulting to the top left can take time, but this gives you move versatility on the page.

Tagging is a great addition, I have left plenty of ToDo’s through the Worksheets, ideas and questions but will the students use them?

No centre or align text features but is there a need too when you can type anywhere? This applied to tables as well.

I have yet to use the pens function and I am note sure that I will but it not that different from freehand tools in WORD.

Limited image formatting, no wrapping for example.

Screen clipping evidence I believe will be a widely used tool with 3 months. Simple, quick and the time stamp is very useful.

Embedding sounds and video is a real asset, especially for this unit but what impact will this have on file sizes across college?

Questions to be Answered

Can the students set tasks and will this link to the Outlook accounts within College?

Will the students use the paper template, they certainly make the printouts look impressive.

When laptops become part of the furniture will my students record a lesson for later play back?

Will the students use OneNote over WORD in other areas of the their education?

Will the additional £13 be a barrier to students using the software at home?

I continue to enjoy listening to Sir Ken Robinson speak about the evolution of education every since I first heard his TED talk a few year back. I hope that you will enjoy reflecting on his talk as the recipient of the Ben Franklin Award at the RSA.

‘Teaching students to do what?’

That was the phrase from a recent ‘Moving at the Speed of Creativity’ podcast (courtesy of Steve Wycoff) that really struck a cord. I don’t have long to write this post, so I will be concise, never a bad thing. Dr Wycoff’s point is that we should be focus on why we teaching our students, more so that what we are teaching. He positions a number of rather frank statements that raise concerns over the extent of unused learning, the fallibility of testing and finally the real responsibility of teachers. To that point I have borrowed a second key point raised

A teacher’s job is not to teach kids. A teacher’s job is to create meaningful, engaging work whereby kids learn the things we want them to learn. (Phil Schlecty)

Do we as teachers provide opportunities that give students time to grapple with difficult lessons, to really learn something? Or do we merely deliver a checklist of learning skills? It is the difference in knowing something and doing something that emphasised. Have you listened to Steve? Did I miss the point? In reflection, its what I do with this learning that counts….

Having just got back from my first Hamble College educational trip I wanted to think over my thoughts. After all where do colleagues seek guidance when planning educational trips?

I can only assume that the smooth running of this trip was due to the planning. The trip organiser was very experienced, having run this trip successfully for the past 8 years, and this experience was clearly demonstrated on a number of occasions.

Parents Meeting

A strong presentation and the ability to pick up any early issues was important. Interestingly, of the three or four very minor issues, one or two arose simple because a guardian was not present at the meeting. In reflection the advice given at this presentation was extremely accurate.

Departure and Return

The ground rules were set early and the trip leader picked up any minor misdemeanors swiftly and the penalties were immediate and non-negotiable. All aspects of the long journey were executed efficiently and we arrived at the Hotel tired but early. The return journey was equally as efficient. The Awards ceremony on the way home was a great way to ‘finalise’ the trip.

The Hotel

The hotel was well positioned, suitable and had scope for student activities. Food offered Spanish dishes but also some excellent ‘teenager’ cuisine, so chips. Evening ‘lights out’ was monitored by a room call and light out call. Poor bed-time behaviour resulted in lost free time in each case without exception. I was a little surprised at the students behaviour, our trip leader expected it.

Day Trips

Instructions given at the hotel were reinforced on the coach mic and regular meeting points, designated shopping areas, gave the students security and staff the reassurance. I was surprised by the amount of free time given to our students, but in reflection these young people needed time away from their studies  to bond. Would this bonding have occurred if the students had been driven too hard? Also at every opportunity students were encouraged to sample the culture of Spain.

Staff

As a staff member, I felt that I was well looked after. All non-hotel meals were provided, with staff eating lunch together during the excursions. Although I enjoyed the time with the students and the galleries, it was meal times with my colleagues I enjoyed the most. We discussed our professional lives and opinions, but also our personal lives away from Hamble College. There were a few minor disagreements, however one did lead to a heated, late night debate. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to disagree so vehemently with a colleague and be able to work professionally the next day. In fact the outcome led to a stronger team performance on the final two days. For me, the experience taught me that as teachers we are all very different but balance requires honest dialogue.  Part of this discussion focused on what I would do differently, what I would modify and what I thought was positive. Well, the final component is far longer that the first so here are my reflections, actions I would adopt;

Consistency

As the week progressed, I was impressed by our trip leaders organisation but even more so his level of consistency. Instructions were clear, failing to meet meeting times, bed time protocol or poor behaviours were always dealt with the highest integrity.

Balance

The trip had a great balance between learning, encouraging students to embrace the culture and fun time, also between staff led activities and free choice. The workbooks were a fantastic resource.

Awards

I felt that the awards were a great tool for recognising the students.

Communication with Coach Staff

Liaising with coach staff was a constant activity. Times were checked, confirmed and where the drivers were a little tardy, our trip organiser picked them up.

Things I would do differently

Prior to the trip I would have probably taken on a more congenial approach. In hindsight, this would have been a mistake. It is my opinion, that the tight guidelines made for a very fulfilling trip. I may have posted some potential awards in the back of workbooks, but honestly, these are small points. This trip was so well organised it is very difficult to highlight changes.

My final thoughts are this, trips really enliven the department. They provide time for staff to really get to know one another and the students. These relationships are essential. Honesty is not an easy dish to serve, but those who offer it on their menu will be respected for their decision.