So the time has come around when we have decided at school that to take our first major step towards a goal we have had, a vision for the future of our school. We would like our children to have a uninhibitied personal choice when to use technology; whether that be a calculator or sharing an online spreadsheet on a laptop.
We have kicked many ideas about throughout the last year and a half or so, including the ideas of using PDAs. I understand that there are many teachers out there who are doing great things with the little devices but we felt that they were a sort of halfway house. They had limitations in software and no keyboard.
There was also a time when I explored the idea of a mini suite in the classroom – setting aside some room to install a bank of say 8 very good desktop PCs, perhaps with the monitors attached to the wall. This altered to utilising one of the growing number of desk / PC mashups 😉 a computer that can be folded away. I then realised I needed to clear all the tables out for the Christmas party.
So after a really useful conversation with friend and colleague Peter Hardern – we have settled or returned to the idea of having wireless laptops. But not a portable set, a set for each classroom. Initally we will look at this model for 4 classrooms – years 5 and 6, about 40 laptops, 10 per classroom. We then have the opportunity, if funding allows in the future, to either extend the existing number in those rooms or to trickle this further down school.
So which make and model? Well since exploring the vast amount of online apps that are currently available it would be interesting to go against my initial reaction to get super fast machines etc and go for more of a thin client model. Perhaps with an active class blog and a wikispace that acts as a online portfolio – there may not be any need to buy MS Office.
I would really appreciate any thoughts from colleagues who have recently taken a similar plunge or who have thoughts on this model.
I enjoy playing the guitar. I decided a couple of years back that although I never had any musical tuition as a child, one of my ambitions was to be able to play the guitar. So for about a year I had acoustic guitar lessons with a guy in the local shop to where I work. It was great fun and I got what I wanted – just to be able to play the music I enjoy, strumming away to Oasis and Stereophonics – now I can pick up the guitar and play most songs I like if I have the chords.
windy night, with my driving instructor Simon, feeling pretty scared to be honest. I had my driving test during the first England game of the World Cup when they played Paraguay on the 10th June, so the roads were completely quiet 🙂 lucky me – and I passed.
I became a dad for the first time this year. At about 10.30pm on April 28th my little angel George was born at home, he is quite simply amazing. Enough said.
And then a child came and introduced me to their pet puppy labrador, all of a sudden loads of kids were telling me they had brought their dogs in! But to be honest they are pretty good to have around when on the ol’ Nintendo DS!! The little cyberpets were a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed looking after them some of the children even had a whole pack of dogs – 3 or 4 they were looking after- it just seems like an extension of the