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April 2003 - news extra
MirandaLink is edited and sent out by Anne Dobson.
Ofsted | Numeracy | Local History | Sponsor | MAPE
Ofsted email service for parents
Parents, and other interested parties, can now sign up for regular updates
from the Ofsted site, including an option to receive news of the publication
of reports of school inspections from up to three LEAs. Her Majesty's Chief
Inspector of Schools, David Bell, said: 'Our redesigned website has proved
very popular with parents and has seen a 30% rise in traffic since November
2002. This new email alerts service, together with our post code search empowers
parents to make informed choices about local schools.'
To sign up to the service, see www.ofsted.gov.uk/mailinglist
Numeracy Online Inset
News from Janice Staines of Becta
concerning next week's ICT Advice Numeracy Online Inset. Janice prompts those
interested not to forget to register: She writes: 'In advance of the Using
ICT to Support the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics event you will be
able to browse and download the online Inset materials. Between 24th and 28th
March you will also be able to join live online discussion sessions focused
on using the materials with pupils in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.
To be able to participate in the live discussions, you'll need to be registered to use the Becta Communities conferencing service. If you are a first-time visitor, you just need to complete a simple registration form. If you have used the Becta online conferencing system before, you will be able to use your existing username and password to log in. The Inset pack has been specially devised for use by teachers of Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 pupils - who may or may not be mathematics or ICT subject specialists. The lesson plans and ideas are designed to give some starter lessons showing how ICT can be integrated into the teaching and learning of mathematics and some ideas for further developments.'
Local History Online and a bit of web-wandering
News from Claire Hammond at Becta about an NGfL online local history trail
to encourage people of all ages to discover the wealth of information offered
by the internet. Claire writes, 'The trail - which can be accessed at www.ngfl.gov.uk/localhistory
features online activities to show people how to get started in exploring
local history and how to use the internet to discover the secrets of their
area. People can try out their new skills by investigating the history of
their town and return to the trail to share their discoveries with others
in an online gallery.
The trail has three main areas: quizzes, investigations and the gallery. The interactive quizzes cover three topics: 'Getting started in local history', 'Taking your study of local history further' and 'Using the internet to study local history'. The investigations page suggests tasks to try as a way of starting to explore the local history of your community. Visitors can also send e-cards by email to their friends to encourage them to visit the website and take part in the local history trail.'
NGfL Content Officer Helen Bader said: "Every area has an interesting story to tell, and the local history trail will help bring that to life for people. The trail will help people in the UK learn how to set about discovering the history of their community, using everything from locally-produced resources to national archives. It also highlights the ways in which the internet provides access to fascinating information covering all parts of the UK. It is now possible to uncover all kinds of historical records from a computer, be it at home, at school or college, in a library or UK online centre. This event will help inspire more people to make websites detailing the history of their area."
People who submit contributions to the gallery will be entered in a prize draw for a year's family membership to English Heritage, Historic Scotland or Heritage in Wales. Entries must be submitted by 25 April.
Some of the websites featured in the NGfL local history are:
- English Heritage www.english-heritage.org.uk
- National Monuments Record - www.imagesofengland.org.uk
- Historic Scotland - www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
- Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments - www.cadw.wales.gov.uk
- Environment and Heritage Service (Northern Ireland) - www.ehsni.gov.uk/
- Cambridgeshire History on the Net - www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/library/history/home1.htm
- Knowsley Local History - history.knowsley.gov.uk
- My Brighton and Hove - www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk
- Powys Digital History Project (Prosiect Hanes Digidol Powys) - history.powys.org.uk
- Victoria County History (VCH) - www.englandpast.net
- The British Library - www.bl.net
- National Library of Scotland - www.nls.uk
- National Library of Wales (Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru) - www.llgc.org.uk
- The Public Record Office - www.pro.gov.uk/education
There are many more referenced on the NGfL site at www.ngfl.gov.uk/localhistory.
Sponsor announcements with a difference congratulations
in order
At the awards made at the Educational Resource Award Dinner, held last week
in Birmingham in conjunction with the Education Show, Promethean,
our partner won an award. Congratulations.
News of a publication from colleagues in MAPE
Safety Net : A book of Internet activities using safe (and free) sites
for children
This latest publication from MAPE
is a collection of good educational websites and some ideas for using them
in the classroom. Each activity is based around the use of one or more URLs
which are presented at the top of each activity. Some of the activities
are presented in the form of worksheets for children, others as notes for
teachers and some a combination of both. Other useful sites are mentioned
on the 'Further Ideas' page. The publication also includes an article on
using WebQuests, some tips on searching the web and saving text and images
from websites and a short glossary.
For more details, contact Val Siviter, email: val.siviter at mape.org.uk
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