Integrated, creative educational technology means learning to use technology as the joint driving force for the lesson or project in hand. This is the mantra and ethos behind all of the changes we're putting in place at our school. It's a tall order. We have a very mixed set of abilites from both students and teachers alike - new students when they arrive seem to be off the pace and, by contrast, new staff seem to be right on. You can see, then, it's also very difficult to manage training for such a large number of teachers that is both meaningful and has an end skill they can use in the classroom.
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This week I was observed teaching. Not usually a happy affair for some but this time I thought I might use the recent additions to ICT (iPads) I have been making to highlight the need for a larger focus put on ICT in our school.
With the recent training and a happier more creative outlook placed on tackling ICT by placing it firmly at the center of our teaching it was time to put the iPad to test in the very grateful hands of the Year 5 children.
Basically, the future plans are that KS2 will inherit a much overdue injection of iPod touches to cater for bespoke cross-curricular lessons. It means that the children will have a video camera and editing software in their hands; something I think is imperative in modern KS2 ICT. So far the iPads have been for the Reception children only with view to KS1 after Christmas and I needed to see what the limitations are when using them with the older children. This is the rationale anyway! Sometimes I really love my job!
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