Good Practice Seminars

The seminar programme hosts a number of seminars which highlight good practice across the whole seminar programme with ICT Excellence Award Winners showcased on Friday and the seminars below on Saturday.

10:30
Funky Flipcharts, Wicked Websites and Interesting Interactivity in MFL

Lesley Welsh, English Martyrs School & Sixth Form College, Hartlepool

Are you a primary or secondary MFL teacher seeking to make the most of the IT resources you have in your classroom? Come along and discover practical examples of how you can exploit a variety of websites, flipcharts and more to engage and motivate your pupils.

Are you looking for inspiration within your MFL classes? What would you hope to gain from attendance at this seminar? Post your comments to share with the BETT community.

11:45
Using ICT to Inspire!

Tim Rylands, Chew Magna School

Back by popular demand, after 'sell-out' sessions last year, Tim Rylands will give you the opportunity to explore accessible ways of inspiring creativity in music, writing, speaking and listening with children of all abilities. Tim has been described as an extremely gifted and inspirational teacher, with a love of the creative potential of technology. He believes that ICT is about communication rather than technology...and that it should be FUN!!!!

Are you looking for the creative spark within your class? How can Tim inspire you when you go back into the classroom? Give your views and join the BETT community.

13:00
Digital Media EducationDavid Baugh, Denbighshire LEA

Using Digital Media in education has huge potential for encouraging creativity in classrooms. There is extensive evidence that shows that using digital media with students increases: motivation, on task time, thinking skills and collaborative skills. This session will show how digital media can be integrated into everyday school activities.

What is your experience of the gains made through creative use of ICT? What information would you hope to take back to school with you by listening to this seminar? Join the discussion by posting your thoughts.

14:15
Making IT Happen in Walsall Academy in Design and Technology

Jonathan Boyle, Walsall Academy

Jonathan will be presenting a variety of approaches in the aim of getting the attention of others. Once the audience are hooked then the teaching begins. The approaches are not necessarily exclusive to Design and Technology.

What would you hope to gain from attendance at this seminar? Do you have your own views about the approaches taken within the Design and Technology curriculum? Post your comments to share with the BETT community.

Becta Seminars, Friday

Becta leads the national drive to improve learning through technology. They do this by working with industry to ensure we have the right technology for education in place. They also work to support the education workforce to make the best use of technology to improve learning. So that every learner in the UK is able to benefit from the advantages technology brings, thereby helping them achieve the best they can.

Each day at BETT, Becta will be delivering a number of seminar sessions.

11:00
Making best use of data to improve learning and teaching

Stuart Jones, Assistant Director, Becta and Roger Merritt, Consultant, Becta

This seminar will consider how the integration of systems and the effective use of data can help to improve learning and teaching. This will include the prospective use of learning platforms, e-portfolios and e-assessment.

What would you hope to gain from attendance at this seminar? Do you have your own views about learning platforms and e-assessment? Post your comments to share with the BETT community.

12:30
How to improve your primary school using Becta’s self-review framework

Claire Gill, Becta

This session will explore how school leadership teams can improve the Primary School through self-review and planned use of ICT. In Spring 2006, Becta launched the self-review framework. This session will offer guidance on the best practice processes and principles that can assist you in improving your school through ICT. This will be illustrated and supported by exemplars and experiences from Primary Schools on how the self-review framework has helped them make improvements in ICT. For some this has included achieving the ICT Mark. Be prepared to help your school by registering with the self-review framework now at:

http://matrix.becta.org.uk/selfreview

What is your experience of the self-review process? What information would you hope to take back to school with you by listening to Claire? Let us know what you think before and after the seminar.

12:30
ICT Excellence in Action Day for Leaders session

Isobel Mair School, East Renfrewshire, Scotland & Horndean Infant School, Hampshire


Isobel Mair School, East Renfrewshire, Scotland (ICT Excellence Awards Inclusion Primary winner) Described as an “excellent” school, Isobel Mair believe that ICT enables their pupils to achieve things which would ordinarily be beyond their capabilities. Technology has been crucial in supporting the school community and provides an opportunity for everyone to share their expertise both in and beyond the school.

Horndean Infant School, Hampshire (ICT Excellence Awards Curriculum Primary Joint winner) A wide range of ICT equipment is used across Horndean to support every aspect of the curriculum. The school has undertaken a journey to transform learning, and ICT is seen as a natural part of the toolkit used to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities. The staff have a clear vision of how ICT supports their work and a strong commitment to innovation and professional development.

How do you benefit from listening to other teachers explain their good practice? What information would you hope to take back to school with you by listening to both the above presentations? Let us know what you think before and after the seminar.

14:00
ICT Excellence in Action Day for Leaders session

Longfield School, Darlington. (ICT Excellence Awards Best Whole School Secondary Joint winner)

This secondary school have achieved resounding success across all aspects of school life with ICT at the centre of their work. There have been significant gains in exam results and staff confidence is high. ICT abounds in all areas of the curriculum and ICT champions ensure coverage across the whole school.

What is your experience of the gains made through confident use of ICT? What information would you hope to take back to school with you by listening to Longfield School? Join the discussion by posting your thoughts.

14:00
School’s ICT Infrastructure – Planning for the future

Paul Shoesmith and Nia Sutton, Becta

This seminar will discuss how Becta’s common standards and best value purchasing arrangements can help you plan for quality and reliability in your school’s ICT infrastructure and help you improve your school.

