ICT Register Showcase - Achieving Learning Potential
Tuesday 16 March 2010, Holywell Park, Loughborough


Session synopses

Educational futures: Challenges and Opportunities.
Dan Sutch (biography) Futurelab

This presentation will share some of the longer term challenges and opportunities that were raised as part of the Beyond Current Horizons programme (www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk) before looking at some emerging practices that are addressing them now. The session will be an opportunity for all to think beyond the current classroom potential to consider the next steps in achieving learning potential, as well as present an opportunity for all delegates to become involved in a new Futurelab development project.

Design for learning.
Philippa Lee (biography) Education Integration Manager, RM

How can we make learning spaces in schools more learner focused? What role can innovative technology and furniture play in changing the way we teach? Philippa will explore the current thinking around new ways of learning and teaching, not only in new build schools but also how this is possible in established schools. If we are to engage 21st Century learners we need a 21st Century approach to learning and this starts with us thinking about learning spaces differently. Philippa will consider the role technology can play in developing independence, collaboration and choice if we are to respond to learner needs more effectively.

The way forward iCPD.
Bill How and Tony Parkin, Head of ICT Development, SSAT (biographies).

Following explorative activities during the past two years, the team will be evolving a new model of working during 2010 to align with and support the development of the new regional networks and the roll out of the LIA, alongside the provision of technology expertise.

The new model will be driven by demand from its core network and based around themes, rather than a focus on projects. These themes will include:
  • Live CPD events
  • Online CPD
  • Resources
  • Consultancy and partnerships
  • The provision of online expertise
Together the themes will be known as iCPD and the ICT Register will be at the core of its new approach, providing the energy, innovation and expertise. This session will explore iCPD and provide an insight into this exciting new development.

Showcase: 21st Century Classroom, sponsored by RM, ISIS.
Mark Maybury, Senior Educational Consultant, RM (biography), Leigh Baker, Sales Director, SpaceKraft, Dr. Matthew Pearson, Education Consultant, SMART, Nick Toplis, Managing Director, ISIS, Matthew Parkes, UK Sales Manager, Dacta.

The 21st Century classroom displays some of the innovative practices being used in schools across the country. This area is a sample of the REAL Centre (Rethinking Education And Learning) - a permanent space located at RM's Oxfordshire Head Office. It is designed to provoke discussion and research about how the integrated design of furniture and technology can provide flexibility and extend the range of activities to support a more learner centred approach. Anyone engaged in refurbishing or designing new learning spaces should visit the centre for ideas of what is possible. The 21st Century classroom on display is supported by RM, ISIS, SMART, Dacta and SpaceKraft. For further information visit www.rm.com.

Moving IT on through transition and parent portals (Helping parents to get on with IT)
Dominic Tester (biography), Assistant Headteacher, Costello Technology College.

The publication of the Becta toolkit in August 2008 prompted the college to really unpick how technologies can be used to support parents and engage them in the education of their children ahead of the online reporting targets of 2010. What is true parental engagement, is it more than just online reporting? This session investigates the approach that Costello Technology College is taking to secure the use of technology to enhance parental engagement through their parent portal alongside developments that focus on addressing student needs when making the transition from KS2/3.

The Federation of Abbey Schools - achieving, learning and sharing
Amanda Gledhill, Teaching and Learning Responsibility (biography), Elaine McCue Head Teacher (biography), George Ford, Head Teacher (biography), The Federation of Abbey Schools

The Federation of Abbey Schools was established in 2004 as a soft federation after a number of years of collaborative work between infant and junior schools; we became a hard federation in 2007 and operate on a large green site (630 pupils, 60 staff). All staff and pupils have worked together to develop an effective learning platform and this has been a crucial tool in the ongoing success of the federation. The LP, selected and developed by The Northern Grid is used from FS to Y6. We have been involved in a number of LP symposiums for BECTA and NGfL, and we are also the proud winners of three awards from NGfL for our LP work. The success of our LP is due to the commitment of both staff and children and we would like to share our journey to achieve each child's learning potential through the Learning Platform with you.

