CommunICTy

Communicty blog moves to www.communicty.edublogs.org

Alex Savage — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:28:53 +0000

ICT in MFL

Alex Savage — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:03:46 +0000

Why teach global issues?
Teaching the National Curriculum is a challenge in itself. So is the idea of enhancing the curriculum with a global dimension yet another thing to squeeze in, or could it be the solution to bringing the existing curriculum more to life?

Secondary Curriculum Review
QCA has launched a review of the NC for KS3-4. The new curriculum will have 4 dimensions;
Global
Enterprise
Creativity
Cultural Understanding and Diversity

Ideas for Etwinning
Elanguages.org is a free website for schools to share information. For example, look at our project with a school in Ariège, France.
Edublogs.org is a free website for educational blogs. This is a very simple way to raise an issue and ask students to contribute moderated comments. For example see Qu’est-ce que tu fais le weekend? and the Global Issues Foru m
Audacity is a great free download to enable students to record their own audio. This means that they can use the software at home as well as at school. The files can either be uploaded to a blog, or a podcast website such as podomatic or Gcast.
Bubbleshare and AuthorStream are free sites that allow you to upload images or powerpoint presentations.

LickHill Primary School have used audacity and bubbleshare to create a great activity on clothes and put it on their blog.

Videoconferencing
Flashmeeting is a basic videoconferencing tool with the following benefits:
It is safe to use as you have to be a teacher to have an account
It doesn’t require special software, just flash
It can be used with a basic webcam and/or microphone
It uses commonly open firewall ports, so rarely gets blocked
You can watch a recording of a flashmeeting between students at Notre Dame, Norwich and Summit High, Cincinatti.
For info about flashmeeting and how to get a free account click here.

Global Issues
Tour de France
UN Cyberschool bus - Great for UN MDGs and in lots of languages
International day of Peace

useful sites
Joe Dale’s Blog - A great blog with regular updates on how schools are using web2.0 in MFL.
Global Messenger - My website on elanguages.org with free downloadable resources
Global Gateway - Etwinning portal
British Council International School Award - A framework for global education in your school
Global Dimension - Links to the best global education resources
Oxfam Cool Planet - Excellent online resources based Oxfam’s work
Climate Challenge - Pratical ways to reduce global warming
BBC Newsround - Best site for internation current affairs in child speak
My global del.ici.ous tags - To see all my favourite global links

Developing the Global Dimension in Your School

Alex Savage — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:03:54 +0000

Why teach global issues?
Teaching the National Curriculum is a challenge in itself. So is the idea of enhancing the curriculum with a global dimension yet thing to squeeze in, or could it be the solution to bringing the existing curriculum more to life? Watch the r u global presentation for more information.

How to teach global issues
According to the DfES’ Developing a global dimension in the school curriculum all subjects can explore global issues. How can this vision be made a reality?

Pratical Examples
Global Village - If we shrank the earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, what would it be like?
R U Global? – Answer the quiz to find out if you are a global citizen. What are the most important global issues and why?
The Banana Game – To introduce the banana chain. What happens to a banana before it meets the consumer and how the profits are divided
Rich/Poor - How do these statements about poverty make you feel? What do they make you think? What do they make you want to ask?
Global Dimension in ICT - Specific examples of how to put a global dimension into ICT.

Multimedia Resources
conflict.ppt - statistics on conflict
Peace.ppt - Quotes about peace
View from Space.ppt Quotes from astronauts after viewing the Earth from Space
Global Wombat flash video – How to get along on Earth for the next million years!
Peace One Day.wmv – One Man’s attempt for a global ceasefire day
Climate Challenge - How can we reduce global warming?

useful sites
Global Messenger - My website on elanguages.org with free downloadable resources
Global Gateway - Etwinning portal
British Council International School Award - A framework for global education in your school
Global Dimension - Links to the best global education resources
Oxfam Cool Planet - Excellent online resources based Oxfam’s work
UN Cyberschool bus - Great for UN MDGs and in lots of languages
Peace One Day – How to mark the International Day of Peace 21/9
Climate Challenge - Pratical ways to reduce global warming
BBC Newsround - Best site for internation current affairs in child speak
My global del.ici.ous tags - To see all my favourite global links

Additional Reading
Developing a global dimension in the school curriculum, DfES
Futures – Meeting the challenge, QCA
Education for Global Citizenship: A Guide for Schools, Oxfam

Interact with this blog
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What’s HappeNing?

