Special Needs, Inclusion seminars Saturday

Saturday
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!!!!

What creative and inspirational practice would you hope to see delivered by attendance at this session? Post your own thoughts and join the BETT community debate on the professional development opportunities available at BETT.

Special Needs, Inclusion seminars Friday

Friday

10:45
Helping Children with Autism Recognise Emotions - The Transporters

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and Claire Harcup, NASEN/DCMS

The Transporters is a ground-breaking animation series featuring a lovable cast of vehicles with real human faces designed to help children with autism recognise emotions. Episodes centre around a key emotion to help children recognise and understand emotions in context. The session shares findings from the project evaluation and describes how carers can get the best out of this free resource.

12:00
Introducing Children with Learning Difficulties to the Computer

Bob Black, Downs Syndrome Association

Developing the link between reading and spoken language skills, Bob will explore software that can assist with this. He will discuss the types of programme available and demonstrate tried and tested programmes used in homes and schools including new resources.

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.

13:15
Even Difficult to Teach Children Matter

John Galloway, Tower Hamlets LEA

Making every child matter can be difficult when their behavioural and emotional difficulties mean they find a school a difficult place to be. This session will look at the ways in which ICT can support changes in information sharing and approaches to learning that can help to change this.

What examples of good practice would you hope to take away with you by attendance at any of these sessions? Could more be done to support the Inclusion agenda at BETT? Post your views and help shape future BETT seminar programmes.

Special Needs, Inclusion seminars Thursday

Thursday
10:45
Learning to Read with ICT

Duncan Milne, PATOSS

Use the power of ICT to develop better readers in your class! Discover how to teach synthetic phonics effectively with ICT. Examine concepts including: understanding reading acquisition, utilising ICT and multi-sensory learning, recognising and overcoming reading problems and developing a successful reading programme.

12:00
Making the Best Use of ICT to Support Dyslexic Learners

Victoria Crivelli, BDA

Ways in which ICT can help overcome barriers to learning, including: Making the best use of existing technology, How ICT can help create Dyslexia friendly environments, Guidance on selecting programs and tools to support planning, organisation and recording of information, access to the curriculum and literacy skills.

13:15
Making Learning Special

Pete Wells, Sunderland City Learning Centre

Join Pete Wells, winner of Becta's ICT Practitioner of the Year for Inclusion, for a fun filled seminar! Pete will show how you can use ICT in a variety of ways to engage all learners. Experience a disgusting sensory story, a range of sensory based lesson ideas and watch some fantastic Chromakey films! Come along and prepare to be gunged!

14:30
Is It Accessible? Choosing and Using Software Titles

Adrian Higginbotham, Becta & David Colven Ace Advisory Trust

In these enlightened days of the DDA and SENDA all software should be accessible to everyone shouldn't it? But what to we mean by Accessible, how do we know when we've found it and what happens when we can't find it. A Becta lead discussion on what Teachers and suppliers can expect of each other to support personalisation when using ICT.

In terms of your own continuing professional development, what would you hope to gain by attendance at any of the above sessions? Could more be done to support the Inclusion agenda at BETT? Post your views and help shape future BETT seminar programmes.

Special Needs, Inclusion seminars Wednesday

Wednesday
10:45
Technology in Transition

E A Draffan, BDA

Introducing ways of helping students with dyslexia to make the most of the assistive technologies available to enhance coping strategies throughout their educational career. Examples will be provided to show how to use specialist software alongside general technologies found in schools, colleges and universities - some free, some expensive!

12:00
Personalised Learning for All

Carol Allen, NASEN

Personalised learning has been a key feature of effective working practice for students who experience barriers to learning for many years. This session will look at how the same principles can be extended to support staff and voluntary helpers to provide an inclusive learning environment for all by using ICT and technology. Practical examples and ideas will be demonstrated.

13:15
The Right to Read: Reasonable Adjustments for Reading Impaired Students

Ian Litterick, BDA

What does the law say? How can you help your visually and other reading impaired students, including those with dyslexia to access the written curriculum under SENDA? Present reality and future vision for services, techniques and technology for providing reading materials in accessible alternative formats throughout education.

14:30
Special Schools - Becta's Self-Review Framework and the ICT Mark

Chris Stevens and Sally McKeown, Becta

Chris and Sally will outline the ways in which special schools should approach using the Self-review framework to reflect their good practice and how they will achieve recognition through the ICT mark for work they do with pupils who have the most complex needs.

What ideas or practice would you hope to adapt and incorporate into your own classroom practice from attendance at any of these sessions? Are there enough SEN/Inclusion sessions in the BETT seminar programme? Post your thoughts and help shape the discussions about the future of the BETT seminar programme.

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?