News and Items of Interest
Berkshire e-Learning Foundation Trials Eee PC The Foundation Trustees have purchased an ASUS Eee PC and are loaning it to schools in order to produce an evaluation report in its strengths and weaknesses for use in schools instead of the standard laptop. The Eee PC weighs less than 1kg and has a 7" screen. A new version has recently been released with a 9" screen and running Windows XP. Research on PDAs in Primary Education Are you interested in research into the use of the Personal Digital Organiser in Primary education? The Feltham City Learning Centre and Hounslow eLearning asked SENJIT of the
Mobile
Learning in
21st Century mobile learning becomes a reality for
James Elliman School case study More details about the school's technology project can be found in the document attached at the bottom of this page
Gilbert Report on Personalised Learning
Teaching and Learning in 2020 - the Gilbert report on Personalised Learning is well worth a read. Click on the link to go to the report www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/10783/6856_DfES_Teaching_and_Learning.pdf
Microsoft Teachers Programme
The Microsoft Innovative Teachers Programme aims to create a community of teachers who learn from and inspire each other. It supports IT innovation and best practice in schools and helps teachers use technology to connect and collaborate with colleagues, by providing training on and access to e-resources that integrate ICT into the learning process. www.microsoft.com/uk/education/innovative-teachers.mspx
Harnessing Technology schools survey 2007
The Harnessing Technology schools survey is an annual, nationally representative survey intended to assess the uptake of ICT in schools across
The full report can be found at
http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=14110
The impact of ICT in schools - a landscape review
Earlier this year Becta published a major review of the evidence on the impact of ICT in schools. The review, carried out by researchers at the Quality in Education Centre, University of Strathclyde, looked at over 350 sources to build a 'big picture' of where and how ICT has had an impact across the schools sector, including:
· Impact on teaching and learning
- Impact on attainment
- Personalisation of the learning experience
- Impact on home-school links
- Impact on administration, management and workload.
The review found that evidence of impact is inconsistent across schools, subjects and technologies. The greatest impact is found where the use of ICT is embedded in everyday classroom experience, has clear educational goals, and is seen as purposeful by pupils. Other key findings include: · A whole-school strategy that addresses the development and sustainability of ICT is a critical factor in the effective use of technology.
· Teachers' ICT skills have developed significantly over the years, as has the range of both hardware and software available in the classroom - there is evidence that these developments have led to a reduction in teachers' workloads. · Use of ICT is most effective where teachers integrate a number of technologies - for example, laptops, interactive whiteboards and the internet.
· ICT can contribute to personalising learning by putting greater control in the hands of the learner, but the challenge this presents to the traditional teacher-pupil relationship means this may not always be welcomed.
A copy of the review can be ordered (free of charge) or downloaded from http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=28221&page=1835
Spring 07 Newsletter
Read the Spring Newsletter giving all the latest on the Berkshire e-Learning Foundation