Alex Savage — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:22:07 +0000

If you think that social network sites such as My Space and Bebo are just for teenagers and pop groups, then think again.

It is now possible to set up a social network of your own and customise it for a group of people with the same interests as you.

Ning.com provides a free service with similar features to My Space such as a blog tool and discussion forums as well as the ability to upload and/or embed images, audio and video. You can also communicate with other members of the network via email.

With a traditional blog, you put up your ideas in isolation and hope that other people will find them. With Ning, you are able to bring your ideas and questions to an existing group of people. This process of firing ideas off other people enables the content of the site to grow organically. Consequently, it becomes possible to show how your ideas form part of a wider context.

Ning also extends the concept of social bookmarking tools such as del.icio.us. By clicking on a member’s avatar you can view not only their contributions on this network, but also what other networks they belong to and who all their ‘friends’ are. This more social form of tagging enables you to literally put a face to an idea.

Rss brings the site to life as you are able to keep up with new additions as they are added. As a result you sense that the contributions become more of a dialogue than a list of seperate ideas.

Networks such as classroom2.0 are excellent for finding out about new teaching tools and resources. However, they also enable you to communicate with teachers who are actually trying them out.

Some teachers are even considering using a closed Ning network as a form of VLE to enable groups of students to access activities and learn how to create their own virtual space in a safe and responsible way.

It is tools like Ning that are changing the internet from an artificial environment of ideas, into a space to meet and share ideas with real people.

What is web2.0?

Alex Savage — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 13:38:24 +0000

This is a brilliant video called the Machine is Us. It explains web2.0 by using web2.0. Very inspirational.

To view it click here

Global Messenger 9

Alex Savage — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:22:54 +0000

This edition of Global Messenger coincides with two very important events, the G8 Summit and Father’s Day!

Contents
Communicty.org Update
British Council / Global Gateway Update
Global Dimension Update
Oxfam Cool Planet Update
Sustainable Schools Update
SSAT / iNet Update
Art for Life: Bridging the Digital Divide
Survival International
Global Dates

Communicty.org Update
Global Dimension in ICT - We recently did a project to create leaflets about the right to education and learning to learn. We used a blog to share ideas with some schools in the USA and used photos of school life from our link schools in Malawi. We finished the project with a flashmeeting video conference to Summit High in Cincinnati.
Personalising Data - We’ve created a number of ICT resources using real data instead of imaginary scenarios.

British Council / Global Gateway Update
Etwinning Toolkits - A useful list of teaching ideas for a variety of subjects. There is also a comprehensive list of reccomended etwinning web tools to enable students and teachers to communicate with each other.
Learning Together - A special free booklet on the European dimension.
Sports Zone - How sport brings countries together

Global Dimension Update
Hot Topic: Trade - A quick start guide to global trade with links to resources.
Case Studies - Find out how other schools have brought a global dimension into their curriculum
New Resouces - An update of all the new resources on Global Dimension.

Oxfam Cool Planet Update
G8 - A collection of resources on the key issues concerning the G8 meeting this year
Oxfam School Speakers - fully trained to help pupils aged 8 to 18 explore a range of
issues including poverty, health, education and the work of Oxfam.
Our Food, Our World - A free photopack of resources for 5 - 9 year olds
Oxfam Unwrapped - Lots of unusual gift ideas for Father’s Day!

Sustainable Schools Update
TeacherNet - An area of their website is now devoted to promoting sustainability in schools. Links to information, resources and events.
UNESCO - Guidelines on bringing sustainability into teacher training.

