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20 March 2003
March Newsletter
Basia KorczakChristina Preston and Mike Bostock went to the funeral which was half in Polish and half in English. Her son and daughter were not accompanied by Basia’s father as he had had a stroke the day before. The collection was for MacMillan nurses and donations to Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The fond memories of Basia spoken by her family, her students and friends were full of her playfulness, her understanding of other people and her ability to get the best performance from her students. It was a great tribute to Basia that so many young people were there who were moved by her passing. She clearly was one of life’s best teachers. She will be greatly missed.
Her daughter, Magdelena, told Basia in the week of her death that the MirandaNet Fellowship are celebrating her creative use of ICT with an annual award. Several of you have sent in ideas. Are there any more before we make a decision?
Kaz's Departure to Oz
Kaz Glass, our efficient and charming MirandaNet project manager, is leaving us to return to Australia with her husband the first week of April. In the last two years she has visited as many countries in Europe as us British do in a lifetime. We cannot understand why she wants to leave our weather, London transport and the cheerful English, but at least she has stayed longer than she intended.
MirandaNet will miss her very much and hope she will stay in touch and send us regular updates on her life. She plans to settle down, buy “two big doggies that we can walk on the beach each evening” and build a home.
Kaz will be replaced by Debra Cook who will be joining MirandaNet on 17th March so that there is a smooth change over in the organisation.
Active Citizenship
Partners: Creative Partnerships, Crisis, Domex, The MirandaNet Fellowship
Giving students’ a voice
The Domex Unity of Identity website provides extensive free learning resources about citizenship written by MirandaNet Fellows as well as selected web sites. Each student also has a private web space where they can draft course work for the teacher to mark. There are also public exhibition areas and places for debate.
Students at Hermitage School, a MirandaNet School in Wapping, are already creating resources for other students on this website. They have identified homelessness and international citizenship as their two major areas of concern. Working with artists in residence their resources in video clips and comic strip format will be ready by the end of March.
International students at all key stages are now invited by the MirandaNet Fellowship to add to this celebration of citizenship 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.
Students can start to make contributions straight away. Let us know how you have used the site. Are there any joint MirandaNet Citizenship projects we can help to set up?
General enquiries should be made to Kaz Glass 0207 612 6683 or enquiries at mirandanet.ac.uk
Questions about the website should be directed to Francis Howlett (francis at mirandanet.ac.uk)
(Students resources shown publicly will not carry full names and schools).
New MirandaNet Brochure
We have produced a new MirandaNet Brochure which explains the work that we do as a Fellowship and as a consultancy. We are always very pleased to partner members’ bids or to help with proposals for projects. The MirandaNet site now has 860 pages downloaded a day which is considerable.
Members can download this from a pdf file at
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/ftp/elearning.pdf
Please pass this on to anyone who would like to partner us in ICT projects.
Research into IWB Pedagogy
John Cuthell has produced an excellent leaflet as the first stage report from our funded research project funded by Promethean which is already indicating some innovative uses of the Interactive White Board in classrooms. The leaflet might be useful for INSET sessions.
You will find the leaflet complementing the website which we have set up at
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/interactive
The MirandaNet Rose
Members have requested digitised images of the MirandaNet Rose so that they can print them off in black and white or colour and use them on notice boards describing MirandaNet activities.
Dennis Hook, our designer, has now produced a series of logos in different sizes and colours which you are most welcome to use. The MirandaNet International rose symbol based on a design by Rennie McIntosh. He was an Arts and Crafts designer who elevated the importance of interior design in the late 1800s.
Download a large MirandaNet Logo from here:
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/images/mnet_logo.jpg
And a MirandaNet Rose from here:
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/images/mnet_rose.jpg
On a general design theme, you will remember that at the CAL99 conference we designed a MirandaNet scarf, bag and bow tie which are still worn by members to parties and conferences. We experimented with these articles of clothing for an art deco ball which was held in the Beveridge Hall, Senate House, London, where a t-shirt would not have been appropriate.
In these days when visual communication is so important we advise MirandaNet chapters all over the world to design a clear visual identity. We leave the creative use of these symbols up to you. But we’d love any digital photos you have of local logos. You may want to use the International symbol as well.
Going one further, the ever inventive Czechs, produced a collage of Czech Miranda events over the last 10 years which has been digitised. You will find this on the Czech MirandaNet page :
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/internat/czech.htm
Tom's New Joy in Learning
Dr Daithí Ó Murchú, Principal, Gaelscoil Ó Doghair, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, Ireland has applied for a Fellowship. The case study focuses on the use of ICT in Special Needs and a boy called Tom.
Because of their learning difficulties, dyslexic children are often looked upon as being the lowest common denominator on the academic scale, or even regarded as problem students. Using traditional methodologies and new technologies, this project allowed students with specific learning difficulties to utilise, examine, explore, plan and design new thematic programmes which permitted them to go beyond the apparent barriers of the ‘chalk and talk’ classroom to experience the joy of learning and explore avenues of thought. The results of their work are now benefiting all students, and teachers, at all levels as the lowest common denominator has become the highest productive factor. One such child is Tom. His case study epitomises the path this journey has taken and together with his story, the programmes which eventually resulted from all our experiences.
You will find the case study on
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/publications/daithiomurchu.htm
There is also a Word version for downloading at:
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/ftp/toms_joy.doc
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