Teacher Zone

The NEN and British Pathe End of Schools Licence

After many months of national negotiations it has been decided that the increased cost for a continuation of the The British Pathe Schools Licence is prohibitive.

As a consequence the British Pathe service will stop on 31st July 2008 after which date schools will not be able to download high-resolution files without charge.

Material which has previously been downloaded may be used for a further year; that is until July 31st 2009. The licence for all British Pathe files expires at that point and all downloaded files have to be destroyed

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Could you be an Oscar-winning film composer, a world-famous orchestral composer or a jazz pioneer?
Well, here’s your chance to make your talents known. Enter the Sibelius Student Composer Of The Year competition and you could get your composition heard by some living legends and win some amazing prizes including once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

After a fantastic start in 2007 our composer competition is back, and this time there are three musical genres to choose from plus an incredible line-up of judges and prizes.

Choose Film, Classical/Contemporary or Jazz and compete in one of two age categories: 10-16 and 17-18. Good luck!
Please note: Entries do not have to be created in Sibelius. Audio/video files created in other programs are welcome.

Hear last year’s winning entries »
More Details »

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We made this video because wiki web sites are easy to use, but hard to describe. We hope to turn you on to a better way to plan a camping trip, or create the next Wikipedia.

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Since most of today’s students can appropriately be labeled as “Digital Learners”, why do so many teachers refuse to enter the digital age with their teaching practices?

This presentation was created in an effort to motivate teachers to more effectively use technology in their teaching.

Please see http://t4.jordandistrict.org/payatten… to learn how you can become a better teacher.

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We have come across a few people having problems with MP3 files and Making the News. After altering some of the settings in Audacity we have found a combination that works. Note: other settings may well work but these are the setting we have tested.

Open Audacity. Ensure that the Lame MP3 codec has been setup as per these instructions.
In Audacity.. Edit > Preferences > Quality
Default Sample Rate: 22050
Default Sample Format: 16-bit
All other setting left as Default

In Audacity.. Edit > Preferences > File Formats
MP3 Bit Rate: 64

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An exemplar showing how the use of the Pathe News Archive can be used in interpreting C20th literature by revealing its cultural Context. This shows how powerful simple video editing can be using free content and freely available software.

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Just a reminder that the deadline for ICT Excellence Awards entries is Weds 30 April

Here is a quick rundown of the categories for this year:

(Read the article)

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A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.

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Come and join us in the wonderful setting of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens & Glasshouses for the Growing Schools Conference: The Creative Outdoor Classroom, on April 7th.

This event will run from 9.30am (registration and coffee) to 4.30pm and will offer an inspirational set of talks, walks and lectures on how to work with the many ‘Growing Schools’ informal education providers and their resources to help you deliver science, geography, citizenship, art and mathematics lessons.
(Read the article)

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The Next Generation Learning campaign is about using technology well to make learning a more exciting, rewarding and successful experience for people of all ages and abilities.

Putting technology at the heart of learning will improve education and training in the UK – inspiring learners, engaging parents, enabling teachers, motivating employees and giving school and college leavers the skills businesses want.

Evidence shows that technology significantly improves results for all learners. Despite this, technology is fully exploited by only 20 per cent of schools and colleges.

http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/

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BBC Schools
www.bbc.co.uk/schools
Learning resources for home and school

Bitesize
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revision
Supports KS1, KS2, KS3 and GCSE exam revision

Learning Zone Broadband
www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips
rich audio visual material for use in primary and secondary schools from the BBC schools programming archive. Recently launched, very much in development and will continue to evolve and increase content over the next 3-5 year.

BBC Blast
www.bbc.co.uk/blast
Inspires, supports, develops and showcases the creative arts for young people aged 13-19. Lots of resources and ideas for pupils and teachers.

BBC News School Report
www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport
The opportunity for secondary schools to broadcast live news, aimed at 11-14 year olds. Fantastic supporting resources for teachers including lesson plans.

BBC Me and My Movie
www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/meandmymovie
CBBC me and my movie is a unique film-making initiative inspiring and enabling primary children to make movies and tell their own stories.

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Nominated as one of the most influential educational blog posts this article examines the book ‘How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci’, to explain how schools are preventing the emergence of another da Vinci. A thought provoking article.

1. Curiosita (from “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci”)
What? Intense and insatiable curiosity; constantly learning due to a desire to ask and answer questions
The Murder: In schools, for the most part, students learn only what the teacher decides they will learn. Student questions will often go unanswered if they lead away from the material (go off-topic), or if there are time constraints on what must be learned that leave no time for these questions in class.

2. Dimostrazione (from “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci”)
What? Constant testing of knowledge through experience and persistence; accepting of and learning from mistakes
The Murder: Except in the sciences (and sometimes even then), knowledge is simply given and expected to be absorbed rather than questioned and tested. On tests and labs, wrong answers cost the students their grades, therefore it becomes unacceptable to make mistakes. Mistakes are less about learning experiences and more about losing marks. Questioning societal norms is a very negative thing, even if they don’t make sense.

Read the full article here.

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Ever needed to download a Youtube video for classroom use? Or need a Youtube video in a different video format?

iDesktop.tv is a dynamic web 2.0 application, that offers a better way to search and watch YouTube videos. Not only but you can download YouTube videos! You can use the site to search through a huge collection of videos from various video sharing sites and when you find something you like the site will download and convert it to a file type of your choosing all from the same website. You can also use the site to store and group videos for use at your convenience.
http://www.idesktop.tv

Features / Benefits
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Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize — much less cultivate — the talents of many brilliant people. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: “If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk, please stop whatever you’re doing and watch it now.”

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