http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/ en Sun, 26 May 2013 05:26:04 GMT vBulletin 2 http://staticc3.cdngeek.net/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/ http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/1986-easter.html Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:38:10 GMT So Easter is nearly here for us in Schools. Today at 3.30pm I will be loading my car with boxes and boxes of GCSE and A-Level work to mark over the... So Easter is nearly here for us in Schools. Today at 3.30pm I will be loading my car with boxes and boxes of GCSE and A-Level work to mark over the Easter holidays. What can I say - fun, fun, fun!

I have been busy in Year 10 lessons preparing my students for an exam on 6th June - Cambridge Nationals in ICT. The unit of study is Computer Systems and does involve, very much the use of computer systems and the more technical aspects of the subject - networks, hardware, etc. The pupils seem to be enjoying it, however there is a certain "lecturing" nature to the teaching, which I have not been used to. This is of course an IT course which we have had to introduce on the back of Mr Gove's exam style courses, being an obligations for today's kids. Personally... I'm not sure about it. My questions are thus: are these kids getting anything out of me standing at the front lecturing them for an exam they have in 6 weeks or so? Surely the more practical route and method of teaching is better, and coursework which shows their understanding? I don't know, it is an interesting argument.

Perhaps I need to adapt my new "lecture" type teaching style to be a little more interesting! I'm trying... honest!

Happy Easter! ]]> jom http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/1986-easter.html http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/1955-bett-2013.html Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:20:51 GMT Well, I said I was going to BETT and here I am blogging about it. Thanks to *LickOfPaint* for the comment - I remember going to BETT a couple of... Well, I said I was going to BETT and here I am blogging about it. Thanks to LickOfPaint for the comment - I remember going to BETT a couple of years ago and joining Edugeek as a result. I have been using it for hints and tips and to find out info. about certain things, but had never blogged before. So, I was glad to see your comment - thanks!

So - BETT was, as ever, exciting, inspiring and a good event where I was able to see the latest gadgets and gizmos for my classroom. I should say at this point that I am an ICT Teacher.

So - the stands which I wanted to visit were Edugeek, OCR (for its Raspberry Pi demos) and Microsoft for its gaming (Kodu). I was really impressed with the Raspberry Pi elements that I saw at BETT - OCR were really good and have given me some excellent ideas to use in the classroom - not only free resources, but a great demo. I also found a great company called FUZE (Buy Software :: BinaryDistribution.com, Where downloadbuyer meets business :: Binary Distribution), who have built some great stuff for the Raspberry Pis to sit in and allow kids to programme and see the results on PCBs attached to the Pi.

As I say, the Microsoft stand I visited demonstrated the use of Kodu, which I was very impressed with - I will be using this with my kids.

The school that I am currently working in is very keen to go down the 'tablets for everyone' root and try to use iPads in lessons more for interactivity and suchlike. Seeing as there has been so much press and hype about this at the moment, I was shocked not to see much about the use of tablets, at BETT. There was plenty of storage solutions for this, but not many ideas. It does make me think that perhaps it has not been fully trialled and perhaps not seen as fully beneficial, therefore no one is shouting about it? What do you think?

Anyway - there we have it, my BETT experience. Always an inspiring visit and something that reminds me why I teach ICT.

I shall update you on my progress with FUZE products and Raspberry Pi lessons! ]]> jom http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/1955-bett-2013.html http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/1949-first-geek-post.html Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:27:43 GMT Well, my first post on my Edugeek blog!! I have had the account since January 2010 and never even knew there was a Blogging platform, built in to... Well, my first post on my Edugeek blog!! I have had the account since January 2010 and never even knew there was a Blogging platform, built in to the site!

I have loved Edugeek and its forums / blogs since I went to BETT in January 2010 (hence joining then!), and I am currently mega-excited (yes, I know, a little sad!) about BETT this year, as I am going up on Thursday.

What makes it better this year, is that I am taking a group of Year 13 BTEC students with me! This should be fun, and I can teach them exactly how to get as many freebees as possible. The best trick is to take spare and extra carrier bags!

Anyway, I shall report back after the event itself. :) ]]> jom http://www.edugeek.net/blogs/jom/1949-first-geek-post.html