Open Evening - Things to make me look good...

[philjones2000]

Hi

This is my first post after a long time lurking- I have begun to find this site invaluable!

We have our annual open evening coming up and I'd like some suggestions of things we can have running and going on that will be look cool (even if really its not a lot more than window dressing) during the night.

What has everyone else done?

Thanks

Phil Jones

[webman]

Hi Phil, glad you could join us

Specifically for the IT department, we've shown a photo slideshow of the latest ICT suite/improvement to a bit of background music (nothing too dull though) on an interactive whiteboard. And it may be trivial, but make the room, computers, peripherals and cables look tidy. If all the computers look the same, that helps too If there's any redundant kit lying around, either make use of it in an appropriate way if possible or hide it well out of way.

Make use of the educational software that's installed or websites that the school use on a regular basis.

We have all computers in the IT rooms logged in as a guest account where people are free to use them.

Obviously if you're there on the night dress smart and answer any questions.

[Ric_]

I've found that Flowol running light-up models via control boxes are always good. As is Lego stuff (particularly if you just download the instructions and program off the net so that you get maximum effect from minimal effort).

Other things you can do are put fancy screensavers and desktop images on the screens and have a few computers spare so that people can browse the web.

If you have a decent Internet site that's always good to show off too. If it's a cr@p site I wouldn't bother

[GrumbleDook]

1) Set a few machiens up as kiosks ... give them IE as a shell and the school website as the homepage.

2) Video tour the school and burn onto a DVD, leaving it running as a loop.

3) Video the Head giving some propaganda about the school. A good thing to leave running in the hall and saves the head having to make the same speech 40 times.

4) Get some fun, educational games (walk the plank, fling the teacher) for the kids to play (and the parents too) ...

5) Touch typing sessions ...

6) No matter how many peple you have in the support team, get them all in and dressed smartly. Get around and about ... not just fixing things for the teachers when they go wrong during the night. Take photos of events (careful of students' faces if they are not already at the school) ... these can be used by different departments for publicity later in the year. It also means that students get used to seeign you out and about, and look up to you the same way they do the teachers ...

7) Avoid pizza, garlic bread and coke beforehand ... it can be embarrasing.

[Ric_]

7) Avoid pizza, garlic bread and coke beforehand ... it can be embarrasing.

Surely we shouldn't be encouring the use of illegal drugs anyway

[philjones2000]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

[beeswax]

I don't know how long you've been at your present school, but last year I'd just started work the week of the open evening. What happened was that I was called to one room 20 minutes into the evening to be told that the IWB wasn't working, and I couldn't get it to work there and then. It wasn't until I sat down with the other techies the following day to discuss the previous evening that that I discovered that this teacher was a particular problem (printer not working - not switched on etc).
If you've any members of staff like this, double check that everything's working as it should. Ask them what they need for the evening, then double check it shortly before the evening begins. You may never see the parents ever again...

[russdev]

on opening evening kids go home at lunchtime...

it works a treat gives afternoon for all setup time for staff to nip home if need be....

Russ

[Norphy]

Since I went full time I've refused to do them. The two that I did back when I was term time only, I spent the entire evening grinning like a chump in the library doing nothing very useful at all. There were no problems, I didn't get asked any questions and I got thoroughly fed up. tbh I have much better things to be doing with my evenings.

[petectid]

I'm with Norphy on this; teachers have to go because they have something called directed time in this respect they are paid to be there. I've done these evenings in the passed and my presence has not really been required. If everything is working before the event and has been set-up correctly then an evening down the pub will be far better for my well being! Stay at home.

[russdev]

lol

I do them and sorry going to upset people i think we should do them as long as get paid in time off in leu for it as tony says there are great benafots to doing them...

But then this the we all should be educational technologists part of me

Russ

[bossman]

Oh BTW don't forget shirt and tie to go with the well pressed trousers and polished shoes hehe! i find that the parents always avoid asking you any questions if you are immaculately dressed it puts the fear of god up them, also if you have a badge telling them who you are and what you do as this puts them off asking any questions cos computers scare the hell out of them.
Last don't forget to smile sincerely it means a lot to these parents that they are in a friendly place.