Exploring local history, guided by GPS.
Evelyn Baxter (biography) AST for ICT, Reece Bentley and Corey Stephenson, Students, Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School, and Barrie Morgan, 11 – 19 Curriculum Advisor, Rotherham LA.

Reece Bentley and Corey Stephenson from Rawmarsh Ashwood will present the results of a project in which they explored the local history of Parkgate in Rotherham. The aim of the project was to create historical walks guided by GPS navigation and delivered through the Wild Knowledge website. Supporting information in the form of interviews, recorded using Podium, video clips and photos were also presented on this website. Attendees will receive a comprehensive support pack.

Next Generation Learning.
Paul Haigh (biography) Notre Dame High School, Sheffield

Notre Dame has held the ethos that new technology is the catalyst to and at the heart of whole school improvement since becoming a Technology College in 1995. Whilst retaining many traditional tried and tested school ethics like good attendance, good behaviour, a caring community and great lessons Notre Dame is also very innovative with ICT penetrating every aspect of school life. This extends beyond award winning e-learning with students having access to any time anywhere learning with a rich web2.0 toolbox to also include Parental Engagement through a mixture of online and real time reporting and supporting staff as 21st century employees who make full use of ICT in their working lives both in school and at home.

Paul will give a full tour of this 'virtual school' and talk about where the school plans to go next with a Personalised Learning Environment giving every student a personalised online dashboard for their school lives. He will also talk about the school's policy that enables students to safely use their own mobile devices safely that bizarrely created an international press furore in October 2009 and he'll talk about the risks and benefits of social networks in schools as featured in his latest book.

Innovation and sharing practice.
Matt Guest (biography) ICT Teacher, John Henley (biography) Programme Manager, Shireland CLC

Shireland City Learning Centre provides state-of-the-art 21st century learning opportunities for schools, settings and the local community in the south of Sandwell. The CLC acts as a testbed for innovation and new ways of working, ensuring that the effective use of technology supports school improvement and the development of a 21st century education system. Shireland City Learning Centre is an Apple Regional Training Centre. We aim to inform you of the latest technologies that we have employed to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum, as well as how we share and make sustainable the approaches within our partner schools. A range of software, handheld, mobile and web technologies will all be discussed as a way to raise pupil engagement and achievement in all subjects.

Using digital media to bring the curriculum to life.
Andrew Davis, Headteacher, Clunbury C of E Primary School (biography) Michael Keenan, ICT Coordinator, St Austin's Catholic Primary School (biography).

Our curriculum is a 2-D guide crying out for us to make it 3-Dimensional - this presentation will focus on planning, preparing and presenting digitally recorded media and how adding sound effects, music, titles and credits can be powerful after-effects.

It will show the audience how they might use ICT to:
  • develop content, characters and situations by collaborating, exploring and recording ideas
  • use objects, props and other interesting or unusual materials imaginatively as a means of expressing or understanding a situation, idea or experience
  • use digital recordings to record 'shy' children who don't like to act in front of camera but are comfortable recording their voices over an avatar or an animated sequence instead
Running through the presentation will be references to our local, national and international successes:
  • Outstanding ICT in our Ofsteds
  • National and European Awards
  • International Access via TeacherTube

Rondevals

Radio in the school environement.
Craig Hudson, ICT, MLE & New Technologies Co-ordinator Avenue Primary School (biography)

In January 2009 Avenue Primary School took the plunge and purchased a "Radio Station". The equipment was purchased on the premise of being another technological advance that would see huge benefits in pupil engagement and achievement across the curriculum. This session focuses on how this technology has been used across the school and the benefits that have become apparent. There is a big focus on the drive to improve speaking & listening and writing skills, from Reception through to Year 6. In using this technology, we have also seen a great improvement in other areas of the curriculum and also everyday life skills. This session will also look at what you need in order to begin using this technology with little or no funding.

Handheld learning to support educational outcomes.
Stuart Bailey, Headteacher and Jean Freeman, ICT Coordinator, Parkside PRU (biographies)

Handheld learning - this project arose from the need to support learners in the transition from school to further education. We wanted to support the learners in an inclusive way that they would be comfortable with, and that was seen to be acceptable to their peers. As most of the learners have handheld devices of some form we developed the idea of using them in a more strategic way. We are now looking at ways in which handheld devices can support a range of learners both those who are moving on and those within our setting.

