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8 October 2003
October Newsletter
Founder’s LetterDear Colleagues,
The start of a new academic year and we now have over 260 members: Fellows and Scholars. The website is proving increasingly popular with teachers and community leaders; 860 pages are downloaded every day.
I’d like to thank my team for their dedicated and imaginative support: Debra Cook, John Cuthell, Francis Howlett, Maryse Davis, Nick Westbury and Anne Dobson as well as all the MirandaNet chapter chairs. Under their leadership our community is flourishing. Also thanks to the companies who support the Fellowship and fund classroom projects: Microsoft, Toshiba, Promethean and Digitalbrain.
Thanks to Francis Howlett in particular, for a site update which clarifies the three activities that we represent; the MirandaNet Consultancy, the MirandaNet Fellowship and our new charity, World Ecitizens (WE).
The reason for setting up this charity is that MirandaNet colleagues all over the world have been expressing their concern for children and young people who are feeling anxious and uncertain about the stability of their home. Global conflict promoted by politicians and fermented by the media has seemed to dominate the headlines for weeks at a time. The threat of terrorism is constantly reiterated. Schools and community groups have reported that it has been increasingly difficult to maintain a caring culture in the playground when powerful nations are justifying wars.
As a result, the MirandaNet Fellows have been working together online over the last year to create World Ecitizens (WE) which we hope will establish some headline stories about co-operation and understanding between cultures instead of conflict and disagreement. To do this we are exploiting the capacity of technology to bring people together.
It was really exciting sitting at the centre of the MirandaNet web building the text from comments from peace-loving colleagues all over the world. The WE text, as a result, is a triumph of mature conciliation, thanks to all the MirandaNet chairs.
This is what we agreed :
‘World Ecitizens aim to encourage understanding between peoples and communities and to share the fascinating diversity within nations and across the world. WE take responsibility for our actions and strive to make the world a better place.
The WE web based learning environment is a rich resource for educational collaboration in topics such as responsible citizenship, mutual respect, combating social injustice and conflict prevention and resolution. WE participants can build projects together, join in debates and develop electronic portfolios. Young people achieve World Ecitizen status when they publish a contribution to the WE gallery
wec.mirandanet.org.uk.’
WE now invite young people all over the world to share this web space by creating written statements, illustrations, video clips, comic strips and digital photographs that promote their ideals and aspirations for citizenship - one screen to make their point. WE welcome contributions in any language.
Work which is submitted for the WE gallery will not carry full names or schools but the young people will achieve World Ecitizen status and receive a certificate.
If you want to involve your class or community please email enquiries at worldecitizens.net
You can start by publishing as a group or we will help you find WE partners straight away.
WE also offers a learning environment where young people can build projects together in a safeweb space. Community leaders and teachers are invited to ask Francis Howlett about working in this space.
I suggest you also have a look at the materials within the WE learning area which are free. Francis will provide the registration instructions - but anyone can browse using the username 'guest' and leaving the password blank.
Of course, however good the communications technology we all prefer to meet face-to-face where possible. MirandaNet courses, seminars and conferences for 2004 are announced below. Meanwhile, we will have a stand at BETT04 January 7-10th. The details are on our front page under the BETT logo. We do hope you will try to meet us there. Debra will organise meetings at the stand and an evening meal together.
Let’s make a difference this year,
Warm regards to you all,
Tina
MirandaNet Seminars
We have two seminars showing the graphic novel and the video that children at Hermitage produced on homelessness.
Thursday 6th of November – Hermitage Homeless Project
Darren Coughlan of the City Learning Centre is planning a open afternoon/evening on Thursday 6th of November to showcase the Hermitage project on Homelessness.
Thursday 4 December – Hermitage Homeless Project, MirandaNet Seminar and Christmas Party
Institute of Education, 12 noon – 2 pm
Stephen Marchant, the comic strip artist AD 2000, will illustrate how he worked with pupils in researching and expressing their concerns about Homeslessness. Marc Coker and Mmoloki Chrystie, of Kushti Moving Image, will demonstrate their videoing techniques. Classroom teachers may want to emulate the ideas for similar citizenship subjects like bullying. We are also looking for Artists in Residence funding for MirandaNet schools.
You can download the ‘Living’ comic free from the site or send £3.00 p&p (£6 overseas) to Debra Cook at the AGEL, Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, for a free printed copy. We are using this lunchtime seminar as the start of a MirandaNet conference.
Please let Christina know if you would like to talk about your ICT work with MN colleagues between 3 pm and 6pm.
The MN Xmas party starts at 6.30 until 10.00 pm in the Lawton Room.
Hope to see you there.
Thursday 8th January 2004 - 3.30 pm at BETT Olympia, Room E8
Christina Preston – World Ecitizens
This session presents some of the MirandaNet Fellows creative and imaginative uses of ICT to reach out to teachers and pupils together all over the world. There will be an opportunity for the participants in this session to make connections with other teachers who want to develop curriculum exchanges together across digital, national and cultural divides.
We need MirandaNet Fellows to speak at this event as well. Please contact:
christina at mirandanet.ac.uk
16 February 2004 – 10 am John Cuthell on IWB - 1 day seminar - Elvin Hall, IoE
At the end of John Cuthell’s very success project we are telling more the the IWB stories from MirandaNet Fellows.
