Val Brown, Creatively accessing the curriculum using ICT in a Special School.

Saturday
Val Brown, Woodlawn School, 10:45, offers practical strategies as she looks at the general work of the school from Early Years to KS4 encompassing developing the international dimension to an inclusive art lesson; from high tech to low tech.

Woodlawn School in North Tyneside is recognised for its work enabling pupils to access the curriculum using ICT. This seminar will look at the general work of the school from Early Years to KS4 encompassing developing the international dimension to an inclusive art lesson; from high tech to low tech.This seminar offers practical strategies that can be used by any member of staff and resources that could be equally used within mainstream schools as well as special schools.

Dan Sutch, Doug Belshaw, Teacher, Ridgewood School, Doncaster,Teachers as Innovators

This seminar will look at available resources and strategies that support teachers in developing new approaches to teaching and learning, empowering teachers to act as the innovators of new educational practices. The session will also highlight the resistances to change within schools and share different strategies used by innovative teachers to reduce these barriers. The aim of the session is to enable participants to leave with knowledge of the tools and strategies to develop new practices in their own schools.

Home access through technology

Parrs Wood will show how this school is supporting home access through technology

Leon Cych, Director Learn 4 Life, Using Second Life in the Schools' Sector

Leon Cych, from Learn 4 Life, talks about examples of the uses of Second Life in the schools' sector. He will be demonstrating several current projects and showing how this virtual platform can be used to extend teaching and learning, training and CPD in schools both locally and globally.He will be highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of using a MUVE (Multi User Virtual Environment) to deliver education for the 21st Century. How is this relatively new learning platform being used to engage teachers and pupils in a more compelling ways.

Tash Lee, Laura Shore, Deputy Head, Luckwell Primary School, Bristol, ‘Fountaineering’ for educational change

‘Fountaineers’ is a whole school project in which primary pupils are co-researchers, co-designers, owners and engineers of an interactive and programmable, intelligent water fountain. Ultimately the fountain is a vehicle and a focus for us to trial and to develop new approaches to teaching and learning, to challenge some traditional school structures and to put personalised learning and learner voice into practice.The seminar will provide practical advice, and share tools and processes for others to be able to run similar projects in their own institutions.

Dr John Morgan, Steve Moseley, Assistant Deputy Head, Ashton Park School, Bristol, Enquiring Minds

Enquiring Minds is a new approach to teaching and learning which taps into students’ interests, questions and ideas and uses them to develop skills of research and knowledge creation. The approach has been developed and trialed by Futurelab and two partner schools, and a guide to Enquiring Minds is to be launched at BETT. This seminar will introduce the approach, tell the story of the project and present some of the findings about the approach from our research in schools.

Handheld technologies in the curriculum

Dearne School, will look at the use of handheld technologies in the curriculum

Alan Cameron, Education Officer and project manager, Effective Learning & Teaching through Video Conferencing

4 rurally isolated primary schools have been engaged in a 2-year programme with 30 primary pupils receiving weekly lessons via video conferencing from an instrumental tutor on brass instruments. The project has been greatly enhanced through partnership working with the London Symphony Orchestra. Rod Franks (Principal Trumpet, LSO) has given additional lessons via video-link direct from the St Luke’s Centre, London to the remote schools. This session will look at how the quality of learning and teaching exceeded Headteachers’ expectations.

Rob Couch, Head of ICT Services, Guernsey Education Department, Enabling Primary Curriculum Innovation through a Managed Service

Guernsey embarked on an ambitious strategic change programme to support learning through ICT. In September 2005 all the Island’s schools came back to a completely new managed ICT environment focused on enabling innovation, the 17 primary schools had agreed priority areas for the development of ICT integrated with AfL principles; learning intentions and success criteria are used to create assessment and recording facilities within SIMS. Schools are encouraged to post units of work online in order to build up an island-wide resource of knowledge, experience and practice. Elements of transformation are already evident.

Dr. Tim Rudd, Simon Kaufman, Teacher Advisor - ICT, Mathematics, Inclusion Support and Development Service, Barnsley, Approaches to learner voice in s

This seminar will focus on the principles, perspectives and practices around increasing ‘learner voice’ in schools, particularly in light of the personalisation agenda. It will look at prior research, alternative practice, tools for participation and empowering learners. It will also show some examples of projects and practice that have fostered greater learner voice and demonstrate why this is a key issue to consider in relation to future teaching and learning, pedagogy and the organisation of schools.