Ashford Rural Cluster GPS Tracker Project.
Gill Hollamby and Donna Rogers (biographies), Ashford Rural Cluster

This project aims to explore the use of the outdoor classroom and mobile GPS trackers to plan and create activities to support the creative curriculum, focussing principally on data-handling activities in science and maths, although other areas will also be encouraged. We are planning and coordinating the project during Terms 1 and 2 and training sessions and activities through Term 3 with first phase evaluations by end of February.

We have purchased 15 i-gotU trackers and invited schools to a planning session where we will outline the project and explain the pedagogue behind the project. Schools that are interested will then be invited to sign a project agreement to include evaluations and to attend a training session where they can gain confidence in the use of the trackers and plan their own route. We will use our cluster VLE to support schools and share ideas and evaluations and the final results will be shared through both the public on-line @trip website and the VLE.

Using Promethean ActivExpression handheld devices in the secondary classroom and beyond.
John Sweet (biography) from Sir Bernard Lovell School, Bristol.

Using these devices to improve student motivation and as a diagnostic tool to help with both Assessing Pupil Progress (A.P.P.) and Assessment For Learning (A.F.L.).

Drake's Island: Raising literacy through virtual worlds.
Darren Towers (biography) Media Advanced Skills Teacher, Stoke Damerel College.

Drake's Island is a cross curricular learning programme for secondary schools that operates within the Virtual World Teen Second Life. The project has a particular focus on raising literacy through gameplay.

The project has won both the Media Innovation Award 2009 (Virtual Worlds and Gaming) and the Apply Serious Games Educational Game of the Year 2009, as well as gaining international interest and publicity. Drake's Island is soon to be released for commercial sale around the world.

Darren will be presenting the Drake's Island project, giving an overview as to how it works and why it has been so successful. He will also be available to take questions about the project. More information on Drake's Island can be found at www.snowcrashrepublic.com.

Mobile learning netbooks
Mike Herrity (biography) Assistant Headteacher for Data, Twynham School.

Twynham School has built a highly developed Learning Gateway over the last three years to support students and staff in their learning. In the last 12 months they have started to roll out netbooks to fully maximise the benefit of the Learning Gateway and ensure 'Anytime, Anywhere Learning'. This session will cover the impact of mobile technology when used in conjunction with a mature Learning Gateway. It will also talk about the pitfalls and lessons learnt which will help if you are looking to roll out mobile devices.

My Learning, My Space - Work with Microsoft.
Students from Sandwell (biographies)

Young people from Sandwell have been involved in a student voice programme, working closely with Microsoft Interns.

The programme was developed to investigate how young people would like to learn in their new schools of the future. A group of students from two Sandwell schools were selected to work with Interns from Microsoft, to investigate the latest technologies and explore ways that it can be used to support their learning.

Among other things the students have been lucky enough to 'play' with Microsoft's new surface technology, which is a revolutionary multi-touch computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects.

Furthermore, Microsoft have invited the students to design their own application for the surface table, which is to be developed into a real surface 'app' by the Interns.

School Blogging Student Council.
Staff and students (biography) from Lodge Park Technology College, Corby

The Student Council at Lodge Park Technology College actively uses ICT to access the views of the student body. They use a variety of methods ranging from Moodle, email and texting. Meetings are held once a week but much of the council business is completed virtually. Each member of the council shadows the senior leader in the school and focuses on one of the following areas: Teaching and Learning, Support, Curriculum and Operations. They have received student researchers training from the SSAT and are using this training to work on a number of whole school initiatives and curriculum reviews.

Move over YouTube! - Showcasing talent through Edutube, a student's perspective.
Kate Broadribb (biography) AST, Wildern School and students.

Wildern TV is one school's realisation of EduTube. Developed for and by students Wildern TV provides a platform for pupils to share their learning and to showcase talent. Harnessing video, sound and images students run, manage and moderate the site. As the EduTube has developed students achievement is recognised through the annual Wildern TV Oscars ceremony.

Engagement at Hawes Side through blogging and the life channel.
Lee Glynn, Deputy Headteacher (biography) and James Maloney, ICT Leader (biography) and Students from Hawes Side Primary School.

