Review of progress - October 2005

The group looked at recent progress and the immediate aims.

Media Stage has been purchased; this resource provides wonderful cross-curricular opportunities as well as enabling aspects of Access 3 Media Studies to be delivered.

Major work will be done over the October holidays to build the FLaT room (including Sound Box). This development will enable music resources to be purchased during November and December, and Music as an Access subject to be facilitated in the new year.

Recent training days have led to a great increase in the use of PowerPoint to deliver lessons. There is anecdotal evidence of application of Multiple Intelligence theory eg German animation. Linked to the FLaT aims, two members of staff are working to develop an old classroom. ICT and MI theory are informing their choices. During the next staff meeting (late October) Peer Assessment and Team Teaching discussions from the last training day will be ‘firmed up’ and acted on. A link has been established with Ewan McIntosh (MFL and ICT expert). He will visit the school in December to work on Podcasting and Movie Making with one class.

Video diaries will be introduced into the recording of the boys’ Independent Living programme, however the main target here is for teaching staff to work closely with Care and Unit Managers to ensure that the programme is working effectively first of all. IC3 eLearning is now available to all staff (and one class group). IC3 learning is now available via both text and on-screen. Two members of the teaching staff are working on the PDA in Online Learning via Lauder College’s VLE .

Several opportunities to amend NABs have been taken. Our MFL courses in S3 and S4 are being developed to allow access via ICT to encompass Multiple Intelligences. Hillside Homework weblog (http://hillsidehomework.blogspot.com/) has been developed to facilitate homework for 2 classes. This allows anytime-anywhere access to extension work.

Via the Access Network, a YahooGroup has been set up. This currently has 7 members and allows for sharing of information and learning resources.

It is expected that Video Conferencing will be available in the school by the end of October, with Global Leap sessions being booked immediately. The ICT consultant will be approached for advice on how to work around the problems encountered in our first attempt to conduct FLaT/ICT meetings “off-site”.

Finally, an eTwinning link is being established with a teacher (and her pupils) in a similar setting in Northern Ireland. The project/s will be outlined during October and will probably involve at least 2 classes.