Other seminar information
19th and 20th November - NESTA Futurelab Conference
Beyond the Exam: Innovative Approaches to Learning and Assessment' is on 19th and 20th November 2003 at the Watershed Media Centre in Bristol
www.nestafuturelab.org/events/past/be.htm
Monday 5 January 2004
Extending the Reach: ICT, Access and Inclusion in Education
An International Forum for Practitioners and Policy Makers
The Cavendish Conference Centre, London W1G 9DT
Delegate reservations: £130 plus VAT (£152.75)
For brochure and application form see
www.besanet.org.uk/international_conference/index.htm
Promethean – MirandaNet Interactive Whiteboard Practice Based Research Project
Congratulations to John Cuthell and his team of teachers who are beginning to reach some conclusions about the impact of IWB on teaching and learning.
In the fourth seminar at the University of Huddersfield on September 30th three threads emerged from the six teacher presentations:
- the need for a planned approach to the infrastructure and ICT skills that were needed when interactive whiteboards were introduced;
- the identification of all of the curriculum concepts involved in the teaching;
- affective changes in staff and students engendered by effective use of interactive whiteboards.
This evidence is emerging from the six case studies presented included primary and secondary schools and covers a range of curriculum areas.
Dai Thomas of Ringmer Community College, Lewes talked about Knowledge Schemas and Visualisation, and the ways in which the ACTIVboard supported these.
Kirsten Lowe, of Castle View School, Sunderland analysed the effects of interactive whiteboards on underachieving boys.
Karen Graham, St. Giles CE Primary School, Shrewsbury talked about Switching On Switched-Off Children.
Jonathan Wood, a colleague of Dai’s at Ringmer Community College, looked at the impact of boards on Visual Learning in Mathematics.
Sue Mainstone and Ben Franklin, both teachers at Sir Charles Lucas Arts College, Colchester, talked about the impact of interactive whiteboards on school and departmental praxis, and in particular the effects on underachieving students.
The afternoon was brought to a rousing interactive conclusion by Tony McNally, from Castle View School in Sunderland. His case study was called Transforming Music Teaching.
Thanks are due to the Promethean team for their support throughout the project, and on the day. You can find more information on the website.
The next IWB seminar will be Friday November 21st at the University of Huddersfield. Full details are on the MirandaNorth website, which can be accessed through the MirandaNorth link on MirandaNet.
Pilot Project on the WE site
Creativity and Citizenship : Pinchmill Lower School
During the past two months MirandaNet, John Cuthell and Francis Howlett have worked with Pinchmill Lower School, in the small village of Felmersham, Bedford, to develop a customised version of the World Ecitizens Online Environment, specially adapted for Pinchmill and two associate schools. This rural school might be small and tucked away, but the staff are brimming with innovative ideas.
This innovative ICT application is designed to contribute to the formative assessment process, and supports Creativity and Citizenship, in addition to National Curriculum Key Stages 1 & 2.
Pinchmill Lower School is a Beacon school with ArtsMark status.
www.pinchmill.beds.sch.uk
www.felmersham48.freeserve.co.uk/school.htm
If you would like to know how MirandaNet can support your school in elearning please contact enquiries at mirandanet.ac.uk
New Resources
Citizenship Education – Resources
In the next year MirandaNet wil be focussing on the new curriculum subject Citizenship, so we are highlighting resources in this area.
Schools in England are struggling to implement effective teaching of Citizenship issues, according to the results of a research survey conducted for the volunteering charity CSV. It suggests that teachers need more training, time and support such as additional resources. BBC News covers this report in its story "Citizen Lessons 'need more input'."
The CSV website offers a news release and the full report "Citizenship in the curriculum - one year on".
Action Research Literature
MirandaNet Fellows who are engaged in practice based research studies might find these reviews helpful.
Nestafuturelab have two new lit reviews out on their website. One covers ICT and Science with a mainly secondary bias (from Jonathan Osborne and Sarah Hennessey) and the other on ICT and Primary Science from Colette Murphy which has already got some press attention.
When you are on their site you might care to look at their interesting 3d brochure for their next conference : beyond the exam.....
There is also a funsite.
For more information contact: Martin Owen (martin.owen at nestafuturelab.org)
Two new scholars
Dr Len Newton
Dr Newton is currently senior Lecturer in Science Education, University of Nottingham School of Education, UK.
He has had 18 years experience of teaching integrated science and biology in UK secondary schools and colleges with a long-standing involvement in initial science teacher education and training in the UK. Over his career he has worked with adult learners in a range of educational settings from adult basic education to tutoring undergraduate students with the Open University. His appointments include lecturer in Science Education Loughborough University; associate tutor and researcher in science education, Leicester University and associate tutor with the Open University.
His research interests are:
· Teaching science using Information and Communications Technology.
· Interactions in learning environments involving ICT.
His publications include a book, internationally peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations, presentations to Association for Science Education conferences on themes related to the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in science education.
He is a member of the Editorial Boards the International Journal of Science Education and of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Biological Education.
He was a consultant for British Educational and Communications Technology Agency (BECTa) (2001/02) work on 'Good practice in the teaching of ICT as a subject at Key Stage four'; and for the Open University (1996) new Science Foundation Course S103 "Discovering Science".
David Lefevre
David has been working on e-Learning projects since 1998 and is currently developing software for Imperial College and the British Council (where he is working with one of our current fellows: Graham Bradford.)
For more details on his career and interests please visit:
www.btinternet.com/~david.lefevre
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