How can this seminar help meet your needs in identifying the support required with respect to the school's ICT infrastructure? By posting your views you can help shape the debate and the development of the BETT seminar programme in the future.

15:15
ICT Excellence in Action Day for Leaders session

Eccles College, Salford (Becta Beacon Award winner for e-enabling organisational development )

Eccles College describe themselves as ‘early adopters' of new technology, and have designed and developed a web based system for improving the handling of self assessment reporting and action planning for teaching and support staff which has been replicated across 18 other organisations.

What would you hope to gain from attendance at this seminar? What are your own views about self assessment? Post your comments to share with the BETT community.

15:15
How to improve your secondary school using Becta’s self-review framework

John Taylor, Becta

This session will explore how school leadership teams can improve the Secondary School through self-review and planned use of ICT. In Spring 2006, Becta launched the self-review framework. This session will offer guidance on the best practice processes and principles that can assist you in improving your school through ICT. This will be illustrated and supported by exemplars and experiences from Secondary Schools on how the self-review framework has helped them make improvements in ICT. For some this has included achieving the ICT Mark. Be prepared to help your school by registering with the self-review framework now at:

http://matrix.becta.org.uk/selfreview

As a secondary teacher, what is your experience of the self-review process? What information would you hope to take back to school with you by listening to John? Let us know what you think before and after the seminar.


16:15
ICT Excellence in Action Day for Leaders session

Balsall Common Primary School, West Midlands (ICT Excellence Awards Best Whole School Primary winner)

Described as “a vibrant school, with real energy, enthusiasm and passion for ICT”, Balsall Common Primary are at the cutting edge of ICT development. The school constantly embraces new technologies to improve organisational efficiency and pupil achievement within school and beyond.

What further knowledge and understanding would you wish to take away with you by attendance at this seminar? What are the key challenges to schools when constantly embracing new technologies? Join the discussion by posting your thoughts.

16:15
Emerging Technologies for Learning: Collaboration, Personalisation & the Read/Write Web

David Ley, Project Manager – Technology Research & Delivery, Becta; Lee Bryant, Consultant - Headshift

This session will give a brief overview of some emerging technology trends and then focus on the educational potential of social software applications and other Web 2.0 technologies.

What are the key challenges educators face when identifying the opportunities available through social software tools? What are your views and how would attendance at this seminar aid your understanding?

BETT Awards shortlist for SEN Solutions, Think About! 1,SEMERC

Think About! 1 is designed for all learners, including those with specific learning difficulties associated with dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorders, language disorders, and concentration and memory lapses. The engaging and motivating presentation of animations also make it appealing for older and more reluctant readers.

What's is your opinion of this title? And what areas of the SEN spectrum was it able to support?

BETT Awards shortlist for SEN Solutions, Communicate: In Print 2,Widgit Software

Communicate: In Print 2 offers a complete set of coloured Widgit Rebus Symbols in addition to the black and white symbols and other pictures supplied with the program. In Print is a flexible symbol-supported desktop publishing package for creating books, worksheets, newsletters and posters; so it is literally making the headlines. With all the functions of a symbol processor wrapped up in a DTP and full symbol functionality alongside freedom of layout, In Print is an exciting product for the Inclusion and SEN market.

If you use this software what strategies have you employed in the classroom to maximise its potential?

BETT Awards shortlist for SEN Solutions, Rapid Reading Assistant Software, Harcourt

Rapid - a unique Special Needs reading resource which really supports and motivates your pupils. Providing you with your very own virtual reading assistant through exciting speech recognition software, it offers you an invaluable ‘extra pair of hands’ for your classroom.Rapid has been developed to help your struggling readers fast forward to reading success and provides that all important support to each pupil making sure every moment spent reading really counts.

Do the above comments match with your own experience of using the resource? Why don't you let us know what you think.

BETT Awards shortlist for SEN Solutions, Clicker Vision,Crick Software/Espresso Education

ClickerVision is an exciting series of media-rich, video-based curriculum materials for early learners of all abilities.

A combined initiative from Crick Software and Espresso Education, this unique series of Clicker-powered materials offers a new approach to teaching and learning, perfect for use on an individual computer or an interactive whiteboard.

Why don't you give everybody else your impression of this tool if you have used it with your pupils?

BETT Awards shortlist for SEN Solutions, Trackers for Clicker,Crick Software and Oxford University Press

Trackers For Clicker is a joint Crick Software and Oxford University Press publication for children aged 7+ who have a reading age of 5+. The series is based on the fiction books from Oxford's new Trackers structured reading series. It is particularly suitable for struggling or reluctant readers, and for English Language Learners.

Have you used this title with your pupils? If so let us know how you found working with it in the classroom?

BETT Awards shortlist for SEN Solutions,Clicker 5, Crick Software

Clicker 5 is a writing support and multimedia tool - it enables you to write with whole words, phrases or pictures! It is a very powerful tool and is incredibly easy to use, and supports every area of the curriculum.

How have you used this resource in the classroom and what benefits has it given your pupils?

Post a comment and share your knowledge with the wider educational community.

BETT Awards shortlist for SEN Solutions

The following resources have been shortlisted for the SEN Solutions award.

Clicker 5, Crick Software
Trackers for Clicker, Crick Software and Oxford University Press
Clicker Vision, Crick Software/Espresso Education
Rapid Reading Assistant Software, Harcourt
Communicate: In Print 2, Widgit Software
Think About! 1, SEMERC