SSAT / iNet Update
iNet Primary Conference 3/7/7 - practical advice on developing or sustaining partnerships to enrich teaching and learning
iNet International Conference, Beijing, 18-20/9/7 - How educators can respond to the effects of globalisation?

Art for Life: Bridging the Digital Divide
ELearning 4 Africa has launched an Africa wide art competition for children between the age 5 - 11. Each child may submit a one page drawing or painting about the chosen topic. Topic: Life in my country. Closing Date: 31 July. For more information contact el4a@technowledgeable.com

Survival International
Survival International helps tribal peoples defend their lives, protect their lands and determine their own futures. Their website has a digital storybook called There You Go to explain how tribes are being wiped out by development.

Global Dates
World Environment Day - 5.6.7
Father’s Day - 17.6.7
World Refugee Day - 20.6.7
World Population Day - 11.7.7
International Day of Peace , Notre Dame Peace Resources - 21.9.7

Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Global Messenger is also available as a enewsletter that comes out once every 3 months. To subscribe email global@notredamehigh.norfolk.sch.uk. Global Messenger is made in association with Norfolk Education for Action and Developement (NEAD), Norfolk LA and Notre Dame High School, Norwich.

NSPCC poll on children using social networking sites

Alex Savage — Sat, 19 May 2007 08:40:38 +0000

The NSPCC is encouraging young people using online social networking sites to speak out about child abuse as part of its new Don’t Hide It initiative which was launched on 14th May.
See: http://www.donthideit.com/

Earlier this year the NSPCC ran a self-selecting online survey on www.Habbo.co.uk . Here’s a quote from the NSPCC online press release:
“There were 2,053 responses from young people (1,187 boys and 866 girls). 1036 had an unwanted experience online. 1071 used social sites at least once a day.

When asked for their top reasons for using social networking sites the poll asked young people to choose as many options as they wished. Top reasons were:

Making new friends (1824)
Connecting to friends I already know (1630)
Improving communication skills (1324)
Finding people like me (1315)
Getting advice from people my age (1288)
Knowing I’m not alone (1194)
Sharing problems with people my age (1098)

3. 1094 children said they had used social networking sites to support a friend having a rough time; 1061 said they had used social networking to find support when having a rough time.”

For more info from the nspcc website click here

Giving ICT a Global Dimension

Alex Savage — Thu, 03 May 2007 06:42:20 +0000

Click on image to view a pdf of the leaflet

It is clear that technology has a significant role to play to inspire and motivate our learners. We all know that WWW stands for World Wide Web. However, many schools have yet to realise its true potential for bringing the real world into the classroom. Communication is literally at the heart of ICT. Sadly, students are often given tasks involving made up situations rather than being given the opportunity to communicate with a real audience for a real purpose.

In the past students at Notre Dame High School, Norwich did a project to research and create leaflets about their school. They included information about the history of the school and subjects they learn. The ICT skills they demonstrated were fine, but their sense of audience and purpose was very limited.

This year we adapted our leaflet unit by making it more personal. We asked the students to think about how they learn best and what makes a good teacher. They shared their ideas by adding comments to a blog post set up for free on edublogs.org. We also invited children at our link school in the USA to contribute their ideas. We gave our students a digital camera and asked them to take images of the school from their perspective. Students at our link school in Malawi took photos of their school using disposable cameras and we uploaded them into a digital gallery using bubbleshare.com. Our classes then did some basic research about the universal right to education and why it is such a valuable part of our lives.

With all of the ideas and information they had gathered themselves, the students created leaflets on the right to education and learning to learn (see examples learn1 | learn2 | learn3 | learn4 | learn5 | learn6). The best examples have been sent to our link schools. The students helped to make the selection, thus providing a real reason for peer assessment. The project culminated in a flashmeeting video conference between children at both schools to discuss and compare school life. A recording of the conference was put onto a blog post and the students contributed comments to give feedback on the experience.

