Given that we spend half as much time on some topics than we used to in History, we need new ways of teaching some old topics. One example is WW1. In the ‘Old Model’, the teacher would work their way through a series of topics. The ‘old model’ reaction to less time is to teach […]
Why use Google Apps in schools?
I’ve had an email this morning from a school considering using Google Apps for Education in their school, and asking for some feedback on our experience. Having written the email, I thought it might be useful to share here… ———– We went for Google Apps for similar reasons, we didn’t even have a working email […]
e-safety and e-learning advice in planners.
Back in this post from last year Ollie Bray talked about the pages he had arranged to have added to Musselburgh school’s planners on effective searching and online safety. I’ve been reviewing our planners for next year, and as well as updating some pages on SMART, I’ve also used the opporuntity to adapt Ollie’s stuff […]
Shaking up post 16 in Swansea
Swansea council have announced some ideas as the basis for discussion about the future of secondary education in Swansea. Once again this includes the proposed closure of one secondary school (Daniel James this time), but now also a proposal to shake up post 16 in the county. At first glance, Olchfa should do quite well […]
EBI buttons and other ideas
I spent this evening at our Year 7 parents forum, sharing information with parents, and getting feedback on a range of issues. I was there talking about the way we’re using technology to help communication between parents and us, and getting some ideas about how we can move forward. Things we’re already doing: Parents information […]
Refelctions on seminar on use of mobile devices in education at Apple HQ
There’s been a couple of days gap between writing this on the train back, and getting to post it now. With that reflection time I think I boil most of what was said to this: To improve / transform education you have to have technology, content and pegagody working together. None of them are an […]
The danger of Comic Relief
We look back 4 generations to the enormous divides between the rich and poor and wonder how the upper classes could wander around and do nothing. Sure, a few set up schemes to help a few, but the structures of society, politics and economics kept the masses in their place. It took two world wars […]
I want one of these…
I’ve been thinking about my use of my whiteboard and projector. At Olchfa we chose to make an investment in projectors instead of interactive whiteboards, because we felt that a great deal of what could be done with an intereactive whiteboard could be done with a projector and we could kit out almost three classrooms […]
Teenages, sleep patterns, and a bigger picture
There’s been a lot of talk in the media and on blogs about the Headmaster who, in response to research that suggests there is a natural and noticeable shift in sleep patterns in teenagers, suggested opening and closing the school later. Lots of hysterical as you would imagine, alongside some more rational comment, pointing out […]