Miles Berry, Terry Freedman, Personalised Learning through Technology

This seminar will explore how ICT can contribute to a new experience of schooling, assessment for learning, pupils’ ownership of learning, peer mentoring and parental engagement, thus fulfilling the aspirations of the Gilbert Report. The design of schools for the future will be discussed, as will possibilities for teachers’ CPD. Provision for more radical interpretations of personalised learning will also be discussed. There will be practical examples of how technology such as Learning Platforms, VLEs, MISs, blogging, handheld devices and home computers are being used, and there will be lots of ideas for teachers to try out for themselves.

Peter Yeomans & Steve Wheeler, 11:45, Wednesday, Collaborative tools in teaching and learning: the University of Plymoth example

This seminar will give a broad overview of the challenges and impact of collaborative tools in learning and teaching.It will aim to introduce some of the theory and pedagogy of wiki based learning and teaching. It will look at the implementation issues for a school in terms of web based technology and the impact upon the approach to learning & teaching drawing upon the lessons learned during a pilot project by the University of Plymouth in partnership with local schools.

Andy Tyerman, Becta, 10:45 Wednesday, What will a personal online learning space mean for schools and for learners? Where are we now?

The Government target for learners to have access to a personal online learning space by March 2008 will be a significant move towards the widespread uptake of technologies that widen access to learning. Learners will increasingly take greater control over their learning as they have choices about when and where they are engaging. What are the challenges to the role of the teacher and the school to ensure that best practice and effective use of the technologies leads to improved outcomes for learners in the shortest possible timescales? The session will provide an update on the current position and how learning platform technology is having significant impact around the country.

Ewan McIntosh, Learning and Teaching Scotland, We’re adopting! A strategy for adopting social media in education

Using blogs, wikis, podcasts, social bookmarking and other social software seems an obvious advantage to those already using these tools in the classroom. But how can administrators and community leaders get their own learning communities to see the light? Ewan and colleagues in East Lothian, Scotland, have used grounded business strategies and a passion for experimentation to successfully integrate new technologies and teaching into their schools. In this session, find out what they are doing, how they are doing it and talk through your concerns, opportunities and challenges.

Keri Facer, Futurelab, Space to Think: Preparing for Long Term Educational Futures

This presentation will provide an overview of findings from a programme of work currently being conducted by Futurelab into the future role of education in the context of technological, social and global change. It will provide a summary of the latest forecasts and predictions from scientists, industry and non governmental organisations. It will identify key issues facing educators in planning for the future. The presentation will also offer a set of tools for education leaders and innovators to use to create ‘space to think’ for planning BSF programmes or transforming curriculum, pedagogy and home-school relations.

Educational Debate 3, Saturday 12:15

What technology changes have best reflected the changing pedagogical landscape in recent years?

Educational Debate 2, Thursday 12:15

What are the key leadership challenges facing educators at a time of technological and social advancement?

Education Debate 1, Wednesday 14:00

What three changes in the approach to teaching and learning are required to raise attainment through ICT?

Educational Debates

Educational debates
For the first time at BETT, a number of debates will offer visitors the opportunity to engage with some of the key agencies involved with ICT educational practice.

Each of the debates below will involve key players from the leading educational agencies outlining their own thoughts about the topics under debate. Through the use of interactive voting systems, the audience will be able to share their own views on these questions and facilitate the discussion process.

Wednesday 14:00, What three changes in the approach to teaching and learning are required to raise attainment through ICT?

Thursday 12:15, What are the key leadership challenges facing educators at a time of technological and social advancement?

Saturday 12:15, What technology changes have best reflected the changing pedagogical landscape in recent years?

Mick Waters, QCA, Primary learning - a curriculum looking forward

Mick Waters, Director, Curriculum Division, QCA will deliver this keynote address.

Primary schools are thinking hard about how to make the curriculum work for their children. Many have recognised that the school can drive the learning, making the curriculum do its job.This session will offer some ways forward, looking at aspects of ICT, and provide examples of progress being made across the country.