This session is comprises of two parts. The first will look at how the life channel is used to present the children's digital work around school and to parents via the blog. The life channel is also used to share events and learning with the wider community. Recently the children have begun to start sharing their own research and learning on the life channel which is something we are promoting. The blog has been a huge success over the last few years with 50,000 hits. It is run by the children with Mr Maloney overseeing it. New developments have seen us move on to class blogs as a way of making blogging a vehicle for parental engagement and shared learning.

Developing speaking and listening through Ryton Park Television.
Diane Moore, ICT Strategic Leader and Kimberley Smith, Class Teacher (biography) Ryton Park Primary School

Ryton Park School produces regular high quality news programmes on a weekly basis which are screened to the whole school in assembly. Key Stage 2 pupils take the lead in planning, filming and reporting diverse news stories that showcase excellent work, publicly recognize pupil achievement, and document many of the exceptional learning experiences that Ryton Park has to offer.

Ryton Park Television (RPTV) has proved a real success in many areas; such as raising the aspirations of the children and their families, developing communication skills and confidence of the children, as well as increasing opportunities and enthusiasm to learn in all areas at school. Such is the quality of the children‟s media work, Ryton Park's pupils have been used as roving reporters, capturing footage of recent floods in the area for a local TV news team, when TV crews could not reach the scene.

Television studio, green screen technology and radio station (podcasting).
Darren Collings (biography) Director of Performing Arts Specialism, and Chris Spender (biography) Network manager, Blackfriars School

During the session you will be shown how the technology has been used with the students. An overview of the processes involved will cover the software and hardware used to create a radio show and how we are progressing in the creation of a TV studio. Aspects include: Storyboards, outside broadcast, animation, Garage Band and green screen

Mobile Printing.
Elaine Brent (biography) Heath Primary School, Chesterfield

Heath Primary School is participating in the ICT Register's 'Using Brother MPrint Mobile Printer in Schools' project. This presentation shares their findings so far on the project which aims to investigate just how these very mobile printers might be used to aid student learning and members of staff.

Designing ICT in Sixth Form Education; using Virtualisation to deliver excellence.
Dr Christopher Reynolds OBE (biography)

  • Why it is important for ICT in Sixth Forms to be designed with the workplace and high education in mind.
  • Getting the most from your ICT budget; using thin clients to increase the number of workstations available for student use.
  • The benefits of using Thin Clients and 'Application Virtualisation' over those of the traditional PC:
    • Reliability
    • Security
    • Remote access
    • Environmental factors
    • Ease of management
  • The experiences from both of school and student point of view to using the ICT in the Sixth Form Centre.

iWise Media Centre - How to develop ICT skills for children with moderate and severe learning difficulties.
Sean O'Sullivan, Headteacher (biography) and John Riches, Teacher (biography) Frank Wise School.

iWise is about creative use of technology. It has been developed by Frank Wise School through our role as a Specialist School. Our Specialism is in Cognition and Learning, and iWise will be used by our own pupils, our partner mainstream schools and many of those with whom we have direct links for inclusion.

We aim to see that this fantastic new resource gets extensive use beyond the school day and into the holidays by more people who are keen to explore their creative side. Sean will explain the potential of iWise, a media centre for teaching and learning across the Special School. He will also expand on the technical and financial considerations for developing an initiative of this type.

John will share a video of teaching and learning in iWise. He will detail the benefits of the facility from a first hand teaching perspective.

Monkseaton High School: Engaging parents using ICT and designing a school of the future.
Simon Thompson (biography) Assistant Headteacher, Monkseaton High School.

Delegates will be able to understand the journey Monkseaton has undertaken to improve Parental Engagement through the use of ICT and in welcoming them and the whole community into the new school building. We will explore how the use of a range of media helps to improve communication between home and school which also involves the student; how this 3 way partnership is improving outcomes and relationships. We will also have a brief look at how the new school building is designed to engage learners through independent and collaborative learning using ICT. Simon will be joined by Gary Turnbull who, as a non-teaching head of year uses ICT to improve communication between teachers, students and their parents and how this leads to improved relationships.