We did a student voice online survey using SurveyAtSchool at the end of the project to research whether giving their work a real purpose and audience motivated them to produce better quality work. According to the analysis 78% said that sharing their ideas on a blog helped them to write better ideas. 88% said that having a real audience gave their work a clearer sense of purpose.

Enabling students to research real issues, create real resources and communicate with a real audience gives their work a real purpose. The improved quality of our students’ work proves that this motivated them to produce their best. So, if you want to inspire your learners, remember to Keep IT Real!

Click on image to view a pdf of the leaflet

Differentiated Peer Feedback

Alex Savage — Tue, 01 May 2007 22:47:36 +0000

Click To PlayClick here to download .wmv (12Mb)

Our Y7 students created leaflets in ICT about the right to education and learning to learn using our 7.3 online unit.

Before finishing the project they gave each other feedback in order to refine their work using a differentiated worksheet.

We sorted the class into low, middle and high achievers and then created a seated plan to alternate them. This ensured that everyone had their work evaluated in detail by a high achiever (roughly half the class). The middle and low achievers gave more focussed feedback on areas they could judge more easily.

The most valuable part of the exercise was enabling the students to look at a variety of other children’s designs. Trying to explain good design is very difficult, but showing examples seems to get the point across much more effectively.

At the end of the unit we did an online student voice survey on the project. 82% of the students agreed that the peer feedback had helped them to improve their leaflet.

Personalised Data

Alex Savage — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:53:57 +0000

How much does it cost to feed a penguin?
Creating a budget for a zoo is how many schools teach students to create and use a spreadsheet. It is an easy way to demonstrate how formulae can be used to calculate totals and work out how to make a profit. However, why study a place that does not exist and data that is probably made up?

According to 2020 Vision Gilbert Review and research produced by EPPI Centre ‘pupils are more likely to be engaged with the curriculum they are offered if they believe it is relevant and if they are given opportunities to take ownership of their learning.’ To make the vision a reality, teachers need to shift their focus from what they teach, to learning more about who they teach it to.

Achieving the vision with ICT
In fact, many students are already personalising their learning. ‘By the age of 21 the average person will have spent 15,000 hours in formal education, 20,000 hours in front of the TV and 50,000 hours in front of a computer screen’ (Futures of learning Seminars, Future Learning Practice; seminar report June 2005). Young people are using technology informally to learn about real issues that interest them. The challenge for schools is whether they can catch up with their students!

Using real data
Instead of creating a model for an imaginary zoo, our students research all the ways they use water during an average day and calculate how much they actually use (see water unit). We then tell them that the water budget for a child at our link school in Malawi is only 20 litres. They then interrogate the model to find out ways to reduce their water budget. This really engages the students, as they are keen to find out how much water they use and the importance of using less.

We used to teach correlations by showing how to make scatter charts plotting height against shoe size of 100 children that did not actually exist. Trying to make sense of the data also led to rather embarressing questions such as what else can relate to your shoe size?! Instead, our students now use web sites such as the World Factbook to access a wide range of up to date national statistics. They explore the data independently to look for possible correlations such as life expectancy and GDP, or literacy rates and GDP etc. (see national statistics worksheet).

A good way of generating real data is by using an online survey tool such as SurveyMonkey or SurveyAtSchool. Our students create their own surveys on energy use at home. They analyse the data, then suggest ways to use less energy. They also create a survey to compare the lives of young people in the UK and USA. This year we had 1298 children in both countries complete the survey (see blog post).

Our KS3 students learn about confusion marketing in mobile phone contracts (see modelling unit). They are able to create models and use online databases to work out the best deal for the number of minutes they use. At KS4 we go on to teach students about personal finance using software called Adding Up To A Lifetime. Activities such as how to understand interest rates and compare bank accounts have also proved useful, not only for students but their teachers too!

Making the 2020 Vision a reality
It is clear that technology has a significant role to play to inspire and motivate our learners. WWW stands for World Wide Web, however, many schools have yet to realise its true potential for bringing the real world into the classroom.