Primary Teacher UK

Sparkleplus launched

Sparkleplus (www.sparkleplus.co.uk) has finally been launched today.  The site, whose sister (brother?) is the fantastic Sparklebox, provides additional resources on top of the free ones already available.  Becoming a membership offers large discounts on the already good valued products. 

The site also has 'Classroom kits'.  These are complete sets of printable signs, labels and templates that can be edited for anything you want.  CD's can also be purchased with whole collections of resources on it, all at very reasonable prices.

Don't forget that Sparklebox continues to offer lots of free resources which will be added to as usual.  Full details are available on the Sparklebox blog. Good luck Samuel.

The Domesday Project 1986

Can you remember way back in 1986 sitting in front of the most advanced computer in school, seeing a 12" laser disc being put into the caddy before finally seeing the Domesday Book on the Acorn computer? The project included a new 'survey' of the United Kingdom, in which people, mostly school children (including me!), wrote about their daily lives. This was linked with maps, color photos, statistical data, video and 'virtual walks'.

Well now you can reminisce and view all the data and information again online at the Domesday Project website.  Is it how you remembered it?

Link: http://www.domesday1986.com/

Headteacher resigns to pay legal costs

Judith Elderkin, a headteacher from Marlborough Road Community Primary School is resigning in August so that her salary can be used to help pay a £70,000 legal bill according to the Manchester Evening News.  The legal bill came from defending a racism claim from a sacked teacher over 23 days.

The sacked teacher made 70 allegations of bullying, victimisation and racial discrimination against Salford council, the school's governors and three senior members of staff.  The LA is refusing to help with the legal bills saying that the costs  are the responsibility of the school's governing body. According to the local paper:

"Local Education Authority advisers had originally suggested to the governors that they should give the teacher, Rita Mehra, a final written warning instead of sacking her. They warned that if the school went ahead with a dismissal it could not support it through any resulting tribunal - but the governors decided it was right to go ahead with the dismissal."

Whether the school took the LA's advice or not it seems to me the only people to lose out here are the children - £70,000 from a schools budget is a lot of resources.  Shouldn't the teacher that took the case to the tribunal and lost be made to pay for some of the costs?

Award winning environmental school

Congratulations to Mill O' Forest Primary School whose pupils (and teachers!) have won the David Bellamy Environmental Cleanliness Award.  Their portfolio involved putting up hanging baskets, planting at the BBC's Beechgrove Garden, and helping to clean up the beach in Stonehaven.  They beat off 700 other schools and have netted themselves £8000.  The highlight must be David Bellamy visiting them this afternoon to present the award to pupils.

Reports - finally done

Well I've finished writing my reports for another year!  Just waiting for the head to find the errors that I manage to miss despite reading through them twice!  This year I've found them much easier to write mainly due to using Report Builder.  Changing he's to she's and names is done automatically and best of all it was then possible to just export the reports into the Microsoft Word template that we use.  The raft of comments available, including my own which are added have allowed me to come up with much more individual reports than I normally write.

I got so into my reports that I didn't dare install any of the updates that were released and missed another great feature that would have really helped - Templates.  Templates which were added in build 1.0.0.222 and allow you to create template pupils, e.g. top, middle, bottom which you then edit to your hearts content.  How fantastic is that and how much easier will it make report writing.

Well until next year I can enjoy helping to improve the software even further as you don't need to purchase it again to take advantage of new features, you're guaranteed them for the life of the product!

Link: http://www.applepanic.com/reportbuilder.html

The Simpsons cards

The Simpsons cards have been removed from the site for the moment.  I have not been told to take them down, I am doing this of my own free will until I can sort the copyright issue.  I have contacted Fox as well as the website that I got the images off (www.duffzone.com) without any success so far, but will continue to do so.

Thanks for look and feel free to download some of the other resources available here or check out the news.

Andrew

Google keeping children safe?

There was quiet a discussion (see comments) when Matt posted an article about the uses of Google in the classroom about how safe it was for children to use.  It is by far the most common search engine and if you ask the children in your class I guess 90% of them will use Google.  This post is really just a link to an article on the Google blog about protecting children online.   In it they list some of the ways they are helping to protect children - and most promising say that this is just the beginning...

Creating your own learning content

I've spent today on a really interesting virtual learning course.  During the day we have been making use of software which allows you to create your own online quizes and resources.  We have looked at four over the day with what I class as the two best ones being totally free!

Hot Potatoes is the first piece of software.  For primary teachers this peice of software is excellent.  It easily allows you to create online:

• multiple choice quiz
• cloze procedures
• crosswords (Very quick example! - You have 1 minute to answer them all!)
• jumbled sentences
• matching exercises

Hot Potatoes is easy to use and fun, but it is rather simple on the 'visual' side.  Saying that there are a number of advanced features that allow scores to be collected etc.  You need to register to have full access to the program but there is no cost!

Link: http://hotpot.uvic.ca/index.htm

The second piece of software that I really enjoyed using and spent a lot more time on was eXe.  eXe allows you to do very similar things but publishes a much more professional looking web page.  It can't do crosswords at present, but you can link Hot Potato crosswords into it!  What makes this software much better is the fact that it can create the whole lesson for your children, along with resources they may need to print out or link to.

I spent the later part of the day experimenting creating a Pipe Piper Learning resource.   You can view what I created in a hour or so, but please remember that it was just a test for me.  Use the menu on the left to navigate around.  Clicking on quizes will open another menu.  One feature that I really like is the magnifying glass.  Try it on the observational drawing page.

This program certainly has loads of potential and to be available free of charge is fantastic.  Certainly one to download for your computer!

Link: http://exelearning.org/

Philosophy of Charles Schultz

I think this is great - thanks to Maria who sent me this.  The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier? The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life. "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schultz)

Tackle racism in the foundation stage

According to research from the Focus Institute on Rights and Social Transformation (First) the government must tackle racism in early years education so that young people appreciate ethnic diversity.  The report (you must register to access) says:

"These are the years when the foundations of subsequent attitudes and behaviour are established. This is a period of intense learning for children, and also a time when family members are most involved in their care and education. Wherever they live, whether rural, suburban or urban, they are all part of our multicultural society... But perhaps the greatest opportunity, with the greatest rewards, is the opportunity to develop a cohesive and inclusive early years setting, where children, their families and those who work with them all take steps towards a shared objective of belonging and equality for all, both inside the setting and outside in the wider community."

Research published late last week showed that black children are more likely to be expelled from school for bad behaviour than their white classmates.